Refrigeration and/or freezer device and method for the manufacture of the same
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerators and freezers with vacuum insulation are expensive to manufacture and difficult to assemble and maintain due to the complexity of integrating refrigerant circuit components and the risk of thermal bridges and leaks.
Innovation Solution
All components of the refrigerant circuit are installed on a separate assembly carrier, which includes a machine section and an evaporator section, with a connecting channel for cables and lines, allowing for easy removal and installation, eliminating the need for cable bushings through the heat-insulating walls and simplifying assembly and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If vacuum insulation is used to reduce heat loss, then energy efficiency is improved, but manufacturing cost and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerant circuit components are segmented into a separate removable subframe assembly, distinct from the vacuum insulation body. This segmentation allows the vacuum insulation to be manufactured and assembled independently without the complexity of integrating refrigerant components, thereby reducing manufacturing cost and assembly difficulty while maintaining vacuum insulation for energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The refrigerant circuit components (compressor, condenser, evaporator, throttle) are extracted from the vacuum insulation body and placed on a separate subframe. This extraction eliminates the need for complex feedthroughs and cable bushings through the vacuum insulation walls, reducing the risk of leaks and simplifying assembly while preserving the integrity and insulating properties of the vacuum barrier.
2Device complexity
If refrigerant circuit components are integrated into the device body, then structural compactness is improved, but maintenance and repair difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The subframe assembly is designed to be dynamically removable and reinstallable from the device body without permanent attachment. This dynamic design allows technicians to easily remove the entire refrigerant circuit assembly for maintenance or repair by simply detaching the subframe, significantly reducing repair difficulty while maintaining structural compactness during normal operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If cable bushings are used to pass lines through heat-insulating walls, then connectivity is improved, but thermal bridge formation and leak risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cables and lines are extracted from passing through the vacuum insulation walls via bushings. Instead, they are routed through the connecting channel on the external subframe assembly. This extraction eliminates thermal bridges through the vacuum barrier and removes the risk of leaks at penetration points, while connectivity between refrigerant components is maintained through the channel.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting channel acts as an intermediary structure that provides a dedicated pathway for cables and lines between the machine section and evaporator section. This intermediary channel, positioned on the external subframe, allows connectivity without compromising the vacuum insulation integrity, avoiding thermal bridges and leak risks associated with direct wall penetrations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces manufacturing costs, enhances assembly efficiency, and minimizes the risk of leaks in vacuum insulation while improving energy efficiency through heat exchange within the connecting channel.
Implementation Method 1
The connecting channel can be completely surrounded by sections of the subframe or be exposed at least on one side and/or at least in sections. After all cables and/or lines running between the machine section and the evaporator section and preferably generally all lines leading into the interior of the device are accommodated in the connecting channel, there is no need for cable or line bushings through the heat-insulating walls of the device body.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a refrigeration and/or freezing appliance with a housing having heat-insulating walls enclosing an interior space, and with a refrigerant circuit comprising a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator as components, wherein all components of the refrigerant circuit are mounted together on a unit carrier which can be completely separated from the housing and removed from the appliance, wherein the unit carrier comprises a machine section and an evaporator section connected thereto, wherein the compressor and the condenser are housed in the machine section and the evaporator in the evaporator section, and wherein the unit carrier has a connecting channel in which all cables and/or lines running between the machine section and the evaporator section are housed.The invention further relates to a method for manufacturing such a cooling and/or freezing appliance, wherein the aggregate carrier is inserted as a whole into the appliance body.