WO2023185135A1

WO2023185135A1 - Refrigerator, thawing device, and thawing method

Info

Publication number: WO2023185135A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/141627
Authority: WO
Inventors: 刘家尧; 林晨; 大森宏; 刘和成
Original assignee: 广东美的白色家电技术创新中心有限公司; 美的集团股份有限公司; 广东美的制冷设备有限公司
Priority date: 2022-03-30
Filing date: 2022-12-23
Publication date: 2023-10-05
Also published as: CN114593541A; CN114593541B

Abstract

Provided are a refrigerator, a thawing device, and a thawing method. The thawing device comprises: a thawing chamber (11) internally provided with a thawing cavity (111), the thawing cavity (111) comprising a thawing area (1111) used for placing food to be thawed, and the wall surface of the thawing area (1111) being a flexible heat conduction piece (112, 113); and a vacuum assembly (12) in communication with the thawing cavity (111) and used for vacuumizing the thawing cavity (111).

Description

A kind of refrigerator, thawing device and thawing method

cross reference

This patent application claims the priority of a Chinese patent application with a filing date of March 30, 2022, an application number of 202210332024.1, and a refrigerator, a thawing device and a thawing method. The disclosure content of the above Chinese patent application is incorporated by reference in full. Enter here.

Technical field

This application relates to the field of electrical equipment, specifically a refrigerator, a thawing device and a thawing method.

Background technique

With the improvement of people's living standards, people have put forward higher requirements for the nutrition and quality of food. Freezing is an effective means of preserving food, but it needs to be thawed before processing or consumption. In daily life, people usually use natural thawing or water thawing methods. However, natural thawing takes a long time, and it usually takes 3 to 4 hours to defrost meat. Compared with natural thawing, although water thawing speed is slightly faster, soaking in tap water can easily cause the juice in the food to flow out and lose protein, vitamins and other nutrients. It can also easily cause the growth of bacteria on the surface of the food, affecting food safety.

The most direct method of rapid thawing is to rapidly heat food, including microwave thawing, ultrasonic thawing, infrared thawing, etc. This method converts electromagnetic waves or mechanical waves into heat energy absorbed by the food, causing the ice crystals in the food to quickly melt, thereby achieving thawing. Although this type of thawing method can greatly reduce the thawing speed, it usually increases the internal temperature of the food and even causes the food to mature. During the thawing process, the nutritional value of food will be directly destroyed. At the same time, higher temperatures will promote the growth of microorganisms on the food surface and accelerate spoilage.

One mass transfer enhanced thawing method in the related art is to directly enhance the mass transfer process of ice crystals to increase the thawing speed, including high-voltage electrostatic thawing, vacuum thawing, etc. The principle of high-voltage electrostatic thawing is to accelerate the rupture of hydrogen bonds in the ice layer structure through a high-voltage electrostatic field, so that the ice layer can quickly transition to the state of small molecule water. Vacuum thawing uses the principle that water molecules escape faster in a low-pressure environment, allowing ice crystals to rapidly sublime at low temperatures, thereby achieving rapid thawing. However, the equipment required for these mass transfer-enhanced thawing methods has the disadvantages of high energy consumption and complex structure. In particular, high-voltage electrostatic thawing equipment has dangerous sources and poses greater safety risks.

Summary of the invention

The following is an overview of the topics described in detail in this article. This summary is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

The technical problem to be solved by the embodiments of the present application is how to achieve rapid thawing and preservation of nutrients.

In order to solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application proposes a thawing device, which includes:

A thawing chamber is provided with a thawing chamber, the thawing chamber includes a thawing area for placing food to be thawed, and the wall of the thawing area is a flexible heat-conducting member; and

A vacuum assembly is connected to the thawing chamber and used to evacuate the thawing chamber.

In an exemplary embodiment, the thawing chamber includes a first flexible heat conducting member and a second flexible heat conducting member spaced apart from the first flexible heat conducting member;

The defrosting zone is a gap between the first flexible thermally conductive member and the second flexible thermally conductive member.

In an illustrative embodiment, the first flexible thermally conductive member and the first flexible thermally conductive member are both plate-like structures, and the middle portions of the first flexible thermally conductive member and the middle portions of the second flexible thermally conductive member are oriented toward each other. Arched in the opposite direction.

In an exemplary embodiment, the thawing chamber further includes a first housing provided with an opening and a second housing hingedly connected to the first housing, and the second housing can cover the first housing. an opening of a shell;

A first window is provided on the first housing, and the first flexible heat conductive member covers the first window;

A second window is provided on the second housing, and the second flexible heat conductive member covers the second window.

In an exemplary embodiment, the thawing chamber further includes a sealing ring disposed on the side of the second housing facing the first housing, the sealing ring surrounding the second window;

The sealing ring seals the gap between the first housing and the second housing when the second housing is closed on the opening of the first housing, and the first flexible heat conductive member , the first housing, the second flexible heat conductive member, the second housing and the sealing ring enclose the thawing chamber.

In an illustrative embodiment, the first flexible thermally conductive member and the first flexible thermally conductive member are both flexible vapor chambers, flexible heat pipes, flexible polymer thermally conductive films, or flexible metal films.

In an exemplary embodiment, the thawing device further includes a fan disposed outside the thawing chamber, and the fan is used to blow air into the thawing chamber.

In an illustrative embodiment, the thawing device further includes a water injection component connected to the thawing chamber, for injecting water into the thawing chamber when the thawing chamber is in a vacuum state to fill the flexible heat-conducting member with the material to be thawed. gaps between foods.

In an exemplary embodiment, the thawing device further includes a controller, the controller is electrically connected to the water filling component, the fan and the vacuuming component;

The controller is configured to drive the fan to blow air into the thawing chamber, and alternately drive the vacuum assembly to evacuate the thawing chamber and drive the water filling assembly to inject water into the thawing chamber.

In an exemplary embodiment, the controller is configured to alternately evacuate the thawing chamber and inject water into the thawing chamber for a preset softening time, and then drive the vacuum assembly to continue to evacuate the thawing chamber. Vacuum.

In an exemplary embodiment, the vacuum assembly includes a vacuum pump, an air extraction pipe with two ends respectively connected to the vacuum pump and the thawing chamber, and a first valve provided on the air extraction pipe;

The water injection assembly includes a water storage box, a water injection pipe with two ends connected to the water storage box and the thawing chamber respectively, and a second valve provided on the water injection pipe;

The controller is electrically connected to the first valve, the second valve and the vacuum pump;

When the thawing chamber is evacuated, the controller opens the first valve, closes the second valve, and drives the vacuum pump to operate;

When water is injected into the thawing chamber, the controller closes the second valve and opens the first valve.

An embodiment of the present application also provides a refrigerator, which includes the thawing device as described above and a refrigerator compartment accommodating the thawing chamber.

The embodiment of this application also proposes a thawing method, which includes:

Blow air into the thawing chamber, which includes a thawing chamber, the thawing chamber includes a thawing area for accommodating food to be thawed, and the wall of the thawing area is a flexible heat-conducting member;

Alternately evacuate the thawing chamber and inject water into the thawing chamber until the current thawing time is greater than the preset softening time;

Continue to vacuum the thawing chamber until the current thawing time is longer than the set thawing time.

In an exemplary embodiment, alternately evacuating the thawing chamber and filling the thawing chamber with water includes:

The thawing chamber is evacuated. When the air pressure in the thawing chamber is less than the preset air pressure or the vacuuming time is greater than the preset time threshold, the thawing chamber is stopped and water is injected into the thawing chamber.

In an exemplary embodiment, the amount of water injected into the thawing chamber each time is 1 to 2 mL.

When using the thawing device for thawing, you only need to place the food to be thawed in the thawing area of the thawing chamber, and drive the vacuum pump to evacuate the thawing chamber to reduce the air pressure in the thawing chamber. Since the flexible heat-conducting member is flexible, the flexible heat-conducting member Under the action of external air pressure, the flexible heat-conducting member can quickly conduct heat in the refrigerator compartment to the surface of the food to be defrosted, so that the food to be defrosted can be quickly defrosted. Food to be defrosted will defrost much faster than its natural thawing speed. At the same time, the vacuum environment in the thawing chamber can reduce food oxidation during the thawing process and help retain the nutritional value of the food. Since the heat required for defrosting the food to be defrosted comes from the internal energy of the air, no additional energy is required, and the energy consumption of the defrosting device is low.

Other aspects will be apparent after reading and understanding the drawings and detailed description.

Figure overview

In order to explain the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art more clearly, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only These are some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without exerting creative efforts.

Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a refrigerator in an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a vacuum assembly in an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a water injection component in an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 4 is a flow chart of a thawing method in an embodiment of the present application.

Explanation of reference numbers:

100. Refrigerator; 1. Thawing device; 11. Thawing chamber; 111. Thawing chamber; 1111. Thawing area; 1112. Air extraction port; 1113. Water injection port; 112. First flexible heat conducting member; 113. Second flexible heat conducting member; 114. First shell; 115. Second shell; 116. Sealing ring; 117. Buckle; 118. Mounting bracket; 12. Vacuuming component; 121. Air extraction pipe; 122. Vacuum pump; 123. First valve; 124. Pressure sensor; 13. Water injection component; 14. Fan; 131. Water injection pipe; 132. Second valve; 133. Water storage box; 2. Refrigerator; 21. Insulation box; 211. First through hole; 212. Second through hole; 22. Box door.

The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the embodiments of the present application will be further described with reference to the embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

Elaborate

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of this application.

It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back...) in the embodiments of this application are only used to explain the relationship between components in a specific posture (as shown in the drawings). Relative positional relationship, movement conditions, etc., if the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

In addition, descriptions such as "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present application are for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. . Therefore, features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of these features. In the description of the embodiments of this application, "plurality" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly and specifically limited.

In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise clearly stated and limited, the terms "connection", "fixing", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "fixing" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral body. ; It can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be an internal connection between two elements or an interactive relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly limited. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

In addition, the technical solutions in the various embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other, but it must be based on what a person of ordinary skill in the art can implement. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be realized, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions is possible. It does not exist and is not within the protection scope required by this application.

As shown in Figure 1, this embodiment provides a refrigerator 100. This refrigerator 100 includes a refrigerating compartment 2 and a defrosting device 1 . The temperature range in the refrigerator compartment 2 is 0 to 7°C. The refrigerator compartment 2 includes an insulating box 21 and a box door 22 . An opening is provided on the side of the incubation box 21 through which the user can take and place food. The door 22 is hinged to the insulating box 21, and the door 22 can open and close the opening of the insulating box 21. The top of the thermal insulation box 21 is provided with a first through hole 211 .

The thawing device 1 includes a thawing chamber 11 and a vacuum assembly 12 . The thawing chamber 11 is provided in the refrigerating chamber 2 . A thawing chamber 111 is provided in the thawing chamber 11 . The thawing chamber 111 includes a thawing area 1111, which is used to place the food 3 to be thawed. The walls of the thawing area 1111 are flexible heat

conductive members

112 and 113. The flexible thermally

conductive members

112 and 113 are good conductors of heat. The flexible thermally

conductive members

112 and 113 may be flexible heat chambers, flexible heat pipes, flexible polymer thermally conductive films or flexible metal films. The flexible heat

conductive members

112 and 113 are flexible and can undergo certain bending deformation. An air extraction port 1112 is provided on the wall of the thawing chamber 111 , and the air extraction port 1112 is connected to the thawing chamber 111 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the vacuum assembly 12 includes an air extraction pipe 121 and a vacuum pump 122 . The vacuum pump 122 may be installed outside the refrigerating chamber 2 to reduce the volume occupied by the refrigerating chamber 2 . The vacuum pump 122 may be disposed on the top of the thermal insulation box 21 . The air extraction pipe 121 passes through the first through hole 211 of the insulating box 21 . One end of the air extraction pipe 121 is connected to the air extraction port 1112 of the thawing chamber 111 , and the other end of the air extraction pipe 121 is connected to the vacuum pump 122 . The vacuum pump 122 is connected with the thawing chamber 111 through the air extraction pipe 121 . The vacuum pump 122 is used to evacuate the thawing chamber 11 .

When using the refrigerator 100 for thawing, you only need to place the food 3 to be thawed in the thawing area 1111 of the thawing chamber 111, and drive the vacuum pump 122 to evacuate the thawing chamber 111 so that the air pressure in the thawing chamber 111 is reduced. 112 and 113 are flexible. The flexible heat-conducting

parts

112 and 113 are close to the food to be defrosted 3 under the action of external air pressure. The flexible heat-conducting

parts

112 and 113 can quickly conduct the heat in the refrigerator compartment 2 to the surface of the food to be defrosted 3, so that The food to be thawed 3 can be thawed quickly. The thawing speed of the food to be thawed 3 is much higher than its natural thawing speed. At the same time, since the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 2 is usually low, usually 0 to 7°C, the food to be thawed 3 will not be higher than the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 2 during the thawing process, which reduces the growth of microorganisms and also maximizes the Preserve the nutritional value of defrosted food. The vacuum environment in the thawing chamber 111 can reduce food oxidation during the thawing process and is beneficial to retaining the nutritional value of the food. The thawing chamber 11 is provided in the refrigerating chamber 2 of the refrigerator 100. There is no need to provide a separate chamber for thawing in the refrigerator 100, which saves space and makes the layout of the refrigerator 100 more compact. Since the heat required for thawing the food 3 to be thawed comes from the internal energy of the air in the refrigerator compartment 2 and external heat leakage, no additional energy is required. At the same time, during the thawing process, the food 3 to be defrosted provides cooling capacity to the refrigerator compartment 2, which reduces The heat load of the refrigerator 100 reduces the energy consumption of the refrigerator 100.

In an illustrative embodiment, the flexible heat

conductive members

112 and 113 are flexible vapor chambers. The vapor chamber is a heat conduction plate using the heat pipe principle and has very good heat conduction effect. A thawing chamber is provided in the wall of the vapor chamber, and the thawing chamber is filled with cooling medium. When there is a temperature difference between the opposite sides of the vapor chamber, the heated side of the vapor chamber transfers heat to the liquid cooling medium, causing the cooling medium to be heated. Evaporation, the gaseous cooling medium contacts the colder side of the vapor chamber and condenses into a liquid state and releases heat, so that the heat can be quickly transferred from one side of the vapor chamber to the other side.

In an exemplary embodiment, the thawing chamber 11 includes a first flexible heat conductive member 112 and a second flexible heat conductive member 113 . The first flexible thermal conductive member 112 and the second flexible thermal conductive member 113 are spaced apart. One plate surface of the first flexible thermal conductive member 112 is opposite to a plate surface of the second flexible thermal conductive member 113 . The thawing area 1111 is the first flexible thermal conductive member 112 and the second flexible thermally conductive member 113 .

In this way, when the food 3 to be thawed is placed in the thawing area 1111, after the vacuum pump 122 evacuates the thawing chamber 111, the first flexible heat conducting member 112 and the second flexible heat conducting member 113 cover the food 3 to be thawed from opposite sides respectively. On the surface of the food to be thawed 3, the contact area between the food to be thawed 3 and the flexible heat conductive member is as large as possible, and the food to be thawed 3 is defrosted faster.

In an illustrative embodiment, the first flexible thermally conductive member 112 and the second flexible thermally conductive member 113 are plate-like structures, and the middle part of the first flexible thermally conductive member 112 is arched toward the side away from the second flexible thermally conductive member 113. The two flexible heat conducting members 113 are arched toward the side away from the first flexible heat conducting member 112 .

In this way, the middle portions of the first flexible heat conducting member 112 and the second flexible heat conducting member 113 are both arched in opposite directions, and the volume of the thawing area 1111 between the first flexible heat conducting member 112 and the second flexible heat conducting member 113 is larger. Can accommodate larger volumes of food to be defrosted3. At the same time, when the thawing chamber 111 is evacuated, the first flexible heat conducting member 112 and the second flexible heat conducting member 113 of this structure can fit more closely to the surface of the food 3 to be thawed, and can further accelerate the thawing of the food 3 to be thawed.

In an illustrative embodiment, the thawing chamber 11 further includes a mounting bracket 118 , a first housing 114 , a second housing 115 and a sealing ring 116 . Both the first housing 114 and the second housing 115 are rigid structures. The first through hole 211 is provided on the first housing 114 . The first housing 114 is provided with a first window 1141 , and the first window 1141 is provided in the middle of the first housing 114 . The first housing 114 is arched upward, and the bottom of the first housing 114 is provided with a downward opening. The mounting bracket 118 is provided between the first housing 114 and the inner wall of the thermal insulation box 21 . The mounting bracket 118 may be disposed between the top wall of the insulating box 21 and the top of the first housing 114 . The mounting bracket 118 is connected to the first shell 114 and the thermal insulation box 21 . The mounting bracket 118 fixes the first shell 114 to the thermal insulation box 21 . The first flexible heat conducting member 112 covers the first window 1141 , and the edge of the first flexible heat conducting member 112 is connected to the first housing 114 .

The second housing 115 is provided at the bottom of the first housing 114 . The edge of the second housing 115 is hinged to the edge of the first housing 114 . The second housing 115 can open and close the opening at the bottom of the first housing 114 . A second window 1151 is provided on the second housing 115 . When the second housing 115 covers the opening of the first housing 114, the first window 1141 and the second window 1151 are coaxial. The second window 1151 may be disposed in the middle of the second housing 115 . The second flexible heat conducting member 113 covers the second window 1151 , and the edge of the second flexible heat conducting member 113 is connected to the second housing 115 .

The sealing ring 116 has elasticity, and the sealing ring 116 may be a rubber sealing ring or a silicone sealing ring. The sealing ring 116 is provided on the side of the second housing 115 close to the first housing 114 . The sealing ring 116 surrounds the second window 1151 . The sealing ring 116 can seal the gap between the first housing 114 and the second housing 115 when the second housing 115 is closed on the opening of the first housing 114 .

The sealing ring 116 , the first housing 114 , the second housing 115 , the first flexible heat conducting member 112 and the second flexible heat conducting member 113 enclose the thawing chamber 111 .

In an exemplary embodiment, the second housing 115 is also provided with a buckle 117 . The buckle 117 is provided on the side of the second housing 115 away from the second housing 115 and the first housing 114 that is hinged. The buckle 117 can be hung on the first housing 114 so that the second housing 115 is connected to the side of the first housing 114 away from the hinged sides.

When the second housing 115 covers the opening of the first housing 114, the buckle 117 can be hung on the first housing 114, making the thawing chamber 11 difficult to open and maintaining the sealed state of the thawing chamber 11.

In an exemplary embodiment, a first slot 1142 is provided on the first housing 114 . The first slot 1142 is configured in an annular shape, and the opening of the first slot 1142 faces inward. The first slot 1142 is provided on a side of the first housing 114 facing away from the second housing 115 and surrounds the first window 1141 . The first flexible heat conductive member 112 is inserted into the first slot 1142 .

The second housing 115 is provided with a second slot 1152 . The second slot 1152 is configured in an annular shape, and the opening of the second slot 1152 faces inward. The second slot 1152 is provided on a side of the second housing 115 away from the first housing 114 and surrounds the second window 1151 . The second flexible heat conductive member 113 is inserted into the second slot 1152 .

In this way, the first flexible heat conducting member 112 is inserted into the first housing 114, the assembly between the first flexible heat conducting member 112 and the first housing 114 is more convenient, and the first flexible heat conducting member 112 is also easily removed from the first housing. 114 is disassembled and cleaned. The second flexible heat conductive member 113 is inserted into the second housing 115. The assembly between the second flexible heat conductive member 113 and the second housing 115 is more convenient. The second flexible heat conductive member 113 is also easy to remove from the second housing 115. Disassemble and clean.

In an exemplary embodiment, the thawing device 1 further includes a fan 14 . The fan 14 is disposed in the refrigerator compartment 2 , and the fan 14 may be suspended from the top of the insulating box 21 . The fan 14 is provided on one side of the thawing chamber 11 . The fan 14 blows air toward the defrosting chamber 11 .

The fan 14 blows air into the thawing chamber 11 to cause forced convection of air, thereby accelerating the heat exchange between the flexible heat-conducting member and the air in the refrigerating chamber 2, thereby accelerating the thawing process of the food 3 to be thawed.

In an exemplary embodiment, the vacuum assembly 12 further includes a pressure sensor 124 and a first valve 123 . The pressure sensor 124 may be disposed on the air extraction pipe 121 . The pressure sensor 124 is used to measure the air pressure in the thawing chamber 111 . The first valve 123 may be a solenoid valve. The first valve 123 is provided on the air extraction pipe 121 and is located between the pressure sensor 124 and the vacuum pump 122 . The first valve 123 can cut off and connect the exhaust pipe 121.

When the first valve 123 is opened, the vacuum pump 122 can extract the gas in the thawing chamber 111 so that the air pressure in the thawing chamber 111 is in a negative pressure state. After closing the first valve 123 and the vacuum pump 122, the air pressure in the thawing chamber 111 can be maintained at a negative pressure state.

In an exemplary embodiment, the insulation box 21 is also provided with a second through hole 212 . The second through hole 212 may be provided on the top wall of the thermal insulation box 21 . The first housing 114 is also provided with a water filling port 1113 . The water injection port 1113 is connected to the thawing chamber 111 .

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the thawing device 1 also includes a water injection component 13. The water filling component 13 is connected to the thawing chamber 111 . The water filling assembly 13 is used to fill water into the thawing chamber 111 .

The water filling assembly 13 includes a water filling pipe 131 , a water storage box 133 and a second valve 132 . The water injection pipe 131 is passed through the second through hole 212 of the thermal insulation box 21 . The water storage box 133 is used to hold water, and the bottom of the water outlet box is provided with a water outlet. One end of the water injection pipe 131 is connected to the water injection port 1113 on the thawing chamber 11 , and the other end of the water injection pipe 131 is connected to the water outlet of the water storage box 133 . The water storage box 133 can be connected to the thawing chamber 111 through the water injection pipe 131 . The second valve 132 is provided on the water injection pipe 131 and can cut off and connect the water injection pipe 131.

Since the food to be thawed 3 is usually an irregularly shaped hard block, even if the thawing chamber 111 is evacuated, it cannot ensure that the surface of the food to be thawed 3 is completely in close contact with the flexible heat conducting member. When the second valve 132 is opened, the water injection assembly 13 can inject a certain amount of water into the thawing chamber 111 to fill the gap between the flexible heat-conducting component and the food 3 to be defrosted, thereby accelerating the process between the food 3 to be defrosted and the flexible heat-conducting component. Heat conduction, thereby accelerating the thawing speed of the food to be thawed 3. In particular, when the thawing chamber 111 is in a negative pressure state, the water injected into the thawing chamber 111 by the water injection assembly 13 vaporizes into water vapor in a low-pressure environment, and the water vapor will penetrate between the flexible heat-conducting member and the food to be thawed 3 space, and condenses and releases heat on the surface of the food to be thawed 3, which can further accelerate the thawing process.

In an exemplary embodiment, the thawing device 1 further includes a controller. The controller is electrically connected to the first valve 123, the second valve 132, the vacuum pump 122, the fan 14 and the pressure sensor 124.

This embodiment also proposes a thawing method, which is implemented based on the above-mentioned thawing device 1. The thawing method includes:

Step S1: After receiving the instruction to start thawing, the controller drives the vacuum assembly 12 to evacuate the thawing chamber 111 and drives the fan 14 to blow the thawing chamber 11. When the air pressure in the thawing chamber 111 is less than the preset air pressure or the vacuuming time is longer than When the time threshold is preset, step S2 is entered;

After placing the food 3 to be thawed into the thawing chamber 111 , the user issues a thawing instruction to the refrigerator 100 . The thawing instruction may be issued by pressing a corresponding button on the control panel of the refrigerator 100 .

The controller drives the vacuum pump 122 of the vacuum assembly 12 to evacuate the thawing chamber 111 so that the flexible heat-conducting member is close to the food 3 to be defrosted. At the same time, the controller drives the fan 14 to run, and the fan 14 blows air into the thawing chamber 11 to accelerate the heat exchange between the flexible heat-conducting parts and the air.

When the air pressure in the thawing chamber 111 is less than the preset air pressure, the flexible heat-conducting member is already close to the food 3 to be thawed. At this time, the vacuum pump 122 can be controlled to stop vacuuming. The preset air pressure range is 1~600Pa.

In order to prevent air leakage in the thawing chamber 111 from causing the air pressure in the thawing chamber 111 to fail to reach the preset pressure for a long time, causing the vacuum pump 122 to continue running for a long time, the vacuum pump 122 is controlled to stop pumping after the running time of the vacuum pump 122 reaches the preset time threshold. vacuum. The preset time threshold is greater than the time required for the vacuum pump 122 to reduce the air pressure in the thawing chamber 111 below the preset air pressure under normal conditions.

Step S2: The controller stops driving the vacuum assembly 12 to evacuate the thawing chamber 111, drives the water filling assembly 13 to inject water into the thawing chamber 111, and enters step S3;

The controller drives the second valve 132 to open. Since there is a negative pressure in the thawing chamber 111, the water stored in the water storage box 133 is sucked into the thawing chamber 111 along the water injection pipe 131. The amount of water injected by the water injection component 13 each time can be 1 to 2 mL.

When the thawing chamber 111 is in a negative pressure state, the water injected into the thawing chamber 111 by the water injection assembly 13 vaporizes into water vapor in a low-pressure environment, and the water vapor will penetrate into the gap between the flexible heat-conducting member and the food to be thawed 3. And condenses and releases heat on the surface of the food to be thawed 3. At the same time, the water can fill the gap between the flexible heat conducting member and the food to be thawed 3, improving the heat transfer between the flexible heat conducting member and the food to be thawed 3. Thus, it can Speed up the thawing process.

Step S3: The controller determines whether the current defrosting time is greater than the preset softening time, which is greater than the preset time threshold. If so, go to step S4, otherwise go to step S1;

The current unfreezing duration is the time from receiving the unfreezing instruction to the current moment. When the current thawing time is longer than the preset softening time, the surface of the food to be thawed 3 has been partially thawed and softened, and the contact between the food to be thawed 3 and the flexible heat conductive member is good. At this time, there is no need to fill the thawing chamber 111 with water.

The preset softening time is proportional to the set defrosting time, and the ratio of the preset softening time to the set defrosting time is less than 1. The set defrosting time can be set by the user. It is the desired time to defrost the food 3 currently to be defrosted, and is also the total working time of the defrosting device 1. The value range of the set defrosting time is 30 to 50 minutes.

Step S4: The controller drives the vacuum assembly 12 to vacuum the thawing chamber 111, and enters step S5;

Step S5: The controller determines whether the current defrosting time is greater than the set defrosting time, if so, go to step S6, otherwise go to step S4;

When the current thawing time does not reach the set thawing time, the thawing chamber 111 is continuously evacuated, so that the flexible heat-conducting member and the food to be thawed 3 are in close contact with each other, so that the heat conduction between the flexible heat-conducting member and the food to be thawed 3 is faster.

Step S6: The controller stops the operation of the vacuum assembly 12 and the fan 14.

When the current thawing time reaches the set thawing time, the vacuum pump 122 and the fan 14 are turned off, and the thawing device 1 stops operating.

Before the surface of the food to be thawed 3 is softened, the thawing chamber 111 is evacuated and water is injected into the thawing chamber 111 alternately to improve the contact between the flexible heat-conducting member and the food to be thawed 3 . After the surface of the food to be thawed 3 is softened, the thawing chamber 111 is continuously evacuated to keep the flexible heat conductive member and the food to be thawed 3 close to each other until the current defrosting time reaches the set defrosting time, so that the food to be thawed 3 is completely defrosted. During the above process, the fan 14 continuously delivers the air flow to the flexible heat-conducting member and exchanges heat with the flexible heat-conducting member, so that the food 3 to be defrosted can be defrosted quickly, and the thawing speed of the food 3 to be defrosted can reach 3~3% of its natural thawing speed. 5 times and above.

In an illustrative embodiment, step S1 includes steps S11 to S16.

Step S11: The controller receives the instruction to start thawing and enters step S12;

Step S12: The controller drives the fan 14 to blow air into the thawing chamber 11, and enters step S13;

Step S13: The controller opens the first valve 123 and closes the second valve 132, drives the vacuum pump 122 to evacuate the thawing chamber 111, and enters step S14;

Step S14: The controller detects the air pressure in the thawing chamber 111 through the pressure sensor 124 and proceeds to step S15;

Step S15: The controller determines whether the air pressure in the thawing chamber 111 is less than the preset air pressure. If so, proceed to step S2; otherwise, proceed to step S16;

Step S16: The controller determines whether the current vacuuming time is greater than the preset time threshold. If so, proceed to step S2; otherwise, proceed to step S13.

During the vacuuming process, the first valve 123 is in an open state and the vacuum pump 122 is connected to the thawing chamber 111 through the air evacuation pipe 121. The second valve 132 is in a closed state. The water injection pipe 131 is cut off, and the water in the water storage box 133 cannot be injected. into the thawing chamber 111.

In an illustrative embodiment, step S2 includes steps S21 to S2

Step S21: The controller stops driving the vacuum pump 122 for vacuuming, opens the second valve 132 and closes the first valve 123, and enters step S22;

Step S22: The controller determines whether the opening time of the second valve 132 is longer than the preset water filling time. If so, proceed to step S23; otherwise, proceed to step S22;

Step S24: The controller drives the second valve 132 to close and enters step S3.

During the water filling process, the first valve 123 is in a closed state, the air extraction pipe 121 is sealed, and gas cannot be poured back into the thawing chamber 111 from the air extraction pipe 121. At the same time, after the second valve 132 is opened, the water in the water storage box 133 flows along the The water injection pipe 131 is sucked into the thawing chamber 111 . After the opening time of the second valve 132 reaches the preset water injection time, the second valve 132 is closed to control the amount of water injected into the thawing chamber 111 . The preset water injection duration may range from 0.1 to 2s, preferably 1s.

The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application, and do not limit the patent scope of the present application. Under the concept of the present application, equivalent structural transformations made by using the contents of the description and drawings of the present application, or directly/indirectly applied in Other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of this application.

Claims

A thawing device, which includes:

A thawing chamber is provided with a thawing chamber, the thawing chamber includes a thawing area for placing food to be thawed, and the wall of the thawing area is a flexible heat-conducting member; and

A vacuum assembly is connected to the thawing chamber and used to evacuate the thawing chamber.
The thawing device according to claim 1, wherein the thawing chamber includes a first flexible heat conducting member and a second flexible heat conducting member spaced apart from the first flexible heat conducting member;

The defrosting zone is a gap between the first flexible thermally conductive member and the second flexible thermally conductive member.
The thawing device according to claim 2, wherein the thawing chamber further includes a first housing provided with an opening and a second housing hingedly connected to the first housing, and the second housing can cover the the opening of the first housing;

A first window is provided on the first housing, and the first flexible heat conductive member covers the first window;

A second window is provided on the second housing, and the second flexible heat conductive member covers the second window.
The thawing device according to claim 3, wherein the thawing chamber further includes a sealing ring disposed on the side of the second housing facing the first housing, the sealing ring surrounding the second window. around;

The sealing ring seals the gap between the first housing and the second housing when the second housing is closed on the opening of the first housing, and the first flexible heat conductive member , the first housing, the second flexible heat conductive member, the second housing and the sealing ring enclose the thawing chamber.
The thawing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the thawing device further includes a fan disposed outside the thawing chamber, and the fan is used to blow air into the thawing chamber.
The thawing device according to claim 5, wherein the thawing device further includes a water filling component connected to the thawing chamber, for injecting water into the thawing chamber to fill the flexible heat-conducting member when the thawing chamber is in a vacuum state. space between the food to be defrosted.
The thawing device according to claim 6, wherein the thawing device further includes a controller, the controller is electrically connected to the water filling component, the fan and the vacuuming component;

The controller is configured to drive the fan to blow air into the thawing chamber, and alternately drive the vacuum assembly to evacuate the thawing chamber and drive the water filling assembly to inject water into the thawing chamber.
The thawing device according to claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to alternately evacuate the thawing chamber and inject water into the thawing chamber for a preset softening time, and then drive the vacuum assembly to continue to evacuate the thawing chamber. The thawing chamber is evacuated.
The thawing device according to claim 8, wherein the vacuum assembly includes a vacuum pump, an air extraction pipe with two ends connected to the vacuum pump and the thawing chamber respectively, and a first valve provided on the air extraction pipe;

The water injection assembly includes a water storage box, a water injection pipe with two ends connected to the water storage box and the thawing chamber respectively, and a second valve provided on the water injection pipe;

The controller is electrically connected to the first valve, the second valve and the vacuum pump;

When the thawing chamber is evacuated, the controller opens the first valve, closes the second valve, and drives the vacuum pump to operate;

When water is injected into the thawing chamber, the controller closes the second valve and opens the first valve.
A refrigerator, which includes the thawing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 and a refrigerator compartment accommodating the thawing chamber.
A thawing method, including:

Blow air into the thawing chamber, which includes a thawing chamber, the thawing chamber includes a thawing area for accommodating food to be thawed, and the wall of the thawing area is a flexible heat-conducting member;

Alternately evacuate the thawing chamber and inject water into the thawing chamber until the current thawing time is greater than the preset softening time;

Continue to vacuum the thawing chamber until the current thawing time is longer than the set thawing time.
The thawing method according to claim 11, wherein alternately evacuating the thawing chamber and filling the thawing chamber with water includes:

The thawing chamber is evacuated. When the air pressure in the thawing chamber is less than the preset air pressure or the vacuuming time is greater than the preset time threshold, the thawing chamber is stopped and water is injected into the thawing chamber.
The thawing method according to claim 11, wherein the amount of water injected into the thawing chamber each time is 1 to 2 mL.