REFRIGERATOR AND / OR FREEZER

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling and / or freezing appliance with a body in which a cooled interior is located, and with a locking element pivotably arranged thereon for closing the cooled interior, wherein a consumer is located in the locking element and wherein a line is provided which leads from the body to the consumer.

[0002] It is known from the prior art to install a display in the doors of refrigerators and / or freezers, for example, which shows data to the user and enables operation of the appliance. To supply this display with power and data, or to transmit data, such as entered setpoints, from the display to the appliance control unit located in the appliance body, a cable runs between the door or between the component located in the door and the appliance body.

[0003] From EP 3 379 180 B1 a cooling and / or freezing appliance is known in which a cable housing is provided in which a cable section is arranged in the closed position of the closing element, wherein a length of the cable section in the cable housing in the open position of the closing element is less than a length of the cable section in the cable housing in the closed position of the closing element.

[0004] EP 1 957 902 B1 discloses a refrigerator and / or freezer, on the door of which a component is provided which is connected fluidly and / or electrically to at least one component on the body by means of a line, wherein the door is hinged to the body by means of a multi-joint hinge and the line is laid in the form of an arc in a housing in such a way that the line can be pulled out of or pushed into the door or the body.

[0005] A disadvantage of the known devices is the comparatively complex design of the components necessary for cable routing, as well as the problem that the cable may get stuck or jammed when the locking element moves from the open to the closed position and is not reliably moved into its intended position.

[0006] KR 2018 0124454 A and WO 2021 / 129150 A1 reveal further relevant state of the art.

[0007] The present invention is based on the objective of further developing a cooling and / or freezing appliance of the type mentioned above in such a way that the routing of the cable between the body and the locking element is as simple as possible. This objective is achieved by a cooling and / or freezing appliance with the features of claim 1. According to this claim, the cable is provided to have a covering, either partially or completely, in the form of a fabric hose or a spiral spring.

[0008] This type of cable design offers the advantage of a particularly low coefficient of surface friction, resulting in superior sliding properties compared to conventional sheathed cables. Consequently, the cable according to the invention slides very easily, i.e., with minimal resistance, on surfaces, effectively preventing snagging or "catching" of the cable with simple means. This excellent sliding property is especially advantageous when the cable needs to move, for example, axially relative to other components.

[0009] The term "sheathing" is to be understood broadly: In embodiments not covered by the present invention, variants exist in which the fabric sheath or the spiral spring is firmly connected to the conductor(s) or wires contained therein, i.e., the conductors / wires cannot move relative to the fabric sheath or the spiral spring. These cables are referred to, for example, as "fabric-covered cables" and "textile cables" and are comparatively inflexible.

[0010] The invention encompasses variants in which the fabric tube or the spiral spring is not rigidly connected to the conductor(s) or wires contained therein, i.e., the conductor(s) or wires can move relative to the fabric tube or the spiral spring. According to the invention, there is no rigid connection between the fabric tube / spiral spring and the conductor(s). This variant is more flexible and represents an embodiment of the invention within the scope of the present invention.

[0011] The line according to the present invention can be a line for data and / or power transmission, such as for power supply.

[0012] The pipe can also be any other type of pipe, such as a fluid-carrying pipe.

[0013] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, a fiberglass tube is used as a sheathing. This woven tube fulfills the requirements for good sliding properties especially well.

[0014] Cables with sheath insulation are known from the prior art, in which several individual conductors are brought together and held together with a sheath insulation.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, individual conductors are bundled together in a fabric sleeve and / or in a spiral spring. This guiding of several individual conductors in a spiral spring or in a fabric sleeve, in particular a fiberglass sleeve, is more flexible with regard to the bending radius, i.e., smaller bending radii can be achieved than with sheathed insulated cables.

[0016] When the sheathing is designed as a fabric tube or spiral spring, a further advantage arises: the diameter of the composite system consisting of sheathing and cable is smaller, meaning the cable is thinner and more compact than conventional cables. Additionally, the composite, i.e., the cable used according to the invention, is compressible, meaning it can expand into a different dimension under pressure.

[0017] For flexible cable routing, so-called "energy chains" are frequently used according to the state of the art. In contrast, the invention has the advantages of small dimensions, flexibility in all bending directions, and the ability to completely cover or enclose all individual conductors.

[0018] The conductor according to the invention has the sheathing as a fabric tube or spiral spring over its entire length and / or its entire circumference or over a part of the length and / or circumference.

[0019] According to the invention, one or more hinges are provided by means of which the locking element is pivotably arranged on the body and the cable runs along the hinge in certain areas, the hinge being a multi-joint hinge. Cable routing via multi-joint hinges is known from the prior art. However, the known solutions are limited to single- or two-core cables.

[0020] The present invention enables a compact solution for routing cables from the device body to the door or other locking element, particularly in devices with multi-joint hinges.

[0021] It is also possible to have more than two veins, i.e., more than two poles.

[0022] For example, the cable according to the invention can carry more than two cables or conductors. These can serve for power and / or data transmission. Preferably, it involves the simultaneous routing of a bus system and power cables to the door.

[0023] In devices with a multi-joint hinge, the door does not move exclusively rotationally when opened, but also laterally and forwards. Therefore, any cable routing to the door must compensate for changes in length in addition to the rotational movement. This problem is solved by a cable according to the invention.

[0024] Apart from that, the conduit according to the invention has a compact design, so that both a uniform platform construction can be implemented and the largest possible cooling volume can be provided.

[0025] The refrigerator and / or freezer according to the invention is preferably a built-in appliance. However, freestanding appliances are also included in the invention.

[0026] In one embodiment, the cable is fitted with a connector at one or both ends. This allows for easy cable replacement.

[0027] As explained above, the cable according to the invention is designed with multiple conductors and preferably has more than two conductors. In a preferred embodiment, the number of conductors is four to eight, for example six.

[0028] The line can have one or more conductors for power transmission to the consumer and / or for data communication with the consumer.

[0029] The term "consumer" is to be understood broadly and includes any electrical and / or electronic devices, but also, for example, an ice or water dispenser that is supplied with water via the pipe.

[0030] The present invention further relates to a cooling and / or freezing appliance with a body in which a cooled interior is located, and with a locking element pivotably arranged thereon for closing the cooled interior, wherein a consumer is located in the locking element and wherein a line is provided which leads from the body to the consumer, wherein the line is located at least partially on the outside of the body and no housing for receiving the line is provided.

[0031] Compared to the solutions described above and known from the prior art, this results in a particularly simple device design because a housing for the cable is no longer necessary. Instead, the cable simply slides on one or more outer surfaces of the body when the closing element, such as a door, a lid, etc., is moved.

[0032] The outside is preferably the top of the body.

[0033] Preferably, when the closure element is closed, the cable runs in a loop shape in one section, with this section being located on the outside, in particular on the top of the body.

[0034] The section of the loop-shaped cable run is preferably longer when the door is closed than when the door is open. It is conceivable that the cable could be routed in such a way that no loop is present when the door is open.

[0035] A force application element, in particular a spring, may be provided which is designed to move the aforementioned section of the cable into its loop-shaped form when the locking element is closed. This ensures with particular reliability that the cable preferably moves automatically into its intended position when the door or other locking element is moved from the open to the closed position.

[0036] However, it is also conceivable that the desired restoring force for forming a loop is generated by the sheathing itself.

[0037] Preferably, the line is partially or completely covered with a fabric hose or spiral spring.

[0038] It should be noted here that the terms "ein" and "eine" do not necessarily refer to exactly one of the elements, although this is a possible interpretation, but can also denote a plurality of 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 several of the elements in question.

[0039] Further details and advantages of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing.

[0040] They show: Figure 1: a perspective view of a cable according to the invention, Figure 2: a top view of a section of the body with multi-joint hinge and cable according to the invention with the door closed, Figure 3: a top view of a section of the body with multi-joint hinge and cable according to the invention with the door open, Figure 4: a perspective view of a closed multi-joint hinge with cable according to the invention and Figure 5: a perspective view of an open multi-joint hinge with cable according to the invention.

[0041] Figure 1a shows a cable according to the invention.

[0042] The cable or conductor (10) has a covering or sheathing 20 in the form of a fabric tube or a spiral spring. Preferably, it is a fiberglass tube.

[0043] Within the area enclosed by the sheathing or casing are several, in this case six, conductors or cables, designed as basic-insulated single conductors. The cables are fitted with connectors 30a and 30b at both ends, as shown in the diagram. Figure 1b emerges.

[0044] Figure 2 Figure 1 shows the hinge-side front section of the body K1 of a refrigerator and / or freezer according to the invention. Figure 2 shows the front, hinge-side side section of the appliance body. The door is pivotally attached to the body by means of the multi-joint hinge 40.

[0045] The reference symbol O designates the top of the device and thus also the body. As this is shown from Figure 2As can be seen, the cable is connected to the housing via connector 30a, and thus to a unit located within it, such as a power and / or data supply, a control or regulation unit, etc. Connector 30b connects the cable to a line in the door that leads to a device located in the door.

[0046] As this is shown Figure 2 As shown, the cable forms a loop-shaped section S that rests freely on the surface O of the body. No housing for cable guidance or cable retention is provided. Due to the inventive properties of the cable, its sliding resistance relative to the surface O is very low. Accordingly, the probability of the cable becoming caught when the door is closed, etc., is very low.

[0047] Will the door open from the point in Figure 2In the shown state, when opened, the cable is moved or pulled away from surface O and now extends freely from connector 30a to hinge 40. This state is shown in Figure 3 shown.

[0048] The cable is fixed or guided at several points on the multi-joint hinge 40, so that it always runs on the top of the hinge.

[0049] To ensure that the cable, starting from the position in Figure 3 when or after closing the door into his Figure 2 If the cable passes over the position shown, it may be provided that the cable is pre-tensioned in a direction towards the rear, i.e. towards the back of the device, e.g. with a spring, in the depth direction of the device.

[0050] Figure 4 shows the cable routing over hinge 40 in the closed state and Figure 5 shows the cable routing over hinge 40 with the hinge open.

[0051] In principle, it is conceivable that there are one or more guide elements on the top surface O of the body, such as pins or other protrusions, which guide the cable on the top surface O.

Claims

1. Refrigeration and / or freezer device having a body in which a cooled interior is located, and having a closure element pivoted to the body to close the cooled interior, wherein a consumer is located in the closure element and wherein a line (10) is provided, which leads from the body to the consumer, wherein the line (10) has a casing (20) in the form of a fabric tube or a spiral spring and wherein one or more hinges are provided, by means of the closure element is pivoted on the body and wherein the line is a multi-core line and has cores for power transmission to the consumer and / or for data communication with the consumer, wherein the runs along the hinge in some areas, characterised in that the hinge is a multi-joint hinge (40) and in that there is no fixed connection between the casing (20) and the at least one line (10).

2. Refrigeration and / or freezer device according to claim 1, characterised in that the line (10) is provided with a plug (30a, 30b) on one or both ends.

3. Refrigeration and / or freezer device according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the line (10) has more than two cores.