CN109990534B

CN109990534B - Refrigerator with a door

Info

Publication number: CN109990534B
Application number: CN201711484930.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王海娟; 李鹏; 朱小兵; 张奎
Original assignee: Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Current assignee: Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-12-29
Filing date: 2017-12-29
Publication date: 2021-08-24
Anticipated expiration: 2037-12-29
Also published as: CN109990534A

Abstract

The invention provides a refrigerator. The refrigerator comprises a box body which is limited with a compressor chamber and at least one storage chamber, and a unfreezing device which is arranged in one storage chamber. The unfreezing device comprises a barrel body, a device door body, a radio frequency generation module and a radio frequency antenna, wherein the barrel body is limited with a unfreezing chamber with a forward opening, the device door body is arranged at the forward opening of the unfreezing chamber and used for opening and closing the unfreezing chamber, the radio frequency generation module is used for generating radio frequency signals, and the radio frequency antenna is used for generating radio frequency waves with corresponding frequencies in the unfreezing chamber according to the radio frequency signals. The radio frequency generation module is arranged in the compressor chamber. The refrigerator also comprises at least one cooling fan which is arranged above the radio frequency generation module so as to promote the air flow above the radio frequency generation module, improve the cooling efficiency of the radio frequency generation module, reduce the failure rate of the radio frequency generation module, facilitate the maintenance of the radio frequency generation module and increase the effective volume of the freeze-understanding chamber.

Description

Refrigerator with a door

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of food unfreezing, in particular to a refrigerator with an unfreezing function.

Background

During the freezing process, the quality of the food is maintained, however, the frozen food needs to be thawed before processing or consumption. In order to facilitate a user to freeze and thaw food, the related art generally defrosts the food by providing a heating device or a microwave device in a refrigerator.

However, the heating device generally needs a long thawing time to thaw food, and the thawing time and temperature are not easy to be controlled, so that water evaporation and juice loss of the food are easily caused, and the quality of the food is lost; the microwave device is used for unfreezing food, the speed is high, the efficiency is high, the loss of nutrient components of the food is low, but the penetration and the absorption of microwaves to water and ice are different, the distribution of internal substances of the food is not uniform, the energy absorbed by a melted area is large, and the problems of uneven unfreezing and local overheating are easily caused. In view of the above, there is a need for a thawing apparatus and a refrigerator having high thawing efficiency, uniform thawing, and guaranteed food quality.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having a thawing function.

A further object of the invention is to prevent the substance to be treated from being excessively thawed.

In particular, the present invention provides a refrigerator including a case defining a compressor compartment and at least one storage compartment, and a thawing apparatus provided to one of the storage compartments, the thawing apparatus including:

a barrel defining a thawing chamber therein having a forward opening for placing an object to be treated;

the device door body is arranged at the front opening of the unfreezing chamber and used for opening and closing the unfreezing chamber;

a radio frequency generation module configured to generate a radio frequency signal; and

the radio frequency antenna is arranged in the unfreezing cavity and is electrically connected with the radio frequency generating module so as to generate radio frequency waves with corresponding frequency in the unfreezing cavity according to the radio frequency signals and unfreeze the object to be processed in the unfreezing cavity; wherein

The radio frequency generation module is arranged in the compressor chamber; and the refrigerator further comprises:

and the at least one cooling fan is arranged above the radio frequency generation module so as to promote the air above the radio frequency generation module to flow and further improve the cooling efficiency of the radio frequency generation module.

Optionally, the refrigerator further comprises:

the radiating plate comprises a horizontally extending base plate and a plurality of fins which are parallel to the upper surface of the base plate and extend upwards at intervals; and is

The substrate is arranged to be thermally connected with the upper surface of the radio frequency generation module so as to improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the radio frequency generation module.

Optionally, an air supply direction of the at least one cooling fan is parallel to an extending direction of the plurality of fins, so that air above the radio frequency generation module can flow conveniently.

Optionally, a projection of the at least one heat dissipation fan on a vertical plane perpendicular to the fins is completely within a space range defined by two fins with the largest distance, so that the occupied space of the heat dissipation fan is reduced while the heat dissipation efficiency is ensured.

Optionally, the plurality of fins are arranged to extend in a front-rear direction of the refrigerator, so that heat exchange between air in the compressor chamber and the plurality of fins is more sufficient.

Optionally, the heat dissipation fan is fixedly connected to the substrate, so that the heat dissipation fan can be mounted and dismounted conveniently.

Optionally, the heat dissipation plate is thermally connected to the rf generation module through a heat dissipation adhesive or a heat pipe structure, so as to increase a rate of heat transfer from the rf generation module to the heat dissipation plate.

Optionally, heat dissipation vents are respectively formed in two lateral side walls of the compressor chamber, so that heat flows along with air and is discharged from the inside of the compressor chamber to the outside of the compressor chamber.

Optionally, the refrigerator further comprises:

the water receiving tray is arranged on the bottom frame of the refrigerator, is provided with a concave cavity with an upward opening and is used for collecting and evaporating condensed water and defrosting water in the refrigerator;

the compressor is arranged on the bottom of the concave cavity; wherein the refrigerator further comprises:

and the radio frequency support is arranged on the bottom frame of the refrigerator in parallel with the water receiving tray in the transverse direction of the refrigerator, and the radio frequency generation module is fixed on the radio frequency support.

Optionally, the thawing apparatus further comprises:

the detection module is configured to detect an incident wave signal and a reflected wave signal of the radio frequency antenna and calculate the change rate of the dielectric coefficient of the object to be processed according to the voltage and the current of the incident wave signal and the voltage and the current of the reflected wave signal; and the radio frequency generation module is configured to:

when the change rate of the dielectric coefficient of the object to be treated is greater than or equal to a first rate threshold value, the working power of the object to be treated is reduced by 30-40% so as to prevent the object to be treated from being excessively thawed; and/or

And stopping the operation when the change rate of the dielectric coefficient of the object to be processed is reduced to be less than or equal to a second rate threshold value.

According to the invention, the radio frequency generation module of the unfreezing device is arranged in the compressor chamber of the refrigerator, and the heat dissipation fan is arranged to promote the air flow in the compressor chamber, so that the heat dissipation efficiency of the radio frequency generation module is improved, the failure rate of the radio frequency generation module is reduced, the maintenance of the radio frequency generation module is facilitated, and the effective volume of the unfreezing chamber is increased.

Furthermore, the invention judges the thawing progress of the object to be processed by detecting the incident wave signal and the reflected wave signal of the radio frequency antenna and calculating the change rate of the dielectric coefficient of the object to be processed, has small occupied space and low cost, and is particularly suitable for the thawing device in the refrigerator. Prior to the present invention, it was generally believed by those skilled in the art that when the temperature of the treatment was high (i.e., the temperature of the treatment was-7℃. or higher), the thermal effects would be significantly attenuated and the treatment would not be excessively thawed. However, this is not the case, and the rf thawing power is usually large, for example, greater than 100W, and when the temperature of the object to be treated is already high, the object to be treated is easily over-thawed. The inventor of the application creatively realizes that when the temperature of the object to be treated is higher, the working power of the radio frequency generation module is reduced by 30-40%, and the object to be treated can be effectively prevented from being excessively thawed.

Furthermore, the invention judges whether the unfreezing is finished or not according to the change rate of the dielectric coefficient of the object to be treated, compared with the prior art that whether the unfreezing is finished or not is judged by sensing the temperature of the object to be treated, the judgment is more accurate, the object to be treated can be further prevented from being excessively unfrozen, and tests show that the object to be treated unfrozen by the unfreezing device has the temperature of-4 to-2 ℃ generally when the unfreezing is finished, and the generation of blood water during unfreezing when the object to be treated is meat can be avoided.

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 cross-sectional view of a thawing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a graph of the rate of change of the dielectric constant of an object to be treated according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of the drawer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded view of the drawer of FIG. 3;

fig. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural view of a compressor room according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural view of a compressor room according to another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural view of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a flowchart of a thawing control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a thawing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 1, the thawing apparatus 100 may include a barrel 110, an apparatus door, an rf generation module 160, and an rf antenna 130. The drum 110 may include a top side plate, a bottom side plate, a rear plate, and two opposite lateral side plates, and a thawing chamber 111 having a front opening may be defined therein, the thawing chamber 111 being used to place the object to be treated. The device door body may be disposed at a forward opening of the thawing chamber 111, and is used to open or close the thawing chamber 111. The door of the apparatus may be mounted with the drum 110 by an appropriate method, such as a left-hand door, a right-hand door, an up-hand door, or a pull door. The RF generation module 160 may be configured to generate RF signals (generally referred to as RF signals having a frequency of 300KHz to 300 GHz). The rf antenna 130 may be composed of two plate-type dipoles juxtaposed in a transverse direction or a front-rear direction of the thawing apparatus 100, and fixed at an inner wall of the thawing chamber 111. The two dipoles can be electrically connected with the radio frequency generation module 160 through a coaxial feeder line, so as to generate radio frequency waves with corresponding parameters in the unfreezing chamber 111 according to radio frequency signals generated by the radio frequency generation module 160, and unfreeze the object to be processed placed in the unfreezing chamber 111. In the present invention, the radio frequency signal generated by the radio frequency generating module 160 is preferably a fixed frequency preset in a range of 40.48 to 40.68 MHz. The rf generating module 160 may be a solid-state power source capable of generating rf signals, which may be precisely controlled by a chip to achieve frequency and/or power adjustment. The rf antenna 130 may be horizontally disposed at the bottom wall of the thawing chamber 111, so as to avoid increasing the thickness of the top side plate of the barrel 110 due to the rf antenna 130 disposed at the top wall of the thawing chamber 111, thereby improving the aesthetic property of the thawing apparatus 100.

In some embodiments, the thawing apparatus 100 may further comprise a detection module 140. The detection module 140 may be configured to detect an incident wave signal and a reflected wave signal of the rf antenna 130, and calculate a load impedance of the rf generation module 160 according to a voltage and a current of the incident wave signal and a voltage and a current of the reflected wave signal. In the present invention, the detecting module 140 may obtain the incident wave signal and the reflected wave signal of the rf antenna 130 from a coaxial feeder connecting the rf generating module 160 and the transmitting antenna, or directly obtain the incident wave signal and the reflected wave signal from the transmitting antenna. The calculation formula of the load impedance is as follows:

SWR＝Z₂/Z₁ (1)

Z_l＝U_l/I₁＝R₁+jX_l (2)

Z₂＝U₂/I₂＝R₂+jX₂ (3)

in equations (1), (2), (3): SWR is standing wave ratio; z₁Is the output impedance; z₂Is the load impedance; u shape₁Is the incident wave voltage; i is₁Is incident wave current; r₁Is an output resistor; x₁Is an output reactance; u shape₂Is the reflected wave voltage; i is₂Is a reflected wave current; r₂Is a load resistor; x₂Is the load reactance (as will be understood by those skilled in the art, the output impedance is the impedance of the coaxial feed connecting the rf generation module 160 and the transmitting antenna, and the load impedance is the impedance of the object to be processed).

The thawing apparatus 100 may further include a load compensation module. The load compensation module may include a compensation unit and a motor for adjusting an impedance of the compensation unit. The compensation unit may be disposed in series with the object to be processed, i.e., when the load impedance of the rf generation module 160 is the sum of the impedance of the object to be processed and the impedance of the compensation unit. The motor may be configured to controllably change the direction of rotation to increase or decrease the impedance of the compensation unit, and thus the load impedance Z of the rf generation module 160₂And makes the load impedance Z of the RF generation module 160₂And an output impedance Z₁Difference (i.e. load impedance Z)₂Subtracting the output impedance Z₁The obtained value) is more than or equal to a first impedance threshold value and less than or equal to a second impedance threshold value, and the first impedance threshold value is less than the second impedance threshold value, so as to improve the thawing efficiency of the object to be treated. In some preferred implementationsIn one example, the first impedance threshold is the output impedance Z₁Is-6 to-4%, and the second impedance threshold is the output impedance Z₁4-6% of the total. Further preferably, the first impedance threshold is the output impedance Z₁Of the second impedance threshold is the output impedance Z ₁5% of the total. In other words, the load compensation module may be configured to cause the load impedance Z of the RF generation module 160₂And an output impedance Z₁The absolute value of the difference is always smaller than the output impedance Z in the whole thawing process ₁5% of (e) may be, for example, the output impedance Z₁1%, 3% or 5%.

The detection module 140 may be configured to further determine the load impedance Z of the RF generation module 160₂And calculating the change rate of the dielectric coefficient of the object to be treated so as to judge the thawing progress of the object to be treated. The dielectric coefficient of the object to be processed is calculated by the following formula:

X₂＝1/2πfC (4)

ε＝4πKdC/S (5)

in equations (4), (5): f is the frequency of the radio frequency wave; c is the capacitance of the capacitor formed by the rf antenna 130 and the top wall of the thawing chamber 111; epsilon is the dielectric coefficient of the object to be treated; k is an electrostatic constant; d is the thickness of the rf antenna 130; s is the area of one dipole.

The rate of change of the permittivity of the object to be treated can be obtained by calculating the value of change Δ ∈ of the permittivity within a unit time Δ t, which may be 0.1 second to 1 second, for example, 0.1 second, 0.5 second, or 1 second. FIG. 2 is a graph showing a rate of change of permittivity of an object to be treated according to an embodiment of the present invention (ordinate: rate of change of permittivity of the object Δ ε/Δ t; abscissa: thawing time t of the object in min). Referring to fig. 2, in some preferred embodiments, the rf generation module 160 may be configured to reduce the operating power by 30% -40%, for example, 30%, 35% or 40%, when the change rate Δ ∈/Δ t of the dielectric coefficient of the object to be processed is greater than or equal to the first rate threshold, so as to prevent the object to be processed from being excessively thawed (as will be understood by those skilled in the art, the excessively thawed object is greater than 0 ℃). The first rate threshold may be 15-20, such as 15, 17, 18, or 20. The RF generation module 160 can be further configured to stop operating when the rate of change of the permittivity Δ ε/Δ t of the object to be treated drops to less than or equal to a second rate threshold. The second rate threshold may be 1-2, such as 1, 1.5, or 2.

It is known to those skilled in the art that the dielectric constant of the object to be treated may vary with the temperature of the object to be treated, however, the dielectric constant is usually measured by a special instrument (such as a dielectric constant tester), and the special instrument occupies a large space and is high in cost, and is not suitable for the thawing apparatus 100 with a small size. The dielectric coefficient of the object to be processed is obtained through calculation by detecting the incident wave signal and the reflected wave signal of the radio frequency antenna 130, so that the thawing device 100 is small in occupied space and low in cost, and is particularly suitable for the thawing device 100. According to the invention, the difference between the load impedance and the output impedance of the radio frequency generation module 160 is within a preset range (greater than or equal to a first impedance threshold and less than or equal to a second impedance threshold) through the load compensation module, so that the thawing efficiency of the object to be treated is improved.

Further, the invention judges the thawing progress of the object to be treated by calculating the change rate of the dielectric coefficient of the object to be treated through the detection module 140. Prior to the present invention, it was generally believed by those skilled in the art that when the temperature of the treatment was high (i.e., the temperature of the treatment was-7℃. or higher), the thermal effects would be significantly attenuated and the treatment would not be excessively thawed. However, this is not the case, and the rf thawing power is usually large, for example, greater than 100W, and when the temperature of the object to be treated is already high, the object to be treated is easily over-thawed. The inventor of the present application has creatively recognized that, when the temperature of the object to be treated is high, the operating power of the rf generating module 160 is reduced by 30-40%, which can effectively prevent the object to be treated from being excessively thawed. Furthermore, the invention judges whether the unfreezing is finished or not through the change rate of the dielectric coefficient of the object to be treated, compared with the prior art that whether the unfreezing is finished or not is judged through sensing the temperature of the object to be treated, the judgment is more accurate, the object to be treated can be further prevented from being excessively unfrozen, and tests show that the object to be treated unfrozen by the unfreezing device 100 of the invention has the unfreezing temperature of-4 to-2 ℃ generally, and the generation of blood water during unfreezing when the object to be treated is meat can be avoided.

In some embodiments, the thawing apparatus 100 may further include a thawing switch for controlling the start and stop of the thawing process. The RF generation module 160 is configured to begin operation when the defrost switch is turned on; when the unfreezing switch is closed, the work is stopped. During the thawing process, the user can terminate the thawing process by turning off the thawing switch at any time. The defrost switch may be configured to automatically switch to an off state when the defrost is complete. The thawing apparatus 100 may be further provided with a buzzer for prompting a user that the thawing of the object to be treated is completed.

In some embodiments of the invention, the barrel 110 may be made of a conductive metal. The detection module 140 may be disposed within the thawing chamber 111. The thawing apparatus 100 further comprises a baffle. The baffle may be configured to be in conductive connection with the inner wall of the thawing chamber 111, and to enclose a shielding chamber that may prevent the entry of radio frequency waves with the inner wall of the thawing chamber 111. The detection module 140 and the load compensation module can be arranged in the shielding chamber, so that the interference of the radio frequency wave generated by the radio frequency antenna 130 on the detection module 140 and the load compensation module can be effectively avoided, the accuracy of adjusting the load impedance of the radio frequency generation module 160 by the incident wave signal and the reflected wave signal detected by the detection module 140 and the load compensation module is improved, the accuracy of judging the thawing progress of the object to be processed is further improved, and the thawing rate of the object to be processed is ensured.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of the drawer 120 of FIG. 1; fig. 4 is a schematic exploded view of the drawer 120 of fig. 3. Referring to fig. 3 and 4, the thawing apparatus 100 may further include a drawer 120. Further, the drawer 120 may include a bottom plate, a front circumferential side plate 1211, a rear circumferential side plate, and a drawer body 121 surrounded by two lateral circumferential side plates for carrying the object to be processed. In particular, the front circumferential side panel 1211 may be provided to be engageable with a circumferential edge of the forward opening of the thawing chamber 111 to open and close the thawing chamber 111 as a device door. The distance between the lower surface of the bottom plate and the upper surface of the rf antenna 130 may be 8-12 mm, such as 8mm, 10mm, or 12mm, so as to prevent the bottom plate from rubbing against the rf antenna 130 during the drawing process of the drawer 120. The front upper portion of the front circumferential side plate 1211 may be formed with a groove 1212 extending in a lateral direction of the thawing apparatus 100 so that a user can draw the drawer 120. According to the invention, the front circumferential side plate 1211 of the drawer body 121 is directly matched with the cylinder body 110 to open and close the unfreezing chamber 111, compared with the prior art that the front end cover and the drawer body 121 are separately arranged, the user experience and the attractiveness of the unfreezing device 100 are improved, and the front end cover and the drawer body are integrally formed, so that the assembly process is reduced, the production cost is reduced, and the production efficiency is improved.

In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the drawer body 121 may be made of insulating plastic to reduce electromagnetic loss of radio frequency waves at the drawer body 121. The drawer 120 may also include a metal trim 122, a conductive sheet metal 123, and a resilient conductive loop 124. The metal decorations 122 may be provided to be attached to the front surface and the upper and lower end surfaces of the front circumferential side panel 1211 to improve the aesthetic appearance of the thawing apparatus 100. The conductive sheet metal part 123 may be configured to be attached to two lateral end surfaces of the front circumferential side plate 1211 and a portion of a rear surface that is engaged with a circumferential edge of the front opening of the thawing chamber 111 to form an electromagnetic circuit in cooperation with the metal decoration 122 and the metal cylinder 110, so that a magnetic leakage amount of the thawing apparatus 100 at the front opening of the thawing chamber 111 is reduced, and a hazard of radio frequency waves to a user is reduced. The elastic conductive ring 124 may be disposed on the rear surface of the conductive sheet metal part 123, so that it is pressed and deformed when the front circumferential side 1211 closes the thawing chamber 111, and is tightly attached to the cylinder 110, thereby improving the sealing performance of the thawing apparatus 100, and further reducing the amount of magnetic leakage of the thawing apparatus 100 at the front opening of the thawing chamber 111.

The baffle may include a horizontal section 151 extending in a horizontal direction and a vertical section 152 extending vertically upward from a front end of the horizontal section 151, and is disposed to be electrically conductively connected with a top wall, a rear wall, and two lateral inner walls of the thawing chamber 111. The thawing apparatus 100 may further include a protection switch configured to send an electrical signal to the rf generation module 160 to stop the rf generation module 160 when the user opens the front circumferential side 1211 during the thawing process, so as to prevent the rf waves from harming the health of the user and improve the safety of the thawing apparatus 100. The protection switch may be a touch type mechanical switch. In some preferred embodiments, a protection switch may be provided at a front surface of the vertical section 152 of the barrier, and the protection switch may be in contact with the rear circumferential side plate of the drawer body 121 to be switched to an open state when the front circumferential side plate 1211 is closed. When the user opens the front circumferential side panel 1211, the protection switch is separated from the rear circumferential side panel of the drawer body 121, the protection switch is switched to the closed state, and an electrical signal for stopping the operation is transmitted to the rf generation module 160, so that the rf generation module 160 stops the operation. In some alternative embodiments, the protection switch may be disposed at the periphery of the forward opening of the thawing chamber 111.

The detection module 140 and the load compensation module may be fixed on the horizontal section 151. In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the thawing apparatus 100 may further include a conductive connection board 153. The conductive connection board 153 may be disposed between the detection module 140, the load compensation module and the horizontal segment 151 of the baffle, and electrically connected to the detection module 140, the load compensation module and the horizontal segment 151 of the baffle, respectively, and the conductive connection board 153 is grounded, so that charges accumulated on the cylinder 110 and the baffle may be eliminated, interference of the radio frequency wave to the detection module 140 and the load compensation module may be further prevented, and safety of the thawing apparatus 100 may be improved. In some embodiments of the present invention, the thawing apparatus 100 may further comprise a conductive post 154 that may transmit an electrical signal. The two ends of the guide pillar 154 can be respectively set to be electrically connected with the horizontal segment 151 of the baffle and the rf antenna 130, so as to transmit the incident wave signal and the reflected wave signal of the rf antenna 130 to the horizontal segment 151 of the baffle, and the detection module 140 can obtain the incident wave signal and the reflected wave signal of the rf antenna 130 by detecting the electrical signal on the baffle, which is not only convenient for assembling the thawing apparatus 100, but also can obtain more accurate incident wave signal and reflected wave signal.

In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the rf generation module 160 may be disposed outside the cylinder 110 to facilitate heat dissipation of the rf generation module 160. The outer wall of the rear plate of the cylinder 110 may have a cylinder connection port 113 electrically connected to the rf antenna 130, the detection module 140, the load compensation module, the protection switch, etc., and the rf generation module 160 may have an rf connection port 161 electrically connected thereto. The barrel wiring port 113 and the radio frequency wiring port 161 may be electrically connected by an electric wire including a wire and two wire terminals electrically connected with both ends of the wire, respectively, and the two wire terminals may be electrically connected with the barrel wiring port 113 and the radio frequency wiring port 161, respectively, so as to facilitate installation and storage of the thawing apparatus 100.

The invention also provides a refrigerator 200 based on the thawing device 100 of any one of the previous embodiments. Fig. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a refrigerator 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 5, the refrigerator 200 may generally include a cabinet 210 defining a compressor compartment 214 and at least one storage compartment, compartment door bodies for respectively opening and closing access ports of the respective storage compartments, a refrigeration system, and a thawing device 100 provided to one storage compartment. In the illustrated embodiment, the number of thawing devices 100 is one. The refrigerator 200 is an air-cooled refrigerator (as is well known to those skilled in the art, the air-cooled refrigerator is a refrigerator in which an evaporator 234 in a refrigeration system is disposed in a compartment air supply duct sandwiched between an air duct cover 240 and an inner wall of a storage compartment, and air in the storage compartment is forced to perform heat convection with the evaporator 234 by an air supply fan 2131), and the refrigerator body 210 defines three storage compartments, namely, a refrigerating compartment 211, a temperature-changing compartment 212, and a freezing compartment 213, and a refrigerating door body 221, a temperature-changing door body 222, and a freezing door body 223 for opening and closing the refrigerating compartment 211, the temperature-changing compartment 212, and the freezing compartment 213, respectively, and the thawing apparatus 100 is disposed in the freezing compartment 213.

Furthermore, as is well known to those skilled in the art, the refrigerating compartment 211 is a storage compartment for preserving food materials at a temperature of 0 to +8 ℃; the freezing chamber 213 is a storage chamber with the preservation temperature of food materials of-20 to-15 ℃; the variable temperature chamber 212 is a storage chamber capable of changing the storage temperature in a wide range (for example, the adjustment range can be above 4 ℃ and can be adjusted to above 0 ℃ or below 0 ℃), and the storage temperature can generally span the refrigeration temperature, the soft freezing temperature (generally-4 to 0 ℃) and the freezing temperature, and is preferably-16 to +4 ℃.

In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the rf generation module 160 may be disposed outside the foam layer of the box 210, so as to facilitate heat dissipation and maintenance of the rf generation module 160 and increase the effective volume of the thawing chamber 111. The lead wires connecting the barrel wiring port 113 and the radio frequency wiring port 161 may be preset in the foamed layer of the case 210, and the two wire terminals may be fixed to the inner wall of the storage compartment where the thawing apparatus 100 is provided and the outer side of the case 210, respectively. The barrel 110 may be provided to be slidable in the front and rear direction of the refrigerator 200 and to electrically connect the barrel wiring port 113 with a wire terminal fixed to the inner wall of the storage compartment, so as to facilitate the installation of the thawing apparatus 100. The thawing apparatus 100 may further comprise a radio frequency power supply for powering the radio frequency generation module 160. The rf power source may be configured to be electrically connected to the power supply circuit of the refrigerator 200 to obtain power from the power supply circuit of the refrigerator 200 to power the rf generation module 160.

In some further preferred embodiments of the present invention, the barrel 110 may have at least one guide block 112 extending rearward from a rear plate thereof, a rear wall of the locker room where the thawing apparatus 100 is provided may be correspondingly formed with a guide groove, and the guide block 112 may be configured to be slid into the guide groove in a front-rear direction of the refrigerator 200 and to make the barrel connection port 113 abut against a wire terminal provided at the rear wall of the locker room, so as to facilitate installation of the barrel 110 and prevent the connection port and the wire terminal from being damaged. Wherein the guide block 112 may have a dimension in the front-rear direction of the refrigerator 200 greater than a dimension in the front-rear direction of the refrigerator 200 of the wire terminal fixed to the rear wall of the storage compartment. In the present invention, the number of the guide blocks 112 may be one, two, or more than two. The number of the guide blocks 112 is preferably two so that the guide of the guide blocks 112 has high accuracy. The bottom surface of the guide block 112 may be disposed to be coplanar with the bottom surface of the cylinder 110 so that the guide block 112 is butted against the guide groove. The rear surface of the guide block 112 may be arranged in arc transition connection with the side surface of the guide block 112 perpendicular to the rear surface, so as to avoid damaging the inner wall of the storage compartment when the guide block 112 is in butt joint with the guide groove.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural view of a compressor chamber 214 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 6, in some embodiments of the invention, the rf generation module 160 may be disposed within the compressor compartment 214. Wire terminals electrically connected to rf generation module 160 may be secured at the inner wall of compressor compartment 214 or extend into compressor compartment 214 to facilitate electrical connection of rf generation module 160. The refrigerator 200 may include a drip tray 2141. The drip pan 2141 is installed on the bottom chassis of the refrigerator 200 and is formed with a cavity opened upward for collecting and evaporating condensed water in the refrigerator 200. The compressor 231 is mounted on the bottom wall of the recess of the drip pan 2141. The drip pan 2141 may be further provided in a lateral direction with a radio frequency bracket 2144 installed in parallel with the drip pan on the bottom chassis of the refrigerator 200, and the radio frequency generation module 160 is fixed to the radio frequency bracket 2144. Heat dissipation vents 2142 are formed in two lateral sidewalls of the compressor chamber 214, respectively, so that heat is discharged from the interior of the compressor chamber 214 to the exterior of the compressor chamber 214 along with the air flow.

The refrigerator 200 may further include a heat dissipation plate 2145. The heat dissipation plate 2145 may be configured to be thermally connected to the rf generating module 160, so as to increase the heat dissipation area of the rf generating module 160 and improve the heat dissipation efficiency. Specifically, the heat dissipation plate 2145 may include a base plate extending horizontally and a plurality of fins extending upward from an upper surface of the base plate in parallel and spaced relation. The substrate may be disposed in thermal communication with an upper surface of the rf generation module 160. The heat dissipation plate 2145 is preferably thermally connected to the rf generation module 160 through a heat dissipation adhesive or a heat pipe structure, so as to increase the rate of heat transfer from the rf generation module 160 to the heat dissipation plate 2145, thereby increasing the heat dissipation efficiency of the rf generation module 160. In the present invention, the heat dissipation glue may be a heat conductive silica gel.

In some preferred embodiments, the RF generation module 160 may exchange heat naturally under the flow of air within the compressor compartment 214. The plurality of fins of the heat dissipation plate 2145 may be disposed to extend in a lateral direction of the refrigerator 200 so as to facilitate air flow along gaps between the plurality of fins. In some further preferred embodiments, at least one heat rejection fan 2143 may be disposed within the compressor compartment 214. The heat dissipation fan 2143 may be configured to induce airflow in a lateral direction of the refrigerator 200 to increase the air flow speed in the compressor chamber 214, thereby improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the rf generation module 160. The heat dissipation fan 2143 is preferably disposed between the rf generation module 160 and the compressor 231 to prevent heat generated by the rf generation module 160 and the compressor 231 from accumulating at one side in the compressor chamber 214, which may cause a safety hazard and reduce the service life of the rf generation module 160 and the compressor 231. Since the heat generated by the rf generation module 160 during operation is much less than the heat generated by the compressor 231 during operation, the heat dissipation fan 2143 may be configured to force the air outside the compressor chamber 214 to enter the compressor chamber 214 from the heat dissipation vent 2142 adjacent to the rf generation module 160 and to be exhausted out of the compressor chamber 214 from the heat dissipation vent 2142 adjacent to the compressor 231, so as to prevent the rf generation module 160 from being in a high temperature environment for a long time and reduce the service life. Further preferably, the heat dissipation fan 2143 may be configured to operate when any one of the compressor 231 and the rf generation module 160 is in an operating state, so as to ventilate and dissipate heat from the compressor chamber 214. In some embodiments, a condenser 232 may also be disposed within the compressor compartment 214 to facilitate heat dissipation by the condenser 232. The condenser 232 is preferably disposed between the heat dissipation fan and the rf generation module 160.

Fig. 7 is a schematic structural view of a compressor chamber 214 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 7, in other preferred embodiments, at least one heat dissipation fan 2143 may be disposed above the rf generating module 160, so as to promote air flow above the rf generating module 160 when the rf generating module 160 is in an operating state, so as to improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the rf generating module 160. The blowing direction of the heat dissipation fan 2143 may be set to be parallel to the extending direction of the plurality of fins, so as to reduce the resistance of the air flow above the rf generation module 160. The plurality of fins may be provided to extend in a front-rear direction of the refrigerator 200 so that heat exchange between the air in the compressor chamber 214 and the plurality of fins is more sufficient. The heat dissipation fan 2143 may be disposed inside the compressor chamber 214, i.e., the heat dissipation fan 2143 is disposed at the front side of the heat dissipation plate 2145, so as to prevent heat generated by the rf generation module 160 from accumulating inside the compressor chamber 214. The heat dissipation fan 2143 preferably has a projection on a vertical plane perpendicular to the fins completely within a space formed by two fins closest to the circumferential edge of the base plate, that is, the projection of the heat dissipation fan 2143 on a vertical plane perpendicular to the fins completely exists between two fins farthest apart, so as to reduce the occupied space of the heat dissipation fan 2143 while ensuring the heat dissipation efficiency. In the present invention, the heat dissipation fan 2143 may be a centrifugal fan. The number of the heat dissipation fans 2143 may be one, two, or more than two. The heat dissipation fan 2143 may be configured to be fixedly connected to the base plate of the heat dissipation plate 2145, so as to facilitate the installation and removal of the heat dissipation fan 2143.

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural view of a refrigerator 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 8, in another embodiment of the present invention, the outer case of the box 210 may define an inward recess container 215, and the rf generation module 160 may be disposed in the container 215, so as to facilitate heat dissipation and maintenance of the rf generation module 160. The wire terminals electrically connected to the rf generating module 160 may be fixed at the inner wall of the receiving groove 215 or extend into the receiving groove 215 to facilitate the electrical connection of the rf generating module 160. The rf power source for supplying power to the rf generating module 160 may also be disposed in the accommodating groove 215, so as to facilitate maintenance of the rf power source. The box body 210 may further have a receiving cover 216 detachably disposed at a rear opening of the receiving groove 215 to prevent the rf generating module 160 from being exposed and damaged and improve the aesthetic property of the refrigerator 200. The container 215 may be located at the top wall of the box 210, and is more favorable for heat dissipation of the rf generation module 160 because there is no shelter above the refrigerator 200. Fig. 9 is a schematic structural view of a refrigerator 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 9, the receiving groove 215 may also be located at the rear wall of the refrigerator 200 to facilitate inspection and maintenance of the rf generation module 160. In some preferred embodiments, the rf generation module 160 may be configured to be thermally connected to the receiving cover 216 without indirect heat transfer through the air in the receiving slot 215, thereby improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the rf generation module 160. A heat dissipating adhesive may also be disposed between the rf generation module 160 and the receiving cover 216 to increase the rate at which heat is transferred from the rf generation module 160 to the receiving cover 216.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart of a thawing control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 10, the thawing control method of the present invention may include the steps of:

step S1002: judging whether the unfreezing switch is turned on, if so, executing step S1004; if not, go to step S1002.

Step S1004: determining whether the protection switch is turned on (i.e., determining whether the front circumferential side 1211 is turned off), if yes, performing step S1006; if not, go to step S1004.

Step S1006: the rf generating module 160 generates an rf signal, and the detecting module 140 detects an incident wave signal and a reflected wave signal of the rf antenna 130. Step S1008 is executed.

Step S1008: and acquiring the voltage and the current of the incident wave signal and the voltage and the current of the reflected wave signal, and calculating the change rate delta epsilon/delta t of the dielectric coefficient of the object to be processed.

Step S1010: judging whether the change rate delta epsilon/delta t of the dielectric coefficient of the object to be processed is larger than or equal to a first rate threshold value, if so, executing step S1012; if not, go to step S1008.

Step S1012: the working power of the rf generation module 160 is reduced by 30-40%. In this step, the operating power of the rf generation module 160 may be reduced by 35%.

Step S1014: and acquiring the voltage and the current of the incident wave signal and the voltage and the current of the reflected wave signal, and calculating the change rate delta epsilon/delta t of the dielectric coefficient of the object to be processed.

Step S1016: judging whether the change rate delta epsilon/delta t of the dielectric coefficient of the object to be processed is less than or equal to a second rate threshold value, if so, executing a step S1018; if not, go to step S1014.

Step S1018: the rf generation module 160 stops operating and the defrost switch resets (i.e., closes).

The following steps may also be included after step S1006:

step S1020: the voltage and current of the incident wave signal and the voltage and current of the reflected wave signal are obtained, and the load impedance Z2 of the rf generation module 160 is calculated.

Step S1022: judging whether the difference value between the load impedance Z2 and the output impedance Z1 of the radio frequency generation module 160 is smaller than a first impedance threshold, if so, executing a step S1024; if not, go to step S1026.

Step S1024: the motor of the load compensation module works to increase the impedance of the compensation unit. Return to step S1020.

Step S1026: determining whether a difference between the load impedance Z2 of the rf generation module 160 and the output impedance Z1 is greater than a second impedance threshold, if yes, performing step S1028; if not, go to step S1020.

Step S1028: the motor of the load compensation module works to reduce the impedance of the compensation unit. Return to step S1020.

The work flow of the refrigerator 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include: when the user turns on the thawing switch and the front circumferential side 1211 is closed, the rf generation module 160 generates an rf signal and the detection module 140 and the load compensation module 260 start to operate. The detection module 140 detects the incident wave signal and the reflected wave signal of the rf antenna 130, and calculates the load impedance Z2 of the rf transmitter and the change rate Δ ∈/Δ t of the dielectric coefficient. When the change rate Δ ∈/Δ t of the dielectric coefficient of the object to be processed is greater than or equal to the first rate threshold, the working power of the rf generation module 160 is reduced by 35%, and meanwhile, in the whole thawing workflow, when the difference between the load impedance Z2 and the output impedance Z1 of the rf generation module 160 is smaller than the first impedance threshold or greater than the second impedance threshold, the load compensation module adjusts the impedance of the compensation unit through the motor, and further adjusts the load impedance Z2 of the rf generation module 160, so that the difference between the load impedance Z2 and the output impedance Z1 of the rf generation module 160 is always greater than or equal to the first impedance threshold and less than or equal to the second preset threshold. When the change rate delta epsilon/delta t of the dielectric coefficient of the object to be processed is less than or equal to the second rate threshold, the radio frequency generation module 160 stops working, and the unfreezing switch is automatically switched to the closed state.

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 refrigerator including a case defining a compressor compartment and at least one storage compartment, and a thawing apparatus provided to one of the storage compartments, the thawing apparatus comprising:

the at least one cooling fan is arranged above the radio frequency generation module to promote the air above the radio frequency generation module to flow, so that the cooling efficiency of the radio frequency generation module is improved;

Stopping working when the change rate of the dielectric coefficient of the object to be processed is reduced to be less than or equal to a second rate threshold;

the thawing apparatus further comprises:

the load compensation module is configured to controllably increase or decrease the load impedance of the radio frequency generation module and enable the difference between the load impedance and the output impedance of the radio frequency generation module to be greater than or equal to a first impedance threshold value and smaller than or equal to a second impedance threshold value.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising:

3. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein

And the air supply direction of the at least one cooling fan is parallel to the extending direction of the plurality of fins, so that the air above the radio frequency generation module can flow conveniently.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein

The projection of the at least one cooling fan on the vertical plane perpendicular to the fins is completely in the space range limited by the two fins with the largest distance, so that the occupied space of the cooling fan is reduced while the cooling efficiency is ensured.

5. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein

The plurality of fins are arranged to extend along the front-rear direction of the refrigerator, so that heat exchange between air in the compressor chamber and the plurality of fins is more sufficient.

6. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein

The cooling fan is arranged to be fixedly connected with the substrate, so that the cooling fan can be conveniently installed and detached.

7. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein

The radiating plate is thermally connected with the radio frequency generation module through radiating glue or a heat pipe structure so as to improve the rate of heat transferred from the radio frequency generation module to the radiating plate.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein

And heat dissipation ventilation openings are respectively formed in two transverse side walls of the compressor chamber, so that heat can flow along with air and is discharged from the interior of the compressor chamber to the exterior of the compressor chamber.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising: