Refrigerating furniture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerated cabinet designs face issues with contamination, increased energy consumption due to poor heat dissipation, high transport costs, and complex maintenance processes, along with potential failures if the central refrigeration supply device or individual shelves fail, leading to disruptions and additional costs.
Innovation Solution
The compressor is placed in the lower area within the refrigerated section, and the condenser is positioned above and partially within the section, allowing for easier packaging, reduced contamination, optimized energy use, and simplified maintenance, with each shelf containing a complete refrigeration system for independence and modular design connecting to a common heat exchanger.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the compressor and condenser are arranged outside the refrigerated shelf, then heat dissipation to the environment is improved, but the packaged volume increases and transport costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The compressor and condenser are integrated inside the refrigerated shelf structure, with the compressor located in the lower area and the condenser in the upper area. This nesting approach allows the refrigeration components to be contained within the shelf's internal volume, eliminating the need for external placement and reducing packaged volume while maintaining heat dissipation functionality through optimized internal airflow paths.
2Ease of repair
If the compressor is placed outside the refrigerated section, then access for maintenance is easier, but noise and vibration emissions increase and contamination occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The compressor is extracted from the main refrigerated compartment and placed in a separate lower area with its own housing. This separation allows the compressor to be accessed independently for maintenance while isolating its noise and vibration emissions from the primary refrigerated space, reducing harmful effects on stored goods and improving working conditions.
3Device complexity
If a central refrigeration supply device is used, then system complexity is reduced, but reliability decreases due to single point of failure
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigeration system is segmented into independent modular units, with each refrigerated shelf containing its own complete refrigeration cycle components (compressor, condenser, evaporator). This segmentation eliminates single points of failure, allowing individual shelves to operate independently and maintain system reliability even when other shelves fail, while keeping overall system complexity manageable through standardization of modular components.
4Adaptability or versatility
If pipes are laid at the installation site to connect refrigerated shelves, then installation flexibility is improved, but installation complexity and error risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigeration components are merged into integrated assemblies that are self-contained within each refrigerated shelf unit. This integration eliminates the need for separate pipe laying and connection work at the installation site, as complete modules are simply positioned and electrically connected. The approach maintains installation flexibility while dramatically reducing installation complexity and minimizing error-prone piping operations.
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 configuration reduces noise and vibration, minimizes transport costs, eliminates the need for complex piping, ensures continuous operation even if one shelf fails, and simplifies maintenance by allowing access without unloading goods, while optimizing thermal and acoustic performance.
Implementation Method 1
In front of an air condenser of the cooling unit, a heat exchanger is switched on, which is connected to an external cooler and/or a heating register of a water storage tank via a secondary cooler circulation system.
Implementation Method 2
a compressor (42) and a condenser (44) are arranged outside the refrigerated shelf on an upper cover
Implementation Method 3
A refrigerated shelf is known from US 2004/0031280 A1, in which a compressor (42) and a condenser (44) are arranged outside the refrigerated shelf on an upper cover and an evaporator (40) is arranged in the lower horizontal functional space.
Implementation Method 4
the condenser (11) of the refrigeration system is arranged outside the refrigerated display case on a top cover
Implementation Method 5
an evaporator (40) is arranged in the lower horizontal functional space
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a refrigerating furniture, particularly a refrigerating shelf (KR1) for cooling and displaying products to be refrigerated in a cooling chamber (KR1M), comprising an access region via which the products to be refrigerated are accessible, and a refrigerating device (KR1KE) which comprises a condenser (VF) and a compressor (KOM). According to the invention, it is provided that the condenser (VF) is arranged at least partially within the refrigerating shelf (KR1) and in the upper region (HR1) thereof and that the compressor (KOM) is arranged within the refrigerating shelf (KR1) in the lower region (VR) thereof. As a result, interfering noise emissions are reduced and, simultaneously, the packaging of the refrigerating furniture at the manufacturing site and the transport to the site of use are simplified.