Refrigerator and control method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11920852-B2
Application number	US-202117499044-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2021
Priority date	Oct 12, 2020
Publication date	Mar 5, 2024
Grant date	Mar 5, 2024

Abstract

A refrigerator may include a storage part including a compressor and an evaporator and configured to store a food item at a low temperature using air cooled by the evaporator. The refrigerator may also include an ice making compartment configured to make or store ice using air cooled by the evaporator, and a fan for making ice allowing air cooled by the evaporator to flow to the ice making compartment. Additionally, a rotation speed of the fan for making ice changes while the fan for making ice continues to operate during operation of the compressor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator, comprising:
a storage compartment that includes a compressor and an evaporator, and is configured to provide cooled air based on the evaporator, and the storage compartment includes a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment;
an ice making compartment configured to make or store ice based on the cooled air by the evaporator; and
an ice making fan configured to allow the cooled air by the evaporator to flow to the ice making compartment,
wherein the ice making fan operates continuously in synchronization with the compressor during a freezing time period in which the cooled air is supplied to the freezer compartment while the compressor is in operation, and a refrigerating time period in which the cooled air is supplied to the refrigerator compartment while the compressor is in operation,
wherein a rotation speed of the ice making fan is to change according to a temperature of the ice making compartment when the compressor operates continuously during the freezing time period and the refrigerating time period.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the storage compartment operates based on an operation cycle, and the rotation speed of the ice making fan changes in synchronization with the operation cycle.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein
the freezer compartment is configured to receive the cooled air by the evaporator during the freezing time period of an operation cycle,
the refrigerator compartment is configured to receive the cooled air by the evaporator during the refrigerating time period of the operation cycle.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , comprising a controller configured to control the compressor and the ice making fan, and
wherein the controller is configured to determine the rotation speed of the ice making fan in an nth operation cycle, based on an average of temperatures of the ice making compartment during an n−1th (n denoting any natural numbers of two or greater) operation cycle, and
the controller is configured to operate the ice making fan at the determined rotation speed.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to:
determine a difference between the average temperature and a target temperature of the ice making compartment, and
determine the rotation speed of the ice making fan based on the determined difference.

6. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the storage compartment comprising:
a first cool air flow path to allow air to flow from the evaporator;
a second cool air flow path to allow air to flow to the freezer compartment;
a third cool air flow path to allow air to flow to the refrigerator compartment; and
a damper coupled to the first cool air flow path, the second cool air flow path and the third cool air flow path, and the damper is configured to allow the first cool air flow path to communicate with the second cool air flow path during the freezing time period, and the damper is configured to allow the first cool air flow path to communicate with the third cool air flow path during the refrigerating time period.

7. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the evaporator comprises:
a first evaporator configured to cool the freezer compartment; and
a second evaporator configured to cool the refrigerator compartment,
wherein the storage compartment comprises a valve configured to allow refrigerant from the compressor to flow to the first evaporator during the freezing time period, and the valve is configured to allow refrigerant from the compressor to flow to the second evaporator during the refrigerating time period.

8. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the storage compartment comprises:
a freezing fan configured to allow air around the evaporator to flow to the freezer compartment during the freezing time period; and
a refrigerating fan configured to allow air around the evaporator to flow to the refrigerator compartment during the refrigerating time period.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Ahn Buhwan
• Hu Jinseok
• Lee Sangil
• Shin Seonggu

Classifications

• F25D17/067 Primary

  Evaporator fan units · CPC title

• F25C1/00

  Producing ice (F25C3/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25D11/022

  with two or more evaporators · CPC title

• F25D17/065 Primary

  with compartments at different temperatures · CPC title

• F25D29/00 Primary

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title