Patent Application
20250216144
The disclosure relates to a cooling apparatus including an evaporator having a surface heating element and an operating method of the cooling apparatus.
A “refrigeration cycle” is a cycle for cooling a certain object or space by using a refrigerant, which is a material that changes sensitively to temperature and pressure, as a thermodynamic process of generally absorbing heat at low temperature and low pressure and releasing heat at high temperature and high pressure.
A refrigeration cycle may be performed by a system including a compressor that compresses a low temperature and low pressure gaseous refrigerant to make a high temperature and high pressure gaseous refrigerant, a condenser that cools the high temperature and high pressure gaseous refrigerant to make a high temperature and high pressure liquid refrigerant, an expander that changes the high temperature and high pressure liquid refrigerant to a low temperature and low pressure liquid refrigerant, and an evaporator that absorbs surrounding heat and changes the low temperature and low pressure liquid refrigerant to a low temperature and low pressure gaseous refrigerant.
The property of a low temperature and low pressure liquid refrigerant absorbing surrounding heat while changing into a low temperature and low pressure gaseous refrigerant may be utilized in cooling apparatuses, such as air conditioners and refrigerators.
At the beginning of the operation of a cooling apparatus, an indoor cooler may cool the air in the refrigerator at room temperature and may also remove moisture. When the temperature inside the cooling apparatus drops below approximately 5 degrees Celsius, the temperature of an evaporator installed in the cooler drops below zero, causing moisture in the air to condense. Accordingly, freezing of frost on the evaporator installed in the cooling apparatus is called frosting (a frost forming phenomenon).
When frosting occurs on the evaporator of the cooling apparatus, the cooling performance deteriorates, and when frosting becomes severe, frost builds up inside the evaporator like snow, making cooling difficult. Therefore, frost formed on the evaporator included in the cooling apparatus need to be periodically removed, which is called defrosting.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a cooling apparatus may include an evaporator through which a refrigerant absorbing heat from a fluid to be cooled moves.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the evaporator may include a first evaporator module including a first refrigerant tube through which the refrigerant moves and a plurality of first cooling fins arranged on an outer surface of the first refrigerant tube, and a second evaporator module including a second refrigerant tube through which the refrigerant moves and a plurality of second cooling fins arranged on an outer surface of the second refrigerant tube, the second evaporator module being arranged to be spaced apart from the first evaporator module in a first direction.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the evaporator may further include a surface heating element having a plate shape in a plane perpendicular to the first direction and arranged between the first evaporator module and the second evaporator module.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the evaporator may further include a sensor module including a voltage electrode arranged between the first evaporator module and the second evaporator module and a ground electrode arranged to be spaced apart from the voltage electrode with the first evaporator module or the second evaporator module between the ground electrode and the voltage electrode.
It should be understood that an embodiment of the disclosure in this document and terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described herein to particular embodiments of the disclosure and that the disclosure includes various modifications, equivalents, or substitutions of the embodiments of the disclosure.
With regard to the description of the drawings, like reference numerals may be used to represent like or related elements.
A singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or a plurality of the items unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
As used herein, each of the phrases such as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B, “at least one of A or B,” “A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least one of A, B, or C” may include any one of the items listed together in a corresponding one of the phrases, or all possible combinations thereof.
Terms such as “first,” “second,” etc., may be used simply to distinguish an element from other elements and do not limit the elements in any other respect (e.g., importance or order).
It will be understood that when an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to, with or without the term “functionally” or “communicatively”, as being “coupled” or “connected” to another element (e.g., a second element), the element may be coupled to the other element directly (e.g., in a wired manner), wirelessly, or via a third element.
The terms such as “comprise,” “include,” or “have” are intended to specify the presence of stated features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.
It will also be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected,” “coupled,” “supported,” or “in contact” with another element, this includes not only when the elements are directly connected, coupled, supported, or in contact, but also when they are indirectly connected, coupled, supported, or in contact via a third element.
It will also be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on” another element, the element may be directly on the other element, or intervening elements may also be present therebetween.
The term “and/or” includes any combination of a plurality of associated elements listed, or any one of the plurality of associated listed elements.
Hereinafter, the operating principle and embodiments of the disclosure will be described with reference to the attached drawings.
A cooling apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may implement a refrigeration cycle for cooling a certain object or space by using a refrigerant, which is a material that changes sensitively to temperature and pressure, as a thermodynamic process of generally absorbing heat at low temperature and low pressure and releasing heat at high temperature and high pressure.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, as shown in
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a main body 5 may form the exterior of the cooling apparatus 1. The main body 5 may include a storage room 11 formed therein by being vertically divided, and a plurality of doors 12 for opening and closing the storage room 11.
The storage room 11 may be divided into a plurality of sections by a partition 15, and a plurality of shelves and storage containers may be arranged inside the storage room 11 to store food and the like. The storage room 11 may be divided into a plurality of storage rooms by the partitions 15. The partition 15 may include a first partition 15-1 that is horizontally provided inside the storage room 11 and divides the storage room 11 into an upper storage room 11-1 and lower storage rooms 11-2 and 11-3, and a second partition 15-2 that is vertically provided in the lower storage rooms 11-2 and 11-3 and divides the lower storage rooms 11-2 and 11-3.
The partition 15 that has a T-shape as the first partition 15-1 and the second partition 15-2 are connected to each other may divide the storage room 11 into three spaces. Among the upper storage room 11-1 and the lower storage rooms 11-2 and 11-3, divided from each other by the first partition 15-1, the upper storage room 11-1 may be used as a refrigerator, and the lower storage rooms 11-2 and 11-3 may be used as freezers.
The division of the storage room 11 as described above is only an example, and each storage room may be used differently from the above description.
The storage room 11 may be opened and closed by the plurality of doors 12. The plurality of doors 12 may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval. For example, the plurality of doors 12 may be arranged on the front of the main body 5 and open and close an opening provided in the main body 5.
The upper storage room 11-1 may be opened and closed by an upper door 12-1 that is rotatably coupled to the main body 5 in which the storage room 11 is provided. The lower storage rooms 11-2 and 11-3 may be opened and closed by a lower door 12-2 that is rotatably coupled to the main body 5 in which the storage room 11 is provided.
The evaporator 10 may be provided inside the main body 5 to supply cold air to the storage room 11. A cooling room 30 equipped with the evaporator 10 and a blower fan (not shown) is provided on the rear side of the storage room 11. A storage room return duct 32 that allows air in the storage room 11 to be sucked in and returned to the cooling room 30 may be arranged on a bulkhead 31. In addition, cold air ducts 34-1 and 34-2 each having a number of cold air discharge ports (not shown) on the front side are installed on the rear side of the storage room 11. The main body 5 may be provided with a condenser 35 that converts high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant into high-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant, an expander (not shown) that converts high-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant into low-temperature and low-pressure liquid refrigerant, and a compressor 36 that converts low-temperature and low-pressure gaseous refrigerant into high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant.
Although the cooling apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure has been described for a bottom type in which the refrigerator is located at the top and the freezer is located at the bottom, the same may also apply to a top-type cooling apparatus in which the refrigerator is located at the bottom and a side-by-side type cooling apparatus in which the freezer and the refrigerator are located on the left/right sides of the main body 5.
For example, the air in the storage room 11 is sucked into the cooling room 30 through the storage room return duct 32 of the bulkhead 31 by the blower fan (not shown) of the cooling room 30, exchanges heat with the evaporator 10, and is discharged to the storage room 11 through the cold air discharge ports (not shown) of the cold air ducts 34-1 and 34-2. This process is repeatedly performed. In this case, frost may be formed on the surface of the evaporator 10 due to the temperature difference from the circulating air re-introduced through the storage room return duct 32.
When frost formation (i.e., frosting) occurs on the evaporator 10, the flow rate of the circulating air re-introduced into the evaporator 10 may decrease. Accordingly, the cooling performance of the cooling apparatus 1 may deteriorate, and thus, the frost formed on the evaporator 10 needs to be periodically removed.
Referring to
In the following description, the first direction (the X direction) means one of the directions in which the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200 are spaced apart from each other, for example, the thickness direction of the evaporator 10. A second direction (the Z direction) means a direction orthogonal to the first direction (the X direction) among the directions parallel to a plane along which the surface heating element 300 extends, for example, the length direction of the evaporator 10. A third direction (the Y direction) means the width direction of the evaporator 10.
The first evaporator module 100 may include a first refrigerant tube 110 through which a refrigerant moves, and a plurality of first cooling fins 120 arranged on the outer surface of the first refrigerant tube 110. The first refrigerant tube 110 is repeatedly bent in a zigzag shape to form a plurality of steps (columns), and the refrigerant is filled inside the first refrigerant tube 110. For example, the first refrigerant tube 110 may include an aluminum material, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
The first refrigerant tube 110 may be configured by a combination of horizontal pipe portions and a bending pipe portions. The horizontal pipe portions are arranged parallel to each other in the vertical direction to form a plurality of steps (columns), and the horizontal pipe portion of each step is configured to pass through the plurality of first cooling fins 120. Each of the bending pipe portions is configured to connect the end of an upper horizontal pipe portion to the end of a lower horizontal pipe portion to communicate the interiors of the upper and lower horizontal pipe portions with each other.
The first refrigerant tube 110 is supported by passing through the bracket 500 provided on each of the left and right sides of the evaporator 10. In this case, the bending pipe portion of the first refrigerant tube 110 is configured to connect the end of the upper horizontal pipe portion to the end of the lower horizontal pipe portion on the outside of the bracket 500.
The plurality of first cooling fins 120 are arranged in the first refrigerant tube 110 at a predetermined interval in an extension direction of the first refrigerant tube 110. The plurality of first cooling fins 120 may be formed as a flat plate including aluminum, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the plurality of first cooling fins 120 may be formed as a flat plate including any material having high thermal conductivity. The first refrigerant tube 110 may be expanded while being inserted into insertion holes of the plurality of first cooling fins 120 and may be firmly supported by the insertion holes.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the evaporator 10 may be implemented as a two-row structure in which the first refrigerant tube 110 and a second refrigerant tube 210 included in the second evaporator module 200 are arranged in the front portion and rear portion of the evaporator 10, respectively.
The second evaporator module 200 may be arranged to be spaced apart from the first evaporator module 100 in the first direction (the X direction). The second evaporator module 200 may include the second refrigerant tube 210 through which a refrigerant moves, and a plurality of second cooling fins 220 arranged on the outer surface of the second refrigerant tube 210. The second refrigerant tube 210 is repeatedly bent in a zigzag shape to form a plurality of steps (columns), and the refrigerant is filled inside the second refrigerant tube 210. For example, the second refrigerant tube 210 may include aluminum material, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
The second refrigerant tube 210 may be configured by a combination of horizontal pipe portions and bending pipe portions. The horizontal pipe portions are arranged parallel to each other in the vertical direction to form a plurality of steps (columns), and the horizontal pipe portion of each step is configured to pass through the plurality of second cooling fins 220. Each of the bending pipe portions is configured to connect the end of an upper horizontal pipe portion to the end of a lower horizontal pipe portion to communicate the interiors of the upper and lower horizontal pipe portions with each other.
The second refrigerant tube 210 is supported by passing through the bracket 500 provided on each of the left and right sides of the evaporator 10. In this case, the bending pipe portion of the second refrigerant tube 210 is configured to connect the end of the upper horizontal pipe portion to the end of the lower horizontal pipe portion on the outside of the bracket 500.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, in
In the second refrigerant tube 210, the plurality of second cooling fins 220 are arranged at a predetermined interval in an extension direction of the second refrigerant tube 210. The plurality of second cooling fins 220 may be formed as a flat plate including aluminum, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the plurality of second cooling fins 220 may be formed as a flat plate including any material having high thermal conductivity. The second refrigerant tube 210 may be expanded while being inserted into insertion holes of the plurality of second cooling fins 220 and may be firmly supported by the insertion holes.
Referring to
For example, the surface heating element 300 may have a plate shape extending along the plane (the YZ plane). The surface heating element 300 may transfer heat in the front direction (+X direction) and the rear direction (−X direction) of the extending plane (the YZ plane). Accordingly, heat may be applied to the first evaporator module 100 arranged to face a front side 301 of the surface heating element 300 and the second evaporator module 200 arranged to face a rear side 302 of the surface heating element 300.
The surface heating element 300 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may have a heating temperature of 150° C. or less. As described above, the surface heating element 300 may be arranged to face each of the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200 between the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200. Accordingly, a heat transfer path through which heat applied from the surface heating element 300 is transferred to the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200 may be reduced. Therefore, while a conventional heating element is placed at the bottom of an evaporator module and need to have a relatively high temperature, for example, a heating temperature of 360° C., the surface heating element 300 according to the present embodiment of the disclosure may remove the frost formed on the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200 with a relatively low heating temperature.
For example, the surface heating element 300 may be formed by sintering a predetermined powder containing oxide powder. For example, the surface heating element 300 may include one or more of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene, graphene flake, silver (Ag) nano paste, indium tin oxide (ITO), austenite-based stainless steel thin plate, and palladium. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the surface heating element 300 may be a plate-shaped heating element and may include any heating element that may apply heat to the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200 arranged on both sides of the heating element.
For example, the surface heating element 300 may receive electricity from a power supply unit (not shown) to generate heat. In this case, the power supply unit (not shown) may receive a control signal from a processor 700 to be described below and supply electricity to the surface heating element 300. Therefore, whether the surface heating element 300 operates may be controlled by the processor 700. In addition, when a plurality of surface heating elements 300 are provided, whether each surface heating element 300 operates may be individually controlled by the processor 700. Matters related to the plurality of surface heating elements 300 are described below with reference to
A support plate 320 may be arranged on one side or both sides of the surface heating element 300. The support plate 320 may have a plate shape that extends along one plane (the YZ plane) corresponding to the surface heating element 300. For example, the support plate 320 may have heat resistance for a heating temperature of 150° C. or less. In addition, for example, the support plate 320 may include an insulating material. For example, the support plate 320 may include one or more of polyimide and polyester. When the support plate 320 has heat resistance and insulating properties, the support plate 320 may have relatively high resistivity at high temperatures, thereby preventing short-circuit current in the surface heating element 300 when the surface heating element 300 is driven at high output.
The support plate 320 may have a thin-film shape having, for example, a thickness of about 5 μm to about 100 μm. When the thickness of the support plate 320 is less than 5 μm, it is difficult to secure electrical stability of insulating properties. On the other hand, when the thickness of the support plate 320 exceeds 100 μm, cracks may occur due to differences in thermal expansion rates of materials included in the support plate 320 and the surface heating element 300.
An adhesive layer 330 may be arranged between the surface heating element 300 and the support plate 320 and attach the surface heating element 300 to the support plate 320. For example, because the adhesive layer 330 may also receive heat applied from the surface heating element 300, an adhesive material included in the adhesive layer 330 may have heat resistance for a heating temperature of 150° C. or less. For example, the adhesive material included in the adhesive layer 330 may include one or more of a silicone-based adhesive material and an acrylic-based adhesive material.
A substrate layer 350 is a support layer for supporting the shapes of the surface heating element 300 and the support plate 320. As described above, the surface heating element 300 and the support plate 320 may each have a thin-film shape, and thus, when a combination of the surface heating element 300 and the support plate 320 is aligned between the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200, an unintended bend may occur, resulting in misalignment. The substrate layer 350 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may support the combination of the surface heating element 300 and the support plate 320 so that the combination of the surface heating element 300 and the support plate 320 has a flat plate shape.
For example, the substrate layer 350 may have a predetermined thickness to maintain the flat plate shape of the surface heating element 300 and the support plate 320. For example, the substrate layer 350 may have a thickness of, for example, about 5 μm to about 100 μm. The substrate layer 350 may have a plate shape extending along one plane (the YZ plane) corresponding to the surface heating element 300. In this case, the substrate layer 350 may be arranged to face one side of the surface heating element 300. For example, the substrate layer 350 may have heat resistance for a heating temperature of 150° C. or less. In addition, for example, the substrate layer 350 may include an insulating material.
The sensor module 400 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a voltage electrode 410 and a ground electrode 420 and may detect a capacitance C between the voltage electrode 410 and the ground electrode 420. For example, the capacitance C between the voltage electrode 410 and the ground electrode 420 may be determined according to Equation (1) below.
(E0: vacuum dielectric constant, Em: dielectric constant of a material placed between the voltage electrode 410 and the ground electrode 420, d: distance between the voltage electrode 410 and the ground electrode 420, and S: area of the voltage electrode 410 and the ground electrode 420)
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when the voltage electrode 410 and the ground electrode 420 each having a fixed area are arranged at fixed positions, the capacitance C may change according to the dielectric constant of the material placed between the voltage electrode 410 and the ground electrode 420. Therefore, when a change in the capacitance C is detected, it may be confirmed that the material placed between the voltage electrode 410 and the ground electrode 420 has changed.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, in an initial state where the cooling apparatus 1 is not operated as shown in
In the first state, the dielectric constant of the air placed on the surfaces of the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200 is 1. In the second state, the dielectric constant of the frost placed on the surfaces of the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200 is about 3 to about 4. In the third state, the dielectric constant of the water placed on the surfaces of the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200 is 80. Therefore, when the state of the material placed on the surfaces of the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200 is different as in the first state to the third state, the capacitance C detected by the sensor module 400 in the first state to the third state may also be different.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the voltage electrode 410 included in the sensor module 400 may be arranged between the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200. In this case, the ground electrode 420 may be arranged to be spaced apart from the voltage electrode 410 with any one of the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200 therebetween.
For example, the voltage electrode 410 may have a plate shape extending along one plane (the YZ plane). The voltage electrode 410 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a conductive material, such as CVD graphene, graphene flake, Ag nano paste, ITO, austenite-based stainless steel thin plate, palladium, or copper (Cu). However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the voltage electrode 410 may be implemented in a plate shape including different conductive materials.
In addition, the voltage electrode 410 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may be arranged to face the surface heating element 300. An insulating layer 370 may be arranged between the surface heating element 300 and the voltage electrode 410. In this case, the adhesive layer 330 may be arranged between the voltage electrode 410 and the insulating layer 370 to adhere the voltage electrode 410 to the insulating layer 370. The insulating layer 370 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may be substantially the same as the support plate 320. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the insulating layer 370 may include any material having insulating properties and heat resistance.
The voltage electrode 410 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may be arranged to be supported on the substrate layer 350 and fixed to the bracket 500 to be described below. In addition, the voltage electrode 410 may include a metal material that expands due to heat applied by the surface heating element 300 and has a low coefficient of thermal expansion. Accordingly, the relative position between the voltage electrode 410 and the first and second evaporator modules 100 and 200 may be fixed, and the area of the voltage electrode 410 may be maintained constant.
The ground electrode 420 may be supported by a position-fixing support portion, for example, a harness H, and may be arranged to be spaced apart from the voltage electrode 410 with any one of the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200 therebetween. Accordingly, the voltage electrode 410 and the ground electrode 420 may maintain a constant separation distance with any one of the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200 therebetween.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, because the voltage electrode 410 and the ground electrode 420 may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other at a constant distance, the sensor module 400 may detect the capacitance C between the voltage electrode 410 and the ground electrode 420. In this case, the state of one of the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200 arranged between the voltage electrode 410 and the ground electrode 420 may change depending on the operation of the cooling apparatus 1. For example, as described above, the capacitance C may be different in the first state where air is placed on the surfaces of the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200, the second state in which frost is placed on the surfaces of the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200, and the third state where water is placed on the surfaces of the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200. Therefore, the sensor module 400 may measure the capacitance C between the voltage electrode 410 and the ground electrode 420 in real time or at predetermined time intervals. The processor 700 may check the surface conditions of the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200 arranged between the voltage electrode 410 and the ground electrode 420 by using change data of the capacitance C received from the sensor module 400.
In
The processor 700 may control the operation of the surface heating element 300 according to the surface states of the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200 detected by the sensor module 400, for example, the state of frost formed on the first cooling fins 120 and the second cooling fins 220. Hereinafter, the technical feature of controlling the operation of the surface heating element 300 according to the surface states of the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200, the surface heating element 300 including a plurality of surface heating elements, and the sensor module 400 equipped with multiple channels are described.
Referring to
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the circulating air re-introduced through the storage room return duct 32 may rise in the second direction (the Z direction) and come into contact with the surface of the evaporator 10, for example, the first cooling fins 120 of the first evaporator module 100 or the second cooling fins 220 of the second evaporator module 200. Therefore, the amount of frost formed on a lower region of the surface of the first cooling fin 120 or the second cooling fin 220 in the second direction (the Z direction), the lower region first coming into contact with the circulating air re-introduced through the storage room return duct 32, may be greater than the amount of frost formed on an upper region of the surface.
Depending on the direction of inflow of the circulating air introduced into the evaporator 10, the degree of frost formation in each region of the evaporator 10 may differ. Therefore, the surface heating element 300 and the sensor module 400, which may individually detect the degree of frost formation by segmenting the entire region of the evaporator 10 and individually apply heat to each region according to the detected degree of frost formation, may be provided.
Referring to
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, as the plurality of voltage electrodes 410 include the first voltage electrode 411 and the second voltage electrode 412, the sensor module 400 may be implemented in a multi-channel mode, in which the first voltage electrode 411 and the ground electrode 420 form a first channel and the second voltage electrode 412 and the ground electrode 420 form a second channel. As the sensor module 400 is implemented in a multi-channel mode, the sensor module 400 may simultaneously detect the frosting state of frost in an upper region and a lower region of the first evaporator module 100 or the second evaporator module 200 in the second direction (the Z direction). In the above-described embodiment of the disclosure, the plurality of voltage electrodes 410 are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the second direction (the Z direction), but the disclosure is not limited thereto. A plurality of voltage electrodes 410 may be provided and may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the second direction (the Z direction) or the third direction (the Y direction).
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a plurality of surface heating elements 300 may be provided. For example, the plurality of surface heating elements 300 may be provided to have a predetermined width and may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval in one direction. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the plurality of surface heating elements 300 may be set to have different heating densities. In addition, the operation of each of the plurality of surface heating elements 300 may be individually controlled.
For example, the plurality of surface heating elements 300 may include a first surface heating element 300-1 and a second surface heating element 300-2 arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the second direction (the Z direction). In this case, the first surface heating element 300-1 and the second surface heating element 300-2 may be set to have different heating densities. In addition, the operation of each of the first surface heating element 300-1 and the second surface heating element 300-2 may be individually controlled.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the first surface heating element 300-1 and the second surface heating element 300-2 may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval in the second direction (the Z direction). As the first surface heating element 300-1 and the second surface heating element 300-2, which are individually controlled, are arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval in the second direction (the Z direction), heat may be independently applied to the upper region and the lower region of the first evaporator module 100 or the second evaporator module 200 in the second direction (the Z direction). For example, when frosting occurs first on the lower region of the first evaporator module 100 or the second evaporator module 200 in the second direction (the Z direction), the second surface heating element 300-2 may be operated first. In addition, for example, when frost forms more on the lower region of the first evaporator module 100 or the second evaporator module 200 in the second direction (the Z direction), the heat generation density of the second surface heating element 300-2 may be set higher than the heat generation density of the first surface heating element 300-1. In the above-described embodiment of the disclosure, the plurality of surface heating elements 300 are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the second direction (the Z direction), but the disclosure is not limited thereto. A plurality of surface heating elements 300 may be provided and may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the second direction (the Z direction) or the third direction (the Y direction).
In the above-described embodiment of the disclosure, the sensor module 400 implemented in a multiple-channel mode includes two channels and the plurality of surface heating elements 300 include two surface heating elements 300-1 and 300-2, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. The number of channels of the sensor module 400 and the number of surface heating elements 300 may be determined differently depending on the degree of frost formation according to the region of the first evaporator module 100 or the second evaporator module 200.
For example, as illustrated in
Referring back to
In order to detect the degree of frost formation on the first evaporator module 100, as Experimental Example 1, a cubic ice having a relatively small width, length, and height of 50 mm is placed on the top of the first evaporator module 100 shown in
In
Because the degree of frost formation on the first evaporator module 100 or the second evaporator module 200 may be checked using the sensor module 400, the operating point in time for operating the surface heating element 300 may be controlled according to the degree of frost formation. For example, the processor 700 may control the operating point in time of the surface heating element 300 according to the state of frost formed on the first cooling fins 120 provided in the first evaporator module 100 or the second cooling fins 220 provided in the second evaporator module 200, the state of frost being detected by the sensor module 400.
For example, when frost is formed and grows on the first cooling fins 120 provided in the first evaporator module 100, the flow path of a cooling target fluid flowing between the first cooling fins 120 may be blocked. When the flow rate of the cooling target fluid flowing between the first cooling fins 120 at a time when frost is not formed is set to a first flow rate and the flow rate of the cooling target fluid flowing between the first cooling fins 120 at a time when frost is formed is set to a second flow rate, the frost formation state at a time when the second flow rate with respect to the first flow rate is reduced to 50% or less may be checked.
The processor 700 may control the operation of the surface heating element 300 according to the state of the frost formed on the first cooling fins 120 or the second cooling fins 220, the state of the frost being detected by the sensor module 400. For example, the processor 700 may apply a control signal to operate the surface heating element 300 when the sensor module 400 detects the degree of frost formation in which the flow rate of the cooling target fluid flowing between the first cooling fins 120 or the second cooling fins 220 is lowered to 50% or less.
In the above-described embodiment of the disclosure, the technical feature of controlling the operating point in time of the surface heating element 300 based on the flow rate of the cooling target fluid has been described, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. The processor 700 may control the operating state of the surface heating element 300 differently depending on the state of frost formed on the first cooling fins 120 or the second cooling fins 220, the state of frost being detected by the sensor module 400, or the removal state of frost formed on the first cooling fins 120 or the second cooling fins 220.
Referring to
For example, the receiving case 610 may be arranged below the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200 in the second direction (the Z direction) perpendicular to the first direction (the X direction), for example, in the direction of gravity. Accordingly, frost and water released from the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200 through a defrosting process may be received in the receiving case 610 by gravity.
For example, the receiving case 610 may have any shape of a receiving member that may receive frost or water. In this case, an upper portion of the receiving case 610 may be provided in an open shape so that frost or water may flow in the upper portion of the receiving case 610. The receiving case 610 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a slope portion formed with a predetermined drain hole 620 as the lowest point so that the received water may easily gather into the drain hole 620 to be described below.
The drain hole 620 is an opening having a predetermined diameter to discharge the water contained in the receiving case 610 to the outside. The drain hole 620 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may be connected to the other end of the pipe 630 to be in fluid communication, the pipe 630 being arranged so that one end of the pipe 630 communicates with the outside. Accordingly, water contained in the receiving case 610 may pass through the drain hole 620 and be discharged to the outside through the pipe 630.
As described above, the drain hole 620 may discharge water contained in the receiving case 610 to the outside, but the receiving case 610 may also receive not only water but also solid frost. When frost contained in the receiving case 610 blocks the drain hole 620, water may not move to the pipe 630, and thus, the water may overflow the receiving case 610 and move to the outside.
The heating portion 640 is a heating device that may apply heat to a surrounding area of the drain hole 620 to prevent the drain hole 620 from being blocked by water. For example, the heating portion 640 may include a heating resin connected to an external power source. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the heating portion 640 may be replaced with any heating device capable of applying heat to the surrounding area of the drain hole 620.
In addition, the arrangement area of the heating portion 640 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may be limited to a surrounding area adjacent to the drain hole 620 in the receiving case 610. Accordingly, a phenomenon in which the drain hole 620 is blocked due to melting of frost placed in the surrounding area adjacent to the drain hole 620 may be prevented. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the heating portion 640 may be arranged in the entire area of the receiving case 610.
Referring to
For example, the bracket 500 may include a first support portion 510 and a second support portion 520 arranged on both sides of the first evaporator module 100 and the second evaporator module 200. The first support portion 510 and the second support portion 520 may have tube holes 511 and 521 into which a first refrigerant tube 110 provided in the first evaporator module 100 and a second refrigerant tube 210 provided in the second evaporator module 200 may be inserted and supported.
In addition, the first support portion 510 and the second support portion 520 may have fixing holes 512 and 522 for supporting the surface heating element 300 In addition, the first support portion 510 and the second support portion 520 may have discharge ports 513 and 523 for exposing a part of the surface heating element 300 to the outside. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a connection portion may be provided in the discharge ports 513 and 523 to connect the surface heating element 300 to a power supply unit (not shown) provided externally. In this case, a thermostat or a fuse may be provided in the connection portion as a protection device for protecting the surface heating element 300 from overheating or overcurrent.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the first support portion 510 and the second support portion 520 may be provided in a separate structure. For example, the first support portion 510 may include a 1st-1 support portion 510-1 for supporting one side of the first evaporator module 100 and a 2nd-1 support portion 520-1 for supporting one side of the second evaporator module 200. The first support portion 510 may be formed by a combination of the 1st-1 support portion 510-1 and the 2nd-1 support portion 520-1. In this case, the combination of the 1st-1 support portion 510-1 and the 2nd-1 support portion 520-1 may be achieved by separate fastening devices arranged at the top and bottom. For example, the fastening devices may be hook fastening portions or rivet fastening portions, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
In addition, the second support portion 520 may include a 1st-2 support portion 510-2 for supporting the other side of the first evaporator module 100 and a 2nd-2 support portion 520-2 for supporting the other side of the second evaporator module 200. Forming the second support portion 520 by combining the 1st-2 support portion 510-2 to the 2nd-2 support portion 520-2 is substantially the same as forming the first support portion 510, and thus, detailed descriptions are omitted here.
Referring to
In addition, the sensor module 400 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may detect the state of frost formed on the first cooling fins 120 and the second cooling fins 220, for example, the degree of frost formation. For example, the sensor module 400 may detect the degree of frost formation on the first cooling fins 120 and the second cooling fins 220.
Next, the surface heating element 300 may be operated according to the detected state of frost formed on the first cooling fins 120 and the second cooling fins 220 (Operation S120). The processor 700 may check the amount of change in the flow rate of a cooling target fluid flowing between the first cooling fins 120 and between the second cooling fins 220 according to the detected degree of frost formation on the first cooling fins 120 and the second cooling fins 220. The processor 700 may determine whether to operate the surface heating element 300 based on the amount of change in the flow rate of the cooling target fluid flowing between the first cooling fins 120 and between the second cooling fins 220 to prevent the cooling performance of the cooling apparatus 1 from deteriorating.
For example, the processor 700 may determine that the flow rate of the cooling target fluid flowing between the first cooling fins 120 and between the second cooling fins 220 has been reduced to 50% or less due to frost formed on the first cooling fins 120 and the second cooling fins 220. In this case, the processor 700 may determine to operate the surface heating element 300 to prevent the cooling performance of the cooling apparatus 1 from deteriorating.
Next, the removal state of the frost formed on the first cooling fins 120 and the second cooling fins 220 may be detected (Operation S130). As the surface heating element 300 operates, the frost formed on the first cooling fins 120 and the second cooling fins 220 may be melted and removed. The sensor module 400 may detect the capacitance C in real time or at predetermined time intervals and detect the state in which frost placed between the first cooling fins 120 and between the second cooling fins 220 is melted and water generated due to the melting of the frost is removed.
Next, the operation of the surface heating element 300 may be stopped according to the detected removal state of the frost formed on the first cooling fins 120 and the second cooling fins 220 (Operation S140). The sensor module 400 may detect the capacitance C in real time or at predetermined time intervals and confirm that the final removal state in which air is placed between the first cooling fins 120 and between the second cooling fins 220 has been reached. For example, the sensor module 400 may detect the final removal state in which frost placed between the first cooling fins 120 and between the second cooling fins 220 melts, water generated due to the melting of the frost is removed by gravity to the drain portion 600, and air is placed between the first cooling fins 120 and between the second cooling fins 220.
The processor 700 may stop the operation of the surface heating element 300 when the final removal state in which air is placed between the first cooling fins 120 and between the second cooling fins 220 is detected.
The above-described embodiments of the disclosure are merely examples, and various modifications and other equivalent embodiments of the disclosure may be made therefrom by one of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the true scope of technical protection of the disclosure will be defined by the technical spirit of the disclosure as indicated by the following claims.
One aspect of the disclosure provides a cooling apparatus that detects the state of frost formed on an evaporator provided in the cooling apparatus and operates a surface heating element according to the state of the frost formed on the evaporator.
One aspect of the disclosure provides a cooling apparatus in which a multi-channel sensor module is provided to detect a plurality of areas and a plurality of surface heating elements are arranged to individually apply heat to each area detected by the sensor module.
One aspect of the disclosure provides a cooling apparatus that may improve energy efficiency by not operating a surface heating element at unnecessary times and unnecessary locations.
One aspect of the disclosure provides a cooling apparatus that may improve heating efficiency by arranging a surface heating element at a location where defrosting is required.
One aspect of the disclosure provides a cooling apparatus that may efficiently discharge, to the outside, frost and water that have released during a defrosting process.
Technical problems that may be solved from the disclosure will not be limited to only the above-described technical problems, and other technical problems which are not described herein will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the following description.
A cooling apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure includes an evaporator through which a refrigerant moves to absorb heat from a cooling target fluid that is a fluid to be cooled, wherein the evaporator includes a first evaporator module including a first refrigerant tube through which the refrigerant moves and a plurality of first cooling fins arranged on an outer surface of the first refrigerant tube, a second evaporator module including a second refrigerant tube through which the refrigerant moves and a plurality of second cooling fins arranged on an outer surface of the second refrigerant tube, the second evaporator module being arranged to be spaced apart from the first evaporator module in a first direction, a surface heating element having a plate shape in a plane perpendicular to the first direction and arranged between the first evaporator module and the second evaporator module, and a sensor module including a voltage electrode arranged between the first evaporator module and the second evaporator module and a ground electrode arranged to be spaced apart from the voltage electrode with the first evaporator module or the second evaporator module between the ground electrode and the voltage electrode.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the state of frost formed on an evaporator provided in a cooling apparatus may be detected, and a surface heating element may be operated according to the state of the formed frost, thereby improving energy efficiency by not operating the surface heating element at an unnecessary time.
The voltage electrode may have a plate shape in the plane perpendicular to the first direction and facing the surface heating element. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a cooling apparatus having improved space efficiency may be provided by arranging the voltage electrode included in the sensor module to face the surface heating element.
The voltage electrode may be one voltage electrode of a plurality of voltage electrodes included in the sensor module, the sensor module has multiple channels respectively including the plurality of voltage electrodes, and the plurality of voltage electrodes are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction
Each voltage electrode of the plurality of voltage electrodes may have a width of 5 mm or more in the second direction.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, because the sensor module is provided as a multi-channel having a plurality of voltage electrodes, the state of frost formation may be detected in segmented regions of the evaporator.
The surface heating element is one surface heating element of a plurality of surface heating elements included in the evaporator, at least two surface heating elements of the plurality of surface heating elements have different heating densities, and an operation of each surface heating element of the plurality of surface heating elements is individually controlled
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a cooling apparatus, in which the plurality of surface heating elements are provided, thereby individually applying heat to each area detected by the sensor module and not applying heat to an unnecessary location, thereby improving energy efficiency, is provided.
A cooling apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure may further include a processor configured to control an operation of the surface heating element according to a state of frost formed on the first cooling fins and the second cooling fins, the state of the frost being sensed by the sensor module.
When a flow rate of the cooling target fluid flowing between the first cooling fins and between the second cooling fins is lowered to 50% or less according to the state of the frost formed on the first cooling fins and the second cooling fins, the state of the frost being sensed by the sensor module, the processor is further configured to apply a control signal to operate the surface heating element.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the state of frost formed on the evaporator provided in the cooling apparatus may be detected, and the surface heating element may be operated according to the state of the formed frost, thereby improving cooling efficiency and preventing unnecessary energy consumption.
The evaporator may further include a support plate and an adhesive layer, which are arranged between the voltage electrode and the surface heating element and have heat resistance for a heating temperature of 150° C. or less.
The support plate may include an insulating material.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a cooling apparatus, which may improve heating efficiency and maintain the heating temperature at an appropriate temperature by placing a surface heating element at a location where defrosting is required, may be provided.
A cooling apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure may further include drain portion arranged below the first evaporator module and the second evaporator module in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the drain portion includes a receiving case to receive frost and water released from the first evaporator module and the second evaporator module
The drain portion may further include a drain hole configured so that the frost and water released from the first evaporator module and the second evaporator module moves outside the evaporator through the drain hole and a heating portion configured to apply heat to an area around the drain hole to melt the frost
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a cooling apparatus capable of efficiently discharging, to the outside, the frost and water released during a defrosting process may be provided.
A cooling apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure may further include a bracket configured to support, from a side, the first evaporator module, the second evaporator module, and the surface heating element so that the first evaporator module and the second evaporator module are spaced apart from each other in the first direction.
A method of operating the cooling apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include detecting a state of frost formed on the first cooling fins and the second cooling fins, operating the surface heating element according to the detected state of the frost formed on the first cooling fins and the second cooling fins, detecting a removal state of the frost formed on the first cooling fins and the second cooling fins, and stopping the operation of the surface heating element according to the detected removal state of the frost formed on the first cooling fins and the second cooling fins.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the state of frost formed on the evaporator provided in the cooling apparatus may be detected, and the surface heating element may be operated according to the state of the formed frost, thereby improving cooling efficiency and preventing unnecessary energy consumption.
When a flow rate of the cooling target fluid flowing between the first cooling fins and between the second cooling fins is lowered to 50% or less according to the detected state of the frost formed on the first cooling fins and the second cooling fins, the detected state of the frost being detected by the sensor module, the operation of the surface heating element is started.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the state of frost formed on the evaporator provided in the cooling apparatus may be detected, and the surface heating element may be operated according to the state of the formed frost, thereby improving cooling efficiency and preventing unnecessary energy consumption.
The surface heating element may be one surface heating element of a plurality of surface heating elements included in the evaporator, the plurality of surface heating elements are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, at least two surface heating elements of the plurality of surface heating elements have different heating densities, and an operation of each surface heating element of the plurality of surface heating elements is individually controlled.
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a plurality of surface heating elements may be provided, thereby individually applying heat to each area detected by the sensor module and not applying heat to an unnecessary location, thereby improving energy efficiency.
Effects that may be obtained from the disclosure will not be limited to only the above-described effects, and other effects which are not described herein will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the following description.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2023-0195607 | Dec 2023 | KR | national |
| 10-2024-0043624 | Mar 2024 | KR | national |
| 10-2024-0180231 | Dec 2024 | KR | national |
This application is a continuation application, under 35 U.S.C. § 111 (a), of International Application No. PCT/KR2024/020195, filed Dec. 10, 2024, which claims priority under 35 U. S. C. § 119 to Korean Provisional Application No. 10-2023-0195607, filed on Dec. 28, 2023, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0043624, filed on Mar. 29, 2024, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0180231, filed on Dec. 6, 2024, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/KR2024/020195 | Dec 2024 | WO |
| Child | 19005112 | US |
