CN113623918A - Refrigerator with a door - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a refrigerator. Comprises a box body, a door body, a refrigerating system and a heat source; the refrigerating system comprises a box body side part, a door body side part, a first connecting pipe and a second connecting pipe; the side part of the box body is arranged on the box body, and the side part of the box body is provided with a compressor; the side part of the door body is arranged on the door body, and the side part of the door body is provided with a first throttling device and a first evaporator; the inlet of the first evaporator is communicated with the outlet of the first throttling device; one end of the first connecting pipe and one end of the second connecting pipe are respectively communicated with the side part of the box body at two positions of the side part of the box body, the other end of the first connecting pipe is communicated with an inlet of the first throttling device, and the other end of the second connecting pipe is communicated with an outlet of the first evaporator; the heat source is configured to heat a portion or all of the tube segment of the first connection tube. The first connection pipe is heated by a heat source, so that the risk of condensation of parts of the high/low pressure connection hose exposed to the environment is reduced.

Description

Refrigerator with a door

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of freezing and refrigerating storage, in particular to a refrigerator.

Background

At present, the market demand for realizing the ice making function on the door body is stronger. The inventor finds that in order to realize refrigeration in the space of the refrigerator door body, cold air is sent from the refrigerator box body to enter the refrigerator door body, but the defect of the mode is that the space in the refrigerator door body and the space in the refrigerator body have tainted with odor, and great trouble is brought to users. The refrigerator also has a mode of delivering cold air to the door body for making ice space from the refrigerator body, ice made by the door body can have the taste of food materials in the refrigerator, cold air is often required to be delivered from a freezing chamber evaporator through a long air duct to enter the door body (particularly a refrigeration door body), air supply resistance and cold loss are large (the air duct is often buried in a heat insulation layer of the refrigerator body), and therefore refrigeration efficiency is low. For example, when ice making or cold water making is performed on a door body of a refrigerating chamber, or an independent cooling chamber is arranged on the door body, in the prior art (such as LG), cold is provided for the door body through an air duct which is provided with a certain evaporator in a communicated box body, but the air duct is long, the heat insulation effect of the box body is influenced by the arrangement in a heat insulation layer of the box body, and meanwhile, the air duct resistance is large, so that the refrigerating efficiency is low. There is another technology (such as korean universe) that the low-temperature refrigerant of the evaporator in the refrigerator body is directly led to the door body through a hose, but the corresponding pipeline needs to be insulated before being led out from the refrigerator body and entering the door body, so that the pipeline is thick and occupies space, the appearance is greatly impaired, and meanwhile, the consistency of the insulation effect of the pipeline of different refrigerators is difficult to ensure. There is still another technology (such as beauty), draw the coolant to enter the door body from the container body with the flexible capillary, but on the refrigerator, in order to play the throttling action of the capillary, the capillary internal diameter should be less than or equal to 0.8mm, and the flexible capillary of this kind of internal diameter, the pipe diameter is apt to deform while opening and closing the door, and some changes of the capillary internal diameter, will cause the refrigeration performance to appear the deviation, the conformance is bad; in addition, the tolerance of the inner diameter and the outer diameter of the flexible pipe within 5mm (outer diameter) is usually +/-0.1 mm, the capillary pipe plays a throttling role on a refrigerator and is an important part in four large parts of a refrigerating system, the requirement on flow precision is extremely high, and the error of +/-0.1 mm inner diameter can cause great difference in flow or performance, so that mass production is difficult to realize, and the control consistency is poor.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to overcome at least one defect of the existing refrigerator door body ice making, and provides a novel refrigerator which can reduce the risk of condensation generation under the condition that a high-pressure pipeline between a door body and a refrigerator body is not required to be insulated.

The refrigerator comprises a refrigerator body, a door body and a refrigerating system, wherein the door body is arranged on the refrigerator body, and the refrigerator also comprises a heat source capable of releasing heat for heating;

the refrigeration system comprises a box body side part, a door body side part, a first connecting pipe and a second connecting pipe; the tank side part is mounted on the tank, and the tank side part is provided with a compressor; the side part of the door body is arranged on the door body, and the side part of the door body is provided with a first throttling device and a first evaporator; an inlet of the first evaporator is communicated with an outlet of the first throttling device;

one end of the first connecting pipe and one end of the second connecting pipe are respectively communicated with the side part of the tank body at two positions of the side part of the tank body, the other end of the first connecting pipe is communicated with an inlet of the first throttling device, and the other end of the second connecting pipe is communicated with an outlet of the first evaporator, so that the refrigerant on the side part of the tank body enters the first evaporator through the first connecting pipe and the first throttling device to absorb heat and vaporize, and then returns to the side part of the tank body through the second connecting pipe;

the heat source is configured to heat the first connection pipe.

Optionally, the refrigerator further comprises an ice making device mounted to the door body; the first evaporator is disposed in the door or in the ice making device and configured to provide cooling energy to the ice making device.

Optionally, the heat source is an electric heating device.

Optionally, a portion of the pipe section of the first connection pipe is located on the tank, and the heat source is configured to heat a portion or all of the pipe section of the first connection pipe located on the tank.

Optionally, the heat source is configured to heat the first connection pipe at a preset time before the inlet of the first connection pipe is closed.

Optionally, the refrigerator further comprises a humidity detection device configured to detect humidity of an environment in which the refrigerator is located, so as to control the heat source to heat the first connection pipe according to the humidity.

Optionally, the side part of the tank body further comprises a condensing device, and an inlet of the condensing device is communicated with an exhaust port of the compressor; the first connecting pipe is communicated with a pipeline between an inlet and an outlet of the condensing device, or the first connecting pipe is communicated with an outlet of the condensing device.

Optionally, the first throttling device comprises a capillary tube, or the first throttling device comprises a capillary tube and a throttling valve connected with the capillary tube in series, wherein the throttling valve is arranged on the downstream side of the capillary tube;

the door body is internally provided with a heat preservation layer, and the capillary tube is arranged in the heat preservation layer.

Optionally, the first throttling device includes a capillary tube, the door-side portion further has a door-side air return pipe, an outlet of the first evaporator is communicated with an inlet of the door-side air return pipe, the door-side air return pipe is thermally connected to the capillary tube, and an inlet of the second connecting pipe is communicated with an outlet of the door-side air return pipe.

Optionally, the tank side part further comprises a second throttling device and a refrigeration and evaporation device, and an inlet of the first connecting pipe and an inlet of the second throttling device are in controlled communication with an outlet of the condensing device through a valve device;

the outlet of the second connecting pipe and the outlet of the refrigeration and evaporation device are both communicated with the air inlet of the compressor;

a first control valve for preventing the refrigerant from flowing to the first evaporator is arranged on the second connecting pipe;

a second control valve which obstructs the refrigerant in the refrigeration evaporation device from flowing to the compressor when the first evaporator works alone is arranged on a pipeline between the outlet of the refrigeration evaporation device and the air inlet of the compressor;

the first connecting pipe comprises a first hose, the second connecting pipe comprises a second hose, and the first hose and the second hose are arranged between the box body and the door body.

In the refrigerator of the present invention, since the first connection pipe is heated by the heat source, the risk of condensation of a portion of the high/low pressure connection hose exposed to the environment is reduced. Particularly, when the inlet of the first connecting pipe is suddenly cut off and the compressor continues to work, the refrigerant in the first connecting pipe can continue to enter the first evaporator through the first throttling device, the refrigerant in the first connecting pipe can be evaporated and cooled, the pipe section between the box body and the door body of the first connecting pipe can be lower than the ring temperature by a few degrees centigrade (about 5 ℃), the condensation risk still exists in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment, and the condensation risk generated on the first connecting pipe can be reduced by heating through the heat source. After the heating by the heat source, the temperature of the first connecting pipe, especially the first hose is very close to the ring temperature and even can not be lower than the ambient temperature, and almost no condensation risk exists. When the door body works in a refrigerating mode, if ice making works, whether the heat source heats the first connecting pipe or not has no condensation risk.

Further, the heating is performed by turning on the heat source for a certain time (for example, 20S to 120S, preferably 60S or 30S, etc.) before the door body is closed at the inlet of the first connecting pipe for cooling, and the best effect is achieved. The heating of the first connection pipe by the heat source may also be controlled according to the humidity of the environment of the refrigerator.

Further, the condensation of the second connecting pipe can be prevented, or the heat exchange length of the capillary tube of the first throttling device and the return pipe on the door body side can be reduced. When the ice making system works, due to the fact that a refrigerant at an inlet of the first connecting pipe is supercooled (lower than the condensation temperature by about 2-5 ℃), heat is properly transferred to the first connecting pipe through the heat source (the temperature of the first connecting pipe is controlled to be slightly lower than the condensation temperature by 1 ℃), the temperature of an outlet of the first connecting pipe is raised, the temperature of the first hose is raised, the temperature of the second hose is also raised slightly (lower than that of the first hose because the ice making capillary pipe transfers heat to the ice making air return pipe, the temperature of the outlet of the ice making air return pipe is lower than the temperature of the inlet of the ice making capillary pipe), and the risk of condensation of the second hose is greatly reduced. Or because the temperature of the first connecting pipe is increased, the heat exchange length between the ice making capillary tube and the ice making air return pipe can be properly reduced, the second connecting pipe, especially the second hose, can not be condensed, the heat exchange length between the ice making capillary tube and the ice making air return pipe is reduced, the ice making capillary tube and the ice making air return pipe are easy to arrange in the door body, and the place for arranging the ice making capillary tube and the ice making air return pipe for heat exchange is limited because the place with the thickness of the heat preservation layer of the door body is limited.

Furthermore, the refrigerator provided by the invention is provided with the first throttling device which is arranged on the door body, and the first throttling device is provided with the capillary tube, so that the situation that in a flexible capillary tube scheme, the temperature of the flexible capillary tube is possibly reduced when the flexible capillary tube enters the door body, so that condensation and cold loss are easily caused can be avoided. The most common copper capillary can be adopted as the ice making capillary, the precision is high, and the realization is easy. The first throttling device is located in the door body, the ice making capillary tube is not stressed or deformed when the door is opened and closed, and the refrigerating performance is not affected. The flow rate or the performance of the capillary tube does not have great difference, the mass production is easy to realize, and the control consistency is good. And the capillary tube exchanges heat with the return air pipe on the door body side, so that the temperature of a refrigerant of the second connecting pipe can be increased by fully utilizing the heat generated when the capillary tube is throttled, the low-temperature condensation of a pipe section of the second connecting pipe between the refrigerator body and the door body is prevented, and the energy efficiency of the refrigerator can be improved.

Furthermore, the capillary tube of the first throttling device can be arranged in the heat-insulating layer of the door body, and the heat-insulating and fixing performance of the heat-insulating layer can be fully utilized, so that the refrigerator has a good door body refrigerating and ice-making function.

Furthermore, the first throttling device is arranged in the door body, the first hose can be a pressure-resistant hose, heat preservation of a pipeline is not needed, the thick occupied space of the pipe can be prevented, and no cold loss exists. The pipeline is thin, and the pipeline installation of being convenient for, for example can directly get into the door body through the hinge pin of door body from the box top, and is pleasing to the eye, and the uniformity is good, that is to say, first hose can make full use of hinge structure, and the installation of being convenient for does not influence the door body and rotates, can not influence the whole outward appearance of refrigerator, and first connecting pipe especially first hose department self structural variation is less, can not arouse situations such as pipeline jam, sudden change, has almost no influence to the performance of refrigerator.

Further, in the refrigerator of the present invention, ice making, cold water making or cold supply to the door space may be performed on the door directly using the first evaporator. Compared with the method that cold air is led through a longer air duct to supply cold to the door body, the refrigerator body has better heat preservation (no air supply duct for making ice), no air duct resistance loss and high refrigeration efficiency. Compared with the method of guiding low-temperature refrigerant to supply cold to the door body, the method does not need to keep the temperature of a pipeline (the pipeline occupies a large space after heat preservation and is difficult to pass through a door shaft), does not have cold loss, has thin pipeline, can directly enter the door body from the top of the box body through the hinge shaft of the door body, and is attractive and good in consistency.

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 structural view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic partial structural view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic partial structural view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic partial structural view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 to 8 are schematic views of a refrigeration system of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1 and referring to fig. 2 to 8, an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a cabinet 10, a door 20, and a refrigerating system. Storage compartments, such as a first storage compartment, a second storage compartment and a third storage compartment, are provided in the box body 10. The first storage compartment may be a cold storage compartment, the storage temperature being generally between 2 ℃ and 10 ℃, preferably between 3 ℃ and 8 ℃. The second storage compartment may be a freezer compartment, typically at a temperature in the range of-14 ℃ to-22 ℃. The third storage chamber can be a temperature-changing chamber, and the temperature in the third storage chamber can be adjusted according to requirements so as to store proper food. The door 20 is configured to open and close the first storage compartment, and the refrigerator further has a second storage compartment door that opens and closes the second storage compartment, and a third storage compartment door that opens and closes the third storage compartment. The second storage chamber door body and the third storage chamber door body can be drawer end covers of the drawer.

The refrigeration system includes a cabinet-side portion, a door-side portion, a first connection pipe 41, and a second connection pipe 46. The tank-side portion is mounted to the tank 10, and has a compressor 31 and a condenser 32. The inlet of the condensing device 32 communicates with the discharge port of the compressor 31. The door-side portion is attached to the door 20, and includes a first throttle device 42 and a first evaporator 43. The inlet of the first evaporator 43 communicates with the outlet of the first throttle device 42. The first connection pipe 41 is in communication with a pipeline between an inlet and an outlet of the condensing device 32, for example, the condensing device 32 includes a condenser 321 and a dew condensation removing pipe 322, the first connection pipe 41 is connected between the condenser 321 and the dew condensation removing pipe 322, and optionally, the first connection pipe 41 may be disposed on the pipeline inside the condenser 321. In some other embodiments, the first connection pipe 41 communicates with an outlet of the condensing device 32. In some embodiments, the condensing unit 32 includes an air-cooled condenser 321, an embedded condenser 323, and a dew-removing pipe 322 connected in series, the air-cooled condenser 321 can be disposed in the bin of the compressor 31, and the embedded condenser 323 is disposed inside the shell to dissipate heat. The first connection pipe 41 may be connected between the built-in condenser 323 and the dew-removing pipe 322, or the first connection pipe 41 may be connected between the air-cooled condenser 321 and the built-in condenser 323.

The other end of the first connecting pipe 41 communicates with an inlet of the first throttle device 42. One end of the second connection pipe 46 communicates with the tank-side portion, and the other end of the second connection pipe 46 communicates with the outlet of the first evaporator 43, so that the refrigerant in the first evaporator 43 flows back to the tank-side portion. That is, when the compressor 31 of the refrigeration system is operated, the refrigerant can be returned from the door-side portion to the cabinet-side portion at the portion connected to the second connection pipe 46.

In the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, ice making and cold water making may be performed on the door 20 or cold water may be supplied to a space of the door 20 by directly using the first evaporator 43. Compared with the case that cold air is led through a longer air duct to supply cold to the door body 20, the refrigerator body 10 has better heat preservation (no air supply duct for making ice), no air duct resistance loss and high refrigeration efficiency. Compared with the method of guiding low-temperature refrigerant to cool the door body 20, the method does not need to keep the temperature of the pipeline (the pipe occupies a large space after heat preservation), the pipeline is thin, and the installation is convenient. The first throttling device 42 is arranged on the door body 20, so that the situation that in a flexible capillary tube scheme, the temperature of the flexible capillary tube is possibly reduced when the flexible capillary tube enters the door body 20, condensation is easily caused, and cold energy is lost is avoided. The most common copper capillary can be adopted as the ice making capillary, the precision is high, and the realization is easy. The first throttling device 42 is positioned in the door body 20, the ice making capillary tube is not stressed or deformed when the door is opened and closed, and the refrigeration performance is not influenced. The flow rate or the performance of the capillary tube does not have great difference, the mass production is easy to realize, and the control consistency is good.

In particular, the refrigerator also comprises a heat source 39 capable of releasing heat for heating, the heat source 39 heating at least part of the pipe section of the first connection pipe 41. The heat source 39 is, for example, an electric heating device. Preferably, a portion of the pipe section of the first connection pipe 41 is located on the tank 10, and the heat source 39 heats a portion or the whole of the pipe section of the first connection pipe 41 located on the tank 10. Further, the first connection pipe 41 includes a first hose 411, and the first hose 411 is disposed between the cabinet 10 and the door 20.

In the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the first connection pipe 41 is heated by the heat source 39, the risk of condensation of a portion of the high/low pressure connection hose exposed to the environment is reduced. Particularly, when the inlet of the first connection pipe 41 is suddenly cut off and the compressor 31 continues to work, the refrigerant in the first connection pipe 41 continues to enter the first evaporator 43 through the first throttling device 42, the refrigerant in the first connection pipe 41 evaporates and cools, a pipe section between the box body and the door body of the first connection pipe, namely the first hose 411, is lower than the ring temperature by several degrees centigrade (about 5 ℃), the risk of condensation still exists in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment, and the risk of condensation on the first connection pipe can be reduced by heating the heat source 39. After heating by the heat source 39, the temperature of the first connection pipe 41, especially the first hose 411, is very close to the ambient temperature or not even lower than the ambient temperature, and there is almost no risk of condensation. When the door body works in a refrigerating mode, for example, when ice is made, the risk of condensation does not exist when the heat source 39 heats the first connecting pipe.

The heating effect is best when the heat source 39 is turned on for heating a certain time (such as 60S or 30S) before the door body is closed at the inlet of the first connecting pipe 41 for cooling. In particular, the heat source 39 is configured to heat the first connection pipe 41 at a preset time before the inlet of the first connection pipe 41 is closed. The heating of the first connection pipe 41 by the heat source 39 may also be controlled according to the humidity of the environment of the refrigerator. Specifically, the refrigerator further includes a humidity detection device configured to detect a humidity of an environment in which the refrigerator is located to control the heat source 39 to heat the first connection pipe 41 according to the humidity. For example, turning on the electric heating device in a high humidity environment.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the refrigerator further includes an ice making device 50, and the ice making device 50 is mounted to the door 20. The first evaporator 43 is provided in the door 20 or in the ice making device 50, and is configured to supply coldness to the ice making device 50. In some alternative embodiments, the ice making device 50 may be replaced with an ice making water device. In other alternative embodiments, the ice-making device 50 may be replaced by the storage space of the door 20 provided on the door 20, that is, the first evaporator 43 is used to provide cold energy to the storage space of the door 20. Of course, two or three of the ice making device 50, the ice making water device and the storage space of the door body 20 may be simultaneously disposed on the door body 20.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the first connection pipe 41 is integrally a hose. Alternatively, the first connection pipe 41 further includes a first hard pipe 412 provided at one or both ends of the first hose 411, and the first hard pipe 412 adjacent to the side portion of the cabinet is heated by the condensing unit 32. The second connection pipe 46 includes a second hose 461, and the second hose 461 is disposed between the cabinet 10 and the door 20. For example, the second connection pipe 46 is integrally a hose. For another example, the second connection pipe 46 further includes a second hard pipe 462 disposed at one end or both ends of the second flexible pipe 461. The hose is provided to facilitate opening and closing of the door 20. The first hose 411 may be referred to as a high-pressure hose, a pressure-resistant hose, etc., and the second hose 461 may be referred to as a low-pressure hose.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the first restriction 42 comprises a capillary tube, and in alternative embodiments, the first restriction 42 further comprises a throttle valve in series with the capillary tube, the throttle valve being disposed on a downstream side of the capillary tube. Further, a heat insulation layer is arranged in the door body 20, and the capillary tube is arranged in the heat insulation layer. The capillary tube of the first throttling device 42 can be arranged in the heat-insulating layer of the door body 20, and the heat-insulating and fixing performance of the heat-insulating layer can be fully utilized, so that the refrigerator has a good refrigerating and ice-making function of the door body 20. The inner diameter of the capillary is less than or equal to 0.8 mm. For example, the inner diameter of the capillary is between 0.65mm and 0.75 mm. The inner diameter of the capillary tube is preferably about 0.66mm or 0.70mm, so that the consistency of mass production can be ensured, and the capillary tube can be prevented from being easily collapsed when being bent.

In some embodiments of the present invention, a door-side return air pipe 45 is provided between the second connection pipe 46 and the first evaporator 43. The door-side muffler 45 is thermally connected to the capillary tube. The capillary tube exchanges heat with the door body side air return pipe 45, heat generated when the capillary tube is throttled is fully utilized, the temperature of the door body side air return pipe 45 can be increased, lower condensation of the temperature of a pipe section, located between the refrigerator body 10 and the door body 20, of the second connecting pipe 46 is prevented, and the energy efficiency of the refrigerator can also be improved. Further, the capillary tube and the door-side muffler 45 are both made of a metal material. The capillary tube is provided in the door-body-side muffler 45, or the capillary tube is in contact with the door-body-side muffler 45. The capillary tube is copper and the door-side muffler 45 is aluminum or copper, preferably copper. Further, the number of the capillary tubes in the first throttling device 42 may be at least two, at least two capillary tubes are arranged in parallel, and are both thermally connected with the door side air return pipe 45. Two paths of heat exchange with the door body side air return pipe 45 simultaneously can reduce the heat exchange length of the door body side air return pipe 45.

In the embodiments of the present invention, the flexible capillary scheme does not occur: the flexible capillary tube may have been cooled when entering the door body 20, which easily causes condensation and loss of cooling capacity, and the temperature when the second connecting tube 46 comes out from the door body 20 is also low due to the low temperature when the flexible capillary tube enters the door body 20, which may cause condensation and loss of cooling capacity. In the invention, the first connecting pipe 41 is higher than the ring temperature, the exposed part between the door body 20 and the box body 10 can not be condensed and has no cold loss, and because the heat exchange between the air return pipe 45 at the door body side and the capillary is sufficient, the refrigerant of the second connecting pipe 46 is very close to the ring temperature and is even higher than the ring temperature, and the exposed part between the door body 20 and the box body 10 can not be condensed and has no cold loss.

The capillary tube and the door body side air return pipe 45 exchange heat in the door body 20, the heat exchange efficiency is high, the heat exchange of the length of about 1.5 meters (1-2 meters) can ensure sufficient heat exchange, and the second connecting pipe 46 is very close to the ring temperature or even higher than the ring temperature. However, in the scheme of the flexible capillary tube, the flexible capillary tube is made of a non-metal material (the metal material is flexible, the door is opened and closed for many times and is easy to break, the refrigerator generally requires 10 ten thousand times of door opening and closing), the heat exchange efficiency with the air return pipe is extremely low, the length is very long (20-100 meters estimated), sufficient heat exchange can be guaranteed, and the flexible capillary tube does not have a heat exchange function basically because the heat exchange is carried out only at the position of a door shaft in the scheme of the flexible capillary tube. In the existing door body 20 with the ice making function, the thickness of the heat insulation layer of the main body part (middle area) is very thin (30-35 mm), and only two local sides (two sides viewed from top, within 10cm of each local size) are slightly thick (the heat insulation layer is about 80 mm). To put it back, even in the scheme of the flexible capillary tube, the flexible capillary tube part can extend into the door body 20 from the door shaft, but the heat exchange between non-metal materials is close to the ring temperature when the air return pipe is output, the heat exchange length can be far more than 2 meters, even 20 meters, the heat exchange part of the flexible capillary tube and the air return pipe needs to be arranged in a thick heat insulation layer (arranged in a thin position, so that the shell of the door body 20 can be condensed and secondary leakage can be caused), the space is limited, the heat exchange length is difficult to achieve more than 2 meters, and the refrigerator is too large in size unless the door is thick, so that the refrigerator is too white to increase the size, and the door is too bulky and is difficult to accept by users. When the door is opened and closed, the contact between the flexible capillary tube and the flexible suction tube before and after entering the door shaft and the hinge can be loosened, so that the heat exchange effect and the refrigeration performance are influenced. The heat exchange of the capillary tube in the embodiment of the invention is irrelevant to the opening and closing of the door.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, when the ice making system operates, since the refrigerant at the inlet of the first connecting pipe 41 is supercooled and is about 2 to 5 ℃ lower than the condensation temperature, the temperature of the heated section of the first connecting pipe 41 is raised by properly transferring heat to the first connecting pipe 41 through the heat source 39 (controlling the temperature of the first connecting pipe to be slightly lower than the condensation temperature, for example, 1 ℃ lower), so that the temperature of the first hose 411 at the downstream side of the heated section is raised, and thus the temperature of the second hose 461 is also raised slightly (slightly lower than the temperature of the first hose 411, because the ice making capillary tube transfers heat to the ice making muffler, the outlet temperature of the ice making muffler is lower than the inlet temperature of the ice making capillary tube), and the risk of condensation of the low-pressure connecting hose, that is, the second hose 461, is greatly reduced. Or because the temperature of the first connecting pipe 41 is increased, the heat exchange length between the ice making capillary tube and the ice making air return pipe can be properly reduced, the second connecting pipe 46, especially the second hose 461, is still not condensed, the ice making capillary tube and the ice making air return pipe are easy to be arranged in the door body 20 after the heat exchange length between the ice making capillary tube and the ice making air return pipe is reduced, and because the thickness of the heat-insulating layer of the door body 20 is limited, the heat exchange place between the ice making capillary tube and the ice making air return pipe is limited. The door-side muffler 45 is the ice-making muffler, and the capillary tube of the first throttle device 42 is the ice-making capillary tube.

In some embodiments of the invention, the tank-side part is also used for cooling the space in the tank 10, for example, the tank-side part further comprises a second throttling device 33 and a cooling evaporation device 34, and the inlet of the first connecting pipe 41 and the inlet of the second throttling device 33 are in controlled communication with the outlet of the condensing device 32 through a valve device 36. The outlet of the second connection pipe 46 and the outlet of the refrigeration evaporation device 34 are both communicated with the air inlet of the compressor 31, for example, the outlet of the refrigeration evaporation device 34 is communicated with the air inlet of the compressor 31 through the tank-side return air pipe 38; the outlet of the second connection pipe 46 is connected to the tank-side return gas pipe 38. The refrigerator also includes a defrosting device for heating the refrigeration evaporating device 34.

Further, the second throttling device 33 comprises a first throttling structure 331 and a second throttling structure 332, and an inlet of the first throttling structure 331 and an inlet of the second throttling structure 332 are respectively communicated with two outlets of the valve device 36. The refrigeration and evaporation device 34 includes a second evaporator 341 for supplying cold to the first storage compartment and a third evaporator 342 for supplying cold to the second storage compartment, an inlet of the second evaporator 341 is communicated with an outlet of the first throttling structure, an outlet of the second evaporator 341 and an outlet of the second throttling structure are both communicated with an inlet of the third evaporator 342, and an outlet of the third evaporator 342 is communicated with an air inlet of the compressor 31. The first throttling structure 331 and the second throttling structure 332 are both capillary tubes, the outlet of the third evaporator 342 communicates with the inlet of the compressor 31 through the tank-side return gas pipe 38, and the tank-side return gas pipe 38 can exchange heat with the first throttling structure 331 and/or the second throttling structure 332. The defrosting device serves to heat the third evaporator 342 for defrosting of the third evaporator 342.

The valve device 36 is an electric switching valve with one inlet and three outlets. In an alternative embodiment, the valve device 36 includes a solenoid valve and a switching valve, an inlet of the solenoid valve and an inlet of the switching valve are both communicated with the outlet of the dew condensation removing pipe 322, and an outlet of the solenoid valve is communicated with the first connecting pipe 41. The switching valve may be a one-in two-out electric switching valve, and an inlet of the first throttling structure 331 and an inlet of the second throttling structure 332 are respectively communicated with two outlets of the switching valve.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the door 20 is rotatably mounted to the chest 10 by a hinge, which may be provided at an upper end of the door 20. The lower end of the door 20 may be mounted to the cabinet 10 by another hinge. The hinge includes a hinge hole and a hinge shaft 11 inserted into the hinge hole, one of the hinge shaft 11 and the hinge hole is mounted to the case 10, and the other is mounted to the door 20. The hinge shaft 11 has a communication hole penetrating along an axial direction thereof. For example, the hinge shaft 11 is provided on the cabinet 10 through a horizontal mounting plate, and the door 20 is provided with a hinge hole. The first and second tubes 411 and 461 pass through the communication hole. The pipeline does not need to be insulated (the pipe occupies a large space after insulation and is difficult to pass through a door shaft), the cold loss is avoided, the pipeline is thin, and the pipeline can directly enter the door body 20 from the top of the box body 10 through the hinge shaft of the door body 20, so the appearance is attractive, and the consistency is good. The first hose 411 and the second hose 461 are mounted without affecting the rotation of the door 20, and the overall appearance of the refrigerator is not affected, the structural change of the first connecting pipe 41, especially the first hose 411, is small, the situations of pipeline blockage, sudden change and the like are not caused, and the performance of the refrigerator is hardly affected.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the first hose 411 is a pressure-resistant hose, which may also be referred to as a high-pressure hose, and the material of the first hose 411 is nylon, teflon, PTFE, or PFA, preferably teflon. The outer diameter of the first hose 411 is less than or equal to 8mm, and the inner diameter of the first hose 411 is less than or equal to 6 mm. Preferably, the outer diameter of the first hose 411 is less than or equal to 6mm and the inner diameter of the first hose 411 is less than or equal to 4 mm. For example, the outer diameter of the first hose 411 is less than or equal to 4.5mm, and the inner diameter of the first hose 411 is less than or equal to 2.5 mm. Preferably, the outer diameter of the first hose 411 is 4mm and the inner diameter of the first hose 411 is 2 mm. It should be noted that the diameters do not include the portions of the first hose 411 where the two ends are connected to the joint, and the joint may need to be flared. The temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the first hose 411 is substantially kept unchanged, and the first hose 411 does not need to exchange heat with the second hose 461, so that the installation and the manufacture are convenient, and the like. The second hose 461 may be referred to as a low pressure hose. The first tube 411 has a proper inner diameter to ensure smooth flow of the refrigerant, and has high cooling efficiency. The first hose 411 has an appropriate outer diameter, and the first hose 411 may have an appropriate wall thickness to have an appropriate deformability and deformation restorability, and may have a sufficient and appropriate pressure resistance.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the inventors have found that, after the first evaporator 43 is disposed on the door 20, the section of the second connection pipe 46 exposed between the door 20 and the cabinet 10 is prone to condensation, especially when the compressor 31 is started again after the third evaporator 342 for the freezing chamber is defrosted. The reason for this is that when the third evaporator 342 is defrosted, the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant in the third evaporator 342 are gradually increased due to the electric heating of the defrosting chamber, so that the refrigerant migrates into the second connection pipe 46 and the first evaporator 43, and the refrigerant stored in the second connection pipe 46 and the first evaporator 43 is increased, and when the defrosting compressor 31 is started again, the temperature of the portion (in contact with the ambient air) of the low-pressure connection hose at the hinge shaft and the top of the box 10 is low, so that the refrigerant is condensed. In this regard, the second connection pipe 46 is provided with a first control valve 48 that blocks the flow of the refrigerant to the first evaporator 43. The first control valve 48 is preferably a one-way valve. Further, a portion of the second connection pipe 46 is located on the tank 10, and the first control valve 48 is disposed on the portion of the second connection pipe 46 located on the tank 10, that is, the first control valve 48 is disposed on the pipe between the second hose 461 and the inlet of the compressor 31, that is, the second hard pipe 462 adjacent to the tank side portion of the second connection pipe 46 is disposed with a check valve for blocking the flow of the refrigerant to the first evaporator 43. The refrigerant in the side of the case is prevented from migrating to the first evaporator 43, and the refrigerant stored in the second connection pipe 46 and the first evaporator 43 is prevented from increasing, so that when the compressor 31 is started again, the temperature of the second connection pipe 46 at the hinge axis and the top of the case 10 (which can contact the ambient air) is prevented from being low, and the refrigerant is prevented from condensing. The first control valve 48 can prevent the second connection pipe 46 from being cooled down and easily dewing or frosting when the refrigerator is started, and particularly prevent the second hose 461 from dewing or frosting when the refrigerator is started.

In some embodiments of the present invention, a second control valve 40 is disposed on a pipeline between the outlet of the refrigeration evaporation device 34 and the air inlet of the compressor 31 for preventing the refrigerant in the refrigeration evaporation device 34 from flowing to the compressor 31 when the first evaporator 43 is operated alone. That is, the tank-side return line 38 is provided with a second control valve 40 that blocks the flow of the refrigerant in the refrigeration and evaporation apparatus 34 to the compressor 31. The second control valve 40 may be a stop valve, a solenoid valve, or a flow regulating valve. The second control valve 40 may be arranged on the upstream or downstream side, preferably the downstream side, of the heat exchange line section of the tank-side return gas line 38. Further, a second control valve 40 may be disposed within the compressor compartment of the tank 10. The outlet of the refrigeration and evaporation device 34 may be further provided with a first reservoir 351, that is, the outlet of the third evaporator 342 is provided with the first reservoir 351, that is, the first reservoir 351 is located between the tank-side return air pipe 38 and the third evaporator 342.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the inventor finds that, when the refrigeration/freezing temperature reaches a suitable temperature and refrigeration is not required, and the ice making circuit needs refrigeration, because the compressor 31 is still operating, the refrigerant in the refrigeration/freezing evaporators (i.e., the second evaporator 341 and the third evaporator 342) is still sucked into the compressor 31 and enters the ice making circulation circuit (i.e., the door-side portion), so that more and more refrigerant in the ice making circulation circuit is generated, which may cause the operation of the refrigeration system to deviate from the normal condition: such as condensation/frost formation of the second hose 461 and even suction of entrained liquids by the compressor 31. Although it can be improved by adding a second reservoir 44 at the outlet of the first evaporator (i.e. first evaporator 43), however: the second pack 44 needs to have a large size and a large volume to accommodate the surplus refrigerant (the first evaporator is small compared to a refrigeration evaporator, particularly a freezing evaporator), and the space in the door 20 is very limited, so that it is difficult to accommodate the second pack 44 having a sufficient size. When the ice-making loop is used for refrigerating again in cold storage or freezing, if the ice-making loop works at the same time, the redundant refrigerant stored in the second liquid storage bag 44 at the outlet of the first evaporator is difficult to come out again, so that the refrigerant of the cold storage or freezing circulation loop is deficient, the refrigerating efficiency is obviously reduced, and the cold storage or freezing temperature reduction is slow. When the refrigeration or freezing circuit refrigerates again, if the ice-making circuit does not work, the redundant refrigerant stored in the second liquid storage bag 44 at the outlet of the first evaporator can slowly enter the refrigeration or freezing circulation circuit again, but the refrigeration or freezing temperature reduction is slow, and the refrigerant repeatedly moves back and forth, so that much power consumption is increased, and energy is not saved.

However, in the present application, by providing the second control valve 40 on the tank-side air return line 38, such as a solenoid valve, during cold storage or freezing refrigeration, the solenoid valve is always in an open state, and the operation of the cold storage circulation loop or the freezing circulation loop is not affected; the refrigeration or freezing is not used for refrigerating, and when the ice-making circulation loop runs, the electromagnetic valve is in a closed state, so that the refrigerant in the refrigeration or freezing evaporator is prevented from migrating to the ice-making circulation loop; when the compressor 31 is stopped, the solenoid valve is in the on state.

Compared to adding a second reservoir 44 at the outlet of the first evaporator: the size/volume of the second liquid storage bag 44 can be reduced, and the second liquid storage bag is easy to place in the door body 20; or the second liquid storage bag 44 can be eliminated, and how to place the second liquid storage bag 44 in the limited space of the door body 20 is not considered; when the refrigeration or freezing is carried out again, if the ice-making loop also works at the same time, the refrigeration efficiency can be improved, and the refrigeration or freezing cooling speed is increased; when the refrigerating or freezing circuit refrigerates again, if the ice-making circuit does not work, the refrigerating or freezing temperature-reducing speed can be increased; the whole process almost does not need the refrigerant to repeatedly move back and forth, and the energy is saved.

In some embodiments of the present invention, a third reservoir 352 may be disposed between condenser 321 and dewer pipe 322 of condensing unit 32, first reservoir 351 and second reservoir 44 may be referred to as low pressure reservoirs, and third reservoir 352 may be referred to as high pressure reservoir. In other embodiments of the present invention, the condensing unit 32 comprises an air-cooled condenser 321, an included condenser 323, and a dew-removing pipe 322 in series. The high pressure reservoir 352 may be disposed between the air-cooled condenser 321 and the built-in condenser 323. That is, the third reservoir 352 may be disposed at the outlet of the condenser 321. When the refrigeration/freezing temperature reaches a proper temperature and refrigeration is not needed, and the ice-making circuit needs refrigeration, as the compressor 31 still works, the refrigerants in the second evaporator 341 and the third evaporator 342 are still sucked into the compressor 31 and enter the first connecting pipe 41, so that more and more refrigerants are in the ice-making circulation circuit, the refrigerants in the built-in condenser 323 and the anti-dew pipe 322 are all liquid and cannot be accommodated (at the moment, the built-in condenser 323 and the anti-dew pipe 322 are both supercooling sections), at the moment, the third liquid storage bag 352 can accommodate redundant refrigerants, and when the built-in condenser 323 and the anti-dew pipe 322 cannot accommodate the redundant refrigerants, the supercooling sections in the air-cooled condenser 321 are too many to really condense (gas is condensed into liquid), and finally, the high pressure is too high, and a great amount of energy consumption is increased.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the first evaporator 43 may include an ice making part that may contact with the ice bank for making ice and a temperature maintaining part that may have fins that may forcibly circulate the ice making compartment with an ice making compartment fan to supply cold to maintain the compartment temperature. For example, two copper tubes at the upper part of the first evaporator 43 are in contact with an ice box for making ice; two copper pipes at the lower part of the first evaporator 43 are provided with fins, and the cooling needs to be supplied to the ice making chamber by forced circulation of an ice making chamber fan of the ice making chamber, so as to maintain the temperature of the ice making chamber. In some embodiments of the present invention, a first filter-drier 37 is arranged on the outlet pipe of the condensation device 32, and a second filter-drier 47 may be arranged between the first connection pipe 41 and the first throttling device 42.

When the refrigerator works, during ice making, the compressor 31 works, the electromagnetic valve of the valve device 36 is opened, gaseous refrigerant is output from the compressor 31 and then condensed by the condenser 321, then enters the third liquid storage bag 352, then enters the built-in condenser 323 (closely arranged in the back of the refrigerator body 10) for further condensation, then enters the anti-dew pipe 322 for further cooling to become refrigerant with normal temperature and high pressure liquid supercooling, enters the first drying filter 37, enters the pipe section of the first connecting pipe 41 on the refrigerator body 10 (for heat exchange with the heat source 39), enters the first hose 411 (the first hose 411, namely the high pressure hose enters the door body 20 through the hinge shaft 11 at the top of the refrigerator body 10 and the top of the door body 20), then enters the first throttling device 42 for throttling (the capillary of the first throttling device 42 is arranged in the heat insulation layer of the door body 20 and is contacted with the door body side air return pipe 45 in the door body 20 for heat exchange), the refrigerant is changed into a low-temperature low-pressure refrigerant, enters the first evaporator 43 for cooling, is output from the first evaporator, enters the door body side air return pipe 45 (the air return pipe is arranged in the heat preservation layer of the door body 20 and is in contact heat exchange with the ice-making capillary tube in the door body 20), is output from the door body side air return pipe 45, is changed into a temperature-changing normal-temperature low-pressure refrigerant, enters the second hose 461 (the second hose 461 enters the box body 10 through the hinge shaft at the top of the door body 20 and the top of the box body 10), and then enters the compressor 31 through the one-way valve and the pipeline.

The ice making circuit is not operated, that is, the first evaporator 43 is not operated, when the first connecting pipe 41 is cut off, the section of the first connecting pipe 41 is communicated with the low-pressure part of the system through the first throttling device 42, especially when the first connecting pipe 41 is cut off and the compressor 31 is still operated (refrigeration or freezing is still refrigerating), the refrigerant in the section of the first connecting pipe 41 still enters the first evaporator 43 (low-pressure part) through the first throttling device 42, so that the refrigerant in the first connecting pipe 41 is evaporated and cooled, and the first hose 411 part is lower than the ring temperature by a few degrees centigrade (about 5 ℃), and the condensation risk still exists in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment. After heating by the heat source 39, the temperature of the first connection pipe 41, especially the first hose 411, is very close to the ambient temperature or not even lower than the ambient temperature, and there is almost no risk of condensation.

In the present application, the term "hose" is used to indicate a flexible tube having a certain deformation and recovery capacity when subjected to an external force, so as to ensure that the door body can be elastically deformed (e.g. twisted) in an overall adaptive manner when rotated, without substantially changing the cross-sectional area of the fluid flow in the tube. The first hose 411 is a pressure-resistant hose capable of withstanding a pressure greater than or equal to a first predetermined pressure value provided by the fluid inside the hose, and the second hose 461 is a hose capable of withstanding a pressure greater than or equal to a second predetermined pressure value provided by the fluid inside the hose. The first predetermined pressure value may be greater than the second predetermined pressure value. Aiming at different refrigerants adopted by a refrigeration system, the first preset pressure values corresponding to the different refrigerants can be different, and the second preset pressure values corresponding to the different refrigerants can also be different; for example, for the R600a refrigerant, the first predetermined pressure value may be 2MPa, and the second predetermined pressure value may be 1.5 MPa. Since the pressure of the refrigerant generated in the first hose 411 is greater than the pressure generated in the second hose 461, the first hose 411 may also be referred to as a high-pressure hose, and the second hose 461 may also be referred to as a low-pressure hose. The term "rigid tube" is used in relation to "hose" without substantial deformation of the "rigid tube" and without visible, noticeable deformation which has an effect on the functioning.

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 (10)

1. A refrigerator comprises a refrigerator body, a door body and a refrigerating system, wherein the door body is arranged on the refrigerator body, and the refrigerator is characterized by also comprising a heat source capable of releasing heat for heating;

the refrigeration system comprises a box body side part, a door body side part, a first connecting pipe and a second connecting pipe; the tank side part is mounted on the tank, and the tank side part is provided with a compressor; the side part of the door body is arranged on the door body, and the side part of the door body is provided with a first throttling device and a first evaporator; an inlet of the first evaporator is communicated with an outlet of the first throttling device;

one end of the first connecting pipe and one end of the second connecting pipe are respectively communicated with the side part of the tank body at two positions of the side part of the tank body, the other end of the first connecting pipe is communicated with an inlet of the first throttling device, and the other end of the second connecting pipe is communicated with an outlet of the first evaporator, so that the refrigerant on the side part of the tank body enters the first evaporator through the first connecting pipe and the first throttling device to absorb heat and vaporize, and then returns to the side part of the tank body through the second connecting pipe;

the heat source is configured to heat some or all of the tube segments of the first connection tube.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising an ice making device,

the ice making device is mounted on the door body; the first evaporator is disposed in the door or in the ice making device and configured to provide cooling energy to the ice making device.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

the heat source is an electric heating device.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

a portion of the length of the first connection pipe is located on the tank, and the heat source is configured to heat a portion or all of the length of the first connection pipe located on the tank.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

the heat source is configured to heat the first connection pipe at a preset time before the inlet of the first connection pipe is closed.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a humidity detection device configured to detect a humidity of an environment in which the refrigerator is located to control the heat source to heat the first connection pipe according to the humidity.

7. A refrigerator-freezer according to claim 1,

the side part of the box body also comprises a condensing device, and an inlet of the condensing device is communicated with an exhaust port of the compressor; the first connecting pipe is communicated with a pipeline between an inlet and an outlet of the condensing device, or the first connecting pipe is communicated with an outlet of the condensing device.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

the first throttling device comprises a capillary tube, or the first throttling device comprises a capillary tube and a throttling valve connected with the capillary tube in series, and the throttling valve is arranged on the downstream side of the capillary tube;

the door body is internally provided with a heat preservation layer, and the capillary tube is arranged in the heat preservation layer.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

the first throttling device comprises a capillary tube, the side part of the door body is also provided with a door body side air return pipe, the outlet of the first evaporator is communicated with the inlet of the door body side air return pipe, the door body side air return pipe is thermally connected with the capillary tube, and the inlet of the second connecting pipe is communicated with the outlet of the door body side air return pipe.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 7,

the side part of the tank body also comprises a second throttling device and a refrigeration and evaporation device, and an inlet of the first connecting pipe and an inlet of the second throttling device are communicated with an outlet of the condensing device in a controlled manner through a valve device;

the outlet of the second connecting pipe and the outlet of the refrigeration and evaporation device are both communicated with the air inlet of the compressor;

a first control valve for preventing the refrigerant from flowing to the first evaporator is arranged on the second connecting pipe;

a second control valve which obstructs the refrigerant in the refrigeration evaporation device from flowing to the compressor when the first evaporator works alone is arranged on a pipeline between the outlet of the refrigeration evaporation device and the air inlet of the compressor;

the first connecting pipe comprises a first hose, the second connecting pipe comprises a second hose, and the first hose and the second hose are arranged between the box body and the door body.

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