EP1741999B1 - Refrigerated display case with a lower chest and an upper cupboard - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a refrigerating cabinet, comprising a lower part forming an open tray at the top, a cup-shaped upper part and a cooling system of the tray and the cupboard by the forced flow of a cooling fluid under the effect of ventilating means, the system comprising a cold source such as an evaporator disposed in the bottom of the portion of the tray.

Refrigerators of this type are already known, the cupboard and the tray are two elements dissociated with their own independent operating system, or these furniture have the major disadvantage of having a complex structure due to a cooling system sophisticated or requiring a relatively large number of fans, without ensuring satisfactory cooling including the closet part.

The document EP 0 439 815 proposes an example of furniture as defined in the first paragraph above.

The invention aims to provide a refrigerating cabinet that overcomes the disadvantages just stated.

To achieve this purpose, the refrigerating cabinet according to the invention is characterized in that the cooling fluid flow paths of the cupboard and the tray intersect in the part of the furniture situated between the cupboard and the tray, while ensuring flow distribution over the entire length of the furniture.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the crossing zone of the cooling streams of the tank and the cupboard comprise flow channels of the cooling streams of the cupboard and the tray, which are juxtaposed, alternately, over the length of the furniture.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the cabinet comprises a fluid flow space delimited between the common back wall of the cabinet frame and the rear wall walls of the cabinet and the tray, extending over the entire height and full length of the furniture communicating at the top with a flow space extending between the roof wall of the cabinet and the upper partition wall of the closet from the back to the front of the cabinet and the entire length of the cabinet. and below with a space located below the bottom wall of the tank wall, from the rear to the front, also over the entire width of the cabinet, this space housing the cold source and the fan means, and a flow space at the front of the shelves of the cabinet for establishing a curtain of cold fluid in front of them.

According to yet another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the zone of intersection of the cooling flows of the cupboard and the tray comprises channels communicating with the aforesaid rear space and further forward in the cabinet with collector means extending so continuous along the entire length of the furniture and which are associated means for returning the cooling stream of the tank towards the rear wall wall of the tray and redirecting the flow so that it flows above and the along the opening to the top of the tray to the front wall of the tray to then be sucked by the fan means in the bottom space of the cabinet.

According to another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the flow channels of the cooling flow of the cupboard communicate at the front with the space established in front of the shelves and a space delimited between the rear partition wall of the tub and the wall of the cupboard. partition defining the rear space, this space extending to below the bottom wall of the tank where it communicates with a space under this wall which communicates with the housing space of the cold source, in the provision area of the fan means.

According to another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the means for returning the flow of Cooling of the tank and reorientation thereof comprise a wall inclined towards the rear and towards the bottom, for guiding the flow coming out of the outlet flow collector of the channels of the tank cooling flow.

According to yet another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the means for reorienting the tank cooling flow forward are made in the form of a louver device, if necessary configured to allow control of the flow rate. the cooling flow of the tank above the opening thereof in a vertical plane.

According to yet another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the louvre device comprises a plurality of parallel channels extending over the entire length of the cabinet, which have at the outlet substantially the same flow areas, but whose areas of input differ depending on the flow rate of the coolant that is desired at the outlet of the channels.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'une partie d'un meuble frigorifique selon l'invention, dont une paroi latérale a été enlevée pour illustrer la structure du meuble ;
• la figure 2 est une vue latérale, en perspective et à plus grande échelle du meuble selon la figure 1 ;
• la figure 3 est une vue latérale du meuble selon la figure 1 ;
• la figure 4 est une vue en perspective, à plus grande échelle, de la partie indiquée en IV sur la figure 2 ; et
• les figures 5 et 6 sont des vues similaires à celle de la figure 3 et illustrent deux aspects avantageux, à savoir, un dispositif d'éclairement et un rideau de nuit.

The invention will be better understood, and other objects, features, details and advantages thereof will appear more clearly in the following explanatory description made with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings given solely by way of example illustrating a embodiment of the invention and in which:

• the figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a refrigerated furniture according to the invention, a side wall has been removed to illustrate the structure of the furniture;
• the figure 2 is a side view, in perspective and on a larger scale of the furniture according to the figure 1 ;
• the figure 3 is a side view of the furniture according to the figure 1 ;
• the figure 4 is a perspective view, on a larger scale, of the part indicated in IV on the figure 2 ; and
• the figures 5 and 6 are views similar to that of the figure 3 and illustrate two advantageous aspects, namely, an illuminating device and a night curtain.

As we see on the figure 1 , the refrigerating cabinet according to the invention comprises a lower part forming a tray 1 and an upper part forming a cupboard 2. The tray 1 is open upwards and delimited by a bottom wall 5, a rear wall 6 and a front wall 7, the side wall being removed to make visible the particular internal structure of the furniture. The cupboard, whose left side wall is also omitted, is delimited at the rear by a wall 8, at the top by a wall 9, at the bottom by a bottom wall 10 which is part of a functional unit which is designated by the general reference 12. In the front, the closet is provided with means allowing access to its interior, such as doors.

The furniture comprises a frame forming the U-shaped outer envelope, which comprises a base 16 provided with feet 16 'through which the furniture rests on the ground, a common rear wall and a roof wall 19 and side walls not shown. The front of the cabinet is formed by a piece of framing wall before 20 extended by an insert wall 21 advantageously transparent.

The refrigerating cabinet is equipped with a cooling system by forced flow of a cold fluid, which comprises a cold source such as an evaporator 23 disposed in the space 25 between the bottom wall 5 in the form of a plate or plate of the tank and the base wall 16, and a fan device 24 placed in the same space between the evaporator 23 and the front wall 20, as well as flow paths of the cold fluid, clearly emerging from the figure 4 which illustrates the flow of cold fluid by arrow lines.

It can be seen that the flow paths of the cooling fluid are configured so that a cooling fluid envelope is obtained around the part of the tank 1 and of the cupboard 2, continuously along the entire length of the piece of furniture, between the back and the front of the furniture, inside of it.

To this end, the invention provides a space 17 between the common rear wall or frame 18, on the one hand, and the rear wall 8 of the cabinet 2 and a vertical extension wall 26 which extends to in the bottom space 25 in which is housed the evaporator 23, on the other hand. These walls are formed by partitions in the form of plates. This gap space 17 which extends over the entire length and height at the rear of the cabinet communicates at the top with a space 28 delimited between the roof wall 19 and the upper partition wall 9 of the closet 2. This space rear space communicates down with the space 25 which houses the evaporator 23. The space 28 at the top of the cabinet opens in the internal space of the cupboard at the front end of the shelves 30 of exposure of foodstuffs, so that a vertical curtain of cold fluid can be established between the doors of the cabinet and the front of the shelves, that is to say in the interval 31.

The functional device 12 comprises flow path spaces which allow a crossing of the two fluid flows, one for the return of the fluid having formed the curtain in the space 31 and symbolized by the arrow line F2 and the other symbolized by the arrow line F3, which is intended to cool the tank 1 by passing over the opening thereof, then to return to the housing space of the fans 24 and the evaporator 23, to through the gap space 33 delimited between the front wall 7 of the tank and the front wall 20 and front 21. The return path of the fluid F2 downstream of the device 12 is formed by the space 34 between the partition 26 of extension of the rear wall 8 of the cabinet and the rear wall 6 of the tank and the space 35 delimited between the bottom wall 5 of the tank and a partition 37 which is disposed above the evaporator 23, extends to the rear to the vertical partition 26 and is extended at the front by a partition wall 39. The latter extends to the front and is pierced by a plurality of openings 40 at a time of passage of the return fluid F2 cooling of the cabinet and cooling return fluid F3 of the tray, the latter after being passed through an interval 42 between the front wall 20 of the cabinet and a partition wall 43 which protrudes vertically downwards from the bottom plate 5 of the tray. This wall 43 has an important function because it makes it possible to adjust the proportion of the airflows F2 and F3, the total flow F1 being determined by the fans 24.

Hereinafter will be described in more detail, with particular reference to the figure 4 , the functional part 12 of crossing of the cooling flows F3 and F2 of the tray 1 and the cupboard 2, which is mounted under the cupboard part 2 and which includes the bottom wall 10 thereof. This bottom wall rests on a support bar 45 indicated on the left on the figure 1 where the bottom wall 10 has been removed. The functional assembly 12 comprises, beneath the wall or bottom plate 10, at a predetermined distance, a plate-like wall wall 47, which is inclined with respect to the plate 10 so that the gap between the two plates increase toward the back of the cabinet. The plate 47 extends from the front of the access door frame indicated at 48, thereby closing the curtain space 31 down to the wall wall 26, which is arranged in the extension of the rear wall 8 of the cabinet leaving between these two plates, a gap 51 which establishes a communication between zones 50 in the form of channels in the internal space between the two plates 10 and 47 and the rear space 17 delimited between the back wall 18 and the partitions 8 and 26. The closet bottom plate 10 terminates at the front at a distance from the front edge of the lower plate 47 so as to leave a passage occupied by a grid 53 extending over the entire length of the furniture and allowing the flow F2 of the curtain space 31 to flow in a number of channels 56 established in the space between the two plates.

These channels 56 are formed by mounting trapezoidal boxes also noted 56 which extend from a location back from the front edge of the plate 47, to the bottom wall 8 where they are closed, narrowing in width but by increasing in height since their upper faces extend horizontally and serve as support faces to the closet bottom plate 10. The boxes 56 open at the front and closed at the rear communicate with the space 34 delimited between the partitions 26 and 6 by windows 57 cut in the plate 47 at the closed rear end of the trapezoidal boxes 56.

As shown in figure 1 a number of trapezoidal boxes 56 are provided along the furniture on the plate 47, at predetermined distances from each other. The boxes are formed by sheet metal parts whose edges are folded perpendicular to their sides and at the rear end to form the side and rear walls and are mounted on the plate 47 in any appropriate known manner, for example using quote. But the boxes could also be advantageously made of plastic or with another material more insulating than the sheet. The advantages are thermal, ie better insulation between F2 and F3, and industrial, because these materials can be thermoformed or molded.

Of the figure 1 It also emerges that the above-mentioned channels 50 are delimited each between two trapezoidal boxes juxtaposed 56 and between the two boxes. disposed at the ends of the plate 47 and the side edges of the furniture. Each channel 50 and trapezoidal shape comprises in its middle part a perforation zone 60 through which the channel communicates with a flow collector box 62 which is mounted under the plate 47 and extends over the entire length thereof. This box is closed at its rear end 63 and open at its front end provided with a grid 64. As can be seen in particular on the figures 3 and 4 , the channels 50 and the box 62 allow the deflection of a portion of the cold fluid F1 from the evaporator 23, which constitutes the cooling flow F3 of the tank 1.

Below the plate 47 is disposed a plate 66 for guiding the flow F3 towards the rear wall 6 where a louver device 67 with guide elements 68 in the shape of an L redirects the flow so that it flows. forwardly along the opening of the tray and be sucked into the bottom space 25 then passing through the gap space 33. The guide plate 66, extends, as the plate 47, to the front to the structure of the front wall of the facade being inclined downwards towards the wall 6.

As shown in particular figure 4 , the shutter device 67 interposed between the partition 6 and the plate 66 has a plurality of angle-shaped elements 68 extending horizontally along the entire length of the furniture, parallel to each other, being offset in the direction of translation, with one branch, namely the branch 69 extending vertically and the other branch 70 located below the free horizontal edge 71 of the branch 69 extending horizontally. With this arrangement, two adjacent angles 68 delimit between them a channel 72 in the form of an L-shaped slot which communicates at its upper end 73 with the space 74 delimited between the plates 47 and 66 and opening at its other end. 75 in the space above the bin 1. As shown the arrows in the figure, so each channel 72 can drive a portion of the fluid F2 from the space 74 to the tray 1.

Referring to the figure 4 it is found that the channels 72 between the louvers have the same outlet area 75 but different entrance areas 73, which can be chosen to increase from the rear end of the plate 66 towards the wall back 6 of the tray. More generally, depending on the input area of the channels and therefore the amount of air captured, it is possible to control the profile of the speed at the exit of the louver device.

Regarding the operation of the cooling system of the furniture according to the invention, which has just been described, it is already apparent from the description of the preceding structure.

It is therefore sufficient to specify that the fluid which has been cooled in contact with the evaporator 23 flows as a flow F1 into the space 17 at the rear of the cabinet in which it ascends the entire length of the latter. roof direction 19. This fluid separates at the interval 51 between the rear wall 26 of the tank and the rear wall 8 of the cabinet to form the cooling stream F3 of the tank, while the remaining part continues to rise as that F2 flow to the roof, along the latter to the front of the furniture in the space 28, down to the shelves forming in front of them in the space 31 a cold curtain. Then the flow F2 flows through the functional unit 12 through the channels formed by the trapezoidal boxes 56 in the space 34 through the openings 57 between the wall 26 and the rear wall 6 of the tank, and through the openings 40 in the partition 39 in the accommodating space 25 of the fans 24 and the evaporator 23.

Regarding the flow F3, it passes through the channels 50 delimited between the bottom plate 10 of the cupboard, the plate 47 and the box 62 communicating with these channels through the perforation zone 60, "crosses" the flow F2 through the different flow channels of the flows and succeeds, along the plate 66, through the louver device 67 in the space above the tray 1. Then, after having passed along the opening of the tray, it returns through the space 33 at the front of the cabinet front in the space 25 housing fans and the evaporator, after passing through the openings 40.

The figures 5 and 6 illustrate two further advantageous measures of the invention. The figure 5 illustrates the advantage of the location of a lighting tube 77 under the wall 66, that is to say above the rear portion of the tray. Arranged in this way, it allows better lighting products, especially those located in the rear. Since this rear part of the tank is the coldest part, the thermal effect of the tube is practically negligible. Regarding the products at the front of the tray, they are well lit by the mood lighting of the store.

The figure 6 illustrates an advantageous possibility of equipping the furniture with a night curtain designated by the reference 78, which is manually operable and extends between the lower end of the front facade of the cupboard 2 and the upper edge of the front wall 21 of the tray thus being able to cover the access opening to the tray. The specific presence and location of the curtain or a plurality of side curtains juxtaposed have the advantages that the contact between the outside air and the protective curtain is minimized and the amount of fabric required is also reduced to a minimum. is of course advantageous from the thermal and economic point of view.

It appears from the description of the structure of the furniture according to the invention and its operation, that the cooling fluid envelops the tray and the cupboard continuously over the entire length of the furniture, from the bottom at the top and from the top to the bottom at the front and at the back as well in the tank part as in the cupboard part. Since the flow encounters only the lowest flow resistance possible, its circulation can be provided by a single fan device 24 disposed in the bottom of the cabinet, that is to say in the space housing of the evaporator, between it and the front wall.

Of course, many modifications can be made to the furniture as just described with reference to the figures given solely by way of example, provided to remain within the limits of claim 1 and, thus, to respect the general concept of the invention, which consists essentially in providing in the zone below the cabinet, called functional device 12, a cross of the cooling flow F2 of the cupboard 2 and the cooling flow F3 of the tank 1, which, in order not to too much disturb the substantially uniformity of the flow along the length of the furniture, comprises channels 50, 56 flow of the two streams, which are juxtaposed in the direction of the length, alternately. For this purpose, both the flow channels F3 of the tank cooling flow F3 and the channels 56 of the cooling flow F2 of the cabinet open in spaces which extend, continuously, over the entire length for thus to restore the uniformity of the flow over the entire length and the envelope character of the flows over the entire length of the furniture, the flow F2 in the space 34 between the rear wall 6 of the tank and the partition wall 26 and the flow F2 in the box 62 below the plate 47 and the space above the plate 66. Because the flow flow paths are thus formed so as to oppose only a minimum of resistance to cooling flows it is possible to prevent fans from being located elsewhere than at the bottom of the cabinet. This arrangement of the fans and the fact that the functional device 12, that is to say, the crossing area of the two flows F2 and F3 is located below the closet, allow to use virtually all of the internal space of the furniture as useful space occupied by the closet and the tray. It should be noted that the same fans are used to blow the air, that is to say generate F1 flow, and suck the air flow F2 and F3.

Claims (11)

1. A refrigerated case comprising a lower chest and an upper cupboard, and a system for cooling the chest and the cupboard through the forced flow of a coolant under the effect of a fan means, the system including a cold source such as an evaporator (23) arranged in the bottom of the chest, characterized in that the cooling system includes flow spaces for the coolant (17, 28, 31, 50, 56, 34, 35, 33, 25) that extend around the chest (1) and the cupboard (2) over the entire length of the case so as to ensure a flow of coolant surrounding the chest and the cupboard over the entire length of the case, and in that coolant flow paths for the cupboard (2) and the chest (1) intersect in the part (12) of the case situated between the cupboard and the chest, while ensuring a distribution of the flows over the entire length of the case.
2. The case according to claim 1, characterized in that the intersection area of the cooling flows (F3, F2) for the chest (1) and the cupboard (2) include flow channels (56, 50) for the cooling flows (F2) of the cupboard and the chest (F3), which are juxtaposed alternating over the length of the case.
3. The case according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a fluid flow space (17) delimited between the shared rear framework wall (18) of the case and the rear partition walls (8, 26) of the cupboard and the chest, extending over the entire height and the entire length of the case while upwardly communicating with a flow space (28) extending between the ceiling wall (19) of the case and the upper partition wall (9) of the chest (2) from the back to the front of the case and over the entire length thereof and downwardly with a space (25) situated below the bottom partition wall (5) of the chest, from back to front, also over the entire width of the case, this space (25) housing the cold source (23) and the fan means (24), and a flow space (31) in front of the shelves (30) of the cupboard designed to establish a cold fluid curtain in front of them.
4. The case according to claim 3, characterized in that the intersection area (12) of the cold flows of the cupboard and the chest includes channels (50) communicating with the aforementioned rear space (17) and further forward in the case with collection means (62) extending continuously over the entire length of the case and with which means (66, 67) are associated for returning the cooling flow (F3) from the chest (1) toward the rear partition wall (6) of the chest and reorienting the flow (F3) such that it flows above and along the opening toward the top of the chest up to the front wall (20, 21) of the chest to then be suctioned by the fan means (24) into the bottom space (25) of the case.
5. The case according to one of claims 3 or 4, characterized in that the flow channels (56) for the flow (F2) for cooling the chest (1) communicate at the front of the space (31) established in front of the shelves (30) and a space (34) delimited between the rear partition wall (6) of the chest (1) and the partition wall (26) delimiting the rear space (17), said space extending as far as below the bottom wall (5) of the chest, where it communicates with a space (35) under that wall that communicates with the space (25) for housing the cold source (23), in the area where the fan means (24) is arranged.
6. The case according to claim 5, characterized in that the means for returning the cooling flow (F3) from the chest (1) and reorienting it include a wall (66) inclined toward the back and downward, for guiding the flow leaving the flow collector (62) collecting the flows leaving the channels (50) for the chest cooling flow (F3).
7. The case according to one of claims 5 or 6, characterized in that the means for reorienting the chest cooling flow (F3) forward are made in the form of a baffle plate device (67), if applicable configured to allow control of the flow speed of the cooling flow of the chest above the opening thereof in a vertical plane.
8. The case according to claim 7, characterized in that the baffle plate device (67) includes a plurality of parallel channels (72) extending over the length of the case, which have substantially the same flow areas at the outlet (75), but whereof the inlet areas (73) differ according to the flow speed of the cooling fluid (F3) one wishes to obtain at the outlet of the channels.
9. The case according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it includes a lighting source such as a lighting tube (77) arranged above the rear part of the chest (1).
10. The case according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises a night cover (78) extending from the lower end of the front of the cupboard to the upper edge of the front façade wall (21) of the chest.
11. The case according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the flow spaces for the coolant have a space (17) that extends at the rear of the case toward a ceiling (19) of the case and in which the flow of fluid coming from the cold source separates at an interval (51) between a rear wall (26) of the chest and a rear wall (8) of the cupboard while forming separate cooling flows which on the one hand comprise a cooling flow (F3) for the chest and on the other hand a cooling flow (F2) for the cupboard that rises to the ceiling (19), runs alongside it toward the front of the case in a space (28), and drops down again in front of the shelves while forming a space (31) in front of them for a cold cover.

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