WO2024093781A1

WO2024093781A1 - Defrosting heating device for refrigerator, and refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2024093781A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/126759
Authority: WO
Inventors: 曹子林; 王铭; 朱小兵; 秦娟娟
Original assignee: 青岛海尔电冰箱有限公司; 海尔智家股份有限公司
Priority date: 2022-10-31
Filing date: 2023-10-26
Publication date: 2024-05-10
Also published as: CN117989797A

Abstract

A defrosting heating device (20) for a refrigerator, and a refrigerator (1). The defrosting heating device (20) is used for heating to defrost a structure to be defrosted of a refrigerator (1), and comprises a plurality of heating sections (21) electrically connected in parallel, wherein the plurality of heating sections (21) are configured to be respectively distributed in different zones of said structure; and each heating section (21) is configured to change the resistance value thereof according to the temperature change of an environment where the heating section (21) is located, and the resistance value of the heating section (21) is positively related to the temperature of the environment where the heating section (21) is located. Thus, the aim of zone heating defrosting is achieved, and the defrosting heating device (20) is self-adaptive to the defrosting requirements of different zones of a structure to be defrosted, thereby improving a defrosting effect.

Description

Defrosting heating device for refrigerator and refrigerator

Technical Field

The invention relates to refrigeration and freezing technology, in particular to a defrosting heating device for a refrigerator and the refrigerator.

Background technique

A refrigerator is a storage device that uses a refrigeration system to provide a low-temperature environment. Its components such as the evaporator or air duct are prone to ice. In the prior art, heating wires are usually used to defrost and de-ice the evaporator or air duct. However, due to the different amounts of frost in different areas of the evaporator or air duct, and the different distances from the heating wires during defrosting, different areas of the evaporator or air duct receive different amounts of heat, resulting in inconsistent defrosting conditions. Some areas have already been defrosted, while some areas still have a large amount of ice or frost remaining. This results in the dry-burning temperature of the parts that have been defrosted being too high, resulting in a greater risk of fire, while the heat in the parts that have not been defrosted is insufficient, resulting in extremely poor defrosting effects.

Summary of the invention

An object of the first aspect of the present invention is to overcome at least one defect of the prior art and to provide a defrosting heating device for a refrigerator capable of zoned heating so as to adapt to the defrosting requirements of different zones of the structure to be defrosted.

A further object of the first aspect of the present invention is to improve the assembly convenience of the defrost heating device.

A second aspect of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having the above-mentioned defrosting heating device.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a defrost heating device for a refrigerator, which is used to heat and defrost a structure to be defrosted in the refrigerator. The defrost heating device includes a plurality of heating segments electrically connected in parallel, and the plurality of heating segments are used to be respectively distributed in different areas of the structure to be defrosted; and each of the heating segments is configured to change its resistance value according to the temperature change of its own environment, and the resistance value of the heating segment is positively correlated with the temperature of its environment.

Optionally, the defrost heating device also includes an insulating sleeve covering the outside of the multiple heating sections; and each of the heating sections extends along the length direction of the insulating sleeve, and the multiple heating sections are arranged in sequence along the length direction of the insulating sleeve, and any two adjacent heating sections do not overlap.

Optionally, the multiple heating segments are arranged in sequence along the length direction of the insulating sleeve according to a preset order; the defrost heating device also includes a plurality of wires electrically connected in series with the multiple heating segments respectively, and the plurality of wires are connected in parallel step by step according to the preset order.

Optionally, each of the wires has a starting end that is earlier and an end that is later in the preset order, and each of the heating sections has a starting end that is earlier and an end that is later in the preset order; the starting end of each of the wires except the first-level wire is connected to a position of the wire located one level above the wire that is adjacent to the starting end of the heating section to which it is connected in series; the end of each of the wires except the last-level wire is connected to a position of the wire located one level below the wire that is adjacent to the end of the heating section to which it is connected in series.

Optionally, the multiple heating sections are in contact with each other end to end in sequence along the length direction of the insulating sleeve.

Optionally, the defrosting heating device further comprises an aluminum tube sleeved outside the insulating sleeve.

Optionally, the defrosting heating device is distributed circuitously on the structure to be defrosted, and the insulating sleeve is a sleeve body made of silicone material.

Optionally, the heating section is a heating wire made of NTC material.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the present invention further provides a refrigerator, comprising the defrost heating device described in any of the above schemes, so as to heat and defrost the structure to be defrosted of the refrigerator by using the defrost heating device.

Optionally, the refrigerator further comprises:

a box body, defining an evaporator chamber and a storage compartment for storing items;

The structure to be defrosted is an evaporator for providing cold air to the storage compartment; and

The plurality of heating sections of the defrosting heating device are evenly distributed on the evaporator so as to heat and defrost various areas of the evaporator respectively.

Optionally, the evaporator comprises a plurality of heat exchange fins arranged at intervals; and a slot is provided on the outer side of each of the heat exchange fins, and the defrost heating device is mounted in the slots of the plurality of heat exchange fins.

Optionally, the evaporator is arranged horizontally or obliquely in the evaporator chamber.

Optionally, the evaporator chamber is formed at the bottom of the box body and is located below the storage compartment.

The defrosting heating device for refrigerators of the present invention comprises a plurality of heating sections electrically connected in parallel, and the plurality of heating sections are used to be respectively distributed in different areas of the structure to be defrosted, so as to perform zone heating on different areas of the structure to be defrosted, thereby achieving the purpose of zone defrosting. Moreover, each heating section can change its resistance value according to the temperature change of its own environment, and the higher the ambient temperature, the greater the resistance value of the heating section. When a certain area of the structure to be defrosted distributed by a certain heating section has been defrosted, the temperature of the area rises, so the resistance value of the heating section automatically increases, so that the current flowing through the heating section is reduced, thereby reducing the heating power of the heating section, and will not cause the dry burning phenomenon of the area where the defrosting is completed, thereby reducing the safety hazard. At the same time, when another area of the structure to be defrosted distributed by another heating section has not been defrosted, the temperature of the other area is still very low, so the resistance value of the other heating section is still kept small, and the current flowing through the other heating section is kept large, ensuring that the other heating section has a higher heating power, so that the other area can continue to be defrosted, and the defrosting effect is improved. Since the heating sections of the defrost heating device are connected in parallel, the current flowing through each heating section does not affect each other, that is, the heating power of each heating section does not affect each other, thereby achieving the purpose of zoned heating defrosting, adaptively adapting to the defrosting needs of different areas of the structure to be defrosted, and improving the defrosting effect.

Furthermore, in order to improve the defrosting effect of zoned heating, the number of heating sections of the defrosting heating device should be as large as possible. However, if the heating sections are connected in parallel in a common way, the more heating sections there are, the thicker the diameter of the defrosting heating device will be, which will affect the assembly and arrangement of the defrosting heating device, and even make it impossible for the defrosting heating device to be assembled to the structure to be defrosted. To this end, the present invention connects multiple wires that are respectively connected in series with multiple heating sections in parallel step by step according to a preset order, and in terms of physical structure, the multiple wires can be staggered and overlapped in sequence, thereby reducing the number of wires overlapping at the same position, limiting the radial size of the defrost heating device, avoiding the problem of unlimited thickening of the defrost heating device, and improving the assembly convenience of the defrost heating device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a defrosting heating device for a refrigerator according to the present invention;

FIG2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the defrosting heating device of the present invention;

FIG3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to the present invention;

FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of an evaporator of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic enlarged view of a part of the structure of the evaporator of the present invention.

Detailed ways

In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear, the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

The present invention first provides a defrosting heating device for a refrigerator, which is used to heat and defrost a structure to be defrosted in the refrigerator. Specifically, the structure to be defrosted in the refrigerator can be any structure in the refrigerator that may generate frost. For example, the structure to be defrosted in the refrigerator can be an evaporator, an air duct, and other structures.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a defrosting heating device for a refrigerator of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 1, the defrosting heating device 20 of the present invention comprises a plurality of heating sections 21 electrically connected in parallel, and the plurality of heating sections 21 are used to be respectively distributed in different areas of the refrigerator structure to be defrosted, so as to perform zone heating on different areas of the structure to be defrosted, thereby achieving the purpose of zone defrosting.

Furthermore, each heating segment 21 is configured to change its resistance value according to the temperature change of the environment in which it is located, and the resistance value of the heating segment 21 is positively correlated with the temperature of the environment in which it is located. That is, the higher the ambient temperature of the heating segment 21, the greater its resistance value; the lower the ambient temperature of the heating segment 21, the smaller its resistance value. Since the heating segments 21 are distributed on the structure to be defrosted, the ambient temperature of the heating segment 21 can be the regional temperature of the structure to be defrosted where the heating segment 21 is located.

It is understandable that the degree of frost or ice formation in different areas of the structure to be defrosted is different, so the defrosting progress in different areas is also different. Correspondingly, the temperature in different areas is also different.

When the structure to be defrosted just begins to defrost, the relay connected in series with the defrost heating device 20 is closed, and the defrost heating device 20 is powered on. At this time, each heating section of the defrost heating device 20 works at full load at the same time. When a certain area of the structure to be defrosted where a certain heating section 21 is distributed is close to the end of defrosting or has been defrosted, the temperature of the area is high, so the resistance value of the heating section 21 automatically increases, so that the current flowing through the heating section 21 is reduced, thereby reducing the heating power of the heating section 21, and will not cause dry burning in the area after defrosting, reducing safety hazards.

At the same time, when another area of the defrost structure distributed by another heating segment 21 still has thick frost, the temperature of the other area is still very low, so the resistance value of the other heating segment 21 remains small, and the current flowing through the other heating segment 21 is The current of the segment 21 is kept relatively large, ensuring that the other heating segment 21 has a relatively high heating power, so that the other area can continue to be defrosted efficiently, thereby improving the defrosting effect.

Since the various heating sections 21 of the defrost heating device 20 are connected in parallel, the currents flowing through the various heating sections 21 do not affect each other, that is, the heating powers of the various heating sections 21 do not affect each other, thereby achieving the purpose of zoned heating defrosting, adaptively adapting to the defrosting needs of different areas of the structure to be defrosted, achieving precise heating, and improving the defrosting effect.

The defrosting heating device 20 of the present invention can realize temperature recognition of the same structure to be defrosted, thereby performing local heating. This recognition method does not require external circuit support and utilizes the inherent characteristics of the heating section 21 as a temperature sensor while performing heating, thereby reducing production costs and solving the problem of temperature difference dry burning.

In some embodiments, the heating section 21 may be a heating wire made of NTC material. NTC is a temperature-sensitive material that can adapt to changes in temperature, and its resistance value can change with temperature. The change trend of the resistance value with temperature is consistent with the above requirements of the present invention, with low cost and reliable performance.

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a defrosting heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 2, in some embodiments, the defrosting heating device 20 further includes an insulating sleeve 22 covering the outside of the plurality of heating segments 21 to further improve the safety performance of the defrosting heating device 20. In addition, the insulating sleeve 22 covers the plurality of heating segments 21, so that the plurality of heating segments 21 form a whole, which is more neat and convenient for the assembly of the defrosting heating device 20.

Furthermore, each heating segment 21 extends along the length direction of the insulating sleeve 22, and multiple heating segments 21 are arranged in sequence along the length direction of the insulating sleeve 22. Any two adjacent heating segments 21 do not overlap. Therefore, any two adjacent areas of the structure to be defrosted corresponding to the heating segments 21 do not overlap, so that the correspondence between the heating segments 21 and the areas of the structure to be defrosted is clearer and more definite, which is convenient for uniquely confirming the heating power of the heating segments 21.

In a specific embodiment, the plurality of heating sections 21 are sequentially connected end to end along the length direction of the insulating sleeve 22. In other words, two adjacent heating sections 21 may be closely connected.

In another specific embodiment, a plurality of heating segments 21 are sequentially spaced apart along the length direction of the insulating sleeve 22. That is, two adjacent heating segments 21 may also be spaced apart by a small distance. The spacing between two adjacent heating segments 21 is not too large to avoid the problem that a part of the structure to be defrosted cannot effectively receive heat and cannot defrost.

In some embodiments, the plurality of heating segments 21 are sequentially arranged in a preset order along the length direction of the insulating sleeve 22. The defrosting heating device 20 further includes a plurality of wires 24 respectively electrically connected in series with the plurality of heating segments 21. That is, each heating segment 21 is connected in series to a corresponding wire 24, and the plurality of wires 24 connected in series to the plurality of heating segments 21 are electrically connected in parallel.

In order to improve the effect of zoned heating and defrosting, the area of the structure to be defrosted needs to be finely divided, so the number of heating sections 21 of the defrosting heating device 20 should be as large as possible. However, if the heating sections 21 are connected in parallel in a common manner, the more heating sections 21 there are, the thicker the defrosting heating device 20 will be. When the defrosting heating device 20 is thick enough, it will affect the assembly and arrangement of the defrosting heating device 20, and even cause the defrosting heating device 20 to be unable to be assembled to the corresponding position of the structure to be defrosted.

To this end, the present invention connects the multiple wires 24 connected in series with the multiple heating sections in parallel step by step according to a preset sequence. Thus, in terms of physical structure, the multiple wires 24 can be staggered and overlapped in sequence, reducing the number of wires overlapping at the same position. The radial dimension of the defrost heating device 20 is limited, the problem of unlimited thickening of the defrost heating device 20 is avoided, and the assembly convenience of the defrost heating device 20 is improved.

In some embodiments, each wire 24 has a starting end 241 and a terminal end 242 in the above-preset order, and each heating section 21 has a starting end 211 and a terminal end 212 in the above-preset order. The starting end 241 of each wire 24 other than the first-level wire 24 is connected to the position of the wire 24 located at the previous level of the wire, which is adjacent to the starting end of the heating section 21 connected in series. That is, the starting end 241 of each wire 24 other than the first-level wire 24 is adjacent to the starting end of the heating section 21 connected in series with the wire 24 located at the previous level of the wire. The terminal end of each wire 24 other than the last-level wire 24 is connected to the position of the wire 24 located at the next level of the wire 21, which is adjacent to the terminal end of the heating section 21 connected in series with the wire 24 located at the next level of the wire 21. That is, the terminal end of each wire 24 other than the last-level wire 24 is adjacent to the terminal end of the heating section 21 connected in series with the wire 24 located at the next level of the wire 21. Thus, the lengths of the overlapping conductive wires 24 and/or heating sections 21 at the same overlapping position can be shortened as much as possible, thereby reducing the radial dimension of the defrosting heating device 20 as much as possible.

In some embodiments, the defrosting heating device 20 is distributed on the structure to be defrosted in a circuitous manner to improve the distribution uniformity of the defrosting heating device 20. Specifically, the defrosting heating device 20 can extend in a circuitous manner in a serpentine structure, or can extend in a spiral manner.

Furthermore, since the defrost heating device 20 has more bending or curving positions, and the step-by-step parallel connection of the multiple wires 24 connected in series to each heating segment 21 will also cause the overall exterior formed by the multiple heating segments 21 and the multiple wires 24 to be uneven, therefore, there are higher requirements on the flexibility of the material of the insulating sleeve 22 that is sleeved on the outside of the multiple heating segments 21 and the multiple wires 24.

For this reason, the insulating sleeve 22 of the present invention is preferably a sleeve made of silicone material. Silicone material is soft and tough, and will not break even after being bent or bent for many times. In addition, silicone is an insulating material that is resistant to high temperature, low temperature, wear and oxidation, and is very suitable for the defrosting and heating device 20. It can adapt to the low temperature environment of the evaporator, air duct, etc. during non-defrosting, and can adapt to the high temperature environment generated by the heating section 21 during defrosting, and has a long service life.

The defrost heating device 20 is usually used to defrost the evaporator, and the evaporator is usually made of aluminum. To this end, in some embodiments, the defrost heating device 20 also includes an aluminum tube 23 sleeved on the outside of the insulating sleeve 22. The aluminum tube 23 has good thermal conductivity and can quickly and efficiently conduct the heat generated by the heating section 21 to the structure to be defrosted, and the aluminum tube 23 can directly contact the aluminum evaporator, thereby protecting the insulating sleeve 22 from being cut by the fins of the evaporator. In addition, since the evaporator and the aluminum tube are both made of aluminum, electrochemical corrosion will not occur, and the service life of the evaporator and the defrost heating device 20 is relatively long.

The present invention further provides a refrigerator, FIG3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of an evaporator according to an embodiment of the present invention. The refrigerator 1 includes a defrosting heating device 20 described in any of the above embodiments, so as to heat and defrost the structure to be defrosted of the refrigerator 1 by using the defrosting heating device 20.

Since the heating sections 21 of the defrosting heating device 20 are connected in parallel, the currents flowing through the heating sections 21 do not affect each other, that is, the heating powers of the heating sections 21 do not affect each other, thus achieving the purpose of zoned heating defrosting, adapting to the defrosting requirements of different areas of the structure to be defrosted, achieving precise heating, and improving the defrosting effect. The defrosting heating device 20 of the present invention can realize the temperature recognition of the same structure to be defrosted, thereby performing local heating, and this recognition method No external circuit support is required, and the heating section 21 is used as a temperature sensor while heating, thereby reducing production costs and solving the problem of temperature difference dry burning.

In some embodiments, the refrigerator 1 further includes a cabinet 10, which defines an evaporator chamber 12 and a storage compartment 11 for storing items. The structure to be defrosted is an evaporator 30 for providing cold air to the storage compartment 11. The plurality of heating sections 21 of the defrosting heating device 20 are evenly distributed on the evaporator 30 to heat and defrost each area of the evaporator 30 respectively.

Different from the prior art in which the defrost heating device is usually arranged at the bottom of the evaporator 30, the present invention directly arranges the defrost heating device 20 on the evaporator 30, and makes its multiple heating sections 21 evenly distributed on the evaporator 30, which can accurately heat according to the actual conditions of different areas of the evaporator 30, thereby avoiding dry burning in local areas and thoroughly and effectively defrosting all areas of the evaporator 30, thereby improving the defrosting effect of the evaporator 30.

FIG5 is a schematic enlarged diagram of a partial structure of an evaporator according to an embodiment of the present invention. In some embodiments, the evaporator 30 includes a plurality of heat exchange fins 31 arranged at intervals. A slot 311 is provided on the outer side of each heat exchange fin 31, and the defrost heating device 20 is clamped in the slots 311 of the plurality of heat exchange fins 31. The present invention simplifies the assembly of the defrost heating device 20 and enables efficient heat transfer to the heat exchange fins 311 by designing the slots 311 on the heat exchange fins 31 and supporting the defrost heating device 20 by the heat exchange fins 311 themselves.

Specifically, the opening size of the slot 311 may be smaller than the outer diameter of the defrosting heating device 20 , so that the defrosting heating device 20 is opened in the slot 311 after a certain deformation, and the snap connection is more secure.

Specifically, the defrosting heating device 20 may extend on the evaporator 30 in a circuitous manner along a serpentine curve.

In some embodiments, the evaporator 30 is horizontally or tiltedly arranged in the evaporator chamber 12. That is to say, the defrosting heating device 20 of the present invention is more suitable for heating and defrosting the horizontally or tilted evaporator 30. This is because, in the prior art, the horizontally or tilted evaporator 30 is usually defrosted by evenly distributing the defrosting heating device thereon, so the dry burning phenomenon and the incomplete defrosting phenomenon are more prominent and obvious.

In some embodiments, the evaporator chamber 12 is formed at the bottom of the cabinet 10 and is located below the storage compartment 11. That is, the evaporator 30 is placed at the bottom of the cabinet 10. When the evaporator 30 is placed at the bottom of the cabinet 10, the evaporator 30 is usually placed horizontally in the evaporator chamber 12, or slightly tilted in the evaporator chamber 12 at a small angle to the horizontal plane.

In some embodiments, the number of the storage compartment 11 may be one or more, and the multiple storage compartments 11 are all located above the evaporator compartment 12 .

In some embodiments, the number of the defrosting heating device 20 may be one or more, and the plurality of defrosting heating devices 20 are evenly distributed on the structure to be defrosted.

The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solution of the present invention may be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

A defrost heating device for a refrigerator, used for heating and defrosting a structure to be defrosted in the refrigerator, characterized in that the defrost heating device comprises a plurality of heating segments electrically connected in parallel, and the plurality of heating segments are used to be respectively distributed in different areas of the structure to be defrosted; and each of the heating segments is configured to change its resistance value according to the temperature change of its own environment, and the resistance value of the heating segment is positively correlated with the temperature of its environment.
The defrost heating device according to claim 1 is characterized in that the defrost heating device also includes an insulating sleeve covering the outside of the multiple heating segments; and each of the heating segments extends along the length direction of the insulating sleeve, and the multiple heating segments are arranged in sequence along the length direction of the insulating sleeve, and any two adjacent heating segments do not overlap.
The defrost heating device according to claim 2 is characterized in that the multiple heating segments are arranged in sequence along the length direction of the insulating sleeve according to a preset order; the defrost heating device also includes a plurality of wires electrically connected in series with the multiple heating segments respectively, and the plurality of wires are connected in parallel step by step according to the preset order.
The defrost heating device according to claim 3 is characterized in that each of the wires has a starting end that is earlier and a terminal that is later in the preset order, and each of the heating segments has a starting end that is earlier and a terminal that is later in the preset order; the starting end of each of the wires except the first-level wire is connected to a position of the wire located at the previous level of the wire adjacent to the starting end of the heating segment to which it is connected in series; the terminal end of each of the wires except the last-level wire is connected to a position of the wire located at the next level of the wire adjacent to the terminal end of the heating segment to which it is connected in series.
The defrosting heating device according to claim 2 is characterized in that the multiple heating sections are sequentially contacted end to end along the length direction of the insulating sleeve.
The defrost heating device according to claim 2 is characterized in that the defrost heating device also includes an aluminum tube sleeved outside the insulating sleeve.
The defrost heating device according to claim 2 is characterized in that the defrost heating device is distributed circuitously on the structure to be defrosted, and the insulating sleeve is a sleeve body made of silicone material.
The defrost heating device according to claim 2 is characterized in that the heating section is a heating wire made of NTC material.
A refrigerator, characterized in that it comprises the defrost heating device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, so that the defrost heating device is used to heat and defrost the structure to be defrosted of the refrigerator.
The refrigerator according to claim 9, further comprising:

a box body, defining an evaporator chamber and a storage compartment for storing items;

The structure to be defrosted is an evaporator for providing cold air to the storage compartment; and

The plurality of heating sections of the defrosting heating device are evenly distributed on the evaporator so as to heat and defrost various areas of the evaporator respectively.
The refrigerator according to claim 10, characterized in that the evaporator comprises a plurality of heat exchangers arranged at intervals. and each of the heat exchange fins has a card slot on its outer side, and the defrost heating device is mounted in the card slots of the plurality of heat exchange fins.
The refrigerator according to claim 10, characterized in that the evaporator is arranged horizontally or obliquely in the evaporator chamber.
The refrigerator according to claim 10, characterized in that the evaporator chamber is formed at the bottom of the cabinet and is located below the storage compartment.