System to control external condensation on a refrigerator
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
F25B-039/04
F25D-017/00
F25D-021/04
출원번호
US-0839582
(2010-07-20)
등록번호
US-8984902
(2015-03-24)
발명자
/ 주소
Junge, Brent Alden
Paez, Eric
Waugh, Joseph Thomas
Weirich, Kristin Marie
출원인 / 주소
General Electric Company
대리인 / 주소
GE Global Patent Operation
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
0인용 특허 :
7
초록▼
A cooling system for an appliance includes an evaporator stage, a compressor stage coupled to the evaporator stage and a condenser stage coupled to the compressor stage. The condenser stage includes a condenser and a condenser cooling fan for cooling the condenser, and a condenser loop coupled betwe
A cooling system for an appliance includes an evaporator stage, a compressor stage coupled to the evaporator stage and a condenser stage coupled to the compressor stage. The condenser stage includes a condenser and a condenser cooling fan for cooling the condenser, and a condenser loop coupled between the condenser stage and the evaporator stage. A humidity sensor is configured to detect a humidity level in an area of the cooling system and a controller is configured to cycle an operating state of the condenser cooling fan from ON to a low speed or OFF prior to an end of a cooling cycle.
대표청구항▼
1. A cooling system for an appliance, comprising: an evaporator stage;a compressor stage coupled to the evaporator stage;a condenser stage coupled to the compressor stage, the condenser stage including a condenser and a condenser cooling fan for cooling the condenser;a condenser loop coupled between
1. A cooling system for an appliance, comprising: an evaporator stage;a compressor stage coupled to the evaporator stage;a condenser stage coupled to the compressor stage, the condenser stage including a condenser and a condenser cooling fan for cooling the condenser;a condenser loop coupled between the condenser stage and the evaporator stage;a humidity sensor configured to detect a humidity level in an area of the cooling system;a controller configured to cycle an operating state of the condenser cooling fan from ON to a low speed or OFF at a pre-determined time prior to an end of a cooling cycle and increase a temperature of a surface of the appliance thermally coupled to the condenser loop to a pre-determined level prior to the end of the cooling cycle, wherein the temperature of the surface of the appliance remains substantially at a temperature near a dew point during the end of the cooling cycle; anda temperature sensor coupled to the controller and for monitoring a temperature of one or more of the evaporator stage, the condenser stage, the compressor stage and the surface of the appliance, the controller being configured to detect an over temperature condition based on the monitored temperature and automatically cycle the condenser cooling fan ON,wherein the controller is further configured to: determine a compressor run time for the compressor stage during the cooling cycle;determine the pre-determined time prior to the end of the cooling cycle to cycle the operating state of the condenser cooling fan from ON to the low speed or OFF using the compressor run time, the detected humidity level, and an ambient temperature; andif the compressor stage does not cycle off within a pre-determined time period after cycling the condenser cooling fan to the low speed or OFF, cycling the condenser cooling fan ON. 2. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cycle the operating state of the condenser cooling fan from ON to the low speed or OFF prior to the end of the cooling cycle if the detected humidity level is greater than a pre-determined humidity level. 3. The cooling system of claim 2, wherein the temperature sensor coupled to the controller is further configured to detect a temperature of the area of the cooling system, the controller being further configured to cycle the operating state of the condenser cooling fan from ON to the slow speed or OFF prior to the end of the cooling cycle when the detected temperature is less than a pre-determined value. 4. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined time prior to the end of the cooling cycle is approximately one-minute prior to the end of the cooling cycle. 5. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: compare the detected humidity level to a set of pre-determined time values; andselect a pre-determined time value from the set of pre-determined time values that corresponds to the detected humidity level as the pre-determined time prior to the end of the cooling cycle. 6. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the end of the cooling cycle comprises the compressor stage cycling from ON to OFF. 7. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the appliance is a refrigerator. 8. The cooling system of claim 7, wherein the condenser loop is configured to heat an external surface of the refrigerator. 9. The cooling system of claim 1 wherein the low speed of the condenser cooling fan is approximately 500 RPM. 10. A refrigerator comprising: a cabinet defining a plurality of storage compartments;a cooling system configured to cool the storage compartments during a cooling cycle, the cooling system comprising a condenser and a condenser cooling fan;a controller, the controller being configured to control the condenser cooling fan by cycling the condenser cooling fan to a low speed or an OFF state at a pre-determined time prior to an end of the cooling cycle and increase a temperature of a surface of the refrigerator thermally coupled to a condenser loop of the cooling system to a pre-determined level prior to the end of the cooling cycle, wherein the temperature of the surface of the refrigerator remains substantially at a temperature near a dew point during the end of the cooling cycle;a temperature sensor coupled to the controller and for monitoring a temperature of one or more of the condenser and the surface of the refrigerator, the controller being configured to detect an over temperature condition based on the monitored temperature and automatically cycle the condenser cooling fan to an ON state; anda humidity sensor configured to detect a humidity level in an area of the cooling system,wherein the controller is further configured to: determine the pre-determined time prior to the end of the cooling cycle to cycle an operating state of the condenser cooling fan from the ON state to the low speed or the OFF state using the compressor run time, the detected humidity level, and an ambient temperature; andif the compressor stage does not cycle off within a pre-determined time period after cycling the condenser cooling fan to the low speed or the OFF state, cycling the condenser cooling to the ON state. 11. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the humidity sensor is coupled to the controller, and the humidity sensor is further configured to detect an ambient humidity level in an area of the refrigerator, the controller being enabled to cycle the condenser cooling fan to the low speed or the OFF state only if the detected ambient humidity level is greater than a pre-determined humidity level. 12. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the temperature sensor is further configured to detect an ambient temperature of the area of the refrigerator, the controller being enabled to cycle the condenser cooling fan to the low speed or the OFF state only if the detected ambient temperature is less than a pre-determined temperature level. 13. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the pre-determined time prior to the end of the cooling cycle is approximately one-minute prior to the end of the cooling cycle. 14. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the pre-determined time prior to the end of the cooling cycle is a function of an ambient humidity level in an area of the refrigerator. 15. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the cooling system further comprises a compressor, the controller being configured to cycle the condenser cooling fan to the low speed or the OFF state while the compressor is running. 16. A method comprising: determining an ambient humidity level in an area of an appliance;controlling an operating cycle of a condenser cooling fan in a cooling system for the appliance during a cooling cycle by causing the condenser cooling fan to cycle to a low speed or OFF at a pre-determined time prior to an end of the cooling cycle when the ambient humidity level exceeds a pre-determined value;increasing a temperature of a surface of the appliance thermally coupled to a condenser loop of the cooling system to a pre-determined level prior to the end of the cooling cycle, wherein the temperature of the surface of the appliance remains substantially above or at a temperature near a dew point during the end of the cooling cycle;monitoring a temperature of the cooling system and the surface of the appliance, a controller being configured to detect an over temperature condition based on the monitored temperature;automatically cycling the condenser cooling fan ON when the over temperature condition is detected;determining a compressor run time for a compressor stage during the cooling cycle;determining the pre-determined time prior to the end of the cooling cycle to cycle the condenser cooling fan from ON to the low speed or OFF using the compressor run time, the ambient humidity level, and an ambient temperature; andif the compressor stage does not cycle off within a pre-determined time period after cycling the condenser cooling fan to the low speed or OFF, cycling the condenser cooling fan ON. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the pre-determined time prior to the end of the cooling cycle is approximately one minute prior to the end of the cooling cycle. 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the pre-determined time prior to the end of the cooling cycle is determined by: comparing the determined ambient humidity level to a set of pre-determined time values; andselecting a pre-determined time value from the set of pre-determined time values that corresponds to the determined ambient humidity level as the pre-determined time prior to the end of the cooling cycle. 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining an ambient temperature level in the area of the appliance and enabling the condenser cooling fan to cycle to the low speed or OFF at the pre-determined time prior to the end of the cooling cycle when the ambient temperature level exceeds a pre-determined value. 20. The method of claim 16 wherein the low speed of the condenser cooling fan is approximately 500 RPM.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (7)
Vogh, III,Richard P., Anti-condensation control system.
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