Refrigeration Appliance And Filter Cartridge For Same

Abstract

A filter cartridge for a domestic cooling appliance includes a beaker-shaped housing which is provided at an open end with a coupling for securing to a filter head, and a particle filter insert which is received in the housing. The particle filter insert is guided movably along an axis of the housing between an abutment position, in which it is embedded completely in the housing, and a position in which it at least partially protrudes from the housing. A domestic refrigeration appliance having the filter cartridge is also provided.

Claims

1-12. (canceled)

13. A filter cartridge, comprising: a beaker-shaped housing having an axis and an open end; a coupling disposed at said open end of said housing for securing the filter cartridge to a filter head; and a particle filter insert received in said housing, said particle filter insert being guided movably along said axis of said housing between an abutment position in which said particle filter insert is embedded completely in said housing and a position in which said particle filter insert at least partially protrudes from said housing.

14. The filter cartridge according to claim 13, which further comprises an abutment defining said position in which said particle filter insert at least partially protrudes from said housing, said particle filter insert being released from said housing by overcoming said abutment.

15. The filter cartridge according to claim 14, wherein said abutment is formed by radially deflectable flexible tongues of said housing.

16. The filter cartridge according to claim 13, wherein said particle filter insert is beaker-shaped.

17. The filter cartridge according to claim 13, wherein: said particle filter insert has an end facing said open end of said housing; said particle filter insert has a star-shaped flange at said end of said particle filter insert facing said open end of said housing; said particle filter insert has an inlet opening formed centrally in said flange; and said flange has nibs resting against said housing in said abutment position.

18. The filter cartridge according to claim 17, wherein said housing has a step, and said abutment position is defined by contact of said nibs of said flange with said step.

19. The filter cartridge according to claim 17, wherein said particle filter insert is guided in a torque-proof manner in said housing, and said flange supports at least one protrusion on a side of said flange facing said open end of said housing.

20. The filter cartridge according to claim 19, wherein said particle filter insert has a protrusion, and said housing has inwardly protruding, axially extending ribs between which said protrusion of said particle filter insert engages.

21. The filter cartridge according to claim 13, wherein said particle filter insert includes a pipe-shaped strainer having edges, a head piece and a foot piece, said head piece and said foot piece being molded from plastic to said edges of said strainer.

22. The filter cartridge according to claim 21, wherein said head piece and said foot piece are connected through said strainer to outwardly supported webs.

23. The filter cartridge according to claim 13, wherein said housing has an exterior and at least one axially extending rib disposed at said exterior.

24. A refrigeration appliance or domestic refrigeration appliance, comprising: a water connection; at least one water consumer; and a filter cartridge according to claim 13 interconnecting said water connection and said water consumer.

Description

[0021] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description of exemplary embodiments which follows by reference to the appended figures, in which:

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a schematic section through an inventive refrigeration appliance;

[0023] FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the filter cartridge;

[0024] FIG. 3 shows a second exploded view of the filter cartridge;

[0025] FIG. 4 shows an axial section through the filter cartridge with the particle filter insert in the position protruding partially from the housing;

[0026] FIG. 5 shows an axial section through the filter cartridge mounted on the filter head;

[0027] FIG. 6 shows an axial section through the filter cartridge mounted on the filter head along a section plane rotated about the axis compared with FIG. 5; and

[0028] FIG. 7 shows an axial section through filter cartridge and filter head during disassembly.

[0029] The refrigeration appliance in FIG. 1 has a body 1 and a door 2, in a manner known per se, which enclose a heat-insulated interior 3. The interior 3 may be divided into several storage compartments for refrigerated goods, which are kept at different target temperatures during operation.

[0030] A water pipe 4 that can be blocked by a magnet valve 13 extends between a tap 5 of a building supply network and a filter head 6 of the refrigeration appliance. The filter head 6 is provided in order to fix a filter cartridge 7 therein; the installation space of the filter cartridge 7 on the filter head 6 may be disposed in the cooled interior 3.

[0031] The water pipe 8 extends from the filter head 6 further to a valve assembly 9, in order by way of this, in a manner known per se, to supply an ice maker 10, and/or a tank 11 which is in thermal contact with the interior 3 and a cold water dispenser 12 in a recess of the door 2.

[0032] FIG. 2 shows the filter cartridge 7 in an exploded perspective view. It comprises a beaker-shaped housing 120 that is injection-molded in one piece from plastic and a particle filter insert 130. Adjacent to its open end provided to engage into the filter head 6, the housing 120 supports coupling ribs 121 that protrude outward, said coupling ribs forming a bayonet coupling with complementary grooves in the filter head 6. A rib 123 extending in the axial direction of the housing extends in an arc above the part of the housing 120 that faces away from the filter head 6, in order to support the hand of a user and to facilitate the exertion of a torque for closing or releasing the bayonet coupling.

[0033] In the inside of the housing 120 a cylindrical sealing surface 141 firstly connects to the open end and then behind a step 145, a cylindrical inner surface 144, the diameter of ii which is smaller than that of the sealing surface 141, connects thereto. As is significantly clearer in FIG. 3, four ribs 143 protrude from the inner surface 144 at an angular distance of 90° from one another into the inside of the housing 120. The ribs 143 extend across the entire axial extent of the inner surface 144 from a base 140 and beyond the step 145. A gap is retained between the nibs of the ribs 143 that protrude beyond the step 145 and the sealing surface 141, said gap allowing the nibs to function as flexible tongues 142 and to elastically yield a force directly radially outward and exerted thereon. The flexible tongues 142 each have catches 146 which protrude radially inward in each case (see FIG. 6).

[0034] The particle filter insert 130 comprises a fine-mesh strainer 135 molded into a cylinder and a form part made of plastic which is injection-molded in one piece onto the strainer 135. The form part can be subdivided into a head part 150 and a foot part 131, into which edges of the strainer 135, which oppose one another axially in each case, are tightly embedded, and four webs 132 extending in the axial direction between the head and foot part, which rest the strainer 135 against its exterior.

[0035] The head part 150 is composed of a circular disk 151, the diameter of which corresponds to the distance of the opposing ribs 143 of the housing 120 and two circular sectors 152, which project in opposite directions beyond the edge of the circular disk 151 and, if the housing 120 and particle filter insert 130 are merged together, engage in a form-locking manner between two adjacent ribs 143 and thus couple the particle filter insert 130 in a torque-proof manner to the housing 120. Outer surfaces of the webs 132 rest on the ribs 143 with a sliding movement.

[0036] The foot part 131 comprises a pipe segment 133 which extends in the axial direction along the length of the strainer and a star-shaped flange 134 at the end of the pipe segment 133 that faces away from the strainer 135. On a side facing away from the strainer 135, the flange 134 supports four protrusions 122, each arranged at an angular distance of 90° on a circle. The outer diameter of the flange 134 is marginally smaller than that of the sealing surface, so that in an abutment position of the particle filter insert 130, nibs 135 of the flange 134 can rest against the shoulder 145. By the engagement of the flange 134 into the sealing surface 141 and the engagement of the circular disk 151 between the ribs 143, the particle filter insert 130 is guided in an axial direction between the abutment position and a position that at least partially protrudes from the housing, in which the catches of the nibs 142 each strike against a step 136 of the webs 132. FIG. 3 shows the position of the particle filter insert 130 that protrudes partially from the housing in an axial section.

[0037] FIG. 4 shows the complete filter cartridge 7, mounted in the filter head 6, in an axial section. An inlet support 110 of the filter head 6 extends through a central passage of the flange 134 until the pipe segment 133 and supports an O-ring 112 that seals the interior of the pipe segment 133. The water pipe 4 opens into the inside of the particle filter insert 130 by way of a central bore 114 of the inlet support 110.

[0038] A second, shorter outlet support 113 surrounds the inlet support 110 in a concentric manner and supports a second O-ring 112, which seals the sealing surface 141 of the housing 120. A bore 115 that is only visible to a small degree in FIG. 4 and runs eccentrically through the outlet support 113 forms the start of the water pipe 8.

[0039] A spring-loaded tappet 111 holds the particle filter insert 130 in the abutment position with nibs of the flange 134 that rest against the shoulder 145. In the configuration shown here, with an engaged bayonet coupling, the tappet 11 is impressed through one of the protrusions 122 to such a depth that it closes a switch 116. If the housing 120 was not rotated sufficiently far in order to engage the bayonet coupling, then the tappet 111 would not be opposite to the protrusion 122 and the switch 116 would be open. Indeed the switch 116 would also be open if in fact the bayonet coupling is engaged, but the particle filter insert 130 is not mounted. Provided the switch 116 is open, the magnet valve 13 closes and thus prevents more water than is currently contained in the housing 120 from running out of the filter head 6 when the filter cartridge 7 is released.

[0040] If the magnet valve 13 is closed, water can flow from the bore 114 through the strainer 135, wherein particles which are carried along remain in the particle filter insert 130 and pass through an intermediate space between the particle filter insert 130 and the inner surface 144 and through holes 136 between the nibs of the flange 134 to the bore 115.

[0041] Like FIG. 5, FIG. 6 shows an axial section through the filter cartridge 7 fixed to the filter ii head 6 with an engaged bayonet coupling, nevertheless in a plane, which, as in FIG. 4, runs through two opposing ribs 143 of the housing 120. It is clearly apparent that the webs 132 each oppose the ribs 143 at a minimal distance on a side of the shoulders 136 that faces away from the flange 134, while a gap between the webs 132 and ribs 143 is present between the shoulders and the flange 134, into which gap the catches on the nips 142 of the ribs 143 engage, and the length of which defines the freedom of movement of the particle filter insert 130 between the abutment position embedded in the housing 120 and the position protruding from the housing 120.

[0042] FIG. 7 in turn shows an axial section through the filter cartridge 7 and the filter head 6 after releasing the bayonet coupling. The housing 120 of the filter cartridge 7 is removed from the outlet support 113; the particle filter insert 130 is disposed in a frictionally fixed manner by the O-ring 112 of the inlet support 110, in the position protruding from the housing 120. By further pulling on the housing 120, the particle filter insert 130 is also separated from the inlet support 110. If the user now grips the particle filter insert 130 on its flange 134, and pulls thereon, the shoulders 136 press the nibs 142 radially outward, the particle filter insert 130 comes free. Particles retained in the particle filter insert 130 can now be flushed out Finally the particle filter insert 130 and housing 120 are merged together again and the filter cartridge 7 is mounted in the filter head 6 again.

REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0043] 1 Body [0044] 2 Door [0045] 3 Interior [0046] 4 Water pipe [0047] 5 Tap [0048] 6 Filter head [0049] 7 Filter cartridge [0050] 8 Water pipe [0051] 9 Valve assembly [0052] 10 Ice maker [0053] 11 Tank [0054] 12 Cold water dispenser [0055] 13 Magnet valve [0056] 110 Inlet support [0057] 111 Tappet [0058] 112 O-ring [0059] 113 Outlet support [0060] 114 Bore [0061] 115 Bore [0062] 116 Switch [0063] 120 Housing [0064] 121 Coupling rib [0065] 122 Protrusion [0066] 123 Rib [0067] 130 Particle filter insert [0068] 131 Foot part [0069] 132 Web [0070] 133 Pipe segment [0071] 134 Flange [0072] 135 Strainer [0073] 136 Step [0074] 140 Base [0075] 141 Sealing surface [0076] 142 Nib [0077] 143 Rib [0078] 144 Inner surface [0079] 145 Step [0080] 146 Catch [0081] 150 Head part [0082] 151 Circular disk [0083] 152 Circular sector