Refrigerator and method for controlling the same
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
F25B-001/00
F25B-041/04
F25D-029/00
F25D-011/02
출원번호
US-0520058
(2011-01-19)
등록번호
US-9816749
(2017-11-14)
우선권정보
KR-10-2010-0006024 (2010-01-22)
국제출원번호
PCT/KR2011/000380
(2011-01-19)
§371/§102 date
20120629
(20120629)
국제공개번호
WO2011/090309
(2011-07-28)
발명자
/ 주소
Lim, Hyoung Keun
출원인 / 주소
LG ELECTRONICS INC.
대리인 / 주소
Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
0인용 특허 :
4
초록▼
The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a method for controlling a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator and a method for controlling a refrigerator in which unnecessary operation of a compressor is prevented for saving power consumption of the refrigerator. The refrigera
The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a method for controlling a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator and a method for controlling a refrigerator in which unnecessary operation of a compressor is prevented for saving power consumption of the refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a compressor, a refrigerating chamber evaporator and a freezing chamber evaporator connected to the compressor, a refrigerant valve for guiding refrigerant to the refrigerating chamber evaporator or the freezing chamber evaporator, and a control unit for controlling the refrigerant valve such that the refrigerant valve blocks or introduces the refrigerant to cause an inside pressure of the freezing chamber evaporator to be elevated higher than an inside pressure of the refrigerating chamber evaporator during evaporation at the refrigerating chamber evaporator for the compressor to draw in the refrigerant remained in the freezing chamber evaporator which did not evaporate.
대표청구항▼
1. A method for controlling a refrigerator having a compressor, a refrigerant valve connected to the compressor for guiding refrigerant from the compressor, and a refrigerating chamber evaporator and a freezing chamber evaporator provided to branch pipes connected to an outlet side of the refrigeran
1. A method for controlling a refrigerator having a compressor, a refrigerant valve connected to the compressor for guiding refrigerant from the compressor, and a refrigerating chamber evaporator and a freezing chamber evaporator provided to branch pipes connected to an outlet side of the refrigerant valve, comprising: (A) a step of turning off the compressor and closing the refrigerant valve for blocking the refrigerant to the freezing chamber evaporator and the refrigerating chamber evaporator;(B) a step of controlling the refrigerant valve for introducing the refrigerant to the freezing chamber evaporator during a turn off state of the compressor; and(C) a step of putting the compressor into operation, and controlling the refrigerant valve for introducing the refrigerant into the refrigerating chamber evaporator and for blocking the refrigerant to the freezing chamber evaporator for maintaining an inside pressure of the freezing chamber evaporator higher than an inside pressure of the refrigerating chamber evaporator, such that the refrigerant from the freezing chamber evaporator is collected,wherein the step (B) includes the steps of: (B-1) determining whether or not a present time is within a predetermined time range from a compressor operation starting time, and(B-2) when the present time is within the predetermined time range, opening the refrigerant valve to introduce the refrigerant, the refrigerant remained at an inlet side of the refrigerant valve due to turning off of the compressor and closure of the refrigerant valve, only to the freezing chamber evaporator. 2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined time range in which the refrigerant valve is kept opened in the step (B-2) is a time period required for elevating the inside pressure of the freezing chamber evaporator to be higher than the inside pressure of the refrigerating chamber evaporator in the step (C). 3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the predetermined time range is one minute to one minute thirty seconds. 4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: (D) a step of controlling the refrigerant valve to block the introduction of the refrigerant to the refrigerating chamber evaporator and to open introduction of the refrigerant to the freezing chamber evaporator if stopping introduction of the refrigerant to the refrigerating chamber evaporator is required during operation of the compressor. 5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a time period in which the refrigerant is kept introduced to the refrigerating chamber evaporator in the step (C) is provided longer than a time period in which the refrigerant remained in the freezing chamber evaporator is drawn into the compressor, entirely. 6. A method for controlling a refrigerator having a first storage chamber, a second storage chamber having a temperature kept lower than the first storage chamber, a compressor, a refrigerant valve connected to the compressor, and first and second evaporators provided to branch pipes connected to an outlet side of the refrigerant valve for forming cold air to be supplied to the first and second storage chambers respectively, wherein the refrigerant valve is for guiding the refrigerant to the first and second evaporators, the method comprising: (1) a step of turning off the compressor and closing the refrigerant valve for blocking the refrigerant to the second evaporator and the first evaporator;(2) a step of controlling the refrigerant valve to supply the refrigerant to the second evaporator to elevate an inside pressure of the second evaporator in a state the compressor is turned off;(3) a step of controlling the refrigerant valve to supply the refrigerant to the first evaporator if supply of the refrigerant to the first storage chamber is required with putting the compressor into operation; and(4) a step of controlling the refrigerant valve to block introduction of the refrigerant to the second evaporator for elevating the inside pressure of the second evaporator higher than the inside pressure of the first evaporator in order to recover the refrigerant from the second evaporator during the step (3),wherein the step (2) includes the step of controlling the refrigerant valve to supply the refrigerant, remained at an inlet side of the refrigerant valve due to turning off of the compressor and closure of the refrigerant valve, only to the second evaporator for a predetermined time period before starting of the compressor. 7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the time period in which the refrigerant valve is kept opened in the step (4) is a time period in which the inside pressure of the second evaporator is elevated higher than the inside pressure of the first evaporator formed in the step (3). 8. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising: (5) a step of controlling the refrigerant valve to guide introduction of the refrigerant to the second evaporator and to block the introduction of the refrigerant to the first evaporator, if stopping introduction of the refrigerant to the first evaporator is required during operation of the compressor. 9. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein a time period in which the refrigerant is kept introduced to the first evaporator in the step (3) is provided longer than a time period in which the refrigerant remained in the second evaporator is drawn into the compressor entirely. 10. A refrigerator comprising: a compressor;a refrigerating chamber evaporator and a freezing chamber evaporator;refrigerant valve for guiding refrigerant to the refrigerating chamber evaporator or the freezing chamber evaporator; anda control unit controlling the refrigerant valve and the compressor,wherein the control unit controls: the compressor being turned off and the refrigerant valve to block the refrigerant to the freezing chamber evaporator and the refrigerating chamber evaporator;the refrigerant valve to introduce the refrigerant to the freezing chamber evaporator in a state the compressor is turned off; andthe compressor to be turned on and the refrigerant valve to block the refrigerant to the freezing chamber evaporator and to introduce the refrigerant to the refrigerating chamber evaporator to cause an inside pressure of the freezing chamber evaporator to be elevated higher than an inside pressure of the refrigerating chamber evaporator during evaporation at the refrigerating chamber evaporator for the compressor to draw in the refrigerant remained in the freezing chamber evaporator, andwherein the control unit controls the refrigerant valve such that the refrigerant is introduced only to the freezing chamber evaporator at the time the compressor is turned off. 11. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 10, wherein at the time the compressor is started to operate, the refrigerant valve is opened to the refrigerating chamber evaporator and closed to the freezing chamber evaporator, and wherein the refrigerant valve is kept closed to the freezing chamber evaporator until the inside pressure of the freezing chamber evaporator is kept higher than the inside pressure of the refrigerating chamber evaporator for drawing refrigerant remained in the freezing chamber evaporator is drawn to the compressor, entirely.
※ AI-Helper는 부적절한 답변을 할 수 있습니다.