Cooling unit

Abstract

The invention relates to a cooling device (11) comprising - a corpus; - an inner container (26) arranged in the body and closable with a door (13) for holding refrigerated goods, with thermal insulation (18); - a power electronics unit (15) arranged in the body for performing a cooling function of the cooling unit (11), connected to a coil (21) arranged on the outside of the thermal insulation (18); - a control unit (25) arranged in the inner container (26), connected to a coil (20) arranged on the inside of the thermal insulation; wherein the power electronics (15) and the control unit (25) are connected by means of the coils (20, 21) for signal and energy transmission.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a cooling device, in particular with vacuum insulation, for example by means of vacuum insulation panels (VIP).

[0002] The main cost driver in refrigerators and freezers is the inner casing or liner, which requires large and expensive tooling for its manufacture. The inner casing is often the most expensive component in a refrigerator. Regarding the insulation of refrigerators, vacuum insulation means that cables can no longer be routed freely within the casing, as penetrations through the vacuum insulation panels must be avoided as much as possible or are simply not feasible. Access to the inner casing and cable routing is therefore typically limited to a single point at the bottom of the door opening. This makes cable management more complex, expensive, and requires more space.

[0003] In general, the wiring harness is a major cost driver for refrigeration appliances (cable + assembly + connectors + installation). Electrical components such as lights, sensors, displays, actuators, and similar devices are integrated into the appliance via wiring harnesses and connectors / sockets. These harnesses often contain a data bus that enables master-slave communication between the main electronics and modules such as ice makers, door openers, displays, etc., thus saving on wiring within the harness. The wiring harness routing is permanently tied to the given geometry of the interior container; subsequent modifications are either impossible or require a completely new interior container design, which is very expensive. The effort required for additional features such as lights, sensors, and power contacts for drawers, etc., is extremely high and represents a significant cost driver. Smart features, such as...New sensors, colored light, general smart lighting features, displays, actuators, etc. require a corresponding cable harness that must be provided in the inner container.

[0004] Cable harnesses are often difficult to standardize and therefore must be custom-made for each refrigeration unit. Installing cable harnesses is error-prone and time-consuming (requiring significant manual effort). Cable harnesses are fixed in terms of their location / routing and connection points. Defects in the cable harness (electronics <-> sensors inside the unit) are usually irreparable, and refrigeration units cannot be refurbished (poor sustainability).

[0005] VIP cooling units in particular are not repairable if the electronics or wiring harness have defects, as the VIPs and body are still glued / foamed together.

[0006] The wiring harness is usually embedded in the foam insulation of the refrigerator and terminates in corresponding openings and recesses provided in the interior. Modifications for additional lights, sensors, etc., therefore incur significant tooling costs. Additional electrical features often require not only a new wiring harness but also expensive tooling modifications for the refrigerator's interior. Furthermore, thick wiring harnesses consisting of numerous cables pose a problem for the insulation, as the cables act as heat conductors. The more cables that pass through the insulation, the worse the refrigerator's insulation performance. Many refrigerators utilize a 3D vacuum insulation panel. Wiring harnesses cannot be embedded in this type of insulation. Therefore, the wiring harness is routed into the appliance at the bottom edge of the door.However, the problem remains that the wiring harness inside the inner container must be routed to the appropriate points where the individual power consumers (lights, display, sensors, etc.) are located. The inner container must provide corresponding guides and mounting points. Again, additional or new electrical features require a new inner container (which is expensive). Furthermore, defects in the wiring harness necessitate replacing the entire unit, as the inner container and wiring harness are glued or additionally foamed together in such VIP devices.

[0007] Ideally, for the sustainability and repairability of a cooling unit, the electronic components, including the wiring harness, would be easily replaceable. Furthermore, eliminating the wiring harness would also prevent complex routing (like that used in 3D VIP systems) into the interior, which can quickly lead to moisture problems.

[0008] A disadvantage of the current state of the art is that cooling units intended to be distinguishable, for example, through electronic features, require new wiring harnesses and new inner containers – resulting in enormous costs, particularly due to the tooling required for the inner container. The wiring harness routing is permanently linked to the geometry of the inner container; subsequent modifications are either impossible or require a completely new inner container (very expensive). Installing wiring harnesses is error-prone and time-consuming, and their placement and connection points are fixed. Wiring harnesses generally cannot be replaced. New electronic features often cannot be implemented without significant changes to the installation space. Smart features, such as new sensors, colored lighting, general smart lighting features, displays, actuators, etc., are also problematic.In addition to a suitable cable harness with bus coupling, they also require a dedicated bus participant (microcontroller), for which a separate circuit board and installation space within the inner container must be provided. The routing of cable harnesses to the control and power electronics is a significant weak point in modern VIP and 3D VIP cooling units. Generally, cable harnesses in modern cooling units lead to reduced insulation, decreased installation space, and increased manufacturing complexity. Furthermore, units with cable harnesses are difficult or impossible to maintain, thus compromising their long-term viability.

[0009] The invention thus addresses the problem of providing an improved cooling device. According to the invention, this problem is solved by a cooling device with the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are described in the following dependent claims.

[0010] According to one aspect of the invention, a cooling device is provided, comprising - a corpus; - an inner container arranged in the body and closable with a door for holding chilled goods, with thermal insulation; - power electronics arranged in the body for performing a cooling function of the cooling unit, connected to a coil arranged on the outside of the thermal insulation; - a control unit located in the inner container, connected to a coil located on the inside of the thermal insulation; wherein the power electronics and the control unit are connected by means of the coils for signal and energy transmission.

[0011] Wireless signal and power transmission via coils eliminates the need for penetrations through thermal insulation. This offers advantages in terms of both the efficiency of the cooling unit and manufacturing costs.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the thermal insulation of the inner container is a vacuum insulation panel insulation.

[0013] Since vacuum insulation panel insulation achieves the same insulating effect with a significantly smaller thickness, a larger usable interior space can be achieved with the same external dimensions of the cooling unit, or alternatively, smaller external dimensions of the cooling unit can be achieved with the same usable interior space.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the signal and energy transmission via the coils is the only signal and energy transmission between the outside and inside of the inner container.

[0015] This eliminates the need for penetrations for cable harnesses and the like, which can maximize the aforementioned advantages in terms of efficiency and cost.

[0016] According to one embodiment, at least one element is arranged in the inner container which is electrically connected to the control unit, comprising the group consisting of: - a lighting device; - a camera; - a sensor: - an actuator; - a control and / or display element; - a fan; - a connection for supplying an electrical appliance.

[0017] This specifies essential elements for the operation of a modern cooling device, making the cooling device according to the invention suitable for a wide variety of applications. Elements arranged in the inner container, such as those mentioned, can advantageously be powered, read, and / or controlled via the control unit and thus wirelessly via signal and power transmission using the coils. This simplifies or reduces the number of wiring harnesses. Additional wiring harnesses or cabling for such elements are not required. Following a platform strategy, device variants with different configurations of the aforementioned elements can thus be manufactured more easily and cost-effectively.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the connection is provided for the contact-based or wireless power supply of the electrical consumer.

[0019] Both wired and wireless connections for electrical devices can be easily implemented with this system. For example, a wired version for shelves with electrical contacts can be used to supply power to electrical devices located on or in the shelf. Wireless power supplies can be used for flexibly positioned components such as cameras or sensors. Wireless power supplies are also ideal for components located in the movable door of a cabinet, eliminating the need for cables that could be prone to failure due to the flexibility required by the door's movement. Optionally, signal transmission can also be implemented via the connection, whether wired or wireless, for example, for cameras and sensors.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the cooling device comprises a rear wall designed as a printed circuit board, wherein the control unit is connected to or arranged on the printed circuit board for signal and energy transmission.

[0021] In principle, the cooling device according to the invention can be freely selected within wide suitable limits with regard to 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, a freezer, a chest freezer, or a wine cooler. 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.

[0022] An embodiment of the invention is shown purely schematically in the drawings and is described in more detail below. It shows Fig. 1 A conventional cooling device in isometric view; Fig. 2 a conventional cooling appliance in a sectional view; Fig. 3 a cooling device according to one embodiment; and Fig. 4 Details of a cooling device according to one embodiment.

[0023] Fig. Figure 1 shows a conventional cooling appliance 1 in the form of a household refrigerator in an isometric view. The cooling appliance 1 has a front door 2 to provide access to the interior compartment in which food can be stored. In this example, control electronics 3 are located on the top of the unit and are connected to a control and display element 4, for example, for displaying and changing the interior temperature.

[0024] In Fig. Figure 2 shows a conventional refrigerator in a sectional view. In this example, the refrigerator body has a vacuum insulation panel (VIP) 7, which is known per se. The part 10 in the lower area, referred to here as the refrigeration module, contains power electronics 8, which are designed to control the refrigeration technology 9, such as a compressor. The power electronics 8 (not shown) is connected to the household electrical grid and provides lower voltages for other components. Such a component 6 in the interior 5 of the refrigerator could, for example, be a temperature sensor, interior lighting, or a fan. To supply the component 6 with power and, if necessary, to transmit data, a wired connection between the power electronics 8 and the component 6 must be provided. This conventionally requires a penetration through the insulation 7, with the disadvantages described above.

[0025] Figure 3 shows a cooling unit 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The interior 26 is thermally insulated by 3D vacuum insulation panels 18 and is accessible through a door 13. A vegetable drawer 14 is located in the lower section. The cooling unit 11 has compartment dividers / shelves 12 in the interior, and a fan 23 is provided for improved air distribution. Outside the insulation 18, the power electronics 15 are arranged in the lower section of the cooling unit 11. These control, among other things, the cooling compressor 16 to ensure the cooling function of the unit via an evaporator 19. The power electronics 15 are connected via a reduced cable harness 17 for data and power transmission to an inductive power and data transmission / receiving element 21, which is arranged outside the insulation 18. A further connection 22 – shown here with dashed lines – supplies power for operation to a display and / or control element 24.

[0026] Inside the cooling unit 11, an energy and data transmission / receiving element 20 is provided on the inside of the insulation 18, corresponding to the energy and data transmission element 21. This ensures the transmission of energy and / or data between the power electronics 15 and sensors and / or actuators, as well as the display and / or control element 24 and the fan 23, through the insulation 18 without the need for any inconvenient penetrations. A control unit 25 is shown here, but other sensors and actuators, such as a door opener / closer (not shown), can also be provided. Data transmission between the power electronics 15 and the control unit 25, as well as the display and / or control element 24, can preferably be carried out wirelessly, such as via Wi-Fi / WLAN or Bluetooth, as indicated by dashed lines.However, in principle, alternatively or additionally, a wired energy and data transmission can be provided between the energy and data transmission / receiving element 20 and sensors / actuators etc., so that only the energy and data transmission through the insulation 18 takes place wirelessly.

[0027] Fig.Figure 4 shows details of a cooling device according to one embodiment. The enlarged view illustrates how energy and / or data are wirelessly transmitted from the power electronics 15 through the insulation 18 by means of the energy and data transmission / receiving element 21 on the outside and the energy and data transmission / receiving element 20 on the inside. According to the invention, this requires no penetrations through the insulation 18, which is preferably a vacuum insulation panel. Furthermore, this allows for the creation of a wireless interior. The energy and data transmission to and from sensors, actuators, etc., in the interior 26 can be wireless, for example, via transmit / receive coils in the respective sensors, actuators, etc.

Claims

[1] Cooling appliance (11), comprising - a corpus; - an inner container (26) arranged in the body and closable with a door (13) for holding refrigerated goods, with thermal insulation (18); - a power electronics unit (15) arranged in the body for performing a cooling function of the cooling unit (11), connected to a coil (21) arranged on the outside of the thermal insulation (18); - a control unit (25) arranged in the inner container (26), connected to a coil (20) arranged on the inside of the thermal insulation; wherein the power electronics (15) and the control unit (25) are connected by means of the coils (20, 21) for signal and energy transmission. [2] Cooling device (11) according to claim 1, wherein the thermal insulation (18) of the inner container is a vacuum insulation panel insulation. [3] Cooling device (11) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the signal and energy transmission via the coils (20, 21) is the only signal and energy transmission between the outside and inside of the inner container (26). [4] Cooling device (11) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one element is arranged in the inner container (26) which is electrically connected to the control unit, comprising: - a lighting device; - a camera; - a sensor: - an actuator; - a control and / or display element (24); - a fan (23); - a connection for supplying an electrical appliance. [5] Cooling device (11) according to claim 4, wherein the connection is provided for the contact-based or wireless power supply of the electrical consumer. [6] Cooling device (11) according to claim 4 or 5, comprising a rear wall designed as a printed circuit board, wherein the control unit (25) is connected to or arranged on the printed circuit board in a signal and energy transmission capacity.

Images