DE102015221667A1 - Refrigeration unit with flexible compartment - Google Patents

Abstract

A refrigerator, in particular a domestic refrigerator, comprises a flexible compartment (6) which can be operated at different temperatures and an evaporator (11) accommodated in an evaporator chamber (7) separate from the compartment (6). The evaporator (11) is associated with a defrost heater (16) and a fan (18) for driving an air flow between the evaporator chamber (7) and the compartment (6). A control unit (19) is arranged, in a Aufheizbetriebsphase (S8-S12) after increasing (S1) a set temperature (Tsoll) of the flexible compartment (6) for heating the flexible compartment (6) fan (18) and defrost heater (16) simultaneously to operate

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigeration appliance, in particular a household refrigeration appliance, with a compartment which can be used at greatly differing setpoint temperatures, typically as required by a user as a refrigerated compartment or as a freezer compartment, also referred to as a flexible compartment or flex compartment.

When a user wants to switch such a flex compartment from freeze to normal refrigeration mode, it takes a long time for the new setpoint temperature to be reached solely by heat input from the environment. As long as the new target temperature is not reached, it is risky to use the flex compartment, because the loaded refrigerated goods could be damaged if the temperature is too low.

In WO 2009/061076 A2 Therefore, it has been proposed to use a defrost heater to heat the flex tray faster after raising the set temperature.

The energy efficiency of this method is especially questionable if a single evaporator other than the flex compartment must cool other subjects, since if one of the other subjects refrigeration needs, the heating of the Flexfachs interrupted and cooled down the evaporator chamber at least to the desired temperature of the other compartment and then has to be heated again. It is therefore desirable to be able to completely carry out the heating of the flex compartment between two cooling operating phases.

The object of the present invention is to further accelerate the heating of the flex compartment and to make it more energy efficient.

The object is achieved on the one hand by a refrigerator, in particular domestic refrigerator, with a flexible compartment operable at different temperatures, one housed in a separate evaporator chamber evaporator, a steamer associated with the evaporator and a fan for driving an air flow between the evaporator chamber and the Compartment in which a control unit is arranged to operate simultaneously in a heating operation phase after raising a set temperature of the flexible compartment for heating the flexible compartment fan and defrost heater. Thus, the temperature gradient between the evaporator chamber and the flexible compartment can be kept small, and heat flows from the evaporator chamber into other compartments of the refrigerator, in which heating is undesirable, can be kept low.

The controller is preferably further configured to control a defrost operation prior to simultaneous operation of the fan and defrost heater. Thus, transport of water vapor from the evaporator into the flexible compartment and condensation of the steam in the flexible compartment can be largely prevented.

When the defrost is completed and the control unit z. B. detected on the basis of a measured value of a temperature sensor arranged on the evaporator, the fan can be switched on without switching off the defrost heater.

In order to avoid overshooting the temperature in the flexible compartment above the increased setpoint, in a heating-up phase, switch-on phases in which the fan and the defrosting heater are in operation can alternate with switch-off phases in which the fan and defrosting heater are out of operation.

Nevertheless, in order to achieve the new target temperature quickly, it is expedient that a switch-on phase at the beginning of the heating-up phase is longer than a switch-on phase towards the end of the heating-up phase.

The change of the setpoint temperature can be made manually on a controller of the control unit; however, the control unit may also be arranged to increase the set temperature at a predetermined time to bring the contents of the flexible compartment to a consumption or processing temperature at a given time.

• a) Heraufsetzen einer Solltemperatur des Fachs, und
• d) gleichzeitiges Betreiben des Lüfters und der Abtauheizung, um das Fach auf die Solltemperatur zu erwärmen.

The object is further achieved by a method of operating a refrigeration device having a flexible compartment operable at different temperatures, an evaporator accommodated in an evaporator chamber separate from the compartment, a defrost heater associated with the evaporator and a fan for driving an air flow between the evaporator chamber and the compartment, with the steps:

• a) increase a target temperature of the compartment, and
• d) operating the fan and defrost heater simultaneously to heat the shelf to the set temperature.

Between steps a) and b), in a step c), the defrost heater can be operated without the fan in order to defrost the evaporator.

Before step d), and preferably also before step c), precooling of other compartments of the refrigeration device may take place in order to maximize the time until the occurrence of cooling demand in these compartments.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures.

Show it:

1 a schematic partial section through an inventive refrigerator; and

2 a flowchart of an operating method of the refrigerator.

1 shows a schematic section through the lower part of a household refrigerator. A corpus 1 and doors 2 . 3 . 4 limit several storage compartments, here a freezer 5 and a flexible compartment 6 , as well as an evaporator chamber 7 , The evaporator chamber 7 is up here between the storage compartments 5 . 6 and a back wall 8th of the body 1 arranged; an arrangement on a horizontal partition between two storage compartments would also be considered.

A horizontal partition 9 between the flexible compartment 6 and a partially illustrated normal refrigeration compartment 10 can be different from the doors 3 . 4 through to the back wall 8th extend; where then for the normal refrigerator 10 a separate evaporator can be provided. Alternatively, the evaporator chamber 7 and an evaporator housed therein 11 but also be provided to all three subjects 5 . 6 . 10 to cool, in which case a vertical partition 12 that the evaporator chamber 7 from the subjects 5 . 6 separates, up to the level of the standard refrigerator compartment 10 can extend and the horizontal partition 9 to the rear only up to the vertical partition 12 expands.

fold 13 . 14 in the vertical partition 12 between the evaporator chamber 7 and the to the partition 12 adjacent storage compartments 5 . 6 and maybe 10 control the distribution of cold air from the evaporator chamber 7 on the storage compartments.

The evaporator chamber 7 is through a wall 15 divided into an area where the evaporator 11 and a defrost heater 16 is housed, and a distribution area 17 to which the flaps 13 . 14 connect. A fan 18 is at a passage of the wall 15 attached to air via channels, not shown, in the walls of the carcass 1 from the storage compartments into the evaporator chamber 7 and through the evaporator 11 to suck and over the distribution area 17 and the flaps 13 . 14 to pump back into the storage compartments.

An electronic control unit 19 is with temperature sensors 20 . 21 . 22 . 23 in the storage compartments 5 . 6 . 10 and at the evaporator 7 and with a compressor 24 , the fan 18 and the defrost heater 16 to control the latter based on the temperatures measured by the sensors so that the temperatures of the storage compartments 5 . 6 . 10 each remain in a tolerance interval by a user-specified setpoint temperature. One in the 1 not shown user interface of the control unit 19 in that a user can set the target temperatures of the compartments is provided in a readily accessible location at the front of the device, this user interface may in particular comprise a display element indicating an excessive deviation between current temperature and set temperature of a compartment and consequently from the control unit 19 is switched on in response to a sufficiently large change in the setpoint temperature and is switched off again when the compartment temperature is equalized to the setpoint temperature.

The flexible compartment 6 is characterized by the fact that its target temperature T _soll to a particularly large extent, between the temperature Tf of the freezer compartment 5 and the normal refrigerator compartment 10 or even beyond the latter is adjustable.

If after operation of the flexible compartment 6 as a freezer the user the drawer 6 want to use otherwise and for T _{should set up} , the control unit 19 the following with reference to the flowchart of 2 perform the described method.

T zwischen alter und neuer Solltemperatur T_soll groß genug ist, um ein aktives Aufheizen des flexiblen Fach 6 zu rechtfertigen, oder ob es sich lediglich um eine geringfügige Korrektur handelt. Nur in ersterem Falle geht das Verfahren weiter zu Schritt S3 oder, in einer vereinfachten Variante des Verfahrens, zu Schritt S6, und das Anzeigeelement der Benutzerschnittstelle wird eingeschaltet.If in step S1 an increase of T _{soll is} detected by a user or by the control unit 19 has been made on the basis of a time programming itself, it is first checked in step S2, whether the difference

T between old and new set temperature T _{should be} large enough to actively heat the flexible compartment 6 justified, or if it is only a minor correction. Only in the former case, the method goes to step S3 or, in a simplified variant of the method, to step S6, and the display element of the user interface is turned on.

In step S3, it is checked whether the compressor 24 because of existing refrigeration needs in one of the storage compartments, the same evaporator 11 like the flexible part 6 use, so at least the freezer 5 , possibly also the standard refrigerator compartment 10 , in operation. If so, then the process remains at this step until the off-threshold temperature of that compartment is reached.

höher liegt, dann ist es sinnvoll, zunächst den Verdichter 24 einzuschalten (S5) und das Gefrierfach 5 zu kühlen, um die Zeitspanne, die anschließend für ein durch Kältebedarf anderer Fächer ungestörtes Aufheizen des flexiblen Fachs 6 zur Verfügung steht, möglichst lang zu machen. Natürlich kann eine solche vorbeugende Kühlung auch für das Normalkühlfach 10 stattfinden, wenn zu dessen Kühlung auch der Verdampfer 11 genutzt wird.In step S4, the current temperature Tf of the freezing compartment 5 compared with the switch-off threshold temperature Tf _off , at which the control unit 19 in normal operation, the cooling of the freezer compartment 5 completed. If the current temperature by a predetermined minimum difference

is higher, then it makes sense, first the compressor 24 turn on (S5) and the freezer 5 to cool the time interval, then for a refrigeration demand other compartments undisturbed heating of the flexible compartment 6 is available to make as long as possible. Of course, such a preventive cooling also for the normal refrigeration compartment 10 take place, if to cool it, the evaporator 11 is being used.

If in step S4, no need for preventative cooling has been determined or the storage compartment in question 5 or 10 has been cooled down to reach its off-limit temperature, in step S5, the compressor 24 off and in step S6 the defrost heater 16 turned on to the evaporator 11 defrost in a conventional manner. To do this, the defrost heater 16 z. B. be operated until the temperature sensor 24 on the evaporator 11 indicates a temperature above 0 ° C, indicating complete freedom of the evaporator 11 close. The flaps 13 . 14 are closed meanwhile.

If it is determined in step S7 that the condition for ending the defrost is satisfied, the defrost heater remains 16 still in operation, and it becomes the fan 18 put into operation and shut up 14 opened to air, which is now at the defrost heater 16 or the evaporator heated by it 11 heated, in the flexible compartment 6 to blow.

The period of time the defrost heater 16 Expected to run to the flexible tray 6 to the new setpoint temperature T _set to install, can advance based on the performance of the defrost heater 16 , the heat capacity of the flexible compartment 6 and the difference between the old and the new setpoint temperatures, and a predetermined fraction of this period is taken as the duration t1 of a first switch-on phase of defrost heating 16 and fans 18 established.

If it is determined in step S9 that this first switch-on phase has elapsed, defrost heating will occur 16 and fans 18 switched off in step S10, in order to compensate for temperature between different regions of the flexible compartment in the subsequent turn-off phase of duration t ' 6 to enable.

If it turns out in the turn-off phase (S12) that the new target temperature has been reached, the process ends and the display element of the user interface is switched off. If this does not happen, then, when the end of the switch-off phase is reached in step S11, a new switch-on phase is initiated (S13), whose duration t2, however, is shorter than t1. If the end of this switch-on phase is detected in step S14, the fan and the defrost heater are turned off again, and the process returns to step S11. Thus switch-off and short switch-on phases alternate with each other until the new setpoint temperature T setpoint _is reached.

T zwischen aktueller Temperatur und Solltemperatur kleiner als

T_min ist, ein neuerliches Aufheizen der Verdampferkammer unterbleibt und die noch nötige Erwärmung des Fachs 6 dem Zustrom von Umgebungswärme durch die Wände des Fachs überlassen bleibt.Ideally, this should be done without any need for cooling in a storage compartment in the meantime, as the method of cooling the compartment is used 2 interrupted, the evaporator must be cooled down and then reheated to the heating of the flexible compartment 6 continue. If such an interruption becomes necessary, the method can then be resumed in step S2, so that if at the resumption point the difference

T between current temperature and setpoint temperature less than

T _min is, a renewed heating of the evaporator chamber is omitted and the still necessary heating of the compartment 6 is left to the influx of ambient heat through the walls of the compartment.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

corpus

2

door

3

door

4

door

5

freezer

6

flexible compartment

7

evaporator chamber

8th

rear wall

9

horizontal partition

10

Normal refrigeration compartment

11

Evaporator

12

vertical partition

13

flap

14

flap

15

wall

16

defrost heater

17

distribution area

18

Fan

19

control unit

20

temperature sensor

21

temperature sensor

22

temperature sensor

23

temperature sensor

24

compressor

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• WO 2009/061076 A2 [0003]

Claims (10)

Refrigerating appliance, in particular household refrigerating appliance, with a flexible compartment which can be operated at different temperatures ( 6 ), in one of the compartment ( 6 ) separate evaporator chamber ( 7 ) accommodated evaporator ( 11 ), one of the evaporator ( 11 ) associated defrost heater ( 16 ) and a fan ( 18 ) for driving an air flow between the evaporator chamber ( 7 ) and the subject ( 6 ), characterized in that a control unit ( 19 ) is set up in a heating operation phase (S8-S12) after raising (S1) a target temperature (T _soll ) of the flexible compartment ( 6 ) for heating the flexible compartment ( 6 ) Fan ( 18 ) and defrost heater ( 16 ) operate simultaneously. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit is set up, before a simultaneous operation of fan ( 18 ) and defrost heater ( 16 ) to control a defrosting process (S6, S7). Refrigerating appliance according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in a heating operation phase (S8-S12) switch-on phases (S8-S10, S13-S15) in which fans ( 18 ) and defrost heater ( 16 ) are in operation, with shutdown phases (S15-S13) in which fans ( 18 ) and defrost heater ( 16 ) are out of order, take turns. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 3, characterized in that a switch-on phase (S8-S10) at the beginning of the heating operation phase (S8-S12) is longer than a switch-on phase (S13-15) towards the end of the heating operation phase. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control unit ( 19 ) is set to raise the set temperature at a predetermined time. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a display element for indicating the end of the heating operation phase. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has at least one further compartment ( 5 ), which passes through the evaporator ( 11 ) is coolable. Method for operating a refrigerator with a flexible compartment which can be operated at different temperatures ( 6 ), in one of the compartment ( 6 ) separate evaporator chamber ( 7 ) accommodated evaporator ( 11 ), one of the evaporator ( 11 ) associated defrost heater ( 16 ) and a fan ( 18 ) for driving an air flow between the evaporator chamber ( 7 ) and the subject ( 6 ), comprising the steps of: a) raising (S1) a target temperature (T _soll ) of the compartment ( 6 ), and d) simultaneous operation of the fan ( 18 ) and the defrost heater ( 16 ) to the tray ( 6 ) to the setpoint temperature (T _soll ). Method according to claim 8, wherein after step a) and before step d) a step (S6, S7) c) defrosting of the evaporator ( 11 ) by operating the defrost heater ( 16 ) without the fan ( 18 ) is carried out. Method according to Claim 8 or 9, in which, after step a) and before step d), a step b) of the pre-cooling (S5) of a further compartment ( 5 ) takes place.

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