EP2059749A1

EP2059749A1 - Refrigerator with a water tank

Info

Publication number: EP2059749A1
Application number: EP06793270A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Martin Buchstab; Irene Dumkow; Adolf Feinauer; Klaus Flinner; Bernd Heger; Marek Myszko; Peter Nalbach; Kasim Yazan
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2006-08-29
Filing date: 2006-09-06
Publication date: 2009-05-20
Also published as: CN101506604B; WO2008025644A2; RU2009108211A; WO2008025644A3; DE102006040377A1; US20090193834A1; CN101523140B; CN101506604A; US20090320512A1; CN101523140A; WO2008025379A1; RU2408827C2; EP2059750A2; RU2009105680A

Abstract

A refrigerator has a water tank (8) which has an inlet connection (16) and an outlet connection (17), which is connected to a water dispenser (5), and is divided by at least one first lamella (24), which is arranged in the interior of said tank, into sections (38) through which the tank contents successively flow on the way from the inlet connection (16) to the outlet connection (17). The sections (38) merge with one another at a free edge (37) of the lamella (24). The lamella (24) is provided with a passage opening (39) which is at a distance from the free edge (37) and connects the sections (38) and whose free cross section is smaller than the free cross section of the sections (38).

Description

Refrigerating appliance with water tank

The present invention relates to a refrigerator with a water tank, in particular with a water tank, which is provided to be connected via an inlet port to the drinking water network, and which feeds a drinking water dispenser or the like via an outlet port.

When water is tapped from such a tank, at the same time fresh water flows from the drinking water network, so that the tank is constantly completely filled. When the fresh water mixes with cooled water already in the tank, it will result in an undesirable increase in the temperature of the tapped water long before the volume of tapped water reaches the volume of the tank. In order to prevent this, an inner structure of the tank is expedient in which it is divided by sections arranged in its interior into sections which are successively flowed through by the water on the way from the inlet connection to the outlet connection. Chilled water is thus displaced by inflowing fresh water substantially without mixing, so that the temperature of the tapped water begins to increase only when the tank contents is completely replaced.

In a water tank without internal structure, it is possible without difficulty to vent this completely for the first time in operation if z. For example, the inlet port is located at a lowest point and the outlet port is located at a highest point of the tank. So is air originally contained in the tank by the inflowing

Water completely displaced before the water reaches the outlet port and can be dispensed. Conversely, it is also possible, for. B. by suction through the inlet port to empty the tank completely. At a through slats in

Sections articulated tank, this is not readily possible. If a lamella separating two sections of the tank is not exactly horizontal, it forms either a trap for air or for water, ie. H. either complete deaeration or complete emptying is not possible. In the case of several antiparallel arranged lamellae, neither one nor the other is possible. However, if complete emptying is not possible, there is a risk that the tank will last longer

Disposal is germinated, so unless the tank is removed and cleaned or can be replaced, the water dispenser becomes unusable. Incomplete venting leads, above all, to problems in a tank which is normally under atmospheric pressure. Temperature fluctuations of the tank lead to strong volume changes of the trapped air, through which water can be displaced from the tank; ie it comes to an uncontrolled drop of the donor.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a refrigeration device with a water tank, on the one hand prevents uncontrolled mixing of cooled water and fresh incoming water, but can be fully vented without difficulty or emptied.

The object is achieved in that in a refrigeration device with a water tank having an inlet port and an outlet connected to a water dispenser and arranged by at least a first arranged inside its lamella in the tank contents on the way from the inlet port to the outlet port successively traversed sections is, wherein the sections merge at a free edge of the slat into each other, the slat is provided with a spaced from the free edge, the sections connecting passage opening whose free cross section is smaller than the free cross section of the respective sections. Depending on the location, these passages allow the passage of water or air that would otherwise be trapped in the tank.

In order to prevent that more than a negligible amount of water passes through the through hole when tapping, the cross section should expediently be at most some percent of the cross section of the sections.

If the free edge forms a highest point of the lamella, the passage opening is expediently formed at a lowest point of the lamella, or vice versa.

When the first sipe adjoins a wall of the water tank or a second sipe in an edge opposite the free edge, the through opening is preferably arranged adjacent to this opposite edge. Preferably, a plurality of first slats are rectilinear and parallel to each other.

If the tank is assembled from a shell and a lid, in the interest of ease of manufacture, the lamellae may be formed alone on the shell.

In order to stabilize the tank against a possibly occurring in its interior overpressure, columns are preferably distributed over the bottom of the shell, which are firmly connected to the lid.

In order to prevent the temperature of the tapped water from rising sharply abruptly, when the amount of water tapped at a stroke becomes greater than the volume of the tank, it can be provided that the tank is divided into a mixing area and a laminar flow area, with mixing in the mixing area of its contents is possible with fresh incoming water, while it is substantially suppressed in the laminar flow area. While the laminar flow area is divided into sections by the above-mentioned first fins, the mixing area is substantially free of first fins. Preferably, the mixing area is adjacent to the inlet port and the laminar flow area is adjacent to the outlet port, so that when tapped in the mixing area, mixed water whose temperature gradually rises in the course of a bleed operation, moves into the laminar flow area.

To allow easy venting, the outlet port is conveniently placed at a highest point of the water tank. In order to also allow venting of the mixing area, a ventilation opening expediently connects the highest point of the mixing area with the outlet connection.

An upstream of the water tank shut-off valve allowed to operate the tank substantially at atmospheric pressure, so no high demands on strength and wall thickness of the tank must be made.

In order to avoid running off of water at the water dispenser after closing the check valve, the water dispenser is expediently provided with a lip valve. Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. Show it:

1 shows a schematic section through an inventive refrigeration device.

Fig. 2 is a schematic section through a water tank illustrating the basic principle of the invention;

3 is a perspective exploded view of a water tank according to a further developed embodiment;

4 shows a detail of the water tank in section; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the shell of a water tank according to a modified embodiment.

The refrigeration device shown in a schematic section in FIG. 1 has a heat-insulating body 1 and a door 2 which delimit a cooled interior 3. In a central region of the door 2, an outwardly open niche 4 is formed, on the ceiling of which an outlet 5 for tapping cooled drinking water into a container 6 placed in the niche 4 is arranged. The outlet 5 is connected via a supply line 7 with a placed in a rear wall of the niche 4 water tank 8. The water tank 8 is surrounded on all sides by an insulating material layer of the door 2.

The water tank 8 is connected to the drinking water network via a line 9 which extends from the water tank 8, first through the door 2 via a hinge into the body 1 and along the rear wall thereof. The conduit 9 crosses a base portion 10 of the body, in which a (not shown) compressor is housed. A local heating of the line 9 by waste heat of the compressor or a (also not shown) generally outside mounted on the rear wall of the body 1 condenser can therefore not be excluded. In line 9, a check valve 33 is arranged at any suitable location, which shields the water tank 8 in the closed state before the pressure of the drinking water network. The supply line 7 leading from the water tank to the outlet 5 can therefore be open in the simplest case; Preferably, however, a per se known lip valve is arranged at the outlet 5 in order to prevent a spontaneous outflow from the water to the outlet 5 down sloping part of the supply line 7. A key 34, via which the blocking valve 33 can be opened and closed for the purpose of tapping off water, is arranged on the door adjacent to the niche 4.

Fig. 2 shows a section in a plane parallel to the door 2 through the water tank 8 according to a first embodiment of the invention. The tank 8 has a substantially trapezoidal outline with an upper wall portion 19, a lower one

Wall section 20 and parallel side walls 35, 36. An inlet port 16 and a

Outlet port 17 are formed at the lower and upper wall portions 20 and 19, respectively. In

As a result of the trapezoidal shape of the tank 8, the connections 16, 17 also form the lowest or highest point of the tank 8, if, due to tolerances in its installation, its side walls 35, 36 are not oriented exactly vertically.

From the side walls 35, 36 of each fins 24 extend at right angles into the interior of the tank 8 inside. The slats 24 each have a free edge 37, whose distance from the respective opposite side wall is approximately as large as the distance between the parallel slats 24 with each other. Thus, the fins 24 divide the interior of the tank into a plurality of elongated sections 38, which merge into each other at the level of a free edge 37.

Each lamella 24 has at its connected to the side wall 35 or 36 edge a through hole 39, the free cross section is substantially smaller than that of the sections 38. If these through holes 39 were not present, would remain when filling the tank under each with the side wall 36 associated fins 24 caught above a dashed line 40 air. This would, if it expands upon heating of the tank 8, bring the outlet 5 to drip. Further, if, during a bleed operation, the check valve 33 is open and the pressure in the tank is correspondingly higher than the atmospheric pressure, it would be compressed and would expand again after closing the check valve 33 and so to run after Outlet 5 lead. The passage openings 39, however, allow this air to rise in the tank and finally reach the outlet port 17 along the top wall 19. Thus, under normal operating conditions, the tank 8 is free of air and dripping or hunting is avoided.

In an analogous manner, in the case of emptying of the tank 8, if the passage openings 39 were not present, water would remain on the fins 24 connected to the side wall 35, as indicated in each case by a dashed line 41. The through holes 39 allow this water to collect at the inlet port 16, so that the water can be completely blown out or sucked through the inlet port 16.

Fig. 3 shows an exploded perspective view of the water tank 8 according to a second embodiment. The water tank 8 is composed of two parts, a shell 1 1 and a flat lid 12. The shell 1 1 has a flat, parallel to the lid 12 bottom 13 and extending around the bottom 13 narrow wall 14, a the lid 12th facing planar frame 15 carries. On this frame 15, the lid 12 is tightly secured in the assembled state by gluing, ultrasonic welding or the like. In the installation orientation of the tank 8 shown in the figure, the cover 12 and the bottom 13 are parallel to the rear wall of the niche 4.

An inlet port 16 for connection to the conduit 9 and an outlet port 17 for connection to the conduit 7, each in the form of a pipe stub protruding integrally from the wall 14, are each arranged in an upper region of the tank 8 in the installation orientation. The interior of the water tank 8 is divided into multiple by projecting from the bottom 13 and the peripheral wall 14 of the shell 1 1 slats. A first such fin 18 extends adjacent to the outlet port 17 from an upper portion 19 of the wall 14 in the vertical direction to near an opposite lower wall portion 20 and thus separates a riser 21 from the rest of the interior of the tank 8.

This remainder is divided approximately in half into an upper mixing region 22 and a lower laminar flow region 23. While the mixing region 22 is largely composed of lamellae In the laminar flow area 23, many louvers 24 each extend alternately from the vertical louver 18 and a vertical portion 25 of the wall 14 in opposite directions, thus forcing a substantially zigzag, low-lint flow of the water through the area 23.

In the mixing area 22, adjacent to the inlet port 16, a horizontal fin 26 is arranged to guide inflowing water and to excite a counter-clockwise vortex flow in the mixing area 22. A Lammelle 27 projecting from below into the mixing region 22 forms an obstacle to this vortex flow, are excited at the clockwise vortex, which provide for effective mixing of inflowing, warm water with already in the mixing region 22 befindlichem, cooled water.

When a user taps water from the tank, he receives so first to the stationary temperature of the water tank 8 cooled water, while at the same time in the mixing area 22 nachströmendes fresh water gradually heats it. This water becoming warmer over time moves into the laminar flow area 23. When the amount of tapped water reaches the volume of the laminar flow area 23, the water mixed with fresh water reaches the outlet 17, and the temperature of the tapped water gradually rises. From the gradual increase in the temperature of the bled water, a user can see that the tank 8 needs a rest period to be able to supply well cooled water again.

The bottom 13 of the tank is not exactly rectangular, but trapezoidal, such that in the installed position, the lower wall portion 20 extends horizontally, the upper wall portion 19, however, slightly increases towards the outlet 17 conclusion. In the lamella 18, a passage opening 28 is formed directly adjacent to the wall portion 19, whose free cross-section is substantially smaller than that of the riser 21 and of the fins 24 of the Laminarströmungsbereichs 23 limited line sections, so that when tapping water, the water flow through the Through hole 28 is small compared to the amount of water flowing through the laminar flow 23 and the temperature of the tapped water has no significant effect. When first commissioning the tank 8 allows However, the passage opening 28 of the air initially contained in the mixing region 22, the outlet port 17 to reach and escape from the tank.

At the connected to the outer wall 14 or the vertical blade 18 edge of each blade 24 is an open towards the lid 12 notch formed, which, when the lid 12 is mounted on the shell 1 1, together with this defines a through hole 39. As in the embodiment of FIG. 2, these through-holes 39, when trapped in the tank, allow the air trapped in the tank 8 to rise or drain down when trapped. By applying pressure to the inlet port 16 with compressed air, this water can be expelled via the riser 21 and the outlet port 17.

About the bottom 13 of the shell 1 1 a plurality of columns 29 in a respective width of the wall 14 and the fins 18, 24, 26, 27 corresponding height distributed. Preferred is an arrangement of five columns 29 distributed according to the eyes of a cube, as shown in Fig. 3, but depending on the size of the floor 13, other numbers of columns 29 may be provided. The columns 29 may each have a closed end face which is fixed to the lid 12 in the same way as the frame 15 to prevent or at least limit deformation of the tank 8 under the pressure of the water contained therein. Preferably, however, the pillars 29 are hollow, as shown in the section of Fig. 4, and have an end opening 30 which is aligned with a respective corresponding opening 31 of the lid 12 to receive a rivet 32.

The modified embodiment of the shell 1 1 shown in FIG. 5 differs from that of FIG. 3 in that the through-openings 39 each have the form of narrow slits which extend over the entire width of the slats 24. Ie. the blades 24 are connected in this variant, neither with the vertical blade 18 nor with the side wall 35 of the shell 1 1, but only with the bottom 13. Die

Column 39, however, are so narrow that, as in the embodiment of Fig. 3, the water is forced to flow around the fins 24 in a zigzag fashion.

Claims

claims

1 . Refrigerating appliance with a water tank (8) which has an inlet connection (16) and an outlet connection (17) connected to a water dispenser (5), by at least one first lamella (24) arranged in its interior from

Tank contents on the way from the inlet port (16) to the outlet port (17) successively through-flowed portions (38) is divided, the sections (38) on a free edge (37) of the blade (24) merge into one another, characterized in that the lamella (24) is provided with a by the free edge (37) spaced, the sections (38) connecting through opening (39) whose free cross section is smaller than the free cross section of the sections (38).

2. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that the free edge (37) forms a highest point of the first lamella (24) and that the

Through hole (39) at a lowest point of the first blade (24) is formed.

3. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that the free edge (37) forms a lowest point of the first blade (24) and that the

Through hole (39) at a highest point of the first blade (24) is formed.

4. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first lamella (24) on one of the free edge (37) opposite edge to a wall (35, 36, 14) of the water tank or to a second lamella (18) abuts and that the through hole (39) is disposed adjacent to the opposite edge.

5. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of first slats (24) rectilinear and parallel to each other.

6. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tank (8) from a shell (1 1) and a cover (12) is joined, and that the first blade (24) on the shell (1 1) formed is.

7. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 6, characterized in that on the bottom (13) of the shell (1 1) with the lid (12) fixedly connected columns (29) are distributed.

8. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized marked, that the tank (8) in one of the first fins (24) substantially free mixing area (22) and one with the mixing area (22) connected in series, through the first fins in the sections divided laminar flow area (23) is divided.

9. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 8, characterized in that the mixing area

(22) is adjacent to the inlet port (16) and laminar flow area (23) adjacent to the outlet port (17).

10. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized marked, that the outlet port (17) at a highest point of the water tank

(8) is placed.

1 1. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 10, characterized in that a vent opening (28) connects the highest point of the mixing area (22) with the outlet port (17).

12. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the water tank (8) a check valve (33) is connected upstream.

13. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 12, characterized in that the water dispenser (5) has a lip valve.

14. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the water tank (8) in a housing wall (2) of the refrigeration device is embedded.