[0001] The invention relates to a two-door type refrigerating appliance (1) having a cell
for fresh food and a cell for frozen food, equipped with energy-saving elements.
[0002] At the state of the art, many solutions are known of refrigerating appliances comprising
two separate and independently accessible cells, one for fresh food and the other
for frozen food. In particular, on the market of the refrigerating appliances there
are two typologies of refrigerating appliances on the market having freezer compartments
being accessible through a dedicated closing system, e.g. a door, and therefore not
requiring the user to open the cell for fresh food in order to access the compartment
containing frozen food. In this sense, therefore, the cell for frozen food is independent
from the one for fresh food. Such two typologies of refrigerating appliances are the
so-called "two-door" and "combined" refrigerators.
[0003] "Combined" refrigerating appliances usually are characterized in that they have big
freezer compartments, generally having a capacity of more than 70/80 It.
[0004] Due to a number of technical and aesthetical factors, among which big size, the cell
for frozen food of these types of refrigerating appliances is located in the lower
part of the appliance and is made of plastic material. In combined refrigerating appliances
according to the known art, the cell for frozen food therefore consists of a housing
made of plastic material inserted within a chair-shaped carrier structure, which supports
the cell for fresh food.
[0005] The plastic housing used for the cell for frozen food in combined refrigerating appliances
is such to allow the insertion of a series of elements, among which: drawers, shelves
and an evaporator arrangement.
[0006] In refrigerating appliances known as "two-door" refrigerators, the cell for frozen
food is located in the upper part of the appliance and of reduced size : while in
"combined" refrigerating appliances the size of the cell for frozen food may even
be 40-50% of the volume of the cell for fresh food, in "two-door" refrigerating appliances
the volume of the cell for frozen food is in most cases smaller than 30% of the volume
of the cell for fresh food; typically said cell for frozen food having a volume of
less than 60 It. In "two-door" refrigerators, the smaller size of the cell for frozen
food allows it to be made of aluminum. Within the cell for frozen food there are some
visible shelves, which may be metal grids or solid shelves made of a plastic or glassy
material. As it will become apparent later, the aluminum structure offers the advantage
of allowing to provide an evaporator running all around said structure, thus remaining
within the walls of the cell for frozen food.
[0007] In all known solutions of refrigerating appliances, the food is cooled in a known
way through a cooling system comprising a motor operating a compressor, whose task
is to compress a gas, generally R134a or R600a, which then reaches high pressure,
and to keep it in the gaseous state and to send it to a condenser, where it condenses
and it becomes a high-pressure liquid; thanks to a coil located on the rear of the
refrigerating appliance, the liquid dissipates its heat and cools down. Subsequently,
the high-pressure refrigerant liquid flows through an expansion unit.
[0008] The expansion unit is a component fitted between the condenser and the evaporator
system of the refrigerating appliance, having the function of causing a sharp pressure
drop.
[0009] The expansion unit therefore acts as a pressure differential. The presence of a pressure
differential in a refrigerating cycle is very important, as it causes a variation
of the gas boiling point. Without this pressure variation, the refrigerant liquid
would not reduce its temperature significantly, reaching some tens of °C below zero,
and therefore no refrigeration would take place; the system would just be a simple
container of the refrigerant element, e.g. R134a or R600a.
[0010] The refrigerant exiting the expansion unit, generally consisting of a small tube
called "capillary", is then sent to a coil, called evaporator, which runs within the
walls of the refrigerating appliance in order to absorb heat from within the cell
which has to be cooled. Having absorbed heat, the refrigerant liquid evaporates and
returns to the gaseous state. This allows to obtain the refrigeration process within
the refrigerating appliance.
[0011] The gas is subsequently sent to the compressor and the cycle starts again.
[0012] Depending on the type of refrigerating appliance, the evaporator can be provided
in two different and complementary way.
[0013] In "two-door" refrigerating appliances according to the state of the art, the evaporator
is made in two parts, one associated with the cell for frozen food and the other associated
with the cell for fresh food, and is fitted between the outer part of said refrigerating
appliance and the cells; an insulating foam is then injected between the two walls.
In particular, the evaporator envelops the cell for frozen food completely.
[0014] Patent US 4,294,081 describes a "two-door" refrigerating appliance whose evaporator cooling the cell
for frozen food comprises a first cooler for cooling the inside of the cell and a
second cooler provided close to the rear side of the cell. The second cooler is separated
from the inner surface of the cell for frozen food and a shield plate is further provided
to blind one from seeing the second cooler when the door of the cell for frozen food
is open, the shield plate being disposed close to the second cooler.
[0015] In "combined" refrigerating appliances, wherein the cell for frozen food is very
big and the structure of said cell is made of a plastic material, the cooling system
comprises an evaporator arrangement: the evaporator, which in "two-door" refrigerators
is a coil located outside the cell to be cooled, in "combined" refrigerating appliances
is provided through a self-standing tubular structure arranged in the form of shelves
within the cell. Solutions of evaporator arrangements are known from
Patents GB 2133518 and
GB 2133519.
[0016] The increasing demand for energy-saving refrigerating appliances has led to the definition
of energy consumption classes (indicated by an alphabetic letter from A++ to F, in
increasing order of consumption), which are useful as a guarantee for the buyer, and
at the same time has led the manufacturers to pay even more attention to the aspect
of power consumption.
[0017] In such a context, and being the best solutions for the cooling system already well
established (circuit comprising compressor, condenser, expansion unit and evaporator),
the attention has shifted to the search for solutions being able to ensure a better
insulation and with even more efficient motor-driven compressors. However, such solutions
involve high research and development costs, and the improvements attained are often
not very appreciable and do not offer an adequate return on investment.
[0018] Aim of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems related to
known refrigerating appliances by providing a refrigerating appliance of the type
known as "two-door" which allows to save electrical energy and to obtain excellent
performance.
[0019] A further aim of the present invention is to provide a solution for the above problems
of the known art, being said solution both economical and efficient.
[0020] Said aims are attained by means of a two-door type refrigerating appliance (1) comprising:
- a cooling system,
- a cell for fresh food, and
- a cell for frozen food,
said cooling system comprising at least two evaporators, characterized in that at
least one section of the evaporator cooling said cell for frozen food runs within
said cell for frozen food.
[0021] Advantageously, said cell for frozen food comprises a dividing shelf, below which
said evaporator section runs.
[0022] Further aims and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the
following detailed description and annexed drawings, supplied by way of non-limiting
example, wherein:
- figure 1 shows a front view of a refrigerating appliance according to the invention.
- figure 2 shows a transparency view of the cooling system of an embodiment of the refrigerating
appliance according to the invention.
- figure 3 shows a cooling system in accordance with a second embodiment of a refrigerating
appliance according to the invention.
[0023] Fig.1 illustrates a "two-door" refrigerating appliance, indicated as a whole with
reference 1. Said refrigerating appliance comprises two cells (cell for fresh food
(2) and cell for frozen food (3)) which may be accessed independently from each other
through respective closing systems (6,7).
[0024] In figure 1, said closing systems (6,7), e.g. doors, are shown in the open position,
so as to show the inside of said cell for fresh food (2) and of said cell for frozen
food (3).
[0025] For simplicity' sake, figure 1 does not show the cooling system of the refrigerating
appliance in its entirety. Said system, shown in figures 2 and 3, and further described
later, comprises the above-described known elements, i.e.: compressor, condenser,
expansion unit (in particular, one or more capillary tubes) and one or more evaporators.
[0026] As already described in detail at the beginning of the present description, the "two-door"
refrigerating appliance being the object of the invention comprises a cell for frozen
food (3), located in the upper part of said refrigerating appliance and having a reduced
size; in particular, said size is such as to allow for the insertion of just one dividing
shelf (4). By this it is meant that, in a preferred solution, the spaces (12,13) defined
by said shelf (4) within the cell for frozen food (3) are big enough to allow the
placing of food. Although they may vary from appliance to appliance depending on technical
and aesthetical requirements, usually said spaces are not less than 10 cm high.
[0027] As it can be seen by observing the three figures, the cell for frozen food (3) comprises
an additional section (5,14) of the evaporator, i.e. that element of the internal
cooling system in which the refrigerant liquid flows (e.g. R134a, R600a, freon).
[0028] According to the invention, said additional evaporator section (5,14) runs outside
the cell for frozen food and exits from at least one of said walls, thus running within
the cell for frozen food (3).
[0029] According to the invention, said refrigerating appliance (1) therefore has an evaporator
section, hereafter referred to as "outer evaporator" (14) and indicated in figures
1 and 2 by a broken line, which, as in the prior art, extends around the cell for
frozen food (3) and the cell for fresh food (2), as well as another evaporator section,
hereafter referred to as "inner evaporator" (5) and indicated in figures 1 and 2 by
a continuous line, which runs within said cell for frozen food (3).
[0030] More in detail, fig. 2 shows a preferred embodiment of the cooling system of a refrigerating
appliance according to the invention: a compressor (15) compresses a refrigerant (e.g.
freon or R134a or R600a), being in the gaseous state, into a condenser (16) wherein
it condenses and cools down.
[0031] Once in liquid state, the refrigerant flows through a filter (17) which traps any
impurities being present in the circuit, and subsequently flows in a capillary tube
(20) before entering the evaporator.
[0032] The refrigerant flows in an evaporator consisting of a system of pipes, being generally
arranged as a coil running mostly within the walls of the refrigerating appliance
and then returning to the compressor (15). Along this path from the capillary to the
compressor, the refrigerant element in the liquid state absorbs heat and evaporates,
thus cooling the inside of the refrigerating appliance.
[0033] Always with reference to fig. 2, besides running within the walls of the refrigerating
appliance, the evaporator according to the invention also exits from a point (18)
of a wall of the cell for frozen food (3) and runs within the volume of said cell
for frozen food. This exposed section of the evaporator (5), called "inner evaporator",
enters again the walls of the refrigerating appliance at a point (19) of said cell
for frozen food (3). From that point, the "inner evaporator" (5) becomes "outer evaporator"
(14) again and resumes its path, hidden from view, within the walls of the refrigerating
appliance (1) as far as the compressor (15).
[0034] Surprisingly, this technical solution allows to produce a refrigerating appliance
wherein, for the same volumes, the cooling of the food in the cell for frozen food
(3) takes place with a saving of energy: the increase of the refrigerating area, in
fact, allows the cooling system to absorb a larger amount of calories from the cell
for frozen food, without the need of increasing the operation cycles (i.e. the time
periods during which the compressor is on) of the system, and therefore permits to
reduce the energy consumption without having to increase the compressor power or to
improve the insulating elements. Moreover, the location of the "inner evaporator"
(5) is such to improve the cooling of the cell for frozen food (3), in that a cooling
evaporating surface is brought within said cell for frozen food.
[0035] In order to make this phenomenon more easily understood, the following will refer
to the principles of thermodynamics: the refrigerating appliance (1) is a machine
that takes heat from a thermal source (the food within a cell) and yields it to another
thermal source (the refrigerant element), and from this to the external environment
thanks to the work carried out by the machine itself, which therefore draws energy
from the electric network. The amount of heat (Q) exchanged between the two sources
is proportional to the evaporating area (S) and to the temperature difference between
the two sources (Q=kS(T
2- T
1)). In the ideal case, according to the first principle of thermodynamics said amount
of heat (Q) should be equal to the energy (E) drawn from the electric network, but
actually, due to various dispersions, there is just a proportionality between these
two physical quantities.
[0036] From the above it is clear that within a refrigerating appliance the same amount
of heat (Q) can be absorbed if we increase the evaporating area (S) and reduce the
temperature difference (T
2- T
1) between the two thermal sources; in other words, the same calories can be absorbed
from within a cell for frozen food if we increase the evaporating area and at the
same time reduce the difference between the evaporator temperature T
1 and the food preservation temperature T
2. Being the ideal efficiency of a Carnot machine given by n=(1-T
1/T
2), the more T
1 is close to T
2, the less the energy E=n*Q that the machine must draw from the electric network.
It is therefore clear that by increasing the evaporating area we can reduce the consumption
of the refrigerating appliance (1).
[0037] According to the invention, said increase of the evaporating area is made possible
by the "inner evaporator" (5), i.e. an evaporator section which, besides enveloping
entirely the cell for frozen food (3) while remaining between the walls of said refrigerating
appliance and the outer walls of the cells for fresh food (2) and/or for frozen food
(3), inventively also runs within said cell for frozen food (3).
[0038] Figure 3 shows the cooling circuit, i.e. a circuit diagram of a cooling system, of
a second embodiment of a two-door type refrigerating appliance according to the invention.
The two-door type refrigerating appliance has two cells, namely a cell for frozen
food (3) and a cell for fresh food (2), represented therein through the respective
evaporators 31 and 32.
[0039] The cooling system includes a compressor (15), upstream of which there are, in sequence,
a condenser (16), a hot pipe (33), a filter (17) and a three-way solenoid valve (34),
which is controlled by an electronic thermostat (40); at this point, the cooling circuit
is split into two circuits represented by two capillaries, namely a refrigerator capillary
(35) and a freezer capillary (36), being connected to said solenoid valve (34), which
can perform the hydraulic switching between said two capillaries (35) and (36), so
that they may be supplied alternately by the compressor (15) depending on whether
it is necessary to cool the cell for frozen food (3) only, or both the cell for fresh
food (2) and the cell for frozen food (3).
[0040] Both capillaries (35) and (36) cross a return pipe (39) in a first heat exchanger
(37), from which they exit by following separate paths.
[0041] The refrigerator capillary (35) passes through a second heat exchanger (38) and then
conveys the refrigerant fluid circulating within to the upper part of an evaporator
(32) of the cell for fresh food (2).
[0042] After having run all the evaporator (32) of the cell for fresh food (2), the fluid
goes back up and flows through said second heat exchanger (38), thereby absorbing
heat from the refrigerator capillary (35), and then enters an evaporator of the cell
for frozen food (31). Being a two-door refrigerating appliance, the evaporator coil
of the cell for frozen food (31) envelops the whole outside surface (section called
"outer evaporator") of the cell for frozen food (3) and, according to the invention,
before terminating into said return pipe (39) and going back to the compressor (15),
also runs within (section called "inner evaporator" (5)) said cell for frozen food
(3), as described with reference to figure 2.
[0043] On the contrary, the freezer capillary (36) runs directly into the upper part of
the evaporator of the cell for frozen food (31), therefore without passing through
said second heat exchanger (38).
[0044] The electronic control system of the refrigerating appliance, according to the embodiment
shown in figure 3, consists of a first temperature sensor (42), located in the cell
for fresh food (2), which provides information about the temperature of the air in
the cell for fresh food (2) to an electronic thermostat (40); likewise, a second temperature
sensor (43) sends information about the temperature of the air in the cell for frozen
food (3) to the same electronic thermostat (40).
[0045] Thus, the control logic of said electronic thermostat (40) can, depending on the
values read by said temperature sensors (42, 43), decide moment by moment whether
to cool both cells (2,3) in cascade or the cell for frozen food (3) only, by sending
a suitable signal to the solenoid valve (34), which in turn will switch the refrigerant
fluid either in the refrigerator capillary (35) or in the freezer capillary (36).
[0046] Figure 3 at last also shows a third sensor (41), located on the evaporator (32) of
the cell for fresh food (2) and used for controlling the defrosting of said evaporator.
[0047] The two embodiment examples of two-door type refrigerating appliances according to
the invention advantageously allow to save energy due to a larger evaporating area,
obtained thanks to the evaporator section extending within the cell for frozen food.
[0048] In a preferred embodiment, said evaporator section running and visible within said
cell for frozen food ("inner evaporator" (5)) is provided as a coil whose straight
sections have a length almost corresponding to the depth of said cell for frozen food
(3), being the coil loops close enough to be used as a bearing surface for food. A
solution of this type may therefore be used as a shelf within the cell for frozen
food. According to a preferred embodiment, shown in figures 1 and 2, the evaporator
runs around the side walls (9), the upper wall (11) and the lower wall (10) of the
cell for frozen food, whereas it comes out from the rear wall (8) (i.e. facing a user
who stands in front of said refrigerating appliance (1) and opens the corresponding
door (6) of said cell for frozen food (3)). After running within the cell for frozen
food (3), the evaporator enters again said rear wall (8) to run within the other walls
of said cell for frozen food and return, as described, to the compressor. For the
purposes of the present invention, it is however unimportant whether the "inner evaporator"
(5) exits from the rear wall (8) or from any other wall (9,10,11). It is nonetheless
advantageous that its shape makes it usable as a shelf.
[0049] It is also clear that many other changes are possible for the man skilled in the
art to the present invention; for example, in order to obtain a better aesthetical
result, it might be useful to employ a plastic or a glass shelf, arranging the "inner
evaporator" (5) on the underside of said shelf. In this way , the surprising advantage
of the energy saving offered by a larger evaporating area with respect to the known
art would be retained, but the bearing surface would be improved from both an aesthetical
and a technical point of view: in fact, the food would not rest directly on the evaporator,
but on an easy-to-clean shelf.
1. Two-door type refrigerating appliance (1), comprising:
- a cooling system,
- a cell for fresh food (2), and
- a cell for frozen food (3),
said cooling system comprising at least two evaporators (5,14,31,32), one of said
at least two evaporators cooling said cell for frozen food (3) enveloping said cell
for frozen food, characterized in that at least one section (5) of the evaporator (14,31) cooling said cell for frozen food
(3) runs within said cell for frozen food (3) and a dividing shelf (4) for supporting
the food to be placed is inserted in said cell for frozen food (3), said dividing
shelf (4) comprising a food bearing surface on the underside of which said section
(5) of the evaporator (31) running within said cell for frozen food (3) is arranged.
2. Refrigerating appliance (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said cell for frozen food (3) has a capacity of less than 60 It.
3. Refrigerating appliance (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said cell for frozen food (3) has a volume of less than 30% (thirty percent) of the
volume of said cell for fresh food (2).
4. Refrigerating appliance (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said cell for frozen food (3) is sized in such a way to allow the insertion of just
one dividing shelf (4).
5. Refrigerating appliance (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the height of the spaces (12,13) defined by said dividing shelf (4) within said cell
for frozen food (3) is such to allow the placing of food, and in particular is not
less than 10 cm.
6. Refrigerating appliance (1) according to claim 1 or 4 or 5, characterized in that said food bearing surface is made of a plastic material.
7. Refrigerating appliance (1) according to claim 1 or 4 or 5, characterized in that said food bearing surface is made of glass.
8. Refrigerating appliance (1) according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that said cooling system comprises means for cooling said cell for frozen food (3) independently
from said cell for fresh food (2).
9. Refrigerating appliance (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that said means comprise a solenoid valve (34) and two capillaries (35,36) associated
with said two cells (2,3) of said refrigerating appliance (1).
10. Refrigerating appliance (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that said solenoid valve (34) is controlled by an electronic thermostat (40) and performs
the hydraulic switching between said two capillaries (35,36).
1. Zweitürige Kühlvorrichtung (1), mit:
- einem Kühlsystem,
- einer Kammer für frische Lebensmittel (2), und
- einer Kammer für gefrorene Lebensmittel (3),
wobei das Kühlsystem mindestens zwei Verdampfer (5, 14, 31, 32) aufweist, wobei einer
der mindestens zwei Verdampfer die Kammer für gefrorene Lebensmittel (3) kühlt, und
die Kammer für gefrorene Lebensmittel umhüllt,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass mindestens ein Bereich (5) des Verdampfers (14, 31), der die Kammer für gefrorene
Lebensmittel (3) kühlt, innerhalb der Kammer für gefrorene Lebensmittel (3) verläuft
und dass ein Trennfach (4) zum Lagern der zu platzierenden Lebensmittel in der Kammer
für gefrorene Lebensmittel (3) eingesetzt ist, wobei das Trennfach (4) eine Lebensmittelauflagefläche
aufweist, auf deren Unterseite der Bereich (5) des Verdampfers (31) angeordnet ist,
der innerhalb der Kammer für gefrorene Lebensmittel (3) verläuft.
2. Kühlvorrichtung (1) nach Anspruch 1,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Kammer für gefrorene Lebensmittel (3) eine Kapazität von weniger als 60 Liter
aufweist.
3. Kühlvorrichtung (1) nach Anspruch 1,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Kammer für gefrorene Lebensmittel (3) ein Volumen von weniger als 30% (dreißig
Prozent) des Volumens der Kammer für frische Lebensmittel (2) aufweist.
4. Kühlvorrichtung (1) nach Anspruch 1,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Kammer für gefrorene Lebensmittel (3) derart dimensioniert ist, dass ein Einsetzen
von nur einem Trennfach (4) möglich ist.
5. Kühlvorrichtung (1) nach Anspruch 4,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Höhe der Räume (12, 13), die durch das Trennfach (4) innerhalb der Kammer für
gefrorene Lebensmittel (3) definiert ist, derart ausgestaltet ist, dass ein Platzieren
von Lebensmitteln möglich ist, und insbesondere nicht weniger als 10 cm beträgt.
6. Kühlvorrichtung (1) nach Anspruch 1 oder 4 oder 5,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Lebensmittelauflagefläche aus einem Plastikmaterial hergestellt ist.
7. Kühlvorrichtung (1) nach Anspruch 1 oder 4 oder 5,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Lebensmittelauflagefläche aus Glas hergestellt ist.
8. Kühlvorrichtung (1) nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Kühlsystem Mittel zum Kühlen der Kammer für gefrorene Lebensmittel (3), unabhängig
von der Kammer für frische Lebensmittel (2), aufweist.
9. Kühlvorrichtung (1) nach Anspruch 8,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Mittel ein Magnetventil (34) und zwei Kapillaren (35, 36) aufweisen, welche mit
den zwei Kammern (2, 3) der Kühlvorrichtung (1) assoziiert sind.
10. Kühlvorrichtung (1) nach Anspruch 9,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Magnetventil (34) mittels eines elektronischen Thermostats (40) gesteuert wird
und das hydraulische Schalten zwischen den zwei Kapillaren (35, 36) durchführt.
1. Appareil frigorifique du type à deux portes (1), comprenant :
- un système réfrigérant ;
- un compartiment destiné à la nourriture fraîche (2), et
- un compartiment destiné à la nourriture congelée (3) ;
ledit système réfrigérant comportant au moins deux évaporateurs (5, 14, 31, 32), l'un
desdits au moins deux évaporateurs refroidissant ledit compartiment destiné à la nourriture
congelée (3) entourant ledit compartiment destiné à la nourriture fraîche, caractérisé en ce que, au moins une section (5) de l'évaporateur (14, 31) refroidissant ledit compartiment
destiné à la nourriture congelée (3) circule à l'intérieur dudit compartiment destiné
à la nourriture congelée (3) et une étagère de séparation (4) servant à supporter
la nourriture à y déposer est insérée dans ledit compartiment destiné à la nourriture
congelée (3), ladite étagère de séparation (4) comportant une surface de support de
la nourriture sur le côté inférieur de laquelle est agencée ladite section (5) de
l'évaporateur (31) circulant à l'intérieur dudit compartiment destiné à la nourriture
congelée.
2. Appareil frigorifique (1) selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que ledit compartiment destiné à la nourriture congelée (3) présente une capacité de
moins de 60 lt.
3. Appareil frigorifique (1) selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que ledit compartiment destiné à la nourriture congelée (3) offre un volume inférieur
à 30% (trente pour cent) du volume dudit compartiment destiné à la nourriture fraîche
(2).
4. Appareil frigorifique (1) selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que ledit compartiment destiné à la nourriture congelée (3) est dimensionné de telle
manière qu'il permette l'insertion seulement d'une étagère de séparation (4).
5. Appareil frigorifique (1) selon la revendication 4, caractérisé en ce que la hauteur des espaces (12, 13) définis par ladite étagère de séparation (4) à l'intérieur
dudit compartiment destiné à la nourriture congelée (3) est telle qu'elle permette
le placement de la nourriture, et, en particulier, telle qu'elle ne soit pas inférieure
à 10 cm.
6. Appareil frigorifique (1) selon la revendication 1 ou 4 ou 5, caractérisé en ce que ladite surface de support de nourriture est réalisée en un matériau matière plastique.
7. Appareil frigorifique (1) selon la revendication 1 ou 4 ou 5, caractérisé en ce que ladite surface de support de nourriture est réalisée en verre.
8. Appareil frigorifique (1) selon l'une des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que ledit système réfrigérant comporte des moyens permettant de refroidir ledit compartiment
destiné à la nourriture congelée (3) de façon indépendante dudit compartiment destiné
à la nourriture fraîche (2).
9. Appareil frigorifique (1) selon la revendication 8, caractérisé en ce que lesdits moyens comportent une vanne magnétique (34) et deux capillaires (35, 36)
associés au deux dits compartiments (2, 3) dudit appareil frigorifique (1).
10. Appareil frigorifique (1) selon la revendication 9, caractérisé en ce que ladite vanne magnétique (34) est commandée par un thermostat électronique (40) et
effectue la commutation hydraulique entre les deux dits capillaires (35, 36).