Refrigerator with improved energy management mode and method for controlling the refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016258673-A1
Application number	US-201315033893-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 1, 2013
Priority date	Nov 1, 2013
Publication date	Sep 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for controlling a refrigerator ( 1 ). The control method according to the present invention comprises a step (S 1 ) of setting a target temperature Tset_frz and a target temperature Tset_ff respectively for a freezer evaporator ( 2 ) and a fresh food evaporator ( 3 ) by selecting out of a plurality of preset temperatures, wherein the plurality of preset temperatures respectively include: a maximum preset temperature, one or more than one intermediate preset temperature, and a minimum preset temperature respectively for the freezer evaporator ( 2 ) and the fresh food evaporator ( 3 ).

First claim

1 . A method for controlling a refrigerator ( 1 ) comprising a refrigeration circuit which includes a freezer evaporator ( 2 ) and a fresh food evaporator ( 3 ), a defrost circuit, a user interface ( 4 ) and a control unit ( 5 ) for controlling the refrigeration circuit, the defrost circuit and the user interface ( 4 ), wherein the control unit ( 5 ) has a normal mode and an energy management mode, said method characterized in that comprising the steps of:—setting a target temperature Tset_frz and a target temperature Tset_ff respectively for the freezer evaporator ( 2 ) and the fresh food evaporator ( 3 ) by selecting out of a plurality of preset temperatures, wherein the plurality of preset temperatures respectively include: a maximum preset temperature, one or more than one intermediate preset temperature, and a minimum preset temperature respectively for the freezer evaporator ( 2 ) and the fresh food evaporator ( 3 ) (S 1 ),—initiating the energy management mode via the user interface ( 4 ) (S 2 ),—defining or selecting time-of-use rates for electricity via the user interface ( 4 ) (S 3 ) and—performing energy management by controlling the refrigeration circuit in accordance with target temperatures T′set_frz and T′set_ff as being rectified based on the time-of-use rates such that an operation duty of the refrigeration circuit is reduced during intervals of high rates and/or increased during interval of low rates, wherein the target temperatures T′set_frz and T′set_ff as being rectified do not fall outside the range which is inclusively defined by the respective maximum preset temperature and the minimum preset temperature (S 4 -S 7 , S 100 , S 200 , S 300 ).

2 . The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the step (S 4 -S 7 , S 100 , S 200 , S 300 ) of performing energy management comprising the steps of:—determining based on the time-of-use rates, a highest rate, where applicable, one or more than one intermediate rate, and a lowest rate which respectively define an on-peak rate Ra, at least one intermediate-peak rate Rb, and an off-peak rate Rc (S 4 ),—determining based on the current time, a current peak rate among the on-peak rate Ra, said at least one intermediate-peak rate Rb, and the off-peak rate Rc (S 5 -S 7 ),—initiating based on the current peak rate a corresponding one of an on-peak mode, intermediate-peak mode, and an off-peak mode (S 100 , S 200 , S 300 ),—rectifying based on the current peak rate and the number of different rates, the target temperature Tset_frz and the target temperature Tset_ff by modifying them respectively through a preset temperature (S 101 , S 201 , S 301 ),—controlling the refrigeration circuit and the defrost circuit in accordance with the rectified target temperature T′set_frz and the rectified target temperature T′set_ff (S 102 a -S 106 ; S 202 a - 5208 ; S 302 a -S 312 ).

3 . The method according to claim 2 , characterized in that the step (S 101 , S 201 , S 301 ) of rectifying the target temperature Tset_frz comprising the steps of:—determining whether the target temperature Tset_frz is a maximum preset temperature,—decreasing said target temperature Tset_frz to a next lower preset temperature if the current peak rate is an off-peak rate Rc and said target temperature Tset_frz is a maximum preset temperature,—retaining said target temperature Tset_frz unchanged if the current rate is an intermediate-peak rate Rb and said target temperature Tset_frz is a maximum preset temperature,—a step of retaining said target temperature Tset_frz unchanged if the current peak rate is an on-peak rate Ra and said target temperature Tset_frz is a maximum preset temperature, wherein the decreased or unchanged target temperature defines the rectified target temperature T′set_frz.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the step (S 101 , S 201 , S 301 ) of rectifying the target temperature Tset_ff, comprising the steps of:—determining whether the target temperature Tset_ff is a maximum preset temperature,—decreasing said target temperature Tset_ff to a next lower preset temperature if the current peak rate is an off-peak rate Rc and said target temperature Tset_ff is a maximum preset temperature,—retaining said target temperature Tset_ff unchanged if the current rate is an intermediate-peak rate Rb and said target temperature Tset_ff is a maximum preset temperature,—retaining said target temperature Tset_frz unchanged if the current peak rate is an on-peak rate Ra and said target temperature Tset_ff is a maximum preset temperature, wherein the decreased or unchanged target temperature defines the rectified target temperature T′set_ff.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the step of rectifying (S 101 , S 201 , S 301 ) the target temperature Tset_frz, comprising the steps of:—determining whether the target temperature Tset_frz is an intermediate preset temperature,—decreasing said target temperature Tset_frz to a next lower preset temperature if the current rate is an off-peak rate Rc and said target temperature is an intermediate preset temperature,—retaining said target temperature Tset_frz unchanged if the current rate is an intermediate-peak rate Rb and said target temperature Tset_frz is an intermediate preset temperature,—increasing said target temperature Tset_frz to a next higher preset temperature if the current rate is an on-peak rate Ra and said target temperature is an intermediate preset temperature, wherein the decreased or unchanged or increased target temperature defines the rectified target temperature T′set_frz.

6 . The method according to claim 2 , characterized in that the step of rectifying (S 101 , S 201 , S 301 ) the target temperature Tset_ff, comprising the steps of:—determining whether the target temperature Tset_ff is an intermediate preset temperature,—decreasing said target temperature Tset_ff to a next lower preset temperature if the current rate is an off-peak rate Rc and said target temperature is an intermediate preset temperature,—retaining said target temperature Tset_ff unchanged if the current rate is an intermediate-peak rate Rb and said target temperature Tset_ff is an intermediate preset temperature,—increasing said target temperature Tset_ff to a next higher preset temperature if the current rate is an on-peak rate Ra and said target temperature is an intermediate preset temperature, wherein the decreased or unchanged or increased target temperature defines the rectified target temperature T′set_ff.

7 . The method according to claim 2 , characterized in that the step (S 101 , S 201 , S 301 ) of rectifying the target temperature Tset_frz comprising the steps of:—determining whether the target temperature Tset_frz is a minimum preset temperature,—retaining said target temperature Tset_frz unchanged if the current rate is an off-peak rate Rc and said target temperature Tset_frz is a minimum temperature,—retaining said target temperature Tset_frz unchanged if the current rate is an intermediate-peak rate Rb and said target temperature T′set_frz is a minimum preset temperature and—increasing said target temperature Tset_frz to a next higher preset temperature if the current rate is an on-peak rate Ra and said target temperature Tset_frz is a minimum preset temperature, wherein the unchanged or increased target temperature defines the rectified target temperature T′set_frz.

8 . The method according to claim 2 , characterized in that the step (S 101 , S 201 , S 301 ) of rectifying the target temperature Tset_ff comprising the steps of:—determining whether the target temperature Tset_ff is a minimum preset temperature,—retaining said target temperature Tset_ff unchanged if the current rate is an off-peak rate Rc and said target temperature Tset_ff is a minimum temperatu

Assignees

• Arcelik As

Inventors

• Apaydin Tolga
• Hocaoglu Sabahattin
• Oguz Emre
• Aynur Tolga Nurettin

Classifications

• F25D2600/06

  Controlling according to a predetermined profile · CPC title

• G05B19/042

  using digital processors (G05B19/05 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25D29/00 Primary

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title

• F25D11/022

  with two or more evaporators · CPC title

• G05B2219/2654

  Fridge, refrigerator · CPC title