THERMOELECTRICALLY COOLED OR HEATED CONTAINER

Abstract

The present invention relates to a thermoelectrically cooled or heated container, in particular a refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit, having at least one cooled or heated inner space and having at least one thermoelectric element, in particular having at least one Peltier element, for generating cold or heat in the inner space, wherein the thermoelectric element is arranged between two thermoconductive solid bodies of which one or both have an increasing cross-sectional area as the spacing from the thermoelectric element increases.

Claims

1. A thermoelectrically cooled or heated container, in particular a refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit, having at least one cooled or heated inner space and having at least one thermoelectric element, in particular having at least one Peltier element, for generating cold or heat in the inner space, characterized in that the thermoelectric element is arranged between two thermoconductive solid bodies of which one or both have an increasing cross-sectional area as the spacing from the thermoelectric element increases.

2. A container in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the thermoelectric element is received between the two thermoconductive solid bodies such that forces acting on the solid body or bodies are not transferred or are only transferred to a reduced degree onto the thermoelectric element.

3. A container in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the thermoelectric element is clamped between the solid bodies; and/or in that the thermoelectric element is mechanically fixedly clamped to the solid bodies.

4. A container in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that one of the solid bodies is thermoconductively connected to the outer skin of the unit and one of the solid bodies is thermoconductively connected to the inner wall of the unit.

5. A container in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the container has a vacuum insulation or another insulation as the thermal insulation of the inner space that completely or partly surrounds the cooled inner space, with provision preferably being made that the thermoelectric element and/or one or both of the two solid bodies are arranged in the insulation layer.

6. A container in accordance with claim 5, characterized in that a heat insulation which consists in total or regionally of a full vacuum system is arranged between an inner wall bounding the inner space and an outer skin of the container.

7. A container in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the two solid bodies are connected, and preferably clamped, to one another by one or more connection means, with the connection means preferably having a smaller thermal conductivity than the solid bodies, with provision preferably being made that the connection means consist of plastic or comprise plastic.

8. A container in accordance with claim 7, characterized in that the single connection means or plurality of connection means fixes/fix the spacing of the solid bodies.

9. A container in accordance with claim 7, characterized in that the single connection means or plurality of connection means is/are arranged at a spacing from the thermoelectric element which is as large as possible; and/or in that in the case of a plurality of connection means they have the same spacing from the thermoelectric element.

10. A container in accordance with claim 7, characterized in that the spacing of the single connection means or plurality of connection means from the thermoelectric element is larger than the edge length of the thermoelectric element.

11. A container in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the solid bodies consist of metal and preferably of aluminum or comprise it.

Description

[0043] Further details and advantages of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing.

[0044] The only FIGURE shows a perspective view of a primary heat exchanger having a thermoelectric element arranged therein. It can be configured as a Peltier element.

[0045] The thermoelectric element is clamped between two solid bodies 10, 12 of good thermoconduction, with the solid body 10 reducing in cross-section when passing across the insulation plane from left to right in accordance with the FIGURE and with the solid body 12 increasing in cross-section when passing across the insulation plane from left to right in accordance with the FIGURE.

[0046] The thermoelectric element is located between the two solid bodies. The solid bodies can be arranged with specular symmetry relative to an axis extending through the thermoelectric element.

[0047] The two solid bodies form a primary heat exchanger. It is preferably thermoconductively connected to at least one secondary solid body or heat exchanger via the outwardly disposed surfaces 10 and 12 of the solid bodies 10, 12 that are preferably planar. The secondary heat exchanger is preferably arranged directly at the surfaces 10 and 12.

[0048] The secondary heat exchanger can have two or more solid bodies that form the outer skin of the container, on the one hand, and the inner wall of the container, on the other hand, or can be connected thereto, for example. The inner wall bounds the heated or cooled inner space of the container in accordance with the invention.

[0049] The term container is to be understood generally and comprises every arrangement that has at least one inner space that is heated or cooled. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a container is understood as a refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit. This unit preferably does not have any conventional refrigerant circuit, but rather only has the Peltier element or another thermoelectric element as the heat source or for cold generation.

[0050] The temperature-controlled inner space is either cooled or heated depending on the type of the unit (cooling appliance, heating cabinet, etc.)

[0051] Provision is made in an embodiment that the container in accordance with the invention is a refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit, in particular a domestic appliance or a commercial refrigerator. Such units are, for example, covered which are designed for a stationary arrangement at a home, in a hotel room, in a commercial kitchen or in a bar. It can, for example, be a wine cooler. Chest refrigerators and/or freezers are furthermore also covered by the invention. The units in accordance with the invention can have an interface for connection to a power supply, in particular to a domestic mains supply (e.g. a plug) and/or can have a standing aid or installation aid such as adjustment feet or an interface for fixing within a furniture niche. The unit can, for example, be a built-in unit or also a stand-alone unit.

[0052] In an embodiment, the container or the unit is configured such that it can be operated at an AC voltage such as a domestic mains voltage of e.g. 120 V and 60 Hz or of 230 V and 50 Hz. In an alternative embodiment, the container or the unit is configured such that it can be operated with DC current of a voltage of, for example, 5 V, 12 V or 24 V. Provision can be made in this embodiment that a plug-in power supply is provided inside or outside the unit via which the unit is operated. An advantage of the use of thermoelectric heat pumps in this embodiment is that the whole EMC problem only occurs at the power pack.

[0053] Provision can in particular be made that the refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit has a cabinet-type design and has a useful space which is accessible to a user at its front side (at the upper side in the case of a chest). The useful space can be divided into a plurality of compartments which are all operated at the same temperature or at different temperatures. Alternatively, only one compartment can be provided. Storage aids such as trays, drawers or bottle-holders (also dividers in the case of a chest) can also be provided within the useful space or within a compartment to ensure an ideal storage of refrigerated goods or frozen goods and an ideal use of the space.

[0054] The useful space can be closed by at least one door pivotable about a vertical axis. In the case of a chest, a lid pivotable about a horizontal axis or a sliding cover is conceivable as the closing element. The door or another closing element can be connected in a substantially airtight manner to the carcass by a peripheral magnetic seal in the closed state. The door or another closing element is preferably also thermally insulated, with the thermal insulation being able to be achieved by a foaming and optionally by vacuum insulation panels or also preferably by a vacuum system and particularly preferably by a full vacuum system. Door storage areas can optionally be provided at the inside of the door in order also to be able to store refrigerated goods there.

[0055] It can be a small appliance in an embodiment. In such units, the useful space defined by the inner wall of the container has, for example, a volume of less than 0.5 m.sup.3, less than 0.4 m.sup.3 or less than 0.3 m.sup.3.

[0056] The outer dimensions of the container or unit are preferably in the range up to 1 m with respect to the height, width and depth.

[0057] The invention is, however, not restricted to refrigerator units and/or freezer units, but rather generally applies to units having a temperature-controlled inner space, for example also to heat cabinets or heat chests.

[0058] In the case of a container or unit having a heated inner space, a thermal conduction takes place from the environment or from the outer skin of the container by means of the solid body to the thermoelectric element and from it by means of a solid body through heat conduction to the inner space or to the inner wall of the container bounding the inner space.

[0059] The solid bodies 10, 12 preferably comprise aluminum.

[0060] Connection elements are marked by reference numeral 20 that fixedly mechanically clamp the at least one thermoelectric element to the thermoconductive solid bodies 10, 12.

[0061] The clamping preferably takes place by a clamp connection. The element with little thermal conductivity or the connection element or elements 20 clamps/clamp the two solid bodies 10, 12 via a clamp connection.

[0062] The connection elements 2 form a non-thermoconductive fastening or a fastening with little thermal conductivity of the two solid bodies 10, 12 to one another. The connection elements 20 fix the spacing of the solid bodies 10, 12 from one another.

[0063] The spacing of the connection elements 20 from the thermoelectric element is selected as large as possible. In the embodiment shown here, the spacing of one of the connection elements 20 from the thermoelectric element is larger than its edge length.

[0064] Exactly one connection element 20 can generally be provided. The use of more than one connection element 20 is also conceivable and covered by the invention.

[0065] In the embodiment, the four connection elements 20 are located in the corner regions of the solid bodies 10, 12. They are all exactly at the same distance from the thermoelectric element.

[0066] The primary heat exchanger comprising the molded bodies 10, 12 provides a very good thermal coupling of the generated cold or heat of the thermoelectric element. Due to the cross-sectional area increasing starting from the thermoelectric element, the thermal flow is brought to a larger surface so that heat loss arises which is as small as possible on a coupling to a further element such as to a further thermoconductive element.

[0067] The thermoelectric element is preferably clamped between the molded bodies 10, 12 without a significant heat bridge arising due to the connection element or elements.

[0068] The molded bodies 10, 12 are aluminum bodies that are seated on the thermoelectric element.

[0069] As can be seen from the FIGURE, the molded bodies are clamped via plastic connections having a small or having a smaller thermal conductivity.

[0070] It is conceivable to use screws as the connection element or connection elements.

[0071] It is also possible to use a part such as an injection molded part as a connection element or as connection elements that is fastened to one of the molded parts 10, 12 and that latches at another molded part on assembly.

[0072] Since plastic binders and also other connection elements represent heat bridges, a cross-selection is used for them that is as small as possible, whereby the construction support is reduced, on the other hand. Since the critical loads are deformations at the total unit that are transmitted to the thermoelectric element via the rigid primary heat exchanger, i.e. via the molded parts 10, 12, a stabilizationas can be seen from the FIGUREis preferred at all sides and as far away as possible from or outside the thermoelectric element.

[0073] The described primary heat exchangers can be used sensibly wherever a temperature difference is to be built up via an insulation with the aid of a thermoelectric element.