CN107255387B

CN107255387B - defrosting method for refrigerator

Info

Publication number: CN107255387B
Application number: CN201710517945.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 苗建林; 李春阳; 王铭; 朱小兵
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Haier Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-06-29
Filing date: 2017-06-29
Publication date: 2019-12-06
Anticipated expiration: 2037-06-29
Also published as: CN107255387A

Abstract

The invention provides a defrosting method of a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes an evaporator and a plurality of heating wires; each heating wire extends along the horizontal direction, and the plurality of heating wires are arranged at intervals along the height direction of the evaporator; each heating wire is configured to directly or indirectly heat the evaporator; the plurality of heating wires includes a first heating wire; and the defrosting method comprises the following steps: when the evaporator needs defrosting, the same voltage is applied to each heating wire, so that each heating wire generates heat to defrost; detecting the defrosting temperature, and reducing the voltage applied to the first heating wire according to the defrosting temperature; and when the defrosting temperature reaches a first preset temperature value, closing all the heating wires. The heating wires at different positions can be properly reduced in heat release amount according to the frosting amount and the defrosting temperature at different positions on the evaporator, so that the evaporator of the refrigerator can be defrosted as required, and the defrosting at different positions of the evaporator is very important as required, so that the power consumption can be reduced, the defrosting time can be shortened, and the fresh-keeping effect can be enhanced.

Description

Defrosting method for refrigerator

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of refrigeration and freezing storage, in particular to a defrosting method of a refrigerator.

Background

The refrigerator is a refrigerating device for keeping constant low temperature, and is a civil product for keeping food or other articles in a constant low-temperature cold state. The air cooling technology cools air passing through a built-in hidden cooler (such as an evaporator of a refrigerant circulating system), and forces cold air to flow in a circulating manner through a fan, so that the cold air is uniformly distributed in each compartment of the refrigerator, and the refrigeration is realized. When air in the refrigerator passes through the surface of the evaporator, moisture in the air is condensed on the surface of the evaporator, and because the temperature of the evaporator is too low, a frost layer is formed after a period of time, the heat transfer efficiency of the evaporator is reduced until the evaporator is completely blocked and loses efficacy, the operation efficiency of the refrigerator is reduced, and defrosting must be carried out after the operation for a period of time.

In the existing defrosting, an electric heater is usually arranged at the bottom of an evaporator, when a frost layer on the surface of the evaporator reaches a certain thickness, a refrigerator stops refrigerating, and the heater starts to work to heat and melt the frost layer. In the defrosting process of the evaporator, the bottom of the evaporator is heated firstly, so that the frost at the bottom of the evaporator begins to melt firstly, and the frost at the middle part and the upper part of the evaporator gradually melts, so that the bottom of the evaporator is heated by the heater for a longer time, and the plastic part at the bottom of the evaporator is easily aged and damaged due to long heating time. The frost on the evaporator absorbs a large amount of heat in the process of gradually melting into water from bottom to top, the melting time is long, and the phenomenon of serious heat waste exists.

disclosure of Invention

The inventor thinks that the existing defrosting mode of the interior of the refrigerator is basically defrosting according to an empirical value, but the defrosting speed of the interior of the refrigerator is different according to the normal use condition and the change of the environment, the defrosting speed of different positions of the evaporator is also different for the evaporator due to the relation of wind directions and the like, the electric heater is arranged at the bottom of the evaporator for defrosting, the frost on the evaporator absorbs a large amount of heat in the process of gradually melting into water from bottom to top, the melting time is long, and the phenomenon of serious heat waste exists.

Therefore, the present invention is directed to a defrosting method for a refrigerator, which can defrost an evaporator as required, wherein defrosting as required includes not only defrosting according to frosting positions of the evaporator, but also applying appropriate heat according to the amount of a frost layer at each position, and it is very important to defrost different positions of the evaporator as required, thereby reducing power consumption, reducing defrosting time, and enhancing fresh-keeping effect.

Specifically, the present invention provides a defrosting method of a refrigerator, wherein the refrigerator includes an evaporator and a plurality of heating wires; each heating wire extends along the horizontal direction, and the plurality of heating wires are arranged at intervals along the height direction of the evaporator; each of the heating wires is configured to directly or indirectly heat the evaporator; the plurality of heating wires includes a first heating wire; and the defrosting method comprises:

When the evaporator needs defrosting, the same voltage is applied to each heating wire, so that each heating wire generates heat to defrost;

Detecting the defrosting temperature, and reducing the voltage applied to the first heating wire according to the defrosting temperature;

And when the defrosting temperature reaches a first preset temperature value, closing all the heating wires.

optionally, the reducing the voltage applied to the first heating wire according to the defrosting temperature includes:

when the defrosting temperature reaches a second preset temperature value, reducing the voltage applied to the first heating wire; the second preset temperature value is smaller than the first preset temperature value.

Optionally, the reducing the voltage applied to the first heating wire according to the defrosting temperature further comprises:

When the defrosting temperature reaches a third preset temperature value, further reducing the voltage applied to the first heating wire; the third preset temperature value is smaller than the first preset temperature value, and the third preset temperature value is larger than the second preset temperature value.

When the defrosting temperature reaches a fourth preset temperature value, further reducing the voltage applied to the first heating wire; the fourth preset temperature value is smaller than the first preset temperature value, and the fourth preset temperature value is larger than the third preset temperature value.

Optionally, the voltage applied to the first heating wire is reduced by a reduction of 2% to 5%.

Optionally, the plurality of heating wires further comprises a second heating wire disposed below the first heating wire.

Optionally, the plurality of heating wires further comprises a third heating wire disposed above the first heating wire; the defrosting method further comprises the following steps: and reducing the voltage applied to the third heating wire according to the defrosting temperature.

Optionally, the voltage applied to the first heating wire and the third heating wire is simultaneously reduced according to the defrosting temperature; and is

When the voltage applied to the first heating wire and the third heating wire is reduced, the reduction amplitude of the voltage applied to the first heating wire is smaller than that of the voltage applied to the third heating wire.

optionally, the voltage applied to the first heating wire is reduced using a pulse width modulation technique.

optionally, the refrigerator further comprises a cooling chamber and a temperature sensor, the evaporator, the plurality of heating wires and the temperature sensor are arranged in the cooling chamber, and the temperature sensor is arranged above the evaporator;

The temperature sensor is configured to detect the defrosting temperature; and is

The second preset temperature value is 3.6-4.4 ℃;

the first preset temperature value is 6.6 ℃ to 7.4 ℃.

the defrosting method of the refrigerator can properly reduce the heat release quantity of the heating wires at different positions according to the frosting quantity and the defrosting temperature of different positions on the evaporator, so that the evaporator of the refrigerator can be defrosted as required, and the defrosting of different positions of the evaporator is very important as required, thereby reducing the power consumption, reducing the defrosting time and enhancing the fresh-keeping effect.

The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of specific embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Some specific embodiments of the invention will be described in detail hereinafter, by way of illustration and not limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in the drawings identify the same or similar elements or components. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic partial structural view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the structure shown in FIG. 2;

fig. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a defrosting method of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2 is a schematic partial structural view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 3 is a schematic side view of the structure shown in fig. 2. As shown in fig. 1, 2 and 3, an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator. The refrigerator can comprise a refrigerator body 10, a door body, a refrigerating system, a frosting condition detection device and a defrosting heating device.

The box body 10 has a plurality of storage compartments therein. The storage compartment is used for storing food. The plurality of storage compartments in the embodiment of the present invention may include a refrigerating compartment 11 for frequently storing vegetables, and the temperature control range thereof is generally-5 ℃ to 7 ℃. The plurality of storage compartments may further include a freezing compartment 12, a warming compartment, and the like. The door body can be a plurality of, and every door body is configured to the controlled opening or closes a storing compartment. Further, the box body 10 is also provided with a compressor chamber, a cooling chamber, and an air duct system for communicating the storage chamber and the cooling chamber. The cooling compartment may be at the rear side of the freezing compartment 12. In fig. 1, a duct cover between the cooling compartment and the freezing compartment 12 is not shown.

The refrigeration system is configured to provide cooling energy to reduce a temperature within the storage compartment. Specifically, the refrigeration system may be a compression-type refrigeration system including a compressor, a condenser, a throttling device, an evaporator 20, and the like. The compressor may be disposed within the compressor bin. The evaporator 20 may be disposed in the cooling chamber and configured to reduce a temperature of gas in the cooling chamber by using a refrigerant introduced therein to maintain a temperature in the storage compartment at a predetermined temperature or within a predetermined temperature range via the duct system.

the frosting condition detection device can be arranged in the cooling chamber and used for enabling the refrigerator to judge whether the refrigerator needs to be defrosted according to the detection result of the frosting condition detection device. In some embodiments, the frost formation detecting device includes a temperature sensor disposed above the evaporator and configured to detect a temperature of the evaporator and a defrosting temperature of the evaporator. In other embodiments, the temperature sensor may be disposed on the evaporator. In still other embodiments, the frost condition detection means includes one or more differential pressure sensors 60. When there are a plurality of differential pressure sensors 60, the plurality of differential pressure sensors 60 are provided at intervals along the longitudinal direction of the evaporator 20; each differential pressure sensor 60 is configured to detect a pressure difference between the evaporator 20 at two locations disposed in the height direction of the evaporator 20. The two locations provided in the height direction of the evaporator 20, which are detected by any two differential pressure sensors 60, may be the same or different, and preferably are different. In some alternative embodiments, whether the evaporator needs defrosting may also be judged according to a continuous operation time of a compressor of the refrigerator and/or a total operation time of the compressor.

The defrosting heating means may have a plurality of heating wires 40. Each of the heating wires 40 may extend in a horizontal direction, and a plurality of the heating wires 40 are spaced apart in a height direction of the evaporator 20, and each of the heating wires 40 is configured to directly or indirectly heat the evaporator 20, so that the plurality of the heating wires 40 can heat the evaporator 20 at a plurality of different height positions. Further, the defrosting heating device may further include a heat conductive plate 30. The heat conductive plate 30 is disposed at one side of the evaporator 20 and thermally contacts (i.e., performs contact thermal connection) the evaporator 20. Each heating wire 40 is in thermal contact with the thermally conductive plate 30. The heat conductive plate 30 can be used to diffuse heat from the heating wires 40 to the evaporator 20, thereby improving defrosting efficiency. In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the heat conductive plate 30 is disposed between the plurality of heating wires 40 and the evaporator 20 to transfer heat generated from each heating wire 40 to the evaporator 20. In other preferred embodiments, a plurality of heating wires 40 are disposed within thermally conductive plate 30.

Fig. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a defrosting method of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 4, in particular, the embodiment of the invention also provides a defrosting method of a refrigerator. The plurality of heating wires 40 may include a first heating wire. The maximum heating power of each heating wire 40 is preferably the same, i.e. the same plurality of heating wires 40 is used. The defrosting method can comprise the following steps:

when the evaporator needs defrosting, the same voltage is applied to each heating wire, so that each heating wire generates heat to defrost. When the evaporator needs defrosting, the air inlet door of each storage compartment of the refrigerator can be closed at least.

And detecting the defrosting temperature, and reducing the voltage applied to the first heating wire according to the defrosting temperature. According to the frosting rule of the evaporator 20, the frosting speed of the bottom end of the evaporator 20 is faster than that of the upper end of the evaporator 20, and during defrosting, the voltage of some heating wires 40 can be properly reduced, and the heat productivity of the heating wires 40 can be reduced, so that defrosting can be realized as required, and the frost layer at the thinner part of the evaporator can obtain proper heat, and the electric energy can be saved.

And when the defrosting temperature reaches a first preset temperature value, closing all the heating wires. The temperature sensor is arranged above the evaporator; the temperature sensor is configured to detect a defrosting temperature; and the first preset temperature value is 6.6 ℃ to 7.4 ℃, such as 6.9 ℃, 7 ℃ and the like.

Specifically, in some specific embodiments of the present invention, reducing the voltage applied to the first heating wire according to the defrosting temperature may include: when the defrosting temperature reaches a second preset temperature value, reducing the voltage applied to the first heating wire; the second preset temperature value is smaller than the first preset temperature value. The second predetermined temperature value may be 3.6 ℃ to 4.4 ℃, such as 3.9 ℃, 4 ℃, and the like. Further, the reducing the voltage applied to the first heating wire according to the defrosting temperature may further include: when the defrosting temperature reaches a third preset temperature value, further reducing the voltage applied to the first heating wire; the third preset temperature value is smaller than the first preset temperature value, and the third preset temperature value is larger than the second preset temperature value. When the defrosting temperature reaches a fourth preset temperature value, the voltage applied to the first heating wire is further reduced; the fourth preset temperature value is smaller than the first preset temperature value, and the fourth preset temperature value is larger than the third preset temperature value. The third predetermined temperature value may be 4.6 ℃ to 5.4 ℃, such as 4.9 ℃, 5 ℃, and the like. The fourth predetermined temperature value may be 5.6 ℃ to 6.4 ℃, such as 5.9 ℃, 6 ℃, and the like.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the voltage applied to the first heating wire may be reduced using a pulse width modulation technique (i.e., pwm). Furthermore, the voltage applied over the first heating wire may be reduced by a reduction of 2% to 5%, for example by a reduction of 3%. In some alternative embodiments of the present invention, the voltage applied to the first heating wire may also be reduced according to a preset value, for example, 3V, 5V, 10V, etc., each time, which may be set according to the actual conditions of the evaporator and the resistance of the heating wire, etc., of a specific size.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of heating wires further comprises a second heating wire disposed below the first heating wire. Preferably, the second heating wire may be the lowermost heating wire 40, and finally, the second heating wire 40 may be always heated at the highest heating power due to the frost layer at the bottom of the evaporator 20, i.e., the voltage applied to the second heating wire is not adjusted during the entire defrosting process. In some alternative embodiments of the invention, the voltage applied over the second heating wire may also be reduced or increased as desired, i.e. in dependence on the defrosting temperature.

in some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of heating wires may further include a third heating wire disposed above the first heating wire; the defrosting method also comprises the following steps: and reducing the voltage applied to the third heating wire according to the defrosting temperature. Further preferably, the voltage applied to the first heating wire and the third heating wire may be simultaneously decreased according to the defrosting temperature. When the voltage applied to the first heater wire and the third heater wire is reduced, the reduction of the voltage applied to the first heater wire is smaller than the reduction of the voltage applied to the third heater wire. For example, the voltage applied to the third heating wire may be reduced by a 5% to 8% reduction. In some alternative embodiments of the present invention, the voltages applied to the first heating wire and the third heating wire may be respectively reduced according to the defrosting temperature. For example, when the defrosting temperature reaches a second preset temperature value, the voltage applied to the first heating wire is reduced; the second preset temperature value is smaller than the first preset temperature value. When the defrosting temperature reaches a fifth preset temperature value, reducing the voltage applied to the third heating wire; the third preset temperature value may be less than the second preset temperature value.

in some embodiments of the invention, the number of heating wires 40 may be at least 4. When defrosting, except the heating wire at the lowest part, the voltage applied to each heating wire can be reduced according to the defrosting temperature. Of course, the voltage applied to the lowermost heating wire can also be adjusted according to the defrosting temperature.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of heating wires 40 may be divided into a plurality of groups, and each group of heating wires may include at least one heating wire. During defrosting, except for the lowest group of heating wires, the voltage applied to each group of heating wires can be reduced according to the defrosting temperature, and the time and the amplitude of the voltage reduction in the group of heating wires are the same. For example, the set of heating wires comprises a first heating wire, and the voltage applied to each heating wire in the set of heating wires should be adjusted at the same time and with the same amplitude as the voltage applied to the first heating wire. That is, when the voltage applied to the first heating wire is adjusted, one or more heating wires above the first heating wire and/or one or more heating wires below the first heating wire are adjusted at the same time according to the same decreasing amplitude. Of course, the voltage applied to the lowermost set of heating wires can also be adjusted according to the defrosting temperature.

thus, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while a number of exemplary embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described in detail herein, many other variations or modifications consistent with the principles of the invention may be directly determined or derived from the disclosure of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be understood and interpreted to cover all such other variations or modifications.

Claims

1. A defrosting method of a refrigerator, wherein the refrigerator includes an evaporator and a plurality of heating wires; each heating wire extends along the horizontal direction, and the plurality of heating wires are arranged at intervals along the height direction of the evaporator; each of the heating wires is configured to directly or indirectly heat the evaporator; the plurality of heating wires includes a first heating wire; and the defrosting method comprises:

When the defrosting temperature reaches a first preset temperature value, closing all the heating wires; and is

And reducing the voltage applied to the first heating wire by a reduction of 2% to 5%.

2. The defrosting method according to claim 1, wherein

The reducing of the voltage applied to the first heating wire according to the defrosting temperature includes:

3. the defrosting method according to claim 2, wherein

The reducing the voltage applied to the first heating wire according to the defrosting temperature further includes:

4. the defrosting method according to claim 3, wherein

5. The defrosting method according to claim 1, wherein

The heating wires further comprise a second heating wire which is arranged below the first heating wire.

6. The defrosting method according to claim 1, wherein

The plurality of heating wires further comprise a third heating wire arranged above the first heating wire; the defrosting method further comprises the following steps: and reducing the voltage applied to the third heating wire according to the defrosting temperature.

7. the defrosting method according to claim 6, wherein

Simultaneously reducing the voltage applied to the first heating wire and the third heating wire according to the defrosting temperature; and is

8. The defrosting method according to claim 1, wherein

And reducing the voltage applied to the first heating wire by using a pulse width modulation technology.

9. The defrosting method according to claim 2, wherein

The refrigerator also comprises a cooling chamber and a temperature sensor, wherein the evaporator, the heating wires and the temperature sensor are arranged in the cooling chamber, and the temperature sensor is arranged above the evaporator;

the second preset temperature value is 3.6-4.4 ℃;

the first preset temperature value is 6.6 ℃ to 7.4 ℃.