Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11740002-B2
Application number	US-202117493154-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2021
Priority date	Dec 19, 2017
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

A refrigerator including a compressor, a condenser, a freezing chamber evaporator, a freezing chamber fan, a defrosting heater, a wine chamber evaporator, a wine chamber fan, a path switching device configured to guide the refrigerant condensed in the condenser to the freezing chamber evaporator in a freezing chamber mode and to guide the refrigerant condensed in the condenser to the wine chamber evaporator in a wine chamber mode, and a controller configured to turn on the defrosting heater to perform a freezing chamber defrosting mode for defrosting the freezing chamber evaporator, to control the path switching device to the wine chamber mode while the temperature of the wine chamber is dissatisfied when the temperature of the wine chamber is dissatisfied in the freezing chamber defrosting mode, and to drive the wine chamber fan.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a main body including a first chamber having a first target temperature and a second chamber having a second target temperature;
a first fan configured to supply cool air to the first chamber;
a second fan configured to supply cool air to the second chamber; and
a controller configured to:
perform a second chamber defrosting mode; and
perform an alternate cooling mode for cooling the first chamber and the second chamber after terminating the second chamber defrosting mode,

wherein, in the alternate cooling mode, the controller is configured to alternately perform:
a first chamber cooling mode by driving the first fan while stopping the second fan; and
a second chamber cooling mode by driving the second fan while stopping the first fan,

wherein the first target temperature is higher than the second target temperature, and
wherein the controller firstly performs the first chamber cooling mode to firstly cool the first chamber, and secondly performs the second chamber cooling mode to secondly cool the second chamber after terminating the first chamber cooling mode based on a temperature of the first chamber.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first cooler configured to cool the first chamber;
a second cooler configured to cool the second chamber; and
a defrosting heater to supply heat to the second cooler,
wherein the controller is further configured to turn on the defrosting heater to perform the second chamber defrosting mode.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 , further comprising a valve configured to:
guide refrigerant to the first cooler in a first operation mode; and
guide the refrigerant to the second cooler in a second operation mode,
wherein, in the first chamber cooling mode, the controller is configured to control the valve to operate in the first operation mode and to drive the first fan-based on a temperature of the first chamber during the second chamber defrosting mode.

4. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to perform defrosting of the second cooler when a defrosting condition is satisfied based on at least one of a set defrosting period or a temperature of the second cooler.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1 ,
wherein the controller is further configured to:
drive the first fan and control a valve to operate in a first operation mode to perform a first chamber pre-cool mode; and
stop the first fan in the first chamber pre-cool mode and drive a freezing chamber fan to perform a second chamber pre-cool mode,
wherein the second chamber defrosting mode starts after terminating the second chamber pre-cool mode.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
start the first chamber cooling mode based on a set waiting time after terminating the second chamber defrosting mode; and
perform the first chamber cooling mode and the second chamber cooling mode for a same set amount of time.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to terminate the second chamber cooling mode based on a temperature of the second chamber during the alternate cooling mode.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein, before performing the second chamber defrosting mode, the controller is configured to perform at least two of:
a second chamber additional cooling mode;
a first chamber additional defrosting mode; or
a first chamber pre-cool mode.

9. A refrigerator comprising:
a main body including a first chamber having a first target temperature above 0 degree Celsius and a second chamber having a second target temperature below 0 degree Celsius;
a first fan configured to supply cool air to the first chamber;
a second fan configured to supply cool air to the second chamber; and
a controller configured to:
perform a second chamber defrosting mode;
drive the first fan based on a temperature of the first chamber in the second chamber defrosting mode;
drive the first fan to perform a first chamber pre-cool mode;
terminate the first chamber pre-cool mode and stop the first fan based on a first set amount of time after the first chamber pre-cool mode starts;
drive the second fan to perform a second chamber pre-cool mode; and
terminate the second chamber pre-cool mode based on a second set amount of time after the second chamber pre-cool mode starts,

wherein the controller firstly performs the first chamber pre-cool mode to firstly cool the first chamber, and secondly performs the second chamber pre-cool mode to secondly cool the second chamber after terminating the first chamber pre-cool mode,
wherein the second set amount of time is greater than the first set amount of time, and
wherein the second chamber defrosting mode starts after terminating the second chamber pre-cool mode.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9 , further comprising:
a compressor;
a condenser; and
a valve provided at an outlet of the condenser and configured to guide refrigerant to at least one of a first evaporator of the first chamber or a second evaporator of the second chamber.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the controller is further configured to perform a pump-down for continuously driving the compressor to suck remaining refrigerant in the second evaporator into the compressor and to accumulate the remaining refrigerant between the compressor and the valve when a temperature of the second chamber is lower than the target temperature during the second chamber pre-cool mode or based on the second set amount of time after the second chamber pre-cool mode has started.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
terminate the second chamber pre-cool mode after performing the pump-down for a pump-down set amount of time; and
start the second chamber defrosting mode based on a set amount of stopping time after the second chamber pre-cool mode terminates.

13. A refrigerator comprising:
a main body including a first chamber and a second chamber;
a compressor configured to compress refrigerant;
a first chamber evaporator configured to cool the first chamber;
a second chamber evaporator configured to cool the second chamber;
a valve provided at an inlet of the first chamber evaporator and the second chamber evaporator and configured to guide refrigerant to the first chamber evaporator in a first chamber mode and to guide the refrigerant to the second chamber evaporator in a second chamber mode; and
a controller configured to:
perform a second chamber defrosting mode for defrosting the second chamber evaporator;
control the valve to operate in the first chamber mode and drive the compressor based on a temperature of the first chamber in the second chamber defrosting mode;
perform a second chamber additional cooling mode for cooling the second chamber when a defrosting condition of the second chamber evaporator is satisfied,
wherein performing the second chamber additional cooling mode includes:
performing a first mode for driving the compressor and controlling the valve to operate in the second chamber mode; and
performing a second mode for closing the valve and for continuously driving compressor to perform a pump-down when an additional set time has elapsed after the second chamber additional cooling mode starts or based on a temperature of the second chamber in the second chamber additional cooling mode;

drive the compressor and control the valve to operate in the first chamber mode to perform a first chamber pre-cool mode; and
control the valve to operate in the second chamber mode to perform a second cham

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Seong Giseok
• Kim Kyungseok
• Kim Kyeongyun
• Ahn Seunguk
• Chung Myungjin

Classifications

• F25D11/022 Primary

  with two or more evaporators · CPC title

• F25B13/00

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

• F25B49/02

  for compression type machines, plants or systems · CPC title

• F25D17/065 Primary

  with compartments at different temperatures · CPC title

• F25D21/006

  with electronic control circuits · CPC title