WO2009000671A2 - Heat-insulating wall for a refrigerating device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a heat-insulating wall (1) for a refrigerating device, comprising an exterior wall (4) and an interior wall (2) that surround a cavity comprising a heat-insulating layer (3). The invention is characterised in that the exterior wall (4) and/or the interior wall (2) are equipped with, between the lateral edges thereof, at least in parts, a profile element (7) that is used to increase the rigidity of the walls.

Description

 Heat-insulating wall for a refrigeration appliance

The invention relates to a heat insulating wall for a refrigerator according to the preamble of claim 1. Such a wall may be, for example, a door or a housing wall of a refrigerator or freezer.

In the field of refrigerators, these walls usually have a solid outer wall formed of sheet metal and a plastic inner wall which is deep drawn and which are joined at their edges to define a cavity. This

Cavity is filled with a foam material to form an insulating layer. This structure is quite simple, yet high demands are placed on these walls, which arise from the field of application and the competition.

The heat insulating walls, which are used in refrigerators, must have a certain stability, since they must be suitable for carrying an often considerable weight, because on the inner walls of the housing walls of refrigerators usually the shelves are fixed, on which the refrigerated goods is stored. Also on the refrigerator door often adapted to the inner wall door racks are mounted, which allow the storage of small parts or bottles on the inside of the door.

Household appliances using heat-insulating walls are under enormous price pressure. The devices and thus their components must therefore always be cheaper both in material costs and assembly. Consequently, one strives to keep the proportion of material as low as possible. Therefore, as thin as possible sheets are used for the outer walls. However, to provide the walls with the required stability, these relatively unstable walls are provided with stiffening rails that extend along the entire walls or along particularly critical areas, such as the attachment regions of compartments or seats. However, these rails must be integrated into the wall or housing wall structure and fixed there, which in turn means an effort that one would like to avoid. The invention has for its object to provide a heat insulating wall for a refrigeration device, which has sufficient stiffness with the least possible use of materials.

The object is achieved according to the invention by a heat-insulating wall for a refrigerator with the features of claim 1.

According to the invention, planar components of the heat-insulating wall are profiled at least in certain regions. The profiling relates to supporting parts such as the outer and / or inner wall, which can gain an increased rigidity by the profiling, so that with low material requirements sufficient stability of the heat insulating wall can be achieved without additional stiffening elements, such as stiffening rails are used have to. Due to the profiling, extremely thin, material-saving exterior and / or interior walls can be used, which nevertheless are able to build a rigid wall, which is suitable to serve as a support for the carriers of refrigerated goods shelves, such as shelves or door shelves.

Preferably, metal sheets of the heat-insulating wall are profiled at least in some areas. Often, the surface of the outer wall of the refrigerator housing or the refrigerator door made of metal, steel or stainless steel, shaped. These metal sheets are particularly suitable for the application of surface profiles. The profiling can be realized particularly advantageous by means of profile rolling in the context of the manufacturing process of the sheets. A profiling of the outer wall has the additional advantage that the refrigerator can thereby be added to an individual note in terms of aesthetic considerations.

In a preferred embodiment, elongate profiles are used which extend over the height of the wall. As a result, the heat-insulated wall gets, in particular in the direction of gravity, which is the main direction of the force caused by the refrigerated goods stored on the wall forces is an increased inherent rigidity. In a preferred embodiment, the profiled wall is designed as a trapezoidal or rectangular wall. That is, the profile causes at least partially a flat pattern on the wall, which is similar in cross-section of the wall of a canted line, which consists of juxtaposed trapezoidal or rectangular elements. In particular, the trapezoidal design of the profiling gives the wall a particularly high rigidity.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the profiling takes place in the form of waves, so that the profiled wall in cross section shows a wavy line, ie a curved line. This form of profiling results in a somewhat less stable wall than the profiling with angular lines, but the wall is easier to clean because a shaft surface has no edges but is relatively smooth.

Preferably, at least 60% of a wall surface is profiled. That is, in a majority of the wall surface of an outer and / or inner wall, the inherent rigidity is increased, so that can be dispensed with additional stiffening elements. Thus, the entire wall can take over the functionality of a load-bearing wall, it is also stable enough to attach refrigerated goods racks to her, although it can be worked with an extremely thin wall thickness. Preferably, the edge regions of the wall surface are not profiled, so that on this smooth surface simple connections of the walls with each other or with other components of the heat insulating wall can be made.

Preferably, the profiles extend over the entire wall surface. This is often the simplest in manufacturing, since, for example, when introducing the profiling by means of rolling, the entire wall can be easily guided by the same profile roll, which is ideally designed so that they can profile different lengths of different refrigeration device models.

In a further preferred embodiment, the profilings are located predominantly in the areas of the outer and / or inner wall of a heat-insulating wall, to the attachments of Kühlgutablagen, such as shelves or door shelves or attack similar. Increased wall stability is often required in these areas in order to cushion deformation of the heat-insulating wall due to the force of the weight of the loaded refrigerated goods trays. In this case, the wall of their material thickness must be chosen so strong that their inherent rigidity is sufficient to ensure the carrying function of the wall itself or this can over

Stiffening elements are effected, the profiling here provides additional rigidity in critical areas. As a result, the wall is profiled only partially, the rest of the wall is smooth and therefore easy to clean.

Further details and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the subclaims in connection with the description of an embodiment which is explained in detail with reference to the drawing.

Show it:

1 is a schematic sectional view of a door outer wall according to the prior art,

Fig. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a profiled door outer wall and

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a profiled refrigerator door.

Fig. 1 shows a section through a refrigerator door 1 of the prior art, which has a molded by deep drawing plastic inner wall 2, a heat insulating layer 3 and an outer wall 4 connected to the inner wall 2 to a door body. The outer wall 4 formed of sheet steel is joined to the inner wall 2 by the wetting action of the foaming of polyethane, in which bounded by the inner wall 2 and the outer wall 4 space, insulating layer 3 to form a dimensionally stable structure. In the foamed insulation layer 3 usually stiffening rails 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d are formed, which give the refrigerator door 1 sufficient stability, although both the plastic inner wall 2 and the steel outer wall 4 are extremely thin and material-saving design. This known structure, the invention is based. He is therefore in need of improvement, because the introduction of reinforcing elements such as the steel rails 5a, b, c and d in the manufacturing process is relatively complex and thus unnecessarily drives the cost of such a refrigerator door 1 in the air.

The refrigerator door 1 according to the invention shown in Fig. 2 is also constructed of a plastic inner wall 2, an outer door panel 4 formed of sheet metal and a Schaumisolierschicht 3 introduced between these. In the case of this refrigerator door 1, however, the stiffening elements 5a to d shown in FIG. 1 can be dispensed with, since the door outer wall 4 has profilings 6 which give the refrigerator door 1 the required inherent rigidity. The profiling of the outer wall 4 can be produced for example in the context of the manufacturing process by profiling rollers, which press the rectangular profiles in the steel sheet of the outer wall 4.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, the profilings 6 extend over the entire length of the outer wall 4 of the refrigerator door 1. This extended course of the elongate rectangular profiles 6 results in a profile element 7 which encompasses the entire outer wall 4 of the refrigerator door 1. Through these profiling 6, the outer wall 4 and thus the entire refrigerator door 1 in the direction of gravity is imparted by the wall thickness of the outer wall 4 alone conditional, significantly exceeding rigidity and stability, which ensures that attached to the door inner wall 2, not shown Kühlgutablagen can be, without the refrigerator door 1 is thereby overloaded.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 refrigerator

2 inner wall

3 insulating layer

4 outer wall

5 stiffening rail

6 Rectangular profiling

7 profile element

Claims

claims 1 . Heat-insulating wall (1) for a refrigeration device, having an outer wall (4) and an inner wall (2) surrounding a cavity, which has a heat-insulating layer (3), characterized in that the outer wall (4) and / or the inner wall ( 2) between their lateral edges at least partially inherent rigidity to be increased profile element (7) are equipped. 2. Heat-insulating wall according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat-insulating wall (1) is designed as a door of a built-in refrigerator. 3. Heat-insulating wall according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a plurality of profile elements (7) are provided. 4. A heat-insulating wall according to claim 3, characterized in that the plurality of profile elements (7) adjoin one another and forms the surface of the heat-insulating wall (1) between the lateral edges thereof. 5. Heat insulating wall (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the outer wall (4) and / or the inner wall (2) is formed of metal. 6. Heat-insulating wall (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the outer wall (4) and / or the inner wall (2) are formed from plastic. 7. heat-insulating wall (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the profile element (7) elongated profilings (6) has, which run in built-in wall (1) in the vertical direction. 8. Heat insulating wall (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the profilings (6) form angular lines in cross section. 9. heat-insulating wall (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the profilings (6) form curved lines in cross-section. 10. A heat insulating wall (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the profile elements (7) over at least 60% of a Wall surface of the outer (4) - and / or inner wall (2) extend. 1 1. Heat insulating wall (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that the profile elements (7) extend over the entire height of the wall surface of the outer (4) - and / or inner wall (2). 12. Heat-insulating wall (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the profile elements (7) are located in the region of the attachment of Kühlgutablagen.