Evaporator assembly and refrigeration device

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of refrigeration, and in particular to an evaporator assembly and a refrigeration device. The evaporator assembly comprises an evaporator and an electromagnetic heating assembly. The evaporator comprises a refrigerant pipe and a fin assembly sleeved on the refrigerant pipe. The fin assembly is in thermally conductive connection with the refrigerant pipe, the refrigerant pipe comprises a linear portion, and the fin assembly is sleeved on the linear portion. The electromagnetic heating assembly comprises an induction coil. The induction coil is arranged adjacent to the fin assembly and is configured to heat the fin assembly. According to the evaporator assembly of the present application, the electromagnetic heating assembly is used to act on the fin assembly and the refrigerant pipe to induce an eddy current, the eddy current generates resistance heat, and the resistance heat is rapidly conducted to defrost the evaporator. According to the evaporator assembly, using the principle of electromagnetic heating, efficient defrosting of the evaporator assembly is achieved by means of heating the fin assembly and the refrigerant pipe. The fin assembly is sleeved on the linear portion, so that the refrigerant pipe can be heated quickly, and the defrosting time of the evaporator assembly can be effectively shortened.

Description

Evaporator components and refrigeration equipment

[0001] Cross-reference of related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to patent application No. 202411451322.8, filed on October 16, 2024, entitled "Evaporator Assembly and Refrigeration Equipment", and patent application No. 2025113489368, filed on September 19, 2025, entitled "Evaporator Assembly and Refrigeration Equipment", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of refrigeration technology, and more particularly to an evaporator assembly and refrigeration equipment. Background Technology

[0004] This section provides only background information relevant to this disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.

[0005] 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: the evaporator assembly, the condenser assembly, the compressor, and a throttling device. The evaporator assembly provides cooling capacity; the refrigerant absorbs heat and evaporates within it, lowering the surrounding 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.

[0006] 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.

[0007] 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.

[0008] Application content

[0009] The purpose of this application is to at least solve the problem of slow defrosting speed of evaporator components in the prior art. This purpose is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0010] A first aspect of the embodiments of this application provides an evaporator assembly comprising:

[0011] An evaporator, comprising a refrigerant pipe and a fin assembly sleeved on the refrigerant pipe, the fin assembly being thermally connected to the refrigerant pipe, the refrigerant pipe including a straight portion, wherein the fin assembly is sleeved on the straight portion; and

[0012] An electromagnetic heating assembly, comprising an induction coil disposed adjacent to the fin assembly and configured to heat the fin assembly.

[0013] According to the evaporator assembly of this application, an electromagnetic heating element induces eddy currents in the finned assembly and refrigerant pipes. These eddy currents generate resistance heat, which is rapidly conducted to defrost the evaporator. The evaporator assembly utilizes the principle of electromagnetic heating, employing the finned assembly and refrigerant pipes for heating, thus achieving highly efficient defrosting. The finned assembly, mounted on the straight section, can quickly heat the refrigerant pipes, effectively shortening the defrosting time of the evaporator assembly.

[0014] In addition, the evaporator assembly according to this application may also have the following additional technical features:

[0015] In some embodiments of this application, the induction coil is disposed on at least one side of the evaporator along the thickness direction.

[0016] In some embodiments of this application, the fin assembly includes a plurality of first fins spaced apart along the length direction of the straight portion. Each first fin includes a main body portion and a bent portion arranged at an angle, and the main body portions of the plurality of first fins are respectively sleeved on the straight portion.

[0017] In some embodiments of this application, the main body and the bent portion are at least one of L-shape, T-shape, I-shape and reverse L-shape.

[0018] In some embodiments of this application, the bending portions of the plurality of first fins located on the same side of the main body are in the same plane.

[0019] In some embodiments of this application, the induction coil is arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the plane where the bent portion is located.

[0020] In some embodiments of this application, the interval between the induction coil and the bent portion ranges from 5 mm to 30 mm.

[0021] In some embodiments of this application, the fin assembly further includes a second fin sleeved on the refrigerant pipe, the second fin being a flat plate structure.

[0022] In some embodiments of this application, at least a portion of the second fin is disposed between two adjacent first fins.

[0023] In some embodiments of this application, at least two second fins are disposed between two adjacent first fins, wherein the at least two second fins are spaced apart.

[0024] In some embodiments of this application, the induction coil has a flat structure.

[0025] In some embodiments of this application, the induction coil includes one of a racetrack-shaped coil, a rectangular coil, and a circular coil.

[0026] In some embodiments of this application, the rectangular coil includes either a rectangular ring structure or a rectangular planar structure.

[0027] In some embodiments of this application, the projection of the induction coil onto the evaporator along the thickness direction of the evaporator covers the bend of each of the first fins.

[0028] In some embodiments of this application, the main body and the bent portion of the first fin are an integral structure.

[0029] In some embodiments of this application, a shielding layer is provided on the side of the induction coil away from the bent portion.

[0030] A second aspect of the embodiments of this application provides a refrigeration device including an evaporator assembly as mentioned in the above embodiments, the evaporator assembly being used to provide cooling capacity. Attached Figure Description

[0031] 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 scope of this application. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

[0032] Figure 1 schematically shows a structural diagram of the evaporator tube of an evaporator assembly according to an embodiment of the present application (the induction coil is not shown);

[0033] Figure 2 is a partially enlarged structural diagram of the evaporator assembly shown in Figure 1 at point A;

[0034] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first fin of the evaporator assembly shown in Figure 1;

[0035] Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of the evaporator assembly shown in Figure 1 from a second perspective (including the induction coil);

[0036] Figure 5 is another structural schematic diagram of the evaporator assembly shown in Figure 4;

[0037] Figure 6 is another structural schematic diagram of the evaporator assembly shown in Figure 4;

[0038] Figure 7 is another structural schematic diagram of the evaporator assembly shown in Figure 4;

[0039] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the induction coil of the evaporator assembly shown in Figure 6;

[0040] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the induction coil of the evaporator assembly shown in Figure 7;

[0041] Figure 10 is another exploded structural diagram of the evaporator assembly shown in Figure 1;

[0042] Figure 11 schematically shows an exploded view of a refrigeration device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0043] The reference numerals in the attached drawings are as follows: 1000, refrigeration equipment; 100, evaporator assembly; 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, bent section; 1213, through hole; 122, second fin; 20, induction coil; 300, refrigerator door; 400, freezer door; 500, cabinet; 501, back panel; 600, cabinet liner; 700, machine compartment; XX, length direction of evaporator assembly; YY, thickness direction of evaporator assembly; ZZ, height direction of evaporator assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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.

[0046] 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.

[0047] 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.

[0048] As shown in Figures 1 to 9, according to a first aspect of the embodiments of this application, an evaporator assembly is provided, as shown in Figures 1 to 4. Figure 1 schematically shows a structural diagram of the evaporator tube of the evaporator assembly 100 according to an embodiment of this application (induction coil 20 is not shown); Figure 2 is a partially enlarged structural diagram of the evaporator assembly 100 shown in Figure 1 at point A; Figure 3 is a structural diagram of the first fin 121 of the evaporator assembly 100 shown in Figure 1; and Figure 4 shows the evaporator assembly shown in Figure 1. The structural schematic diagram of component 100 from a second perspective (including induction coil 20) shows that 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 sleeved on the refrigerant pipe 11. The fin assembly 12 is thermally connected to the refrigerant pipe 11. The refrigerant pipe 11 includes a straight section 111, and the fin assembly 12 is sleeved on the straight section 111. The electromagnetic heating assembly includes an induction coil 20, which is arranged adjacent to the fin assembly 12 and is configured to heat the fin assembly 12.

[0049] It should be noted that the evaporator assembly 100 here has three directions, as shown in Figure 1. In Figure 1, XX is the length direction of the evaporator assembly 100, which is consistent with the length direction of the straight part 111. YY is the thickness direction of the evaporator assembly 100, and ZZ is the height direction of the evaporator assembly 100.

[0050] The fin assembly 12 includes multiple fins, which are spaced apart along the length of the straight section 111 and respectively fitted onto the straight section 111, thereby achieving the effect of heating different positions of the refrigerant pipe 11 through the multiple fins of the fin assembly 12.

[0051] When the electromagnetic heating component is in operation, it can generate an alternating electromagnetic field, which causes the fin assembly 12 to heat up, and the fin assembly 12 can heat the refrigerant pipe 11.

[0052] 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.

[0053] 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, 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.

[0054] The electromagnetic heating component in this application uses the principle of electromagnetic induction to generate eddy current heating. Specifically, 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 fin assembly 12, countless small eddy currents are generated, which causes the fin assembly 12 and the refrigerant pipe 11 to heat up rapidly, thereby defrosting the frost on the evaporator 10.

[0055] It should be added that the induction coil 20 is arranged adjacent to the fin assembly 12. The induction coil 20 can be arranged on one side of the fin assembly 12, or the induction coil 20 can be arranged on at least one side of the fin assembly 12 along the XX direction, or the induction coil 20 can be arranged on at least one side of the fin assembly 12 along the YY direction, or the induction coil 20 can be arranged on at least one side of the fin assembly 12 along the ZZ direction. Therefore, the number of induction coils 20 can be one, two or more, all of which can achieve the effect of electromagnetic heating of the fin assembly 12.

[0056] Optionally, the induction coil 20 is disposed on at least one side of the evaporator 10 along the thickness direction, the thickness direction intersecting the length direction of the straight portion 111. The number of induction coils 20 can be one, in which case the induction coil 20 is disposed on the front or rear side of the evaporator 10 along the thickness direction. Alternatively, the number of induction coils 20 can also be two, with the two induction coils 20 respectively disposed on the front and rear sides of the evaporator 10 along the thickness direction, which can achieve a better heating effect on the fin assembly 12. The thickness direction of the evaporator 10 is consistent with the thickness direction of the evaporator assembly 100, which is the YY direction in Figure 1.

[0057] In this embodiment, the induction coil 20 can be arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the surface of the evaporator 10 with the largest area, which allows the fin assembly 12 to cut more magnetic field lines and improve the heating effect on the fin assembly 12.

[0058] The structure of the fin assembly 12 will now be described in detail.

[0059] Optionally, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, the fin assembly 12 includes a plurality of first fins 121 spaced apart along the length of the straight portion 111. Each first fin 121 includes a main body portion 1211 and a bent portion 1212 arranged at an angle. The main body portion 1211 of each first fin 121 is respectively fitted onto the straight portion 111.

[0060] 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 can also be at other angles with the main body 1211, such as 80 degrees or 85 degrees, and the bent part 1212 can be heated by the induction coil 20.

[0061] 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.

[0062] Optionally, the main body 1211 and the bent portion 1212 are at least one of L-shape, T-shape, I-shape, and reverse L-shape. In Figure 2, the main body 1211 and the bent portion 1212 are in an L-shape structure, in which case the main body 1211 and the bent portion 1212 are perpendicular to each other. In Figure 2, the main body 1211 and the bent portion 1212 of each first fin 121 are L-shaped, and the dimensions of each first fin 121 are the same, facilitating the assembly of the evaporator assembly 100.

[0063] Alternatively, the main body portion 1211 and the bent portion 1212 can also form a T-shaped structure. At this time, the center lines of the main body portion 1211 and the bent portion 1212 are connected, so that the T-shaped structure formed by the main body portion 1211 and the bent portion 1212 is an axisymmetric structure, which is convenient for the assembly of the evaporator assembly 100.

[0064] Alternatively, the main body portion 1211 and the bent portion 1212 can also form a structure in the shape of a Chinese character "工". At this time, the number of the bent portions 1212 is twice the number of the main body portions 1211, and each main body portion 1211 is connected with a bent portion 1212 at both ends along the Y-Y direction.

[0065] Alternatively, the main body portion 1211 and the bent portion 1212 can also form a reverse L-shaped structure. At this time, the orientation of the bent portion 1212 is opposite to that of the bent portion 1212 in FIG. 2. No matter which structure the first fin 121 adopts, the induction coil 20 can achieve the effect of electromagnetic heating on the first fin 121.

[0066] The above only lists the common shapes formed by the main body portion 1211 and the bent portion 1212. The main body portion 1211 and the bent portion 1212 can also form structures of other shapes, such as a structure in the shape of a Chinese character "王" or a structure in the shape of a Chinese character "土", etc. In order to improve the heating effect of the induction coil 20 on the first fin 121, the areas of the main body portion 1211 and the bent portion 1212 need to be as large as possible.

[0067] Optionally, the electromagnetic heating component further includes a circuit board (not shown). The circuit board is electrically connected to the induction coil 20 through a circuit, so that the induction coil 20 can generate an alternating electromagnetic field. The rapidly changing alternating electromagnetic field makes the bent portion 1212 generate an electric current, and the electric current makes the bent portion 1212 generate heat, thereby achieving the effect of temperature rise.

[0068] The induction coil 20 is arranged facing the bent portion 1212. That is to say, the interval between the induction coil 20 and the bent portion 1212 is the smallest, so that the temperature rise at the position where the bent portion 1212 is located is the fastest. Since the bent portion 1212 and the main body portion 1211 can be thermally connected, the temperature of the main body portion 1211 can also be rapidly increased, and the refrigerant pipe 11 can be heated to improve the defrosting efficiency of the evaporator 10.

[0069] Optionally, continuing to refer to Figures 1 and 2, the refrigerant pipe 11 further includes a plurality of first U-shaped portions 112, a plurality of second U-shaped portions 113, and a plurality of straight portions 111. The straight portions 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 portions 112 can connect the first ends of two straight portions 111, and the second U-shaped portions 113 can connect the second ends of two straight portions 111, thus connecting the plurality of straight portions 111 in series. The plurality of first U-shaped portions 112 are disposed at the first end of the evaporator 10, and the plurality of second U-shaped portions 113 are disposed at the second end of the evaporator 10, with the first and second ends opposite each other.

[0070] 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.

[0071] The main body 1211 and the bending part 1212 of each first fin 121 are an integral structure. That is to say, the main body 1211 and the bending part 1212 can be formed by bending a single plate to create 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 by bending.

[0072] 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.

[0073] 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.

[0074] Optionally, as shown in Figure 3, the main body 1211 is provided with multiple through holes 1213 to facilitate the refrigerant pipe 11 passing 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 pipe 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.

[0075] Optionally, there are at least two 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.

[0076] 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 YY direction. 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 because the density of magnetic field lines is larger, while the bends 1212 farther from the induction coil 20 generate less heat because the density of magnetic field lines is smaller. However, compared with the structure of commonly used electric heating tubes, this structure can still speed up the defrosting speed of the evaporator 10.

[0077] Optionally, different bends 1212 form a planar structure along the XX direction in Figure 1. That is, the later bend 1212 is closely connected to the earlier bend 1212. This can be either the edge of the later bend 1212 is in contact with the earlier bend 1212, or the later bend 1212 covers a part of the earlier bend 1212. In this case, the later bend 1212 and a part of the earlier bend 1212 can have overlapping areas along the XX direction.

[0078] 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.

[0079] As a preferred embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, when the bending portions 1212 are all located on the same side of the main body 1211, the bending portions 1212 of each first fin 121 are in the same plane, and there can be a gap between two adjacent bending portions 1212. The structure of each first fin 121 is the same, that is, the shape and area of ​​the bending portion 1212 of each first fin 121 are the same, and the bending portion 1212 has a rectangular plate-like structure.

[0080] It should be noted that the first fin 121 can also adopt an I-shaped structure. In this case, the bent portion 1212 of the first fin 121 on the same side of the main body 1211 is in the same plane, which enables the induction coil 20 to heat the main body 1211 evenly.

[0081] As one embodiment, the fin assembly 12 may only have a first fin 121, and the two first fins 121 are arranged at intervals. The bent portions 1212 of the first fins 121 corresponding to the induction coil 20 can 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 achieve defrosting of all positions of the evaporator 10.

[0082] Alternatively, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the fin assembly 12 may further include 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 a conventional flat plate structure. In this application, only the second fin 122 may be used, and the alternating electromagnetic field causes the second fin 122 to heat up, thereby heating the refrigerant pipe 11.

[0083] Optionally, at least part of the second fin 122 is disposed between two adjacent first fins 121. That is, the second fin 122 can be disposed between two first fins 121, or the second fin 122 can be disposed at the edge of the straight section 111. In this case, along the XX direction, there is only one first fin 121 disposed adjacent to the second fin 122.

[0084] In Figure 2, 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.

[0085] It should be noted that the bending portions 1212 of different first fins 121 all face the same direction. In Figure 2, the bending portions 1212 of different first fins 121 all face the right side of the corresponding main body 1211, which facilitates the assembly of the evaporator assembly 100.

[0086] Alternatively, the number of second fins 122 between two adjacent first fins 121 can also be two or 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.

[0087] 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 is usually between 0.1 mm and 2 mm, such as 0.5 mm, 0.8 mm, 1 mm or 1.5 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.

[0088] As one feasible embodiment, one end of the second fin 122 along the YY 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.

[0089] 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.

[0090] More specifically, as shown in Figure 2, 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. In this case, the spacing between adjacent second fins 122 of a first fin 121 is the same as the spacing between two second fins 122, which facilitates the assembly of the evaporator assembly 100.

[0091] 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.

[0092] 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.

[0093] In some embodiments of this application, the interval between the induction coil 20 and the bending portion 1212 is specifically in the range of 5 mm to 30 mm, such as 5 mm, 8 mm, 10 mm, 20 mm or 30 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.

[0094] The shape and structure of the induction coil 20 will be described in detail below.

[0095] In some embodiments of this application, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the induction coil 20 of the evaporator assembly 100 shown in Figure 6, and Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the induction coil 20 of the evaporator assembly 100 shown in Figure 7. The induction coil 20 has a flat structure and can be one of a racetrack-shaped coil, a rectangular coil, and a circular coil. The rectangular coil includes one of a rectangular ring structure and a rectangular planar structure, and the circular coil includes one of a circular ring structure and a circular planar structure. Of course, the electromagnetic heating element can be a ring structure or other shapes. In Figure 4, the induction coil 20 is a racetrack-shaped ring coil. In Figure 4, the electromagnetic heating coil is a racetrack-shaped coil, and when the coil is wound on a coil, it can form a racetrack-shaped structure as a whole. In Figure 6, the induction coil 20 is a rectangular ring structure, and in Figure 7, the induction coil 20 is a rectangular planar structure. When the coil is wound on a coil, it can form a rectangular planar structure.

[0096] 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.

[0097] It is important to note that the induction coil 20 can be either a ring-shaped structure or a circular planar structure, both of which can generate heat when the induction coil 20 is positioned near the bending portion 1212.

[0098] In some embodiments of this application, continuing to refer to Figures 4 and 7, a projection is made along the thickness direction of the evaporator 10. The induction coil 20 covers the bend 1212 of each first fin 121. That is, the maximum length of the induction coil 20 along the XX direction is greater than or equal to the sum of the lengths of the bends 1212 of all the first fins 121 along the XX direction.

[0099] In Figure 4, the maximum dimension of the induction coil 20 along the length of the straight section 111 is the length of the horizontal center line. The sum of the lengths of the bent portions 1212 of all the first fins 121 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 bent portion 1212 to be correspondingly arranged with the induction coil 20, which facilitates the induction coil 20 to generate heat in the bent portions 1212. This enables each first fin 121 to generate heat, accelerates the defrosting speed of the evaporator assembly 100, and shortens the defrosting time of the evaporator assembly 100.

[0100] It should be noted that the size of the bending portion 1212 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 bending portion 1212 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.

[0101] In some embodiments of this application, as shown in FIG10, FIG10 is another exploded structural schematic diagram of the evaporator assembly 100 shown in FIG1. ​​The evaporator assembly 100 here adopts a different placement method than the evaporator assembly 100 in FIG1. ​​In FIG1, the evaporator assembly 100 is placed horizontally, while in FIG10, the evaporator assembly 100 is placed vertically, and the induction coil 20 adopts a different structure. The placement method of the evaporator assembly 100 can be selected as needed.

[0102] 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.

[0103] Furthermore, 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. Continuing to refer to Figure 10, in Figure 10, there are multiple first fins 121 and second fins 122, and the first fins 121 and second fins 122 are not integral structures; both adopt segmented structures. In Figure 10, the density of the first fins 121 and second fins 122 in the upper half of the evaporator assembly 100 is relatively high, and the spacing between two adjacent first fins 121 is relatively small. Correspondingly, the coil density of the induction coils 20 in this part is also relatively high. The induction coils 20 can be wound using a loose winding method, thereby achieving heating of each first fin 121 and second fin 122. The first fin 121 and the second fin 122 in the lower half of the evaporator assembly 100 have a lower density and a larger spacing between two adjacent first fins 121. Correspondingly, the coil density of the induction coil 20 in this part is also relatively small. The induction coil 20 can be wound using a loose winding method, thereby achieving heating of each first fin 121 and the second fin 122. At this time, 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.

[0104] It is understandable that the induction coil 20 is provided with a wire, and 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.

[0105] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, 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.

[0106] In Figure 1, 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.

[0107] 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.

[0108] 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, thus 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 10, the shielding layer may not be provided.

[0109] Specifically, the shielding layer can be an electromagnetic shielding coating applied to the outer surface of the induction coil 20 on the side opposite to the evaporator 10. Alternatively, the shielding layer can be an electromagnetic shielding sleeve fitted onto the outer surface of part of the induction coil 20. The material of the electromagnetic shielding layer can be electromagnetic shielding plastic, intrinsically conductive polymer, or conductive fabric, etc.

[0110] 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 better implementation, to better prevent electromagnetic wave leakage, the shielding layer can also extend to the periphery of the induction coil 20.

[0111] Alternatively, the shielding layer can be set separately from the induction coil 20, with the shielding layer placed on one side of the induction coil 20 and spaced apart from the induction coil 20.

[0112] 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.

[0113] 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.

[0114] 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.

[0115] 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.

[0116] 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.

[0117] In some other embodiments of this application, 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.

[0118] Of course, it is understandable that the circuit containing the induction coil 20 in this application 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.

[0119] A second aspect of the embodiments of this application provides a refrigeration device 1000, as shown in FIG11. FIG11 schematically shows an exploded structural diagram of the refrigeration device 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application. The refrigeration device 1000 includes an evaporator assembly 100 as mentioned in the above embodiments, the evaporator assembly 100 being used to provide cooling capacity.

[0120] Optionally, the refrigeration equipment 1000 includes refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerated cabinets, etc., which can store food and other items. The refrigerator provided in this embodiment can be a fixed-frequency refrigerator or a variable-frequency refrigerator.

[0121] 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.

[0122] 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.

[0123] 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.

[0124] 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.

[0125] Optionally, the refrigeration equipment 1000 also includes a controller that can shut down the compressor of the refrigeration equipment 1000 and turn on the induction coil 20 when the evaporator assembly 100 needs to be defrosted, so that eddy currents are induced in the refrigerant pipe 11, the first fin 121 and / or the second fin 122. The eddy currents generate resistance heat, which is quickly conducted to defrost the evaporator 10, thereby improving the defrosting efficiency of the evaporator assembly 100.

[0126] For the structure of other parts of this application, please refer to the prior art; further details will not be provided here.

[0127] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application 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 this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An evaporator assembly, wherein, The evaporator assembly includes: An evaporator, comprising a refrigerant pipe and a fin assembly sleeved on the refrigerant pipe, the fin assembly being thermally connected to the refrigerant pipe, the refrigerant pipe including a straight portion, wherein the fin assembly is sleeved on the straight portion; and An electromagnetic heating assembly, comprising an induction coil disposed adjacent to the fin assembly and configured to heat the fin assembly.

2. The evaporator assembly of claim 1, wherein, The induction coil is disposed on at least one side of the evaporator along the thickness direction.

3. The evaporator assembly of claim 1, wherein, The fin assembly includes a plurality of first fins spaced apart along the length of the straight portion. Each first fin includes a main body portion and a bent portion arranged at an angle, and the main body portions of the plurality of first fins are respectively fitted onto the straight portion.

4. The evaporator assembly of claim 3, wherein, The main body and the bent portion are at least one of L-shaped, T-shaped, I-shaped and reverse L-shaped.

5. The evaporator assembly of claim 3, wherein, The multiple first fins located on the same side of the main body and the bent portions are in the same plane.

6. The evaporator assembly of claim 5, wherein, The induction coil is arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the plane where the bent portion is located.

7. The evaporator assembly of claim 5, wherein, The interval between the induction coil and the bent portion ranges from 5 mm to 30 mm.

8. The evaporator assembly of claim 3, wherein, The fin assembly further includes a second fin sleeved on the refrigerant pipe, the second fin being a flat plate structure.

9. The evaporator assembly of claim 8, wherein, At least a portion of the second fin is disposed between two adjacent first fins.

10. The evaporator assembly of claim 8, wherein, At least two second fins are disposed between two adjacent first fins, wherein the at least two second fins are spaced apart.

11. The evaporator assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, The induction coil has a flat structure.

12. The evaporator assembly of any of claims 1-10, wherein, The induction coil includes one of a racetrack-shaped coil, a rectangular coil, and a circular coil.

13. The evaporator assembly of claim 12, wherein, The rectangular coil includes either a rectangular ring structure or a rectangular planar structure.

14. The evaporator assembly of any of claims 3-10, wherein, Along the thickness direction of the evaporator, the projection of the induction coil onto the evaporator covers the bend of each of the first fins.

15. The evaporator assembly of any of claims 3-10, wherein, The main body and the bent portion of the first fin are an integral structure.

16. The evaporator assembly of any of claims 3-10, wherein, A shielding layer is provided on the side of the induction coil away from the bent portion.

17. A refrigeration appliance, wherein, The refrigeration equipment includes an evaporator assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16, the evaporator assembly being used to provide cooling capacity.

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