Refrigerator and method of controlling a refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9841220-B2
Application number	US-201414478600-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2014
Priority date	Sep 5, 2013
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

A refrigerator and a method of controlling a refrigerator are provided. The refrigerator may include a machine room defined in or at one side of a storage compartment, a base that defines a bottom surface of the machine room, a compressor seated on the base to compress a refrigerant, a condenser that condenses a refrigerant compressed in the compressor, the condenser being disposed on or at one side of the compressor, a drain pan disposed on the base to store condensed water generated in the condenser, and a fan assembly coupled to the base to generate an air flow within the machine room. The fan assembly may include a plurality of condensation fans.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator, comprising:
a machine room defined in or at one side of a storage compartment;
a base that defines a bottom surface of the machine room;
a plurality of compressors seated on the base to compress a refrigerant, the plurality of compressors including a first compressor to primarily compress the refrigerant and a second compressor to additionally compress the refrigerant compressed in the first compressor;
a condenser to condense the refrigerant compressed in the plurality of compressors, the condenser being disposed on or at one side of the plurality of compressors;
a drain pan disposed on the base to store condensed water generated in the condenser;
a fan assembly coupled to the base to generate an air flow within the machine room, wherein the fan assembly comprises first and second condensation fans;
a rotation number detector to detect a rotation number of each of the first and second condensation fans; and
a controller configured to perform feedback control of the rotation number of the first and second condensation fans with respect to the detected rotation number by the rotation number detector, wherein the first compressor and the first condensation fan form a first row, and the second compressor and the second condensation fan form a second row, wherein the controller maintains the rotation numbers of the first and second condensation fans when the rotation numbers of the first and second condensation fans are the same, or a difference between the rotation numbers of the first and second condensation fans is within a predetermined value, and wherein the controller increases the rotation number of one of the first and second condensation fans having a lower rotation number when the difference between the rotation numbers of the first and second condensation fans is above the predetermined value.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the fan assembly is spaced a predetermined distance in an outward direction from the drain pan.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the predetermined distance ranges from about 20 mm to about 40 mm.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the fan assembly further comprises:
a housing disposed to surround the first and second condensation fans, the housing being coupled to a top surface of the base.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein a width of the fan assembly in a first direction is greater than a width of the condenser in the first direction, and wherein the first and second condensation fans are disposed on or at one side of the condenser with respect to a second direction, substantially in parallel to each other.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second condensation fans are disposed side by side at one side of the condenser.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the fan assembly is disposed between the plurality of compressors and the condenser.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the controller applies an electrical signal to allow the first and second condensation fans to be turned on and off at a same time, and wherein the controller controls a duty value that defines a pulse value applied into the first and second condensation fans.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 8 , wherein the rotation number detector provides feedback information with respect to the detected rotation number to the controller, and wherein the controller controls the rotation number of each of the first and the second condensation fans such that the rotation numbers correspond to each other on the basis of the feedback information.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of evaporators comprising first and second evaporators to evaporate the refrigerant;
a plurality of evaporation fans comprising first and second evaporation fans that are, respectively, disposed on or at one side of the first and second evaporators; and
a plurality of temperature sensors to sense refrigerant inlet and outlet temperatures of the first and second evaporators, wherein the controller recognizes whether the refrigerant is concentrated into or at one side of the first evaporator or the second evaporator on the basis of at least one of information with respect to the refrigerant inlet and outlet temperatures of the first evaporator or information with respect to the refrigerant inlet and outlet temperatures of the second evaporator.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein the controller reduces a rotation number of the second evaporation fan and increases or maintains a rotation number of the first evaporation fan when a refrigeration concentration in the first evaporator is recognized.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a plurality of refrigerant flow rate adjusters including first and second flow adjusters disposed on an inlet side of the first and second evaporators.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12 , wherein the controller controls an opening degree of the first and second flow rate adjusters based on a refrigerant concentration in the first and second evaporators.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the drain pan has an approximately hexahedral shape having an open top surface and a predetermined height to store the condensed water.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 14 , wherein the height of the drain pan is smaller than a height of the fan assembly.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a plurality of expansion devices comprising a first expansion device to expand the refrigerant to be introduced into the first evaporator, and a second expansion device to expand the refrigerant to be introduced into the second evaporator.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 16 , wherein each of the first expansion device and the second expansion device includes a capillary tube.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 17 , wherein a diameter of the capillary tube of the second expansion device is smaller than a diameter of the capillary tube of the first expansion device.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Hosan
• Lee Jangseok
• Suh Yonghun
• Jhee Sung
• Lim Hyoungkeun

Classifications

• F25B49/027 Primary

  Condenser control arrangements · CPC title

• F25B2600/2511

  Evaporator distribution valves · CPC title

• F25B2700/172

  of the condenser fan · CPC title

• Y02B30/743

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F25B2341/0661

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic