Control method for refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11293678-B2
Application number	US-201916557988-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2019
Priority date	Sep 17, 2015
Publication date	Apr 5, 2022
Grant date	Apr 5, 2022

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a controller that is configured to perform operations including driving a refrigerator compartment compressor, determining whether a sensed temperature in the refrigerator compartment satisfies a first temperature, driving, based on the sensed temperature in the refrigerator compartment satisfying the first temperature, a freezer compartment compressor, 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 refrigerator comprising:
a refrigerator compartment configured to be set to a first temperature;
a freezer compartment configured to be set to a second temperature less than the first temperature;
a refrigerator compartment compressor configured to compress first refrigerant that exchanges heat with first air to be provided to the refrigerator compartment;
a freezer compartment compressor configured to compress second refrigerant that exchanges heat with second air to be provided to the freezer compartment; and
a controller configured to:
drive the refrigerator compartment compressor,
determine whether a sensed temperature in the refrigerator compartment is less than or equal to a first reference temperature,
in response to the sensed temperature in the refrigerator compartment being less than or equal to the first reference temperature, drive the freezer compartment compressor while maintaining operation of the refrigerator compartment compressor,
stop the operation of the refrigerator compartment compressor while maintaining operation of the freezer compartment compressor,
restart the operation of the refrigerator compartment compressor, and
in response to restarting the operation of the refrigerator compartment compressor, vary a driving frequency of the refrigerator compartment compressor.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
determine whether the sensed temperature in the refrigerator compartment is less than or equal to a second reference temperature that is less than the first reference temperature; and
in response to the sensed temperature in the refrigerator compartment being less than or equal to the second reference temperature, stop operation of the refrigerator compartment compressor.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
determine whether a set time has elapsed since the freezer compartment compressor was started; and
in response to an elapse of the set time, stop the operation of the refrigerator compartment compressor.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
determine whether a sensed temperature in the freezer compartment is less than or equal to a third reference temperature; and
in response to the sensed temperature in the freezer compartment being less than or equal to the third reference temperature, stop the freezer compartment compressor.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to restart the refrigerator compartment compressor in response to termination of the operation of the freezer compartment compressor.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to drive the refrigerator compartment compressor at more than one driving frequency, with each driving frequency corresponding to a capacity of the refrigerator compartment compressor, and
wherein the controller is configured to operate the refrigerator compartment compressor at a driving frequency corresponding to a reduced capacity that is less than the full capacity of the refrigerator compartment compressor.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to
control the driving frequency by operating the refrigerator compartment compressor and stopping the operation of the refrigerator compartment compressor.

8. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to:
determine a rotation speed of the freezer compartment compressor;
determine a duration from a first time corresponding to a start point of the operation of the freezer compartment compressor to a second time point at which the rotation speed of the freezer compartment compressor satisfies a target speed; and
in response to the duration being greater than or equal to the set time, stop the operation of the refrigerator compartment compressor.

9. The refrigerator of claim 3 , further comprising:
a refrigerator compartment evaporator disposed at a rear side of the refrigerator compartment and configured to evaporate the first refrigerant to exchange heat with the first air; and
a freezer compartment evaporator disposed at a rear side of the freezer compartment and configured to evaporate the second refrigerant to exchange heat with the second air,
wherein the controller is configured to:
obtain a sensed temperature of the second air supplied from the freezer compartment evaporator,
determine a duration from a first time corresponding to a start point of the operation of the freezer compartment evaporator to a second time at which the sensed temperature of the second air discharged from the freezer compartment evaporator satisfies a target temperature, and
in response to the duration being greater than or equal to the set time, stop the operation of the refrigerator compartment compressor.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9 , the controller is configured to:
in response to the sensed temperature of the second air being less than or equal to the target temperature, stop the operation of the refrigerator compartment compressor.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising:
a refrigerator compartment temperature sensor disposed inside the refrigerator compartment and configured to measure a temperature in the refrigerator compartment to thereby provide the controller with the sensed temperature in the refrigerator compartment; and
a freezer compartment temperature sensor disposed inside the freezer compartment and configured to measure a temperature in the freezer compartment to thereby provide a sensed temperature in the freezer compartment,
wherein the controller is configured to:
control the operation of the freezer compartment compressor according to the sensed temperature in the refrigerator compartment measured by the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor, and
vary the driving frequency of the refrigerator compartment compressor according to the sensed temperature in the freezer compartment measured by the freezer compartment temperature sensor.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to maintain a freezer driving frequency of the freezer compartment compressor while the operation of the refrigerator compartment compressor is stopped.

13. The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein the freezer driving frequency of the freezer compartment compressor corresponds to a full capacity of the freezer compartment compressor.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
determine a duration between the time at which the operation of the freezer compartment compressor starts and the time at which the operation of the refrigerator compartment compressor stops; and
determine the driving frequency of the refrigerator compartment compressor according to the duration.

15. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
start driving of the refrigerator compartment compressor while the freezer compartment compressor is not driven; and
in response to the sensed temperature in the refrigerator compartment being greater than or equal to the first reference temperature, start driving of the freezer compartment compressor at a first time point.

16. The refrigerator of claim 15 , wherein the controller is configured to:
in response to (i) an elapse of a set time from the first time point or (ii) the sensed temperature in the refrigerator compartment being greater than or equal to a second reference temperature, stop operating the refrigerator compartment compressor while maintaining the operation of the freezer

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Namhun
• Ahn Buhwan

Classifications

• F25B49/025 Primary

  Motor control arrangements · CPC title

• F25B2400/06

  Several compression cycles arranged in parallel · CPC title

• F25B49/022 Primary

  Compressor control arrangements · CPC title

• F25B2700/2104

  of an indoor room or compartment · CPC title

• F25D11/022

  with two or more evaporators · CPC title