Simple inverter-control-type refrigerator, inverter control unit for refrigerator, and inverter compressor using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10001311-B2
Application number	US-201515120964-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2015
Priority date	Dec 24, 2014
Publication date	Jun 19, 2018
Grant date	Jun 19, 2018

Abstract

A simple inverter-controlled refrigerator includes temperature detector ( 17 ), constant speed main body control unit ( 12 ) whose power is turned on/off by temperature detector ( 17 ), and that can drive a constant speed compressor, inverter control unit ( 14 ) that is connected to constant speed main body control unit ( 12 ), and that is operated, based on a power on/off signal of constant speed main body control unit ( 12 ). And variable speed compressor ( 8 ) that is connected to inverter control unit ( 14 ), and that is controlled, based on an output from inverter control unit ( 14 ). Inverter control unit ( 14 ) has rotation speed setting unit ( 23 ) which is operated, based on the power on/off signal of constant speed main body control unit ( 12 ), and which is configured to set a rotation speed of variable speed compressor ( 8 ), and inverter drive circuit unit ( 24 ) which drives variable speed compressor ( 8 ) at the rotation speed set by rotation speed setting unit ( 23 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A simple inverter-controlled refrigerator comprising:
a temperature detector;
a constant speed main body control unit whose power is turned on/off by the temperature detector, and that can drive a constant speed compressor;
an inverter control unit that is connected to the constant speed main body control unit, and that is operated, based on a power on/off signal that includes a commercial power source voltage current output for driving a constant speed compressor; and
a variable speed compressor that is driven at a variable speed, is connected to the inverter control unit, and is controlled, based on an output from the inverter control unit,
wherein the constant speed main body control unit includes an on/off output unit connected to the inverter control unit and outputting the power on/off signal-including the commercial power source voltage current output for driving a constant speed compressor,
wherein the inverter control unit has
a power on/off detection circuit connected to the on/off output unit of the constant speed main body control unit and detecting the power on/off signal outputted from the on/off output unit, and
a rotation speed setting unit which is operated, based on the power on/off signal, detected by the power on/off detection circuit, from the constant speed main body control unit, and which is configured to set a rotation speed of the variable speed compressor, and an inverter drive circuit unit which drives the variable speed compressor at the rotation speed set by the rotation speed setting unit,
wherein the constant speed main body control unit and the inverter control unit are configured to function as an individually independent unit, and
wherein the inverter control unit is separate from and independent of the constant speed main body control unit and is connected to the constant speed main body control unit.

2. The simple inverter-controlled refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cooling fan,
wherein the cooling fan is configured to be driven by the constant speed main body control unit,
wherein the variable speed compressor is configured to be driven by an output from the inverter control unit, and
wherein the cooling fan and the variable speed compressor are configured to be respectively and separately controlled by the constant speed main body control unit and the inverter control unit.

3. The simple inverter-controlled refrigerator of claim 1 ,
wherein the inverter control unit further has an operation rate calculation unit which calculates an operation rate from a power-on time and a power-off time, based on the power on/off signal of the constant speed main body control unit, and
wherein the rotation speed setting unit is configured to set so that the operation rate determined by the operation rate calculation unit falls within a predetermined range.

4. The simple inverter-controlled refrigerator of claim 2 ,
wherein the inverter control unit further has an operation rate calculation unit which calculates an operation rate from a power-on time and a power-off time, based on the power on/off signal of the constant speed main body control unit, and
wherein the rotation speed setting unit is configured to set so that the operation rate determined by the operation rate calculation unit falls within a predetermined range.

5. The simple inverter-controlled refrigerator of claim 3 ,
wherein the operation rate calculation unit is configured to set an operation rate correction value, based on the operation rate and efficiency of the variable speed compressor which are predetermined.

6. The simple inverter-controlled refrigerator of claim 4 ,
wherein the operation rate calculation unit is configured to set an operation rate correction value, based on the operation rate and efficiency of the variable speed compressor which are predetermined.

7. The simple inverter-controlled refrigerator of claim 1 ,
wherein the rotation speed setting unit is configured to drive the variable speed compressor by accelerating the rotation speed, if the power-on time exceeds a predetermined time.

8. The simple inverter-controlled refrigerator of claim 2 ,
wherein the rotation speed setting unit is configured to drive the variable speed compressor by accelerating the rotation speed, if the power-on time exceeds a predetermined time.

9. The simple inverter-controlled refrigerator of claim 3 ,
wherein the rotation speed setting unit is configured to drive the variable speed compressor by accelerating the rotation speed, if the power-on time exceeds a predetermined time.

10. The simple inverter-controlled refrigerator of claim 4 ,
wherein the rotation speed setting unit is configured to drive the variable speed compressor by accelerating the rotation speed, if the power-on time exceeds a predetermined time.

11. The simple inverter-controlled refrigerator of claim 5 ,
wherein the rotation speed setting unit is configured to drive the variable speed compressor by accelerating the rotation speed, if the power-on time exceeds a predetermined time.

12. The simple inverter-controlled refrigerator of claim 6 ,
wherein the rotation speed setting unit is configured to drive the variable speed compressor by accelerating the rotation speed, if the power-on time exceeds a predetermined time.

13. A refrigerator inverter control unit comprising:
a power on/off detection circuit that is configured to detect a power on/off signal outputted from an on/off output unit of a constant speed main body control unit, the power on/off signal including a commercial power source voltage current output for driving a constant speed compressor;
a rotation speed setting unit that is operated, based on the power on/off signal, detected by the power on/off detection circuit from the constant speed main body control unit and is configured to set a rotation speed, based on the power on/off signal detected by the power on/off detection circuit; and
an inverter drive circuit unit that drives a variable speed compressor at the rotation speed set by the rotation speed setting unit,
wherein the power on/off detection circuit, the rotation speed setting unit, and the inverter drive circuit unit are configured to function as one unit, are operated when the power on/off detection circuit detects a power-on time, and are configured to drive the variable speed compressor at the rotation speed set by the rotation speed setting unit, and
wherein the rotation speed setting unit is configured to drive the variable speed compressor by setting a predetermined or faster rotation speed used during a fixed time from the power-on time.

14. The refrigerator inverter control unit of claim 13 , further comprising:
an operation rate calculation unit that calculates an operation rate, based on the power on/off signal from the power on/off detection circuit,
wherein the rotation speed setting unit is configured to set the rotation speed so that the operation rate determined by the operation rate calculation unit falls within a predetermined range.

15. The refrigerator inverter control unit of claim 14 ,
wherein the operation rate calculation unit is configured to set an operation rate correction value, based on the operation rate and efficiency of the variable speed compressor which are in a predetermined range.

16. The refrigerator inverter control unit of claim 13 ,
wherein the rotation speed setting unit is configured to drive the variable speed compressor by accelerating the rotation speed, if the power-on time exceeds a predetermined time.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd
• Panasonic Corp

Inventors

• Ohnishi Kenji
• Kase Hiroaki
• Fukuda Mitsuhiro
• Sumi Masaki
• Endou Katsumi
• Tokunaga Shigetomi

Classifications

• F25B49/025 Primary

  Motor control arrangements · CPC title

• F04B49/065

  and making use of computers · CPC title

• F25B2700/21

  Temperatures · CPC title

• F04C28/08

  characterised by varying the rotational speed · CPC title

• F04B2203/0209

  Rotational speed · CPC title