A refrigerator and a manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The embodiment of the present invention discloses a refrigerator and a manufacturing method thereof, including an inner tank for storing food; an evaporator for cooling the inner tank; a refrigeration assembly connected to the evaporator for providing refrigerant to the evaporator; the inner tank is formed by splicing and buckling aluminum plates, including a bottom wall and a side wall; the evaporator includes an evaporation tube that is fitted and wound on the side wall of the tank body; an anti-corrosion layer is provided on the evaporation tube, and the anti-corrosion layer is configured to protect the evaporation tube from corrosion. By providing the anti-corrosion layer on the outer surface of the evaporation tube, the evaporation tube is effectively isolated from the contact with the liquid seeping out of the inner tank, so as to prevent the evaporation tube from being corroded and perforated due to the long-term action of the seeping liquid on the evaporation tube during the use of the refrigerator, and the refrigerant leaks, causing the refrigerator to fail to refrigerate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of refrigerator manufacturing, and more specifically, to a refrigerator and a manufacturing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] The main structure of refrigerators currently on the market is to wrap aluminum tubes around the inner tank, and at the same time, use aluminum foil tape to fix the aluminum tubes on the inner tank, and finally use the foaming process to foam the evaporator pipeline between the box body and the inner tank. The shape of the refrigerator is basically rectangular. Since the compressor is installed at the bottom, a space will be left for the compressor room, so the shape of the inner tank is usually a rectangular with missing corners at the bottom. Due to the large shape and size of the refrigerator inner tank, it is not suitable for stretching; and due to cost issues, casting and other processing methods will not be used. Therefore, the inner tanks in the industry are all formed by splicing and pressing embossed aluminum plates; usually the bottom shell and two enclosures of the inner tank are pressed together.

[0003] This type of buckled and pressed structure is simple to process, low in cost, and highly efficient, but it also brings unsolvable quality risks. Since the inner tank body is spliced ​​and formed, the buckled and pressed parts cannot be completely sealed, even if tape is used. In the process of using the freezer, it is inevitable that it will be shut down or defrosted for cleaning. When the ice or frost in the freezer melts, the water will penetrate into the foaming layer along the buckled gap of the inner tank. Due to capillary siphon and other effects, the water will climb up to a certain height, and there is a certain probability that it will flow to the evaporation pipeline. Because the food stored in the freezer may be acidic or alkaline, and the residue of the foaming material reaction, etc., the water flowing to the evaporation pipeline will be acidic or alkaline, and long-term use will slowly corrode, and eventually cause pipeline corrosion and perforation, refrigerant leakage, and the freezer will not refrigerate.

[0004] All refrigerator manufacturers basically use this type of liner splicing and winding structure. It is very difficult to solve the problem of corrosion and leakage from the structure of the inner liner. The inner liner must have good thermal conductivity and be very thin. Most of them use embossed aluminum plates, which are very low in cost. The buckled and spliced ​​liner structure is efficient, low in cost, and simple in processing technology. It is difficult to replace it without leaking any seams. Therefore, this corrosion and leakage problem has become an incurable disease in the refrigerator manufacturing industry. There is no effective means to solve it, and leakage may occur in about a year. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, at least one problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that can solve the corrosion and leakage problems of the refrigerator.

[0006] Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing the above-mentioned refrigerator.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a refrigerator, the refrigerator comprising:

[0009] The inner tank is used to store food;

[0010] An evaporator, used to cool the inner tank;

[0011] A refrigeration component connected to the evaporator, used to provide refrigerant for the evaporator;

[0012] The inner liner is formed by splicing and pressing aluminum plates, including a bottom wall and side walls;

[0013] The evaporator comprises an evaporation tube which is fitted and wound on the side wall of the inner container;

[0014] An anti-corrosion layer is disposed on the evaporation tube, and the anti-corrosion layer is configured to protect the evaporation tube from corrosion.

[0015] In addition, a preferred solution is that the side wall of the inner container includes a main body side wall and a protruding side wall protruding downward from the bottom of the main body side wall.

[0016] In addition, a preferred solution is that the evaporation tube includes a first section of the tube wound from top to bottom on the side wall of the main body and a second section of the tube wound from top to bottom on the protruding side wall.

[0017] In addition, a preferred solution is that the anti-corrosion layer is an aluminum foil tape, and the aluminum foil tape is wrapped on the outer wall of the second section of the pipeline;

[0018] The outer surface of the aluminum foil tape is provided with a plastic protective layer.

[0019] In addition, a preferred solution is that the anti-corrosion layer is an environmentally friendly anti-corrosion paint layer, an electrophoretic paint layer or a coating layer.

[0020] In addition, a preferred solution is that the anti-corrosion layer is wrapped on the outer surface of the second section of the pipeline by overall dipping.

[0021] In addition, a preferred solution is that the evaporation tubes are wound around the outer surface of the inner container, and the evaporation tubes wound around the outer surface of the inner container are arranged at equal intervals.

[0022] In addition, a preferred solution is that the evaporation tube is made of heat-conducting materials such as aluminum tubes or galvanized steel tubes.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing the above-mentioned refrigerator is provided, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

[0024] S1, aluminum plates are spliced ​​and pressed to form the inner liner;

[0025] S2, disposing an anti-corrosion layer on the evaporation tube;

[0026] S3, winding the evaporation tube with the anti-corrosion layer on the side wall of the inner tank from top to bottom;

[0027] S4, connecting the evaporator to the refrigeration component.

[0028] The beneficial effects of this application are as follows:

[0029] In view of the technical problems existing in the prior art, the embodiments of the present application provide a refrigerator and a manufacturing method thereof, which effectively isolates the contact between the evaporator tube and the liquid leaking from the inner tank by setting an anti-corrosion layer on the outer surface of the evaporator tube, thereby preventing the evaporator tube from being corroded and perforated due to the long-term action of the leaking liquid on the evaporator tube during use, and preventing the refrigerator from leaking refrigerant, causing the refrigerator to fail to refrigerate. Aluminum foil tape is selected as the anti-corrosion layer, which is low in cost, easy to realize automated online operation, and has no effect on the thermal conductivity of the evaporator tube. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] The specific implementation modes of the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0031] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the structure of the inner tank and the evaporation tube provided by the present invention

[0032] Figure 2 The axial cross-sectional schematic diagram shows the evaporation tube provided by the present invention when it is wound around the main body side wall of the inner container.

[0033] Figure 3 The axial cross-sectional schematic diagram shows the evaporating tube provided by the present invention when it is wound around the protruding side wall of the inner container. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to more clearly illustrate the present invention, the present invention is further described below in conjunction with preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings. Similar components in the accompanying drawings are represented by the same reference numerals. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the content specifically described below is illustrative rather than restrictive, and should not be used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. Unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be a connection between the two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0036] It should also be noted that, in the description of the present application, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or equipment including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or equipment. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the statement "comprise one..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or equipment including the elements.

[0037] In order to overcome the defects of the prior art, an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator, Figure 1 As shown, the refrigerator comprises:

[0038] The liner 1, as a container for storing food, is usually made of metal and has good thermal conductivity;

[0039] The evaporator is used to cool the inner tank 1, and has a refrigerant inside, and a refrigerant such as Freon can be used to absorb heat to produce a cooling effect;

[0040] The refrigeration component is used to provide refrigerant to the evaporator, and specifically includes a compressor, an expansion valve and other devices. The principle of refrigeration through the refrigeration component and the evaporator is the prior art and will not be repeated in the present invention.

[0041] In a specific embodiment, the inner tank 1 is formed by splicing and pressing embossed aluminum plates, and includes a bottom wall and side walls. The bottom wall and the side walls surround a refrigeration space of the refrigerator for storing food.

[0042] In one embodiment, the evaporator is mainly composed of an evaporation tube 2, which is wound from top to bottom on the side wall of the inner tank 1 and fixed to the outer surface of the inner tank 1 by an aluminum foil tape 3. The evaporator is usually plate-shaped, that is, the evaporation tube 2 is arranged in a zigzag manner to form a plate shape, while the evaporation tube 2 in this embodiment is wound into a barrel shape, which not only makes the cooling more uniform, but also can directly act on the inner tank 1.

[0043] In this embodiment, on the inner tank 1, any adjacent evaporator tubes 2 have the same spacing, ensuring uniform cooling effect at all positions of the inner tank 1, and the evaporator tubes 2 wound at any position on the outer surface of the inner tank 1 do not overlap or touch each other. If the evaporator tubes 2 are too dense and overlap or touch, the laying cost will increase.

[0044] Since a compressor needs to be installed in the refrigerator, a evacuation structure for evading the compressor chamber is usually formed at the bottom of the side wall of the inner tank 1. Due to the shape and size limitations of the inner tank 1, the inner tank 1 is not suitable for stretching during processing and manufacturing, and the cost of casting is too high, so the inner tank 1 is generally formed by splicing and pressing embossed aluminum plates. However, the pressing part between the side wall and the bottom wall of the inner tank 1 manufactured by the splicing and pressing processing method cannot achieve a completely sealed effect. During the use of the refrigerator, it is necessary to defrost and clean it regularly. During the cleaning process, the liquid melted by the frost in the refrigerated space will seep out along the gap between the side wall and the bottom wall. Due to the effect of capillary siphon, the liquid will climb up to a certain height and may flow onto the evaporator tube 2. Since the food stored in the refrigerated space may be acidic or alkaline, the liquid flowing onto the evaporator tube 2 will be acidic or alkaline, which will corrode the evaporator tube 2 in the long run, and eventually cause the evaporator tube 2 to corrode and perforate, refrigerant leaks, and the refrigerator does not refrigerate. In order to solve this problem, in a specific embodiment, an anti-corrosion layer 4 is provided on the surface of the evaporation tube 2 to protect the evaporation tube 2 from being corroded by the seeping liquid, thereby extending the service life of the refrigerator.

[0045] In a specific embodiment, since the inner liner 1 has a press chamber avoidance structure, the side wall of the inner liner 1 is divided into a main side wall 11 and a protruding side wall 12 protruding downward from the bottom of the main side wall 11. The space enclosed by the main side wall 11 is connected with the space enclosed by the protruding side wall 12, and together constitute the refrigeration space of the refrigerator.

[0046] In this embodiment, the evaporation tube 2 wound on the side wall is divided into a first section of the pipeline 21 wound from top to bottom on the main body side wall 11 and a second section of the pipeline 22 wound from top to bottom on the protruding side wall 12, and the first section of the pipeline 21 and the second section of the pipeline 22 are connected internally.

[0047] Liquid formed by the melting of frost in the refrigerated space will seep out from the joints of the side wall and the bottom wall. The liquid seeping out from the joints of the main side wall 11 and the bottom wall will naturally drip under the action of gravity, while the liquid seeping out from the joints of the protruding side wall 12 and the bottom wall will flow to the evaporation tube 2 under the action of capillary siphon and corrode it. Since the height to which the liquid can rise is limited, it will only corrode the second section of the pipeline 22 wrapped around the protruding side wall 12.

[0048] In order to solve the above problem and prevent the second section of the pipeline 22 from being corroded and causing refrigerant leakage, the anti-corrosion layer 4 is wrapped on the outer surface of the second section of the pipeline 22 by overall dipping, so as to isolate the second section of the pipeline 22 from the corrosive liquid seeping out of the refrigerated space, and prevent the liquid from acting on the second section of the pipeline 22 for a long time, causing the second section of the pipeline 22 to be corroded and perforated, and then causing refrigerant leakage, resulting in failure to refrigerate. In this embodiment, the anti-corrosion layer 4 is an environmentally friendly anti-corrosion paint layer resistant to acid and alkali corrosion. When the liquid in the refrigerated space of the inner tank 1 seeps out and flows onto the second section of the pipeline 22, the environmentally friendly anti-corrosion paint layer completely wraps the outer surface of the evaporation tube 2, so as to protect the evaporation tube 2 from being corroded. In other embodiments, the anti-corrosion layer 4 can also be an anti-corrosion protective layer resistant to acid and alkali corrosion, such as an electrophoretic paint layer or a coating layer.

[0049] In order to save processing costs and reduce process difficulty, in a more preferred embodiment, the anti-corrosion layer 4 is an aluminum foil tape wrapped around the second section of the pipeline 22. The aluminum foil tape has been treated with anti-corrosion and has a plastic protective layer on the surface to prevent corrosion from acidic or alkaline solutions. The use of aluminum foil tape as the anti-corrosion layer 4 is simple to process. It only requires sticking the aluminum foil tape on the outer surface of the second section of the pipeline 22. The anti-corrosion cost is low, automated online operation is easy to achieve, and has no effect on thermal conductivity, which can improve work efficiency and reduce production costs.

[0050] In a specific example, the evaporator tube 2 needs to be fixed by an aluminum foil tape 3 after being wound on the side wall of the inner tank 1. The aluminum foil tape 3 not only fixes the evaporator tube 2, but also isolates the evaporator tube 2 from the foaming agent during the foaming process when the refrigerator is subsequently assembled, preventing the foaming agent from separating the evaporator tube 2 from the inner tank 1 and affecting the refrigeration effect. It can also increase the heat dissipation area of ​​the evaporator to a certain extent and improve the refrigeration effect. The outer surface of the aluminum foil tape 3 is covered with a plastic protective layer, which can prevent the aluminum foil tape 3 from being corroded and affecting the fixing effect of the evaporator tube 2.

[0051] In a specific example, the evaporation tube 2 is made of heat-conducting materials such as aluminum tubes or galvanized steel tubes to improve the refrigeration speed and refrigeration effect of the refrigerator.

[0052] The refrigerator further comprises a box body, the inner liner 1 is placed in the box body, microporous foamed PU is filled between the box body and the side wall of the inner liner 1, and the evaporation tube 2 is foamed between the box body and the inner liner 1 through a foaming process.

[0053] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing the refrigerator in the above embodiment, comprising the following steps:

[0054] S1, manufacturing the inner liner 1 by splicing and pressing aluminum plates;

[0055] S2, disposing the anti-corrosion layer 4 on the evaporation tube 2, specifically on the second section of the pipeline 22;

[0056] S3, winding the evaporation tube 2 provided with the anti-corrosion layer 4 from top to bottom on the side wall of the inner container 1, and fixing it with an aluminum foil tape 3.

[0057] S4, foaming the evaporation tube 2 between the box body and the inner tank 1 through a foaming process.

[0058] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not limitations on the implementation methods of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in the relevant field, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is impossible to list all the implementation methods here. All obvious changes or modifications derived from the technical solution of the present invention are still within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, characterized in that: The refrigerator comprises: The inner tank is used to store food; An evaporator, used to cool the inner tank; A refrigeration component connected to the evaporator, used to provide refrigerant for the evaporator; The inner liner is formed by splicing and pressing aluminum plates, including a bottom wall and side walls; The evaporator comprises an evaporation tube which is fitted and wound on the side wall of the inner container; An anti-corrosion layer is provided on the evaporation tube, and the anti-corrosion layer is configured to protect the evaporation tube from corrosion; The side wall of the inner container includes a main body side wall and a protruding side wall protruding downward from the bottom of the main body side wall; The evaporation pipe comprises a first section of pipe wound from top to bottom on the side wall of the main body and a second section of pipe wound from top to bottom on the protruding side wall; The anti-corrosion layer is an aluminum foil tape, and the aluminum foil tape is wrapped on the outer wall of the second section of the pipeline; The outer surface of the aluminum foil tape is provided with a plastic protective layer.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The evaporation tubes are wound around the outer surface of the inner container, and the evaporation tubes wound around the outer surface of the inner container are arranged at equal intervals.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The evaporation tube is made of aluminum tube or galvanized steel tube.

4. A method for manufacturing a refrigerator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The following steps are included: S1, aluminum plates are spliced ​​and pressed to form the inner liner; S2, disposing an anti-corrosion layer on the evaporation tube; S3, winding the evaporation tube with the anti-corrosion layer on the side wall of the inner tank from top to bottom; S4, connecting the evaporator to the refrigeration component.

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