[0001] The present invention refers to an improved cooling unit.
[0002] The prior art provides cooling units comprising all components of a refrigerating
machine, such units being adapted to be coupled with one or more refrigerating cells
made separately.
[0003] The peculiarity of such cooling units is that they are real stand-alone and functionally
independent modules: in such a way, a manufacturer of a refrigerating cell can be
limited to make such cell, by choosing and finding afterwards the most suitable cooling
unit for the cell itself: therefore, it is then only enough to operatively couple
the cell with the cooling unit deemed adequate, consequently limiting design costs
and complexitiy, allowing the manufacturers of cells and/or refrigerated exhibitors
to demand to third parties the technical competencies necessary for making the actual
refrigerating machine.
[0004] Known cooling units are therefore usually composed of an external containing casing,
inside which the various necessary components are placed in a functionally cooperating
way, such as a compressor, an evaporator, a condenser, the various fans for circulating
air flows and the ducts for transporting the refrigerating fluids, in addition to
the common components necessary for electric supply, control, etc. Such external container
is then equipped with one or more grids adapted to allow the passage of the various
air flows, such as the flow towards the condenser and the compressor, and the recirculation
of the air flow cooled by the evaporator to the refrigerating cell to which the unit
is coupled and vice versa.
[0005] Obviously, the external container sizes are determined both by the sizes of the individual
components and by the lay-out according to which such components are arranged inside
the container itself. In parallel, the sizes of the individual components are determined
by the refrigerating power with which the related cooling unit must be equipped. It
is therefore clear that, technically, while it would be adequate, for manufacturers
of refrigerating cells, to have refrigerating units available with more and more reduced
external sizes, in such a way as to make it easy to place them into the working internal
volume, such sizes are constrained by the required refrigerating power and by the
sizes of the components necessary to obtain such power.
[0006] Document
DE-U1-20 2005016871 discloses a cooling unit according to the preamble of Claim 1.
[0007] Object of the present invention is solving the above prior art problems, by providing
an improved cooling unit that allows a relevant decrease of the external sizes of
its own container, though strongly limiting the decrease of offered refrigerating
power.
[0008] Another object of the present invention is providing an improved cooling unit that
allows a relevant decrease of the external sizes of its own container optimising the
lay-out of internal components.
[0009] Moreover, an object of the present invention is providing an improved cooling unit
that allows a relevant decrease of the external sizes of its own container using an
internal deflecting element that allows conveying and optimising the air flows towards
the evaporator.
[0010] The above and other objects and advantages of the invention, as will appear from
the following description, are obtained with an improved cooling unit as claimed in
claim 1. Preferred embodiments and non-trivial variations of the present invention
are the subject matter of the dependent claims.
[0011] It will be immediately obvious that numerous variations and modifications (for example
related to shape, sizes, arrangements and parts with equivalent functionality) can
be made to what is described, without departing from the scope of the invention as
appears from the enclosed claims.
[0012] The present invention will be better described by some preferred embodiments thereof,
provided as a non-limiting example, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:
- Figure 1 shows a top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the improved cooling
unit according to the present invention without its external coatings;
- Figure 2 shows a side view of the improved cooling unit of Figure 1;
- Figure 3 shows a top perspective view of the improved cooling unit of Figure 1 partially
equipped with external coatings;
- Figure 4 shows a top perspective view of the improved cooling unit of Figure 1 equipped
with external coatings;
- Figure 5 shows another top perspective view of the improved cooling unit of Figure
1; and
- Figure 6 shows a schematic side view of the improved cooling unit of Figure 2 in which
some air flows are pointed out.
[0013] In order to shorten the description, herein below we will omit the descriptions related
to the operating modes of the components that are common with other cooling units
and necessary for the basic operation of the unit itself, that are anyway deemed widely
known in the art, such as for example electric supply system, compression system,
system for condensing, evaporating and channeling the refrigerating gases, etc., to
describe more in detail the aspects and the components characterising the cooling
unit 1 according to the present invention.
[0014] Therefore, with particular reference to Figures 1 and 2, it is possible to note that
the improved cooling unit 1 according to the present invention is composed of a supporting
and containing structure comprising at least one base 3 on which the following are
arranged, suitably cooperating and mutually communicating as taught by the prior art:
at least one compressor 5 of a refrigerating fluid communicating on its front part
with at least one condenser 7, preferably of the type with micro-channels to obtain
a relevant weight saving with respect to prior art cooling units, and on its upper
part with at least one evaporator 9. Preferably, between the compressor 5 and the
condenser 7, at least one first axial fan 11 is arranged, adapted to take air flows
from such condenser 7 and to eject such flows towards such compressor 5. Advantageously,
the supporting and containing structure comprises at least one shelf 13 for supporting
the evaporator 9, arranged in a substantially horizontal position above the compressor
5, such shelf 13 being joined at one edge thereof to at least one deflecting profile
15, suitably slanted, adapted to convey air flows F
c coming from at least one second axial fan 17 towards the evaporator 9. In particular,
the adoption of the deflecting profile 15, slanted and joined to the shelf 13, allows
arranging in a slanted position, in agreement with the slanting of the profile 13
itself, such second axial fan 17, consequently allowing a strong reduction of the
global sizes of the unit 1 according to the present invention, in the below-specified
measure.
[0015] Obviously, the supporting and containing structure is equipped with suitable size
coatings, both to make the cooling unit 1 an independent and stand-alone module, and
to protect the components arranged therein. Therefore, with particular reference to
Figures 3, 4 and 5, it is possible to note that such side coatings comprise:
- at least one front wall 19 equipped with at least one suction opening 20, preferably
covered with at least one related protecting grid 21, such opening 20 being arranged
next to the condenser 7 in order to allow the first axial fan 11 to take air from
outside;
- at least two side walls 23, at least one of which is equipped with at least one access
opening 25, possibly covered with at least one protecting panel 27, adapted to allow
possible assistance or maintenance interventions of the components arranged inside
the supporting and containing structure;
- at least one rear wall 29 equipped with at least one disposal opening, preferably
covered with at least one related protecting grid 31, such disposal opening being
arranged downstream of the condenser 7 and the compressor 5 to allow disposing towards
outside the air flows that, forced by the first axial fan 11, move near the compressor
5;
- at least one upper wall 33 equipped with at least one first slit 35 arranged next
to the second axial fan 17, such first slit 35 being adapted to allow taking the air
flows Fc from inside the refrigerating cell by such second axial fan 17, and at least one
second slit 37 arranged next to the evaporator 9, such second slit 37 being adapted
to allow the air flows FR, cooled by the evaporator 9, to go out towards the top and to be inserted again into
the refrigerating cell.
[0016] With particular reference to Figure 6, it is therefore possible to note that, once
having placed the cooling unit 1 according to the present invention in cooperation
with a refrigerating cell (not shown), typically such unit being arranged below the
cell itself, the second axial fan 17 is adapted to guarantee the re-circulation of
cooled air inside such cell, taking the air flows F
c coming from inside this latter one through the first slit 35 and forcing such flows
to pass through the evaporator 9 that takes care of cooling them, in order to be afterwards
inserted again upwards as cooled air flows F
R inside the refrigerating cell: during the path of the air flows F
c, the deflecting profile 15, with the help of the shelf 13, takes care of correctly
orienting the flows F
c coming from the second axial fan 17 towards the evaporator 9, though such second
axial fan 17 is arranged in a slanted position and, consequently, not optimally oriented
towards the evaporator 9. The Applicant has therefore discovered that, using a compressor
with R404A refrigerating gas and a displacement of 7.28 cm
3 at 936 Kcal under ASHRAE conditions (reference working conditions), the adoption
of the deflecting profile 15 advantageously allows obtaining a cooling unit 1 according
to the present invention having a global volume lower by 64% to 67% than the volume
of comparable cooling units belonging to the prior art, with a reduction of the yielded
refrigerating power included between 35% and 37% only, such loss having to be ascribed
only to the compromise choice related to the compressor, made in such a way as to
optimise the relationship between sizes and provided performance.
1. Improved cooling unit (1) composed of a supporting and containing structure comprising
at least one base (3) on which at least one compressor (5) is arranged, communicating
on its front part with at least one condenser (7) and on its uppoer part with at least
one evaporator (9), characterised in that said supporting and containing structure comprises at least one shelf (13) for supporting
said evaporator (9) arranged in a substantially horizontal position immediately above
said compressor (5), said shelf (13) being joined in an edge thereof to at least one
deflecting profile (15), placed immediately above said compressor (5) and adapted
to convey air flows (Fc) coming from at least one second axial fan (17), placed immediately above said deflecting
profile (15), towards said evaporator (9), placed immediately adjacent to said second
axial fan (17) and immediately above said shelf (13), said deflecting profile (15)
being slanted and said second axial fan (17) being arranged in a similar slanted position,
and in that, in the reduced space between said compressor (5) and said condenser (7), at least
one first axial fan (11) is arranged, adapted to take air flows from said condenser
(7) and to eject said flows towards said compressor (5).
2. Improved cooling unit (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that said condenser (7) is of the type with micro-channels.
3. Improved cooling unit (1) according to claim 1,
characterised in that said supporting and containing structure is equipped with side coatings comprising:
- at least one front wall (19) equipped with at least one suction opening (20), said
opening (20) being arranged next to said condenser (7) to allow said first axial fan
(11) to take air from outside;
- at least two side walls (23), at least one of said walls (23) being equipped with
at least one access opening (25) inside said supporting and containing structure;
- at least one rear wall (29) equipped with at least one disposal opening arranged
downstream of said condenser (7) and said compressor (5), adapted to allow disposing
towards outside the air flows that, forced by said first axial fan (11), pass near
said compressor (5);
- at least one upper wall (33) equipped with at least one first slit (35) arranged
next to said second axial fan (17), said first slit (35) being adapted to allow taking
said air flows (Fc) from inside a refrigerating cell by said second axial fan (17), and at least one
second slit (37) arranged next to said evaporator (9), said second slit (37) being
adapted to allow the air flows (FR) cooled by said evaporator (9) to go out towards the top and to insert them again
into said refrigerating cell.
4. Improved cooling unit (1) according to claim 3, characterised in that said suction opening (20) is covered with at least one related protecting grid (21)
and/or said access opening (25) is covered with at least one protecting panel (27)
and/or said disposal opening is covered with a related protecting grid (31).