A refrigerator

Abstract

This application discloses a refrigerator, belonging to the field of refrigerator technology. It includes a refrigeration circuit comprising a compressor, a condenser, and a refrigerator evaporator. A first pipe is connected in series between the compressor and the condenser. The refrigerator evaporator has an on state and a off state. A defrosting zone is provided inside the refrigerator compartment. The refrigerator evaporator is installed in a refrigerator air duct, which has a first outlet communicating with the refrigerator compartment and a second outlet communicating with the defrosting zone. The refrigerator air duct also has an air inlet. When the compressor is working, the first pipe is used to heat the air. The heated air enters the refrigerator air duct through the air inlet and then enters the defrosting zone through the second outlet for defrosting. This application uses the first pipe to heat the air. The hot air entering the refrigerator air duct can defrost the refrigerator evaporator, resulting in high-temperature air flowing through the refrigerator evaporator with relatively high humidity and temperature, allowing it to exchange heat with the items to be defrosted in the defrosting zone for defrosting.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of refrigerators, and particularly relates to a refrigerator. Background Technology

[0002] In related technologies, a defrosting zone is typically added to the refrigerator's freezer compartment so that frozen meat can be placed there to defrost. Some of these technologies use a compensating heater, which heats the air and then introduces it into the defrosting zone to exchange heat with the surface of the food being defrosted. However, this method can lead to drying out during prolonged defrosting. Utility Model Content

[0003] This application aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, this application proposes a refrigerator.

[0004] The refrigerator includes: a refrigeration circuit, which includes a compressor, a condenser, and a refrigerator evaporator. A first pipe is connected in series between the compressor and the condenser. The refrigerator evaporator has an on and off state. A refrigerator compartment is provided with a defrosting zone. A refrigerator air duct is installed in the refrigerator air duct. The refrigerator air duct has a first outlet connected to the refrigerator compartment and a second outlet connected to the defrosting zone. The refrigerator air duct also has an air inlet. When the compressor is working, the first pipe is used to heat the air. The heated air enters the refrigerator air duct through the air inlet and enters the defrosting zone through the second outlet for defrosting.

[0005] When the compressor of this application is working, it can send high-temperature refrigerant into the first pipe connected to it, thereby heating the first pipe. The heated air then enters the refrigerated air duct through the air inlet. As the hot air flows over the surface of the refrigerated evaporator installed within the refrigerated air duct, it defrosts the evaporator. The increased humidity of the heated air, combined with the heat exchange between this high-humidity air and the items to be defrosted in the defrosting zone, achieves the purpose of defrosting. This application addresses the issue of surface drying of items due to the higher humidity, thus mitigating the adverse effects of air circulation. It also reduces the additional energy consumption of auxiliary facilities such as defrosting heaters. Furthermore, the reduced frost on the evaporator surface improves the reliability of the refrigerator's operation.

[0006] Preferably, the refrigeration circuit further includes a freezer evaporator, and the refrigerator also includes a freezer compartment. The freezer evaporator is used to cool the freezer compartment and has an on state and an off state.

[0007] Preferably, the bottom of the refrigerated air duct is provided with a second pipe connected thereto, the other end of the second pipe is connected to the outside air, and at least a portion of the first pipe is provided in the second pipe for heating the air inside the second pipe.

[0008] Preferably, at least a portion of the first tube is spirally disposed on the surface of the second tube.

[0009] Preferably, an insulation layer is provided on the first pipe, and the insulation layer wraps around the first pipe.

[0010] Preferably, at least a portion of the first tube is disposed within the second tube.

[0011] Preferably, an air supply mechanism is also provided in the refrigerated air duct, which is used to send the air in the refrigerated air duct into the thawing zone through the second outlet.

[0012] Preferably, a first air damper is provided between the cold storage compartment and the first outlet. In the first state, the cold storage air duct is connected to the cold storage compartment, and in the second state, the cold storage air duct is not connected to the cold storage compartment.

[0013] Preferably, a second air damper is provided between the thawing zone and the second outlet. In the first state, the refrigerated air duct is connected to the thawing zone, and in the second state, the refrigerated air duct is not connected to the thawing zone.

[0014] Preferably, the second pipe is provided with a third damper, which is located between the air inlet and the first pipe. In the first state, the refrigerated air duct is connected to the second pipe, and in the second state, the refrigerated air duct is not connected to the second pipe.

[0015] Additional aspects and advantages of this application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of this application will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the refrigerator provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the refrigerator's operating principle provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0019] Figure label:

[0020] Refrigeration circuit 1; compressor 10; first pipe 20; condenser 30; dryer filter 40; switching valve 50; refrigerated evaporator 60; frozen evaporator 70; refrigerated capillary tube 80; frozen capillary tube 90; refrigerated air duct 100; air inlet 101; first outlet 102; second outlet 103; second pipe 110; third damper 111; defrosting zone 120; fan 130; defrosting air duct 140; second damper 141; water collection box 150; first damper 160. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0022] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first," "second," etc., are generally of the same class and the number of objects is not limited; for example, a first object can be one or more. Furthermore, in the specification and claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0023] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the refrigerator includes a refrigeration circuit 1, which includes a compressor 10, a condenser 30, and a refrigerator evaporator 60. A first pipe 20 is connected in series between the compressor 10 and the condenser 30. The refrigerator evaporator 60 has an on state and a off state. The refrigerator also includes a refrigerator compartment with a defrosting zone 120. The refrigerator also includes a refrigerator air duct 100, in which the refrigerator evaporator 60 is installed. The refrigerator air duct 100 has a first outlet 102 communicating with the refrigerator compartment and a second outlet 103 communicating with the defrosting zone 120. The refrigerator air duct 100 also has an air inlet 101. When the compressor 10 is working, the first pipe 20 is used to heat the air. The heated air enters the refrigerator air duct 100 through the air inlet 101 and enters the defrosting zone 120 through the second outlet 103 for defrosting.

[0024] When the compressor 10 of this application is working, it can send high-temperature refrigerant into the first pipe 20 connected to it, thereby heating the first pipe 20. The air is then heated through the first pipe 20. The hot air enters the refrigerated air duct 100 through the air inlet 101. When the hot air flows over the surface of the refrigerated evaporator 60 installed within the refrigerated air duct 100, it can defrost the evaporator 60. The increased humidity of the heated air is then introduced into the defrosting zone 120 to exchange heat with the items to be defrosted, thus achieving the purpose of defrosting. This application addresses the issue that, due to the higher humidity in the air, the surface of the items to be defrosted is less likely to dry out, thus mitigating the adverse effects of air circulation. It also reduces the additional energy consumption of auxiliary facilities such as defrosting heaters. Furthermore, the reduction of frost on the evaporator surface improves the reliability of the refrigerator's operation.

[0025] In one embodiment, the refrigerator also includes a dryer filter 40 and a refrigeration capillary tube 80. The compressor 10, condenser 30, dryer filter 40, refrigeration capillary tube 80, and refrigeration evaporator 60 form a refrigeration circuit 1. The refrigeration evaporator 60 cools the refrigerator compartment during operation. During the cooling process, frost forms on the surface of the refrigeration evaporator 60. This allows for the introduction of high-temperature air to the surface of the refrigeration evaporator 60, creating high-humidity and relatively warm air.

[0026] In one embodiment, a valve for controlling the opening and closing of the refrigeration evaporator 60 can be provided between the refrigeration capillary tube 80 and the dryer filter 40, thus allowing the refrigeration evaporator 60 to have both an on and off state. During defrosting, the refrigeration evaporator 60 can be controlled to be in the off state for better defrosting.

[0027] The first pipe 20 is connected in series between the compressor 10 and the condenser 30, that is, one end of the first pipe 20 is connected to the exhaust end of the compressor 10, and the other end of the first pipe 20 is connected to the condenser 30. In this way, the high-temperature refrigerant in the first pipe 20 can also flow into the condenser 30 for cooling and participate in the refrigeration of the refrigeration circuit 1.

[0028] The first pipe 20 is used to heat the air, which can be understood as directly heating the air or indirectly heating the air. For example, the first pipe 20 can be set near the air inlet of the refrigerated air duct 100 to directly heat the air near the air inlet of the refrigerated air duct 100.

[0029] In one embodiment, a second pipe 110 communicating with the bottom of the refrigerated air duct 100 is provided therewith, and the other end of the second pipe 110 is connected to the outside air. That is, one end of the second pipe 110 is connected to the refrigerated air duct 100, and the other end is open, allowing air to circulate inside the second pipe 110. At least a portion of the first pipe 20 can be disposed on the second pipe 110 to heat the air inside the second pipe 110, and then the heated air inside the second pipe 110 can enter the refrigerated air duct 100 through the air inlet, thus achieving high heating efficiency.

[0030] In one embodiment, at least a portion of the first tube 20 is spirally disposed on the surface of the second tube 110. In this embodiment, an insulation layer may also be provided on the first tube 20, i.e., the insulation layer wraps around the first tube 20, and the first tube 20 is spirally disposed on the second tube 110, which can reduce heat loss to the outside air and improve the efficiency of heating the air.

[0031] In another embodiment, at least a portion of the first tube 20 may be disposed within the second tube 110, so that air flowing through the second tube 110 directly exchanges heat with the first tube 20, which can also improve the efficiency of heating the air.

[0032] In one embodiment, an air supply mechanism is also provided within the refrigerated air duct 100 to deliver air from the refrigerated air duct 100 into the defrosting zone 120. For example, the air supply mechanism is a fan 130, which delivers air from the refrigerated air duct 100 into the defrosting zone 120. For example, the negative pressure end of the fan 130 faces the second pipe 110, and the positive pressure end faces the outlet of the refrigerated air duct 100. When operating, the fan 130 can draw in hot air from the refrigerated air duct 100 and deliver it to the defrosting zone 120 to defrost the items to be thawed.

[0033] In one embodiment, when not thawing, the air supply mechanism can also deliver cold air from the refrigerated air duct 100 into the refrigerated compartment through the first outlet 102 to cool the refrigerated compartment.

[0034] In one embodiment, the refrigerator further includes a freezing capillary tube 90 and a freezing evaporator 70. The compressor 10, condenser 30, dryer filter 40, freezing capillary tube 90, and freezing evaporator 70 constitute a refrigeration circuit 1; when the freezing evaporator 70 is working, it can provide cooling for the freezer compartment of the refrigerator.

[0035] In one embodiment, a valve for controlling the opening and closing of the refrigeration evaporator 70 can be provided between the freezing capillary 90 and the dryer filter 40, thus allowing the refrigeration evaporator 70 to have both an on and off state. When defrosting, the refrigeration evaporator 60 can be controlled to be in the off state while the refrigeration evaporator 70 is in the on state, so that the compressor 10 can continue to operate, continuously heating the first tube 20 for defrosting.

[0036] In one embodiment, the refrigeration circuit 1 may further include a switching valve 50, one end of which is connected to the dryer filter 40, and the other end of which is connected to both the freezing capillary tube 90 and the refrigeration capillary tube 80. The switching valve 50 can independently control the on / off state of the freezing evaporator 70 and the refrigeration evaporator 60. For example, the switching valve 50 can control the freezing evaporator 70 to be in an on or off state, and the switching valve 50 can also control the refrigeration evaporator 60 to be in an on or off state.

[0037] In one embodiment, a first damper 160 is provided between the refrigerator compartment and the first outlet 102 of the refrigerated air duct 100. In a first state, the refrigerated air duct 100 is connected to the refrigerator compartment; in a second state, the refrigerated air duct 100 is not connected to the refrigerator compartment. Thus, the connection between the refrigerated air duct 100 and the refrigerator compartment can be controlled as needed by controlling the state of the first damper 160.

[0038] In one embodiment, a second damper 141 is provided between the defrosting zone 120 and the second outlet 103. In a first state, the second damper connects the refrigerated air duct 100 to the defrosting zone 120; in a second state, the refrigerated air duct 100 and the defrosting zone 120 are not connected. For example, a defrosting air duct 140 is also included, connecting the refrigerated air duct 100 to the defrosting zone 120, and the defrosting air duct 140 is equipped with the second damper 141. Thus, the connection state between the refrigerated air duct 100 and the defrosting zone 120 can be controlled by setting the second damper 141. For example, when defrosting is not required, the second damper 141 can be controlled to be in the second state, and the first damper 160 to be in the first state, so that cold air can be sent into the refrigerator compartment instead of the defrosting zone 120 when defrosting is not needed. When defrosting is required, the second damper 141 is controlled to be in the first state, and the first damper 160 to be in the second state, so that hot air will not enter the refrigerator compartment.

[0039] In one embodiment, the second pipe 110 is provided with a third damper 111. In a first state, the third damper 111 connects the refrigerated air duct 100 to the second pipe 110. In a second state, the third damper 111 disconnects the refrigerated air duct 100 from the second pipe 110. Thus, the connection between the refrigerated air duct 100 and the second pipe 110 can be controlled by setting the third damper 111. For example, the third damper 111 can be controlled to be in the second state when defrosting is not required. When the third damper 111 is in the second state, cold air from the refrigerated evaporator 60 can be blown into the refrigerator compartment to cool it, and the air inside the second pipe 110 will not affect the cooling effect on the refrigerator compartment.

[0040] In one embodiment, the first pipe 20 may be disposed on the second pipe 110 away from the refrigerated air duct 100, and the third damper 111 may be disposed on the second pipe 110 between the first pipe 20 and the refrigerated air duct 100. This effectively isolates hot air when defrosting is not required.

[0041] In one embodiment, a water collection box 150 is also provided below the second pipe 110, and the liquid during defrosting of the refrigerated evaporator 60 can flow into the water collection box 150 through the second pipe 110.

[0042] This application also provides a method for defrosting a refrigerator.

[0043] The defrosting method for the refrigerator in this application includes:

[0044] S1: Start the compressor 10. The refrigerant discharged by the compressor 10 flows through the first pipe 20 to raise the temperature of the first pipe 20 and use the heat of the first pipe 20 to heat the air.

[0045] S2: Heated air is sent into the refrigerated air duct 100 through the air inlet and defrosts the refrigerated evaporator 60;

[0046] S3: The air from the refrigerated air duct 100 is continued to be delivered to the thawing zone 120 through the second outlet to thaw the items to be thawed in the thawing zone 120.

[0047] In one embodiment, the first heated tube 20 can be used to heat the second tube 110 to heat the air inside the second tube 110. Alternatively, the first tube 20 can be placed inside the second tube 110 to heat the air flowing inside the second tube 110.

[0048] Thus, this application utilizes the compressor 10 installed inside the refrigerator to operate, thereby discharging high-temperature refrigerant. The high-temperature refrigerant flows through the first pipe 20, causing the temperature of the first pipe 20 to rise. The heat from the first pipe 20 is used to heat air, which is then sent into the refrigerated air duct 100 to defrost the refrigerated evaporator 60. The humidity of this heated air increases, and then this high-humidity air is introduced into the defrosting zone 120 to exchange heat with the items to be defrosted, such as frozen meat, thereby achieving the purpose of defrosting. This application addresses the issue of surface drying of items to be defrosted due to the higher humidity, thus mitigating the adverse effects of air circulation. Furthermore, it reduces the additional energy consumption of auxiliary facilities such as the defrosting heater. Additionally, the reduction of frost on the evaporator surface improves the reliability of refrigerator operation.

[0049] In one embodiment, the refrigeration circuit 1 further includes a freeze evaporator 70. The defrosting method also includes: after receiving a defrosting command, obtaining the total defrosting time A. For example, the total defrosting time A can be input by the user or automatically determined by the system. In the system's automatic determination of the total defrosting time A, defrosting information of the item to be defrosted placed in the defrosting zone 120 can be obtained first; the defrosting information may include the type and weight of the item to be defrosted; the total defrosting time A is automatically determined based on the aforementioned defrosting information.

[0050] Before S1, the refrigeration evaporator 60 is controlled to not operate, while the freezing evaporator 70 is controlled to operate. For example, the freezing evaporator 70 can continuously run to cool the freezer compartment components, thus controlling the compressor to run continuously within time A. This application controls the operation of the freezing evaporator 70 so that the compressor 10 operates continuously, thereby continuously heating the air after receiving a defrost command, and controlling the refrigeration evaporator 60 to not operate, thus improving defrost efficiency.

[0051] In one embodiment, upon receiving a defrost command, the target temperature of the freezer compartment is lowered from T degrees Celsius to (T-T') degrees Celsius, where T' ranges from 1 to 30 degrees Celsius. The speed of the compressor 10 is increased from N1 rpm to N rpm, and the compressor 10's running time is controlled to be B, where time B is less than the total time A. For example, before defrosting, the target temperature of the freezer compartment could be -18 degrees Celsius. After receiving the defrost command, the target temperature can be lowered from -18 degrees Celsius to (-18-5) degrees Celsius, i.e., -23 degrees Celsius. This allows the compressor 10 to run at an accelerated speed. The accelerated compressor 10 can rapidly heat the first tube 20, thereby quickly creating relatively high-temperature, high-humidity air to improve defrosting efficiency.

[0052] In one embodiment, the formula for increasing the speed of compressor 10 can be N = N1 + T' * Na, where N is the speed of compressor 10, N1 is the initial speed of compressor 10 during defrosting, and Na is a fixed value between 1 rpm and 500 rpm. For example, if the initial speed of compressor 10 during defrosting is 3000 rpm, after receiving the defrosting command, the speed of compressor 10 can be N = 3000 rpm + 5 * 200 rpm = 4000 rpm.

[0053] In one embodiment, after compressor 10 has been running for B hours, the speed of compressor 10 is continuously reduced. This ensures the continuous operation of compressor 10, thereby continuously heating the second tube 110.

[0054] In one embodiment, after the compressor 10 has been running for B seconds, the current freezer temperature T1 is acquired every i seconds, the difference between T1 and the target temperature value is determined, and the speed of the compressor 10 is controlled according to the difference.

[0055] In a specific embodiment, the speed reduction formula for compressor 10 can be N = Ni - |T - T' - T1| * Na, where N is the rotational speed of compressor 10, Ni is the rotational speed of compressor 10 in the i-th second, and Na is a fixed value between 1 rpm and 500 rpm. For example, after compressor 10 has been running for B hours, the rotational speed of compressor 10 is 4000 rpm. At this time, the current freezer temperature T1 is obtained as -22 degrees Celsius.

[0056] Thus, N = 4000rpm - |-18-5+22|*200rpm = 3800rpm; that is, after compressor 10 runs for B hours, its speed can be reduced to 3800rpm. As time goes on, compressor 10 continuously reduces its speed, that is, the speed of compressor 10 is controlled according to the difference between the current freezer temperature T1 and the target temperature value, thus ensuring that the compressor is always in working condition.

[0057] In one embodiment, it is determined whether the defrosting time is the total time A. If the defrosting time is the total time A, the target temperature value of the freezer compartment is restored to T degrees Celsius. For example, when the defrosting time is determined to be consistent with the obtained total defrosting time A, the target temperature value of the freezer compartment is restored to T degrees Celsius. At this time, because the temperature of the freezer compartment is low, the compressor will generally stop working. That is, when the defrosting time is consistent with the preset time, the thawing of the item is complete.

[0058] In one embodiment, if the thawing time is determined to be the total time A, the air inlet 101 of the refrigerated air duct 100 is also closed. It is understood that after the thawed material has completely thawed, the air inlet 101 of the refrigerated air duct 100 is also closed, preventing the refrigerated air duct 100 from connecting with the second pipe 110. Thus, during the subsequent operation of the refrigerated evaporator 60, such as when it is cooling the refrigerator compartment, it will not interfere with the refrigerated evaporator 60's cooling of the refrigerator compartment.

[0059] In one embodiment, if the thawing time is determined to be the total time A, the second outlet 103 is also closed. It is understood that after the thawing of the material is completed, the second outlet 103 is also closed, so that the refrigerated air duct 100 is not connected to the thawing zone 120, so that the cold air generated by the refrigerated evaporator 60 will not enter the thawing zone 120.

[0060] In the description of this application, "first feature" and "second feature" may include one or more of the features.

[0061] In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more.

[0062] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.

[0063] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0064] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of this application, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, characterized in that, include: A refrigeration circuit, comprising a compressor, a condenser, and a refrigerated evaporator, wherein a first pipe is connected in series between the compressor and the condenser, and the refrigerated evaporator has an on state and a off state; The refrigerator compartment includes a defrosting area. A refrigerated air duct, wherein the refrigerated evaporator is installed in the refrigerated air duct, the refrigerated air duct has a first outlet communicating with the refrigerated compartment and a second outlet communicating with the defrosting zone, and the refrigerated air duct also has an air inlet; When the compressor is working, the first pipe is used to heat the air. The heated air enters the refrigerated air duct through the air inlet and enters the defrosting zone through the second outlet for defrosting.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The refrigeration circuit further includes a freezer evaporator, and the refrigerator further includes a freezer compartment. The freezer evaporator is used to cool the freezer compartment and has an on state and an off state.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the refrigerated air duct is provided with a second pipe that communicates with it. The other end of the second pipe is connected to the outside air. At least a portion of the first pipe is disposed in the second pipe for heating the air inside the second pipe.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, characterized in that, At least a portion of the first tube is spirally disposed on the surface of the second tube.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first pipe is provided with an insulation layer, which is wrapped around the first pipe.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 3, characterized in that, At least a portion of the first tube is disposed within the second tube.

7. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The refrigerated air duct is also equipped with an air supply mechanism, which is used to send the air in the refrigerated air duct into the defrosting zone through the second outlet.

8. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, A first air damper is provided between the cold storage compartment and the first outlet. In a first state, the cold storage air duct is connected to the cold storage compartment. In a second state, the cold storage air duct is not connected to the cold storage compartment.

9. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, A second air damper is provided between the thawing zone and the second outlet. In the first state, the refrigerated air duct is connected to the thawing zone. In the second state, the refrigerated air duct is not connected to the thawing zone.

10. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 3-6, characterized in that, The second pipe is provided with a third air damper, which is located between the air inlet and the first pipe. In the first state, the refrigerated air duct is connected to the second pipe, and in the second state, the refrigerated air duct is not connected to the second pipe.

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