KR101424560B1 - Driving control method for refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an operation control method of a refrigerator capable of increasing the efficiency of energy by reducing the number of on / off times of the compressor by increasing the operation rate of the compressor in the power saving mode of the refrigerator .

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, it is determined whether the refrigerator is in the power saving mode. If the mode is the power saving mode of the refrigerator, the operation rate of the compressor is calculated, and the compressor operation rate is compared with the maximum setting operation rate. The number of revolutions of the compressor is varied.

Description

[0001] DRIVING CONTROL METHOD FOR REFRIGERATOR [0002]

The present invention relates to a method of controlling a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a method of controlling operation of a refrigerator that increases the efficiency of a compressor in a power saving mode of the refrigerator and reduces the number of times of turning on and off the compressor.

A refrigerator is a device for keeping various foods fresh for a long time using cool air generated in a refrigeration cycle. The refrigerator has a freezing room for storing frozen food generally below the freezing temperature, a freezing room for storing refrigerated food having a temperature higher than the freezing temperature, And a cooling system for cooling the refrigerating compartment.

The cooling system comprises a compressor, a condenser for condensing the compressed refrigerant, a capillary for adiabatically expanding the condensed refrigerant, and an evaporator for evaporating the expanded refrigerant. Here, a cooling fan for supplying cool air generated in the evaporator to each storage room, and a three-way valve provided between the condenser and each evaporator to selectively supply the refrigerant to each evaporator may be further included. With this configuration, the conventional refrigerator circulates the cooled air through the evaporator to the storage room through the cooling fan to cool the storage room.

During the cooling cycle of the cooling system, the compressor is continuously turned on / off. When the compressor is activated, the fan installed in the condenser and the cooling fan installed in the storage room are operated together. When the compressor is stopped, It does not.

On the other hand, the refrigerator enters the power saving mode when there is no opening / closing operation of the door for a predetermined time or when there is no change in the setting condition of the refrigerator. In this power saving mode, the microcomputer drives the compressor by reducing the number of rotations of the compressor to a predetermined value or less.

Conventionally, when the power-saving mode is entered, since the number of revolutions of the compressor is simply lowered to a predetermined value or less and turned on / off, there is a problem that energy is unnecessarily consumed in switching the compressor on / off. That is, energy efficiency is deteriorated due to on / off driving of the compressor.

In addition, there is a problem that the compressor is damaged due to frequent on / off driving of the compressor.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a refrigerator, the method comprising: determining whether the refrigerator is in a power saving mode; calculating a driving rate of the compressor when the refrigerator is in a power saving mode; comparing a driving rate of the compressor with a maximum setting rate; The rotational speed of the compressor is varied so as to reach the maximum setting operation rate.

The variable number of revolutions of the compressor is controlled so as to reduce the number of revolutions of the compressor and increase the operating rate of the compressor when the operation rate of the compressor is lower than the maximum set operation rate.

The variable number of revolutions of the compressor is determined by comparing the value obtained by subtracting the set number of revolutions from the number of revolutions of the compressor and the minimum number of revolutions when the operating rate of the compressor is lower than the maximum set operating rate, If the value obtained by subtracting the number is larger than the minimum operating speed, the number of revolutions of the compressor is varied by subtracting the set speed from the speed of the compressor.

In addition, the variable number of revolutions of the compressor is controlled so as to increase the number of revolutions of the compressor to lower the operating rate of the compressor when the operation rate of the compressor is higher than the maximum set operation rate.

The variable number of revolutions of the compressor is determined by comparing the value obtained by adding the set number of revolutions of the compressor to the maximum number of revolutions when the operation ratio of the compressor is higher than the maximum set operation rate, Is smaller than the maximum operation speed, the rotation speed of the compressor is changed to a value obtained by adding the set rotation speed to the rotation speed of the compressor.

In addition, varying the number of revolutions of the compressor repeats until the operating rate of the compressor reaches the maximum set operating rate.

The method further includes determining whether the power saving mode of the refrigerator is the overload power saving mode, the heavy load saving mode or the low load power saving mode.

Also, the maximum set operation rate is set higher in the overload power saving mode than in the heavy load power saving mode, and is set higher in the heavy load power saving mode than in the low load power saving mode.

As described above, according to the operation control method of the refrigerator of the present invention, when the refrigerator is in the power saving mode, the operation rate of the compressor is increased to reduce the number of on / off times of the compressor. That is, energy efficiency can be increased by increasing the operation rate of the compressor in order to reduce the number of on / off times of the compressor and decreasing the number of revolutions of the compressor in order to increase the operation rate of the compressor.

In addition, it is possible to reduce the problem of damaging the compressor due to frequent on / off driving of the compressor.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator has a body 10 having a storage room 11, 12 formed therein and an open front, and a storage room 11, 12 inside the body 10 has an intermediate wall 13 and upper and lower storage compartments 11 and 12, respectively. A first storage room door 14 and a second storage room door 15 for opening and closing the first storage room 11 and the second storage room 12 are installed on the front surface of the main body 10.

The main body 10 is provided in an enclosure filled with a urethane foam insulating material therein, and a machine room 16 in which various electric components are installed is formed at the rear of the lower portion. The machine room 16 is provided with a compressor 17 in a refrigerating cycle, a condenser (not shown) for condensing high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 17, an electric box (not shown), and the like Respectively.

The first storage chamber door 14 and the second storage chamber door 15 are provided on the front surfaces of the first storage chamber 11 and the second storage chamber 12 respectively and are disposed on the left side of the first storage chamber 11 and the second storage chamber 12, The first storage chamber 11 and the second storage chamber 12 are opened and closed by turning forward or backward about a hinge (not shown) formed at the end or the right end.

The first storage room 11 partitioned at the upper part of the main body 10 generally functions as a freezing room for storing frozen food and the second storage room 12 partitioned at the lower part of the main body 10 stores Thereby functioning as a refrigerating chamber.

In this case, the first storage chamber 11 may be formed as a refrigerating chamber and the second storage chamber 12 may be formed as a freezing chamber. In addition, the first and second storage chambers 11 and 12 may be connected to a freezing chamber or a freezing chamber There is further provided a display device 50 for inputting temperature variable information to function. Since the first and second storage compartments 11 and 12 can be used as the refrigerating compartments or the freezing compartments in a temperature-dependent manner, the conventional technology is not described in detail.

The first and second storage rooms 11 and 12 provided on the upper and lower sides of the main body 10 are connected to a refrigeration cycle to generate cool air supplied into the first and second storage rooms 11 and 12 Duct portions 30a and 30b for circulating cool air heat-exchanged by the evaporators 20a and 20b to the first storage chamber 11 and the second storage chamber 12 and evaporators 20a and 20b for circulating the cool air exchanged by the evaporators 20a and 20b to the first storage chamber 11 and the second storage chamber 12, First and second defrost heaters 21a and 21b provided adjacent to the first and second storage rooms 11 and 12 and first and second temperature sensors 40a and 40b for detecting the temperatures of the first and second storage rooms 11 and 12, 40b.

The duct portions 30a and 30b cover the front sides of the evaporators 20a and 20b and form the rear surfaces of the first and second storage rooms 11 and 12. [

An inlet port (not shown) for introducing the cold air of the first and second storage rooms 11 and 12 to the evaporators 20a and 20b is formed below the duct sections 30a and 30b, A predetermined number of discharge ports 31a (30a, 30b) are formed in front of the duct portions 30a, 30b so that the introduced cold air is heat-exchanged through the evaporators 20a, 20b to be uniformly dispersedly discharged into the first storage chamber 11 and the second storage chamber 12, , 31b are spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction.

In addition, first and second cooling fans 32a and 32b for forcedly flowing air are provided above the evaporators 20a and 20b, respectively. The outside of the refrigerator is connected to an outside temperature sensor 60 are installed.

2, a control unit 110 for controlling the overall operation of the refrigerator includes first and second storage compartments 11 and 12 (not shown) for controlling the entire operation of the refrigerator, The first and second temperature sensors 40a and 40b detect the temperatures of the first and second storage rooms 11 and 12, respectively. The ambient temperature sensor 60 senses the ambient temperature of the refrigerator. And a function selection unit 120 for inputting the control signal to the control unit 110 are electrically connected.

The control unit 110 counts the operating time of the compressor 17, that is, the time until the compressor 17 is turned on and off, and accumulates the operating time of the counted compressor 17. [

If there is no opening / closing operation of the door for a predetermined time or there is no change in the setting condition of the refrigerator, the controller 110 determines the power saving mode and performs the operation corresponding to the power saving mode. That is, the controller 110 calculates the operation rate of the compressor using the operation time of the compressor 17 integrated in the power saving mode, compares the calculated operation rate of the compressor with the set maximum operation rate, The rotational speed of the compressor 17 is varied so that the operating rate reaches the maximum set operating rate.

More specifically, if the operation rate of the compressor 17 is lower than the maximum set operation rate, the control unit 110 controls the compressor 17 to increase the operation rate of the compressor by decreasing the number of revolutions of the compressor 17, ) Is higher than the maximum setting operation rate, the control unit 15 increases the number of revolutions of the compressor 17 to control the operation rate of the compressor to be low.

First and second cooling fan driving units 130a and 130b for controlling the driving of the first and second cooling fans 32a and 32b according to the control signal of the controller 110 are connected to the output side of the controller 110, And the inverter unit 140 for varying the number of revolutions of the compressor 17 according to the load determined by the load.

Hereinafter, a method of controlling the operation of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the above-described configuration and FIGS. 3A to 3C.

3A, the controller 110 determines whether or not the power saving mode is selected (300). If there is no door opening / closing operation for a predetermined time or there is no change in the setting condition of the refrigerator, the controller 110 determines the power saving mode of the refrigerator Of 'Yes'). In addition, the operating rate of the compressor at the previous time is calculated based on the time when the compressor 17 is stopped, and it is determined that the mode is the power saving mode of the refrigerator if the calculated operating rate of the compressor is less than the maximum setting operation rate.

The control unit 110 divides the power saving mode into the overload power saving mode, the heavy load saving mode, and the low load power saving mode based on the outside air temperature, the set internal temperature, and the set ice amount, and determines whether the power saving mode is the overload power saving mode . That is, when the outside air temperature sensed by the outside air temperature sensor 60 is higher than the first reference value, the inside temperature set by the function selecting unit 120 is lower than the second reference value, and the ice making amount set by the function selecting unit 120 is lower than the third reference value If it is more than the predetermined value, it is determined that the mode is the overload power saving mode (Yes in step 301).

In the overload power saving mode, it is determined whether the operation cycle of the compressor 17 is completed (302). That is, it is determined whether the compressor 17 is in the on-state or off-state, and the operation cycle of the compressor 17 is completed.

Next, when the operation cycle of the compressor 17 is completed, the operation rate of the compressor 17 for the previous operation cycle is calculated (303), and the calculated operation rate of the compressor 17 is compared with the first maximum set operation rate (304). At this time, the first maximum set operation rate refers to an operation rate which can be set to the maximum as a result obtained through experiments.

If the operation rate of the compressor 17 calculated in step 304 is lower than the first maximum set operation rate, the first minimum set operation speed is compared with a value obtained by subtracting the first set speed from the speed of the compressor 17 305). In this case, the first lowest operating rotational speed is the minimum recommended operating rotational speed of the compressor (17).

If the value obtained by subtracting the first set rotational speed from the rotational speed of the compressor 17 is greater than the first minimum operating rotational speed (Yes in step 305), the first set rotational speed is set to be the rotational speed of the compressor 17 And the number of revolutions of the compressor 17 is varied (step 306).

For example, when the first maximum set operation rate is 90%, the first set rotation number is 50 rpm, the first lowest operation rotation number is 1600 rpm, and the operation rate of the compressor calculated by the control unit 110 is 80% , The operation of reducing the number of revolutions of the compressor (17) is performed to increase the operation rate of the compressor (17) to the first maximum set operation rate since the operation rate of the compressor (17) is lower than the first maximum set operation rate . That is, since the value obtained by subtracting the number of revolutions of the compressor 17 from the first predetermined number of revolutions of 2000 rpm-50 rpm = 1950 rpm is lower than the first lowest operating speed of 1600 rpm, the number of revolutions of the compressor 17 is changed to 1950 rpm.

On the other hand, if the operation rate of the compressor 17 calculated in step 304 is higher than the first maximum set operation rate, the first maximum operation speed is compared with the value obtained by adding the first set speed to the speed of the compressor 17 If the value obtained by adding the first set rotational speed to the rotational speed of the compressor 17 is smaller than the first preset rotational speed (YES in step 307) The number of revolutions of the compressor 17 is varied by a value obtained by adding the number of revolutions (308). Here, the first maximum set operating rate refers to the maximum recommended operating speed in the compressor (17).

Next, if the operation mode of the compressor 17 exceeds the maximum setting operation rate or if the power saving mode is released by opening and closing the door (309) and the power saving mode is not released, The process of varying the number of revolutions of the compressor 17 until the set operation rate is reached is repeated. That is, the control unit 110 is configured to vary the operation rate of the compressor 17 step by step so that the operation rate of the compressor 17 reaches the first maximum set operation rate.

The control unit 110 controls the compressor 17 to operate at a higher rate by decreasing the number of revolutions of the compressor 17 when the operation rate of the compressor 17 is lower than the maximum set operation rate. If it is higher than the operation rate, the number of revolutions of the compressor is increased to control the operation rate of the compressor to be lowered.

4A to 4C are graphs showing the operation rate of the compressor, the number of revolutions of the compressor, and the energy consumption per operation cycle according to the time. Referring to FIGS. 4A to 4C, When the operation ratio of the compressor 17 is shifted from the maximum set operation rate at t4, the operation of the compressor 17 is controlled so that the operation rate of the compressor 17 gradually increases to reach the maximum set operation rate according to the flow (t1 to t4) The number of revolutions of the compressor 17 is increased so that the operation ratio of the compressor 17 is controlled not to exceed the maximum set operation rate as at t5.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the number of revolutions of the compressor 17 becomes close to the minimum operating speed according to the flow of time (from t1 to t4), and the off period of the compressor in the driving cycle is also reduced.

In FIG. 4C, the energy consumption per cycle is gradually decreased according to the flow of time (from t1 to t4). As the operation rate of the compressor 17 increases, the energy efficiency increases.

5A and 5B are graphs showing the energy efficiency, the compressor capacity and the cooling ability according to the frequency of the compressor. Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the number of revolutions of the compressor is adjusted by the frequency of the applied compressor. As the frequency of the compressor increases, the capacity and cooling capacity of the compressor also increases in proportion to the frequency of the compressor. As the frequency of the compressor decreases from 2800 to 2600, the increase in energy efficiency The energy consumption is reduced. That is, it can be seen that the required power of the compressor is greatly reduced than the cooling capacity, and the gain is generated.

3B, if it is determined in step 301 that the type of the power saving mode is not overloaded, it is determined 310 whether the type of the power saving mode is heavy or not. If the power saving mode is the heavy load saving mode, It is determined whether the cycle is completed (311).

Next, when the operation cycle of the compressor 17 is completed, the operation ratio of the compressor 17 to the previous operation cycle is calculated 312, and the calculated operation ratio of the compressor 17 is compared with the second maximum setting operation rate (313). At this time, the second maximum set operation rate has a smaller value than the first maximum set operation rate.

If the operation ratio of the compressor 17 calculated in step 313 is lower than the second maximum set operation rate, the second minimum operation speed is compared with a value obtained by subtracting the second set speed from the speed of the compressor 17 314).

If the value obtained by subtracting the second set rotational speed from the rotational speed of the compressor 17 is larger than the second lowest operating rotational speed (YES in step 314), the second set rotational speed is set to be the rotational speed of the compressor 17 And the number of revolutions of the compressor 17 is varied (315).

On the other hand, if the operation ratio of the compressor 17 calculated in step 313 is higher than the second maximum setting operation rate, the value obtained by adding the second set rotation number to the rotation number of the compressor 17 is compared with the second maximum operation rotation number If the value obtained by adding the second set rotational speed to the number of rotations of the compressor 17 is smaller than the second maximum set rotational speed (YES in step 316) The number of revolutions of the compressor 17 is varied by a value obtained by adding the number of revolutions (317).

Next, if the operation mode of the compressor 17 exceeds the maximum setting operation rate, or if the power saving mode is released by opening and closing the door (318) and the power saving mode is not released, The process of varying the number of revolutions of the compressor 17 until the set operation rate is reached is repeated.

3C, if the type of the power saving mode is not the heavy load mode in step 310, it is determined whether the type of the power saving mode is low load (319). If the power saving mode is the low load power saving mode, It is determined whether or not the cycle has been completed 320. That is, if the outside air temperature sensed by the outside air temperature sensor 60 is lower than the first reference value, the inside temperature set by the function selecting unit 120 is higher than the second reference value, When the ice-making amount set in the controller 120 is smaller than the third reference value, the low load power saving mode is determined.

Next, when the operation cycle of the compressor 17 is completed, the operation rate of the compressor 17 for the previous operation cycle is calculated 321, and the calculated operation rate of the compressor 17 is compared with the third maximum setting operation rate (322). At this time, the third maximum set operation rate has a smaller value than the second maximum set operation rate.

If the operation ratio of the compressor 17 calculated in step 322 is lower than the third maximum set operation rate, the third lowest operating speed is compared with the value obtained by subtracting the third set speed from the speed of the compressor 17 323).

If the value obtained by subtracting the third set rotational speed from the rotational speed of the compressor 17 is larger than the third lowest operating rotational speed (Yes in step 323), the third set rotational speed is set to be the rotational speed of the compressor 17 And the number of revolutions of the compressor 17 is varied (324).

On the other hand, if the operation rate of the compressor 17 calculated in step 322 is higher than the third maximum set operation rate, the value obtained by adding the third set rotation number to the rotation number of the compressor 17 is compared with the third maximum operation rotation number If the value obtained by adding the third set speed to the compressor 17 is smaller than the third maximum set speed (Yes in step 325) The number of revolutions of the compressor 17 is changed to a value obtained by adding the number of revolutions (326).

Next, if the operation mode of the compressor 17 exceeds the maximum setting operation rate or if the power saving mode is released by opening and closing the door (step 327) and the power saving mode is not released, The process of varying the number of revolutions of the compressor 17 until the set operation rate is reached is repeated.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A to 3C are control flowcharts for explaining the operation control process of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A to 4C are diagrams showing the operation rate of the compressor, the number of revolutions of the compressor, and the energy consumption per operation cycle according to time according to time.

5A and 5B are graphs showing energy efficiency, compressor capability and cooling ability according to the frequency of the compressor.

Description of the Related Art [0002]

17 ... compressor 40a ... first temperature sensor

40b ... second temperature sensor 60 ... outside temperature sensor

110 ... control unit 120 ... function selection unit

140 ... Inverter section

Claims (8)

It is determined whether or not the refrigerator is in the power saving mode, Wherein when the refrigerator is in the power saving mode, the operating rate of the compressor is calculated, Wherein the compressor is operated at a maximum set operating rate and the compressor is operated so that the operating rate of the compressor reaches the maximum set operating rate, To change the number of revolutions of the compressor, And controlling the operation speed of the compressor to be increased by decreasing the number of revolutions of the compressor when the operation rate of the compressor is lower than the maximum set operation rate. delete 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein varying the number of revolutions of the compressor comprises: Comparing the value obtained by subtracting the set rotation speed from the rotation speed of the compressor and the minimum operation rotation speed when the operation rate of the compressor is lower than the maximum set operation rate, Wherein the number of revolutions of the compressor is varied by subtracting the set number of revolutions from the number of revolutions of the compressor if the value obtained by subtracting the set number of revolutions from the number of revolutions of the compressor is greater than the minimum number of revolutions. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein varying the number of revolutions of the compressor comprises: And increasing the number of revolutions of the compressor to decrease the operation rate of the compressor when the operation rate of the compressor is higher than the maximum set operation rate. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein varying the number of revolutions of the compressor comprises: And comparing the maximum operating speed with a value obtained by adding the set number of revolutions to the number of revolutions of the compressor if the operating rate of the compressor is higher than the maximum set operating rate, And changing the number of revolutions of the compressor to a value obtained by adding the predetermined number of revolutions to the number of revolutions of the compressor if the value obtained by adding the set number of revolutions to the number of revolutions of the compressor is less than the maximum number of revolutions. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein varying the number of revolutions of the compressor comprises: And repeats the operation until the operation rate of the compressor reaches the maximum set operation rate. The method according to claim 1, Further comprising determining whether the power saving mode of the refrigerator is an overload power saving mode, a heavy load saving mode or a low load power saving mode. 8. The method according to claim 7, Wherein in the overload power saving mode is set higher than in the heavy load power saving mode and in the heavy load power saving mode is set higher than in the low load power saving mode.

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