Refrigerator and control method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12196476-B2
Application number	US-202418422367-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2024
Priority date	Oct 12, 2020
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator and a control method thereof in one embodiment. The refrigerator in one embodiment 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, 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, wherein 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 control method of a refrigerator comprising a storage compartment that includes a compressor, an evaporator, a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment, and is configured to provide cooled air based on the evaporator, an ice making compartment configured to receive the cooled air, an ice making fan configured to control flow of the cooled air to the ice making compartment, and a controller configured to control the compressor and the ice making fan, the control method comprising:
operating continuously, by the controller, the ice making fan in synchronization with the compressor during a freezing time period and a refrigerating time period;
adjusting, by the controller, a speed of the ice making fan according to a temperature of the ice making compartment, while the compressor continuously operates during the freezing time period and the refrigerating time period; and
operating the ice making fan at the adjusted speed while the controller continues to operate the ice making fan during continuous operation of the compressor.

2. The control method of claim 1 , wherein the freezing time period is a time period in which the cooled air is provided to the freezer compartment during operation of the compressor, and
the refrigerating time period is a time period in which the cooled air is provided to the refrigerator compartment during operation of the compressor.

3. The control method of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting of the speed of the ice making fan includes determining the speed of the ice making fan in an operation cycle, based on an average of temperatures of the ice making compartment during at least one previous operation cycle.

4. The control method of claim 3 , wherein the determining of the speed of the ice making fan includes:
determining a difference between the average of temperatures of the ice making compartment and a target temperature of the ice making compartment, and
determining the speed of the ice making fan based on the determined difference.

5. The control method of claim 3 , wherein the adjusting of the speed of the ice making fan includes determining whether the operation cycle has changed.

6. The control method of claim 5 , wherein the adjusting of the speed of the ice making fan includes determining an average temperature of the ice making compartment when the operation cycle is determined to have changed.

7. The control method of claim 1 , comprising controlling, by the controller, the storage compartment based on an operation cycle, and
wherein the adjusting of the speed of the ice making fan is performed in synchronization with the operation cycle.

8. The control method of claim 1 , comprising:
controlling, by the controller, the cooled air to flow to the freezer compartment during the freezing time period of an operation cycle; and
controlling, by the controller, the cooled air to flow to the refrigerator compartment during the refrigerating time period of the operation cycle.

9. The control method of claim 8 , wherein the adjusting of the speed of the ice making fan includes:
repeatedly receiving a temperature of the ice making compartment;
determining whether the operation cycle has changed; and
determining an average of the temperatures of the ice making compartment when the operation cycle is determined to have changed; and
determining the speed of the ice making fan based on the determined average of the temperatures.

10. A refrigerator, comprising:
a storage compartment that includes a compressor, an evaporator, a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment, and is configured to provide cooled air based on the evaporator;
an ice making compartment configured to provide ice based on the cooled air based on the evaporator;
an ice fan configured to control flow of the cooled air to the ice making compartment; and
a controller configured to control the compressor and the ice fan, wherein the controller is configured to:
continuously operate the ice fan in synchronization with the compressor during a freezing time period and a refrigerating time period, and
adjust a rotation speed of the ice fan based on an operation cycle in which the ice fan continues to operate while the compressor continuously operates.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the freezing time period is a time period in which the cooled air is provided to the freezer compartment during operation of the compressor, and
the refrigerating time period is a time period in which the cooled air is provided to the refrigerator compartment during operation of the compressor.

12. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to control adjustment of the rotation speed of the ice fan in synchronization with the operation cycle.

13. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein:
the freezer compartment is configured to receive the cooled air during the freezing time period of the operation cycle,
the refrigerator compartment is configured to receive the cooled air during the refrigerating time period of the operation cycle.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13 , wherein the controller is configured to:
determine the rotation speed of the ice fan in an nth operation cycle, based on an average of temperatures of the ice making compartment during at least one operation cycle previous to the nth operation cycle, and
control the ice fan to operate at the determined rotation speed in the nth operation cycle.

15. The refrigerator of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to:
determine a difference between the average of temperatures of the ice making compartment and a target temperature of the ice making compartment, and
determine the rotation speed of the ice fan based on the determined difference.

16. The refrigerator of claim 13 , wherein the storage compartment includes:
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, 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.

17. The refrigerator of claim 13 , 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 includes a valve configured to allow refrigerant from the compressor to flow to the first evaporator during the freezing time period, and to allow refrigerant from the compressor to flow to the second evaporator during the refrigerating time period.

18. The refrigerator of claim 13 , wherein the storage compartment includes:
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.

19. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to:
determine an average temperature of the ice making compartment during different operation cycles, and
adjust the rotation speed of th

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• F25D11/022

  with two or more evaporators · CPC title

• F25B2600/112

  of evaporator fans · CPC title

• F25D17/045

  Air flow control arrangements · CPC title

• F25D2317/0682

  Two or more fans · CPC title

• Y02B30/70

  Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating · CPC title