Control method for refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10429112-B2
Application number	US-201615265335-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2016
Priority date	Sep 17, 2015
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

A control method for a refrigerator includes driving a refrigerator compartment compressor that is configured to cool a refrigerator compartment; determining whether a temperature in the refrigerator compartment satisfies a first temperature; driving, based on the determination that a temperature in the refrigerator compartment satisfies the first temperature, a freezer compartment compressor that is configured to cool a freezer compartment; stopping the refrigerator compartment compressor; maintaining, after stopping the refrigerator compartment compressor, operation of the freezer compartment compressor; restarting the refrigerator compartment compressor; and varying a driving frequency of the refrigerator compartment compressor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control method for a refrigerator, comprising:
driving a refrigerator compartment compressor that is configured to cool a refrigerator compartment;
determining whether a temperature in the refrigerator compartment is less than or equal to a first temperature;
driving, in response to the temperature in the refrigerator compartment being less than or equal to the first temperature, a freezer compartment compressor that is configured to cool a freezer compartment when the refrigerator compressor is driven;
stopping the refrigerator compartment compressor when the freezer compartment compressor is driven;
maintaining, after stopping the refrigerator compartment compressor, operation of the freezer compartment compressor;
in response to completion of operation of the freezer compartment compressor, restarting the refrigerator compartment compressor at a driving frequency to cool the refrigerator compartment to a second temperature; and
in response to restarting the refrigerator compartment compressor, varying the driving frequency of the refrigerator compartment compressor to correspond to a reduced capacity that is less than a full capacity of the refrigerator compartment compressor.

2. The control method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether the temperature in the refrigerator compartment is less than or equal to the second temperature when the refrigerator compartment compressor and freezer compartment compressor are driven,
wherein stopping the refrigerator compartment compressor Is in response to the determination that the temperature in the refrigerator compartment is less than or equal to the second temperature.

3. The control method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether a set time has elapsed since the freezer compartment compressor was started,
wherein stopping the refrigerator compartment compressor is in response to the determination that the set time has elapsed.

4. The control method of claim 3 , wherein determining whether the set time has elapsed comprises:
determining the time duration from a first time at which the freezer compartment compressor is started to a second time at which a rotation speed of the freezer compartment compressor has reached a target speed; and
determining whether the time duration is greater than or equal to the set time.

5. The control method of claim 3 , wherein determining whether the set time has elapsed comprises:
determining the time duration between a first time at which a freezer compartment evaporator is started and a second time at which a temperature of a cooling gas generated from the freezer compartment evaporator is less than or equal to a set temperature; and
determining whether the time duration is greater than or equal to the set time.

6. The control method of claim 3 , wherein maintaining operation of the freezer compartment compressor includes:
maintaining a driving frequency of the freezer compartment compressor.

7. The control method of claim 3 , wherein maintaining operation of the freezer compartment compressor includes:
driving the freezer compartment compressor with a freezer driving frequency of the freezer compartment compressor to correspond to a full capacity of the freezer compartment compressor.

8. The control method of claim 1 , wherein restarting the refrigerator compartment compressor includes:
determining the time duration from a first time that the freezer compartment compressor is started to a second time that the refrigerator compartment compressor is stopped, and
determining, in response to the time duration from the first time to the second time, the driving frequency of the refrigerator compartment compressor.

9. The control method of claim 1 , wherein restarting the refrigerator compartment compressor includes:
driving the refrigerator compartment compressor at a driving frequency corresponding to 80 to 90% of the full capacity of the refrigerator compartment compressor.

10. The control method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether a rotation speed of the freezer compartment compressor has reached a target speed,
wherein stopping the refrigerator compartment compressor is in response to the determination that the rotation speed of the freezer compartment compressor has reached the target speed.

11. The control method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether a temperature of a cooling gas generated from a freezer compartment evaporator is less than or equal to a set temperature,
wherein stopping the refrigerator compartment compressor is in response to the determination that the temperature of cooling gas is less than or equal to the set temperature, the refrigerator compartment compressor.

12. The control method of claim 2 , wherein the first temperature is higher than the second temperature.

13. The control method of claim 1 , wherein restarting the refrigerator compartment compressor includes:
determining a first time duration from a first time that the freezer compartment compressor is started to a second time that the refrigerator compartment compressor is stopped,
determining a second time duration during which the freezer compartment compressor has been driven,
determining, in response to the first time duration and the second time duration, a third time duration, and
driving the refrigerator compartment compressor for the third time duration.

14. The control method of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerator compartment compressor is an inverter type compressor.

15. The control method of claim 1 , wherein the freezer compartment compressor is an inverter type compressor.

16. The control method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether a temperature in the freezer compartment is less than or equal to a third temperature; and
in response to the determination that the temperature in the freezer compartment is less than or equal to the third temperature, stopping the freezer compartment compressor.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Namhun
• Ahn Buhwan

Classifications

• F25D11/022

  with two or more evaporators · CPC title

• F25B49/022 Primary

  Compressor control arrangements · CPC title

• F25B2400/06

  Several compression cycles arranged in parallel · CPC title

• F25B49/025 Primary

  Motor control arrangements · CPC title

• F25B13/00

  Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle (defrosting cycles F25B47/02) · CPC title