Household refrigerator with specific cover system in a receiving space for food

Abstract

A household refrigerator has a receiving space for food which is delimited by walls of an inner container. A covering plate that is separate from the inner container is arranged in the receiving space in front of a wall of the inner container. A functional unit of the household refrigerator is arranged in the receiving space in front of the wall and in one spatial direction of the household refrigerator the covering plate ends next to the functional unit. The functional unit is covered, at least in certain sections, by a cover that is separate from the covering plate.

Claims

1. A household refrigerator, comprising: an inner container formed with walls delimiting a receiving space for food; a functional unit of the household refrigerator disposed in said receiving space in front of a given wall of said inner container, said functional unit being a no-frost unit including an evaporator; a substantially flat covering plate separate from said inner container and disposed in said receiving space in front of, and at a spacing distance from, the given wall, said covering plate having a footprint extending across an entire width of the given wall and ending next to said functional unit and said covering plate being fixed to the given wall at an end facing said functional unit, said functional unit being disposed outside of said footprint; and a cover separate from said covering plate and disposed to cover said functional unit, said cover covering said functional unit at least in certain sections thereof in the one spatial direction.

2. The household refrigerator according to claim 1, which comprises a spacer web formed on a back side of said covering plate, said spacer web abutting a front of the given wall.

3. The household refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein said spacer web is screwed to the given wall.

4. The household refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said cover has a bearing web that abuts a front of the given wall and that is screwed to the given wall.

5. The household refrigerator according to claim 1, which comprises a separate panel covering a gap between said covering plate and said cover.

6. The household refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein said panel engages behind an end of said covering plate facing said cover.

7. The household refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein a front of said covering plate facing said receiving space and a front, facing said receiving space, of a section of said panel ending at said covering plate are arranged flush with one another.

8. The household refrigerator according to claim 5, which comprises a spacer web formed on a back side of said covering plate, said spacer web abutting a front of the given wall, and wherein said panel covers the spacer web in a direction of said receiving space.

9. The household refrigerator according to claim 2, which comprises a separate panel covering the spacer web in a direction of said receiving space.

10. The household refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein said panel is screwed to the given wall.

11. The household refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein said cover and said panel together are screwed at an attachment point to the given wall by a screw.

12. The household refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein said panel has a threaded plug in which a hole is formed on a plug base for passing through a screw.

13. The household refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein said plug base abuts said bearing web.

14. The household refrigerator according to 13, wherein a stop is formed on a top wall of said cover, said stop is raised in a direction of said covering plate, and said panel is supported on said stop in a direction of said given wall.

15. The household refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said covering plate ends above said functional unit in a height direction of the household refrigerator and the functional unit is covered at least in certain sections from above by said cover that is separate from said covering plate.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a household refrigerator according to the invention;

(2) FIG. 2 shows a simplified front view of the household refrigerator of to FIG. 1 with the doors removed;

(3) FIG. 3 is a view of the household refrigerator of FIG. 2 with an additionally assembled covering plate;

(4) FIG. 4 is a view of the household refrigerator of FIG. 3 with an additionally assembled cover of a functional unit and an additionally mounted panel; and

(5) FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of a section of the household refrigerator according to FIG. 4 in the region of the covering plate, panel and cover, taken along the line V-V and viewed in the direction of the arrows.

(6) Identical elements or those with the same function are provided with identical reference numerals in the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown FIG. 1 shows in a schematic view a household refrigerator 1 which is designed for storing and conserving food. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated here, the household refrigerator 1 is a fridge-freezer. It has a housing 2 in which a first receiving space 3 is formed, which is a refrigerator compartment in the exemplary embodiment. The first receiving space 3 is delimited by walls of an inner container 4. At the front, the inner container 4, and therefore also the first receiving space 3, has a loading opening 5 which can be sealed by two separate doors 6 and 7. The loading opening 5 is a continuous opening without interruption and the first receiving space 3 is also a continuous space without interruption. The two doors 6 and 7 are pivotally arranged on the housing 2 by way of vertically oriented pivot axes in each case, which are therefore oriented in the height direction (y-direction).

(8) In the exemplary embodiment the household refrigerator 1 has, moreover, a second receiving space 8 that is separate from the first receiving space 3, and which is a freezer compartment. Viewed in particular in the vertical direction, and therefore in the height direction, the second receiving space 8 is arranged below the first receiving space 3. In the height direction the two receiving spaces 3 and 8 are arranged so as not to overlap. The second receiving space 8 can be sealed at the front by a separate third door 9, wherein this door 9 is formed, in particular a front wall of a drawer that can be displaced in the depth direction (z-direction), which can be pushed into and pulled out of the second receiving space 8. The doors 6, 7 and 9 are arranged so as not to overlap each other and are positioned side by side at the front. In particular they are front end parts or visible parts of the household refrigerator 1.

(9) FIG. 2 shows the household refrigerator 1, which is a no-frost household refrigerator, in a front view and without the doors 6, 7 and 9. The household refrigerator 1 comprises a no-frost unit 10 which is installed upright and is therefore oriented in the vertical direction. The no-frost unit 10 has an evaporator 11, which cannot be seen in FIG. 2, arranged behind a wall. The no-frost unit 10 comprises, moreover, a fan 12 (FIG. 3), with which cold air generated in the region of the evaporator 11 is circulated in the household refrigerator and which is similarly arranged behind the wall. The wall can be a housing wall of the no-frost unit 10.

(10) The no-frost unit 10 is formed at least in a lower back region of the first receiving space 3. The no-frost unit 10 also extends, in particular, into the second receiving space 8 and is also arranged in the back region there.

(11) The household refrigerator 1 comprises, moreover, an air channel 13 (FIG. 2), which is formed in the receiving space 3 in front of a back wall 14 of the inner container 4. The back wall 14 delimits the first receiving space 3 in the depth direction at the back and is an integral part of the inner container 4. The air channel 13 is coupled to the no-frost unit 10 for air circulation and in the exemplary embodiment has a plurality of outlet openings 15 which are arranged in pairs at the same level, but are then formed, moreover, at different levels in the height direction (y-direction).

(12) In the exemplary embodiment the no-frost unit 10, which is a functional unit of the household refrigerator 1, has two separate suction openings 16 through which air from the receiving space 3 is aspirated into the no-frost unit 10. In the exemplary embodiment a functional unit in the form of a water tank 17 is arranged, moreover, in the region of the back wall 14 next to the air channel 13, which is a functional unit. Liquid for a non-illustrated dispensing unit of the household refrigerator 1 is arranged in this water tank 17. The dispensing unit is configured for dispensing liquid and/or ice cubes and preferably has on a door, for example the door 6, and a dispenser unit for dispensing a drink.

(13) Furthermore, valves 18 can be arranged in the back region of the receiving space 3 as further functional units. Similarly, an electrical connector can be arranged as a further functional unit.

(14) FIG. 3 shows the household refrigerator 1 according to the view in FIG. 2. However, a covering plate 19 is also installed here which is arranged on the receiving space 3 and is a plate-like unit separate from the walls of the inner container 4, in particular also from the back wall 14. As can be seen, the covering plate 19 covers functional units, in particular in the exemplary embodiment the air channel 13, the water tank 17 and the valves 18 as well an optionally present electrical connector in the direction of the receiving space 3. This covering plate 19 is arranged in the depth direction, and therefore in the z-direction, with its base plate 20 offset forwards and at a spacing from the back wall 14. A gap is thereby formed between the back wall 14 and this base plate 20, in which gap said functional units are arranged. As can be seen, this base plate 20 has, in particular, slot-shaped openings 21 which are arranged in the region of the outlet openings 15 of the air ducts 13, so the conveyed air, which is blown out of the air channel 13 through the outlet openings 15 in the direction of the receiving space 3, also passes through these openings 21 and therefore into the receiving space 3.

(15) As can be seen, this covering plate 19 extends in the width direction over the entire width between vertical side walls 22 and 23 of the inner container 4, so the back wall 14 is completely covered in this regard. In the height direction, however, the covering plate 19 ends at a spacing from the no-frost unit 10 and above this no-frost unit 10.

(16) FIG. 4 shows the household refrigerator 1 according to the view in FIG. 3, with a cover 24 being arranged here in addition to the covering plate 19, and this is designed separately from the covering plate 19 and is part of the cover system. This cover 24 covers the no-frost unit 10 at least from above, in particular also at the front at least in certain sections. Viewed in the height direction this cover 24 is formed beneath the covering plate 19 and in this connection is also positioned at a spacing from and at a certain distance from this covering plate 19.

(17) Furthermore, FIG. 4 shows a separate panel 25. This panel 25 is likewise part of the cover system and arranged between the covering plate 19 and the cover 24. A gap 26 (FIG. 3), as is formed between the lower end of the covering plate 19 and the no-frost unit 10, is covered at the front by this panel 25. Furthermore, the cover 24 is also covered at least in certain sections at the front by this panel 25.

(18) FIG. 5 shows in a vertical section (y-z plane) the household refrigerator 1 according to the view in FIG. 4 along the cut line V-V.

(19) As can be seen, the base plate 20 is arranged at a spacing from the back wall 24, so a functional unit, represented by way of example and symbolically here by the retainer of the air ducts 13, is arranged in said space 27.

(20) The covering plate 19 is fixed, in particular screwed, to the back wall 14 at an end 28 facing the no-frost unit 10. In the exemplary embodiment a spacer web 29 is formed in one piece on the base plate 20 here, and this is L-shaped in this vertical section. With a leg of this L-shape this spacer web 29 abuts a front 14a of the back wall 14 in a planar manner. A screw hole 30 is also formed on this leg, through which hole a screw 31 can be passed and be screwed in a backing part 32 to the back wall 14.

(21) Furthermore, it can be seen that the cover 24 also has a bearing web 33 which abuts the front 14a of the back wall 14 in a planar manner. This bearing web 33 has a screw hole 34 through which a screw 35 is guided in order to be screwed with a further backing part 36 to the back wall 14.

(22) Formed in one piece on the top wall 37 of the cover 24, with which the no-frost unit 10 is covered from above, is a web or a stop 38 on the top facing the covering plate 19, which web or stop the panel 26 abuts. The panel 26, which is formed, in particular, in one piece from metal, has a threaded plug 39 in which the screw 35 is arranged counter-sunk. In the exemplary embodiment it is provided that the panel 26 and cover 24 are fixed together at one attachment point 40 at least to the back wall 14. For this purpose, it is provided that the screw 35 is guided through the panel 26 as well as through the lead-through 34 of the bearing web 33 and therefore a shared screw connection point here. The threaded plug 39 sits with a plug base 41 on the bearing web 33. Furthermore, it can be seen that the panel 26 engages behind the covering plate 19 and in this connection has a bearing web 42 which, viewed in the height direction, is arranged so as to overlap the base plate 20. The spacer web 29 is set back at the top in this regard in relation to the lower edge of the base plate 20, enabling this engagement behind.

(23) In particular, it is provided that a front 43 of the section of the panel 26, which directly adjoins the lower edge of the base plate 20, is arranged flush with a front 20a of this base plate 20 facing the receiving space 3.

(24) As can be seen, the panel 26 covers the connection points that are arranged adjacent to each other, firstly the connection point of the covering plate 19 with the back wall 14, and secondly the connection point of the cover 24 with the back wall 14 in the direction of the receiving space 3.

(25) The covering plate 19 is preferably formed in one piece from plastics material. This plastics material plate can be, for example, structured on the front 20a and/or be individually designed in terms of color, however. For example, it can also have a film or a coating which imparts a metallic visual impression.

(26) In particular, it is provided that a backing part for an electrical connector is also arranged in the region of the panel 26, into which part at least one electrical connector of the no-frost unit 10 can be pushed. This connector backing part 44 is shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. For example, if a light source is arranged in the covering plate 19, the light source can be inserted at this connector. Further components, which have to be appropriately electrically coupled for electrical power supply, can be plugged in at this connector 44. For example, this can also be an individual sensor, for example a temperature sensor.

(27) In particular, the panel 26 is pushed behind the base plate 20 with the web 42 and then with the no-frost unit 10 is screwed onto the back wall 14.

(28) The two backing parts 32 and 36 are arranged at the foam side, which means that they are arranged with a gap between the inner container 4, and therefore the back wall 14, and an outer housing of the housing 2 and are surrounded by this insulating foam.

(29) In addition to the highly flexible and variable accessibility of individual local regions behind the cover system, assembly and disassembly of the individual components is also enabled particularly easily and safely. In addition to being screwed to the back wall 14, the covering plate 19 can also be latched or suspended to/on at least one other connection point.

(30) The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention: 1 household refrigerator 2 housing 3 first receiving space 4 inner container 6 door 7 door 8 second receiving space 9 door 10 no-frost unit 11 evaporator 12 fan 13 air channel 14 back wall 14a front 15 outlet openings 16 suction openings 17 water tank 18 valves 19 covering plate 20 base plate 20a front 20b back 21 openings 22 side wall 23 side wall 24 cover 25 panel 26 gap 27 space 28 end 29 spacer web 30 screw hole 31 screw 32 backing part 33 bearing web 34 screw hole 35 screw 36 backing part 37 top wall 38 stop 39 threaded plug 40 attachment point 41 plug base 42 bearing web 43 front 44 connector backing part