KR20190098509A - Refrigerator and Control method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The refrigerator repeats an operation cycle in which a refrigerator compartment operation, a freezer compartment operation and a compressor stop are sequentially performed, and the refrigerator comprises: a door heater installed in the refrigerator compartment door for opening and closing the refrigerator compartment; A switching valve for guiding the refrigerant to a refrigerator compartment evaporator for cooling the refrigerator compartment or for guiding the refrigerant to a freezer compartment evaporator for cooling the freezer compartment; And a control unit for controlling the door heater, the switching valve, and the compressor, and the control unit turns on and off the door heater at a variable cycle determined by the time at which the freezer operation of the previous operation cycle was performed during the freezer operation of each operation cycle. It is possible to minimize dew condensation in the refrigerating chamber door or cabinet that may occur when the average temperature of the door heater is high during the freezer operation performed after the operation and the average temperature of the door heater is low during the freezer operation.

Description

Refrigerator and its operation method {Refrigerator and Control method of the same}

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a method of operating the same, and more particularly, to a refrigerator provided with a door heater in a refrigerating chamber door.

A refrigerator is a device that prevents decay and deterioration by cooling an object to be cooled (hereinafter referred to as a food) such as food, medicine, cosmetics, or at a low temperature.

The refrigerator includes a storage compartment in which food is stored and a cooling device for cooling the storage compartment.

The cooling device may include a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator through which the refrigerant is circulated.

The refrigerator may further include a blowing fan for circulating air in the storage compartment to the evaporator and the storage compartment, the blowing fan may be disposed around the evaporator, and form an air flow that is blown back to the storage compartment after the air in the storage compartment is flowed to the evaporator. can do.

One example of the refrigerator may include both a freezer compartment evaporator for cooling the freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment evaporator for cooling the refrigerator compartment, in which case the refrigerator may independently cool each of the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment.

Another example of the refrigerator is a heater installed in the door of the refrigerator, and in the case of a rapid cooling mode in which the compressor is operated at a high RPM, the load of the heater is driven within a range of 50% to 100%, otherwise the heater is It can be operated in normal mode driving up to 50%.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0086883 A (published Jul 29, 2015)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator and a method of operating the refrigerator, which can minimize dew condensation of the refrigerating chamber door or dew condensation around the refrigerator compartment door, which may occur after completing the refrigerating chamber operation.

The refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention may be a refrigerator in which an operation cycle in which a refrigerator compartment operation, a freezer compartment operation, and a compressor stop are sequentially performed is repeated.

The refrigerator includes a door heater installed in the refrigerator compartment door for opening and closing the refrigerator compartment; A switching valve for guiding the refrigerant to a refrigerator compartment evaporator for cooling the refrigerator compartment or for guiding the refrigerant to a freezer compartment evaporator for cooling the freezer compartment; It may include a control unit for controlling the door heater, the switching valve and the compressor.

The door heater may be turned on and off with a fixed period and a variable period, may be turned on and off with a fixed period, and then turned on and off with a variable period, and then turned on and off again with a fixed period.

The control unit may turn the door heater on and off in a variable cycle determined by the time at which the freezer operation of the previous operation cycle was performed during the freezer operation of each operation cycle.

The controller may repeat turning on and off the door heater at a fixed cycle when the refrigerator is operating or when the compressor is stopped.

The refrigerator may further include a counter in which a time at which a freezer operation is performed is counted, and the time counted in the counter may be used in a variable cycle.

The refrigerator may further include a memory in which a fixed cycle and a variable cycle are stored. The controller may repeat turning on and off the door heater at a fixed cycle stored in the memory during the refrigerating chamber operation and the compressor stop. The control unit may turn the door heater on and off in a variable cycle stored in the memory during the freezer operation performed after the refrigerator compartment operation.

The controller may turn the door heater on and off in a fixed cycle during the freezer operation of the first operation cycle that is performed after power is supplied to the refrigerator.

The controller may turn the door heater on and off in a variable cycle from the freezer operation of the operation cycle performed after the initial operation cycle.

The operation method of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention may be applied to a method of operating a refrigerator in which an operation cycle in which a refrigerator operation, a freezer operation and a compressor stop are sequentially performed is repeated.

The operation method of the refrigerator may include a step of counting the time at which the freezer operation was performed and storing the counted time in a variable cycle during the freezer operation.

The operation method of the refrigerator may turn on or off the door heater installed in the refrigerating chamber door at a fixed cycle during the refrigerating operation of a new operation cycle that is executed after the operation cycle of the freezer operation in which the variable cycle is stored, and the freezer operation of the new operation cycle. At the time, the door heater may include the step of turning on, off in a variable cycle.

The door heater can be turned on and off in a fixed cycle when the operation stops for a new operating cycle.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the dew point of the refrigerating chamber door or the cabinet may be minimized when the average temperature of the door heater is high during the freezer operation after the refrigerating chamber operation and the average temperature of the door heater during the freezer operation is low. can do.

1 is a front view showing the inside of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a view showing a refrigeration cycle apparatus of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention,
4 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;
6 is a view showing a temperature change of the refrigerator compartment temperature and the freezer compartment temperature and the door heater of the comparative example compared with the embodiment of the present invention,
7 is a view showing a temperature change of the refrigerator compartment temperature, the freezer compartment temperature and the door heater of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a front view showing the inside of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention 4 is a view illustrating a refrigeration cycle apparatus, and FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The refrigerator may include a cabinet 1 in which a refrigerator compartment R and a freezer compartment F are formed, a refrigerator compartment door 2 that opens and closes the refrigerator compartment R, and a freezer compartment door 3 that opens and closes the freezer compartment F. .

The cabinet 1 may include a barrier 10 partitioning the refrigerating chamber R and the freezing chamber F. The cabinet 1 may include an outer case 11 forming an exterior, a refrigerating compartment inner case 12 having a refrigerating compartment R, and a freezing compartment inner case 13 having a freezing compartment F formed therein.

The refrigerating compartment door 2 and the freezing compartment door 3 may be rotatably connected to the cabinet 1 by a hinge, and each of them may be provided in singular or plural.

The refrigerator may include a door heater 4 installed in the refrigerator compartment door 2 that opens and closes the refrigerator compartment R.

The refrigerator may include a refrigerating compartment temperature sensor 5 detecting a temperature of the refrigerating compartment R and a freezing compartment temperature sensor 6 detecting a temperature of the freezing compartment F.

As shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerator includes a compressor 90 for compressing a refrigerant, a condenser 91 for condensing the refrigerant compressed in the compressor 90, and an expansion mechanism for expanding the refrigerant condensed in the condenser 91. And a refrigerator compartment evaporator 94 and a freezer compartment evaporator 95 in which the refrigerant expanded by the expansion mechanisms 92 and 93 is evaporated.

The expansion mechanisms 92 and 93 include a refrigerator compartment expansion mechanism 92 for expanding the refrigerant flowing into the refrigerator compartment evaporator 94 and a freezer compartment expansion mechanism 93 for expanding the refrigerant flowing into the freezer compartment evaporator 95. Can be.

The refrigerator may include a switching valve 96 for guiding the refrigerant to the refrigerator compartment evaporator 94 for cooling the refrigerator compartment or for guiding the refrigerant to the freezer compartment evaporator 95 for cooling the freezer compartment.

The switching valve 96 may guide the refrigerant having passed through the condenser 91 to the refrigerating chamber expansion mechanism 92 or the freezing chamber expansion mechanism 93.

The refrigerator may include a condensation fan 97 that blows outside air to the condenser 91. The refrigerator circulates the cold room fan 98 that circulates the cold air of the refrigerating compartment R to the refrigerating compartment evaporator 94 and the refrigerating compartment R, and the cold air of the freezing compartment F to the freezer evaporator 95 and the freezer compartment F. It may further include a freezer compartment fan 99.

The refrigerator may include a door heater 4, a controller 100 for controlling the compressor 91 and the switching valve 96.

The control unit 100 performs a refrigerator compartment operation (R operation) for cooling the refrigerating compartment (R), performs a freezer compartment operation (F operation) for cooling the freezer compartment (F), or stops and maintains the compressor 91 after the compressor. You can stop.

When the temperature of the refrigerator compartment R (hereinafter, referred to as the refrigerator compartment temperature) sensed by the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 5 rises to an upper limit of the refrigerator compartment target temperature, the refrigerator may start a refrigerator compartment operation, and the refrigerator compartment temperature is the refrigerator compartment target temperature. When the temperature is lowered to the lower limit temperature, the refrigerator compartment operation may be terminated.

The upper limit temperature of the refrigerating chamber target temperature may be a temperature set to a predetermined temperature (for example, 1.5 ° C.) higher than the refrigerating chamber target temperature, and the lower limit temperature of the refrigerating chamber target temperature is lower than the refrigerating chamber target temperature (for example, 1.5 ° C.). When the refrigerator compartment target temperature is 3 ° C., the refrigerator may start the refrigerator compartment operation (R operation) when the refrigerator compartment temperature rises to 4.5 ° C., and when the refrigerator compartment temperature decreases to 1,5 ° C., the refrigerator compartment Operation (R operation) can be terminated.

The refrigerator may start a freezer operation when the temperature of the freezer compartment F (hereinafter, referred to as a freezer compartment temperature) detected by the freezer compartment temperature sensor 6 rises to an upper limit temperature of the target temperature of the freezer compartment, and the freezer compartment temperature may be the target temperature of the freezer compartment. When the temperature is lowered to the lower limit temperature, the freezer operation may be terminated.

The upper limit temperature of the target temperature of the freezer compartment may be a predetermined temperature (for example, 1 ° C.) higher than the target temperature of the freezer compartment, and the lower limit temperature of the target temperature of the freezer compartment is lower than the target temperature (eg 1 ° C.) of the target temperature of the freezer compartment. When the freezer target temperature is -18 ° C, the refrigerator may start a freezer operation when the freezer temperature rises to -17 ° C, and end the freezer operation when the freezer temperature drops to -19 ° C. can do.

The refrigerator may be selectively operated in a freezer compartment operation (R operation) and a freezer compartment operation (F operation). If the refrigerator is a condition under which a refrigerator compartment operation (R operation) is to be started and a freezer compartment operation (F operation) is to be started, in advance, One operation (for example, a refrigerator compartment operation) is first performed according to a predetermined priority, and another operation (for example, a freezer compartment operation) may be performed when the first operation is completed.

In the refrigerator, during the refrigerating room operation (R operation), the refrigerating room temperature is the end condition of the refrigerating room operation (R operation) (for example, the refrigerating room temperature drops to the lower limit temperature of the refrigerating chamber target temperature), and the freezer temperature is the freezer operation (F operation). If the start condition (for example, the freezer compartment temperature is equal to or higher than the upper limit temperature of the target target temperature of the freezer compartment), it is possible to switch from the refrigerator compartment operation (R operation) to the freezer operation (F operation).

In the refrigerator, the freezer temperature is the end condition of the freezer operation (R operation) (for example, the freezer temperature is lowered to the lower limit temperature of the freezer target temperature) during the freezer operation (F operation), and the freezer temperature is the start condition of the refrigerator operation. (For example, if the refrigerator compartment temperature is equal to or higher than the upper limit temperature of the refrigerator compartment target temperature), it is possible to switch from the freezer compartment operation (F operation) to the refrigerator compartment operation (R operation).

In the refrigerator, the freezer temperature is the end condition of the freezer operation (R operation) (for example, the freezer temperature is lowered to the lower limit temperature of the freezer target temperature) during the freezer operation (F operation), and the freezer temperature is the start condition of the refrigerator operation. (For example, if the refrigerator compartment temperature is not lower than the upper limit of the refrigerator compartment target temperature), the compressor 91 can be stopped, and the compressor 91 can be stopped and held until the refrigerator compartment temperature becomes the start condition of the refrigerator compartment operation. (Ie compressor stopped)

The refrigerator may repeat operation cycles C1 and C2 in which a refrigerator compartment operation (R operation), a freezer compartment operation (F operation), and a compressor stop are sequentially performed.

The control part 100 can perform a refrigerator compartment operation (R operation) and a freezer compartment operation (F operation) sequentially by controlling the compressor 91 and the switching valve 96, and after completion of a freezer operation (F operation), The compressor 91 can be stopped.

In the refrigerating chamber operation (R operation), the control unit 100 may drive the compressor 91 and control the switching valve 96 in the refrigerating chamber supply mode, and the refrigerant passes through the refrigerating chamber evaporator 94 while the refrigerating chamber R is in operation. Can be cooled.

The control unit 100 may drive the compressor 91 and control the switching valve 96 in the freezer supply mode during the freezer operation (F operation), and the refrigerant may pass through the freezer compartment evaporator 95 while operating the freezer compartment F. Can be cooled.

The controller 100 may turn the door heater 4 on and off in a fixed cycle or a variable cycle while the driving cycles C1 and C2 are repeated.

The control unit 100 may turn the door heater 4 on and off in a fixed cycle, and then turn on and off in a variable cycle, and then turn the door heater 4 on and off in a fixed cycle.

The control unit 100 may repeat turning on and off the door heater 4 at a fixed cycle when the refrigerator operation (R operation) of each operation cycle (C1, C2) or the compressor is stopped.

Here, the fixed period may be a constant period without changing the period even if time passes. The control unit 100 may turn on the door heater 4 for a predetermined heater ON setting time when the refrigerator operation (R operation) of the operation cycles C1 and C2 or the compressor is stopped, and the door heater 4 is turned on. After that, when the on time has elapsed, the door heater 4 can be turned off for a preset heater off setting time, and the door heater 4 is in the refrigerating chamber operation (R operation) or the compressor stop of each operation cycle C1, C2. At the time of a fixed period, it can be turned on and off several times.

The control unit 100 has a variable time having the same time as the time Tc at which the freezer operation of the previous operation cycle C1 (see FIG. 7) was performed during the freezer operation (F operation) of each operation cycle C2 (see FIG. 7). The door heater 4 can be turned on and off periodically.

Here, the variable period is a period that can be changed for each driving cycle (C1, C2), it can be determined in the driving cycle (C1, see Fig. 7) before each driving cycle (C2, see Figure 7), As described above, the on / off cycle of the door heater 4 may be changed in every driving cycle according to the variable cycle determined in the previous driving cycle C1.

Then, the variable cycle is a cycle for turning the door heater 4 on and off once during the freezer operation (F operation), and the control unit 100 performs the freezer operation (R operation) after the freezer operation (F operation) is started. When the door heater 4, which has been turned on and off in a fixed cycle, is turned off for the first time during the freezer operation (F operation), the door heater 4 is turned on in a variable cycle from the time when the door heater 4 during the freezer operation is turned off. Can be turned off.

The refrigerator may further include a counter 110 in which a time Tc at which a freezer operation (F operation) is performed is counted. The time counted by the counter 110 may be stored in the memory 120 and used for a variable period.

The refrigerator may further include a memory 120 in which a fixed cycle and a variable cycle are stored.

The controller 100 may repeat turning on and off the door heater 4 at a fixed cycle stored in the memory 120 during the refrigerating chamber operation (R operation) and the compressor stop.

In addition, the control unit 100 may turn the door heater 4 on and off at variable cycles stored in the memory 120 during the freezer operation (F operation) performed after the refrigerating chamber operation (R operation).

The variable period stored in the memory 120 is a cycle for turning the door heater 4 on and off once. The longer the variable period stored in the memory 120, the more the door heater 4 is operated during the freezer operation (F operation). On the contrary, the shorter the variable period stored in the memory 120, the shorter the time Ton for keeping the door heater 4 on during the freezer operation (F operation) may be shorter.

The controller 100 may repeat turning on and off the door heater 4 at a fixed cycle stored in the memory 120 at the refrigerating chamber operation and the compressor stop. In addition, the control unit 100 may turn on and off the door heater 4 at a variable cycle stored in the memory 120 during the freezer operation (F operation) performed after the refrigerator compartment operation (R operation).

On the other hand, the control unit 100 may turn on and off the door heater 3 at a fixed cycle stored in the memory 120 during the freezer operation (F operation) of the initial operation cycle that is performed after the power is supplied to the refrigerator. In this case, during the freezer compartment operation (F operation), the door heater 4 can be turned on and off a plurality of times.

On the other hand, the control unit 100 may turn on and off the door heater 4 in a variable cycle from the freezer compartment operation (F operation) of the operation cycle C2 performed after the initial operation cycle.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the operation method of the refrigerator of the present embodiment, an operation cycle in which a refrigerator compartment operation, a freezer compartment operation and a compressor stop are sequentially performed may be repeated.

The operation method of the refrigerator may include a step S1 of counting the time Tc (see FIG. 7) at which the freezer operation F was performed and storing the counted time in a variable cycle during the freezer operation F. FIG.

The operation method of the refrigerator is a door installed in the refrigerating chamber door 2 during the refrigerating chamber operation (R operation) of the new operation cycle C2 which is executed after the operation cycle C1 (see FIG. 7) of the freezer operation in which the variable cycle is stored is finished. The heater 4 is turned on and off at a fixed cycle, and the door heater 4 is turned on and off at a variable cycle during the freezer operation (F operation) of the new operation cycle C1 (S2) (S3) (S4) ( S5) may be included.

 On the other hand, in the operation method of the refrigerator, when the door heater 4 is turned off at a fixed cycle or off at a variable cycle, the door heater 4 may be turned on and off at a fixed cycle when the operation of the new driving cycle is stopped.

6 is a view showing a temperature change of the refrigerator compartment temperature, the freezer compartment temperature and the door heater of the comparative example compared to the embodiment of the present invention, Figure 7 is a refrigerator compartment temperature and freezer compartment temperature and door heater of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention The temperature change of is shown.

The comparative example is an example in which the door heater 4 is turned on and off at a fixed cycle during each of the operation cycles C1 and C2 regardless of the refrigerator compartment operation (R operation), the freezer compartment operation (F operation) and the compressor stop.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the door heater 4 is turned on and off at a fixed cycle during the refrigerating compartment operation (R operation), and during the freezer operation (F operation), by the time Tc at which the freezer operation of the previous operation cycle was performed. The door heater 4 is turned on and off at a determined variable cycle, and the door heater 4 is turned on and off at a fixed cycle when the compressor is stopped.

In the comparative example, while the refrigerating chamber operation (R operation) is completed and the freezing chamber operation is continued, the average temperature (Tave1, Tave2) per on / off cycle of the door heater 4, which is turned on and off in a fixed cycle by rising load in the refrigerating chamber. The temperature spread may occur as time passes, such as 20.3 ° C., 20.4 ° C., and at the time when the temperature spread occurs, in particular, when the average temperature Tave 1 is low Ts, the refrigerator door 2 or the cabinet 1 Dew) may occur.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the on-time (Ton) of the door heater 4 at the time when the average temperature of the door heater 4 in the comparative example is low (that is, the initial time when the refrigerator compartment operation is completed and the refrigerator compartment operation is in progress). ) And the off-seakan Toff can increase the average temperature Tab3 of the door heater 4 as a whole, and the freezer operation is stopped after a certain period of time (ie, after the refrigerating chamber operation is completed) of each operation cycle C1 and C2. During the implementation), the average temperature Tab3 of the door heater 4 may not be low, and the occurrence of dew in the refrigerating chamber door 2 or the cabinet 1 may be minimized.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may make various modifications and changes without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention.

Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention but to describe the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments.

The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

4: door heater 96: switching valve
100: control unit

Claims (6)

In a refrigerator in which an operation cycle in which a refrigerator compartment operation, a freezer compartment operation and a compressor stop are sequentially performed is repeated,
A door heater installed in the refrigerating chamber door to open and close the refrigerating chamber;
A switching valve for guiding the refrigerant to a refrigerator compartment evaporator for cooling the refrigerator compartment or for guiding the refrigerant to a freezer compartment evaporator for cooling the freezer compartment;
It includes a control unit for controlling the door heater, the switching valve and the compressor,
The control unit is a refrigerator for turning on and off the door heater in a variable cycle determined by the time when the freezer operation of the previous operation cycle during the freezer operation of each operation cycle. The method of claim 1,
The control unit
The refrigerator repeats turning on and off the door heater at a fixed cycle when the refrigerator is operating or when the compressor is stopped. The method of claim 2,
A counter for counting a time at which the freezer operation is performed;
And a memory in which the fixed cycle and the variable cycle are stored. The method of claim 1,
The control unit turns on and off the door heater at the fixed cycle during the freezer operation of the first operation cycle that is performed after the power is supplied to the refrigerator.
The refrigerator for turning on and off the door heater in the variable period during the freezer compartment operation of the operation cycle performed after the initial operation cycle. In the operation method of the refrigerator in which the operation cycle in which the refrigerator compartment operation, the freezer compartment operation and the compressor stop are sequentially performed is repeated,
Counting the time at which the freezer operation was performed and storing the counted time in a variable cycle during a freezer operation;
When the refrigerator operation of the new operation cycle is performed after the operation cycle of the freezer operation in which the variable period is stored, the door heater installed in the refrigerating chamber door is turned on and off at a fixed cycle, and the door heater is operated during the freezer operation of the new operation cycle. Operating method of the refrigerator comprising the step of turning on, off the variable period. The method of claim 5,
Operating method of the refrigerator to turn on and off the door heater in the fixed cycle when the operation of the new driving cycle is stopped.

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