Refrigerator and methods for defrosting food stored in the refrigerator

Abstract

This invention provides a refrigerator and a method for defrosting food stored in the refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a refrigerator compartment, a defrosting compartment, and an evaporation compartment. An evaporator and a fan are installed in the evaporation compartment. A controller is connected to a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, a first air damper, a second air damper, the evaporator, and the fan. By setting up a defrosting compartment within the refrigerator compartment, the high-humidity gas in the evaporation compartment is used to defrost the food to be defrosted to a slightly frozen, easily cut temperature. The temperature in the defrosting compartment is then controlled within a constant range within this slightly frozen, easily cut temperature. By controlling the opening and closing of the first air damper and the fan, high-humidity gas can be supplied to the defrosting compartment, thus solving the problem of inaccurate detection of the surface temperature of stored food during the defrosting process, which leads to long defrosting times and uneven defrosting.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of food thawing technology for household refrigerators, specifically to a refrigerator and a method for thawing food stored in the refrigerator. Background Technology

[0002] Thawing food generally refers to the process of restoring frozen food to a thawed state through some means. Commonly used thawing techniques in daily life include water thawing, air thawing, and refrigerator thawing.

[0003] Water thawing involves placing frozen meat in room temperature or warm water to thaw it. However, water thawing takes a long time, and during the process, the meat loses a significant amount of nutrients along with the blood. Air thawing involves taking the meat out beforehand and leaving it in room temperature air to thaw. However, air thawing also takes a long time, and if left unattended for too long, the meat may discolor and release a lot of blood. Microwave thawing is another option. Refrigerator thawing involves removing the food from the freezer beforehand and placing it on the lower shelf of the refrigerator to thaw slowly at a low temperature. This method best preserves the quality and safety of the food, but it takes a long time.

[0004] Therefore, to address the issue of long defrosting times for meat, some refrigerators incorporate radio frequency (RF) defrosting devices that generate radio frequency waves in the defrosting chamber to defrost the food. Alternatively, heaters are used, combining airflow in the refrigerator compartment with the heat released by the heater to defrost the food. However, RF defrosting devices and heaters generate a significant amount of extra heat within the refrigerator, increasing the heat load. Furthermore, defrosting with hot air results in uneven thawing, often leading to surface thawing while the interior remains frozen. Additionally, the heat emitted by the heaters increases electricity consumption. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a refrigerator and a method for thawing food stored in the refrigerator, in order to solve the problem that the surface temperature of the stored food cannot be accurately captured during the thawing process, resulting in long thawing time and uneven thawing.

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a refrigerator, comprising:

[0007] Refrigerator;

[0008] The thawing chamber is located within the refrigerator compartment;

[0009] An evaporation chamber, wherein an evaporator and a fan are installed;

[0010] The defrosting chamber is connected to the evaporation chamber via a first air duct; the refrigeration chamber is connected to the evaporation chamber via a second air duct.

[0011] The first air duct is equipped with a first air damper, and the second air duct is equipped with a second air damper;

[0012] The evaporator is equipped with a temperature and humidity sensor, and the defrosting chamber is equipped with a temperature sensor;

[0013] The controller is connected to the humidity sensor, the temperature sensor, the first damper, the second damper, the evaporator, and the fan, respectively.

[0014] The controller is configured to:

[0015] In response to a defrosting command for defrosting stored food, the temperature and humidity of the evaporation chamber detected by the temperature and humidity sensor are obtained, and the surface temperature of the food to be defrosted is obtained by the temperature sensor.

[0016] The temperature of the evaporation chamber is compared with the surface temperature to generate a first comparison result;

[0017] The humidity of the evaporation chamber is compared with a preset humidity range to generate a second comparison result;

[0018] Based on the first comparison result and the second comparison result, the fan, the first damper and the second damper are controlled to open or close.

[0019] Optionally, the controller is configured to:

[0020] If the temperature of the evaporation chamber is greater than the surface temperature and the humidity of the evaporation chamber is within the preset humidity range, then the first damper and the fan are controlled to open, and the second damper is controlled to close.

[0021] If the temperature of the evaporation chamber is lower than the surface temperature or the humidity of the evaporation chamber is not within the preset humidity range, then the defrosting heater is activated to make the temperature of the evaporation chamber higher than the surface temperature and the humidity of the evaporation chamber within the preset humidity range.

[0022] Optionally, after controlling the first damper and the fan to open and the second damper to close, the controller is further configured to:

[0023] If the surface temperature is greater than the first preset temperature, the fan is controlled to shut down;

[0024] The surface temperature is obtained at preset intervals;

[0025] If the surface temperature is greater than the first preset temperature, then calculate the difference between the evaporation chamber temperature and the first preset temperature;

[0026] If the difference is less than the second preset temperature, then the fan and the second damper are controlled to open, and the first damper is controlled to close.

[0027] Optionally, the controller is further configured to:

[0028] If the difference is less than the preset temperature value, then the fan is controlled to turn on;

[0029] If the difference is greater than the second preset temperature, then the defrosting heater is controlled to start for a preset time.

[0030] Optionally, the first preset temperature is any value between 0 and 6°C; the second preset temperature is any value between 0 and 1°C; the preset interval time is any value between 1 and 10 minutes; the humidity range is 80-100%; and the preset temperature value is 0°C.

[0031] Optionally, it also includes a refrigeration system, the refrigeration system including a compressor and refrigeration piping connected to the compressor; the controller is further configured to:

[0032] If the temperature of the evaporation chamber is lower than the surface temperature or the humidity of the evaporation chamber is not within the preset humidity range, then the refrigeration pipeline is shut down and the compressor is turned off.

[0033] If the difference is less than the second preset temperature, the compressor is turned on and the refrigeration pipeline is connected.

[0034] Optionally, the first damper is located at the air inlet of the first air duct, and the second damper is located at the air inlet of the second air duct. The horizontal height of the air inlet of the first air duct is less than the horizontal height of the air inlet of the second air duct, the horizontal height of the air inlet of the first air duct is greater than the horizontal height of the air outlet of the first air duct, and the horizontal height of the air inlet of the second air duct is less than the horizontal height of the air outlet of the second air duct.

[0035] Secondly, this application provides a method for thawing food stored in a refrigerator, applied to the refrigerator described in the first aspect above, comprising:

[0036] In response to a defrosting command for defrosting stored food, the temperature and humidity of the evaporation chamber detected by the temperature and humidity sensor are obtained, and the surface temperature of the food to be defrosted is detected by the temperature sensor.

[0037] The temperature of the evaporation chamber is compared with the surface temperature to generate a first comparison result;

[0038] The humidity of the evaporation chamber is compared with a preset humidity range to generate a second comparison result;

[0039] Based on the first comparison result and the second comparison result, the fan, the first damper and the second damper are controlled to open or close.

[0040] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0041] If the temperature of the evaporation chamber is greater than the surface temperature and the humidity of the evaporation chamber is within the preset humidity range, then the first damper and the fan are controlled to open, and the second damper is controlled to close.

[0042] If the temperature of the evaporation chamber is lower than the surface temperature or the humidity of the evaporation chamber is not within the preset humidity range, then the defrosting heater is activated, the refrigeration pipeline is shut down, and the compressor is shut down.

[0043] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0044] If the surface temperature is greater than the first preset temperature, the fan is controlled to shut down;

[0045] The surface temperature is obtained at preset intervals;

[0046] If the surface temperature is greater than the first preset temperature, then calculate the difference between the evaporation chamber temperature and the first preset temperature;

[0047] If the difference is less than the second preset temperature, then the fan and the second damper are controlled to open, the first damper is controlled to close, the compressor is controlled to start, and the refrigeration pipeline is connected.

[0048] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, this application provides a refrigerator and a method for defrosting food stored in the refrigerator. The refrigerator includes: a refrigerator compartment; a defrosting compartment, the defrosting compartment being located within the refrigerator compartment; an evaporation chamber, the evaporation chamber being equipped with an evaporator and a fan; the defrosting compartment being connected to the evaporation chamber via a first air duct; the refrigerator compartment being connected to the evaporation chamber via a second air duct; the first air duct being equipped with a first damper, and the second air duct being equipped with a second damper; the evaporator being equipped with a temperature and humidity sensor, and the defrosting compartment being equipped with a temperature sensor; and a controller, the controller being connected to the humidity sensor, the temperature sensor, and the second air duct respectively. A first damper, a second damper, an evaporator, and a fan are connected. The controller is configured to: respond to a defrosting command for defrosting stored food, acquire the temperature and humidity of the evaporator chamber detected by the temperature and humidity sensor, and acquire the surface temperature of the food to be defrosted detected by the temperature sensor; compare the evaporator chamber temperature with the surface temperature to generate a first comparison result; compare the evaporator chamber humidity with a preset humidity range to generate a second comparison result; and control the fan, the first damper, and the second damper to open or close based on the first comparison result and the second comparison result. By setting a defrosting chamber in the refrigerator's cold storage compartment, the high humidity gas in the evaporator chamber is used to defrost the food to be defrosted to a slightly frozen and easily cut temperature, and then the temperature in the defrosting chamber is controlled within a constant range of slightly frozen and easily cut. By controlling the opening or closing of the first damper and the fan, the effect of supplying high humidity gas to the defrosting chamber can be achieved, thus solving the problem that the surface temperature of the stored food cannot be accurately captured during the defrosting process, resulting in long defrosting time and uneven defrosting. Attached Figure Description

[0049] To more clearly illustrate the technical solution of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0050] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the refrigerator structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a method for thawing refrigerator storage items provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0052] Figure label:

[0053] Among them, 1-refrigeration compartment; 2-thawing compartment; 3-evaporation chamber; 4-fan; 5-evaporator; 6-temperature and humidity sensor; 7-second air duct; 8-second air damper; 9-first air duct; 10-first air damper; 11-temperature sensor; 12-controller. Detailed Implementation

[0054] The embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The embodiments described below do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. They are merely examples of systems and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the claims.

[0055] Thawing food generally refers to the process of restoring frozen food to a thawed state through some means. Commonly used thawing techniques in daily life include water thawing, air thawing, and refrigerator thawing.

[0056] Water thawing involves placing frozen meat in room temperature or warm water to thaw it. However, water thawing takes a long time, and during the process, the meat loses a significant amount of nutrients along with the blood. Air thawing involves taking the meat out beforehand and leaving it in room temperature air to thaw. However, air thawing also takes a long time, and if left unattended for too long, the meat may discolor and release a lot of blood. Microwave thawing is another option. Refrigerator thawing involves removing the food from the freezer beforehand and placing it on the lower shelf of the refrigerator to thaw slowly at a low temperature. This method best preserves the quality and safety of the food, but it takes a long time.

[0057] Therefore, to address the issue of long defrosting times for meat, some embodiments employ a radio frequency (RF) defrosting device within the defrosting chamber of the refrigerator's freezer compartment. This RF device generates radio frequency waves of a specific frequency within the defrosting chamber to defrost the food. Alternatively, a heater can be used, utilizing the airflow within the freezer compartment and the heat released by the heater to defrost the food. However, both the RF defrosting device and the heater generate a significant amount of additional heat within the refrigerator, increasing the refrigerator's heat load. Furthermore, defrosting with hot air results in uneven thawing, often leading to surface thawing while the interior remains frozen. Additionally, the heat emitted by the heater within the refrigerator increases electricity consumption.

[0058] To address the issue of refrigerators failing to accurately capture the surface temperature of stored food during the thawing process, resulting in prolonged thawing times and uneven thawing, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 1 This application provides a refrigerator in some embodiments, including:

[0059] Refrigeration compartment 1; thawing compartment 2, which is located inside the refrigeration compartment 1.

[0060] Evaporation chamber 3, which contains evaporator 5 and fan 4.

[0061] The thawing chamber 2 is connected to the evaporation chamber 3 via the first air duct 9; the refrigeration chamber 1 is connected to the evaporation chamber 3 via the second air duct 7.

[0062] The first air duct 9 is equipped with a first air damper 10, and the second air duct 7 is equipped with a second air damper 8.

[0063] The evaporator 5 is equipped with a temperature and humidity sensor 6, and the defrosting chamber 2 is equipped with a temperature sensor 11.

[0064] The controller 12 is connected to the humidity sensor, temperature sensor 11, first damper 10, second damper 8, evaporator 5, and fan 4 respectively.

[0065] The defrosting chamber 2 is equipped with a tray for placing food. A temperature sensor 11 is mounted on the tray. When food is placed on the tray, the temperature sensor 11 comes into contact with the food and can detect the surface temperature of the food. In this embodiment, the food to be detected is frozen meat.

[0066] The thawing chamber 2 is located inside the refrigerator chamber 1. The thawing chamber 2 is an independent space with airtightness. The thawing chamber 2 is connected to the evaporator 5 and the fan 4 in the evaporation chamber 3 through the first air duct 9 and the first air door 10. When the first air door 10 is opened, the high humidity gas in the evaporation chamber 3 can be discharged into the thawing chamber 2 through the fan 4.

[0067] The refrigerator compartment 1 is connected to the evaporator 5 and the fan 4 in the evaporation chamber 3 through the second air duct 7 and the second air door 8. When the refrigerator compartment 1 needs to be refrigerated, the second air door 8 is opened, and the cold air generated by the evaporator 5 is discharged into the refrigerator compartment 1 through the fan 4.

[0068] The evaporator 5 is equipped with a temperature and humidity sensor 6, which can obtain the temperature and humidity of the evaporation chamber 3 in real time. The temperature sensor 11 is set on the tray of the defrosting chamber 2, which can detect the surface temperature of the food in real time.

[0069] When food needs to be thawed, the controller 12 can control the opening or closing of the first damper 10, the second damper 8, and the fan 4 based on the values ​​detected by the temperature and humidity sensor 6 and the temperature sensor 11, so as to thaw the food.

[0070] Specifically, controller 12 is configured as follows:

[0071] In response to a defrosting command for thawing stored food, the temperature and humidity of the evaporation chamber detected by temperature and humidity sensor 6 are obtained, and the surface temperature of the food to be defrosted is obtained by temperature sensor 11.

[0072] The temperature of the evaporation chamber is compared with the surface temperature to generate the first comparison result.

[0073] The humidity in the evaporation chamber is compared with a preset humidity range to generate a second comparison result.

[0074] Based on the first comparison result and the second comparison result, the fan 4, the first damper 10 and the second damper 8 are controlled to open or close.

[0075] When a user needs to use the refrigerator's defrost function, they can first place the food to be defrosted on the tray of the defrost compartment 2. After closing the refrigerator door, by selecting the defrost function, the controller 12 will receive the defrost command. At this time, the controller 12 will acquire the temperature and humidity of the evaporator compartment detected by the temperature and humidity sensor 6, and the surface temperature of the food to be defrosted detected by the temperature sensor 11. By comparing the temperature of the evaporator compartment with the surface temperature and the humidity of the evaporator compartment with the preset humidity range, the controller will control the first air door 10, the second air door 8, and the fan 4 to open or close.

[0076] Specifically, the process of comparing the temperature of the evaporation chamber with the surface temperature and comparing the humidity of the evaporation chamber with a preset humidity range, and then controlling the opening or closing of the first damper 10, the second damper 8, and the fan 4, involves the following steps:

[0077] If the temperature of the evaporation chamber is greater than the surface temperature and the humidity of the evaporation chamber is within the preset humidity range, then the first damper 10 and the fan 4 are opened, and the second damper 8 is closed.

[0078] If the temperature of the evaporation chamber is lower than the surface temperature or the humidity of the evaporation chamber is not within the preset humidity range, the defrosting heater will be activated to make the temperature of the evaporation chamber higher than the surface temperature and the humidity of the evaporation chamber within the preset humidity range.

[0079] Specifically, the preset humidity range is 80-100%. When the humidity in the evaporator chamber is less than 80%, it indicates that the humidity of the gas in the evaporator chamber 3 is low. The humidity in the evaporator chamber 3 needs to be increased before defrosting can begin. Therefore, the defrost heater can be activated. This removes frost from the surface of the evaporator 5 and increases the humidity in the evaporator chamber 3. Furthermore, since the defrost heater is located in the evaporator chamber 3, its activation does not affect the cooling effect of the refrigerator compartment 1.

[0080] After obtaining the surface temperature of the food to be thawed through temperature sensor 11, it is necessary to compare the evaporation chamber temperature obtained by temperature and humidity sensor 6 with the surface temperature. Since the food to be thawed needs to be thawed, the evaporation chamber temperature needs to be higher than the surface temperature of the food. Therefore, if the evaporation chamber temperature is lower than the surface temperature or the evaporation chamber humidity is not within the preset humidity range, the defrosting heater can be turned on to raise the temperature and humidity in the evaporation chamber 3. When the evaporation chamber humidity is within the preset humidity range and the evaporation chamber temperature is higher than the surface temperature, the defrosting heater is turned off, the second air damper 8 is closed, and the first air damper 10 and fan 4 are turned on. The high humidity gas in the evaporation chamber 3 is discharged into the defrosting chamber 2 by the fan 4. The food to be thawed in the defrosting chamber 2 will be continuously washed by the high humidity gas, which will cause the food to thaw unevenly. In addition, due to the high humidity of the gas, the problem of meat drying out during thawing can also be solved.

[0081] To prevent blood from appearing after thawing, the surface temperature of the food can be monitored in real time to control the thawing process.

[0082] Specifically, in some embodiments, after controlling the first damper 10 and the fan 4 to open and the second damper 8 to close, the controller 12 is further configured to:

[0083] If the surface temperature is higher than the first preset temperature, then control the fan 4 to shut down;

[0084] Surface temperature is obtained at preset intervals;

[0085] If the surface temperature is greater than the first preset temperature, then calculate the difference between the evaporation chamber temperature and the first preset temperature.

[0086] If the difference is less than the second preset temperature, then control the fan 4 and the second damper 8 to open, and control the first damper 10 to close.

[0087] Since the food to be thawed in this application is meat, the first preset temperature can be set to a range of 1-3°C below the freezing point of meat. For example, the freezing point of meat is generally -2°C. The first preset temperature can be set to any value between -6°C and 0°C. When the first preset temperature is -3°C, if the surface temperature of the food to be thawed is detected to be -2°C, the fan 4 can be controlled to stop.

[0088] Because the surface temperature detected when fan 4 is on is affected by the flowing gas, to more accurately detect the surface temperature of the food being thawed, the surface temperature is checked multiple times at preset intervals after fan 4 stops. The preset interval can be any number from 1 to 10 minutes, such as 1 minute, 2 minutes, ..., or 10 minutes. For example, when the preset interval is 5 minutes, the surface temperature of the food being thawed is checked every 5 minutes. If the surface temperature after multiple checks is lower than the first preset temperature, fan 4 can be turned on again to thaw the food.

[0089] If the surface temperature after multiple tests is greater than the first preset temperature, the difference between the evaporation chamber temperature and the first preset temperature can be used to determine whether the surface and interior of the food to be thawed have completed the micro-freezing state.

[0090] For example, the second preset temperature is any value between 0 and 1℃. When the second preset temperature is 1℃, the temperature of the evaporation chamber is -1.5℃ and the first preset temperature is -2℃. The difference between the temperature of the evaporation chamber and the first preset temperature is 0, that is, the difference is less than the second preset temperature. It can be determined that the food to be thawed has been thawed. The first damper 10 can be closed to keep the food to be thawed in this state in the thawing chamber 2. The fan 4 is started and the second damper 8 is opened to supply cooling to the refrigerator chamber 1.

[0091] In some embodiments, the controller 12 is further configured to:

[0092] If the difference is less than the preset temperature value, then control the fan 4 to turn on;

[0093] If the difference is greater than the second preset temperature, the defrosting heater will be turned on for a preset time.

[0094] The preset temperature is 0℃. This means that if the difference between the temperature in the evaporation chamber and the first preset temperature is less than the preset temperature, it is determined that the food to be thawed has not been fully frozen from the inside out, and the fan 4 needs to be turned on to continue the thawing process.

[0095] If the difference between the temperature of the evaporation chamber and the first preset temperature is greater than the second preset temperature, it indicates that the temperature inside the evaporation chamber 3 is too low and the temperature of the evaporation chamber needs to be increased.

[0096] In some embodiments, a refrigeration system is also included, the refrigeration system including a compressor and refrigeration piping connected to the compressor; the controller 12 is further configured to:

[0097] If the temperature of the evaporator chamber is lower than the surface temperature or the humidity of the evaporator chamber is not within the preset humidity range, the refrigeration piping will be shut off and the compressor will be turned off.

[0098] If the difference is less than the second preset temperature, the compressor will be turned on and the refrigeration pipes will be connected.

[0099] When the temperature of the evaporator chamber is lower than the surface temperature or the humidity of the evaporator chamber is not within the preset humidity range, the evaporator 5 needs to be heated and humidified. At this time, the compressor and refrigeration pipes can be turned off, and the defrosting heater can be used to heat and humidify the evaporator chamber 3. When the difference is less than the second preset temperature, it indicates that defrosting is complete. At this time, the evaporator 5 needs to be cooled down. The compressor can be turned on and the refrigeration pipes can be connected to cool down the evaporator 5, in preparation for the refrigeration of the cold storage compartment 1.

[0100] Understandably, refrigeration piping includes capillary tubes, condensers, and pipes used to transport refrigerant.

[0101] In some embodiments, the first damper 10 is disposed at the air inlet of the first air duct 9, the second damper 8 is disposed at the air inlet of the second air duct 7, the horizontal height of the air inlet of the first air duct 9 is less than the horizontal height of the air inlet of the second air duct 7, the horizontal height of the air inlet of the first air duct 9 is greater than the horizontal height of the air outlet of the first air duct 9, and the horizontal height of the air inlet of the second air duct 7 is less than the horizontal height of the air outlet of the second air duct 7.

[0102] In this application, the air outlet of the second air duct 7 is set at a relatively high height. When the refrigerator compartment 1 is cooling, the cold air is discharged into the refrigerator compartment 1 by the fan 4, and the cold air will naturally sink. At the same time, the air outlet of the first air duct 9 is set at a relatively low horizontal height. When the fan 4 discharges the high humidity gas in the evaporation chamber 3 into the defrosting chamber 2, it can increase the wind speed and reduce the defrosting time.

[0103] In this embodiment, after the food to be thawed is complete, the temperature sensor 11 will detect the surface temperature of the food in real time. By controlling the temperature inside the thawing chamber 2, the temperature inside the thawing chamber 2 is kept constant within a certain range, so that the food is preserved in a slightly frozen state. On the one hand, this can improve the preservation time of the food, and on the other hand, it can prevent the food from leaking blood and contaminating the refrigerator.

[0104] In addition, a reminder module can be set up to remind the user that the thawing is complete, preventing the user from forgetting and causing the food to spoil due to prolonged lack of thawing.

[0105] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, this application provides a method for thawing food stored in a refrigerator, applied to the refrigerator provided in the above embodiment, including:

[0106] In response to a defrosting command for defrosting stored food, the temperature and humidity of the evaporation chamber detected by temperature and humidity sensor 6 are obtained, and the surface temperature of the food to be defrosted is obtained by temperature sensor 11.

[0107] The temperature of the evaporation chamber is compared with the surface temperature to generate the first comparison result;

[0108] The humidity in the evaporation chamber is compared with a preset humidity range to generate a second comparison result;

[0109] Based on the first comparison result and the second comparison result, the fan 4, the first damper 10 and the second damper 8 are controlled to open or close.

[0110] In some embodiments, the method for thawing refrigerator storage items further includes:

[0111] If the temperature of the evaporation chamber is greater than the surface temperature and the humidity of the evaporation chamber is within the preset humidity range, then the first damper 10 and the fan 4 are opened, and the second damper 8 is closed.

[0112] If the temperature of the evaporator chamber is lower than the surface temperature or the humidity of the evaporator chamber is not within the preset humidity range, the defrost heater will be activated, the refrigeration piping will be shut down, and the compressor will be turned off.

[0113] In some embodiments, the method for thawing refrigerator storage items further includes:

[0114] If the surface temperature is higher than the first preset temperature, then control the fan 4 to shut down;

[0115] Surface temperature is obtained at preset intervals;

[0116] If the surface temperature is greater than the first preset temperature, then calculate the difference between the evaporation chamber temperature and the first preset temperature.

[0117] If the difference is less than the second preset temperature, then control the fan 4 and the second damper 8 to open, control the first damper 10 to close, control the compressor to start, and connect the refrigeration pipeline.

[0118] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, this application provides a refrigerator and a method for defrosting food stored in the refrigerator. The refrigerator includes: a refrigerator compartment 1; a defrosting compartment 2, which is located inside the refrigerator compartment 1; an evaporator compartment 3, which is equipped with an evaporator 5 and a fan 4; the defrosting compartment 2 is connected to the evaporator compartment 3 through a first air duct 9; the refrigerator compartment 1 is connected to the evaporator compartment 3 through a second air duct 7; the first air duct 9 is equipped with a first air damper 10, and the second air duct 7 is equipped with a second air damper 8; the evaporator 5 is equipped with a temperature and humidity sensor 6, and the defrosting compartment 2 is equipped with a temperature sensor 11; a controller 12, which is connected to the humidity sensor and the temperature sensor 11 respectively. Sensor 11, first damper 10, second damper 8, evaporator 5, and fan 4 are connected. Controller 12 is configured to: in response to a defrosting command for defrosting stored food, acquire the temperature and humidity of the evaporator chamber detected by temperature and humidity sensor 6, and acquire the surface temperature of the food to be defrosted detected by temperature sensor 11; compare the evaporator chamber temperature with the surface temperature to generate a first comparison result; compare the evaporator chamber humidity with a preset humidity range to generate a second comparison result; and control the fan 4, first damper 10, and second damper 8 to open or close based on the first and second comparison results. By setting a defrosting chamber 2 inside the refrigerator compartment 1, the high humidity gas in the evaporator chamber 3 is used to defrost the food to be defrosted to a slightly frozen and easily cut temperature, and then the temperature in the defrosting chamber 2 is controlled within a constant range of slightly frozen and easily cut temperature. By controlling the opening or closing of the first damper 10 and the fan 4, high humidity gas can be delivered to the defrosting chamber 2 to solve the problem that the surface temperature of the stored food cannot be accurately captured during the defrosting process, resulting in long defrosting time and uneven defrosting.

[0119] Similar parts between the embodiments provided in this application can be referred to mutually. The specific implementation methods provided above are only a few examples under the overall concept of this application and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application. For those skilled in the art, any other implementation methods extended from the solution of this application without creative effort shall fall within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, characterized in that, include: Refrigeration compartment; The thawing chamber is located within the refrigerator compartment; An evaporation chamber, wherein an evaporator and a fan are installed; The defrosting chamber is connected to the evaporation chamber via a first air duct; the refrigeration chamber is connected to the evaporation chamber via a second air duct. The first air duct is equipped with a first air damper, and the second air duct is equipped with a second air damper; The evaporator is equipped with a temperature and humidity sensor, and the defrosting chamber is equipped with a temperature sensor; The controller is connected to the humidity sensor, the temperature sensor, the first damper, the second damper, the evaporator, and the fan, respectively. The controller is configured to: In response to a defrosting command for defrosting stored food, the temperature and humidity of the evaporation chamber detected by the temperature and humidity sensor are obtained, and the surface temperature of the food to be defrosted is obtained by the temperature sensor. The temperature of the evaporation chamber is compared with the surface temperature to generate a first comparison result; The humidity of the evaporation chamber is compared with a preset humidity range to generate a second comparison result; Based on the first comparison result and the second comparison result, the fan, the first damper and the second damper are controlled to open or close. The controller is configured to: If the temperature of the evaporation chamber is greater than the surface temperature and the humidity of the evaporation chamber is within the preset humidity range, then the first damper and the fan are controlled to open, and the second damper is controlled to close. If the temperature of the evaporation chamber is lower than the surface temperature or the humidity of the evaporation chamber is not within the preset humidity range, then the defrosting heater is activated to make the temperature of the evaporation chamber higher than the surface temperature and the humidity of the evaporation chamber within the preset humidity range. After controlling the first damper and the fan to open, and controlling the second damper to close, the controller is further configured to: If the surface temperature is greater than the first preset temperature, the fan is controlled to shut down; The surface temperature is obtained at preset intervals; If the surface temperature is greater than the first preset temperature, then calculate the difference between the evaporation chamber temperature and the first preset temperature; If the difference is less than the second preset temperature, then the fan and the second damper are controlled to open, and the first damper is controlled to close. The controller is also configured to: If the difference is less than the preset temperature value, then the fan is controlled to turn on; If the difference is greater than the second preset temperature, then the defrosting heater is controlled to turn on for a preset time; It also includes a refrigeration system, which includes a compressor and refrigeration piping connected to the compressor; the controller is further configured to: If the temperature of the evaporation chamber is lower than the surface temperature or the humidity of the evaporation chamber is not within the preset humidity range, then the refrigeration pipeline is shut down and the compressor is turned off. If the difference is less than the second preset temperature, the compressor is turned on and the refrigeration pipeline is connected.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first preset temperature is any value between 0 and 6°C; the second preset temperature is any value between 0 and 1°C; the preset interval time is any value between 1 and 10 minutes; the humidity range is 80-100%; and the preset temperature value is 0°C.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first damper is located at the air inlet of the first air duct, and the second damper is located at the air inlet of the second air duct. The horizontal height of the air inlet of the first air duct is less than the horizontal height of the air inlet of the second air duct. The horizontal height of the air inlet of the first air duct is greater than the horizontal height of the air outlet of the first air duct. The horizontal height of the air inlet of the second air duct is less than the horizontal height of the air outlet of the second air duct.

4. A method for thawing food stored in a refrigerator, applied to the refrigerator described in any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, include: In response to a defrosting command for defrosting stored food, the temperature and humidity of the evaporation chamber detected by the temperature and humidity sensor are obtained, and the surface temperature of the food to be defrosted is detected by the temperature sensor. The temperature of the evaporation chamber is compared with the surface temperature to generate a first comparison result; The humidity of the evaporation chamber is compared with a preset humidity range to generate a second comparison result; Based on the first comparison result and the second comparison result, the fan, the first damper and the second damper are controlled to open or close.

5. The method for thawing food stored in a refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the temperature of the evaporation chamber is greater than the surface temperature and the humidity of the evaporation chamber is within the preset humidity range, then the first damper and the fan are controlled to open, and the second damper is controlled to close. If the temperature of the evaporation chamber is lower than the surface temperature or the humidity of the evaporation chamber is not within the preset humidity range, then the defrosting heater is activated, the refrigeration pipeline is shut down, and the compressor is shut down.

6. The method for thawing food stored in a refrigerator according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the surface temperature is greater than the first preset temperature, the fan is controlled to shut down; The surface temperature is obtained at preset intervals; If the surface temperature is greater than the first preset temperature, then calculate the difference between the evaporation chamber temperature and the first preset temperature; If the difference is less than the second preset temperature, then the fan and the second damper are controlled to open, the first damper is controlled to close, the compressor is controlled to start, and the refrigeration pipeline is connected.

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