Cooling And/Or Freezing Device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cooling and/or a freezing device comprising a cooled inner chamber (100) and a thermoelectric element (20), particularly a Peltier element (20), which is arranged such that the inner chamber (100) is cooled by means of the thermoelectric element (20), means (4, 20, 40) for evaporating the condensed water being provided comprising a heat exchanger (40) located outside of the cooled inner chamber (100).

Claims

1. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit having a refrigerated inner space and having a thermoelectric element, in particular having a Peltier element, that is arranged such that the inner space is refrigerated by means of the thermoelectric element, characterized in that means for evaporating condensed water are present that have a heat exchanger located outside the refrigerated inner space.

2. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the heat exchanger is formed by the hot side of a thermoelectric element or is connected to the hot side of a thermoelectric element.

3. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 2, characterized in that the thermoelectric element is arranged such that it cools the inner space of the unit by its cold side or by a heat exchanger connected to the cold side.

4. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that means are provided by which it can be determined whether condensed water is present; and in that a control or regulation unit connected to these means is provided that increases the performance of the means for evaporating condensed water when the presence of condensed water is determined.

5. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that a condensate surface is present in the refrigerated inner space whose temperature is below the temperature of other surfaces in the refrigerated inner space so that condensate is formed at the condensate surface, with provision preferably being made that the condensate surface is formed by a thermoelectric element; and/or in that a control or regulation unit is provided by which the condensate surface is cyclically cooled.

6. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 5, characterized in that a detection means for detecting the opening of the closing element of the unit is present; and in that the control or regulation unit is configured such that it carries out the cyclic cooling in dependence on the detected opening.

7. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that a fan is present that is arranged such that it circulates the air located in the refrigerated inner space.

8. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 5, characterized in that the condensate surface is formed by a thermoelectric element that is arranged such that it emits the waste heat into the refrigerated inner space.

9. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that an outflow element is provided through which condensed water is transported to the means for evaporation.

10. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 9, characterized in that the outflow element is dimensioned such that the transport of the condensed water takes place by capillary forces.

11. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit having a refrigerated inner space and having a thermoelectric element introduced thereto, characterized in that a control or regulation unit is provided which controls the thermoelectric element such that it forms a condensate surface.

Description

[0040] Further details and advantages of the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the embodiment shown in the Figures and described in the following. There are shown in the Figures:

[0041] FIG. 1: a longitudinal sectional view through a refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with the invention; and

[0042] FIG. 2: a detailed view of the region of a thermoelectric element whose hot side promotes the evaporation of condensed water.

[0043] In FIG. 1, the carcass of a cabinet-like refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit is marked by the reference numeral 10.

[0044] The carcass 10 has two side walls 12, a top 14 and a bottom 16. They bound the cooled inner space 100 together with the rear wall and a door.

[0045] As can be seen from FIG. 1, a respective thermoelectric element 20, 20 is provided in the two side walls 1, in the top wall 14, and in the bottom 16.

[0046] Exactly one such thermoelectric element can generally be provided per wall. However, the case is also covered by the invention that two or more than two thermoelectric elements are present in one or more walls.

[0047] The arrangement of one or more thermoelectric elements at the rear side of the unit is also conceivable and covered by the invention.

[0048] Each of the thermoelectric elements 20 is connected in a heat-transferring manner, in particular in a thermoconductive manner, to a respective one heat exchanger 30, 40 both on the cold side facing the inner space 100 and on the outwardly directed hot side. These primary heat exchangers 30, 40 are metal bodies, e.g. composed of aluminum.

[0049] In the operation of the thermoelectric elements 20, heat is extracted from the cooled inner space over their cold sides and by means of the heat exchanger 30 and of the inner wall I. This heat is discharged to the environment via the hot side of the thermoelectric element 20, via the heat exchanger 40 and via the outer wall A.

[0050] As can further be seen from FIG. 1, the cross-section of the primary heat exchangers 1, 40 increases, starting from the thermoelectric element 20 toward the outer wall A and also toward the inner wall I which bounds the cooled inner space 100 together with the inside of the door. In this manner, the waste heat which is extracted from the inner space 100 by means of the thermoelectric elements 20 can be distributed over a larger surface without a larger temperature gradient.

[0051] The outer unit side is formed by the outer wall A which comprises in total or regionally a metal sheet, preferably an aluminum metal sheet.

[0052] In the embodiment shown here, this metal sheet forms the outer side A of the side walls 12, of the top 14 and also of the bottom 16. The rear side and/or the door can also be correspondingly formed on the outer side.

[0053] The metal sheet forming the outer wall A forms the secondary heat exchanger which is connected in a heat-transferring manner, in particular in a thermoconductive manner, to the primary heat exchangers 40.

[0054] The inner wall I is likewise formed by a metal sheet, in particular by an aluminum metal sheet. The inner wall I is connected in a heat-transferring manner, in particular in a thermoconductive manner, to the primary heat exchangers 30.

[0055] The term heat exchanger in accordance with the present invention includes any desired element that is suitable for transferring heat. In the preferred embodiment, the heat exchangers are formed by metallic bodies.

[0056] Reference numeral 50 denotes the heat insulation which extends between the inner wall I and the outer wall A of the carcass. This thermal insulation comprises a volume which is bounded by one or more vacuum-tight films and in which a core material, in particular pearlite, is located. Further insulating materials such as foaming and/or vacuum insulation panels are preferably provided between the inner wall I and the outer wall A.

[0057] A corresponding full vacuum thermal insulation can also be provided for the door or for another closing element.

[0058] The Peltier elements 20 or the other thermoelectric elements are distributed over the unit geometry such that their waste heat is distributed as much as possible over the outer skin A of the unit. The outer skin A can be made up of an aluminum metal sheet having a thickness of 1 to 2 mm for the distribution of the waste heat over the complete outer skin A.

[0059] Since the cooling energy which is generated is smaller than the waste heat, the demands on the heat exchanger are not so high in the unit interior 100. A metal sheet (e.g. an aluminum metal sheet) is preferably equally used for the inner wall of the unit and can have a smaller thickness than the metal sheet forming the outer skin A or can have an identical configuration.

[0060] The cold side of the thermoelectric element 20 arranged at the bottom is connected to the heat exchanger 30 that forms a condensation surface at its upper side O, i.e. a surface that has a smaller temperature with respect to adjacent surfaces or that represents the lowest temperature in the refrigerated inner space.

[0061] A detailed view of the region of the thermoelectric element 20 arranged at the bottom is shown in FIG. 2. A condensation region 1 is formed around and at the condensation surface of the heat exchanger 30. Starting from this condensation region 1 at the inner side of the thermally insulating unit wall, an outflow 2 for the condensate leads to the evaporation region 200.

[0062] The evaporation region 200 is formed by an evaporation tray 4 that collects the condensed water and that is in good thermal coupling to the Peltier element 20. The evaporation tray 4 is in particular in direct or thermally conductive contact with the heat exchanger 40.

[0063] As can furthermore be seen from FIG. 2, the Peltier element 20 can have, in the same way as the other Peltier elements of the unit in accordance with the invention, connection elements 33 that mechanically fixedly clamp the Peltier element 20 to the heat exchangers 30 and 40.

[0064] The thermoelectric element or the Peltier element 20 arranged in the base surface is controllable separately by a control or regulation unit, not shown, and indeed such hat its performance is increased within the framework of a condensation cycle or as required. This has the result that the upper cold side O adopts a still lower temperature and the lower hot side W adopts an even higher temperature.

[0065] The condensation and the evaporation are improved in this manner.

[0066] In normal operation, the thermoelectric element 20, like the further thermoelectric elements, can be used in dependence on the measured inner space temperature, i.e. for temperature regulation.

[0067] It is also conceivable to use an additional thermoelectric element that lies, for example, on the base surface of the unit and forms the coldest point there. This thermoelectric element thus does not extend between the outside and inside of the unit, but is rather completely located in the refrigerated inner space and emits its waste heat therein.