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Refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit

Refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit description/claims

The invention relates to a refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit having a space for the reception of the refrigerated goods or frozen goods, having a fan which removes air from the space or blows air into the space or circulates the air in the space and having a control unit connected to the fan.

The fans of such refrigerator units and/or freezer units serve different purposes depending on the design of the appliance. Appliances are known in which the fans are used to establish or maintain a temperature distribution in the refrigerator space or freezer space which is as uniform as possible. Appliances are furthermore known which have a plurality of compartments which are operated at different temperatures and in which the fan serves to maintain these temperature differences. This is achieved in that air cooled by an evaporator is first guided into the cold storage compartment through a refrigerated air passage by means of the fan and cools said cold storage compartment to a lower temperature than the refrigerator compartment into which the air flows after flowing through the cold storage compartment. The air is again guided from the refrigerator compartment into the refrigerated air passage by means of the fan and from there into the cold storage compartment.

A control unit, which controls the duty cycle of the fan, for example, is provided to control the operation of the fan.

A disadvantage in such refrigerator units and/or freezer units consists of the fact that a stop value is achieved in dependence on the operating state before the spatial cooling values are reached. This means that the case can occur that the fan is switched off even though the actual temperature value of a compartment does not correspond to the desired temperature value or does not lie in a desired temperature value range.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to further develop a refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit of the initially named kind such that the setting of temperature values or of a temperature distribution is improved.

This object is solved by a refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit having the features of claim 1. Provision is accordingly made for the control unit to control the fan for the purpose of influencing the temperature distribution such that it is operated in one rotary direction in a first operating state and in the other rotary direction in a second operating state. The rotary direction of the fan is thus reversed in accordance with the invention. It is thereby possible to blow cold air directly into the desired region, provided a refrigerated air requirement is present therefor. Rotary direction of the fan is understood, for example, as the rotary direction of a fan wheel or the conveying direction of any other conveying member.

It is, for example, conceivable that the reversal of the rotary direction of the fan is carried out for a specific duration or in dependence on measured values, in particular on measured temperature values. It is, for example, conceivable that the fan is operated in one rotary direction in an appliance having a refrigerator compartment and a cold storage compartment, wherein air cooled by an evaporator is not conveyed into the cold storage compartment, but into the refrigerator compartment, provided that its actual temperature value is above a limit value.

A valve control differing from this is naturally also conceivable.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one temperature sensor is provided for the determination of an actual temperature value, with the selection of the operating state, i.e. the selection of the rotary direction of the fan depending on the actual temperature value, in particular on the actual temperature value of the space which serves the reception of the refrigerated goods and/or freezer goods. One or more temperature sensors can also be arranged at a different position of the appliance. It is, for example, conceivable that one temperature sensor is arranged at the evaporator or in the region of the evaporator, one temperature sensor is arranged in the refrigerated part and one temperature sensor is arranged in the cold storage compartment or in a region disposed in front of the cold storage compartment.

As stated above, the space can be divided into a plurality of compartments, with at least one temperature sensor being arranged in one, several or all compartments. It is generally conceivable for all compartments to be operated at the same temperature. It is thus conceivable that all the compartments of the appliance are made, for example, as refrigerator compartments or as cold storage compartments. An embodiment is likewise covered by the invention in which the total refrigerator space or freezer space only has one single compartment. However, an embodiment of the invention is preferred in which the appliance has two temperature zones or more than two temperature zones in which different temperatures are set in the operation of the appliance.

In this connection, one temperature zone can be formed by one or more refrigerator compartments and one further temperature zone can be formed by one or more cold storage compartments. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cold storage compartment(s) is/are located beneath the refrigerator compartment(s). The control unit is made in a further embodiment of the invention such that the control of the fan takes place in dependence on a plurality of actual temperature values, in particular on the actual temperature values of a plurality of compartments. It is, for example, conceivable for a respective temperature sensor to be provided both in the refrigerator compartment and in the cold storage compartment and for the rotary direction of the valve to be selected in dependence on both actual temperature values.

The control unit can be made such that the rotary direction is changed when a desired temperature value is exceeded and/or fallen below and/or when a desired temperature region is left and/or reached. If the actual temperature values are within a desired region, provision can be made for the control unit to switch off the fan.

The invention furthermore relates to a method of operating a refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit having a space for the reception of the refrigerated goods or the freezer goods, having a fan which removes air from the space or blows air into the space or circulates the air in the space, with the fan being operated with different rotary directions for the purpose of influencing the temperature distribution.

It is possible in this connection for the fan to be operated in the one or the other rotary direction for a specific duration or for the selection of the rotary direction to depend on a measured value, in particular on the at least one measured temperature value. Provision is made in a preferred embodiment of the invention for the rotary direction to depend on the actual temperature value of the space which serves for the reception of the refrigerated goods and/or freezer goods.

As stated above, the current invention can be used particularly advantageously in appliances which have a plurality of compartments. Provision can be made in this connection for the selection of the rotary direction of the fan to depend on the actual temperature value of one, several or all compartments. It is particularly advantageous for the appliance to have at least one refrigerator compartment and at least one cold storage compartment and for the rotary direction of the fan to depend on the actual temperature value measured in the refrigerator compartment and/or cold storage compartment.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control unit is programmable so that it is possible to set flexibly that the fan is to be switched off, is to be operated in the first operating state or in the second operating state on the reaching of which specific states of the appliance. Provision can additionally be made for the control unit to control not only the rotary direction of the fan, but also its speed, in dependence on measured values or on the required refrigeration power.

The control of the fan by the control unit in dependence on measured parameters can take place in different manners. It is, for example, conceivable for the rotary direction of the fan to be set such that the air is conveyed from the evaporator into the cold storage compartment when the cold storage compartment temperature exceeds a limit value and that the air is conveyed from the evaporator into the refrigerator compartment when the refrigerator compartment temperature exceeds a limit value. Provision can furthermore be made that, for the event that both the cold storage compartment temperature and the refrigerator compartment temperature exceed limit values, the rotary direction of the fan is first set such that the air is conveyed from the evaporator into the cold storage compartment or into the refrigerator compartment and that, when the desired value or a desired value range of the temperature of this compartment is reached, the rotary direction of the fan is reversed so that the cold air is conveyed directly into the other of the compartments.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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