CN101749908B - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a refrigerator which comprises a distributor (8) arranged on a door (3), and a first heater (38). The distributor (8) comprises a distributor shell (10) which comprises a first region (51) and a second region (52) near the first region (51); and the first region (51) and the second region (52) are adjacent to a heat insulating layer (6) of the door. The first heater (38) is arranged on the first region (51) for providing heat for the distributor shell (10). According to the suggestion of the invention, the refrigerator also comprises a second heater (39) which is arranged on the second region (52) for providing heat for the distributor shell (10); and the first heater (38) and the second heater (39) are controlled independently.

Description

refrigerator

[technical field]

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, in particular to a domestic or commercial refrigerator with a dispenser.

[Background technique]

The temperature in the refrigerator freezer can usually reach minus ten degrees. Although the box body and the door are provided with a thermal insulation layer to reduce the loss of cooling capacity due to the heat exchange between the cold air in the refrigerator and the outside, but with the increase of the refrigerator capacity and more elements on the refrigerator door (for example, ice and water can be distributed) Dispenser) settings, the refrigerator door may still have a lower temperature in some parts exposed to the atmosphere due to the influence of the storage room. Condensation occurs on these surfaces when the temperature difference between them and the atmospheric temperature reaches the dew point.

In the prior art, it is known to increase the temperature of a specific surface of a refrigerator by providing a heating element to prevent condensation. US patent US 6,862,891 B1 discloses a refrigerator having a heating element arranged close to the ice dispensing device and a control unit connected to the heating element. The control unit is arranged such that the voltage supplied to the heating element is variable so that the heating element can be operated between different non-zero voltages to reduce energy consumption. The background section of the patent also discloses that manufacturers can install two anti-sweat heaters, one of which acts as a backup heater and is used only if the other heater fails.

Due to the generally irregular shape of the door at the corresponding dispenser housing, the different distances of different parts of the dispenser housing from the ice conveying channel through the door, the possible difference in the thickness of the thermal insulation layer at different parts of the dispenser housing, etc. , Different areas of the distributor housing have different possibilities of condensation, so during the anti/decondensation process, some areas of the door may be overheated and some areas may be too cold to effectively prevent condensation produce.

[Content of the invention]

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome at least one of the above-mentioned technical problems of the prior art, making it possible to prevent condensation from developing in the distributor housing with greater efficiency and effectiveness.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a refrigerator, comprising: a box body defining at least one storage space; a door connected to the box body to close at least a part of the storage space, and a thermal insulation layer is arranged inside the door; a dispenser on the door, the dispenser comprising a dispenser housing comprising a first region and a second region proximate to the first region, the first region and the second region next to the thermal insulation layer; and a first heater, which is arranged on the first area to provide heat to the distributor housing; two heaters to provide heat to the dispenser housing, wherein the first heater and the second heater are independently controlled.

Therefore, it is possible to rationally distribute different heaters according to the characteristics of condensation in different regions of the distributor housing, and through separate control of these different heaters, it is possible to prevent condensation or remove the condensation that has already occurred more effectively and efficiently. condensation.

Other features which are considered characteristic of the invention either alone or in combination with other features are set forth in the following dependent claims.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first area surrounds the second area, so that even when one of the heaters is not working, the heat generated by the other heater can cover the corresponding area of the inactive heater.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first heater includes two heating sections separated by a predetermined distance, and at least a part of the second heater is located between the two heating sections.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it further includes an ice transport channel for transporting ice, and the first heater and/or the second heater are at least partially arranged around the ice transport channel.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the powers of the first heater and the second heater are different.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it includes a control unit and a detection unit for detecting at least one environmental parameter, and the first heater is automatically controlled by the control unit based on the detected environmental parameter.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the second heater is switched on in a manually activated auxiliary heating mode to provide additional heat to the dispenser housing. By combining intelligent and manual methods, the construction of the control unit can be relatively simple, so that the anti-condensation/decondensation function of refrigerators used in different climate environments and/or different degrees of use can be realized at a low cost. In addition, when there is no condensation, the second heater can be directly turned off or kept turned off by the user, thereby reducing unnecessary energy consumption, and thus the anti-condensation/decondensation efficiency can be improved.

In an alternative embodiment, said second heater is automatically controlled by said control unit.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the second heater is turned on only when the ambient temperature is greater than a predetermined value and/or the ambient relative humidity is greater than a predetermined value.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it includes a heat conduction element covering at least a part of the inner surface of the distributor housing, the heat conduction element is at least close to the first and/or second heater so as to turn the first And/or heat generated by the second heater is conducted to the distributor housing. In this way, the heat generated by the heater can be quickly and evenly transferred to the distributor housing, which on the one hand prevents the parts of the distributor housing closer to the heater from overheating and the parts farther away from the heater from being overheated. Insufficient condensation is generated, so that the anti-condensation of the distributor housing can be realized with reasonable energy consumption; on the other hand, the coverage of the heat generated by the heater can be expanded by the heat-conducting element through the propagation of the heat-conducting element That is to say, the heat generated by the heater can become the heat source of the heat conduction element and be quickly dissipated by the heat conduction element, so that the area covered by the heater can be reduced, for example, the distributor housing can be heated only in the part prone to condensation It is also possible to obtain heat by covering the parts less prone to condensation with heat-conducting elements.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the dispenser housing defines a dispensing chamber for receiving at least a part of the outer container, the dispensing chamber includes a dispensing chamber wall extending in the longitudinal direction, and the heat conduction element covers the dispensing chamber. At least most of the cavity wall.

Particularly preferably, the first and second heaters are not arranged on the walls of the distribution chamber or are only distributed in the edge region of the walls of the distribution chamber, so that the temperature of the walls of the distribution chamber easily accessible by users is significantly higher than that of The possibility of ambient temperature is greatly reduced.

The structure of the present invention as well as its other invention objectives and beneficial effects will be more clearly understood through the description of the preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[Description of drawings]

As part of the specification and to provide a further understanding of the invention, the following drawings illustrate specific embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. in,

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a refrigerator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view along the direction I-I in Fig. 1 .

Fig. 3 is a partial assembly diagram of a door of a refrigerator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic distribution diagram of a heating unit of a dispenser housing according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a refrigerator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[Detailed ways]

Please refer to the drawings, with particular reference first to FIGS. 1 and 2 . As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , a refrigerator 1 includes a box body 2 and two doors 3 connected to the box body 2 .

The box body 2 includes an outer shell 11 , an inner liner 12 and a thermal insulation layer 6 between the outer shell 11 and the inner liner 12 . In this embodiment, the heat insulation layer 6 is a foam insulation layer formed by foaming a heat insulation foam agent. The box body 2 defines at least one storage space for storing food. In this embodiment, the storage space includes a freezer compartment 7 and a refrigerator compartment (not shown) arranged side by side.

The doors 3 are respectively pivotally connected to the box body 2 through hinges 4, and can rotate around corresponding rotation axes parallel to the longitudinal axis. As shown in FIG. 2 , a foam insulating layer 6 is also arranged inside the door 3 . Normally, the door 3 is closed to prevent cold air from leaving the freezer 2 and refrigerator. When needed, the user can open the corresponding door 3 to perform operations such as taking out food from the freezer or refrigerating room or storing food into the corresponding storage room. The user can open and close the door 3 through the handle 5 .

In this embodiment, one door 3 enables the corresponding storage compartment to be fully opened or completely closed. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited thereto, but may also have other implementations. For example, in an alternative implementation, a storeroom is opened or closed by two doors 3, that is to say, one door 3 only opens or closes a part of such a storeroom.

The door corresponding to the freezer compartment 7 (hereinafter referred to as the freezer compartment door) 3 is provided with a dispenser 8 so that the user can take ice and/or beverages (such as water) without opening the door 3, such as ice stored in the freezer compartment and located in the refrigerator. Indoor cistern of water. Although in this embodiment the dispenser 8 is provided on the door 3 corresponding to the freezer. However, it should be understood that it is also possible to place the dispenser 8 on the door corresponding to the refrigerating compartment through a reasonable arrangement.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the freezer door 3 includes a door panel 13 constituting a front surface thereof and a lining 23 facing the freezer 7 when the freezer door 3 is in a closed position. In this embodiment, the door panel 13 is made of a thin metal plate, and the two sides of the door panel 13 are respectively bent and extended to form first and second longitudinal side walls 48 , 49 . The thermal insulation layer 6 is in close contact with the door panel 13 and the first and second longitudinal side walls 48 , 49 .

The door panel 13 has an opening 9 corresponding to the dispenser 8, and the opening 9 is substantially square. The dispenser 8 includes a dispenser housing 10 housed between a door panel 13 and an inner liner 23 . The distributor housing 10 forms a cavity 14 that is recessed inward and has an open front end. The shape and dimensions of the front port of the cavity 14 approximately correspond to the opening 9 . The liner 23 protrudes toward the freezer compartment 7 at the place corresponding to the dispenser housing 10 , and there is a predetermined distance between the dispenser housing 10 and the raised portion of the liner 23 to distribute the thermal insulation layer 6 .

The distributor 8 comprises a partition plate 15 located within the cavity 14 . The partition plate 15 is parallel to the horizontal plane and divides the cavity 14 into upper and lower parts. The portion of the cavity 14 below the partition plate 15 constitutes a dispensing cavity 16 whose front end remains open. The dispensing chamber 16 is adapted to receive at least a portion of an external container, such as a cup. In this embodiment, the dispensing cavity 16 is recessed rearwardly from the front surface of the door 3 to a predetermined depth in a certain arc.

The dispensing chamber 16 has a substantially flat support wall 17 so that the outer container can rest thereon smoothly. The support wall 17 has a plurality of small through holes (not shown), through which liquid accidentally splashed or overflowed during dispensing of ice or water flows into the water receiving groove 19 located below the support wall 17 .

The refrigerator 1 includes a control panel 20 provided on the freezer door 3 . The control panel 20 includes a display screen 21 and a plurality of buttons or touch areas 22 for controlling the refrigerator 1 . The display screen 21 can display the status of the refrigerator 1 and/or information such as selectable parameters.

In this embodiment, the control panel 20 is arranged along the upper end of the opening 9 and is adjacent to the dispensing cavity 16 . The portion of the opening 9 above the partition 15 is adapted to the outer contour of the control panel 20 , so that the control panel 20 engages with the corresponding edge of the opening 9 , and the portion of the cavity 14 above the partition 15 is closed by the control panel 20 .

The dispenser housing 10 includes cavity walls defining a cavity 14 . The chamber wall comprises a first portion 24 located below the partition plate 15 . The first part 24 comprises a longitudinal wall 30 constituting the longitudinal boundary of the dispensing chamber 16 . The longitudinal wall 30 is perpendicular to the horizontal plane and has a generally arcuate cross-section. The rear surface of the longitudinal wall 30 is immediately adjacent to the thermal insulation layer 6, while the outer surface is exposed to the atmosphere.

The first portion 24 also includes a bottom wall 31 connected to a lower end of the longitudinal wall 30 and extending forward. The bottom wall 31 is located below the support wall 17 and has a certain distance from the support wall 17 to form the above-mentioned water receiving tank 19 .

The cavity wall of the distributor housing 10 includes a second portion 25 connected to the upper end of the first portion 24 and located above the partition plate 15 . The second portion 25 includes an inclined wall 26 extending obliquely forward from the longitudinal wall 30 . The inclined wall 26 includes a through hole 27 to allow the passage of ice. The through hole 27 constitutes a part of the ice conveyance channel 29 . Wherein, the ice conveying channel 29 is used for conveying ice from the ice storage unit 28 located in the freezing chamber 7 to the dispensing cavity 16 . The second part 25 also includes a top wall 32 constituting the upper boundary of the cavity 14 . The second part 25 has an aperture 33 allowing the passage of a water supply pipe (not shown) for delivering potable water to the dispensing chamber 16 .

An ice discharge pipe 34 constituting a main part of the ice transport passage 29 is embedded in the freezer door 3 . One end of the ice discharge pipe 34 is connected to the second part 25 and communicated with the through hole 27 . When the freezer door 3 is closed, the other end of the ice discharge pipe 34 faces the outlet of the ice storage unit 28 located in the freezer 7 . Therefore, the ice discharged from the ice storage unit 28 can enter the ice discharge pipe 34 and finally be discharged to the dispensing cavity 16 through the ice outlet 18 provided on the partition plate 15 .

As shown in Figure 2, although the part above the partition plate 15 of the concave cavity 14 is closed by the control panel 20, the partition plate 15 is provided with an ice outlet 18 communicating with the part of the cavity 14 above the partition plate 15. , the second part 25 of the distributor housing 10 is thus in communication with the atmosphere, ie the second part 25 is also exposed to the atmosphere.

In order to prevent air in the freezer compartment 7 from leaving the freezer compartment 7 from the ice delivery channel 29 or outside air entering the freezer compartment 7 through the ice delivery channel 29 , the dispenser 8 is provided with a closing element 36 for opening or closing the ice delivery channel 29 . In general, the ice conveying channel 29 is closed by a closing element 36 . When it is desired to dispense ice, the closing element 36 opens the ice delivery channel 29 to allow the delivery of ice. The closing member 36 has a shape and a size substantially corresponding to the through hole 27, so as to close the through hole 27 and thereby close the ice conveying channel 29 when in the closed position. In this embodiment, the closing element 36 is connected to the second part 25 of the dispenser housing 10 and accommodated in the cavity 14 .

Influenced by the freezer compartment 7, the temperature of the dispenser housing 10 tends to be lower than the air/ambient temperature. When the temperature difference between the ambient temperature and the distributor housing 10 reaches the dew point, condensation water will form on the distributor housing 10 . Since the second part 25 of the dispenser housing 10 is close to the ice discharge pipe 34 and constitutes a part of the ice delivery channel 29 , the possibility of condensation is relatively higher. Therefore, the refrigerator 1 is provided with the heating unit 37 to increase the surface temperature of the dispenser case 10 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the heating unit 37 is distributed between the distributor housing 10 and the thermal insulation layer 6 .

Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a heating unit 37 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4 , the heating unit 37 includes a first heater 38 for providing heat to the dispenser housing 10 and a second heater 39 arranged close to the first heater 38 . The first heater 38 and the second heater 39 are preferably based on resistive heating.

In order to transfer the heat generated by the first heater 38 and the second heater 39 to the distributor housing 10 in a balanced manner, the heating unit 37 includes a device for conducting the heat generated by the first heater 38 and the second heater 39 to the dispenser housing 10 . The first heat conducting element 40 of the device housing 10. In this embodiment, the first heat conduction element 40 is aluminum foil with good heat conduction.

The first heat conducting element 40 is provided with a hole (not marked) corresponding to the through hole 27 . The first heater 38 and the second heater 39 may be distributed according to the characteristics of the distribution of condensation in the distributor housing 10 . In this embodiment, the first heater 38 includes a plurality of arc-shaped heating ring segments 40 arranged around the hole. The second heater 39 is disposed adjacent to the first heater 38 , preferably including a portion of the first heater 38 between the heating ring segments 35 . Preferably, this portion has a shape corresponding to the heating ring segment 35 .

After the first heater 38 and the second heater 39 are distributed on one side of the first heat conduction element 40 in a predetermined shape, the other side of the first heat conduction element 40 is closely attached to the inner surface of the distributor housing 10 .

The heating unit 37 is pasted inside the distributor housing 10 by a pasting device (not shown), and the hole of the first heat conducting element 40 corresponds to the through hole 27 . The first heat-conducting element 40 and the first heater 38 and the second heater 39 are soft and deformable, therefore, the part of the heating unit 37 located between the A line and the B line is distributed on the inclined wall 26, located on the A line The upper part is bent and pasted on the top wall 32 , and the part located below the line B is connected to the upper end of the longitudinal wall 30 after being bent. Thus, in this embodiment, the first heaters 38 are mainly distributed on the inclined wall 26 and the top wall 32 of the distributor housing 10 . The lower end portion of the first heater 38 extends to be at the upper end of the longitudinal wall 30 . The heating ring segments 35 closest to the through-opening 27 are distributed around the through-opening 27 . The main part of the second heater 39 is distributed on the inclined wall 26 . The portion located below the B line extends to the upper end of the longitudinal wall 30 together with the first heater 38 .

In this embodiment, the first heater 38 and the second heater 39 are respectively distributed on the first area 51 and the second area 52 of the distributor housing 10 . The first area 51 and the second area 52 are adjacent but not overlapping. Wherein, the first region 51 covers most of the inclined wall 26 and the top wall 32 and the upper end portion of the longitudinal wall 30 close to the inclined wall 26 . The second area 52 has an area smaller than that of the first area 51 and is surrounded by the first area 51 .

Preferably, the power of the second heater 39 is smaller than that of the first heater 38 . Preferably, the power density of the second heater 39 is set such that the dispenser housing 10 does not overheat even if the second heater 39 is turned on for a long time or is turned on all the time.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the side of the longitudinal wall 30 facing the thermal insulation layer 6 is provided with a second heat conducting element 50 . The upper end of the second heat conducting element 50 is connected with the first heater 38 and the second heater 39 , or is connected with the first heat conducting element 40 . Thus, the first and second heaters 38 , 39 and/or the first heat conducting element 40 constitute a heat source for the second heat conducting element 50 .

Because the second heat conduction element 50 has good thermal conductivity, the heat generated by the first heater 38 and the second heater 39 is also conducted to other parts of the longitudinal wall 30 that are not provided with heating elements, so that the temperature of the longitudinal wall 30 is increased And can prevent condensation. Since the longitudinal wall 30 is relatively far away from the ice conveying channel 29, such an arrangement can be sufficient to prevent the The longitudinal walls 30 generate condensation, thereby reducing energy consumption. In addition, this also avoids a situation where the temperature of the longitudinal wall 30 which is accessible to the user becomes too high.

Preferably, the second heat conduction element 50 includes a metal foil with good thermal conductivity, such as aluminum foil. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the second heat conducting element 50 covers at least the majority of the longitudinal wall 30 , for example the longitudinal wall 30 is completely covered by the second heat conducting element 50 . The second heat conducting element 50 is preferably glued on the inside of the longitudinal wall 30 by sticking means such as adhesive tape.

In order to prevent the temperature of the part of the longitudinal wall 30 easily accessible by the user to be significantly higher than the ambient temperature, preferably the heat conducting element 50 is only in contact with the first and second heaters 38, 39 at its edge regions. Particularly preferably, the upper end of the heat conducting element 50 is in contact with the first and the second heater 38 , 39 .

In the above embodiment, the first and second heaters 38 , 39 extend to the upper end of the longitudinal wall 30 . However, the present invention should not be limited thereto. For example, in an alternative embodiment, the first and second heaters 38, 39 do not extend to the longitudinal wall 30, but are extended from the longitudinal wall 30 by the heat conducting element 50 (for example, extending to the inclined wall 26) and It is also possible that the first and second heaters 38 , 39 are in contact outside the longitudinal wall 30 .

The first longitudinal side wall 48 of the freezer door 3 is close to the rotation axis of the freezer door 3, while the second longitudinal side wall 49 opposite to the first longitudinal side wall 48 is away from the rotation axis of the freezer door 3 and is close to the refrigerator compartment. the door. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the freezer compartment door 3 is provided with a third heater 47 for providing heat to the second longitudinal side wall 49, to prevent the second longitudinal side wall 49 from being generated due to the difference between the surface temperature and the ambient temperature. Condensation. In this embodiment, the third heater 47 is attached to the inner side of the second longitudinal sidewall 49 .

The second longitudinal side wall 49 is provided with a third heat conducting element 54 attached to its inner side. The third heat conducting element 54 is located between the third heater 47 and the inner surface of the second longitudinal sidewall 49 to uniformly transfer the heat generated by the third heater 47 to the second longitudinal sidewall 49 . Preferably, the third heat conducting element 54 is pasted on the inner surface of the second longitudinal side wall 49 by an adhesive means (for example, adhesive tape).

The third heater 47 and/or the third heat-conducting element 54 are preferably arranged on the region of the second longitudinal side wall 49 corresponding to the distributor 8 in the longitudinal direction. Preferably, the third heater 47 at least partially overlaps the distributor 8 in the lateral direction.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The control method of the first heater 38 and the second heater 39 will be described below with reference to FIG. 4 .

The refrigerator 1 includes a control unit 41 and an input unit 43 and a display unit 44 respectively coupled to the control unit 41, wherein the input unit 43 includes buttons or touch areas 22 located on the control panel 20, and the display unit 44 includes buttons located on the control panel 20. Display 21. The control unit 41 includes a microprocessor and a memory unit, so that some components of the refrigerator 1 such as the first heater 38 can be automatically controlled through programs stored in the memory unit.

The refrigerator 1 also includes a detection unit 42 for detecting at least one environmental parameter. The detection unit 42 is coupled to the control unit 41 and feeds back the detected parameters to the control unit 41 . In this embodiment, the detection unit 42 includes a temperature sensor for detecting the ambient temperature. The detection unit 42 controls the operation of the first heater 38 based on the detected ambient temperature, including controlling on and off of the first heater 38 .

In a preferred embodiment, when the detected ambient temperature is lower than zero, the first heater 38 is turned off. When the detected ambient temperature is between zero degrees and 10 degrees, the first heater 38 operates with a first output power and/or operates with a duty cycle less than 0.3. When the detected ambient temperature is greater than 10 degrees and less than 15 degrees, the first heater 38 is turned on with the second output power, or the first heater 38 is turned on and off alternately with the second duty cycle (for example, 0.4) . When the detected ambient temperature is greater than 15 degrees and less than 25 degrees, the first heater 38 is turned on with a third output power and/or operates with a predetermined third duty cycle (eg, 0.5).

In an alternative embodiment, the detection unit 42 further includes a humidity sensor for detecting the relative humidity of the environment. The control unit 41 controls the operation of the first heater 38 based on the detected ambient temperature, ambient relative humidity and other factors.

The second heater 39 is controlled independently of the first heater 38 . According to the invention, the second heater 39 is switched on only in the auxiliary heating mode, which has to be manually activated by the user. Therefore, the user can flexibly decide whether to turn on the second heater 38 according to the condensation phenomenon of the refrigerator 1 to increase the amount of heat used for condensation removal or anti-condensation.

In a preferred embodiment, the aforementioned auxiliary heating mode is activated by a switch device 45 provided on the freezer door 3 . The switching device 45 is preferably arranged on the dispenser 8 or in the vicinity of the dispenser 8 . Particularly preferably, the switching device 45 is arranged on the partition plate 15 .

In one embodiment, the switching device 45 is electrically connected to the second heater 39 , and the switching on and off of the switching device 45 determines the switching on and off of the second heater 39 . Preferably, when the switch device 45 is in the off state, the refrigerator 1 is in the normal mode, the first heater 38 is turned on or off based on the instruction of the control unit 41, and the second heater 39 is turned off. When the user operates the switch device 45 to close it, the refrigerator 1 starts the auxiliary heating mode, the second heater 39 is turned on to provide additional heat to the dispenser housing 10, and the first heater 38 is based on the command of the control unit 41 On or off.

The switch device 45 can be set independently of the control unit 41 , for example, the switch device 45 has no connection relationship with the microprocessor of the control unit 41 . In an alternative embodiment, the switch device 45 is connected with the control unit 41, for example, the display unit 43 can display whether the refrigerator 1 is in the normal heating mode or the auxiliary heating mode, or the user can select the parameters displayed by the display unit 43 through the switch device 45 to activate auxiliary heating mode.

The second heater 39 can be switched off by manually opening the switching device 45 to exit the auxiliary heating mode. In an alternative embodiment, however, the second heater 39 can also be switched off automatically. For example, the control unit 41 is configured to automatically turn off the second heater 39 after the second heater 39 is turned on for a predetermined time such as 15 minutes. This can be achieved by means of a timing device connected to the control unit 41, the timing device being arranged such that when the second heater 39 is switched on for a predetermined time, the timing device generates a signal upon which the second heater 39 is switched off . In case the switching device 45 is not connected to the microprocessor of the control unit 41 , this can be achieved by a timer connected to the switching device 45 or a timer provided by the switching device 45 itself.

In an alternative embodiment, the second heater 39 is also automatically controlled by the control unit 41 . For example, the second heater 39 is turned on only when the ambient temperature is greater than a predetermined value (eg, 30 degrees) and/or the ambient relative humidity is greater than a predetermined value (eg, 80%).

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 , the third heater 47 is controlled in the same manner as the first heater 38 , and is also automatically controlled by the control unit 41 based on the detected parameters. In a preferred embodiment, the parameters include ambient temperature, ambient relative humidity, and/or the temperature of the side wall 49, so that the control unit 41 can be controlled based on the ambient temperature, the ambient relative humidity, and/or the temperature of the side wall 49 The third heater 47 , for example, whether the third heater 47 is turned on and the frequency or duty ratio of the third heater 47 on and off.

Claims (12)

1. A refrigerator (1) comprising:

a box (2) defining at least one storage space (7);

a door (3) connected to the cabinet (2) to close at least a portion of the storage space (7), the door (3) having a thermal insulation layer (6) disposed therein;

a dispenser (8) disposed on the door (3), the dispenser (8) including a dispenser housing (10), the dispenser housing (10) including a first region (51) and a second region (52) proximate to the first region (51), the first and second regions (51, 52) being adjacent to the thermal insulation layer (6); and

a first heater (38) disposed on the first region (51) to provide heat to the dispenser housing (10);

characterized in that it further comprises a second heater (39) disposed on the second zone (52) to provide heat to the dispenser housing (10), wherein the first heater (38) and the second heater (39) are independently controlled.

2. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 1, characterized by the first area (51) surrounding the second area (52).

3. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 1, characterized by the first heater (38) comprising two heating sections (40) separated by a predetermined distance, at least a part of the second heater (39) being located between the two heating sections (40).

4. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized by an ice transfer channel (29) to transfer ice, the first heater (38) and/or the second heater (39) being arranged at least partially around the ice transfer channel (29).

5. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 1, characterized by the first heater (38) and the second heater (39) being of different power.

6. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 1, 2, 3 or 5, characterized by comprising a control unit (41) and a detection unit (42) to detect at least one environmental parameter, the first heater (38) being automatically controlled by the control unit (41) based on the detected environmental parameter.

7. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 6, characterized by the second heater (39) being switched on in an auxiliary heating mode activated manually to provide additional heat to the dispenser housing (10).

8. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 6, characterized by the second heater (39) being automatically controlled by the control unit (41).

9. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 8, characterized by the second heater (39) that is switched on only when the ambient temperature is greater than a predetermined value and/or the ambient relative humidity is greater than a predetermined value.

10. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 1, 2, 3 or 5, characterized by comprising a heat conducting element (40, 50) covering at least a part of the inner surface of the dispenser housing (10), the heat conducting element (40, 50) being at least close to the first and/or second heater (38, 39) to conduct the heat generated by the first and/or second heater (38, 39) to the dispenser housing (10).

11. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 10, characterized by the dispenser housing (10) defining a dispensing chamber (16) to receive at least a portion of an outer container, the dispensing chamber (16) comprising a longitudinally extending dispensing chamber wall (30), the heat conducting element (50) covering at least a majority of the dispensing chamber wall (30).

12. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 11, characterized by the first and second heaters (38, 39) being not provided on the dispensing chamber wall (30) or being distributed only in the edge regions of the dispensing chamber wall (30).

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