Evaporator assembly and refrigeration equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of refrigeration, in particular to an evaporator assembly and refrigeration equipment. The evaporator assembly comprises an evaporator and an electromagnetic heating assembly, the evaporator comprises a refrigerant pipe and a fin assembly arranged on the refrigerant pipe in a sleeving mode, and the refrigerant pipe comprises a linear section; the fin assembly comprises a plurality of first fins which are arranged at intervals in the length direction of the linear section, each first fin comprises a main body part and a bent part which are arranged at an included angle, each main body part sleeves the corresponding linear part, each bent part is arranged on the same side of the main body part in the first direction, and the first direction intersects with the length direction of the linear section; the electromagnetic heating assembly comprises an induction coil, the induction coil is arranged on the side, away from the main body part, of the bending part, and the electromagnetic heating assembly can generate an alternating electromagnetic field perpendicular to the plane where the induction coil is located so that the bending part can be heated. According to the evaporator assembly, efficient defrosting of the evaporator assembly is achieved by means of the electromagnetic heating principle and the heating mode of the first fins.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to the invention patent application filed on October 16, 2024, with application number 202411451322.8 and entitled "Evaporator Assembly and Refrigeration Equipment". Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to the field of refrigeration technology, and more particularly to an evaporator assembly and a refrigeration device. Background Technology

[0003] This section provides only background information relevant to this disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.

[0004] With the continuous improvement of living standards, refrigeration equipment is increasingly used in daily life, such as refrigerators. A refrigerator's refrigeration system mainly consists of four parts: evaporator assembly, condenser assembly, compressor, and throttling device. The evaporator assembly provides cooling capacity; the refrigerant absorbs heat and evaporates within it, lowering the air temperature. Because the temperature of the evaporator assembly is lower than the air dew point temperature, moisture in the air continuously condenses onto the evaporator assembly, forming frost. Increased frost buildup deteriorates the heat transfer efficiency of the evaporator assembly, resulting in poorer cooling performance and increased energy consumption.

[0005] Normally, refrigeration equipment defrosts the evaporator assembly by using the heat radiation of an electric heating element. When defrosting is needed, the electric heating element is turned on to defrost the outer surface of the evaporator assembly.

[0006] This defrosting method has a slow defrosting speed, resulting in a long defrosting time. Therefore, there is a need to provide an evaporator assembly with a faster defrosting speed. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The objective of this invention is to at least solve the problem of slow defrosting speed in evaporator components in the prior art. This objective is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0008] A first aspect of the present invention provides an evaporator assembly comprising:

[0009] An evaporator, comprising a refrigerant pipe and a fin assembly fitted onto the refrigerant pipe, the refrigerant pipe including a straight portion; the fin assembly including a plurality of first fins spaced apart along the length direction of the straight portion, each first fin including a main body portion and a bent portion arranged at an included angle, each main body portion being fitted onto the refrigerant pipe, and each bent portion being located on the same side of the main body portion along a first direction, the first direction intersecting the length direction of the straight portion; and

[0010] An electromagnetic heating assembly includes an induction coil disposed on the side of the bent portion away from the main body. The electromagnetic heating assembly is capable of generating an alternating electromagnetic field perpendicular to the plane of the induction coil, thereby heating the bent portion.

[0011] According to the evaporator assembly of the present invention, defrosting of the evaporator is achieved using an electromagnetic heating assembly and a fin assembly. Specifically, the evaporator assembly utilizes the principle of electromagnetic heating, with the first fin heating the evaporator to achieve efficient defrosting. The main body of the first fin of the fin assembly is fitted onto the straight section, enabling rapid heating of the refrigerant pipes and the refrigerant within them. The refrigerant flow transfers heat to multiple parts of the evaporator, including the straight section, effectively shortening the defrosting time of the evaporator assembly.

[0012] In addition, the evaporator assembly according to the present invention may also have the following additional technical features:

[0013] In some embodiments of the present invention, the bent portions of each of the first fins are located in the same plane.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present invention, the fin assembly further includes a second fin sleeved on the refrigerant pipe, the second fin having a flat plate structure and being disposed between two adjacent first fins.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of second fins are provided between two adjacent first fins, or no second fins are provided.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present invention, the induction coil is arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the bent portion.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present invention, the interval between the electromagnetic heating component and the bending portion ranges from 5 mm to 30 mm.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present invention, the induction coil has a flat structure, and the induction coil includes one of a racetrack-shaped coil, a rectangular coil, and a circular coil.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present invention, the electromagnetic heating assembly includes a rectangular coil, which includes either a rectangular ring structure or a rectangular planar structure.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present invention, the orthographic projection of the bent portion of each first fin toward the induction coil is a rectangular structure, and the size of the rectangular structure along the length direction of the straight portion is less than or equal to the maximum size of the induction coil.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present invention, the main body and the bent portion of each first fin are an integral structure.

[0022] In some embodiments of the present invention, a shielding layer is provided on the surface of the induction coil away from the bent portion.

[0023] A second aspect of the present invention provides a refrigeration apparatus comprising an evaporator assembly as mentioned in the above embodiments, the evaporator assembly being used to provide cooling capacity. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

[0025] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the evaporator tube of an evaporator assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown (the induction coil is not shown);

[0026] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The diagram shows a partially enlarged structural view of the evaporator assembly at point A.

[0027] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the first fin of the evaporator assembly shown;

[0028] Figure 4 for Figure 1 The evaporator assembly shown is a schematic diagram (including the induction coil) from a second-view perspective.

[0029] Figure 5 for Figure 4 Another structural schematic diagram of the evaporator assembly shown;

[0030] Figure 6 for Figure 4 Another structural schematic diagram of the evaporator assembly shown;

[0031] Figure 7 for Figure 4 Another structural schematic diagram of the evaporator assembly shown;

[0032] Figure 8 for Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the induction coil structure of the evaporator assembly shown;

[0033] Figure 9 for Figure 7A schematic diagram of the induction coil structure of the evaporator assembly shown;

[0034] Figure 10 for Figure 1 Another structural schematic diagram of the evaporator assembly shown;

[0035] Figure 11 An exploded view of a refrigeration device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown schematically.

[0036] The attached figures are labeled as follows:

[0037] 1000. Refrigeration equipment;

[0038] 100. Evaporator assembly;

[0039] 10. Evaporator; 11. Refrigerant pipe; 111. Straight section; 112. First U-shaped section; 113. Second U-shaped section; 12. Fin assembly; 121. First fin; 1211. Main body; 1212. Bending section; 1213. Through hole; 122. Second fin;

[0040] 20. Induction coil;

[0041] 300. Refrigerated door body;

[0042] 400. Freezer door;

[0043] 500. Enclosure; 501. Back panel;

[0044] 600, box liner;

[0045] 700. Machine Room;

[0046] XX, length direction;

[0047] YY, First Direction;

[0048] ZZ, altitude direction. Detailed Implementation

[0049] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0050] It should be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “described” as used herein may also include the plural forms. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” and “having” are inclusive and therefore indicate the presence of the stated features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not construed as requiring them to be performed in a particular order described or illustrated unless the order of performance is explicitly indicated. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be used.

[0051] Although terms such as first, second, third, etc., may be used in this document to describe multiple elements, components, regions, layers, and / or segments, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or segments should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be used only to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or segment from another. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms used herein do not imply order or sequence. Therefore, the first element, component, region, layer, or segment discussed below may be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer, or segment without departing from the teachings of the exemplary embodiments.

[0052] For ease of description, spatial relative terms may be used in the text to describe the relationship of one element or feature relative to another element or feature, as shown in the figure. These relative terms include, for example, "inside," "outside," "middle," "outer," "below," "below," "above," "over," etc. Such spatial relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation, other than those depicted in the figure. For example, if the device in the figure is flipped, an element described as "below other elements or features" or "below other elements or features" would subsequently be oriented "above other elements or features" or "above other elements or features." Therefore, the example term "below" can include both upper and lower orientations.

[0053] like Figures 1 to 9 As shown, according to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, an evaporator assembly 100 is provided, such as... Figures 1 to 4 As shown, Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the evaporator tube of the evaporator assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown (induction coil 20 is not shown). Figure 2 for Figure 1The diagram shows a partially enlarged view of the evaporator assembly 100 at point A. Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the first fin 121 of the evaporator assembly 100 shown in the figure; Figure 4 for Figure 1 The diagram shows a second-view structural schematic of the evaporator assembly 100 (including the induction coil 20). The evaporator assembly 100 includes an evaporator 10 and an electromagnetic heating assembly. The evaporator 10 includes a refrigerant pipe 11 and a fin assembly 12 fitted onto the refrigerant pipe 11. The refrigerant pipe 11 includes a straight section 111. The fin assembly 12 includes a plurality of first fins 121 spaced apart along the length direction of the straight section 111. Each first fin 121 includes a main body section 1211 and a bent section 1212 arranged at an angle. Each main body section 1211 is fitted onto the refrigerant pipe 11, and each bent section 1212 is located on the same side of the main body section 1211 along a first direction, which intersects with the length direction of the straight section 111. The electromagnetic heating assembly includes an induction coil 20, which is located on the side of the bent section 1212 away from the main body section 1211. The electromagnetic heating assembly can generate an alternating electromagnetic field perpendicular to the plane of the induction coil 20, causing the bent section 1212 to heat up.

[0054] It should be noted that the bending part 1212 is usually made of aluminum alloy, which can induce current in an alternating electromagnetic field. The current causes the bending part 1212 to generate heat, thereby achieving the effect of heating up.

[0055] Similarly, the refrigerant pipe 11 here can also be made of ferromagnetic materials, such as stainless steel, which can generate heat in an alternating magnetic field to heat the surface of the evaporator assembly 100.

[0056] Specifically, the electromagnetic heating component in this invention uses the principle of electromagnetic induction to generate eddy current heating. The specific implementation process is as follows: the current and voltage are converted into direct current by a rectifier, and then converted into high-frequency alternating current by a high-frequency power conversion device. The high-frequency alternating current is applied to the induction coil 20 to generate a high-frequency alternating magnetic field. When the changing magnetic field passes through the bend 1212 containing magnetic material and / or the refrigerant pipe 11, countless small eddy currents are generated, causing the bend 1212 and the refrigerant pipe 11 to heat up rapidly, which in turn causes the main body 1211 to heat up rapidly. The heated main body 1211 can then heat the entire evaporator 10, thereby defrosting the frost on the evaporator 10.

[0057] Specifically, electromagnetic induction heating is based on the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction. An alternating current passing through an induction coil 20 generates an alternating electromagnetic field. When a conductor is placed in an alternating magnetic field, it cuts the alternating magnetic field lines, and an induced current appears in the conductor. This induced current closes itself within the conductor, forming a vortex shape, hence the name eddy current. The eddy current causes the atoms inside the conductor to move at high speed and randomly. The atoms collide and rub against each other, generating heat energy, thereby raising the temperature of the conductor.

[0058] When induction coil 20 operates, the rectifier circuit converts the 50 Hz AC voltage into DC voltage. Then, the control circuit converts the DC voltage into a high-frequency voltage of 20–40 kHz. Induction coil 20 generates an alternating magnetic field, which is a magnetic field with constantly changing strength. Magnetic lines of force pass through the metal inside or outside induction coil 20, generating countless small eddy currents, causing the metal itself to heat up. The magnitude of the eddy currents depends not only on the change in the magnetic field and the resistivity of the conductor, but also on the permeability of the conductor. While not only ferromagnetic metals can be heated by alternating magnetic fields, only ferromagnetic metals can generate a larger change in the alternating magnetic field and a larger eddy current, thus generating enough heat to heat an object. When metals with very low permeability, such as copper, are placed in an alternating magnetic field, the eddy currents passing through the metal are very weak, and the metal hardly heats up. Therefore, copper is not suitable for electromagnetic induction heating.

[0059] Optionally, the electromagnetic heating assembly also includes a circuit board (not shown), which is electrically connected to the induction coil 20, enabling the induction coil 20 to generate an alternating electromagnetic field. The rapidly changing alternating electromagnetic field causes the bending portion 1212 to generate current, which in turn causes the bending portion 1212 to generate heat, thereby achieving the effect of heating.

[0060] In addition, the main body 1211 of the first fin 121 here has a flat plate structure, and the bent part 1212 is perpendicular to the main body 1211. Of course, the bent part 1212 here can also be at other angles with the main body 1211, such as 80 degrees or 85 degrees, and the bent part 1212 can also be heated by the induction coil 20.

[0061] The length direction of the straight section 111 is Figure 1 In the XX direction, the straight section 111 has a straight structure, and the first direction is... Figure 1 The YY direction and the height direction are... Figure 1 In the ZZ direction, the first direction intersects perpendicularly with the length direction of the straight section 111.

[0062] The refrigerant pipe 11 here has a flow channel inside for refrigerant to flow, so that the refrigerant can circulate inside the refrigerant pipe 11.

[0063] In addition, it should be emphasized that the induction coil 20 is positioned facing the bend 1212, which means that the gap between the induction coil 20 and the bend 1212 is the smallest, so the temperature rises fastest at the location of the bend 1212. Since the bend 1212 and the main body 1211 can be connected by heat transfer, the temperature of the main body 1211 can also rise rapidly, which can heat the refrigerant pipe 11 and improve the defrosting efficiency of the evaporator 10.

[0064] According to the evaporator assembly 100 of the present invention, defrosting of the evaporator 10 is performed using an induction coil 20 and a fin assembly 12. The induction coil 20 generates an alternating magnetic field, and the first fin 121 of the fin assembly 12 is induced to heat up under the action of the alternating electromagnetic field, resulting in a rapid temperature increase. The main body 1211 of the first fin 121 of the fin assembly 12 is fitted onto the refrigerant pipe 11, enabling rapid heating of the refrigerant pipe 11 and the refrigerant. The refrigerant flow transfers heat to multiple parts of the evaporator 10, including the straight section 111. The evaporator assembly 100 utilizes the principle of electromagnetic heating, achieving efficient defrosting by heating the first fin 121.

[0065] Optionally, continue to refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the refrigerant pipe 11 includes multiple first U-shaped sections 112, multiple second U-shaped sections 113, and multiple straight sections 111. The straight sections 111 pass through the fin assembly 12 to fix the fin assembly 12, facilitating the transfer of heat from the fin assembly 12 to the refrigerant pipe 11. The first U-shaped sections 112 can connect the first ends of two straight sections 111, and the second U-shaped sections 113 can connect the second ends of two straight sections 111, thus connecting the multiple straight sections in series. The multiple first U-shaped sections 112 are disposed at the first end of the evaporator 10, and the multiple second U-shaped sections 113 are disposed at the second end of the evaporator 10, with the first and second ends facing each other.

[0066] It should be noted that the straight section 111 and the main body 1211 of the first fin 121 are assembled by an interference fit to reduce the chance of the refrigerant pipe 11 shaking.

[0067] In some embodiments of the present invention, the main body 1211 and the bending portion 1212 of each first fin 121 are integral structures. That is, the main body 1211 and the bending portion 1212 can be formed by a plate through a partial bending process to form the structure of the first fin 121, so that the first fin 121 has an L-shaped structure. The first fin 121 can be manufactured directly on a conventional plate-shaped fin through a bending process.

[0068] Alternatively, the main body 1211 and the bending part 1212 can also be implemented in a separate structure. In this case, the bending part 1212 and the main body 1211 can be connected by welding, and the main body 1211 and the bending part 1212 can be connected by heat transfer. For example, when producing the first fin 121, two plates can be welded together to form the shape of the first fin 121.

[0069] Normally, the main body 1211 and the bending part 1212 can be made of ferromagnetic material at the same time, which can generate a heating effect at the same time. This not only defrosts the first fin 121, but also defrosts the surface of the refrigerant pipe 11 through heat transfer between the first fin 121 and the refrigerant pipe 11, thereby achieving rapid defrosting of the evaporator 10.

[0070] Optionally, such as Figure 3 As shown, the main body 1211 has multiple through holes 1213 to facilitate the passage of refrigerant pipes 11 through the through holes 1213. There are multiple through holes 1213, and each through hole 1213 can accommodate one refrigerant pipe 11, thus enabling the main body 1211 to fix and install the refrigerant pipes 11. The shape of the refrigerant pipe 11 can be consistent with the shape of the through hole 1213, reducing the likelihood of the refrigerant pipe 11 wobbling after being installed in the main body 1211.

[0071] Optionally, there are multiple first fins 121, and each first fin 121 is provided with a bending portion 1212. The bending portions 1212 of all the first fins 121 can be located in the same plane or in different planes. When the bending portions 1212 of all the first fins 121 are not in the same plane, the distance between the bending portion 1212 and the induction coil 20 is different. Therefore, the heat generated by different bending portions 1212 is different, which can achieve the defrosting effect. However, the uniformity of defrosting is relatively poor.

[0072] Specifically, the different bends 1212 can be arranged in a staggered structure along the YY direction. For example, two adjacent bends 1212 are not flush along the first direction YY. They can be concave-convex structures, stair-shaped structures, or irregular structures. Among them, the bends 1212 closer to the induction coil 20 generate more heat due to the higher density of magnetic field lines, while the bends 1212 farther from the induction coil 20 generate less heat due to the lower density of magnetic field lines. However, compared with the structure of commonly used electric heating tubes, this structure can still speed up the defrosting speed of the evaporator 10.

[0073] Optionally, different bends 1212 along Figure 1 In the XX direction, a planar structure is formed, that is, the subsequent bend 1212 is closely connected to the previous bend 1212. It can be that the edge of the subsequent bend 1212 is in contact with the previous bend 1212, or the subsequent bend 1212 covers a part of the previous bend 1212. In this case, the subsequent bend 1212 and a part of the previous bend 1212 can have an overlapping area along the XX direction.

[0074] Of course, the subsequent bend 1212 and the previous bend 1212 can also have a certain gap. In this case, the subsequent bend 1212 and the previous bend 1212 do not overlap in the XX direction.

[0075] As a preferred embodiment, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the bent portions 1212 of each first fin 121 are all in the same plane, and there can be a gap between two adjacent bent portions 1212. The structure of each first fin 121 is the same, that is, the shape and area of ​​the bent portion 1212 of each first fin 121 are the same, and the bent portion 1212 has a rectangular plate structure.

[0076] As one embodiment, the fin assembly 12 may only have a first fin 121, and the first fins 121 are spaced apart. The bent portions 1212 of the first fins 121 corresponding to the induction coil 20 can all be heated. Since the bent portions 1212 of the first fins 121 and the main body 1211 are thermally connected, and the main body 1211 is passed through the straight portion 111 of the refrigerant pipe 11, the first fins 121 heated by the induction coil 20 can also transfer heat through the refrigerant pipe 11 to defrost all parts of the evaporator 10.

[0077] Alternatively, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the fin assembly 12 also includes a second fin 122 sleeved on the side of the refrigerant pipe 11, wherein the second fin 122 has a plate-like structure and is disposed between two adjacent first fins 121.

[0078] exist Figure 2 In the process, a second fin 122 is provided between two adjacent first fins 121. One end of the second fin 122 along the YY direction contacts the bent portion 1212 of the first fin 121, which can transfer heat from the first fin 121 to the second fin 122, so that the entire evaporator assembly 100 can defrost evenly and reduce the occurrence of dead corners.

[0079] It should be noted that the orientation of the bent portion 1212 of the different first fins 121 is the same. Figure 2 In this configuration, the bent portions 1212 of the different first fins 121 all face the right side of the corresponding main body portion 1211, thereby facilitating the assembly of the evaporator assembly 100.

[0080] Alternatively, the number of second fins 122 between two adjacent first fins 121 can also be more, such as two, three or four. That is, the number of second fins 122 between two adjacent first fins 121 is two, three or four. One end of each second fin 122 along the YY direction is close to the bend portion 1212 of the first fin 121, thereby facilitating heat transfer between the first fin 121 and the second fin 122.

[0081] It should be noted that there can be a certain gap between one end of the second fin 122 along the YY direction and the bent portion 1212 of the first fin 121. However, the gap cannot be too large, as an excessively large gap will affect the heat transfer effect between the first fin 121 and the second fin 122. The gap here is usually between 0.1 mm and 2 mm, so as to improve the thermal conductivity between the first fin 121 and the second fin 122, thereby facilitating the transfer of heat from multiple locations to the refrigerant pipe 11.

[0082] As one feasible embodiment, one end of the second fin 122 along the first direction is in contact with a bend 1212. At this time, the bend 1212 can transfer heat between the second fin 122 through thermal conduction, thereby making the temperature between the first fin 121 and the second fin 122 uniform, realizing the uniformity of the defrosting process, and reducing the long defrosting time caused by the local low temperature of the evaporator 10.

[0083] Optionally, a plurality of second fins 122 between two adjacent first fins 121 are spaced apart along the length of the straight portion 111. That is, when the number of second fins 122 is two, three or four, two second fins 122 between two adjacent first fins 121 are spaced apart along the length of the straight portion 111, or three second fins 122 between two adjacent first fins 121 are spaced apart along the length of the straight portion 111, or four second fins 122 between two adjacent first fins 121 are spaced apart along the length of the straight portion 111.

[0084] More specifically, such as Figure 2As shown, when there is one second fin 122 between two adjacent first fins 121, the spacing between the second fin 122 and the two adjacent first fins 121 is the same, that is, the second fin 122 is located in the middle position between two adjacent first fins 121. When there are two second fins 122, the spacing between two adjacent second fins 122 is evenly distributed between two adjacent first fins 121. At this time, the spacing between the second fins 122 adjacent to the first fin 121 is the same as the spacing between two second fins 122, which facilitates the assembly of the evaporator assembly 100.

[0085] Alternatively, a second fin 122 may not be provided between two adjacent first fins 121; the rapid defrosting effect of the evaporator assembly 100 can also be achieved simply by providing the first fins 121.

[0086] Optionally, it should be noted that the straight section 111 and the second fin 122 are also assembled using an interference fit to reduce the probability of the refrigerant pipe 11 shaking. The second fin 122 has a rectangular plate structure, and a hole is provided on the second fin 122 for the straight section 111 to pass through. Therefore, the straight section 111 can be stably fixed under the combined action of the first fin 121 and the second fin 122. The size of the second fin 122 can be the same as the size of the main body 1211 of the first fin 121, or it can be set to a different size structure, which can still achieve the transfer of heat between the first fin 121 and the second fin 122.

[0087] In some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figures 5 to 7 As shown, Figure 5 for Figure 4 Another structural schematic diagram of the evaporator assembly 100 shown. Figure 6 for Figure 4 Another structural schematic diagram of the evaporator assembly 100 shown. Figure 7 for Figure 4 Another structural schematic diagram of the evaporator assembly 100 shown; the induction coil 20 is disposed on the bending portion 1212, or the induction coil 20 and the bending portion 1212 are arranged in parallel and spaced apart. The induction coil 20 can be directly disposed on the bending portion 1212, or it can be disposed on other components and arranged in parallel and spaced apart from the bending portion 1212. In both cases, the bending portion 1212 can generate heat through the induction coil 20.

[0088] Specifically, the interval between the induction coil 20 and the bending portion 1212 ranges from 5 mm to 30 mm. For example, the interval between the induction coil 20 and the bending portion 1212 is 5 mm, 8 mm, 10 mm, or 20 mm. In this embodiment, multiple bending portions 1212 are located in the same plane, and the interval between the induction coil 20 and each bending portion 1212 is the same. This can reduce the heat generated by the bending portion 1212 due to the large interval, thereby reducing the defrosting efficiency and prolonging the defrosting time.

[0089] The shape and structure of the induction coil 20 will be described in detail below.

[0090] In some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, Figure 8 for Figure 6 The schematic diagram of the structure of the induction coil 20 of the evaporator assembly 100 shown is as follows. Figure 9 for Figure 7 The diagram shows the structure of the induction coil 20 in the evaporator assembly 100. The induction coil 20 has a flat structure and can be one of a racetrack-shaped coil, a rectangular coil, or a circular coil. The rectangular coil includes either a rectangular ring structure or a rectangular planar structure, and the circular coil includes either a circular ring structure or a circular planar structure. Of course, the electromagnetic heating element can be a ring structure or other shapes. Figure 4 In the middle, the induction coil 20 is a racetrack-shaped loop coil. Figure 4 In this design, the electromagnetic heating coil is a racetrack-shaped coil, which, when wound on a coil reel, can be integrally formed into a racetrack shape. Figure 6 In the middle, the induction coil 20 has a rectangular ring structure. Figure 7 In the middle, the induction coil 20 has a rectangular planar structure. When the coil is wound on the coil, a rectangular planar structure can be formed.

[0091] It should be noted that the spacing between coils in a rectangular ring structure is smaller, while the spacing between coils in a rectangular planar structure is relatively larger. The coils are concentrated within the rectangular ring structure, and both adopt a winding method from the center to the edge.

[0092] It should be emphasized that the induction coil 20 can be either a ring-shaped structure or a circular planar structure. Both can generate heat when the induction coil 20 is placed on or near the bending part 1212.

[0093] In some embodiments of the present invention, reference continues to be made to... Figure 4 and Figure 7As shown, the bent portion 1212 of each first fin 121 has a rectangular structure when projected toward the induction coil 20. Along the length of the straight portion 111, the size of the rectangular structure is less than or equal to the maximum size of the induction coil 20.

[0094] exist Figure 4 In this configuration, the maximum dimension of the induction coil 20 along the length of the straight section 111 is the length of the center in the horizontal direction. The rectangular structure along the length of the straight section 111 is less than or equal to the maximum dimension of the induction coil 20 along the length of the straight section 111. This allows at least a portion of each bend 1212 to be correspondingly arranged with the induction coil 20, facilitating the induction coil 20 to generate heat in the bend 1212. This, in turn, allows each first fin 121 to generate heat, accelerating the defrosting speed of the evaporator assembly 100 and shortening the defrosting time of the evaporator assembly 100.

[0095] It should be noted that the size of the rectangular structure along the YY direction can be larger than the size of the induction coil 20 along the YY direction. This is based on the premise that different parts of the bending portion 1212 can transfer heat to each other. Of course, the size of the induction coil 20 along the YY direction can also be greater than or equal to the size of the rectangular structure along the YY direction, so that the induction coil 20 can generate heat to more parts of the bending portion 1212 and improve the defrosting speed of the evaporator assembly 100.

[0096] In some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 10 As shown, Figure 10 for Figure 1 Another structural schematic diagram of the evaporator assembly 100 shown, where the evaporator assembly 100 is compared with... Figure 1 The evaporator assembly 100 in the middle adopts a different placement method, in Figure 1 In the middle, the evaporator assembly 100 is placed horizontally. Figure 10 In this design, the evaporator assembly 100 is placed vertically, and the placement method of the evaporator assembly 100 can be selected as needed.

[0097] Optionally, there are two or more induction coils 20, and the two or more induction coils 20 are spaced apart along the length of the straight section 111. The number of induction coils 20 can be two, three or four. The induction coils 20 adopt a spaced-apart structure with a small spacing, which can reduce the impact on defrosting efficiency and improve the safety of the refrigeration equipment 1000 when one of the induction coils 20 fails.

[0098] Alternatively, by setting multiple induction coils 20, corresponding induction coils 20 can be set according to the structure of the evaporator assembly 100, thereby allowing the induction coils 20 to be adjusted accordingly based on the structure of the evaporator assembly 100. (Continue referring to...) Figure 10 As shown, in Figure 10 In this design, there are multiple first fins 121 and second fins 122, and the first fins 121 and second fins 122 are not integral structures; both first fins 121 and second fins 122 adopt segmented structures. Figure 10 In the upper half of the evaporator assembly 100, the first fins 121 and second fins 122 have a higher density and a smaller spacing between adjacent first fins 121. Correspondingly, the coil density of the induction coil 20 in this part is also relatively high. The induction coil 20 can be wound using a loose winding method, thereby achieving heating of each first fin 121 and second fin 122. In the lower half of the evaporator assembly 100, the first fins 121 and second fins 122 have a lower density and a larger spacing between adjacent first fins 121. Correspondingly, the coil density of the induction coil 20 in this part is also relatively low. The induction coil 20 can also be wound using a loose winding method, thereby achieving heating of each first fin 121 and second fin 122. In this case, the coil densities of the two induction coils 20 are different and can be appropriately adjusted according to the structure of the evaporator assembly 100.

[0099] Understandably, the induction coil 20 is provided with a wire. When an alternating current is applied to the wire, an alternating magnetic field is generated, which causes the bent part 1212 to heat up, thereby driving the main body 1211 and the refrigerant pipe 11 to heat up, defrosting the surface of the refrigerant pipe 11 and the surface of the fin assembly 12, thus improving the defrosting efficiency of the evaporator assembly 100.

[0100] It should be noted that, in embodiments of the present invention, a magnetic material layer can be provided on the surface of the bending portion 1212 to achieve the heating of the bending portion 1212, or the bending portion 1212 can be made of a magnetically conductive material, both of which can enable the bending portion 1212 to generate heat under the action of alternating magnetic field lines.

[0101] exist Figure 1 In the process, the first fin 121 and the second fin 122 are both integral structures, and the arrangement density of the first fin 121 and the second fin 122 is the same. Therefore, even if multiple induction coils 20 are used, such as two or three, the structure of the induction coils 20 can be the same.

[0102] Specifically, the thickness of the first fin 121 and the second fin 122 can be the same, such as the thickness of the first fin 121 being 0.12 mm, 0.15 mm or 0.17 mm, and the thickness of the second fin 122 being 0.12 mm, 0.15 mm or 0.17 mm. Both can generate heat under the action of the induction coil 20. Since the fin assembly 12 of the evaporator assembly 100 can generate heat, the frost on the surface of the fin assembly 12 can quickly detach from the fin assembly 12, achieving rapid defrosting.

[0103] In the specific implementation of this invention, a shielding layer (not shown in the figure) is also provided on the side of the induction coil 20 away from the evaporator 10 to prevent the electromagnetic waves generated by the induction coil 20 from leaking outward, thereby ensuring that the refrigeration equipment 1000 is harmless to human health during the defrosting process. Of course, if no magnetic metal is provided on the side of the induction coil 20 away from the evaporator, the shielding layer may not be provided.

[0104] Specifically, the shielding layer can be an electromagnetic shielding coating applied to the outer surface of the induction coil 20 on the side facing away from the evaporator. Alternatively, the shielding layer can be an electromagnetic shielding sleeve fitted over a portion of the outer surface of the induction coil 20. The material of the electromagnetic shielding layer can be electromagnetic shielding plastic, intrinsically conductive polymer, or conductive fabric, etc.

[0105] Specifically, the shielding layer can be fixed to the induction coil 20 by adhesive bonding, such as using double-sided adhesive, or other methods. Of course, as a preferred implementation, to better prevent electromagnetic wave leakage, the shielding layer can also extend to the periphery of the induction coil 20.

[0106] Optionally, at least one of the first fin 121 and the second fin 122 can be made of carbon steel, cobalt alloy, nickel alloy, or stainless steel. Carbon steel and stainless steel are relatively inexpensive, easy to procure, convenient to manufacture and process, and cost-effective. They are also less prone to rust, extending the service life of the evaporator assembly 100. Furthermore, they have good thermal conductivity, ensuring a high defrosting rate for the evaporator assembly 100. In other words, by setting at least one of the first fin 121 and the second fin 122 to carbon steel or stainless steel, the embodiments of this application achieve both rapid heating of the first fin 121 and the second fin 122 and reduced costs.

[0107] It should be added that the second fin 122 can also be made of materials such as aluminum alloy or copper alloy, and only needs to serve the function of conducting heat. However, the first fin 121 needs to have not only thermal conductivity but also magnetic conductivity. Therefore, the first fin 121 needs to be made of a material with both magnetic and thermal conductivity.

[0108] When producing the first fin 121, a flat fin structure can be produced first. One end of the flat fin structure is then bent by stamping to form a bent portion 1212, thereby quickly obtaining the first fin 121. The main body 1211 and the bent portion 1212 of the first fin 121 are made of the same material and are integrally formed, which can further improve the efficiency of the first fin 121 in transferring heat to the refrigerant pipe 11.

[0109] Optionally, to facilitate control of the defrosting process of the refrigeration equipment 1000, the evaporator assembly 100 also includes a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the evaporator 10. In specific implementations, the temperature sensor is set close to or near the evaporator 10, and can be set near the outer surface of the refrigerant pipe 11.

[0110] Optionally, the circuit board and the induction coil 20 are connected by a circuit, and the evaporator assembly 100 also includes a fuse (not shown) connected in series in the circuit where the induction coil 20 is located. In this specific embodiment, the fuse is a thermal fuse, which is disposed close to or near the refrigerant pipe 11 of the evaporator 10; when the heating temperature of the refrigerant pipe 11 is abnormal, the thermal fuse disconnects to automatically cut off the current supply to the induction coil 20.

[0111] In other embodiments of the present invention, the fuse may also be a current fuse, so that the current supply to the induction coil 20 can be automatically cut off when the current in the circuit is abnormal.

[0112] Of course, it is understood that the circuit containing the induction coil 20 of the present invention may include both a current fuse and a temperature fuse, thereby providing double protection for the normal operation of the induction coil 20 during the defrosting process.

[0113] A second aspect of the embodiments of the present invention provides a refrigeration device 1000, such as... Figure 11 As shown, Figure 11 An exploded view of a refrigeration device 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown schematically. The refrigeration device 1000 includes an evaporator assembly 100 as mentioned in the above embodiment, the evaporator assembly 100 being used to provide cooling capacity.

[0114] Optionally, the refrigeration equipment 1000 includes refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerated cabinets, etc., which can store food and other items. The refrigerators provided in the embodiments disclosed in this application can be fixed-frequency refrigerators or variable-frequency refrigerators.

[0115] Specifically, the refrigeration equipment 1000 includes a cabinet 500, which includes an outer shell and a cabinet liner 600 disposed inside the outer shell. The space between the outer shell and the cabinet liner 600 is filled with insulation material (forming a foam layer). The cabinet liner 600 defines storage compartments. The cabinet liner 600 generally includes a freezer inner liner and a refrigerator inner liner. The storage compartments include a freezer compartment defined by the freezer inner liner and a refrigerator compartment defined by the refrigerator inner liner. A refrigerator door 300 is also provided on the front side of the refrigerator compartment to open or close the refrigerator compartment. A freezer door 400 is also provided on the front side of the freezer compartment to open or close the freezer compartment.

[0116] Optionally, the refrigeration equipment 1000 also includes a mechanical chamber 700 and a cabinet 600, wherein the cabinet 500 is located inside the cabinet 500 and is used to place food, the mechanical chamber 700 is located at the bottom of the refrigeration equipment 1000, and the interior of the mechanical chamber 700 can house the compressor, electrical control box and evaporator assembly 100, etc.

[0117] Optionally, the cabinet 500 includes a back panel 501 located at the back of the refrigeration unit 1000, while the refrigerator door 300 and freezer door 400 are located at the front of the refrigeration unit 1000. The back panel 501 also includes a foam layer, inside which the induction coil 20 of the evaporator assembly 100 is disposed. By placing the induction coil 20 in the foam layer, not only can the induction coil 20 be fixed using the foam layer, but the induction coil 20 also does not occupy too much freezer compartment space, which is beneficial for increasing the freezer compartment space and reducing the thickness of the refrigeration unit 1000.

[0118] It should be noted that the evaporator assembly 100 can be located inside the mechanical room 700, at the bottom of the refrigeration equipment 1000, or at the back of the freezer compartment or the refrigerator compartment.

[0119] Optionally, the refrigeration equipment 1000 also includes a controller. When the evaporator assembly 100 needs defrosting, the controller can shut down the compressor of the refrigeration equipment 1000 and activate the induction coil 20 to cause the first fins 121 to heat up. The refrigerant in the refrigerant pipe 11 flows under the influence of the temperature difference. The refrigerant evaporates into a gaseous state upon heating. In areas with relatively higher temperatures, the refrigerant pressure is relatively high, and in areas with relatively lower temperatures, the refrigerant pressure is relatively low. The refrigerant flows from the area with the higher temperature to the area with the lower temperature. Thus, the refrigerant flows under the influence of the temperature difference, making the temperature distribution of the refrigerant in the evaporator assembly 100 more uniform, which helps improve the uniformity of defrosting of the evaporator assembly 100.

[0120] For the structure of other parts of this application, please refer to the prior art; further details will not be provided here.

[0121] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An evaporator assembly characterized by, The evaporator assembly includes: An evaporator, comprising a refrigerant pipe and a fin assembly fitted onto the refrigerant pipe, the refrigerant pipe including a straight section, wherein the fin assembly includes a plurality of first fins spaced apart along the length direction of the straight section, each first fin including a main body portion and a bent portion arranged at an included angle, each main body portion being fitted onto the straight section, and each bent portion being located on the same side of the main body portion along a first direction, the first direction intersecting the length direction of the straight section; and An electromagnetic heating assembly includes an induction coil disposed on the side of the bent portion away from the main body. The electromagnetic heating assembly is capable of generating an alternating electromagnetic field perpendicular to the plane of the induction coil, thereby heating the bent portion.

2. The evaporator assembly of claim 1, wherein, The bent portions of each of the first fins are located in the same plane.

3. The evaporator assembly of claim 1, wherein, The fin assembly further includes a second fin sleeved on the refrigerant pipe. The second fin has a flat plate structure and is disposed between two adjacent first fins.

4. The evaporator assembly of claim 3, wherein, A plurality of second fins may be provided between two adjacent first fins, or no second fins may be provided.

5. The evaporator assembly of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The induction coil is arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the bent portion.

6. The evaporator assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that, The interval between the induction coil and the bent portion ranges from 5 mm to 30 mm.

7. The evaporator assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The induction coil has a flat structure and includes one of the following: racetrack-shaped coil, rectangular coil, and circular coil.

8. The evaporator assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The induction coil includes a rectangular coil, which can be either a rectangular ring structure or a rectangular planar structure.

9. The evaporator assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The bent portion of each of the first fins has a rectangular structure when projected toward the induction coil. Along the length of the straight portion, the size of the rectangular structure is less than or equal to the maximum size of the induction coil.

10. The evaporator assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The main body and the bent portion of each first fin are an integral structure.

11. The evaporator assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The surface of the induction coil facing away from the bend is provided with a shielding layer.

12. A refrigeration device, characterized in that, The refrigeration equipment includes an evaporator assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, the evaporator assembly being used to provide cooling capacity.

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