Unfreezing module for generating unfreezing airflow, low-temperature and high-humidity unfreezing device and refrigerator

Abstract

The invention provides an unfreezing module for generating unfreezing airflow, a low-temperature high-humidity unfreezing device and a refrigerator, and the unfreezing module is configured to enable the airflow speed of the unfreezing airflow blown to an unfreezing area to be 0.2 m / s-3 m / s, the airflow temperature to be 5-60 DEG C and the relative humidity to be 40-99%. The method has the advantages that the unfreezing speed and the unfreezing quality of the to-be-unfrozen object can be remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of food thawing, and in particular to a thawing module for generating thawing airflow, a low-temperature and high-humidity thawing device and a refrigerator. Background Art

[0002] At present, the thawing method of food is usually natural thawing, which means placing the frozen food in a room temperature environment and relying on the ambient temperature to thaw. However, this thawing method has the problems of slow thawing speed and incomplete thawing. Since the food is exposed to the air, it is easy to be contaminated by bacteria and rot.

[0003] In order to improve the thawing speed and thawing quality, many thawing methods have emerged in the prior art, such as electric heating thawing, hot water thawing, running water thawing, air thawing, and refrigerated thawing. However, the above thawing methods all have certain disadvantages and thus produce certain adverse consequences, such as: local ripening caused by uneven heating, loss of juice caused by water immersion, and poor user experience caused by long thawing time. Summary of the invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to improve the thawing speed and thawing quality of objects to be thawed.

[0005] Another object of the present invention is to further improve the thawing speed and thawing quality of the object to be thawed.

[0006] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a thawing module for generating a thawing airflow, the thawing module being configured so that the airflow velocity of the thawing airflow blown to the thawing area is 0.2m / s~3m / s, the airflow temperature is 5℃~60℃, and the relative humidity is 40%~99%.

[0007] Optionally, the thawing module is further configured to have a particle size of droplets carried in the thawing air flow blown to the thawing area of ​​1 um to 15 um.

[0008] Optionally, the thawing module is further configured to blow the thawing airflow to the thawing area:

[0009] Air flow velocity is 0.5m / s~2.8m / s; and / or

[0010] The air flow temperature is 5°C to 35°C; and / or

[0011] Relative humidity is 50% to 95%; and / or

[0012] The particle size of the droplets is 4um to 12um.

[0013] Optionally, the thawing module is further configured to blow the thawing airflow to the thawing area:

[0014] Air flow velocity is 1.0m / s to 2.5m / s; and / or

[0015] The air flow temperature is 18℃~30℃; and / or

[0016] Relative humidity is 60% to 85%; and / or

[0017] The particle size of the droplets is 5um to 8um.

[0018] Optionally, the thawing module includes a flow promotion component and a heating component, the flow promotion component is configured to blow air toward the thawing area in a controlled manner, and the heating component is arranged on the air inlet side or the air outlet side of the flow promotion component and is configured to heat the thawing airflow blown to the thawing area.

[0019] Optionally, the thawing module further includes a humidification component, which is configured to generate a humidified airflow in a controlled manner and supply the humidified airflow to an air inlet path or an air outlet path of the flow promoting component.

[0020] Optionally, the humidifying component includes an atomizing head, which is arranged adjacent to the periphery of the flow promoting component and gradually inclines toward the air outlet path from the flow promoting component to the thawing area.

[0021] According to a second aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a low-temperature and high-humidity thawing device, comprising:

[0022] A thawing box defines a thawing chamber therein, wherein the thawing chamber has a thawing area for placing objects to be thawed; and any one of the above-mentioned thawing modules for generating thawing airflow is arranged in the thawing chamber.

[0023] According to a third aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a refrigerator comprising the low-temperature and high-humidity thawing device mentioned above.

[0024] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a refrigerator, comprising:

[0025] A box body defines a storage compartment therein, wherein the storage compartment has a thawing area for placing objects to be thawed; and any one of the above-mentioned thawing modules for generating thawing airflow is arranged in the storage compartment.

[0026] The thawing module for generating thawing airflow of the present invention has an airflow velocity of 0.2m / s-3m / s, an airflow temperature of 5°C-60°C, and a relative humidity of 40%-99% for the thawing airflow blown to the thawing area. Therefore, the thawing speed of the thawing objects to be thawed can be significantly improved by using the thawing module to thaw the objects to be thawed, and the waiting time of users can be shortened. Moreover, the thawing module will not produce a ripening effect on the surface of the objects to be thawed, and it is not easy to make the surface of the objects to be thawed dry. The juice loss of the objects to be thawed is less, and the user experience is better. The thawing module is suitable for mass production and popularization.

[0027] Furthermore, the thawing module of the present invention is used to generate thawing airflow, and the airflow velocity of the thawing airflow blown to the thawing area is 1.0m / s~2.5m / s, the airflow temperature is 18℃~30℃, the relative humidity is 60%~85%, and the particle size of the droplets is 5um~8um. Therefore, using this thawing module to thaw the to-be-thawed objects can greatly improve the thawing speed and thawing quality, especially for the to-be-thawed objects with lower freezing temperature and larger volume, the loss of juice after thawing is very small, the freshness is high, and it has almost no effect on the subsequent taste.

[0028] Based on the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will become more aware of the above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiments below. The accompanying drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments and are not to be considered as limiting the present invention. Moreover, the same reference symbols are used throughout the accompanying drawings to represent the same components. In the accompanying drawings:

[0030] Figure 1 is a schematic principle diagram of a thawing module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 It is a state diagram showing the liquid droplets attached to the surface of the object to be thawed at different wetting angles;

[0032] Figure 3 is a structural diagram of a low-temperature and high-humidity thawing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a low-temperature and high-humidity thawing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 5 is an exploded view of an outer box and an inner frame of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 6 is a diagram of the installation structure of a heating assembly and an inner frame according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 7 is an installation structure diagram of a humidifying component and an inner frame according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 8 is a structural diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Reference numerals:

[0039] 1. Refrigerator;

[0040] 10. Low temperature and high humidity thawing device; 20. Box body; 30. Door body;

[0041] 100. Thaw module;

[0042] 110. Flow-promoting component;

[0043] 120, heating assembly; 121, heat storage plate; 122, heat dissipation fins; 123, heat transfer tube; 124, first heat dissipation plate; 125, second heat dissipation plate;

[0044] 130, humidification component; 131, water storage box; 132, atomization head; 133, wireless power supply; 133a, transmitting coil; 133b, receiving coil;

[0045] 140, thawing box; 141, outer box; 142, inner frame; 143, thawing compartment; 144, air supply outlet; 145, air return outlet; 146, air duct; 147, sliding groove; 148, lap plate;

[0046] 150. Thaw door. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0048] As mentioned above, the existing technologies of electric heating thawing, hot water thawing, running water thawing, air thawing, refrigerated thawing, etc. all have certain adverse consequences due to their own drawbacks, such as local ripening caused by uneven heating, juice loss caused by water immersion, and poor user experience caused by long thawing time.

[0049] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a thawing module 100 for generating thawing airflow. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a thawing module 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figure 1 The thawing module 100 is configured so that the air flow velocity of the thawing air flow blown to the thawing area is 0.2m / s to 3m / s, the air flow temperature is 5°C to 60°C, and the relative humidity is 40% to 99%.

[0050] The prior art only focuses on the compartment temperature of the compartment where the thawing module 100 is located and the airflow velocity of the thawing airflow, but does not realize that on the basis of the airflow velocity, an unexpected and more ideal thawing speed and thawing quality can be obtained by combining a specific airflow temperature and relative humidity.

[0051] It should be noted that the above-mentioned air flow velocity, air flow temperature and relative humidity are all measured at the thawing area where the objects to be thawed are placed, and the actual thawing process refers to the air flow velocity, air flow temperature and relative humidity blown to the surface of the objects to be thawed. Compared with the prior art, controlling the air flow velocity, air flow temperature and relative humidity of the thawing air flow within the above-mentioned range can significantly improve the thawing speed and thawing quality of the objects to be thawed.

[0052] The inventors found that due to the high humidity of the thawing airflow, some suspended droplets will be carried in the thawing airflow, and will adhere to the surface of the object to be thawed after being blown to the thawing area by the thawing airflow. There are two main forms of droplet attachment: the first is that the droplets are spherical on the surface of the object to be thawed, and the wetting angle formed between the droplets and the surface of the object to be thawed is greater than 90°; the second is that the droplets are spread out on the surface of the object to be thawed, and the wetting angle formed between the droplets and the surface of the object to be thawed is less than 90°.

[0053] It has been found that the first type of droplets attached will hinder the contact area between the thawing airflow and the surface of the object to be thawed, which is not conducive to the smooth thawing of the object to be thawed. Moreover, the long-term attachment of the droplets will also cause the surface of the object to be thawed to wrinkle and swell, seriously affecting the thawing quality of the object to be thawed. The second type of droplets attached is easier to vaporize, which can play a role in latent heat thawing of the object to be thawed. Moreover, after vaporization, it is beneficial to increase the surface humidity of the object to be thawed and prevent the surface of the object to be thawed from being dried by air. Therefore, the present invention requires that the wetting angle formed between the droplets and the surface of the object to be thawed should be less than 90°.

[0054] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing the state of droplets adhering to the surface of the object to be thawed at different wetting angles. Figure 2 The wetting angle refers to the angle between the liquid-solid interface and the tangent line of the droplet surface at the contact point between the droplet and the surface of the object to be thawed. It is an important parameter to characterize the interaction between the droplet and the surface of the object to be thawed. If the wetting angle is less than 90°, the surface of the object to be thawed is hydrophilic, and the droplet can easily wet the object to be thawed. If the wetting angle is greater than 90°, the surface of the object to be thawed is hydrophobic, the droplet cannot easily wet the object to be thawed, and can easily move on the surface to be thawed.

[0055] Specifically, the calculation formula of the wetting angle is: cosθ=(γSV-γSL) / γLV.

[0056] Wherein, θ: wetting angle; γSV: tension between solid surface and gas surface; γSL: tension between liquid surface and solid surface; γLV: tension between liquid surface and gas surface.

[0057] It can be seen from the above wetting angle calculation formula that the greater the surface tension of the droplet, the smaller the wetting angle formed between the droplet and the surface of the object to be thawed.

[0058] In fact, the surface tension of a droplet is closely related to the particle size of the droplet. The surface tension of a droplet is the result of the molecular interaction force on the surface of the droplet, and is usually expressed in terms of surface energy per unit length. The particle size of a droplet is an important parameter of the droplet morphology. The surface tension of a droplet increases as the particle size of the droplet decreases. This is because in small droplets, the intermolecular interaction is more significant, resulting in an increase in surface tension. When the particle size of the droplet increases, the distance between the molecules of the droplet increases, and the surface tension decreases accordingly.

[0059] Therefore, in the present invention, the thawing module 100 can also be configured so that the particle size of the droplets carried in the thawing airflow blown to the thawing area is 1um to 15um. It can be understood that the droplets within this particle size range are small and have a large surface tension. When they are attached to the surface of the object to be thawed, the wetting angle formed with the surface of the object to be thawed can be guaranteed to be less than 90°, so that the object to be thawed is thawed by latent heat during the gasification process, the surface humidity of the object to be thawed is maintained, and the thawing quality of the object to be thawed is improved.

[0060] Preferably, the thawing module 100 is further configured to have an air velocity of 0.5 m / s to 2.8 m / s, an air temperature of 5°C to 35°C, a relative humidity of 50% to 95%, and a droplet particle size of 4 um to 12 um for the thawing airflow blown to the thawing area. A large number of experiments have confirmed that limiting the air velocity, air temperature, relative humidity, and droplet particle size within the above-mentioned preferred range can greatly shorten the thawing time and help improve the freshness after thawing.

[0061] Preferably, the thawing module 100 is further configured to have an air velocity of 1.0 m / s to 2.5 m / s, an air temperature of 18°C ​​to 30°C, a relative humidity of 60% to 85%, and a droplet particle size of 5um to 8um when the thawing airflow blown to the thawing area. A large number of experiments have confirmed that limiting the air velocity, air temperature, relative humidity, and droplet particle size within the above-mentioned preferred ranges can greatly improve the thawing speed and thawing quality of the thawed object, especially for the thawed object with a lower freezing temperature and a larger volume, the loss of juice after thawing is very small, the freshness is high, and there is almost no effect on the subsequent taste of the food.

[0062] For example, the air flow velocity of the thawing air flow blown to the thawing area can be 1.0m / s, 1.2m / s, 1.5m / s, 1.8m / s, 2.0m / s, 2.2m / s, 2.5m / s, the air flow temperature can be 18°C, 20°C, 22°C, 25°C, 28°C, 30°C, the relative humidity can be 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, and the particle size of the droplets can be 5um, 5.5um, 6um, 6.5um, 7um, 7.5um, 8um.

[0063] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present invention, the four parameters of air flow velocity, air flow temperature, relative humidity and droplet particle size are all limited to the preferred range or the preferred range at the same time. However, in some other embodiments, it is not limited to limiting the four parameters to the preferred range or the preferred range at the same time. For example, only one of the parameters can be limited to the preferred range (or the preferred range), and the ranges of the other three parameters can remain unchanged.

[0064] Reference Figure 1 The thawing module 100 includes at least a flow promotion component 110 and a heating component 120, wherein the flow promotion component 110 is configured to blow air toward the thawing area in a controlled manner, and the heating component 120 is arranged on the air inlet side or the air outlet side of the flow promotion component 110, and is configured to heat the thawing airflow blown to the thawing area so that the airflow temperature of the thawing airflow meets the requirements.

[0065] The thawing module 100 can be used in a low temperature environment, and the temperature of the low temperature environment can be 0°C to 25°C, such as 5°C, 8°C, 10°C, 15°C, etc. The humidity in the low temperature environment is relatively high, which can ensure that the relative humidity of the thawing airflow meets the requirements.

[0066] As the heating component 120 continues to heat, the temperature of the low-temperature environment will rise. For example, when the temperature rises to 15°C, the heating component 120 can be turned off, and when the temperature drops to 5°C, the heating component 120 can be turned on again. In this way, the frequent turning on and off of the heating component 120 can be avoided while ensuring that the relative humidity of the thawing airflow meets the requirements. In addition, during the shutdown period of the heating component 120, the environment where the thawing module 100 is located can be cooled so that the environment where it is located can be quickly restored to a low-temperature environment.

[0067] Furthermore, the thawing module 100 may also include a humidifying component 130, which is configured to generate a humidified airflow in a controlled manner and supply the humidified airflow to the air inlet path or the air outlet path of the flow-promoting component 110. In this way, during the air supply process of the flow-promoting component 110, the humidified airflow is continuously supplied to the thawing airflow through the humidifying component 130, so that the relative humidity after the thawing airflow and the humidified airflow are mixed can always meet the requirements, and there is no need to shut down the heating component 120, which is conducive to continuously thawing the thawed object and shortening the waiting time of the user.

[0068] Specifically, the humidifying component 130 may include an atomizing head 132, and the atomizing head 132 may be arranged adjacent to the periphery of the flow promoting component 110, so that the humidified airflow generated by the atomizing head 132 can move along a path with the thawing airflow, during which time some droplets in the humidified airflow will be vaporized under the high temperature of the thawing airflow, and after being blown to the object to be thawed, the object to be thawed will be latently thawed, while the droplets that have not been vaporized can adhere to the surface of the object to be thawed.

[0069] The atomizing head 132 can be gradually inclined toward the air outlet path from the flow promotion component 110 to the thawing area, so as to make the humidified airflow mix with the thawing airflow along the flow direction of the thawing airflow, thereby minimizing the impact on the normal flow speed and flow direction of the thawing airflow.

[0070] Since the particle size of droplets is a relatively complex parameter and is affected by many factors, in practical applications, in order to ensure that the particle size of droplets carried in the thawing air flow blown to the thawing area meets the requirements, this can be achieved by adjusting the operating frequency of the atomizing head 132, the power of the heating component 120, the wind speed or air volume of the flow promoting component 110, the distance between the atomizing head 132 and the flow promoting component 110, and the distance between the flow promoting component 110 and the thawing area.

[0071] In a typical configuration, the flow promotion component 110 includes an axial flow fan, the heating component 120 includes a heating wire, and the atomization component includes an atomization head 132. The heating wire is arranged on the air inlet side of the axial flow fan, and the atomization head 132 is arranged below the axial flow fan and gradually tilts from bottom to top along the air outlet path of the axial flow fan.

[0072] The present invention also provides a low-temperature and high-humidity thawing device 10, which at least includes a thawing box 140 and a thawing module 100, wherein a thawing chamber 143 is defined in the thawing box 140, and the thawing module 100 is arranged in the thawing chamber 143, and the thawing chamber 143 has a thawing area for placing the object to be thawed, and the thawing module 100 blows the generated thawing airflow to the thawing area, thereby thawing the object to be thawed. Since the thawing module 100 is arranged in the thawing box 140, the user can thaw at any appropriate position by moving the thawing box 140, and the thawing box 140 can provide a relatively closed thawing space for the object to be thawed, which can prevent the object to be thawed from contacting with the external environment during the thawing process, which is conducive to reducing bacterial proliferation and keeping the surface of the object to be thawed clean.

[0073] Figure 3 is a structural diagram of a low-temperature and high-humidity thawing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a low-temperature and high-humidity thawing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figure 3 and Figure 4 The low-temperature and high-humidity thawing device 10 may include a thawing box 140, a thawing door and a thawing module 100, wherein the thawing box 140 is defined with a forward-opening thawing chamber 143, the thawing module 100 is arranged in the thawing chamber 143, and the thawing door is pivotally connected to the thawing box 140 for opening and closing the thawing chamber 143 for users to take in and put in the thawing objects.

[0074] The thawing door can be a single-open door or a double-open door, and the single-open door is shown in the drawings. A vertically extending pivot shaft is provided between the thawing door and the left or right side of the thawing box 140, so that the thawing door can be rotated to the left or right side of the thawing box 140 to open; or, a horizontally extending pivot shaft is provided between the thawing door and the top of the thawing box 140, so that the thawing door can be flipped open toward the top of the thawing box 140, and the thawing door shown in the drawings is flipped upward to open.

[0075] In order to keep the thawing door stable after turning upward, the front face of the thawing box 140 can be designed as an inclined plane that gradually tilts forward from top to bottom. In this way, after the thawing door is opened, the angle of its upward turning will be greater than 90°, and the center of gravity of the thawing door is relatively backward, so that it will not automatically turn forward and fall.

[0076] The thawing module 100 may include a flow promotion component 110, a heating component 120 and a humidification component 130. The flow promotion component 110 is mainly used to form a thawing airflow flowing through the thawing area in the thawing chamber 143, the heating component 120 is mainly used to heat the thawing airflow, and the humidification component 130 is mainly used to humidify the thawing airflow, so that the airflow velocity, airflow temperature, relative humidity and droplet particle size of the thawing airflow blown to the thawing area finally meet the preset requirements.

[0077] The top wall of the thawing chamber 143 may be provided with an air supply port 144, the thawing area is located below the air supply port 144, the side wall of the thawing chamber 143 may be provided with an air return port 145, a flow guide duct 146 is defined between the air supply port 144 and the return air port 145, and the flow promotion component 110 may be arranged at the air supply port 144. During the thawing process, the flow promotion component 110 is controlled to blow the thawing airflow downward, and after the thawing airflow acts on the object to be thawed, it will flow back to the flow promotion component 110 from the air return port 145 through the flow guide duct 146, so as to circulate in the thawing chamber 143, which will help to improve the smoothness of the airflow and accelerate the thawing speed of the object to be thawed.

[0078] Of course, in some other embodiments, the flow promotion component 110 is also controlled to blow the thawing airflow upward, so that the thawing airflow is blown out from the return air port 145 and acts on the object to be thawed. Alternatively, the flow promotion component 110 can also be set at the return air port 145, and the flow promotion component 110 can be controlled to blow the thawing airflow toward the object to be thawed or toward the drainage air duct 146.

[0079] In the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings of the present invention, the air supply port 144 is located at the center of the top wall of the thawing chamber 143, the return air port 145 is located at the bottom of the two side walls of the thawing chamber 143, and a drainage air duct 146 is defined between the air supply port 144 and each return air port 145. The flow promotion component 110 is arranged at the air supply port 144 to blow the thawing air flow downward.

[0080] Reference Figure 5 The thawing box 140 may include an outer box 141 and an inner frame 142, wherein the inner frame 142 is disposed in the outer box 141, and the inner frame 142 defines a thawing chamber 143, and a drainage duct 146 is formed between the two side walls of the inner frame 142 and the two side walls of the outer box 141, and between the top wall of the inner frame 142 and the top wall of the outer box 141. That is, the drainage duct 146 is equivalent to an inverted U-shape, and is buckled on both sides and the top of the thawing chamber 143.

[0081] The inner frame 142 and the outer frame may be an integrated structure or a split structure, and the bottom wall of the thawing chamber 143 may be the bottom wall of the thawing box 140 , or the inner frame 142 itself has a bottom wall, which serves as the bottom wall of the thawing chamber 143 .

[0082] The wind speed of the flow promotion component 110 can be set to 0.2m / s to 3m / s, and the length of the air supply path between it and the thawing area can be set to 5cm to 40cm. Since the wind speed at the proximal end of the flow promotion component 110 is relatively high and the wind speed at the distal end is relatively low, in practical applications, the wind speed of the flow promotion component 110 and the length of the air supply path between the flow promotion component 110 and the thawing area should be reasonably configured to ensure that the air flow speed of the thawing airflow blown to the thawing area meets the requirements.

[0083] Although the flow promotion component 110 shown in the present invention is an axial flow fan, without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, those skilled in the art may replace the axial flow fan with a centrifugal fan and make the air flow velocity, air flow temperature and other parameters of the thawing air flow blown to the thawing area consistent with the parameter range disclosed in the present invention, which should also fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0084] The heating component 120 can be disposed in the air flow channel 146 to heat the thawing airflow flowing back to the flow promotion component 110. In this way, when the thawing airflow is blown to the thawing area again through the flow promotion component 110, the airflow temperature can still meet the requirements.

[0085] Reference Figure 4 The heating component 120 may include a heat storage plate 121. The working process of the heat storage plate 121 includes a heat storage stage and a heat release stage. When the airflow in the drainage duct 146 needs to be heated, the heat storage plate 121 can be controlled to release heat, which is beneficial to saving heating costs.

[0086] The thermal conductivity of the heat storage plate 121 may be 0.026W / (m·K) to 400W / (m·K), and the phase transition point temperature may be -18°C to 30°C. The heat storage plate 121 with such thermal conductivity and phase transition point temperature can fully heat the thawing airflow flowing back to the flow promotion component 110, effectively ensuring that the airflow temperature of the thawing airflow when it is subsequently blown to the thawing area still meets the requirements.

[0087] The heat storage plate 121 can be arranged adjacent to one side of the flow promotion component 110, or around the flow promotion component 110, so that the thawing airflow can be directly blown by the flow promotion component 110 after being heated by the heat storage plate 121, shortening the flow length of the thawing airflow after heating, which is beneficial to reducing the heat loss of the thawing airflow during the flow process.

[0088] Furthermore, the heating assembly 120 may also include at least one heat dissipation fin 122. A heat transfer tube 123 is connected between the heat storage plate 121 and the heat dissipation fin 122. The heat storage plate 121 transfers the heat generated by it to the heat dissipation fin 122 through the heat transfer tube 123, thereby increasing its own heat dissipation area, thereby improving the heating efficiency and realizing rapid heating of the thawed airflow.

[0089] The heat storage plate 121 can be arranged in the upper section of the air duct 146 in the thawing chamber 143, and the number of the heat dissipation fins 122 can be two, and the two heat dissipation fins 122 are respectively arranged in the sections on both sides of the air duct 146 in the thawing chamber 143, and a heat transfer pipe 123 is connected between each heat dissipation fin 122 and the heat storage plate 121. In this way, the thawing airflow flowing back to the flow promotion component 110 from the return air ports 145 on both sides can be heated by the heat dissipation fins 122, thereby improving the uniformity of heating.

[0090] Reference Figure 6 The heating component 120 may also include at least one heat sink, and the heat storage plate 121 is in contact with the heat sink, and the heat dissipation area thereof is increased through the heat sink. In other words, the heat storage plate 121 can directly transfer the generated heat to the heat sink, and the thawing airflow not only contacts the surface of the heat storage plate 121 but also contacts the surface of the heat sink when it flows back to the flow promotion component 110, which can also improve the heating efficiency of the heat storage plate 121 and realize rapid heating of the thawing airflow.

[0091] At least one heat sink may include a first heat sink 124, which is coated on the inner wall of the drainage air duct 146 adjacent to the thawing chamber 143, that is, the upper surface of the top wall and the outer surface of the two side walls of the inner frame 142, and the heat storage plate 121 is fixed on the first heat sink 124. In this way, the first heat sink 124 can be designed to be large enough in the limited drainage air duct 146 so as to fully heat the thawing airflow. In addition, the first heat sink 124 covers the upper surface of the top wall of the inner frame 142, which can play a role of radiation heat transfer to the inside of the thawing chamber 143, heat the inside of the thawing chamber 143, and increase the airflow temperature of the thawing airflow flowing back to the drainage air duct 146, which is conducive to improving the heat utilization rate.

[0092] At least one heat sink may further include a second heat sink 125, which is disposed above the first heat sink 124, and the second heat sink 125 and the first heat sink 124 clamp the heat storage plate 121 from the upper and lower sides. In other words, the heat generated by the heat storage plate 121 will be transferred to the first heat sink 124 and the second heat sink 125 through the upper and lower surfaces respectively, and the thawing airflow will contact and transfer heat with the surface of the second heat sink 125 during the flow in the air duct 146, resulting in a decrease in the temperature of the second heat sink 125, and the first heat sink 124 can radiate heat transfer to the second heat sink 125, further improving the heat utilization rate.

[0093] The second heat sink 125 can be adapted to the shape of the first heat sink 124, and the heat storage plate 121 can be designed to be relatively thin, so that the distance between the first heat sink 124 and the second heat sink 125 is small, which facilitates the first heat sink 124 to radiate heat to the second heat sink 125. The periphery of the second heat sink 125 has a flange bent toward the first heat sink 124, or the periphery of the first heat sink 124 has a flange bent toward the second heat sink 125, in order to form a relatively sealed structure between the second heat sink 125 and the first heat sink 124, so as to prevent the thawing airflow from entering the gap between the two, so that the thawing airflow can flow smoothly in the drainage duct 146.

[0094] Of course, in some other embodiments, the heat storage plate 121 can also be designed to be thicker, so that the distance between the first heat sink 124 and the second heat sink 125 is larger, and the second heat sink 125 is covered on the inner wall of the drainage duct 146 away from the thawing chamber 143, that is, the lower surface of the top wall and the inner surface of the two side walls of the outer box 141. In this way, the heat storage plate 121 will hinder the flow speed of the thawing airflow to a certain extent, and the radiation heat transfer effect of the first heat sink 124 and the second heat sink 125 is poor, but the thawing airflow can contact the surfaces of the first heat sink 124 and the second heat sink 125 at the same time.

[0095] The first heat sink 124 and the second heat sink 125 are provided with a clearance opening corresponding to the flow promotion component 110. The purpose of setting the clearance opening is mainly to prevent the first heat sink 124 and the second heat sink 125 from blocking the air outlet 144, so as to ensure that the thawing airflow in the air duct 146 can flow out smoothly from the air outlet 144.

[0096] The heat sink may be an aluminum heat sink, which has a high thermal conductivity and good heat transfer and heat dissipation. The thickness of the heat sink may be 0.2 mm to 8 mm, such as 0.5 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, etc. The heat sink within this thickness range has good structural strength and is not easily damaged. It is also light in weight, which is beneficial to the overall weight of the thawing box 140 and is easy for the user to move the thawing box 140.

[0097] Reference Figure 7 The humidification component 130 may include a water storage box 131 and an atomizing head 132. The water storage box 131 is mainly used to store humidification water, and the atomizing head 132 is mainly used to convert the humidification water into a humidified airflow and supply it to the thawing chamber 143, thereby adjusting the relative humidity of the thawing chamber 143, and then adjusting the relative humidity of the thawing airflow, so that the relative humidity of the thawing airflow blown to the thawing area can meet the requirements.

[0098] The water storage box 131 can be slidably connected to the front end of the thawing box 140. After the thawing door is flipped upward and opened, the water storage box 131 can be exposed. The user can easily add humidification water to the water storage box 131 by pulling the water storage box 131 forward.

[0099] Specifically, a sliding groove 147 is provided at the front end of the inner frame 142 of the thawing box 140, and the sliding groove 147 extends along the depth direction of the thawing chamber 143, and the water storage box 131 is inserted into the sliding groove 147. The shape of the sliding groove 147 should be as compatible as possible with the shape of the water storage box 131, so that the water storage box 131 can remain stable after being pushed into the sliding groove 147.

[0100] The sliding groove 147 may be located above the thawing chamber 143, and its bottom is connected to the thawing chamber 143. After the water storage box 131 is fully pushed into the sliding groove 147, the water storage box 131 is located on the lower side of the flow promotion component 110, and at least partially extends into the thawing chamber 143. In this way, the atomizing head 132 can be fixed to the side of the water storage box 131 adjacent to the air supply path, so that the atomizing head 132 supplies humidified airflow toward the air supply path in the thawing chamber 143.

[0101] The two sides of the sliding groove 147 are provided with lap plates 148, and the two sides of the water storage box 131 can be supported on the lap plates 148. The lap plates 148 shown in the drawings are located at the bottom of the two sides of the sliding groove 147, and when the water storage box 131 is pushed into the sliding groove 147, its bottom is supported on the lap plates 148. In some other embodiments, the lap plates 148 can also be located in the middle of the two sides of the sliding groove 147, and accordingly, the two sides of the water storage box 131 are provided with lap grooves that cooperate with the lap plates 148.

[0102] A baffle is provided at the front end of the water storage box 131, and the lower edge of the baffle is lower than the top wall of the thawing chamber 143. That is, the lower edge of the baffle is lower than the upper edge of the forward opening, and when the water storage box 131 is fully pushed into the sliding groove 147, the user can buckle the lower edge of the baffle through the forward opening, thereby conveniently pulling the water storage box 131 forward.

[0103] Since the atomizing head 132 is fixed on the water storage box 131 and can be pulled forward with the water storage box 131, it is necessary to consider the power supply method of the atomizing head 132. The humidifying assembly 130 of this embodiment may also include a wireless power supply 133, which is used to connect the atomizing head 132 to an external power source and enable the atomizing head 132 to work in a controlled manner.

[0104] The wireless power supply 133 may include a transmitting coil 133a and a receiving coil 133b, wherein the transmitting coil 133a may be fixed to the top of the inner frame 142, and the receiving coil 133b may be fixed to the top of the water storage box 131. When the water storage box 131 is fully pushed into the sliding groove 147, the transmitting coil 133a and the receiving coil 133b are arranged opposite to each other up and down, and the interval between the two is less than 10 mm. Since the working principle of the wireless power supply 133 is well known to those skilled in the art, it will not be described here.

[0105] It should be noted that the straight-line distance that the atomizing head 132 supplies the humidified airflow to the air supply path can be 10mm to 300mm, for example 10mm, 20mm, 30mm, 50mm, etc., to reduce the loss before the humidified airflow is mixed with the thawing airflow, so that more droplets in the humidified airflow can be vaporized under the high temperature of the thawing airflow, and the unvaporized droplets can adhere to the surface of the to-be-thawed object at a desired wetting angle, thawing the to-be-thawed object by the latent heat of vaporization, maintaining the humidity on the surface of the to-be-thawed object, and ensuring the thawing quality of the to-be-thawed object.

[0106] The present invention also provides a refrigerator 1, referring to Figure 8 The refrigerator 1 may generally include a body 20 and a door 30. The body 20 defines a storage compartment inside. The storage compartment may be configured as a refrigeration compartment, a freezing compartment, a variable temperature compartment, etc. according to the refrigeration temperature. Specifically, the number, function, layout, etc. of the storage compartment may be configured in a targeted manner according to demand, and the present invention does not impose any limitation on this.

[0107] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator 1 also includes the above-mentioned thawing module 100 for generating thawing airflow, and the thawing module 100 is arranged in the storage compartment of the refrigerator 1. The compartment temperature of the storage compartment can be configured to be -5°C to 40°C, for example, 5°C, 10°C, 15°C, etc. The storage compartment can be used as a thawing compartment 143, and a thawing area for placing the to-be-thawed objects is defined on its bottom wall, or a shelf is provided inside it, and a thawing area for placing the to-be-thawed objects is defined on the shelf.

[0108] In another specific embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator 1 also includes the low-temperature and high-humidity thawing device 10 mentioned above, and the low-temperature and high-humidity thawing device 10 is arranged inside the storage compartment. The compartment temperature of the storage compartment can be configured to be -5°C to 40°C, such as 5°C, 10°C, 15°C, etc., or the low-temperature and high-humidity thawing device 10 is arranged on the inner side of the door body 30 of the refrigerator 1, for example, placed on the bottle seat of the door body 30, or the low-temperature and high-humidity thawing device 10 is arranged on the outside of the door body 30 of the refrigerator 1, the outside of the box body 20 or the top of the box body 20, so that it can be used independently.

[0109] Those skilled in the art should understand that, unless otherwise specified, the terms used to indicate orientation or positional relationship in the embodiments of the present invention are based on the actual use status of the refrigerator 1. These terms are only used to facilitate the description and understanding of the technical solution of the present invention, and do not indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limitations on the present invention.

[0110] Unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like 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 an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. A person skilled in the art should be able to understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0111] In the description of the present embodiment, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "illustrative embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0112] At this point, those skilled in the art should recognize that, although multiple exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein, many other variations or modifications that conform to the principles of the present invention can still be directly determined or derived based on the content disclosed in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be understood and recognized as covering all these other variations or modifications.

Claims

1. A thawing module for generating a thawing airflow, characterized in that: The thawing module is configured so that the air flow velocity of the thawing air flow blown to the thawing area is 0.2m / s to 3m / s, the air flow temperature is 5°C to 60°C, and the relative humidity is 40% to 99%.

2. The thawing module for generating thawing airflow according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thawing module is also configured so that the particle size of the droplets carried in the thawing air flow blown to the thawing area is 1 um to 15 um.

3. The thawing module for generating thawing airflow according to claim 2, characterized in that: The thawing module is further configured to blow the thawing airflow to the thawing area: Air flow velocity is 0.5m / s~2.8m / s; and / or The air flow temperature is 5°C to 35°C; and / or Relative humidity is 50% to 95%; and / or The particle size of the droplets is 4um to 12um.

4. The thawing module for generating thawing airflow according to claim 2, characterized in that: The thawing module is further configured to blow the thawing airflow to the thawing area: Air flow velocity is 1.0m / s to 2.5m / s; and / or The air flow temperature is 18℃~30℃; and / or Relative humidity is 60% to 85%; and / or The particle size of the droplets is 5um to 8um.

5. The thawing module for generating thawing airflow according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thawing module includes a flow promotion component and a heating component. The flow promotion component is configured to blow air toward the thawing area in a controlled manner. The heating component is arranged on the air inlet side or the air outlet side of the flow promotion component and is configured to heat the thawing airflow blown to the thawing area.

6. The thawing module for generating thawing airflow according to claim 5, characterized in that: The thawing module further includes a humidifying component, which is configured to generate a humidified airflow in a controlled manner and supply the humidified airflow to an air inlet path or an air outlet path of the flow promoting component.

7. The thawing module for generating thawing airflow according to claim 6, characterized in that: The humidifying component includes an atomizing head, which is arranged adjacent to the outer periphery of the flow promoting component and gradually tilts toward the air outlet path from the flow promoting component to the thawing area.

8. A low-temperature and high-humidity thawing device, characterized in that: include: A thawing box, which defines a thawing compartment therein, wherein the thawing compartment has a thawing area for placing objects to be thawed; and The thawing module for generating thawing airflow according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is arranged in the thawing room.

9. A refrigerator, characterized in that: It comprises the low-temperature and high-humidity thawing device according to claim 8.

10. A refrigerator, characterized in that: include: A box body, wherein a storage compartment is defined therein, and the storage compartment has a thawing area for placing objects to be thawed; and The thawing module for generating thawing airflow according to any one of claims 1-7 is arranged in the storage room.

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