Refrigerator and method for controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11835291-B2
Application number	US-202217584624-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2022
Priority date	Sep 14, 2018
Publication date	Dec 5, 2023
Grant date	Dec 5, 2023

Abstract

The method for controlling the refrigerator includes operating a first cooling cycle for cooling the first storage compartment to operate the compressor and operating a first fan for the first storage compartment, and switching the first cooling cycle to a second cooling cycle for cooling the second storage compartment to operate the compressor and operating a second fan when a stop condition of the first cooling cycle is satisfied. A temperature of each storage compartment is sensed at sampling time intervals in each cooling cycle. Further, a cooling power of the compressor is determined for each sampling time based on a sensed current temperature of the storage compartment, and the compressor is operated at the determined cooling power.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method to control a refrigerator comprising:
operating a first cooling cycle to cool a first storage compartment, wherein operating the first cooling cycle includes activating a compressor;
ceasing the first cooling cycle and operating a second cooling cycle to cool a second storage compartment when a stop condition of the first cooling cycle is satisfied,
wherein the operating the second cooling cycle includes activating the compressor and a fan,
wherein activating the compressor in the second cooling cycle includes:
determining a cooling level of the compressor based on comparing a representative temperature of the second storage compartment with a set temperature of the second storage compartment; and
operating the compressor at the determined cooling level, and

wherein determining the cooling level of the compressor includes:
determining a decrease or an increase of the cooling level of the compressor when an absolute value of a difference between the set temperature of second storage compartment and the representative temperature of the second storage compartments is equal to or greater than a first reference value, regardless of whether the set temperature is equal to or higher than the representative temperature or whether the representative temperature is higher than the set temperature.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second storage compartment is a freezing compartment.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether a stop condition of the second cooling cycle is satisfied when operating the second cooling cycle;
performing a pump down operation when the stop condition of the second cooling cycle is satisfied, the pump down operating including the compressor being operated while the valve is closed such that refrigerant is not provided to the first evaporator or the second evaporator for a period of time;
operating the first cooling cycle after the pump down operation.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stop condition of the first cooling cycle and a stop condition of the second cooling cycle are satisfied when:
the cooling level of the compressor is maintained within a prescribed cooling level range during a time period,
variations in temperatures of the storage compartment are maintained within a prescribed temperature range during the time period,
current temperatures of the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment reach respective set temperatures,
a prescribed time elapses after the current temperatures of the first and second storage compartments reaches the set temperatures, or
a set time elapses after the first cooling cycle and the second cooling cycle start operating.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the decrease or the increase of the cooling level of the compressor includes:
determining a first decrease or increase of the cooling level of the compressor when an absolute value of a difference between the set temperature of second storage compartment and the representative temperature of the second storage compartments is equal to or greater than the first reference value; and
determining a second decrease or increase of the cooling level of the compressor when an absolute value of a difference between the set temperature and the representative temperature of the second storage compartments sensed after sampling times is equal to or greater than the first reference value.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first reference value includes a first upper limit reference, and
wherein the method further comprises:
determining to increase the cooling level of the compressor when the representative temperature of the second storage compartment is higher than the set temperature and when the absolute value of the difference between the set temperature and the representative temperature of the second storage compartment is greater than the first upper limit reference value.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first reference value includes a first lower limit reference value, and
wherein the method further comprises:
determining to decrease the cooling level of the compressor when the representative temperature of the second storage compartment is lower than the set temperature and when the absolute value of the difference between the set temperature and the representative temperature of the second storage compartment is greater than the first lower limit reference value.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
determining to maintain the cooling level of the compressor when the absolute value of the difference between the set temperature and the representative temperature of the second storage compartment is less than the first reference value.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the representative temperature of the second storage compartment includes an average temperature of the second storage compartment.

10. A method to control a refrigerator comprising:
operating a first cooling cycle to cool the first storage compartment, wherein operating the first cooling cycle includes activating a compressor; and
ceasing the first cooling cycle and operating a second cooling cycle to cool the second storage compartment when a stop condition of the first cooling cycle is satisfied,
wherein operating the second cooling cycle includes activating the compressor and a fan,
wherein the activating the compressor in the second cooling cycle includes:
determining a cooling level of the compressor based on a difference between a set temperature of the second storage compartment and a current temperature of the second storage compartment and based on a change in the temperature of the second storage compartments at sampling times during the first cooling cycle, and
operating the compressor at the determined cooling level, and

wherein determining the cooling level of the compressor includes:
determining a decrease or an increase of the cooling level of the compressor when an absolute value of a difference between the set temperature of second storage compartment and the current temperature of the second storage compartments is equal to or greater than a first reference value, regardless of whether the set temperature is equal to or higher than the current temperature or whether the current temperature is higher than the set temperature.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein determining the decrease or the increase of the cooling level of the compressor includes:
determining a first change in the cooling level of the compressor based on a first factor corresponding to the change in the temperature of the second storage compartment;
determining a second change in the cooling level of the compressor based on a second factor that corresponds to the difference between the set temperature and the current temperature of the second storage compartment; and
determining whether to increase, maintain, or decrease the cooling level of the compressor based on by combining the first change associated with the first factor and the second change associated with the second factor.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
upon determining that the cooling level of the compressor is maintained as the result based on the first factor and determining that the cooling level of the compressor is increased as the result based on the second factor, determining to increase the cooling level of the compressor, or
upon determining that the cooling level of the compressor is maintained as the result based on the first factor and determining that the cooling level of the compressor is decreased as the result based on the second factor, determining to decr

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Ahn Seunguk
• Chae Sunam
• Cha Kyunghun

Classifications

• F25D29/003 Primary

  for movable devices · CPC title

• F25B49/022

  Compressor control arrangements · CPC title

• F25D11/022

  with two or more evaporators · CPC title

• F25D17/065

  with compartments at different temperatures · CPC title

• F25D17/067

  Evaporator fan units · CPC title