U.S. patent application number 15/523335 was filed with the patent office on 2017-08-24 for freezing and refrigerating device and defrosting control method thereof.
The applicant listed for this patent is QINGDAO HAIER JOINT STOCK CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to LISHENG JI, JIANRU LIU, JIAN MA, FEIFEI QI, HAIBO TAO.
Application Number | 20170241696 15/523335 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53692328 |
Filed Date | 2017-08-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170241696 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
MA; JIAN ; et al. |
August 24, 2017 |
Freezing and Refrigerating Device and Defrosting Control Method
thereof
Abstract
A freezing and refrigerating device comprises a box body and a
door body. An air supply path supplying cooling air flow to a
storage compartment, an air return path enabling the air flow from
the storage compartment to pass, a cooling chamber and an air
discharging path are defined in the box body, wherein the cooling
chamber communicates with the air supply path and the air return
path, and contains an evaporator, a blower and a defrosting heater,
and the air discharging path communicates with the cooling chamber
and an ambient space. The air supply path and the air discharging
path are respectively provided with an air supply door and an air
discharging door for selectively connecting or blocking the air
supply path and the air return path. The present invention further
provides a defrosting control method of the freezing and
refrigerating device.
Inventors: |
MA; JIAN; (Qingdao City,
CN) ; TAO; HAIBO; (Qingdao City, CN) ; LIU;
JIANRU; (Qingdao City, CN) ; QI; FEIFEI;
(Qingdao City, CN) ; JI; LISHENG; (Qingdao City,
CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
QINGDAO HAIER JOINT STOCK CO., LTD. |
Qingdao City, Shandong Province |
|
CN |
|
|
Family ID: |
53692328 |
Appl. No.: |
15/523335 |
Filed: |
October 30, 2015 |
PCT Filed: |
October 30, 2015 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CN2015/093402 |
371 Date: |
April 28, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 21/14 20130101;
F25D 17/065 20130101; F25D 21/006 20130101; F25D 21/08 20130101;
F25D 2700/10 20130101; F25D 21/12 20130101; F25D 11/00
20130101 |
International
Class: |
F25D 21/08 20060101
F25D021/08; F25D 11/00 20060101 F25D011/00; F25D 17/06 20060101
F25D017/06; F25D 21/14 20060101 F25D021/14 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 29, 2015 |
CN |
201510213293.6 |
Claims
1. A freezing and refrigerating device, comprising a box body and a
door body pivotably connected to the box body, wherein inside the
box body are defined: at least one storage compartment for storing
articles; an air supply path configured to supply cooling air flow
to the at least one storage compartment; an air return path
configured to allow the air flow from the at least one storage
compartment to pass; a cooling chamber which communicates with the
air supply path and the air return path, and contains an evaporator
for cooling the air entering the cooling chamber from the air
return path, a blower for driving the air inside the cooling
chamber to flow towards the air supply path and a defrosting heater
provided on the evaporator; and an air discharging path
communicating with the cooling chamber and an ambient space so that
the air in the cooling chamber is directly discharged to the
ambient space; wherein the air supply path and the air return path
are respectively provided with an air supply door and an air
discharging door for selectively connecting or blocking the air
supply path and the air return path.
2. The freezing and refrigerating device of claim 1, wherein the
air discharging path is provided with an air discharging pump
therein for driving the air in the cooling chamber to flow towards
the ambient space.
3. The freezing and refrigerating device of claim 1, wherein one
end of the air discharging path communicating with the cooling
chamber is located downstream of the blower in the air flowing
direction.
4. The freezing and refrigerating device of claim 1, wherein the at
least one storage compartment comprises a refrigerating compartment
and a freezing compartment that are provided in a vertical
direction relative to each other, and the cooling chamber is
located behind the freezing compartment and is separated therefrom
by a rear cover plate of the freezing compartment.
5. The freezing and refrigerating device of claim 4, wherein the
air supply path comprises a refrigerating air feeding passage
located behind the refrigerating compartment and a freezing air
inlet provided at the rear cover plate of the freezing compartment,
and the air supply door comprises a refrigerating air feeding door
provided inside the refrigerating air feeding passage and a
freezing air feeding door provided at the freezing air inlet.
6. The freezing and refrigerating device of claim 4, wherein the
air return path comprises a refrigerating air return passage, which
extends from the bottom of the refrigerating compartment to an air
return opening part of the cooling chamber and intersects with the
air discharging path; and the air discharging door is provided at
an intersection of the refrigerating air return passage and the air
discharging path, such that when the air discharging door is in a
first state, the refrigerating air return passage is connected and
the air discharging path is blocked, and when the air discharging
door is in a second state, the refrigerating air return passage is
blocked and the air discharging path is connected.
7. The freezing and refrigerating device of claim 1, wherein a top
of the evaporator is provided with a first temperature sensor to
detect a temperature of the top of the evaporator.
8. The freezing and refrigerating device of claim 1, wherein the
defrosting heater is provided on the bottom of the evaporator and
faces a groove provided in the bottom of the cooling chamber, such
that defrosting water generated during defrosting flows into a
water collecting box provided at the bottom of the box body via a
water discharging pipe communicating with the groove.
9. A defrosting control method of a freezing and refrigerating
device of claim 1, the method comprising: step A: receiving a
defrosting signal instructing the evaporator of the freezing and
refrigerating device to perform defrosting; step B: starting the
defrosting heater located on the evaporator; step C: closing the
air supply door located in the air supply path of the freezing and
refrigerating device to block the air supply path; and step D:
opening the air discharging door located in the air discharging
path of the freezing and refrigerating device to connect the air
discharging path, such that hot air generated by the defrosting
heater when performing heating and defrosting is directly
discharged to the ambient space via the air discharging path.
10. The defrosting control method of claim 9, after the step D,
further comprising: step E: starting the air discharging pump in
the air discharging path to drive the hot air in the cooling
chamber to be discharged to the ambient space via the air
discharging path.
11. The defrosting control method of claim 10, after the step E,
further comprising: step F: when the temperature of the top of the
evaporator reaches a first predetermined temperature, stopping the
defrosting heater.
12. The defrosting control method of claim 11, after the step F,
further comprising: step G: when the defrosting heater is stopped
for a predetermined time period, closing the air discharging pump
and the air discharging door.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention is related to defrosting technologies
of evaporators, and more particularly, to a freezing and
refrigerating device and a defrosting control method thereof.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Usually, after a freezing and refrigerating device, such as
a fridge or the like, operates for a certain period, the surface of
its evaporator frosts. The frost affects the heat exchange between
the evaporator and the air inside the fridge and reduces the
refrigerating efficiency of the evaporator. Therefore, defrosting
must be performed after the fridge operates for a certain
period.
[0003] In the prior arts, usually defrosting of an evaporator is
performed by heating. However, hot air generated during defrosting
cannot be discharged out of the fridge. In this case, on one hand,
the hot air may enter the storage compartment of the fridge via air
inlets, and the temperature in the storage compartment rises,
affecting the freshness and freezing time of food. On the other
hand, after the defrosting for the evaporator ends, if
refrigerating is performed to the storage compartment again, the
temperature in the storage compartment can be restored to the
temperature before the defrosting is performed after a long period,
thereby increasing the energy consumption of the fridge.
SUMMARY
[0004] A first aspect of this invention aims to overcome at least
one defect of existing freezing and refrigerating devices, and
provides a freezing and refrigerating device. The freezing and
refrigerating device of this invention can discharge the hot air
generated by defrosting out of the freezing and refrigerating
device, so that temperature rise in the storage compartment due to
the defrosting hot air can be avoided, preservation time of food is
extended and the energy consumption of the freezing and
refrigerating device is reduced.
[0005] A further object of the first aspect of this invention is to
shorten the defrosting time of the freezing and refrigerating
device to improve the defrosting effect.
[0006] Another object of the first aspect of this invention is to
automatically stop the defrosting for the evaporator.
[0007] One object of a second aspect of this invention is to
provide a defrosting control method of a freezing and refrigerating
device.
[0008] According to the first aspect of this invention, this
invention provides a freezing and refrigerating device, comprising
a box body and a door body pivotably connected to the box body,
wherein inside the box body are defined: at least one storage
compartment for storing articles; an air supply path configured to
supply cooling air flow to the at least one storage compartment; an
air return path configured to allow the air flow from the at least
one storage compartment to pass; a cooling chamber which
communicates with the air supply path and the air return path, and
contains an evaporator for cooling the air entering the cooling
chamber from the air return path, a blower for driving the air
inside the cooling chamber to flow towards the air supply path and
a defrosting heater provided on the evaporator; and an air
discharging path communicating with the cooling chamber and an
ambient space so that the air in the cooling chamber is directly
discharged to the ambient space, wherein the air supply path and
the air return path are respectively provided with an air supply
door and an air discharging door for selectively connecting or
blocking the air supply path and the air return path.
[0009] Optionally, the air discharging path is provided with an air
discharging pump therein for driving the air in the cooling chamber
to flow towards the ambient space.
[0010] Optionally, one end of the air discharging path
communicating with the cooling chamber is located downstream of the
blower in the air flowing direction.
[0011] Optionally, the at least one storage compartment comprises a
refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment that are
provided in a vertical direction relative to each other, and the
cooling chamber is located behind the freezing compartment and is
separated therefrom by a rear cover plate of the freezing
compartment.
[0012] Optionally, the air supply path comprises a refrigerating
air feeding passage located behind the refrigerating compartment
and a freezing air inlet provided at the rear cover plate of the
freezing compartment, and the air supply door comprises a
refrigerating air feeding door provided inside the refrigerating
air feeding passage and a freezing air feeding door provided at the
freezing air inlet.
[0013] Optionally, the air return path comprises a refrigerating
air return passage, which extends from the bottom of the
refrigerating compartment to an air return opening part of the
cooling chamber and intersects with the air discharging path; and
the air discharging door is provided at an intersection of the
refrigerating air return passage and the air discharging path, such
that when the air discharging door is in a first state, the
refrigerating air return passage is connected and the air
discharging path is blocked, and when the air discharging door is
in a second state, the refrigerating air return passage is blocked
and the air discharging path is connected.
[0014] Optionally, a top of the evaporator is provided with a first
temperature sensor to detect a temperature of the top of the
evaporator.
[0015] Optionally, the defrosting heater is provided on the bottom
of the evaporator and faces a groove provided in the bottom of the
cooling chamber, such that defrosting water generated during
defrosting flows into a water collecting box provided at the bottom
of the box body via a water discharging pipe communicating with the
groove.
[0016] According to the second aspect of this invention, this
invention also provides a defrosting control method of a freezing
and refrigerating device, the method comprising: step A: receiving
a defrosting signal instructing the evaporator of the freezing and
refrigerating device to perform defrosting; step B: starting the
defrosting heater located on the evaporator; step C: closing the
air supply door located in the air supply path of the freezing and
refrigerating device to block the air supply path; and step D:
opening the air discharging door located in the air discharging
path of the freezing and refrigerating device to connect the air
discharging path, such that hot air generated by the defrosting
heater when performing heating and defrosting is directly
discharged to the ambient space via the air discharging path.
[0017] Optionally, after the step A, the method further comprises
step E: starting the air discharging pump in the air discharging
path to drive the hot air in the cooling chamber to be discharged
to the ambient space via the air discharging path.
[0018] Optionally, after the step E, the method further comprises
step F: when the temperature of the top of the evaporator reaches a
first predetermined temperature, stopping the defrosting
heater.
[0019] Optionally, after the step F, the method further comprises
step G: when the defrosting heater is stopped for a predetermined
time period, closing the air discharging pump and the air
discharging door.
[0020] In the freezing and refrigerating device of this invention,
as the air supply path communicating with the cooling chamber and
the storage compartment is provided with an air supply door, and
the air discharging path communicating with the cooling chamber and
the ambient space is provided with an air discharging door, when
defrosting is performed to the evaporator in the cooling chamber,
the air supply door can block the air supply path, preventing the
hot air generated when the defrosting heater heats and defrosts
from flowing into the storage compartment via the air supply path.
In addition, the air discharging path can be opened by the air
discharging door, so that hot air generated by defrosting is
directly discharged to the ambient space via the air discharging
path. Therefore, the freezing and refrigerating device of this
invention can prevent the temperature in the storage compartment
from increasing due to the defrosting hot air, and extend the
preservation time of food. In addition, the defrosting operations
of the evaporator hardly affect the temperature in the storage
compartment. After the defrosting for the evaporator ends, if
refrigerating is performed to the storage compartment again, the
temperature in the storage compartment can be restored to the
temperature before the defrosting is performed in a short period,
thereby reducing the energy consumption of the freezing and
refrigerating device.
[0021] Further, in the freezing and refrigerating device of this
invention, as the air discharging path is provided with an air
discharging pump therein for driving the air in the cooling chamber
to flow towards the ambient space, the hot air generated by
defrosting can be discharged in time, improving the air flow,
shortening the defrosting time of the freezing and refrigerating
device and improving the defrosting effect.
[0022] Further, in the freezing and refrigerating device of this
invention, as a top of the evaporator is provided with a first
temperature sensor to detect a temperature of the top of the
evaporator in real time, the defrosting condition can be
determined. When the temperature of the top of the evaporator
reaches a predetermined temperature, the defrosting heater is
stopped, thereby automatically stopping the defrosting operations
for the evaporator.
[0023] The above and other objects, advantages and features of the
invention will be understood by those skilled in the art more
clearly with reference to the detailed description of the
embodiments of this invention below with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] The followings will describe some embodiments of this
invention in detail in an exemplary rather than restrictive manner
with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference
signs in the drawings represent the same or similar parts. Those
skilled in the art shall understand that these drawings are only
schematic ones of this invention, and may not be necessarily drawn
according to the scales. In the drawings:
[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a freezing and refrigerating
device according to an embodiment of this invention;
[0026] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a freezing and refrigerating
device in a refrigerating state according to an embodiment of this
invention;
[0027] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a freezing and refrigerating
device in a defrosting state according to an embodiment of this
invention;
[0028] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a freezing and refrigerating
device according to another embodiment of this invention;
[0029] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a freezing and refrigerating
device according to yet another embodiment of this invention;
[0030] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a defrosting control method of a
freezing and refrigerating device according to an embodiment of
this invention; and
[0031] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a defrosting control method of a
freezing and refrigerating device according to another embodiment
of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a freezing and refrigerating
device according to an embodiment of this invention. As shown in
FIG. 1, the freezing and refrigerating device 1 comprises a box
body 100 and a door body 200 pivotably connected to the box body
100. Inside the box body 100 are defined: at least one storage
compartment for storing articles, an air supply path, an air return
path and a cooling chamber 40. The air supply path is configured to
supply cooling air flow to the at least one storage compartment.
The air return path is configured to allow the air flow from the at
least one storage compartment to pass. The cooling chamber 40
communicates with the air supply path and the air return path, and
contains an evaporator 41 for cooling the air entering the cooling
chamber 40 from the air return path, a blower 42 for driving the
air inside the cooling chamber 40 to flow towards the air supply
path and a defrosting heater 43 provided on the evaporator. In
particular, the box body 100 further defines an air discharging
path 50 communicating with the cooling chamber 40 and an ambient
space, so that the air in the cooling chamber 40 can be directly
discharged to the ambient space. The air supply path and the air
discharging path 50 are respectively provided therein with an air
supply door and an air discharging door 51 respectively to
selectively connect or block the air supply path and the air
discharging path 50.
[0033] In the freezing and refrigerating device 1 of this
invention, as the air supply path communicating with the cooling
chamber 40 and the storage compartment is provided with an air
supply door, and the air discharging path 50 communicating with the
cooling chamber 40 and the ambient space is provided with an air
discharging door 51, when defrosting is performed to the evaporator
41 in the cooling chamber 40, the air supply door can block the air
supply path, preventing the hot air generated when the defrosting
heater 43 heats and defrosts from flowing into the storage
compartment via the air supply path. In addition, the air
discharging path 50 can be opened by the air discharging door 51,
so that hot air generated by defrosting is directly discharged to
the ambient space via the air discharging path 50. Therefore, the
freezing and refrigerating device 1 of this invention can prevent
the temperature in the storage compartment from increasing due to
the defrosting hot air, and extend the preservation time of food.
In addition, the defrosting operations of the evaporator 41 hardly
affect the temperature in the storage compartment. After the
defrosting for the evaporator 41 ends, if refrigerating is
performed to the storage compartment again, the temperature in the
storage compartment can be restored to the temperature before the
defrosting is performed in a short period, thereby reducing the
energy consumption of the freezing and refrigerating device 1.
[0034] In some embodiments of this invention, one end of the air
discharging path 50 communicating with the cooling chamber 40 is
located downstream of the blower 42 in the air flowing direction.
Thus, when the evaporator 41 needs defrosting, the blower 42 may
continue working at a low power to drive the hot air generated by
defrosting to be discharged to the ambient space via the air
discharging path 50 located downstream of the blower 42, saving an
additional driving member and simplifying the structure of the
freezing and refrigerating device 1.
[0035] In some embodiments of this invention, the at least one
storage compartment comprises a refrigerating compartment 11 and a
freezing compartment 12 that are provided in a vertical direction
relative to each other, and the cooling chamber 40 is located
behind the freezing compartment 12 and is separated therefrom by a
rear cover plate 121 of the freezing compartment 12. The air supply
path comprises a refrigerating air feeding passage 211 located
behind the refrigerating compartment 11 and a freezing air inlet
212 provided at the rear cover plate 121 of the freezing
compartment 12, and the air supply door comprises a refrigerating
air feeding door 221 provided inside the refrigerating air feeding
passage 211 and a freezing air feeding door 222 provided at the
freezing air inlet 212. That is, in the embodiments of this
invention, the cooling chamber 40 communicates with the
refrigerating compartment 11 and the freezing compartment 12 via
the refrigerating air feeding passage 211 and the freezing air
inlet 212 respectively.
[0036] Further, the cooling chamber 40 comprises an air feeding
opening part communicating with the air supply path to supply
cooling air flow to the at least one storage compartment via the
air feeding opening part. Specifically, the air feeding opening
part comprises a refrigerating air feeding opening communicating
with an air inlet end of the refrigerating air feeding passage 211
and a freezing air feeding opening communicating with the freezing
air inlet 212. The refrigerating air feeding opening and the
freezing air feeding opening are located downstream of the
evaporator 41 in the air flowing direction to allow the air cooled
by the evaporator 41 to pass. Further, the refrigerating air
feeding door 221 may be provided at the air inlet end of the
refrigerating air feeding passage 211. Those skilled in the art
shall understand that in other embodiments of this invention, the
refrigerating air feeding door 221 may be provided at any position
in the refrigerating air feeding passage 211, or at an air inlet of
the refrigerating compartment 11.
[0037] In some embodiments of this invention, the air return
passage may comprise a refrigerating air return passage 31 and a
freezing air return passage 32. The air return opening part of the
cooling chamber 40 may comprise a refrigerating air return opening
communicating with the refrigerating air return passage 31 and a
freezing air return opening communicating with the freezing air
return passage 32. The air return opening part is located upstream
of the evaporator 41 in the air flowing direction, or the
refrigerating air return opening and the freezing air return
opening are located upstream of the evaporator 41 in the air
flowing direction, to guide the air from the refrigerating
compartment 11 and the freezing compartment 12 to the evaporator 41
for cooling. The refrigerating air return passage 31 extends from
the bottom of the refrigerating compartment 11 to the air return
opening part of the cooling chamber 40.
[0038] Further, the refrigerating air return passage 31 is located
behind the cooling chamber 40, and intersects with the air
discharging path 50 communicating with the cooling chamber 40 and
the ambient space. The air discharging door 51 is provided at an
intersection of the refrigerating air return passage 31 and the air
discharging path 50, such that when the air discharging door 51 is
in a first state (a closed state), the refrigerating air return
passage 31 is connected and the air discharging path 50 is blocked,
and when the air discharging door 51 is in a second state (an
opened state), the refrigerating air return passage 31 is blocked
and the air discharging path 50 is connected. Thus, the air
discharging door 51 can simultaneously control the connecting or
blocking of the refrigerating air return passage 31 and the air
discharging path 50, reducing the number of air doors and
simplifying the structure of the freezing and refrigerating device
1 to some extent.
[0039] In some embodiments of this invention, a top of the
evaporator 41 is provided with a first temperature sensor 411 to
detect a temperature of the top of the evaporator 41. When the
temperature of the top of the evaporator 41 reaches a first
predetermined temperature, it is determined that defrosting of the
evaporator 41 ends. Therefore, the defrosting heater 43 can be
controlled automatically to stop heating the evaporator 41 based on
the temperature data detected by the first temperature sensor 411
to realize smart control.
[0040] Further, rear cover plates of the refrigerating compartment
11 and the freezing compartment 12 may be provided with second and
third temperature sensors 111, 122 to detect the temperatures in
the refrigerating compartment 11 and the freezing compartment 12
respectively.
[0041] In some embodiments of this invention, the defrosting heater
43 may be provided on the bottom of the evaporator 41 and faces a
groove 44 provided in the bottom of the cooling chamber 40, such
that defrosting water generated during defrosting flows into a
water collecting box 80 provided at the bottom of the box body 100
via a water discharging pipe 70 communicating with the groove 44.
The water collecting box 80 is provided on a compressor 90. When
the compressor 90 works, water in the water collecting box 80 is
evaporated by the heat generated by the compressor.
[0042] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a freezing and refrigerating
device in a refrigerating state according to an embodiment of this
invention. The arrows in this figure represent the air flowing
directions. When the freezing and refrigerating device 1 is in a
refrigerating state, the compressor 90, the evaporator 41 and the
blower 42 are in operation states. The refrigerating air feeding
door 221 and the freezing air feeding door 222 are opened to
connect the refrigerating air feeding passage 211 and the freezing
air inlet 212 respectively. The air flow cooled by the evaporator
41 sequentially passes the freezing air feeding opening, the air
supply door and the air supply path of the cooling chamber 40, and
flows into the storage compartment. That is, in this embodiment,
the cooling air flow sequentially passes the refrigerating air
feeding opening, the refrigerating air feeding door 221, the
refrigerating air feeding passage 211 and the air inlet of the
refrigerating compartment, and flows into the refrigerating
compartment 11. The cooling air flow sequentially passes the
freezing air feeding opening, the freezing air feeding door 222,
the freezing air feeding inlet 212, and flows into the freezing
compartment 12. The air in the storage compartment passes the air
return path to return to the cooling chamber, is cooled by the
evaporator 41 and flows into the storage compartment again. Thus,
the air circulation path is formed. That is, in this embodiment,
the air in the refrigerating compartment 11 passes the
refrigerating air return passage 31 to return to the air return
opening part of the cooling chamber 40, is cooled by the evaporator
41 and flows into the refrigerating compartment 11 again. Thus, the
air circulation path in the refrigerating compartment 11 is formed.
The air in the freezing compartment 12 passes the freezing air
return passage 32 to return to the air return opening part of the
cooling chamber 40, is cooled by the evaporator 41 and flows into
the freezing compartment 12 again. Thus, the air circulation path
in the freezing compartment 12 is formed. In addition, the air
discharging door 51 is closed to block the air discharging path 50
and prevent the air flow cooled by the evaporator 41 from flowing
to the ambient space.
[0043] Further, when the second temperature sensor 111 detects that
the temperature in the refrigerating compartment 11 reaches a
second predetermined value, the freezing and refrigerating device 1
may control the refrigerating air feeding door 221 to close; when
the third temperature sensor 122 detects that the temperature in
the freezing compartment 12 reaches a third predetermined value,
the freezing and refrigerating device 1 may control the freezing
air feeding door 222 to close, thereby realizing automatic control
of the cooling of the storage compartment.
[0044] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a freezing and refrigerating
device in a defrosting state according to an embodiment of this
invention. The arrows in this figure represent the air flowing
directions. When the freezing and refrigerating device 1 is in a
defrosting state, the compressor 90 and the evaporator 41 are
stopped. The defrosting heater 43 is started to heat the evaporator
41. The air discharging door 51 is opened, such that the hot air
generated by defrosting is directly discharged to the ambient space
via the air discharging path 50. The refrigerating air feeding door
221 and the freezing air feeding door 222 are closed to block the
refrigerating air feeding passage 211 and the freezing air inlet
212, preventing the hot air generated by defrosting from entering
the refrigerating compartment 11 and the freezing compartment 12
and avoiding influence to food preservation due to temperature
fluctuations. The air in the ambient space may sequentially pass
the water collecting box 80, the water discharging pipe 70 and the
groove 44 to enter the cooling chamber 40, thereby forming an air
circulation path when performing defrosting to the evaporator 41.
Further, when performing defrosting to the evaporator 41, the
blower 42 may stop, and the hot air generated during defrosting may
be discharged to the ambient space via the air discharging path 50
in a natural heat radiation manner. Preferably, the blower 42 may
work at a low power, so that the hot air generated during
defrosting is discharged to the ambient space via the air
discharging path 50 in a compulsory manner.
[0045] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a freezing and refrigerating
device in an air discharging state according to another embodiment
of this invention. In other embodiments of this invention, the air
discharging path 50 is provided with an air discharging pump 52
therein for driving the air in the cooling chamber 40 to flow
towards the ambient space. One end of the air discharging path 50
communicating with the cooling chamber 40 may be located upstream
or downstream of the blower 42 in the air flowing direction. When
the evaporator 41 needs defrosting, the air discharging pump 52 may
be started to drive the hot air generated during defrosting to be
discharged to the ambient space via the air discharging path 50. At
this time, the blower 42 may stop. Other structural features of the
freezing and refrigerating device 1 in this embodiment of this
invention are the same as those in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1,
and will not be repeated.
[0046] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a freezing and refrigerating
device according to yet another embodiment of this invention. In
this embodiment of this invention, the at least one storage
compartment comprises a freezing compartment 12, and the cooling
chamber 40 is located behind the freezing compartment 12. The air
supply path comprises a freezing air inlet 212 provided at the rear
cover plate 121 of the freezing compartment 12. The air return path
comprises a freezing air return passage 32 located at the bottom of
the freezing compartment 12. The air supply door comprises a
freezing air feeding door 222 provided at the freezing air inlet
212. Other structural features of the freezing and refrigerating
device 1 in this embodiment of this invention are the same as those
in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and will not be repeated.
[0047] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a defrosting control method of a
freezing and refrigerating device according to an embodiment of
this invention. In this embodiment, the defrosting control method
comprises: step A: receiving a defrosting signal instructing the
evaporator 41 of the freezing and refrigerating device 1 to perform
defrosting; step B: starting the defrosting heater 43 located on
the evaporator 41; step C: closing the air supply door located in
the air supply path of the freezing and refrigerating device 1 to
block the air supply path; and step D: opening the air discharging
door 51 located in the air discharging path 50 of the freezing and
refrigerating device 1 to connect the air discharging path 50, such
that hot air generated by the defrosting heater 43 when performing
heating and defrosting is directly discharged to the ambient space
via the air discharging path 50.
[0048] Those skilled in the art shall understand that in this
embodiment, there is no chronological order between the steps C and
D. In other words, after starting the defrosting heater 43, the air
supply door may be closed, and then the air discharging door 51 is
opened; or the air discharging door 51 is opened first, and then
the air supply door is closed.
[0049] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a defrosting control method of a
freezing and refrigerating device according to another embodiment
of this invention. In other embodiments, after the step A, the
method further comprises step E: starting the air discharging pump
52 in the air discharging path 50 to drive the hot air in the
cooling chamber 40 to be discharged to the ambient space via the
air discharging path 50. The blower may stop at this time, and only
the air discharging pump 52 drives the air flow. Those skilled in
the art shall understand that in this embodiment, there is no
chronological order between the steps E and (C, D). In other words,
the steps E and (C, D) may be performed in any order or
simultaneously.
[0050] After the step E, the method further comprises step F: when
the temperature of the top of the evaporator 41 reaches a first
predetermined temperature, stopping the defrosting heater 43. In
this step, the first temperature sensor 411 provided at the top of
the evaporator 41 may detect the temperature of the top of the
evaporator 41. The first predetermined temperature may be the
temperature when defrosting for the evaporator 41 ends.
[0051] Further, after the step F, the method further comprises step
G: when the defrosting heater 43 is stopped for a predetermined
time period, closing the air discharging pump 52 and the air
discharging door 51. When the defrosting heater 43 is stopped for a
predetermined time period, the hot air generated during defrosting
of the evaporator 41 is basically completely discharged to the
ambient space. Closing the air discharging pump 52 and the air
discharging door 51 at this time can prevent excessive heat
exchange between the air in the freezing and refrigerating device
and the air in the ambient space, and improve the cooling
performance of the freezing and refrigerating device.
[0052] Those skilled in the art shall understand that the freezing
and refrigerating device 1 of this invention may be a fridge, a
refrigerating cabinet, a wine cabinet, a refrigerating tank or
other devices having a freezing or refrigerating function or having
a freezing or refrigerating compartment.
[0053] Although multiple embodiments of this invention have been
illustrated and described in detail, those skilled in the art may
make various modifications and variations to the invention based on
the content disclosed by this invention or the content derived
therefrom without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. Thus, the scope of this invention should be understood
and deemed to include these and other modifications and
variations.
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