Method for controlling a refrigerating unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10215480-B2
Application number	US-201815889489-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2018
Priority date	Apr 14, 2014
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

A method for controlling a refrigerating unit that includes the steps of providing a freezing compartment, a user interface and a refrigeration circuit with a compressor; and setting a controlling routine through the user interface for avoiding freezer burns on food products to be stored in the freezing compartment, upon the setting changing the set temperature of the freezing compartment to a value from 2° C. to 10° C. lower than the previously set value, and changing the on/off control or the cooling capacity of the compressor so that temperature oscillations in the freezing compartment are limited to a range from 1° C. to 0.1° C.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of reducing freezer burn of a food product loaded in a freezing cavity of a refrigerator comprising:
presenting a refrigerator with a freezing cavity, a refrigeration circuit in thermal communication with the freezing cavity to maintain the freezing cavity at a first set temperature subject to a first temperature oscillation range, a user interface allowing a user to set a controlling routine to reduce freezer burn of a food product loaded into the freezing cavity;
setting, via the user interface, the controlling routine to reduce freezer burn on the food product loaded into the freezing cavity; and
as a result of the setting, maintaining the freezing cavity at a second set temperature subject to a second temperature oscillation range until the user disengages the controlling routine via the user interface;
wherein, the second set temperature is colder than the first set temperature and the second temperature oscillation range is smaller than the first temperature oscillation range.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
wrapping the food product before the food product is loaded in the freezing cavity.

3. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein, the second set temperature is between 2° C. to 10° C. colder than the first set temperature.

4. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein, the second temperature oscillation range is between 0.1° C. and 1° C.

5. The method of claim 1 ,
the refrigeration circuit including a compressor with an on/off control; wherein, changing the on/off control of the compressor results in the second temperature oscillation range rather than the first temperature oscillation range.

6. The method of claim 1 ,
the refrigeration circuit including a variable cooling capacity compressor; wherein, varying the cooling capacity of the variable cooling capacity compressor results in the second temperature oscillation range rather than the first temperature oscillation range.

7. The method of claim 3 ,
wherein, the second set temperature is between 4° C. to 8° C. colder than the first set temperature.

8. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein, the second set temperature is −22° C. or colder.

9. The method of claim 4 ,
wherein, the second temperature oscillation range is between 0.1° C. and 0.8° C.

10. The method of claim 1 , the refrigeration circuit further comprising an evaporator, the method further comprising:
reducing a temperature of the freezer cavity to a third set temperature, which is colder than the second set temperature;
defrosting the evaporator after the temperature of the freezer cavity is reduced to the third set temperature; and
returning temperature of the freezer cavity to the second set temperature.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising: packing the food product in a plastic bag, wherein the food product is meat.

12. An apparatus comprising:
a freezing cavity;
a refrigeration circuit in thermal communication with the freezing cavity configured to maintain the freezing cavity at least at a first set temperature subject to a first temperature oscillation range, and at a second set temperature subject to a second temperature oscillation range; and
a user interface allowing a user to set a controlling routine to reduce freezer burn of a food product loaded into the freezing cavity;
wherein, when the controlling routine is not set, the refrigeration circuit maintains the freezing cavity at the first set temperature subject to the first temperature oscillation range;
wherein, when the controlling routine is set, the refrigeration circuit maintains the freezing cavity at the second set temperature subject to the second temperature oscillation range until the user disengages the controlling routine via the user interface; and
wherein, the second set temperature is colder than the first set temperature and the second temperature oscillation range is smaller than the first temperature oscillation range.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 ,
wherein, the second set temperature is between 2° C. to 10° C. colder than the first set temperature.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 ,
wherein, the second temperature oscillation range is between 0.1° C. and 1° C.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 ,
the refrigeration circuit including a compressor with an on/off control;
wherein, the controlling routine changes the on/off control of the compressor to maintain the freezer cavity at the second set temperature subject to the second temperature oscillation range rather than the first set temperature subject to the first temperature oscillation range.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 ,
the refrigeration circuit including a variable cooling capacity compressor;
wherein, the controlling routine changes the cooling capacity of the variable cooling capacity compressor to maintain the freezer cavity at the second set temperature subject to the second temperature oscillation range rather than the first set temperature subject to the first temperature oscillation range.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 ,
wherein, the second set temperature is between 4° C. to 8° C. colder than the first set temperature.

18. The apparatus of claim 12 ,
wherein, the second set temperature is −22° C. or colder.

19. The apparatus of claim 14
wherein, the second temperature oscillation range is between 0.1° C. and 0.8° C.

20. The apparatus of claim 12 ,
the refrigeration circuit further comprising an evaporator and the refrigeration circuit is further configured to bring a temperature of the freezing cavity to a third set temperature, which is colder than the second set temperature;
wherein, when the controlling routine is set, the refrigeration circuit brings the temperature of the freezing cavity to the third set temperature before defrosting the evaporator and then returns the temperature of the freezing cavity to the second set temperature after the evaporator is defrosted.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Biotti Carolina
• Paganini Raffaele
• Pandian Sankara

Classifications

• F25D2400/36

  Visual displays · CPC title

• F25D29/00 Primary

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title

• F25B2600/025

  by controlling speed · CPC title