household appliance

Abstract

The present invention relates to a household appliance, in particular a refrigerator and / or freezer, with a cooled interior and thermal insulation that partially or completely surrounds the cooled interior, wherein the thermal insulation comprises a vacuum insulation body which has at least one evacuated area, wherein one or more feed-through areas are provided through which cables and / or wires run from a first position to a second position of the appliance, wherein the feed-through areas do not pass through the vacuum insulation body.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a household appliance, in particular a refrigerator and / or freezer with a cooled interior and a thermal insulation which partially or completely surrounds the cooled interior, wherein the thermal insulation comprises a vacuum insulation body.

[0002] A refrigerator or freezer has a large number of cables that need to be routed from the outside into the interior, such as power cables or refrigerant lines.

[0003] In conventional refrigerators and freezers, cables and wires can be routed through the insulation, which is made of PU foam. In existing refrigerators and freezers with PU foam as insulation material, different wires for electronics, refrigeration, or water can be foam-encased in different areas. Using spacers or similar, these wires are foam-encased in any desired manner in the housing or door to access the relevant component. This is not possible with a vacuum insulation body, as damage to the vacuum insulation body must be avoided at all costs to prevent the vacuum from being compromised by damage to the vacuum insulation body's casing.

[0004] The present invention is therefore based on the object of developing a household appliance of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that a feedthrough can be realized without damaging the vacuum insulation body.

[0005] This object is achieved by a household appliance having the features of claim 1.

[0006] According to this, it is provided that one or more lead-through areas are provided through which cables and / or lines run from a first position to a second position of the device, wherein the lead-through areas do not run through the vacuum insulation body.

[0007] The at least one feedthrough area therefore does not run through the vacuum insulation body and is therefore not directly connected to the evacuated area of ​​the vacuum insulation body.

[0008] The penetration areas can be used, for example, for the installation of refrigerant lines, water lines, condensate lines, and electrical lines or cables. The cables / lines are used, for example, to connect and supply refrigeration components, electrical / electronic systems, or for the storage / dispensing of water / ice.

[0009] The invention encompasses both inside-outside and inside-inside penetrations. For example, it is conceivable for the penetration to connect two or more areas within the device. In particular, water supply lines and condensate drains can be insulated and protected from frost in this way.

[0010] It is conceivable that the feedthrough area runs on the side of the wall bordering the interior facing the cooled interior, preferably behind a cover. In such a "surface-mounted" solution, the feedthrough area can run on the surface of the inner container or the inside of the door, etc.

[0011] At this point, it should be noted that the term “door” is to be understood broadly and includes any closure element by means of which the cooled interior can be closed, such as a door, a flap, a lid, a drawer, etc.

[0012] It should also be noted that references to cables also apply to wires and vice versa.

[0013] For example, it is conceivable to lay the cable inside a (special) door seal or in the channel of the seal holder, such as in the channel for a sealing rubber or in the sealing rubber itself.

[0014] It is also conceivable to install covers inside the device, behind which the lines and cables run. The covers and / or the inner container or the inside of the door can have guides or brackets for the lines / cables to ensure they are routed safely and precisely.

[0015] It's conceivable to divide the pipe routing areas. This could include thermal insulation to prevent water pipes from freezing, for example, and / or coaxial routing of water supply lines or condensate pipes.

[0016] Additional functions can be integrated into the covers. Examples include means for attaching components such as lighting or fans, as well as the ability to accommodate storage shelves.

[0017] It is also conceivable to provide distribution points that enable further distribution of the cables.

[0018] In a further embodiment of the invention, components, such as components of the refrigerant circuit, are combined in modules. In this case, an invisible routing of the lines within the module is conceivable.

[0019] In a further embodiment of the invention, the feedthrough areas are arranged on the side of the wall bordering the interior space facing away from the cooled interior space. In this case, the wiring / cable routing is thus "concealed."

[0020] It is conceivable to lay lines / cables in the door in the edge areas on the sides, top and / or bottom in the end pieces of the door, which are made of plastic, for example.

[0021] In the case of appliance combinations with several doors, the cable can be routed through the middle door bearing from one door to the other door.

[0022] It is conceivable to use flat cables (height less than width), such as foil cables or single strands, specifically for supplying control elements on the front of the device or in the door.

[0023] In a further embodiment, recesses or depressions are provided in the vacuum body in order to be able to lay cables there.

[0024] Components such as pipes or molded parts can be provided to protect the vacuum insulation bodies. The feedthrough area can thus, in principle, be formed by or delimited by an element specifically serving as the feedthrough. However, the invention also encompasses the case where no element specifically serving as the feedthrough or delimiting the feedthrough area is present. In this case, the feedthrough area is formed by or delimited by an adjacent component.

[0025] These recesses or indentations allow water pipes or other lines to be routed into the door. For example, a recess can be created in the door's vacuum insulation body, e.g., for a door dispenser.

[0026] The cables and lines can preferably be laid at the corners of the inner container.

[0027] It is also conceivable to provide a foil surplus of the vacuum insulation body or to use the existing foil surplus to create foil folds that can accommodate cables or form the feed-through area.

[0028] Cables / wires can be laid outside, preferably in corners that remain free of the vacuum insulation body. It is conceivable to arrange feedthrough areas, i.e., the cable / wires can be laid within the cavity of protective profiles.

[0029] It is possible to lay the insulation inwards through penetrations or by recesses in the vacuum insulation body at the surrounding front edge.

[0030] In principle, the lead-through area is preferably designed in such a way that the cable / line laid through the lead-through area is not visible during normal use of the household appliance, i.e. is concealed.

[0031] The terms “inside” and “outside” refer, on the one hand, to the cooled interior (= inside) and, on the other hand, to an area outside the cooled interior (= outside).

[0032] The arrangement of transition points from outside to inside is also preferably done at locations where internal components are located that conceal the entry of the cables into the interior. Examples include the separation between temperature zones or modules with refrigeration, electrical, or water-carrying components.

[0033] Another option for creating feedthrough areas is to create projections on the inner container facing the interior, creating a hollow space. An example would be the creation of a cable duct with a cover for this projection to protect the vacuum body.

[0034] Another option is the use of printed circuit boards on the outer sheets and inner container. These can include contact points that allow components to be connected via connectors.

[0035] It is conceivable to create a first container / inner door, from which another container / inner door is arranged at a distance corresponding to the dimensions of the cables / wires to be laid. The cables can be laid in the cavity created by this distance. The spacing can vary depending on the number and dimensions of the local cables.

[0036] The vacuum insulation body may have a gas-tight barrier, preferably a film and particularly preferably a high-barrier film.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment, the vacuum insulation body is a full vacuum insulation body. This refers to a vacuum insulation body that has a casing made of a film, preferably a gas-tight film, and in particular a high-barrier film, that encloses an evacuated area. A core material, such as perlite, is located within this area.

[0038] The film is preferably a gas-tight film and particularly preferably a high-barrier film. The term "high-barrier film" preferably refers to a film by means of which the gas ingress into the vacuum insulation body is reduced to such an extent that the increase in the thermal conductivity of the vacuum insulation body caused by gas ingress is sufficiently low over its service life. A service life can be assumed, for example, to be 15 years, preferably 20 years, and particularly preferably 30 years. The increase in the thermal conductivity of the vacuum insulation body caused by gas ingress over its service life is preferably < 100% and particularly preferably < 50%. The area-specific gas transmission rate of the high-barrier film is preferably < 10-5 mbar * l / s *m 2 and particularly preferably < 10-6 mbar * l / s *m 2(measured according to ASTM D-3985). This gas transmission rate applies to nitrogen and oxygen. For other gases (especially water vapor), low gas transmission rates also exist, preferably in the range of < 10-2 mbar * l / s * m 2 and particularly preferably in the range of < 10-3 mbar * l / s * m 2 (measured according to ASTM F-1249-90). Preferably, these low gas transmission rates achieve the aforementioned low increases in thermal conductivity. For the purposes of the present invention, high-barrier films are preferably understood to mean single- or multi-layer films (which are preferably sealable) with one or more barrier layers (typically metallic layers or oxide layers, with aluminum or an aluminum oxide preferably being used as the metal or oxide) that meet the above-mentioned requirements (increase in thermal conductivity and / or area-specific gas transmission rate) as a barrier against gas ingress.

[0039] The term "household appliance" is to be understood broadly in the context of this invention. This includes both appliances intended and suitable for private use and commercial appliances.

[0040] It is conceivable that the feedthrough runs along the shortest path from the interior to the outside or between two areas of the interior or along a path that is longer than the shortest path mentioned, which is advantageous with regard to reducing the heat input through the feedthrough.

[0041] The feedthrough can be located in a door of the device, whereby the term "door" is to be understood broadly and refers to any closure element by means of which the cooled interior can be closed. The term "cable" is also to be understood broadly and includes any conceivable cable, wire, etc.

[0042] The present invention includes designs of household appliances in which the thermal insulation is formed only by one or more vacuum insulation bodies, as well as designs in which, in addition to the vacuum insulation body(s), another insulation medium, such as foam, is present.

[0043] It is preferred if the proportion of vacuum insulation bodies in the thermal insulation is at least 50%, preferably at least 80%, and particularly preferably at least 90%. The percentage can refer to the mass, volume, or thermal insulation performance.

[0044] 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.

[0045] Furthermore, all features of the invention described herein may be combined with one another as desired or claimed in isolation from one another.

[0046] Further details and advantages of the invention are explained in more detail using an embodiment described below.

[0047] In a first embodiment, the embodiment relates to a refrigerator and / or freezer with a cooled interior that can be closed by means of a door.

[0048] The cooled interior is limited by an inner container and the inside of the door.

[0049] A full vacuum insulation layer is located between the inner container and the outer wall of the device. The full vacuum insulation body extends around the inner container on all sides, except for the open side, and preferably borders directly against it.

[0050] The fully vacuum insulation body features a high-barrier film that defines a closed space in which a vacuum prevails. Perlite is located within the closed space as a support material, which gives the vacuum insulation body its shape.

[0051] There is no passage for cables, lines, etc. through the vacuum insulation body.

[0052] Rather, there are feedthrough areas behind a cover located on the inner container wall, on the side facing away from the thermal insulation. Cables or lines are routed through these feedthrough areas.

[0053] Additionally, the inner container or the inner door has one or more channel-shaped recesses, forming a channel-shaped cavity on the side facing the thermal insulation, through which the line or cable extends. The cable leads, for example, to a lighting unit in the cooled interior. A refrigerant line to and from an evaporator arranged in the cooled interior can also be provided.

[0054] In a further embodiment, the inner container defining the cooled interior and / or the inner side of the door is surrounded by a further container or wall arranged at a distance from the inner container. The further inner container or wall is located on the side of the inner container or the inner door facing away from the cooled interior.

[0055] Cables or feedthroughs can easily be laid in the cavity formed between these two containers or walls or in the cavity formed between the inner container and the wall, without touching the vacuum container or being visible to a user.

Claims

[1] Household appliance, in particular a refrigerator and / or freezer with a cooled interior and a thermal insulation which partially or completely surrounds the cooled interior, wherein the thermal insulation comprises a vacuum insulation body which has at least one evacuated area, characterized by that one or more lead-through areas are provided, through which cables and / or lines run from a first position to a second position of the device, wherein the lead-through areas do not run through the vacuum insulation body. [2] Household appliance according to claim 1, characterized by that the lead-through areas run on the side of the wall delimiting the interior space facing the cooled interior space, preferably behind a cover. [3] Household appliance according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the feedthrough areas run on the side of the wall bordering the interior space facing away from the cooled interior space. [4] Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that there are one or more areas in which there is no vacuum insulation body and that the penetration areas are located in one of these areas. [5] Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that there is a recess or a depression in the vacuum insulation body through which the feedthrough areas run. [6] Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the vacuum insulation body is a full vacuum insulation body. [7] Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a wall delimiting the interior space has a bulge projecting towards the interior space and forming a cavity, and the feedthrough area runs through the cavity. [8] Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat there are two spaced-apart walls, one of which defines the interior space, and that the passage runs through the area between the walls. [9] Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the cables are in the form of conductor tracks printed on a wall. [10] Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a door seal is present and that the feedthrough extends through the door seal or through the seal bracket.