KR20170046543A - Defrosting device and refrigerator having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, disclosed is a defrosting device which comprises: a heating unit provided in an evaporator; and a heat pipe in which both end portions are individually connected to an entry and an exit of the heating unit, and at least a portion is arranged to be adjacent to a cooling pipe to radiate heat to the cooling pipe of the evaporator by a high temperature hydraulic fluid heated by the heating unit to be transferred. The heating unit comprises: a heater case having an empty space therein and the entry and the exit individually placed at positions which are spaced from each other in a longitudinal direction; and a heater attached to an outside surface of the heater case to heat the hydraulic fluid inside the heater case.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a defrosting device and a refrigerator having the defrosting device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a defrosting device for removing frost on a evaporator provided in a refrigeration cycle, and a refrigerator having the defrosting device.

The evaporator provided in the refrigeration cycle lowers the ambient temperature by using cool air generated by the circulation of the refrigerant flowing through the cooling pipe. In this process, when a temperature difference with ambient air occurs, moisture in the air is condensed and frozen on the surface of the cooling pipe.

As a defrosting operation for removing the impurities cast on the evaporator, a defrosting method using an electric heater is conventionally used.

In recent years, a defrosting device using a heat pipe has been developed as a heat generating means, and a related art is Korean Patent No. 10-0469322 entitled "Evaporator ".

In the heat pipe type defrost apparatus of the above-mentioned "evaporator", the heater is arranged vertically along the vertical direction of the evaporator, and the working liquid is filled only at the bottom of the heater. The defrosting device of the above structure may increase the evaporation speed by rapid heating, but it involves the risk of overheating the heater.

Further, since the heater has a structure in which the heat pipe is housed inside the heat pipe, high temperature heat can be concentrated inside the heat pipe, shortening the lifetime of the heater, and there may be a sealing problem of the heater.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a defrost apparatus of a new structure which can be manufactured at a lower cost, can reduce power consumption during defrosting, and is easy to maintain.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a defrosting device capable of improving heat transfer performance of a heater and preventing overheating of a heater to improve reliability.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a defrosting device capable of preventing a working fluid from contacting a heater.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a defrost apparatus in which a working liquid can be efficiently circulated.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a structure in which defrosting of the lower cooling pipe of the evaporator can be smoothly performed in a defrosting apparatus in which the heating unit is disposed vertically along the vertical direction of the evaporator.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a defrost apparatus comprising: a heating unit provided in an evaporator; And at least a part of which is disposed adjacent to the cooling pipe so as to be radiated to the cooling pipe of the evaporator by the high temperature working liquid which is heated and conveyed by the heating unit and whose both ends are connected to the inlet and the outlet of the heating unit, Wherein the heating unit includes a heater case having an empty space therein and having the inlet and the outlet at positions spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction; And a heater attached to an outer surface of the heater case and configured to heat a working fluid in the heater case.

The heater may be a plate-shaped heater having a plate shape.

The heater includes a base plate formed of a ceramic material and attached to an outer surface of the heater case; A heating wire formed on the base plate and configured to generate heat when power is applied; And a terminal provided on the base plate and configured to electrically connect the hot wire and the power source.

Wherein the heater case is divided into an active heat generating portion corresponding to a portion where the heat ray is disposed and a passive heat generating portion corresponding to a portion where the heat ray is not arranged, The inlet is formed in the manual heat generating portion so as to prevent reheating and backflow.

The hot wire extends from one point between the inlet and the outlet toward the outlet.

The present invention discloses first to fourth embodiments of the defrost apparatus based on the above structure.

First Embodiment:

The heater may be attached to the bottom surface of the heater case.

The heater case may include first and second extension pins formed on both sides of the heater case so as to cover both sides of the heater attached to the bottom surface.

In the recessed space formed by the back surface of the heater and the first and second extension pins, a sealing member is filled to cover the heater.

An insulating material is interposed between the back surface of the heater and the sealing member.

A thermally conductive adhesive is interposed between the heater case and the heater.

The heater case includes a main case having a hollow space therein, both ends of which are opened, and the heater is attached to the bottom of the main case; And a first cover and a second cover which are mounted to cover the opened both ends of the main case, respectively.

At least one of the first and second covers may extend downward from the bottom surface of the main case so as to surround the heater together with the first and second extension pins.

In the case where the heat pipe is constituted by a first heat pipe and a second heat pipe which are respectively arranged in two rows on the front and rear sides of the evaporator, the outlet is connected to one end of the first and second heat pipes And the inlet includes a first inlet and a second inlet respectively connected to the other ends of the first and second heat pipes.

The first and second outlets may be formed on both sides of the main case, respectively, or may be formed in parallel with the first cover.

The first and second inlets may be formed on both sides of the main case, respectively, or may be formed in parallel with the second cover.

On the other hand, an outer fin may protrude from the other outer surface of the heater case to which the heater is not attached.

The heater may be attached to the bottom surface of the heater case, and the external fin may be formed on the top surface of the heater case.

The plurality of external fins may be formed to extend along the longitudinal direction or the width direction of the heater case with a predetermined gap therebetween. The spacing distance is set to be equal to or greater than the width of the outer pin.

Alternatively, a plurality of the external fins may be provided, and the heaters may be arranged in a matrix at a predetermined distance from each other along the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the heater case.

Wherein the first and second outlets are respectively formed on both side surfaces adjacent to one end of the main case and the first and second inlets are formed on both side surfaces adjacent to the other end of the main case, Protruding from the outer surface of both sides of the main case, and extended between the first inlet and the first outlet, and between the second inlet and the second outlet.

The outer pin may protrude from an outer surface of at least one of the first and second covers.

On the other hand, an inner fin may protrude from an inner inner surface of the outer surface to which the heater is attached.

The heater may be attached to an outer bottom surface of the heater case, and the inner fin may protrude from an inner bottom surface of the heater case.

The inner pin is protruded to a length of 1/2 or less of the inner height of the heater case.

The plurality of inner fins may be formed to extend along the longitudinal direction of the heater case with a predetermined spacing therebetween.

The inner wall of the heater case and the inner fins adjacent to the inner wall are spaced apart from each other by at least 1 times and not more than 2 times the width of the inner fins.

The spacing between the plurality of inner pins is not less than 1 times and not more than 2 times the width of the inner pins.

Wherein the first and second outlets are formed on both side surfaces adjacent to one end of the main case and the first and second inlets are formed on both side surfaces adjacent to the other end of the main case, And may extend between the first inlet and the first outlet, and between the second inlet and the second outlet.

On the other hand, the lead wire is configured to extend outward from one end of the heater adjacent to the outside of the evaporator.

In the structure in which the heating unit is disposed at the left bottom of the evaporator, the lead wire is configured to extend outward from the left end of the heater adjacent to the left side of the evaporator.

In this case, the terminal connected to the lead wire is located at the left end of the heater.

In the structure in which the heating unit is disposed at the bottom right portion of the evaporator, the lead wire is configured to extend outward from the right end of the heater adjacent to the right side of the evaporator.

In this case, the right end of the heater is disposed between the inlet and the outlet of the heater case, and the terminal connected to the lead wire is positioned between the inlet adjacent to the inlet of the heater case and the outlet.

Meanwhile, the outlet may be formed at a position spaced apart from the front end of the heater case by a predetermined distance so that a part of the operating fluid stays at the front end of the heater case and contacts the heater.

The inner diameter of the return portion of the heat pipe connected to the inlet of the heater case may be larger than 5 mm and smaller than 7 mm.

On the other hand, the heater case is disposed such that the inlet side end portion has an angular range of -90 degrees or more and 2 degrees or less with respect to the outlet side end portion.

In addition, considering the flow direction of the working fluid and the rising characteristic of the heated working fluid, the return portion may be disposed parallel to the heater case or may extend to the lower side of the heater case, The inflow portion of the heat pipe may be disposed parallel to the heater case or extend upward from the heater case.

Second Embodiment:

The heater case is vertically disposed along a vertical direction on the outside of a support provided on one side of the evaporator, and the heater is positioned lower than the water surface of the working fluid filled in the heater case when the working fluid is in a liquid state .

The heater may be attached to the opposite surface of the heater case facing the support.

Third Embodiment:

The heat pipes are repeatedly bent in a zigzag fashion to form multiple rows, and the intervals between the rows arranged at the lower portion of the heat pipe are narrower than the intervals between the rows arranged at the upper portion.

Wherein a distance between each row disposed at a lower portion of the first heat pipe in front of the evaporator is formed to be narrower than a distance between each row disposed at an upper portion and an interval between each row disposed at an upper portion of the second heat pipe at the rear of the evaporator May be formed to be narrower than the interval of each row arranged at the lower portion.

Alternatively, the interval between each row arranged at the lower part of the first heat pipe at the front of the evaporator is wider than the interval between each row arranged at the upper part, and the interval between each row arranged at the upper part of the second heat pipe at the rear of the evaporator The interval may be formed to be wider than the interval of each column arranged at the lower portion.

Fourth Embodiment:

Wherein the heat pipe is connected to an outlet of the heating unit and is arranged to correspond to the cooling pipe to transfer heat to the cooling pipe; And a condensing portion extending from the evaporating portion and disposed below the lowermost column of the cooling pipe, the condensing portion being connected to the inlet of the heating unit.

In this structure, the lower end of the heating unit may be disposed adjacent to the lowest heat cooling pipe.

Alternatively, at least a portion of the heating unit may be disposed below the lowest heat cooling tube.

According to the present invention, since the heater is attached to the outer surface of the heater case to heat the working fluid in the heater case, it is easy to maintain and repair the heater in the event of a failure, compared with the structure in which the heater is housed inside the heater case. In addition, when the plate-shaped ceramic heater is applied to the heater, a highly efficient defrosting device can be realized at a lower cost.

In the above-described defrosting apparatus, when the outer fin is formed on the outer surface of the heater case, the outer surface area of the heater case is increased, and the heat exchange efficiency between the surrounding low temperature air and the heater case can be improved.

In addition, in the above-described defrosting apparatus, when the inner fin is formed in the heater case, the contact area with the working fluid filled in the heater case is increased, and the amount of heat transferred from the heater to the working fluid can be increased. In addition, the total volume of the heater case increases, so that the heat capacity to receive heat from the heater case increases, thereby allowing more heat to be generated in the heater. As a result, defrost performance can be improved.

In the case where the external fin and / or the internal fin are formed as described above, a considerable amount of heat generated by the heater is transmitted to the heater case in front of the heater, so that the overheat of the heater can be prevented and the temperature of the rear surface of the heater is lowered. The life span can be improved.

In the defrosting apparatus, the heater is attached to the bottom surface of the heater case, the first and second extension pins extend from the bottom surface to the both sides of the heater case, respectively, and the back surface of the heater and the first and second extension pins The sealing structure of the heater can be realized by a structure in which the sealing member is filled in the recessed space formed by the sealing member.

In addition, the return portion connected to the inlet of the heating unit may have an inner diameter larger than 5 mm and smaller than 7 mm. In this case, the returned working fluid can flow smoothly into the heater case, and the backflow of the reheated working fluid can be prevented.

Further, in consideration of the rising characteristic of the heated working fluid, the heating fluid is reheated by the heater while preventing the back flow of the reheated working fluid through the connection structure between the heating unit and the heat pipe, It is possible to realize a structure in which the flow of the working liquid discharged therefrom can be smoothly formed.

In the defrosting apparatus in which the heating unit is disposed vertically along the vertical direction of the evaporator, when the low-temperature condensation portion of the heat pipe is disposed by at least two or more rows below the lowest temperature of the cooling pipe of the evaporator, only the high- The defrosting of the lower cooling pipe can be smoothly performed because it is used for defrosting the evaporator.

In this structure, at least a portion of the heating unit may be disposed below the evaporator, and preferably the lower end of the heating unit may be located adjacent to the lowest column horizontal pipe of the heating unit. In this case, the filling amount of the working liquid can be reduced, so that the temperature of the lowest heat horizontal pipe of the heat pipe can be raised to the defrostable level.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
FIGS. 2 and 3 are a front view and a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a defrost apparatus applied to the refrigerator of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the heating unit shown in FIG. 3; FIG.
5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the longitudinal direction of the heating unit shown in Fig.
Fig. 6 is a conceptual view of the heater shown in Fig. 4. Fig.
Figs. 7 to 9 are exploded perspective views showing the modified positions of the outlet and the inlet formed in the heating unit shown in Fig. 4, respectively. Fig.
Figs. 10 and 11 are conceptual diagrams for explaining the circulation of the working fluid before and after the operation of the heater. Fig.
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of another example of the heating unit shown in FIG. 3 taken along the width direction; FIG.
13 and 14 are conceptual diagrams showing examples in which the shape of the external fin is modified in the heating unit shown in Fig.
Figs. 15 and 16 are cross-sectional views taken along the width direction and the length direction of another example of the heating unit shown in Fig. 3;
17 is a sectional view showing an example in which the formation position of the internal fin is modified in the heating unit shown in Fig.
FIG. 18 is a sectional view showing another example of the heating unit shown in FIG. 3; FIG.
19 and 20 are conceptual diagrams for explaining the connection structure of the lead wire according to the position of the heating unit.
Figs. 21A to 21C are graphs showing temperature changes of the heater according to the inner diameter of the return portion shown in Fig. 4 under the freezing condition. Fig.
Fig. 22 conceptually shows the flow of the fluid in the return portion under the condition of Fig. 21c; Fig.
23 is a graph showing the temperature change of each row of the heater case and the heat pipe according to an inclined angle of the inlet side end portion of the heater case with respect to the outlet side end portion.
FIGS. 24 to 26 are longitudinal sectional views showing a modification of the connecting structure between the heating unit and the heat pipe in the heating unit applied to FIGS. 19 to 20. FIG.
27 and 28 are a front view and a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the defrost apparatus applied to the refrigerator of Fig.
FIG. 29 is a conceptual view showing a third embodiment in which the widths between the upper row and the lower row of the heat pipe are different in the defrost apparatus applied to the refrigerator of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 30 and 31 are conceptual diagrams showing a modified example of the defroster shown in FIG. 29; FIG.
32 and 33 are a front view and a perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the defrost apparatus applied to the refrigerator of FIG. 1;
34 and 35 are a front view and a perspective view showing an example in which the forming position of the heating unit is modified in the defrost apparatus shown in Figs. 32 and 33; Fig.

Hereinafter, a defrosting apparatus and a refrigerator having the defrosting apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the present specification, the same or similar reference numerals are assigned to the same or similar components in different embodiments, and redundant explanations thereof will be omitted.

In addition, the structure applied to any one embodiment may be applied to another embodiment as long as the different embodiments are not structurally and functionally inconsistent.

The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the following description of the embodiments of the present invention, a detailed description of related arts will be omitted when it is determined that the gist of the embodiments disclosed herein may be obscured.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. It should be understood that it includes water and alternatives.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The refrigerator (100) is a device for keeping food stored in the refrigerator at a low temperature by using cold air generated by a refrigeration cycle in which a process of compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation is continuously performed.

As shown in the figure, the refrigerator body 110 has a storage space for storing food therein. The storage space may be separated by the partition wall 111 and may be divided into a refrigerating chamber 112 and a freezing chamber 113 according to a set temperature.

In this embodiment, a top mount type refrigerator in which the freezing chamber 113 is disposed on the refrigerating chamber 112 is shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention is also applicable to a bottom freezer type refrigerator having a side-by-side type refrigerator in which a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber are disposed in the left and right direction, a refrigerating chamber in an upper portion thereof and a freezing chamber in a lower portion thereof .

A door is connected to the refrigerator body 110 to open and close the front opening of the refrigerator body 110. In this figure, the refrigerating chamber door 114 and the freezing chamber door 115 are configured to open and close the refrigerating chamber 112 and the freezing chamber 113, respectively. The door may be variously constructed of a rotatable door rotatably connected to the refrigerator body 110, a drawer-type door slidably connected to the refrigerator body 110, and the like.

The refrigerator body 110 is provided with at least one storage unit 180 (for example, a shelf 181, a tray 182, a basket 183, etc.) for efficiently utilizing the internal storage space. For example, the shelf 181 and the tray 182 may be installed inside the refrigerator body 110, and the basket 183 may be installed inside the door 114 connected to the refrigerator body 110.

On the other hand, a cooling chamber 116 provided with an evaporator 130 and a blowing fan 140 is provided on the rear side of the freezing chamber 113. The partition wall 111 is formed with a refrigerating chamber returning duct 111a and a freezing chamber returning duct 111b through which the air of the refrigerating chamber 112 and the freezing chamber 113 can be sucked and returned to the cooling chamber 116 side. A cool air duct 150 having a plurality of cool air discharge openings 150a communicating with the freezing chamber 113 and having a plurality of cool air discharge openings 150a is provided on the rear side of the refrigerating chamber 112. [

A machine room 117 is provided on the lower side of the backside of the refrigerator body 110 and a compressor 160 and a condenser (not shown) are provided in the machine room 117.

The air in the refrigerating compartment 112 and the freezing compartment 113 is supplied to the cooling chamber 116 through the refrigerating chamber return duct 111a and the freezing compartment return duct 111b of the partition 111 by the blowing fan 140 of the cooling chamber 116 The refrigerant is sucked into the evaporator 130 and exchanges heat with the evaporator 130 and is repeatedly discharged through the cold air outlet 150a of the refrigerant duct 150 to the refrigerating chamber 112 and the freezing chamber 113. [ At this time, the surface of the evaporator 130 is concealed by the temperature difference between the refrigerant return duct 111a and the circulating air flowing back through the freezer return duct 111b.

The evaporator 130 is provided with a defrosting device 170 and the water removed by the defrosting device 170 is discharged to the lower portion of the refrigerator body 110 through the defrost water discharge pipe 118. [ (Not shown).

Hereinafter, a new type of defrost apparatus 170 capable of reducing power consumption during defrosting and increasing heat exchange efficiency will be described.

2 and 3 are a front view and a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the defrost apparatus 170 applied to the refrigerator 100 of FIG.

2 and 3, the evaporator 130 includes a cooling pipe 131, a plurality of cooling fins 132, and supports 133 on both sides.

The cooling pipe 131 is repeatedly bent in a zigzag fashion to form multiple rows, and the inside thereof is filled with refrigerant. The cooling pipe 131 may be made of aluminum.

The cooling pipe 131 may be composed of a combination of a horizontal pipe portion and a bending pipe portion. The horizontal piping portions are arranged horizontally and horizontally to form heat, and the horizontal piping portions of the respective rows pass through the cooling fin 132. [ The bending piping portion is configured to connect the ends of the upper horizontal piping portion and the lower horizontal piping portion to each other to communicate with each other.

The cooling pipe 131 is supported through the support member 133 provided on both sides of the evaporator 130. At this time, the bending piping portion of the cooling pipe 131 is configured to connect the end portion of the upper horizontal pipe portion and the end portion of the lower horizontal pipe portion from the outside of the support base 133.

3, the first cooling pipe 131 'and the second cooling pipe 131', which are respectively formed on the front and rear sides of the evaporator 130 so that the cooling pipes 131 form two rows, The first cooling pipe 131 'at the front and the second cooling pipe 131' 'at the rear are formed in the same shape, and the second cooling pipe 131 " Is covered by the first cooling pipe 131 '.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The first cooling pipe 131 'on the front side and the second cooling pipe 131' 'on the rear side may be formed in different shapes. On the other hand, the cooling pipe 131 may be formed to form a single row .

A plurality of cooling fins 132 are disposed in the cooling pipe 131 at predetermined intervals along the extending direction of the cooling pipe 131. The cooling fin 132 may be formed of a flat plate made of an aluminum material and the cooling pipe 131 may be expanded in a state of being inserted into the insertion hole of the cooling fin 132 and firmly fitted into the insertion hole.

The plurality of supports 133 are provided on both sides of the evaporator 130, and each of them is configured to support the cooling pipe 131 extending vertically along the vertical direction. The support base 133 is formed with an insertion groove or an insertion hole into which a heat pipe 172 to be described later can be fitted and fixed.

The defrosting device 170 is installed in the evaporator 130 to remove the property of the evaporator 130. The defrosting device 170 includes a heating unit 171 and a heat pipe 172 (heat transfer pipe).

The heating unit 171 is provided at a lower portion of the evaporator 130, and is formed to generate heat when it is electrically connected to a control unit (not shown) and receives a driving signal from the control unit. For example, when the control unit applies a driving signal to the heating unit 171 every predetermined time interval, or when the temperature of the detected cooling chamber 116 becomes lower than a preset temperature, the control unit outputs a driving signal to the heating unit 171 . ≪ / RTI >

The heat pipe 172 is connected to the heating unit 171 to form a closed loop type flow path through which the working fluid F can circulate together with the heating unit 171. [ The heat pipe 172 may be formed of an aluminum material.

The heat pipe 172 may be composed of a first heat pipe 172 'and a second heat pipe 172' arranged in two rows on the front and rear portions of the evaporator 130. In this example, The first heat pipe 172 'is disposed in front of the first cooling pipe 131' and the second heat pipe 172 '' is disposed in the rear of the second cooling pipe 131 ' .

As the working fluid F, a refrigerant (for example, R-134a, R-600a, etc.) that exists in a liquid state under the freezing condition of the refrigerator 100 and that is phase- ) May be used.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the heating unit 171 shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the longitudinal direction of the heating unit 171 shown in FIG. 4, And is a conceptual view of the heater 171b shown.

Referring to the drawings, the heating unit 171 includes a heater case 171a and a heater 171b.

The heater case 171a has a hollow shape and is connected to both ends of the heat pipe 172 to form a closed loop type flow path in which the working fluid F can circulate together with the heat pipe 172 . The heater case 171a may have a quadrangular prism shape and may be made of aluminum.

The heater case 171a may be disposed on one side of the evaporator 130 where the accumulator 134 is located, on the opposite side thereof, or on any side between the one side and the other side.

The heater case 171a may be disposed adjacent to the lowest row of the cooling pipe 131. [ For example, the heater case 171a may be disposed at the same height as the lowest row of the cooling tube 131, or may be disposed at a position lower than the lowest row of the cooling tube 131. [

The heater case 171a is disposed at a position lower than the lowermost column of the cooling pipe 131 at one side of the evaporator 130 where the accumulator 134 is located and in parallel with the cooling pipe 131 As shown in Fig.

Outlets 171c 'and 171c' 'and inlets 171d' and 171d ', respectively, which are respectively connected to both ends of the heat pipe 172 are formed on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the heater case 171a.

Concretely, outlets 171c 'and 171c ", which communicate with one end of the heat pipe 172, are formed at one side of the heater case 171a (for example, the outer peripheral side adjacent to the front end of the heater case 171a) . The outlets 171c 'and 171c "refer to the openings through which the heating working fluid F is discharged to the heat pipe 172 by the heater 171b.

An inlet 171d ', 171d "communicating with the other end of the heat pipe 172 is formed on the other side of the heater case 171a (for example, the outer peripheral surface adjacent to the rear end of the heater case 171a) 171d 'and 171d' 'refer to openings through which the condensed working fluid F passes through the heat pipe 172 to the heater case 171a.

The heater 171b is attached to the outer surface of the heater case 171a and is configured to generate heat when receiving a drive signal from the control unit. The working fluid F in the heater case 171a is heated to a high temperature by receiving heat by the heater 171b which generates heat.

The heater 171b extends along one direction and is attached to the outer surface of the heater case 171a and extends in the longitudinal direction of the heater case 171a. As the heater 171b, a plate-shaped heater (for example, a plate-shaped ceramic heater) having a plate shape is used.

In this embodiment, it is shown that the heater case 171a is formed in the shape of a square pipe in which the empty space inside has a rectangular cross-sectional shape, and a plate-shaped heater 171b is attached to the bottom surface of the heater case 171a. The structure in which the heater 171b is attached to the bottom surface of the heater case 171a is advantageous in that the upward driving force is generated in the heated working fluid F and the defrost water generated by the defrosting is supplied to the heater 171b so that a shot can be prevented.

The heater 171b is formed with a heat ray 171b2 (see FIG. 6), and is configured to generate heat when power is supplied. 5, the heater case 171a has an active heating part (AHP) corresponding to a part where the heat ray 171b2 is disposed and a manual heat generation part corresponding to a part where the heat ray 171b2 is not arranged (PHP: Passive Heating Part). The active heat generating unit (AHP) and the passive heat generating unit (PHP) will be described later.

The heat pipe 172 and the heater case 171a may be made of the same material (for example, aluminum). In this case, the heat pipe 172 is connected to the outlets 171c 'and 171c' 'of the heater case 171a. And the inlets 171d ', 171d ".

For the sake of welding and sealing between the heater 171b and the heater case 171a when the heater 171b is configured as a cartridge type and mounted inside the heater case 171a, The heater case 171a is used.

When the heat pipe 172 and the heater case 171a are formed of different materials (as in the above case, the heat pipe 172 is made of aluminum material and the heater case 171a is made of copper material , It is difficult to directly connect the heat pipe 172 to the outlets 171c 'and 171c' 'of the heater case 171a and the inlets 171d' and 171d ''. Therefore, for connection between them, an outlet pipe is extended to the outlets 171c 'and 171c' 'of the heater case 171a and a return pipe is extended to the inlets 171d' and 171d ' ) Is connected to the outlet pipe and the return pipe, and a welding and sealing process is required in this process.

In the structure in which the heater 171b is attached to the outer surface of the heater case 171a as in the present invention, the heater case 171a may be formed of a material similar to that of the heat pipe 172, Can be directly connected to the outlets 171c 'and 171c' 'of the heater case 171a and the inlets 171d' and 171d ''.

On the other hand, as the working fluid F filled in the heater case 171a is heated to a high temperature by the heater 171b, the working fluid F flows due to the pressure difference to move the heat pipe 172 do. Specifically, the high-temperature working fluid F heated by the heater 171b and discharged to the outlets 171c 'and 171c "flows through the heat pipe 172 to the cooling pipe 131 of the evaporator 130 The working fluid F is gradually cooled and flows into the inlets 171d 'and 171d' through such a heat exchange process. The cooled working fluid F is reheated by the heater 171b and then discharged again to the outlets 171c 'and 171c' 'to repeat the above process. By this circulation system, .

2 and 3, at least a part of the heat pipe 172 is disposed adjacent to the cooling pipe 131 of the evaporator 130 and is heated by the heating unit 171 to be heated F to transfer the heat to the cooling pipe 131 of the evaporator 130 to remove the sludge.

The heat pipe 172 may have a repetitive bent shape (zigzag shape) such as the cooling pipe 131. To this end, the heat pipe 172 includes an extension portion 172a and a heat dissipation portion 172b.

The extension portion 172a forms a flow path for transferring the working fluid F heated by the heating unit 171 to the upper side of the evaporator 130. [ The extended portion 172a is connected to the outlet 171c 'and 171c' of the heater case 171a provided below the evaporator 130 and the heat radiating portion 172b provided on the upper portion of the evaporator 130. [

The extension 172a includes a vertical extension extending upwardly of the evaporator 130. [ The vertical extension portion extends to the upper portion of the evaporator 130 while being spaced apart from the supporter 133 on the outer side of the supporter 133 provided at one side of the evaporator 130.

Meanwhile, the extending portion 172a may further include a horizontal extending portion according to a mounting position of the heating unit 171. [ For example, when the heating unit 171 is provided at a position spaced apart from the vertical extension (see FIG. 20), a horizontal extension for connecting the heating unit 171 and the vertical extension may be additionally provided.

When the horizontally extending portion is connected to the heating unit 171, the hot working fluid F flows through the lower portion of the evaporator 130, so that defrosting of the lower cooling pipe 131 of the evaporator 130 There is an advantage that it can be done smoothly.

The heat dissipating unit 172b is connected to the extension 172a extending to the upper portion of the evaporator 130 and extends in a zigzag shape along the cooling pipe 131 of the evaporator 130. [ The heat radiating portion 172b is composed of a combination of a plurality of horizontal piping 172b 'forming heat and a connection pipe 172b "formed in a U-shaped pipe bending to connect them in a zigzag form.

The extension portion 172a or the heat dissipation portion 172b may extend to a position adjacent to the accumulator 134 in order to remove the property imposed on the accumulator 134. [

As shown in the figure, when the vertical extension part is disposed on one side of the evaporator 130 where the accumulator 134 is located, the vertical extension part extends upward to a position adjacent to the accumulator 134, And may be connected to the heat radiating portion 172b.

On the other hand, when the vertical extension is disposed on the other side opposite to the one side (see FIG. 32), the heat dissipating portion 172b is horizontally connected to the vertical extension portion and then extends upward toward the accumulator 134 May be extended downward to correspond to the cooling pipe 131 again.

In the heat pipe 172, the portions connected to the outlets 171c 'and 171c' 'of the heater case 171a constitute inflow portions 172c' and 172c '' into which the hot working fluid F flows, Portions connected to the inlets 171d 'and 171d' 'of the case 171a constitute return portions 172d' and 172d '' from which the cooled working fluid F is recovered.

In this embodiment, the working fluid F heated by the heater 171b is discharged to the inflow portions 172c 'and 172c' ', is transferred to the upper portion of the evaporator 130 through the extended portion 172a, 172d ", and then reheated by the heater 171b to be reheated to the heat pipe 172 (172b, 172c) To form a circulating loop.

In the structure in which the heat pipe 172 is composed of the first and second heat pipes 172 'and 172' ', the first and second heat pipes 172' and 172 ' ', 171d' 'and the outlets 171c' and 171c '', respectively.

Specifically, the outlets 171c 'and 171c' 'of the heating unit 171 are composed of a first outlet 171c' and a second outlet 171c '', and the first and second heat pipes 172 'and 172' ) Are connected to the first and second outlets 171c 'and 171c' ', respectively. With this connection structure, the gaseous working fluid F heated by the heating unit 171 flows through the first and second outlets 171c 'and 171c' 'to the first and second heat pipes 172' 172 ").

The first and second outlets 171c 'and 171c' 'may be formed on both sides of the outer circumference of the heater case 171a or may be formed in parallel to the front end of the heater case 171a.

One end of each of the first and second heat pipes 172 'and 172' ', which are connected to the first and second outlets 171c' and 171c '', respectively, is functionally equivalent to the high temperature working fluid heated by the heater 171b F) can be understood as first and second inflow portions 172c ', 172c ".

The inlet 171d 'and 171d "of the heating unit 171 are constituted by a first inlet 171d' and a second inlet 171d", and the first and second heat pipes 172 ', 172 " And the other ends thereof are respectively connected to the first and second inlets 171d 'and 171d' '. By the above-described connection structure, the working liquid F in a liquid state that is cooled while moving the respective heat pipes 172 flows into the inside of the heater case 171a through the first and second inlets 171d 'and 171d " ≪ / RTI >

The first and second inlets 171d 'and 171d' 'may be formed on both sides of the outer circumference of the heater case 171a or may be formed in parallel to the rear end of the heater case 171a.

The other end of the first and second heat pipes 172 'and 172' ', respectively, connected to the first and second inlets 171d' and 171d ' Can be understood as first and second return portions 172d 'and 172d "in which the liquid working fluid (F) is recovered.

4 and 5, the outlets 171c 'and 171c' 'of the heater case 171a may be formed at positions spaced apart from the front end of the heater case 171a by a predetermined distance. , And the front end portion of the heater case 171a may be understood to be formed protruding forward through the outlets 171c 'and 171c' '.

The heat ray 171b2 of the heater 171b may extend from one point between the inlets 171d 'and 171d' and the outlets 171c 'and 171c' to a position past the outlets 171c 'and 171c' '. Accordingly, the outlets 171c 'and 171c' 'of the heater case 171a are located in the active heat generating portion AHP.

A part of the working fluid F stays in the front end portion of the heater case 171a (a space between the inner front end of the heater case 171a and the outlets 171c 'and 171c "), Thereby preventing overheating.

Specifically, the working fluid F heated by the active heating unit AHP is moved toward the circulating direction of the working fluid F, that is, toward the front end of the heater case 171a. In this process, Some are discharged to the branched outlets 171c 'and 171c' ', while the remainder pass through the outlets 171c' and 171c '' and remain in the front end portion of the heater case 171a to form a vortex.

Not all of the heated working fluid F is directly discharged to the outlets 171c 'and 171c' ', but a part of the heated working fluid F is not discharged directly to the outlets 171c' and 171c '' and stays in the heater case 171a , The overheat of the heater 171b can be further prevented.

Meanwhile, the heat pipe 172 may be configured to be received between the plurality of cooling fins 132 fixed to each row of the cooling pipe 131. According to the above structure, the heat pipes 172 are disposed between the respective rows of the cooling pipes 131. At this time, the heat pipe 172 may be configured to contact the cooling fin 132.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto. In one example, the heat pipe 172 may be installed to penetrate the plurality of cooling fins 132. That is, the heat pipe 172 is expanded in a state of being inserted into the insertion hole of the cooling fin 132 and can be firmly fitted into the insertion hole. According to the above structure, the heat pipe 172 is disposed correspondingly to the cooling pipe 131.

As described above, the heater 171b applied to the heating unit 171 of the present invention may be formed in a plate-like shape, and typically, a plate-shaped ceramic heater 171b may be used.

6, the heater 171b may include a base plate 171b1, a heat ray 171b2, and a terminal 171b3.

The base plate 171b1 is formed of a ceramic material and is formed in a plate shape elongated along one direction. The base plate 171b1 is attached to the outer surface of the heater case 171a and disposed along the longitudinal direction of the heater case 171a.

A heat ray 171b2 is formed on the base plate 171b1, and the heat ray 171b2 is configured to generate heat when power is applied. 171d "of the heater case 171a and the outlets 171c ', 171c" in a state where the base plate 171b1 is attached to the outer surface of the heater case 171a, And extends from one point toward the outlets 171c ', 171c ".

The heat ray 171b2 may be formed by patterning a resistor (for example, a powder of ruthenium and platinum combined with tungsten) in a specific pattern on the base plate 171b1. The heat line 171b2 may extend along the longitudinal direction of the base plate 171b1.

A terminal 171b3 configured to electrically connect the hot wire 171b2 and the power source is provided at one side of the base plate 171b1 and a lead wire 173 electrically connected to the power source is connected to the terminal 171b3.

The heater case 171a is divided into an active heat generating portion AHP corresponding to a portion where the heat ray 171b2 is disposed and a passive heat generating portion PHP corresponding to a portion where the heat ray 171b2 is not arranged.

The active heat generating portion AHP is a portion directly heated by the heat ray 171b2, and the liquid working fluid F is heated in the active heat generating portion AHP and is phase-changed into a high temperature gaseous state.

The outlets 171c 'and 171c' of the heater case 171a may be located in the active heat generating portion AHP or in front of the active heat generating portion AHP. In FIG. 5, 171b2 are formed to extend forward beyond the outlets 171c ', 171c "formed on the outer periphery of the heater case 171a. That is, in this embodiment, the outlets 171c 'and 171c' 'of the heater case 171a are located in the active heat generating portion AHP.

A passive heating part (PHP) is formed behind the active heating part (AHP). The passive heat generating part PHP is not directly heated by the heat ray 171b2 like the active heat generating part AHP, but indirectly receives heat and is heated to a certain temperature level. Here, the passive heat generating portion PHP can cause a predetermined temperature rise in the liquid-state working fluid F, but does not have a high enough temperature to phase-change the working fluid F into a gaseous state. That is, from the viewpoint of temperature, the active heat generating portion AHP forms a relatively high temperature portion, and the passive heat generating portion PHP forms a relatively low temperature portion.

If the working fluid F is configured to return directly to the high-temperature active heat generating portion AHP side, there is a case where the recovered working fluid F is heated again and is not smoothly returned to the heater case 171a but flows backward Lt; / RTI > This interferes with the circulating flow of the working fluid F in the heat pipe 172, which may cause a problem that the heater 171b is overheated.

The inlet 171d ', 171d "of the heating unit 171 is formed in the passive heating portion PHP so that the returned working fluid F after moving the heat pipe 172 is active (AHP). ≪ / RTI >

In this embodiment, the inlet 171d ', 171d "of the heating unit 171 is located in the passive heat generating portion PHP, and after the heat pipe 172 is moved, The entrance 171d ', 171d "of the heating unit 171 is formed in a portion of the heater case 171a where the heat ray 171b2 is unseated.

As described above, the passive heating portion PHP is related to the formation position of the heat ray 171b2. Accordingly, the base plate 171b1 of the heater 171b can be positioned at a portion corresponding to the inlets 171d 'and 171d "unless the heat line 171b2 is extended to the inlets 171d' and 171d" of the heating unit 171. [ Can also be extended. That is, the base plate 171b1 is disposed so as to cover most of the bottom surface of the heater case 171a, and the heat ray 171b2 is formed at positions deviating from the inlets 171d 'and 171d' It is possible to prevent the returned working fluid F from flowing backward.

Hereinafter, the detailed structure of the heater case 171a and the coupling structure between the heater case 171a and the heater 171b will be described in more detail.

The heater case 171a includes a main case 171a1 and a first cover 171a2 and a second cover 171a3 which are respectively coupled to both sides of the main case 171a1.

The main case 171a1 has a hollow space therein and has both ends opened. The main case 171a1 may be made of aluminum. 4 shows a main case 171a1 in the form of a quadrangular prism having a hollow space in the form of a rectangular cross section and elongated along one direction.

The first and second covers 171a2 and 171a3 are mounted on both sides of the main case 171a1 so as to cover both opened ends of the main case 171a1. The first and second covers 171a2 and 171a3 may be made of the same aluminum material as the main case 171a1.

In this embodiment, the outlets 171c 'and 171c' and the outlets 171d 'and 171d' are provided at positions spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction of the main case 171a1, And the inlet 171d ', 171d "connected to the both ends of the heat pipe 172 (the outlets 171c', 171c") and the inlets 171d ', 171d " (172d ', 172d ")) are connected to each other.

More specifically, a first outlet 171c 'and a first inlet 171d' are formed on one side of the main case 171a1 at positions spaced from each other along the longitudinal direction, and on the other side facing the one side, 2 outlet 171c "and the second inlet 171d" are formed at mutually spaced positions along the longitudinal direction. Here, the first outlet 171c 'and the second outlet 171c' may be disposed to face each other, and the first inlet 171d 'and the second inlet 171d' may be disposed to face each other.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto. At least one of the inlets 171d ', 171d "and the outlets 171c', 171c" may be formed in the first and / or second covers 171a2, 171a3. The structure related to this will be described in detail later.

On the other hand, since the heating unit 171 is provided in the lower portion of the evaporator 130, the defrost water generated due to the defrosting can flow down to the heating unit 171. Since the heater 171b included in the heating unit 171 is an electronic component, a short circuit may occur when the tap water contacts with the heater 171b. The heating unit 171 of the present invention may have the following sealing structure in order to prevent the moisture including the defrost water from penetrating into the heater 171b.

A heater 171b is attached to the bottom of the main case 171a1 and first and second extension pins 171a1a and 171a1b extend from the bottom to the bottom of the main case 171a1, And covers the side surface of the heater 171b. With this structure, even if the defrost water generated by the defrosting falls into the main case 171a1 and flows down on the outer surface of the main case 171a1, the heater housed inside the first and second extension pins 171a1a and 171a1b (171b).

The sealing member 171e covers the heater 171b in the recessed space R formed by the back surface of the heater 171b and the first and second extension pins 171a1a and 171a1b. Can be filled. As the sealing member 171e, silicone, urethane, epoxy, or the like may be used. For example, a liquid epoxy may be filled in the recessed space R so as to cover the heater 171b, and then a curing process may be performed to complete the sealing structure of the heater 171b. At this time, the first and second extension pins 171a1a and 171a1b function as side walls defining the recessed space R in which the sealing member 171e is filled.

An insulating material 171f may be interposed between the back surface of the heater 171b and the sealing member 171e. As the insulating material 171f, a mica sheet made of mica may be used. The heat transfer to the backside of the heater 171b can be restricted when the heating wire 171b2 generates heat when the power source is applied by disposing the insulating material 171f on the back surface of the heater 171b.

In addition, a thermally conductive adhesive 171g may be interposed between the main case 171a1 and the heater 171b. The thermally conductive adhesive 171g serves to transfer the heat generated from the heater 171b to the main case 171a1 while attaching the heater 171b to the main case 171a1. As the thermally conductive adhesive 171g, heat-resistant silicone which can withstand high temperatures can be used.

At least one of the first and second covers 171a2 and 171a3 extends downward from the bottom surface of the main case 171a1 so that the first and second covers 171a1 and 171a1b and the heater 171b. According to this structure, the filling of the sealing member 171e can be made easier.

However, considering the structure in which the lead wire 173 connected to the terminal 171b3 of the heater 171b extends outward from one side of the heater case 171a, the first and second covers 171a2 and 171a3 The cover corresponding to one side of the heater case 171a may not have a downward extension or may have a groove or a hole through which the lead wire 173 can pass even if the cover is extended downward.

 In this embodiment, the second cover 171a3 extends downward from the bottom surface of the main case 171a1, and the lead wire 173 extends toward the first cover 171a2.

Figs. 7 to 9 are exploded perspective views showing examples in which the positions of the outlets 171c 'and 171c " and the inlets 171d' and 171d "in the heating unit 171 shown in Fig. 4 are deformed. This modified example differs from the previous embodiment only in the formation positions of the outlets 171c 'and 171c' 'and / or the inlets 171d' and 171d 'of the heating unit 171, Exemplary configurations can be applied equally.

7, the inlet and the outlet of the heating unit 271 may be formed in the first and second covers 271a2 and 271a3, respectively. Specifically, the first cover 271a2 is formed with first and second outlets of the heating unit 271, and first and second inflow parts 272c 'and 272c "connected to the first and second outlets, respectively, The first and second openings of the heating unit 271 are formed in the second cover 271a3 so that the first and second openings of the first and second openings, The return portions 272d 'and 272d "may be arranged side by side.

As such, the outlet and the inlet of the heating unit 271 may be formed on both sides of the main case 271a1, and may be formed on the first and second covers 271a2 and 271a3. In addition, a combination of the above structures is also possible.

8, an outlet of the heating unit 371 may be formed in the main case 371a1, and an inlet of the heating unit 371 may be formed in the second cover 371a3. Specifically, on both sides of the main case 371a1, the first and second outlets of the heating unit 371 may be formed to face each other. The first and second openings of the heating unit 371 are formed in the second cover 371a3 so that the first and second return parts 372d 'and 372d ", which are connected to the first and second inlets, respectively, Can be arranged side by side.

9, an outlet of the heating unit 471 may be formed in the first cover 471a2, and an inlet of the heating unit 471 may be formed in the main case 471a1. Specifically, the first and second outlets of the heating unit 471 are formed in the second cover 471a3, and first and second inlets 472c 'and 472c "which are connected to the first and second outlets, respectively, The first and second inlets of the heating unit 471 may be formed on both sides of the main case 471a1 so as to face each other.

Figs. 10 and 11 are conceptual diagrams for explaining the circulation of the working fluid F in the pre-operation and post-operation states of the heater 171b.

10, before the operation of the heater 171b, the working fluid F is put in a liquid state, and is heated up to a predetermined row of the upper portion based on the lower lowest heat of the heat pipe 172. [ For example, in this state, the working fluid F may be filled up to the lower two rows of the heat pipes 172.

When the heater 171b operates, the working fluid F in the heater case 171a is heated by the heater 171b. 11, the working fluid F heated to the high temperature gaseous state F1 flows into the inlet portions 172c 'and 172c' 'of the heat pipe 172 and flows through the heat pipe 172, The working fluid F flows into the state F2 in which the liquid and the gas coexist while the heat is lost in the heat dissipation process and finally flows into the state F2 of the heat pipe 172 in the liquid state F3, And then flows into the heating unit 171 through the return units 172d 'and 172d' '. The operating fluid F flowing into the heating unit 171 is reheated by the heater 171b to repeat the flow as described above. In this process, heat is transferred to the evaporator 130, 130 are removed.

Since the working fluid F flows due to the pressure difference generated by the heating unit 171 and circulates the heat pipe 172 quickly, the entire area of the heat pipe 172 reaches a stable operating temperature within a short time So that defrosting can be done quickly.

On the other hand, the working fluid F flowing into the inlet portions 172c 'and 172c "has the highest temperature in the circulation process of the heat pipe 172 in the high temperature gas state F1. By using convection of heat by the working fluid F placed on the evaporator F1, it is possible to more effectively remove the property imposed on the evaporator 130. [

For example, the inflow portions 172c 'and 172c' 'may be disposed at positions relatively lower than the lowest row or the lowest row of the cooling tubes 131 provided in the evaporator 130. According to this, 172c 'and 172c' 'of the cooling tubes 131 and 132 are not only transmitted heat near the lowest heat of the cooling tubes 131 but also increased in the cooling tubes 131 adjacent to the lowest heat, Lt; / RTI >

On the other hand, in order for the working fluid F to make such a phase change and circulate through the heat pipe 172, the working fluid F must be filled in the heat pipe 172 in a proper amount.

As a result of the experiment, when the working fluid F is filled with less than 30% of the total internal volume of the heat pipe 172 and the heater case 171a, the temperature of the heating unit 171 increases sharply over time . This means that the working fluid F is insufficient relative to the total internal volume of the heat pipe 172 and the heater case 171a.

When the working fluid F is filled in excess of 40% of the total internal volume of the heat pipe 172 and the heater case 171a, the temperature of a part of the heat pipe 172 is lower than a stable operating temperature (Freezing condition)] could not be reached. This temperature drop becomes noticeable as the heat pipe 172 approaches the return portions 172d 'and 172d'. This is because the operating fluid F is excessively larger than the total volume of the heat pipe 172 and the heater case 171a It means that the interval in which the working fluid F flows into the liquid state is increased.

The temperature of the heating unit 171 and the temperature of each column of the heat pipe 172 are set to be equal to or more than 30% and not more than 40% of the total internal volume of the heat pipe 172 and the heater case 171a, Can reach a stable operating temperature over time.

At this time, the temperature of each row of the heat pipe 172 shows a higher temperature as the closer to the inlet portions 172c 'and 172c ", and the lower the temperature as closer to the return portions 172d' and 172d" . As the amount of the filled working fluid F decreases, the difference between the temperature (maximum temperature) at the inlet portions 172c 'and 172c' 'and the temperature (lowest temperature) at the return portions 172d' and 172d ' .

Therefore, the working fluid F is filled in the amount of 30% or more and 40% or less of the total internal volume of the heat pipe 172 and the heater case 171a. However, depending on the heat transfer structure and stability of the defroster 170, The filling amount of the working fluid F optimized for each device 170 can be selected.

On the other hand, the structure in which the heater 171b is attached to the outer surface of the heater case 171a improves the heat transfer performance of the heater 171b with respect to the heater case 171a and prevents the overheat of the heater 171b . In the following, the heating unit 171 considering such matters will be described.

12 is a cross-sectional view of another example 571 of the heating unit 171 shown in FIG. 3 taken along the width direction.

Referring to FIG. 12, external fins 571a1c for heat radiation of the heater case protrude from the outer surface of the heater case. The outer fins 571a1c may be integrally formed with the heater case (for example, extrusion molding of aluminum) or may be attached to the heater case by welding, adhesive, or the like as a separate constitution, which is protruded when the heater case is manufactured.

When the outer fins 571a1c are formed on the outer surface of the heater case, the outer surface area of the heater case is increased compared to the structure in which the outer fins 571a1c are not formed. As a result, heat exchange efficiency between the surrounding low temperature air and the heater case can be improved.

A relatively large amount of heat generated in the heater 571b is transmitted to the heater case (in the upper direction in the figure) in front of the heater 571b (relatively, the heat transfer to the rear of the heater 571b is reduced) The overheating of the heat sink 571b can be prevented. Further, the temperature of the rear surface of the heater 571b is lowered, and the reliability and life of the heater 571b can be improved. In addition, heat transfer to the sealing member 571e provided at the rear of the heater 571b is reduced, so that melting of the sealing member 571e can be prevented.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the external pin 571a1c will be described in more detail.

As shown in the figure, the external pin 571a1c may be formed on the upper surface of the main case 571a1. The plurality of external pins 571a1c may be formed extending in the longitudinal direction or the width direction of the main case 571a1 with a predetermined spacing therebetween. In this embodiment, the outer fins 571a1c extend along the longitudinal direction of the main case 571a1.

The spacing distance between the plurality of outer fins 571a1c may be equal to the width of the outer fins 571a1c or wider than the width of the outer fins 571a1c. When the spacing distance between the plurality of outer fins 571a1c is narrower than that of the outer fins 571a1c, the heat dissipation effect by the outer fins 571a1c is not so large as compared with the structure in which the outer fins 571a1c are not formed.

In the structure in which the heater 571b is attached to the bottom surface of the main case 571a1, a considerable amount of heat generated in the heater 571b by the external pin 571a1c formed in the upper portion of the main case 571a1, To the main case 571a1 of the main body 571b. By this heat transfer, not only the overheating of the heater 571b can be prevented, but also more heat can be transferred to the working fluid F in the main case 571a1 in the heat transfer process. That is, the heat transfer efficiency can be improved.

On the other hand, when all of the working fluid F is in a liquid state, the working fluid F is configured to be completely filled in the inner empty space of the main case 571a1 so that as much heat as possible can be transmitted to the working fluid F . This is because, as described above, if the heater case is provided under the evaporator 130 and the working fluid F is filled in a ratio of 30% to 40% of the total internal volume of the heat pipe and the heater case, have.

13 and 14 are conceptual diagrams showing examples in which the shape of the external pin 571a1c is modified in the heating unit 571 shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 13, the external pin 671a1c may be formed not only on the upper surface of the main case 671a1 but also on the other external surface.

For example, the outer pins 671a1d may be formed on both outer surfaces of the main case 671a1. However, if the outlets 671c 'and 671c' and the inlets 671d 'and 671d' of the heating unit 671 are formed on both sides of the main case 671a1, the outer pin 571a1d is connected to the outlet 671c ' , 671c ", and the inlets 671d 'and 671d ", respectively.

In another example, the outer pin 671a1e may protrude from the outer surface of at least one of the first and second covers 671a2 and 671a3. However, if one of the outlets 671c 'and 671c' 'of the heating unit 671 and the one of the inlets 671d' and 671d 'are formed on the corresponding cover, the outer pin 671a1e is connected to the first and second covers 671a2 671c "and the inlets 671d 'and 671d" in the outer surface of at least one of the uncovered covers.

Next, the outer pin 771a1c may protrude from the outer surface of the heater case 771a in the form of a projection.

For example, as shown in FIG. 14, a plurality of external pins 771a1c may be provided and spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the main case 771a1. Accordingly, the plurality of external pins 771a1c are arranged to form a matrix.

As another example, a plurality of external pins 771a1c may be provided and may have a shape protruding arbitrarily on the outer surface of the main case 771a1.

According to the above structures, the outer surface area of the heater case by the outer fin can be further increased. As a result, the heat exchange efficiency between the surrounding low-temperature air and the heater case can be further improved, and the reliability and lifetime of the heater can be further improved by preventing overheating of the heater.

On the other hand, the above-described first and second extension pins are also formed as protrusions from the heater case. Therefore, the above effects can be achieved by the first and second extension pins.

Figs. 15 and 16 are cross-sectional views taken along the width direction and the longitudinal direction of another example 871 of the heating unit 171 shown in Fig.

15 and 16, inner fins 871a1f for improving the heat transfer performance of the heater 871b are protruded from the inside of the heater case. The internal fins 871a1f may be formed integrally with the heater case (for example, aluminum extrusion) or protruded at the time of manufacturing the heater case, or may be attached to the heater case by welding, adhesive or the like as a separate constitution.

When the inner pin 871a1f is formed inside the heater case, the contact area between the heater case and the filled working fluid F is increased, and the heat transfer from the heater 871b to the working fluid F The amount can be increased. In addition, the total volume of the heater case increases, so that the heat capacity to receive heat from the heater case increases, thereby allowing more heat to be generated in the heater 871b. As a result, defrost performance can be improved.

A relatively large amount of heat generated in the heater 871b is transmitted to the heater case in the front of the heater 871b (in the upper direction in the drawing) (relatively, the heat transfer to the rear of the heater 871b is reduced) It is possible to prevent overheating of the battery. In addition, the temperature of the rear surface of the heater 871b is lowered, and the reliability and life of the heater 871b can be improved. In addition, heat transfer to the sealing member 871e provided at the rear of the heater 871b is reduced, so that melting of the sealing member 871e can be prevented.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the inner pins 871a1f will be described in more detail.

As shown in the figure, the inner pins 871a1f protrude from the inner surface of the inner surface of the outer surface of the main case 871a1 to which the heater 871b is attached. In this figure, the heater 871b is attached to the outer bottom surface of the main case 871a1, and the inner fin 871a1f protrudes from the inner bottom surface of the main case 871a1.

The inner fins 871a1f are preferably protruded to a length less than 1/2 of the inner height of the main case 871a1. If the inner pins 871a1f protrude to a length exceeding ½ of the inner height of the main case 871a1, the working fluid F is prevented from flowing smoothly.

The plurality of inner fins 871a1f may be formed extending in the longitudinal direction or the width direction of the main case 871a1 with a predetermined spacing therebetween. In this embodiment, the inner fins 871a1f extend along the longitudinal direction of the main case 871a1. When the inner pin 871a1f is formed integrally with the main case 871a1 by extrusion molding of the main case 871a1, the inner pin 871a1f extends along the longitudinal direction of the main case 871a1 Structure.

At this time, it is preferable that the spacing distance between the plurality of inner fins 871a1f is set to be at least one times the width of the inner fins 871a1f. This is because, when the spacing distance between the plurality of inner fins 871a1f is smaller than the width of the inner fins 871a1f, the flow between the plurality of inner fins 871a1f is remarkably reduced. In order to obtain a satisfactory level of the effect of forming the inner pins 871a1f, the spacing between the plurality of inner pins 871a1f is set to be not more than twice the width of the inner pins 871a1f, 871a1 may be provided with many internal pins 871a1f.

From this point of view, it is preferable that the interval between the inner wall of the main case 871a1 and the inner pin 871a1f adjacent to the inner wall is set to be not less than 1 time and not more than twice the width of the inner pin 871a1f.

On the other hand, when all of the working fluid F is in a liquid state, the working fluid F is configured to be completely filled in the inner empty space of the main case 871a1 so that as much heat as possible can be transmitted to the working fluid F . This is because, as described above, if the heater case is provided under the evaporator 130 and the working fluid F is filled in a ratio of 30% to 40% of the total internal volume of the heat pipe and the heater case, have.

Hereinafter, a structure for allowing the operating fluid to flow smoothly from the heater case to the heater case will be described while obtaining the above-described effect of the inner fin to a satisfactory level.

17 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which the forming position of the inner fin 971a1f is deformed in the heating unit 971 shown in Fig.

In the foregoing embodiment, the inner pins 871a1f extend from the one end of the main case 871a1 to the other end along the longitudinal direction of the main case 871a1. An outlet 871c "and an inlet 971d" on the opposite sides of the main case 871a1 are provided along the longitudinal direction of the main case 871a1, respectively, on both sides of the main case 871a1, In the structure formed at a spaced apart position, the inner pins 871a1f are protruded to the height where the inlet 871d "and the outlet 871c" are formed. 16, the inner fins 871a1f are arranged so as to cover a part of the outlet 871c " and the inlet 871d "at a predetermined spacing along the width direction of the main case 871a1 do.

The inner pin 871a1f protrudes from the inner case 871a1f with a length equal to or less than 1/2 of the inner height of the main case 871a1 and extends from the inner wall of the main case 871a1 to the inner pin 871a1f adjacent to the inner wall If the interval is formed to be at least one times the width of the inner fins 871a1f, although the working fluid F does not have a great influence on being discharged through the outlet 871c "and being recovered through the inlet 871d & It is true that it has some influence.

In order to solve this problem, in this modified example, the inner pin 971a1f protruding from the inner bottom surface of the main case 971a1 is provided between the inlet 971d "(the opposite side inlet not shown) and the outlet 971c" . According to the above structure, the inner pin 971a1f does not cover the outlet 971c " and the inlet 971d " of the main case 971a1 along the width direction of the main case 971a1. Therefore, the working fluid F can be smoothly recovered through the inlet 971d ", and the recovered working fluid F can be recovered by the inner fin 971a1f when it is reheated by the heater 971b while flowing forward More heat is received, and the reheated working fluid F can be smoothly discharged through the outlet 971c ".

FIG. 18 is a sectional view showing another example 1071 of the heating unit 171 shown in FIG.

The structure shown in Fig. 18 can be understood as a combination of the structures related to the external pins and the internal fins described above. An outer pin 1071a1c for radiating heat of the main case 1071a1 protrudes from the outer surface of the main case 1071a1 and an inner pin 1071a1c is formed inside the main case 1071a1 for the purpose of improving the heat transfer performance of the heater 1071b. (1071a1f) are protruded.

The structure of this embodiment can be applied to all of the structures of the foregoing embodiments. A duplicate description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, when the heater 171b is driven, the impurities implanted in the evaporator 130 begin to be removed. Specifically, the working fluid F is heated by the heater 171b and flows through the heat pipe 172. In this process, heat is radiated to the cooling pipe 131 of the evaporator 130, The frozen castle or ice is melted. In the case of ice or ice, the water is turned into water, that is, dehydrated water, and falls down to the lower portion of the evaporator 130. In some cases, the dehydrated water may drop in the heating unit 171 provided below the evaporator 130.

Since the heat wire 171b2 and the terminal 171b3 of the heater 171b and the lead wire 173 connected to the terminal 171b3 are constructed to include a conductor, there is a possibility that a short circuit may occur when they contact the defrost water . The structure in which the heater 171b is attached to the bottom surface of the heater case 171a and the structure in which the sealing member 171e covers the heater 171b and the structure in which the heater 171b is disposed on both sides of the heater case 171a, And the second extension pins 171a1a and 171a1b are protruded to receive the heater 171b therein, contact between the heater 171b and the defrost water can be prevented to a certain extent.

However, the lead wire 173 is exposed to the outside of the heater case 171a and has an elongated shape. Due to such a constitutional characteristic, when the defrost water flowing down to the lead wire 173 is cooled after the defrosting and is generated into the frost or ice, the increase in weight accordingly affects the contact with the terminal 171b3, It may flow through the wire 173 and flow from the heater 171b to the power source side to cause a short circuit.

Hereinafter, the connection structure of the lead wire 173 according to the position of the heating unit 171 for preventing the above-described problems will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20. FIG.

The heating unit 171 is disposed on one side of the evaporator 130 in a manner extending in the left-right direction. The heating unit 171 may be disposed at the same height as the lowest row of the cooling tube 131 or at a position lower than the lowest row of the cooling tube 131 along the left and right direction of the evaporator 130.

The lead wire 173 connecting between the heater 171b and the power source is configured to extend outwardly from one end of the heater 171b adjacent to the outside of the evaporator 130. [ That is, the lead wire 173 extends outside the inside of the evaporator 130 and is connected to the power source. According to the above structure, the area where the lead wires 173 are disposed below the evaporator 130 can be minimized, so that the dropping of the defrost water to the lead wires 173 can be minimized.

19, the heating unit 171 is disposed at the left bottom portion of the evaporator 130. As shown in FIG. The lead wire 173 is configured to extend outward from the left end of the heater 171b adjacent to the left side of the evaporator 130. [ To this end, the terminal 171b3 connected to the lead wire 173 is preferably located at the left end of the heater 171b.

19, the heating unit 171 is disposed at the lower right portion of the evaporator 130 in FIG. The lead wire 173 is configured to extend outward from the right end of the heater 171b adjacent to the right side of the evaporator 130. [ To this end, the terminal 171b3 connected to the lead wire 173 is preferably located between the inlet and the outlet, adjacent to the inlet of the heater case 171a.

The right end of the heater 171b is disposed between the inlet and the outlet of the heater case 171a so that the working fluid F recovered through the inlet located at the right end of the heater case 171a is reheated and not flowed backward . According to the above arrangement, the heat ray 171b2 is not disposed at the entrance of the heater case 171a, and the entrance is located in the passive heat generating portion PHP.

As shown in the figure, when the return portions 172d 'and 172d' connected to the inlet of the heater case 171a are formed in a bent shape, the returned working fluid F flows into the heater case 171a immediately before being introduced into the heater case 171a The return flow of the returning working fluid F can be prevented because the flow resistance is formed to a large extent in the bent portion.

For reference, in the above examples, the heater case 171a is horizontally disposed in the evaporator. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The heater case 171a may be disposed such that the inlet side end portion is within an angle range of -90 占 to 2 占 with respect to the outlet side end portion. This will be discussed in detail later.

21A to 21C are graphs showing the temperature change of the heater 171b according to the inner diameters of the return portions 172d 'and 172d' shown in FIG. 4 under the freezing condition, FIG. 22 is a graph showing the temperature change of the return portion 172d ' , 172d ").

21B shows a case where the inner diameters of the return portions 172d 'and 172d "are 6.35 mm, and FIG. 21C shows the case where the return portions 172d' and 172d ' The amount of the working liquid F is set to 55 g, 60 g and 65 g, respectively, and the inner diameter of the return portions 172d 'and 172d " ) Were measured.

21A, when the inner diameter of the return portions 172d 'and 172d "is 4.75 mm, the heater 171b is overheated when the amount of the working fluid F is 55 g. The amount of the working fluid F returned to the heater case 171a due to the small diameter of the working fluid F is reduced compared to the proper amount so that the working fluid F can not sufficiently touch the heater 171b . If the diameter of the return portions 172d 'and 172d' is 5 mm or less, the heater 171b may overheat.

21c, when the inner diameter of the return portions 172d ', 172d "is 7.92 mm, the heater 171b is overheated when the amount of the working fluid F is 55 g and 65 g. As described above, When the diameter of the return portions 172d 'and 172d "is 7 mm or more, the return fluid 172b is filled in the return portions 172d' and 172d" as shown in FIG. 22, The air is not recovered to the inside of the heater case 171a and flows into the heater case 171a in a state where the space is formed in the upper part of the return parts 172d 'and 172d'.

At this time, the working fluid Fa flowing into the heater case 171a is reheated by the heater 171b to flow strongly in the heating unit 171. When some heated working fluid Fb is returned to the return unit 172d 172d ", resulting in a phenomenon that some of the working fluid Fb flows back to the return portions 172d 'and 172d ".

In order to prevent the overheat of the heater 171b and the back flow of the working fluid F, the inlet 171d 'and the inlet 171d' , 171d ") in the passive heat generating portion PHP should be formed so that the return portions 172d 'and 172d" have proper diameters.

21B, it was confirmed that the heating unit 171 did not overheat when the inner diameters of the return units 172d 'and 172d "were 6.35 mm. The amount of the working fluid F used in the experiment is 55 g and 60 g, which means that the total volume of the heat pipe 172 and the heater case 171a 30-35%.

As can be seen, the inner diameter of the return portions 172d 'and 172d' 'may be larger than 5mm and smaller than 7mm. Preferably, the return pipe 172d' and 172d ' ). ≪ / RTI >

For reference, a heater case 171a having a width of 8 mm (height) x 13 mm (width) in the width direction was used in the above experiment. The specs of the heater case 171a may be somewhat different from the specifications used in the experiment but the return portions 172d 'and 172d "having the above inner diameter conditions are the same as the return portions 172d' and 172d" Can be used.

As described above, the working fluid F evaporated by the heater 171b in the heater case 171a flows into the inlet portions 172c 'and 172c "of the heat pipe 172, The cooled working fluid F flowing through the pipe 172 is recovered into the heater case 171a through the return portions 172d 'and 172d "of the heat pipe 172. [ In this series of flow processes, the installation angle of the heater case 171a with respect to the heat pipe 172 plays an important role in whether or not the working fluid F circulates. Hereinafter, this will be described in detail.

23 shows the relationship between the angle of the heater case 171a and the angle of the heat pipe 172 with respect to the angle of the end of the heater case 171a on the side of the inlet 171d ' These graphs show the temperature change of the heat.

Note that TH is the temperature of the heater case 171a and TL is the temperature of the lowest row of the heat dissipating portion 172b of the heat pipe 172. [ The working fluid F is heated by the heater 171b and circulated through the heat pipe 172 and returned to the heater case 171a so that the temperature TH of the heater case 171a is the highest, 172b are the lowest temperature TL of the lowest row. Thus, it can be understood that the temperature of the remaining heat of the heat pipe 172 is between TH and TL. In FIG. 23, only the temperature curves corresponding to TH and TL are indicated by the leader lines for convenience of explanation.

Referring to the drawings, whether or not the operating fluid F is circulated smoothly depends on the inclination angle of the end of the heater case 171a on the side of the inlet 171d ', 171d "side end with respect to the outlet 171c', 171c" . In the case of the structure in which the heater case 171a is formed to extend in one direction and the inlets 171d 'and 171d' and the outlets 171c 'and 171c' , 171d ") are also related to the inclined angle with respect to the end portions on the side of the outlets 171c 'and 171c ".

0 ° means that the heater case 171a is horizontally disposed in the evaporator 130 and the positive angle means that the end of the heater case 171a on the side of the inlet 171d 'and 171d " 171d "side of the heater case 171a is disposed at an end side of the outlet 171c ', 171c" side of the heater case 171a, As shown in Fig.

23 (a) to 23 (c), the heater case 171a is horizontally disposed in the evaporator 130, or the end of the heater case 171a on the side of the inlets 171d 'and 171d " The outlets 171c 'and 171c' 'are formed at the same height as the sides of the inlets 171d' and 171d '' or the outlets 171c 'and 171c' The temperature of each row of the heater case 171a and the heat pipe 172 similarly increases with the lapse of time and after a lapse of a predetermined time A stable operating temperature is reached. This means that circulation of the working fluid F is smoothly performed.

As a result of the experiment, when the end of the heater case 171a on the side of the inlet 171d ', 171d "side is disposed within the range of 0 ° to -90 ° with respect to the end of the outlet 171c', 171c" It can be seen that there is no problem in that the working fluid F circulates through the heat pipe 172.

On the other hand, referring to FIGS. 23D to 23F, the ends of the heater case 171a on the side of the inlets 171d 'and 171d "side are disposed upward with respect to the ends of the outlets 171c' and 171c" , The temperature of each row of the heater case 171a and the heat pipe 172 is different from each other by a certain angle in the case of the case where the outlets 171c 'and 171c' are formed at positions lower than the sides of the inlets 171d 'and 171d' see.

Concretely, the side of the inlet 171d ', 171d "side of the heater case 171a is positioned 2 ° upward with respect to the end of the outlet 171c', 171c" In the state of being disposed 2 占 upward with respect to the outlet 171c ', 171c "side), there was no significant difference from the previous graphs.

However, the side of the inlet 171d ', 171d " side of the heater case 171a is positioned 3 占 upward with respect to the end of the outlet 171c' and 171c " (In a state in which the heater case 171a is disposed at an angle of 3 占 with respect to the heaters 171c 'and 171c' '), the temperature of the heater case 171a suddenly rises and falls suddenly. The side of the inlet 171d ', 171d " side of the heater case 171a is disposed at an angle of 4 占 with respect to the end of the outlet 171c' and 171c " , The temperature of the heater case 171a is continuously increased and the heat pipe 172 is not largely deviated from the initial temperature in the state in which the heat pipe 171c 'and 171c "

This is because the end of the heater case 171a on the side of the inlet 171d ', 171d "side is disposed at an angle of 3 degrees or more with respect to the end of the outlet 171c', 171c" The operating fluid F is heated by the heater 171b so that the working fluid F is prevented from flowing into the inflow portions 172c 'and 171c' Quot; 172c ").

Particularly, the end of the heater case 171a on the side of the inlet 171d ', 171d "side is disposed at an angle of 4 degrees or more with respect to the end of the outlet 171c', 171c" The actuating liquid F does not descend toward the inflow portions 172c 'and 172c' but is returned to the return portions 172d 'and 172d' 'via the return portions 172d' and 172d ' And the temperature of the heater case 171a is continuously increased to overheat.

Considering these experimental results, the heater case 171a is arranged so that the end portion of the heater case 171a on the side of the inlet 171d ', 171d "side has an angular range of -90 ° or more and 2 ° or less with respect to the end portion of the outlet 171c', 171c" .

23A to 23C, the ends of the heater case 171a on the side of the inlets 171d 'and 171d "are inclined downward with respect to the ends of the outlets 171c' and 171c" The temperature of the lowest heat of the heat radiating portion 172b of the heat pipe 172 rises more rapidly. This is because the operating fluid F heated by the heater 171b has a lifting force so that the outlet 171c ', 171c "side of the heater case 171a is disposed upward with respect to the inlet 171d', 171d" As the working fluid F flows more easily.

The connection structure between the heating unit 171 and the heat pipe 172, which facilitates the flow of the working fluid F, in consideration of the rising characteristic of the heated working fluid F will be described below.

Figs. 24 to 26 are longitudinal sectional views showing a modification of the connection structure between the heating unit 171 and the heat pipe 172 in the heating unit 171 applied to Figs. 19 to 20. Fig. For reference, in the drawings, the heating units 1171, 1271, and 1371 are simply shown as the heater cases 1171a, 1271a, and 1371a and the heaters 1171b, 1271b, and 1371b for the convenience of explanation. It is needless to say that the detailed structure (the structure in which the first and second extension pins, the sealing member, the outer pin, the inner fin, and the like are formed) may be applied to the heating units 1171, 1271 and 1371.

The following description will be made on the basis that the heater cases 1171a, 1271a and 1371a are horizontally arranged in the evaporator, but the present invention is not limited thereto. As described above, the heater cases 1171a, 1271a, and 1371a are connected to the outlet 1171c ", 1271c ", and 1371c "(the opposite ends of which are not shown) ) With respect to the side end portion of each of the first and second protrusions.

In the following description, the outlets 1171d ", 1271d", 1371d "and the outlets 1171c", 1271c ", 1371c" are spaced apart from each other at both sides of the heater case 1171a, 1271a, (The structure shown in FIG. 4), but the present invention is not limited thereto. At least one of the inlets 1171d ", 1271d", 1371d "and the outlets 1171c", 1271c ", 1371c" of the heating units 1171, 1271, 1371 are connected to the ends of the heater cases 1171a, The structure shown in Figs. 7 to 9).

As described above, the working fluid F is recovered through the inlets 1171d ", 1271d ", 1371d ", and then reheated by the heaters 1171b, 1271b, . The return portions 1172d ", 1272d ", and 1372d "(opposite sides) of the heat pipe are disposed in the vicinity of the heaters 1171a and 1172b in consideration of the flow direction of the working fluid F and the rising characteristics of the heated working fluid F, 1272a, 1271a, 1371a or extend downward (or bend down and extend horizontally) to the lower sides of the heater cases 1171a, 1271a, 1371a, and the inflow portions 1172c " 1372c "(not shown on the opposite side) are arranged in parallel with the heater cases 1171a, 1271a, 1371a or extend upward from the heater cases 1171a, 1271a, 1371a.

Here, the term " extending upwardly and / or downwardly " means extending not only vertically but also extending obliquely.

In addition, in the above combination, both the return portions 1172d ", 1272d ", and 1372d ", and the inflow portions 1172c ", 1272c ", and 1372c "are extended along the longitudinal direction of the heater cases 1171a, Only one of the return portions 1172d ", 1272d ", and 1372d ", and the inflow portions 1172c ", 1272c ", and 1372c " 171a extending in the longitudinal direction.

24, the return portion 1172d "of the heat pipe extends along the longitudinal direction of the heater case 1171a, and the inflow portion 1172c" of the heat pipe extends toward the upper side of the heater case 1171a .

25, the return portion 1272d "of the heat pipe extends to the lower side of the heater case 1271a, and the inflow portions 1272c 'and 1272c" of the heat pipe extend upward from the heater case 1271a As shown in Fig.

19, the heating unit 171 is provided with a vertical extension of the heat pipe 172, as shown in Fig. 19, in that the inlet portions 1172c ", 1272c "of the heat pipes are extended to the upper side of the evaporator. The present invention can be applied to a structure directly connected to a part. In this case, the lower end of the vertically extending portion constitutes an inlet portion 1172c ", 1272c ".

19, terminals (not shown) of the heaters 1171b and 1271b are adjacent to the outlets 1171c "and 1271c " of the heater cases 1171a and 1271a in the above two examples And lead wires 1173 and 1273 are connected to the terminal and configured to extend outward.

According to this structure, since the working fluid F heated by the heaters 1171b and 1271b rises and flows into the inflow portions 1172c "and 1272c " extending upward, the heater case 1171a, The working fluid F heated by the heaters 1171b and 1271b can be smoothly discharged through the inflow portions 1172c "and 1272c"

25 has a structure in which the return portion 1272d "of the heat pipe 1272 extends to the lower side of the heater case 1271a, It is difficult to flow back to the return portion 1272d ". Therefore, a more natural flow can be formed in which the heated working fluid F is discharged through the inlet portion 1272c "without backflow to the return portion 1272d ".

26, the return portion 1372d "of the heat pipe 1372 extends to the lower side of the heater case 1371a, and the inflow portion 1372c" of the heat pipe 1372 is connected to the heater case 1371a 1371a extending in the longitudinal direction.

The structure is such that the heating unit 171 is connected to the heat pipe 1772a as shown in Fig. 20 in that the inflow portion 1372c "of the heat pipe 1372 extends along the longitudinal direction of the heater case 1371a. ). In this case, the end of the horizontal extension portion constitutes an inflow portion 1372c ". 20, a terminal (not shown) of the heater 1371b in the above example is formed between the inlet 1371d " and the outlet 1371c "of the heater case 1371a, A wire 1373 is configured to extend outwardly connected to the terminal.

This is a structure in which the return portion 1372d "of the heat pipe 1372 extends to the lower side of the heater case 1371a, though it is not a discharge structure suited to the characteristic in which the heated working fluid F rises as compared with the above structures The actuating liquid F having a heating force and being raised is difficult to flow back to the return portion 1372d ". Accordingly, a series of flows through which the heated working fluid F is discharged through the inlet portion 1372c "can be formed.

On the other hand, the heater case 1471a is formed so that the side end portion of the inlet 1471d ", the opposite side inlet not shown, forms an angle of -90 ° with respect to the side end portion of the outlet 1471c" In the vertical direction facing upward. Hereinafter, a structure related to this will be described.

27 and 28 are a front view and a perspective view showing a second embodiment 1470 of the defrost apparatus 170 applied to the refrigerator 100 of FIG.

27 and 28, the heating unit 1471 may be disposed at one side of the defrost apparatus 1470. [ The heater case 1471a may be located outside the support 1433 provided at one side of the evaporator 1430 and may extend vertically upward from the lower side of the evaporator 1430. [ At this time, at least a part of the heater case 1471a may be disposed between the first cooling pipe 1431 'and the second cooling pipe 1431 ".

The heater case 1471a is connected to the heat pipe 1472, respectively, to form a flow path through which the working fluid F can circulate. To this end, an outlet 1471c "and an inlet 1471d" are formed on the upper and lower sides of the heater case 1471a, respectively. The outlet 1471c "is connected to the extension of the heat pipe 1472, and the inlet 1471d" is connected to the lowest row of the heat dissipation part 1472b of the heat pipe 1472. [

The heater 1471b is composed of a plate heater 1471b extending in one direction and attached to the outer surface of the heater case 1471a and disposed vertically in the vertical direction of the evaporator 1430. [ 27, the heating unit 1471 is simply shown as a heater case 1471a and a heater 1471b for the convenience of explanation. It is needless to say that the heating unit 1471 may have the detailed structure (the structure in which the first and second extension pins, the sealing member, the outer fin, and the inner fin are formed).

In this embodiment, a heater 1471b is attached to one surface of the heater case 1471a facing outward. According to this arrangement, it is possible to prevent a certain level of contact between the defrost water generated due to defrosting and the heater 1471b. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The heater 1471b may also be attached to the other surface of the heater case 1471a facing the support table 133. [ However, in this case, it is preferable that a structure capable of preventing contact between the heater 1471b and the defrost water is provided.

When the heater 1471b is attached to one surface of the heater case 1471a facing the outside, the external pin may protrude from the other surface of the heater case 1471a facing the support table 133, May be protruded from the inner inner surface of the one surface to which the heater 1471b is attached.

The hot wire 1471b2 of the heater 1471b is extended toward the outlet 1471c "between the inlet 1471d" and the outlet 1471c "so that the working fluid F recovered through the inlet 1471d" . A terminal (not shown) of the heater 1471b may be formed at the end of the heater 1471b positioned between the inlet 1471d " and the outlet 1471c ", and a lead wire 1473 is connected to the terminal, 1430, respectively.

On the other hand, the working fluid F is preferably filled higher than the uppermost end of the heater 1471b extending in the vertical direction inside the heater case 1471a. With such a configuration, the defrosting operation can be safely performed in a state in which the heating unit 1471 is not overheated, and the continuous supply of the working fluid F in the gaseous state to the heat pipe 1472 can be stably performed.

Hereinafter, a design change of the heat pipe 1572 considering convection due to the temperature of the working fluid F when the working fluid F circulates through the heat pipe 1572 will be described.

29 is a conceptual view showing a third embodiment 1570 in which the widths of the upper and lower rows of the heat pipe 1572 are differently formed in the defrost apparatus 170 applied to the refrigerator 100 of FIG. In this drawing, the defrost apparatus 1570 is shown in front view (a) and side view (b).

29 (a), the front first cooling pipe 1531 'is omitted so that the overall shape of the heat pipe 1572 is revealed. In addition, although a part of the rear second cooling pipe 1531 "is not overlapped with the heat pipe 1572, referring to the arrangement of the cooling fin 1532 and Figure 29 (b), the first and second cooling The overall shape of the tubes 1531 ', 1531 "can be known.

29, the cooling pipe 1531 and the heat pipe 1572 are repeatedly bent in a zigzag fashion to form multiple rows.

Specifically, the cooling pipe 1531 may be configured by a combination of the horizontal pipe portion and the bending pipe portion. The horizontal piping portions are horizontally arranged vertically to each other and are configured to pass through the cooling fins 1532. The bending piping portions are configured to connect the ends of the upper horizontal piping portion and the lower horizontal piping portions to each other to communicate the inside. Here, as shown in the figure, each of the horizontal pipes may be arranged at a certain interval.

The heat pipe 1572 is disposed between the first cooling pipe 1531 'and the second cooling pipe 1531 " so as to form a single row. The heat pipe 1572 includes an extension portion 1572a and a heat dissipation portion 1572b. The description of the extension 1572a will be omitted from the description of the previous embodiment.

The heat radiating portion 1572b extends in a zigzag form along the cooling pipe 1531 of the evaporator 1530 at the extension portion 1572a and is connected to the inlet of the heating unit 1571. [ The heat radiating portion 1572b is formed by a combination of a plurality of horizontal tubes 1572b 'forming heat and a connection tube 1572b "formed in a U-shaped tube bent in a zigzag fashion.

In this structure, the interval between the rows of the lower horizontal pipe 1572b 'may be narrower than the interval between the respective rows of the upper horizontal pipe 1572b'. This is a design considering convection according to the temperature of the working fluid (F) when the working fluid (F) circulates through the heat pipe (1572).

Specifically, the working fluid F flowing through the inlet of the heat pipe 1572 has the highest temperature during the circulation process of the heat pipe 1572 in a high-temperature gas state. As shown in the figure, since the high-temperature working fluid F is moved toward the cooling pipe 1531 positioned at the upper portion, the high-temperature heat is transferred to the wide area by the convection around the cooling pipe 1531 at the upper portion.

On the other hand, the working fluid F gradually loses heat and flows in a state in which the liquid and the gas coexist, and eventually flows into the return portion in the liquid state. The heat at this time is sufficient to remove the property of the cooling tube 1531 Temperature, but the degree of heat transfer to the surroundings is inevitably lower than that of the prior art.

Therefore, in consideration of this, the heat of each heat pipe 1572 (i.e., the horizontal pipe 1572b 'of the heat radiating portion 1572b) near the return portion is narrower than each column of the heat pipe 1572 located at the upper portion . For example, each row of the heat pipes 1572 located at the upper portion may be disposed corresponding to the row of the adjacent cooling tubes 1531 through one row of the cooling tubes 1531, Each row of pipes 1572 may be disposed corresponding to each column of the cooling pipe 1531.

According to the above structure, the horizontal pipe 1572b 'of the heat radiating part 1572b is arranged at a lower portion of the evaporator 1530, which is relatively larger than the upper part.

Figs. 30 and 31 are conceptual diagrams showing a modified example 1670 of the defrost apparatus 1570 shown in Fig.

First, in Fig. 30, the defrost apparatus 1670 is shown in front view (a) and side view (b).

In this modification, the heat pipe 1672 is composed of the first heat pipe 1672 'in front of the first cooling pipe 1631' and the second heat pipe 1672 '' in the rear of the second cooling pipe 1631 " So as to form two rows.

30 (a), the second heat pipe 1672 " does not overlap with the first heat pipe 1672 ', but the second heat pipe 1672 " Can be understood as a whole.

As shown in the drawing, the interval between the rows of the horizontal pipes 1672b 'disposed below the first and second heat pipes 1672' and 1672 'is narrower than the interval between the rows of the horizontal pipes 1672b' 29 is a diagram illustrating the convection flow according to the temperature of the working fluid F when the working fluid F circulates through the heat pipe 1672. A detailed description thereof will be given with reference to FIG. do.

31, a part of the first and second cooling tubes 1731 'and 1731 "is omitted for the sake of understanding.

Referring to FIG. 31, the interval between the rows arranged at the lower portion of the first heat pipe 1772 'in front of the evaporator 1730 may be narrower than the interval between the rows arranged at the upper portion. On the contrary, the interval between the rows arranged on the upper portion of the second heat pipe 1772 " behind the evaporator 1730 may be narrower than the interval between the rows arranged below.

According to the arrangement relationship, the temperature decrease due to the wide interval of one heat pipe 1772 is compensated by the temperature rise due to the narrow portion of the other heat pipe 1772. Therefore, an efficient heat transfer structure to the cooling pipe 1731 can be realized, while the first and second heat pipes 1772 'and 1772 " are configured shorter than the basic structure (the structure shown in FIG. 3).

As a modification of this, the interval between the rows arranged at the lower portion of the first heat pipe 1772 'in front of the evaporator 1730 may be wider than the interval between the rows arranged at the upper portion. On the contrary, the interval between the rows arranged on the upper portion of the second heat pipe 1772 " behind the evaporator 1730 may be wider than the interval between the rows arranged below.

On the other hand, as the working fluid F radiates to the cooling pipe 1831 while flowing through the heat pipe 1872, the working fluid F is cooled as it gets closer to the inlet of the heating unit 1871. Therefore, defrosting to the lower cooling pipe 1731 may not be performed smoothly. Hereinafter, a structure capable of improving this will be described.

32 and 33 are a front view and a perspective view showing a fourth embodiment 1870 of the defrost apparatus 170 applied to the refrigerator 100 of FIG. In FIG. 32, a part of the cooling fin 1832 is omitted. For reference, the detailed configuration of the evaporator 1830 is shown in more detail in Fig.

32 and 33, the heat pipe 1872 can be divided into a high-temperature evaporator E and a low-temperature condenser C from the viewpoint of the state of the circulating working fluid F. [

The evaporation portion E is a portion where the working fluid F is moved to a state containing a high temperature gas or a high temperature gas and liquid and has a temperature at which the cooling pipe 1831 can defrost. The evaporator E is structurally connected to the outlet of the heating unit 1871 and arranged to correspond to the cooling tube 131 of the evaporator 1830 to transfer heat to the cooling tube 1831 of the evaporator 1830 .

On the other hand, the condensing portion C has a temperature lower than the temperature at which the working fluid F flows into the low-temperature liquid state, at which defrosting with respect to the cooling pipe 1831 can be performed. Therefore, even if the condensing section C is disposed adjacent to the cooling pipe 1831, defrosting with respect to the cooling pipe 1831 can not be performed smoothly. The condensing section C is finally connected to the inlet of the heating unit 1871.

The heat pipe 1872 extends in a staggered fashion from top to bottom so that the heat pipe 1872 is arranged corresponding to the cooling pipe 1831 so that the condensation portion C is adjacent to the lower cooling pipe 1831 Respectively. This means that defrosting to the lower side cooling pipe 1831 can not be performed smoothly.

In order to solve this problem, the condenser C extends from the evaporator E and is disposed below the lowest heat-cooling pipe 1831a of the evaporator 1830. [ The condensing section C comprises at least two horizontal pipes arranged below the lowest heat-cooling pipe 1831a. In this embodiment, the heat pipe 1872 is provided with two rows below the lowest column of the cooling pipe 1831 of the evaporator 1830 to form the condensing section C.

Thus, when the low temperature condensation portion C of the heat pipe 1872 is disposed below the lowermost heat cooling pipe 1831 of the evaporator 1830, only the high temperature evaporation portion E is defrosted by the defrosting of the evaporator 1830 So that defrosting of the lower cooling pipe 1831 can be smoothly performed.

In this structure, the lower end of the heating unit 1871 is disposed adjacent to the lowest heat cooling tube 1831a. The return portion of the heat pipe 1872 extends upwardly from the lowest horizontal horizontal pipe of the condensing portion C to the inlet of the heating unit 1871 so that the condensed working fluid F is recovered Thereby forming a flow path.

Since the flow resistance is large at the bent portion at the return portion, there is an advantage in suppressing backflow of the working fluid F returned to the inlet of the heating unit 1871.

34 and 35 are a front view and a perspective view showing an example (example 1970) in which the forming position of the heating unit 1971 is modified in the defrost apparatus 1870 shown in Figs. 32 and 33. Fig.

34 and 35, at least a portion of the heating unit 1971 is disposed below the lowest heat cooling tube 1931 of the evaporator 1930. [ The lower end of the heating unit 1971 may be located adjacent to the lowest thermal horizontal pipe of the heat pipe 1972 and the upper end of the heating unit 1971 may be located on the lowest heat cooling pipe 1931a of the evaporator 1930 Can be located under the first cooling tube [1931b (ie, the second cooling tube from below)].

According to the above structure, the return portion connecting the lowest horizontal horizontal pipe of the heat pipe 1972 to the inlet of the heating unit 1971 is formed to be shorter than the return portion of the previous embodiment.

The return portion extends in the horizontal direction in the lowest horizontal horizontal pipe of the heat pipe 1972 and is connected to the heating unit 1971 when the lowest horizontal horizontal pipe of the heat pipe 1972 and the inlet of the heating unit 1971 are placed on substantially the same layer. Lt; / RTI >

Further, according to the above structure, since the heating unit 1971 is disposed adjacent to the lowermost horizontal pipe of the heat pipe 1972, the heater 1971b is driven by a small amount of the working fluid F, (F). ≪ / RTI > Further, as the filling amount of the working liquid F is reduced, the temperature of the lowest heat horizontal pipe of the heat pipe 1972 can be further raised. This means that the lower temperature of the evaporation portion E rises as compared with the foregoing example.

Claims (20)

A heating unit provided in the evaporator; And
At least a part of which is connected to the inlet and the outlet of the heating unit, and a heat pipe which is disposed adjacent to the cooling pipe so as to radiate heat to the cooling pipe of the evaporator by the hot working liquid, / RTI >
The heating unit includes:
A heater case having an empty space therein and having the inlet and the outlet at positions spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction; And
And a heater attached to an outer surface of the heater case to heat the working fluid in the heater case. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the heater is a plate-shaped heater having a plate shape. 3. The method of claim 2,
The heater
A base plate formed of a ceramic material and attached to an outer surface of the heater case;
A heating wire formed on the base plate and configured to generate heat when power is applied; And
And a terminal provided on the base plate and configured to electrically connect the hot wire and the power source. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the heater case is divided into an active heat generating portion corresponding to a portion where the heat ray is disposed and a passive heat generating portion corresponding to a portion where the heat ray is not disposed,
Wherein the inlet is formed in the manual heat generating portion so that the working fluid returned through the inlet after the heat pipe is moved is reheated and prevented from flowing backward. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the hot line extends from one point between the inlet and the outlet toward the outlet. The method according to claim 1,
And the heater is attached to the bottom surface of the heater case. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the heater case includes first and second extension pins formed on both sides of the heater case, the first and second extension pins extending from the bottom surface to cover both sides of the heater attached to the bottom surface. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein a sealing member is filled in the recessed space formed by the back surface of the heater and the first and second extension pins so as to cover the heater. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein an insulating material is interposed between a back surface of the heater and the sealing member. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein a thermally conductive adhesive is interposed between the heater case and the heater. 8. The method of claim 7,
The heater case includes:
A main case having a hollow space therein and having both ends opened and having the heater attached to the bottom thereof; And
And a first cover and a second cover which are mounted to cover the open both ends of the main case, respectively. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein at least one of the first and second covers extends downward from a bottom surface of the main case and surrounds the heater together with the first and second extension pins. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the heat pipe includes a first heat pipe and a second heat pipe which are respectively arranged in two rows on a front portion and a rear portion of the evaporator,
The outlet includes a first outlet and a second outlet respectively connected to one end of the first and second heat pipes,
Wherein the inlet comprises a first inlet and a second inlet respectively connected to the other ends of the first and second heat pipes. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the first and second outlets are formed on both sides of the main case, respectively, or are formed in parallel with each other on the first cover. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the first and second inlets are formed on both sides of the main case, respectively, or are formed in parallel with each other in the second cover. The method according to claim 1,
The heater case is disposed vertically along the vertical direction on the outside of a support provided on one side of the evaporator,
Wherein the heater is configured to be positioned lower than the water surface of the working fluid filled in the heater case when all the working fluid is in the liquid state. 17. The method of claim 16,
Wherein the heater is attached to the opposite surface of the heater case facing the support base. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the heating unit is disposed at a bottom portion of the evaporator along a lateral direction,
Wherein the lead wire connecting the heater and the power source is configured to extend outward from one end of the heater adjacent to the outside of the evaporator. The method according to claim 1,
The heat pipe includes:
An evaporator connected to an outlet of the heating unit and arranged to correspond to the cooling pipe to transfer heat to the cooling pipe; And
And a condensing portion extending from the evaporating portion and disposed below the lowest column of the cooling pipe and connected to the inlet of the heating unit. Refrigerator body;
An evaporator installed in the refrigerator body and configured to cool the fluid by depriving surrounding evaporation heat; And
The refrigerator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the defrosting device is configured to remove the property generated in the evaporator.

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