REFRIGERATION UNIT

Abstract

For effective and energy-saving cooling of articles using straightforward designs, a refrigeration unit, in particular a refrigerated cabinet, freezer cabinet, refrigerated island or refrigerated counter, for storing and/or displaying articles, having a refrigeration chamber for the articles, and having a channel, which is assigned to the refrigeration chamber and is intended for supplying air, wherein two air flows can flow out of an outlet of the channel at different flow speeds and form a double protective air curtain in front of an access to the refrigeration chamber, is configured so that the channel has an element which acts on the supplied air so that the supplied air is divided up into the two air flows with different flow speeds by the element.

Claims

1. A refrigeration unit, in particular a refrigerated cabinet, deep freezer, refrigerated island, or refrigerated counter, for storing and/or displaying chilled goods, having a refrigeration chamber (1) for the chilled goods and having a duct (2), which is allocated to the refrigeration chamber (1) and is intended for supplying air, wherein two air flows can flow out of an outlet (3) of the duct (2) at different flow speeds and form a double protective air curtain in front of an entry (6) to the refrigeration chamber (1), the refrigeration unit comprising the duct (2) having an element (8) acting on the supplied air so that the element (8) divides the supplied air into the two air flows with different flow speeds.

2. The refrigeration unit according to claim 1, wherein the element (8) is positioned inside the duct (2) or near the outlet (3) of the duct (2).

3. The refrigeration unit according to claim 2, wherein the element (8) is embodied in a wing-like fashion to make use of a Bernoulli Effect.

4. The refrigeration unit according to claim 3, wherein the element (8) is embodied so that in relation to the duct (2), it is adjustable and/or pivotable around an axis (9), and/or able to shift.

5. The refrigeration unit according to claim 4, wherein the element (8) has a plurality of sections that can be adjusted and/or pivoted relative to one another.

6. The refrigeration unit according to claim 5, wherein a guide device (10) for parallel guidance of the supplied air is provided inside the duct (2), before the element (8) in a flow direction.

7. The refrigeration unit according to claim 6, wherein in order to guide the two air flows in parallel fashion after the element (8) in the flow direction, a guide device (11) can be positioned inside the duct (2), at the outlet (3) of the duct (2), or after the outlet (3).

8. The refrigeration unit according to claim 7, wherein the guide device (10, 11) has a plurality of flat guide elements arranged parallel to one another.

9. The refrigeration unit according to claim 8, wherein the guide device (10, 11) is of a plurality of individual sections (10).

10. The refrigeration unit according to claim 9, wherein the duct (2) has at least one other outlet (13) for the supplied air opening into the refrigeration chamber (1) and the at least one other outlet (13) is embodied so that air flowing into the refrigeration chamber (1) is essentially turbulent and preferably forms a supporting air curtain for the protective air curtain.

11. The refrigeration unit according to claim 1, wherein the element (8) is embodied in a wing-like fashion to make use of a Bernoulli Effect.

12. The refrigeration unit according to claim 1, wherein the element (8) is embodied so that in relation to the duct (2), it is adjustable and/or pivotable around an axis (9), and/or able to shift.

13. The refrigeration unit according to claim 1, wherein the element (8) has a plurality of sections that can be adjusted and/or pivoted relative to one another.

14. The refrigeration unit according to claim 1, wherein a guide device (10) for parallel guidance of the supplied air is provided inside the duct (2), before the element (8) in a flow direction.

15. The refrigeration unit according to claim 1, wherein in order to guide the two air flows in parallel fashion after the element (8) in the flow direction, a guide device (11) can be positioned inside the duct (2), at the outlet (3) of the duct (2), or after the outlet (3).

16. The refrigeration unit according to claim 6, wherein the guide device (10, 11) has a plurality of flat guide elements arranged parallel to one another.

17. The refrigeration unit according to claim 6, wherein the guide device (10, 11) is of a plurality of individual sections (10).

18. The refrigeration unit according to claim wherein the duct (2) has at least one other outlet (13) for the supplied air opening into the refrigeration chamber (1) and the at least one other outlet (13) is embodied so that air flowing into the refrigeration chamber (1) is essentially turbulent and preferably forms a supporting air curtain for the protective air curtain.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] There are now various possibilities for advantageously embodying and modifying the teaching of this invention. In this regard, reference is made on the one hand to the subsequent claims and on the other to the following description of exemplary embodiments of the teaching according to this invention based on the drawings. In connection with explaining the preferred exemplary embodiments of the teaching according to this invention based on the drawings, explanations are also provided for generally preferred embodiments and modifications of the teaching, wherein:

[0022] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a conventional′ refrigeration unit in a form of a refrigerated cabinet;

[0023] FIG. 2 is a schematic partial side view of a duct of a first exemplary embodiment of a refrigeration unit according to this invention;

[0024] FIG. 3 is a schematic partial side view of a duct of a second exemplary embodiment of a refrigeration unit according to this invention;

[0025] FIG. 4 is a schematic partial side view of a duct of a third exemplary embodiment of a refrigeration unit according to this invention;

[0026] FIG. 5 is a schematic partial side view of a duct of a fourth exemplary embodiment of a refrigeration unit according to this invention;

[0027] FIGS. 6-9 are schematic depictions of advantageous embodiment options of outlets for producing turbulent flows in the refrigeration chamber of exemplary embodiments of refrigeration units according to this invention;

[0028] FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of a refrigeration unit in the form of a refrigerated counter;

[0029] FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of a refrigeration unit in the form of a deep freezer; and

[0030] FIG. 12 is a schematic side view of a refrigeration unit in the form of a combination set having a refrigerated cabinet and a deep freezer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a conventional refrigeration unit in the form of a refrigerated cabinet. Refrigeration units of this kind are used for storage and/or presentation of chilled goods. The refrigeration unit has a refrigeration chamber 1 for the chilled goods, with a plurality of shelves 7 for chilled goods provided in the refrigeration chamber 1. The refrigeration chamber 1 has a duct 2 allocated to it for supplying air. The air flows into the duct 2 essentially from below and can flow out from an outlet 3 of the duct 2 in the form of two air flows with different flow speeds. The air flows form a double protective air curtain in a region 4 in front of the refrigeration chamber 1. The flow direction is indicated by an arrow 5. The protective air curtain extends in front of an entry 6 to the refrigeration chamber 1 in order to prevent a heat exchange with the warmer surroundings of the refrigeration unit.

[0032] During operation of the refrigeration unit, the air flows constantly travel from the top of the refrigerated cabinet to the lower region of the refrigerated cabinet and are collected there in order to be conveyed into a circuit in the ducts 2. After collection, a cooling of the air flows takes place so that the air flows travel out of the duct 2 at a lower temperature than when they are collected in the lower region.

[0033] With regard to a particularly effective and energy-saving cooling of the chilled goods through simple designs, according to a first exemplary embodiment of this invention, the duct 2 shown in the enlarged depiction in FIG. 2 is equipped with an element 8 that acts on the supplied air in such a way that the division of the supplied air into the two air flows with different flow speeds is achieved by the element 8 itself. At the element 8, the air supplied through the duct 2 is first divided into the two air flows that have different flow speeds due to the special design of the element 8. The element 8 has an essentially convexly curved top and an essentially concavely curved bottom. The flow speed at the top is higher than at the bottom. The element 8 extends transversely to the duct 2 along its entire width. The duct 2 is embodied with an essentially rectangular cross-section so that a protective air curtain can be produced along the entire width of the duct 2. These two air flows emerge from the outlet 3 and then form the double protective air curtain in front of the entry 6 to the refrigeration chamber 1.

[0034] In the exemplary embodiment shown, the element 8 is positioned inside the duct 2. In addition, the element 8 is embodied in a wing-like fashion to make use of the Bernoulli Effect. The element 8 is arranged so that it is able to pivot around an axis 9. It is thus possible to easily change the position of the air flows produced. The axis 9 is oriented perpendicular to the flow direction of the supplied air. In addition, the axis 9 in the exemplary embodiment shown here extends in a horizontal direction and perpendicular to the plane of the drawing of FIG. 2, which shows a side view of the upper region of the duct 2.

[0035] In the exemplary embodiment shown, in the flow direction before the element 8 in the duct 2, a guide device 10 is provided to guide the supplied air in a parallel fashion. By the parallel guidance of the supplied air, it is possible to produce from the two air flows a laminar flow that reaches a particularly long distance after the outlet 3. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the guide device 10 has three individual sections 10. In addition to the guide device 10, a guide device 11, which is for guiding the two produced air flows in parallel fashion, is positioned inside the duct 2 in the vicinity of or near the outlet 3, after the element 8 in the flow direction. This achieves an additional prolonging of the laminar flow region after the outlet 3.

[0036] The guide devices 10 and 11 have a plurality of flat guide elements 12 oriented parallel to one another. This achieves a particularly reliable guidance of the air.

[0037] FIGS. 3 to 5 respectively show a schematic, enlarged side view of a duct 2 of a second, third, and fourth exemplary embodiment of a refrigeration unit according to this invention with an element 8 positioned inside the duct 2. In these exemplary embodiments, the element 8 is arranged in stationary fashion inside the duct 2 and is not able to pivot around an axis. In addition, the exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 differ from the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2 due to the different embodiment of the guide device 10, which guides the supplied air in parallel fashion before the element 8 in the flow direction. In this case, the second exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 3 has a guide device 10 composed of or of one individual section 10. The guide devices 10 according to the third and fourth exemplary embodiments in FIGS. 4 and 5 have three and five individual sections 10, respectively. When selecting the number of individual sections 10, it is necessary to take into account the respective intended use. Basically, the presence of more individual sections 10 results in a more reliable parallel guidance of the supplied air, with the flow resistance increasing as the number of individual sections 10 in the duct 2 rises.

[0038] In the above-described exemplary embodiments, the duct 2, in addition to the outlet 3, can have at least one other outlet 13 for the supplied air, opening into the refrigeration chamber 1. This outlet 13 is embodied so that air flowing into the refrigeration chamber 1 is essentially turbulent and preferably forms a supporting air curtain for the protective air curtain. According to FIGS. 6 to 9, different embodiments of these outlets 13 are shown, which result in turbulent flows into the refrigeration chamber 1. In this case, FIG. 6 shows an arrangement of crescent-shaped outlets 13, FIG. 7 shows an arrangement of circular outlets 13 with different diameters, FIG. 8 shows an arrangement of rod-shaped outlets 13, and FIG. 9 shows an arrangement of star-shaped outlets 13. Such outlets 13 can, for example, be embodied in the back wall of a refrigeration chamber 1.

[0039] FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of a conventional refrigerated counter, which could have a duct 2 with an element 8 according to this invention in order to achieve an effective and energy-saving cooling of the chilled goods through simple designs.

[0040] In the same way, FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of a conventional refrigeration unit 11 in the form of a deep freezer. Here, too, an element 8 can be provided inside the duct 2. Finally, in the same way, FIG. 12 is a schematic side view of a conventional refrigeration unit in the form of a combination set having a refrigerated cabinet and a deep freezer. Here, too, an element 8 can be positioned inside the duct 2.

[0041] Basically, it should be stated that the idea according to this invention of embodying the duct 2 with a suitable element 8 can be advantageously implemented in all conventional types of refrigeration units.

[0042] In order to avoid repetition, with regard to other advantageous embodiments of the refrigeration unit according to this invention, reference is made to the general part of the description and to the attached claims.

[0043] Finally, it should be expressly stated that the above-described exemplary embodiments of the refrigeration unit according to this invention are provided only for the sake of discussing the claimed teaching, but do not limit this teaching to the exemplary embodiments.