EP2314960A2 - Commande de décongélation adaptative et procédé pour un appareil de réfrigération - Google Patents

Commande de décongélation adaptative et procédé pour un appareil de réfrigération Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2314960A2
EP2314960A2 EP20100013799 EP10013799A EP2314960A2 EP 2314960 A2 EP2314960 A2 EP 2314960A2 EP 20100013799 EP20100013799 EP 20100013799 EP 10013799 A EP10013799 A EP 10013799A EP 2314960 A2 EP2314960 A2 EP 2314960A2
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
defrost
bins
compressor
time
adaptive
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP20100013799
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German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Kevin Lacey
Robert Alvord
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Diehl AKO Stiftung and Co KG
Original Assignee
Diehl AKO Stiftung and Co KG
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Diehl AKO Stiftung and Co KG filed Critical Diehl AKO Stiftung and Co KG
Publication of EP2314960A2 publication Critical patent/EP2314960A2/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D21/00—Defrosting; Preventing frosting; Removing condensed or defrost water
    • F25D21/002—Defroster control
    • F25D21/006—Defroster control with electronic control circuits
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B47/00—Arrangements for preventing or removing deposits or corrosion, not provided for in another subclass
    • F25B47/02—Defrosting cycles
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B2700/00—Sensing or detecting of parameters; Sensors therefor
    • F25B2700/11—Sensor to detect if defrost is necessary
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D2600/00—Control issues
    • F25D2600/02—Timing
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D2700/00—Means for sensing or measuring; Sensors therefor
    • F25D2700/12—Sensors measuring the inside temperature
    • F25D2700/122—Sensors measuring the inside temperature of freezer compartments
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D2700/00—Means for sensing or measuring; Sensors therefor
    • F25D2700/12—Sensors measuring the inside temperature
    • F25D2700/123—Sensors measuring the inside temperature more than one sensor measuring the inside temperature in a compartment
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D2700/00—Means for sensing or measuring; Sensors therefor
    • F25D2700/14—Sensors measuring the temperature outside the refrigerator or freezer

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to defrost control for a refrigerator, and more particularly to defrost control which adaptively schedules a defrost cycle in times of low energy costs without using any real time of day "clock function.
  • refrigerators typically perform a "defrost cycle" to melt the ice or frost that forms on the evaporator of the appliance.
  • Running such a defrost cycle consumes a lot of power and additionally causes the compressor of the refrigerator to run for more than a normal period of time to return the appliance to its desired internal temperature.
  • Typical data shows that the defrost and recovery periods of the refrigerator use two to four times the average energy used at other times during refrigerator operation. Accordingly, it has been attempted to optimize the time at which defrost occurs to accommodate times of day with lower energy costs and less usage.
  • Various refrigerator mechanisms have been used to determine a time of day with low energy cost and / or low usage in which a defrost cycle is to be performed.
  • the EP 1 731 859 A2 controlling the defrost of a refrigerator using a light signal received by a sensor, wherein the signal is evaluated in such a manner that ambient night lighting conditions can be detected, in which case defrosting is initiated.
  • the EP 1 496 324 A1 uses an external clock to schedule defrosting at night.
  • the patent additionally discloses US 5,533,349 (the "'349 patent") a device, such as a microcontroller, used to monitor the operation of a refrigerator compressor based on measurements of a temperature sensor, wherein initial reference times are stored in the microcontroller.
  • the microcontroller of the '349 patent tracks the times it takes for interior tem- peratures to change between on and off temperatures, and can also determine the slope temperature between on and off temperatures.
  • the current time conditions are then compared to reference times to calculate the temperature outside the enclosure, and using this information, the operation of the compressor can be adjusted based on the estimated or deduced outside temperature.
  • the patent US 5,483,804 discloses a defrost control device for a refrigerator having a microcomputer that counts the number of open / close times of a door of a storage room for each of time zones in one day, so indices for all time zones based on Number of opening / closing times to set. According to the indices, a defrost on / off signal is generated by defrost signal generating means, so that a defrost operation can be performed in a time zone in which a frequency of opening / closing the door is small.
  • the microcomputer also counts hours of operation of a compressor and total elapsed hours and determines a sudden Phenomenon and a season.
  • the '804 patent implies defrosting into "time zones" where the frequency of door openings is small, which could be times of high energy costs (ie noon), rather than times of low energy costs (ie, at night) the complex calculation of indices in the '804 patent can be performed more intensively than by a small general purpose microcontroller. See, for example, that too U.S. Patent 6,523,358 ,
  • the U.S. Patent No. 5,515,692 discloses an apparatus and method for automatically defrosting a refrigeration system that includes a microprocessor that initiates a defrost cycle during a time of day that is most efficient for the refrigerator and the utility.
  • the '692 patent further discloses that the defrost cycle is initiated during a time of day that has the least bearing on stored food.
  • the '692 patent discloses a microprocessor programmed to analyze the power consumption of the refrigerator over a period of 24 hours and to determine from this analysis the time of day and the periods most efficient for the initiation of a defrost cycle will be.
  • the system of the '692 patent uses an external current sensor to monitor the operation of the refrigerator to determine the time of day via a complex algorithm. See, for example, column 7 of the '692 patent, lines 36-62.
  • the '692 patent creates and uses a predefined 24 hour power usage model wherein the defrost timing is adjusted based on a best fit to this preprogrammed pattern.
  • a pattern is fixed and non-adaptive to operation in an environment such as an office or a family, and thus would likely suffer seasonal outages.
  • the calculations performed by the system of the '692 patent would require a controller and an ADC that would cause a non-trivial price increase of the defrost controller unit.
  • such a system would be due to air conditioning changes near the refrigerator mixed up.
  • the present invention is therefore based on the problem to provide an apparatus and a method that overcomes the disadvantages of the current refrigerator defrosting and can be implemented without adding significant production costs to the device.
  • the first object of the present invention is to provide adaptive defrost control for a refrigeration system, comprising a processor adapted to divide a cyclically recurring predefined time period into a plurality of bins, to monitor compressor operating times above the cyclically recurring predefined time period with which Time to log the detected compressor operating times in the plurality of bins, analyze the data logged in the bins, detect bins that record low compressor usage, and schedule a defrost cycle based on the results of the analyzed data.
  • defrost control for a refrigerator that schedules a defrost cycle adaptively with respect to refrigerator usage.
  • the system adaptively relocates the defrost cycle based on an evaluation of compressor usage in a daily cycle to periods of low usage,
  • the second object is achieved according to the invention by a method for carrying out a defrost cycle in a cooling device comprising an adaptive defrost control, comprising the following steps: splitting a cyclically recurring predefined time period into a plurality of bins; Monitoring compressor operating times Above the cyclically recurring predefined period; Logging the detected compressor operating times over time in the plurality of bins; Analyzing the bins to detect bins that record low compressor usage; Scheduling a defrost cycle based on the results of the analyzing step; and performing a defrost operation.
  • the processor is a microcontroller.
  • the processor monitors compressor operating times by monitoring at least one of the following alternatives: a relay or switch operation; a detected voltage change; a detected increased current drain; and / or a temperature in a refrigerator compartment and / or a freezer compartment.
  • the processor is additionally configured to average the data logged in the bins prior to analysis of the data.
  • the data is averaged using a low pass IIR filter or FIR filter.
  • the defrost cycle is scheduled to occur during a target period in a bin showing a history of low compressor usage.
  • the defrost cycle is started during the target period instead of a requested compressor operation.
  • the processor is additionally configured to accumulate a count of compressor operating times during the cyclically recurring predefined period of time, to compare the accumulated count of compressor operating times to a threshold and to schedule no defrost cycle in response to a defrost request Threshold is not reached, but to schedule a defrost cycle during the next target period when the threshold has been reached or exceeded.
  • another refrigerator control system including the adaptive defrost controller is signaled to start at the same time as the scheduled defrost cycle.
  • the other control system is the ice maker control system.
  • the analyzed data are additionally used by a diagnostic system of a cooling device.
  • the processor monitors compressor operating times only by monitoring a temperature of a refrigerator compartment and / or a freezer compartment.
  • At least the steps of monitoring, logging and analyzing are performed by a microcontroller.
  • the step of monitoring monitors compressor operating times by monitoring at least one of the following alternatives: a relay or switch operation; a detected voltage change; a detected increased current drain; and / or a temperature in a refrigerator compartment and / or a freezer compartment.
  • the step of averaging the data logged in the bins occurs before the step of analyzing.
  • the step of averaging is performed using a low pass IIR or FIR filter.
  • the defrost cycle is scheduled to occur during a target period in a bin showing a history of low compressor usage.
  • the defrost operation is started during the target period instead of a requested compressor operation.
  • the following steps are performed: accumulating a count of compressor operating times during the cyclically recurring predefined period; Comparing the accumulated count of compressor operating times to a threshold in response to a defrost request; and if the threshold is not reached, disregarding the defrost cycle for that time; and if the threshold has been reached or exceeded, scheduling the defrost cycle during the next target period.
  • the object is further achieved by a computer program product stored on a computer readable storage device, wherein when executed by a processor, execution of the computer program causes the processor to perform the following steps executes: monitoring compressor operating times over a predefined period of time recurring cyclically; Splitting the cyclically recurring predefined time period into a plurality of bins; Logging the detected compressor operating times over time in the plurality of bins; Analyzing the bins to detect bins that record low compressor usage; and scheduling a defrost cycle based on the results of the analyzing step,
  • the monitoring step monitors compressor operating times by monitoring at least one of the following alternatives: a relay or switch operation; a detected voltage change; a detected increased current drain; and / or a temperature in a refrigerator compartment and / or a freezer compartment.
  • the computer program causes the processor to average the data logged in the bins prior to the analyzing step.
  • the defrost cycle is scheduled to occur during a target period in a bin showing a history of low compressor usage.
  • the computer program when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the following additional steps: accumulating a count of compressor operating times during the cyclically recurring predefined period of time; Comparing the accumulated count of compressor operating times with a threshold in response to a defrost request "and if the threshold is not met, disabling the defrost cycle for that time; and if the threshold has been met or exceeded, scheduling the defrost cycle during the next target period.
  • the adaptive defrost control according to the invention is integrated in a refrigerator such that the adaptive defrost control is located at the rear of the refrigerator in the vicinity of the evaporator, thereby allowing more usable space in the refrigerated compartment of the refrigerator.
  • FIG. 1 shows a refrigerator 10 with a freezer 12 and a Refrigerator compartment 14.
  • the freezer compartment 12 in Fig. 1 This is not a limitation as other configurations, such as adjacent or lower freezer configurations, may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention just described. It is understood that, although not shown, the refrigerator 10 includes all common components of a typical refrigerator, including currently defrosting capabilities such as an evaporator fan, a condenser fan, a refrigeration controller for each of the freezer compartment 12, and the refrigeration compartment 14 etc.
  • the refrigerator 10 has a small humidifier door 39 located above an opening between the freezer compartment 12 and the refrigerating compartment 14, which is controlled by a thermostat 38.
  • the thermostat 38 acts to open and close the humidifier 39 to help control the temperature of the refrigerator compartment.
  • the configuration will change depending on whether it is a side-by-side configuration, a top / bottom configuration or a bottom / top configuration
  • the in Fig. 1 For example, the present up / down configuration shown above has the humidifier door over an opening located in a corner of the freezer compartment. A second small opening between the trolley and the refrigerated compartment is located in another corner of the freezer compartment.
  • the refrigerator 10 includes a conventional refrigeration system having a compressor 22 powered by a source of AC power (represented by the AC plug).
  • the compressor 22 compresses the refrigerant contained in a tube and passes it through the expansion valve 23 to the evaporator 24. From the evaporator 24, the now cooled refrigerant is returned to the compressor and the cycle is repeated as long as the Compressor is active.
  • the operation of the compressor is controlled by the refrigeration control for the freezer compartment 12 and the cooling compartment 14, which are set by a user to a desired temperature or cooling level for each compartment 12, 14.
  • thermocouple 28 controls the actuation of the compressor 22 by disconnecting the source of alternating current from the compressor 22 when the desired temperature in the freezer compartment 12 and / or the refrigerated compartment 14 has been achieved.
  • the refrigerator includes Fig. 1 in addition, a "defrost end" 29 which is used to signal the end of a defrost cycle.
  • the defrost end is a small bimetallic switch that is clipped to the coils of the evaporator coils 24 in series with the defrost heater 26.
  • the defrost terminator 29 acts to signal the microcontroller 110 to stop the current defrost cycle when the coils of the evaporator 26 reach a predetermined temperature, usually just above freezing. The exact temperature for ending the defrost cycle depends on the concrete refrigerator. However, in a preferred embodiment, the defrost end effector 29 acts to stop the defrost cycle when the coils of the evaporator reach 35 ° F.
  • thermostat 28 of FIG Fig. 1 in fact, two separate thermostats 28, one for the refrigerated compartment 14 and the other for the freezer compartment 12. It will be understood that each of the thermostats 28 would be better positioned in the vicinity of the particular compartment 12, 14 of the refrigerator 10 being monitored.
  • the thermostats 28 are electromechanical devices, such as the tubes filled with a liquid and bulking order, as is typical in current refrigerators.
  • the advantage of such an electro-mechanical device is that the microcontroller 110 of the adaptive defrost controller or ADC 100 does not have to be complicated by also controlling the temperature measurement requirements for the refrigerator. This helps to maintain the low cost of the ADC 100, which are particularly desirable in connection with the present application.
  • microcontroller 110 is described herein as a low cost microcontroller 110, other processing means may be used to perform the functions of microcontroller 110.
  • this microprocessor can be programmed to perform the functions described herein in conjunction with the microcontroller 110 without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
  • Fig. 1 includes the present preferred Embodiment of the refrigerator 10 additionally an adaptive defrost control or ADC 100, which periodically initiates a "defrost cycle", which activates a heater 26 for melting any ice that has formed on the evaporator 22.
  • ADC 100 adaptive defrost control or ADC 100, which periodically initiates a "defrost cycle", which activates a heater 26 for melting any ice that has formed on the evaporator 22.
  • ADC 100 adaptive defrost control or ADC 100
  • the ADC 100 uses all of the hardware components of current conventional ADCs, but includes additional software / firmware program instructions that include the adaptive Create control of the defrost cycle.
  • the ADC 100 of the present embodiment is capable of adaptively providing defrost cycles in low-use / low-energy cost periods without the need for "external" information provided by sensors external to the refrigerator the cost of implementing such an ADC 100 is significantly reduced, without any external signals, for example, from an "intelligent network" implementation.
  • the ADC 100 of the present embodiment includes a microcontroller 110 that is specifically programmed to execute a specific method by executing program instructions stored in the program memory 115.
  • the microcontroller 110 of the ADC 100 is programmed to adaptively form a profile of compressor operating times over a 24 hour cycle and to determine from the profile the low-use parts and / or the parts at the night of the cycle.
  • the profile can be refined over a number of days, weeks, months and / or continuously adaptively to refine the profile better and to account for seasonal changes.
  • refrigerator-compressor operating cycles may be a little less than an hour or may be longer.
  • Two well-known external effects on compressor operating time are a) the external ambient temperature; and b) use, such as opening and closing the door, allowing the exchange of warm air, and / or adding warm food.
  • the cycle of daytime / nighttime from the ambient temperature profile. For example, in a household where the ambient temperature is kept even throughout the day, or if the morning uptime and evening uptime periods are 11-12 hours apart. In such cases, a profile may still be derived that shows periods of high usage, and such periods may be avoided for better food quality. In these cases, the two periods of low utilization may be compared and the lower of the two periods determined, so that the defrost can be scheduled in this period. If no determination can be made, the defrost cycle should be scheduled to alternate between different periods so as to avoid scheduling always at a time of high energy use.
  • an object of the present invention is to provide an improved refrigerator while still using low cost ADCs.
  • the present invention uses a conventional low-cost ADC that has been programmed to derive usage profiles that can be used to relocate defrost cycles during periods of low usage and / or nighttime Exploiting low-energy times and improving the quality of food consumed from the freezer (ie avoiding a scenario of "soft ice cream").
  • the ADC 100 of the present application uses a low-cost 1k, 8-bit, and 8-pin microcontroller for the microcontroller 110. As in FIG Fig.
  • the microcontroller 110 may be integrated with the program memory 115 and with additional memory 120 into a single package.
  • the ADC may include a minimum of a relay 160 that controls the defrost. This relay 160 may be used to provide the main controller that comes out of the ADC 100.
  • the thermostat 28 is closed, the compressor 24 is supplied via the relay 160 and the normally closed contact 161 AC. The switching of the relay 160 thus supplies power to the compressor 24 from the ADC controller 100.
  • the ADC 100 switches the relay 160 to run the defrost heater after a predetermined length of compressor operation time.
  • the relay 160 is switched after 20 hours of compressor operation, so that the next call of the compressor actually operates the defrost heater 26 instead of the compressor 24. Note that the number of operating hours is 20 hours based on many factors, including In particular, the time that the defrost takes is adjusted in each cycle.
  • the ADC 100 made in this way would have few connections and a small footprint (ie 4 inches by 4 inches PCB).
  • the implementation of the present invention would not significantly alter the physical hardware requirement of the ADC 100 from that currently available in the ADC.
  • the ADC cost would be increased by at most a few pfennigs by the need for a slightly larger program memory 115 to hold the additional code required to program the existing microcontroller 110 to operate in accordance with the present invention. This is a departure from the prior art systems that attempt to improve the efficiency of the ADC by adding complex algorithms that require much more expensive controls, external sensors, and / or additional connections to devices that are not currently part of current conventional ADC implementations.
  • the microcontroller 110 and the relay 116 receive a DC voltage from the voltage converter 140 which is connected to the AC power line AC connector and which develops a DC voltage (typically 5V or 12V) from the AC line necessary to operate the microcontroller 110 and of the relay 160 is used.
  • a DC voltage typically 5V or 12V
  • the microcontroller 110 additionally receives a control period timing signal input that causes the microcontroller 110 to power up
  • the microcontroller 110 keeps track of time by counting AC line zero crossings directly related to time.
  • the ADC 100 in Fig. 1 an impulse maintenance 150 (ie 150a, 150b, 150c of FIG Fig. 1 ) is used to supply the microcontroller 110 with a series of regular timing "ticks".
  • the pulse circuit 150 reduces the high AC voltage waveform from AC PLUG to a low voltage pulse, typically between 0 and 5V.
  • pulse retention 150 provides protection against noise and voltage spikes.
  • the pulse circuit 150 is used at three locations in the circuit of the ADC 100. See, for example, 150a, 150b and 150c of Fig. 1
  • the pulse circuit 150a is connected between the AC power line L1 of the AC POWER PLUG and the microcontroller 110.
  • This pulse circuit 150a provides the microcontroller 110 with a pulse train having the AC line frequency of, for example, 60 Hz in the United States and other countries at 120 V / 60 Hz and 50 Hz in Europe. With AC-connected devices, it is very common to derive a "clock" from these pulses. In the United States, the AC line frequency is kept very accurately at 60 Hz, producing a very accurate clock. Accordingly, the microcontroller 110 uses the pulse train generated by the pulse circuit 150a to sustain and update a "clock". See, for example, step 230 of Fig. 4A ,
  • a second pulse circuit 150b provides feedback to the microcontroller 110 from the thermostat 28.
  • a third pulse circuit 150c provides feedback to the microcontroller 110 from a Abtaubendiger 29, which acts to inform the microcontroller to end the defrost cycle.
  • the microcontroller 110 monitors the operating times of the compressor 24. Step 160.
  • the microcontroller 110 accumulates the pulses provided by the pulse circuit 150b to produce a count of the operating time of the compressor
  • this is not intended as a limitation as other types of monitoring of operating time can be used.
  • operating times may also be monitored by registering at least one of the following alternatives: a relay or switch operation (such as closing the switch in the thermostat 28); a detected voltage change; a detected increased current drain; and / or optionally based on the monitored temperature in the freezer compartment and / or the refrigerating compartment, if desired. It will be understood that other ways of detecting and monitoring the operating time of the compressor 24 may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention.
  • Compressor operating times observed by the microcontroller 110 are logged in bins based on their occurrence and duration.
  • the microcontroller 110 defines a plurality of bins representing one day cycle of operation of the compressor 24 of the refrigerator 10. For example, if you want a "bin" for each Hour of a 24-hour period, the microcomputer 110 defines 24 bins per daily cycle. Note that this example is not intended to be limiting since "bins" may be any desired length and still conform to the spirit of the invention. For example, in one particular embodiment of the invention, a daily cycle consists of six bins each lasting 4 hours.
  • 10 bins to 32 bins per 24-hour cycle may be used (ie, as long as the number of bins of a particular duration covers a total of one day's cycle).
  • a pointer is advanced to point to the bin where data is being logged.
  • the compressor activity is logged in real time in the bin the pointer is pointing to. Step 170.
  • the ADC 100 analyzes the stored data to develop a profile of compressor activity as a function of time (ie bin number). Step 180. Note that this profile can be developed by analyzing the recorded data relating to the operation of the compressor 24 over a period of one day, one week, one month, continuously, or optionally another time interval. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the ADC 100 develops a profile for the compressor operating times by analyzing the collected data for 5-7 days. Due to the above-discussed correlation between ambient temperatures (ie higher during the day) and compressor operating time (ie, compressor runs at higher ambient temperature and more use), day and night can typically be distinguished from each other. For example, see the graph of Fig.
  • FIG. 3 which shows the moving averages for compressor usage as a function of bin time in a 24 hour cycle for a particular refrigerator / freezer facility located in an office break room. How out Fig. 3 to see In the present example, the times of high compressor activity (day) are easily distinguishable from the times of low compressor activity (night).
  • a pattern is likely to appear showing bins with high compressor activity and corresponding bins with low compressor activity.
  • the system of the present invention utilizes data collected over compressor operating times and off times to schedule defrost during the nighttime cycle (i.e., non-peak energy times in a power grid).
  • the bins of the compressor operation are averaged and these averaged values are used to produce a compressor operating time curve.
  • the microcontroller 110 operates to search the curve to find a set of minimum values of compressor operation. The center of this group is then used as the target time for scheduling a defrost operation. Step 190.
  • microcontroller 110 uses a received periodic timing input to advance a pointer through a fixed set of time bins. In the present embodiment, these bins together cover a cycle of 24 hours. The progress of the indexing pointer through the set of time bins is cyclic and starts again as soon as it is completed.
  • the system is reset and all bins are cleared. Step 210.
  • the bin index, the runtime count and the "clock” count are set to zero and the state vector is set to "idle”.
  • the stored "clock” time is updated (i.e., the clock count is advanced by a "tick”).
  • the microcontroller 110 monitors external requests to operate the compressor 24.
  • the microcontroller 110 uses these requests along with an internal count of the operating time to log compressor operation in the time bins indicated by the indexing pointer.
  • the microcontroller 110 Upon detection of a request to change state, the microcontroller 110 accordingly updates the state vector of the system. Step 240.
  • the state vector is updated to reflect if the system is in an idle state; whether the compressor has started, has been switched on or has stopped; whether a defrost request has been initiated; and whether the defrost cycle started, was on, or stopped. See for example Fig. 4A ,
  • the method of the present embodiment utilizes the system idle time to analyze and / or process the collected data.
  • the algorithm checks whether the tick count "clock" time is greater than or equal to the bin time. Step 260. If not, the system checks if the compressor has been initiated. Step 270. If the compressor has not been initiated, the state vector remains idle and the algorithm checks to see if a time tick has expired (step 220 of FIG Fig. 4A ). If the compressor condition has changed, the algorithm updates the state vector to reflect that the compressor 24 has started (step 280) before proceeding to step 220 of FIG Fig. 4A is jumped.
  • the microcontroller 110 determines in step 260 that the tick count "clock" time is greater than or equal to the bin time, the bin index pointer is advanced to point to the next bin (step 290) and the microcontroller checks if the defrost cycle should be initialized (step 300). If no defrost cycle is indicated, the algorithm initiates the process of averaging the recorded data stored in the bins. Step 310. For example, in one particular embodiment of the invention, the bins of compressor operation are averaged using a low-pass IIR filter or a low-pass FIR filter. These averaged values are used to produce a compressor operating time curve. This curve is analyzed to find a bin group that has a minimum of compressor operating values. Step 320.
  • the center of this group is used as a target time to schedule a defrost operation, and a defrost pointer can be set to indicate that target. Once the indexing pointer reaches the target bin (i.e., target time), a defrost cycle is scheduled in place of the next requested compressor cycle.
  • target bin i.e., target time
  • the compressor operating time is also accumulated to determine how much total compressor operation has occurred. This accumulation can be compared to an operating limit for a defrost cycle and used to schedule a defrost cycle only when the total run time is greater than or equal to the operating limit. Step 330. In such a case, the defrost cycle would be scheduled for the next time the Ziei-Bin (ie, the identified nocturnal bin) is reached after the operating limit has been reached and the defrost pointer is set to open to show the previously determined finish time. Step 340.
  • the microcontroller 110 compares the total accumulated compressor time to the operating limit (step 350) and, if the operating limit is exceeded, sets the state vector to indicate a defrost request and sets the indexing pointer for the pointer of the destination bin (step 360).
  • the microprocessor updates the bin time (step 370) before proceeding to step 220 of FIG Fig. 4A returns.
  • the system of the present invention may use temperature profiles derived from temperatures in the freezer compartment (in accordance with the operation of the thermostat 28) to prevent defrosting at night or other times of low use and / or non-use. Schedule peak energy times.
  • the ADC 100 may optionally be provided with a circuit indicating door openings and closures indicating use to provide further data in the development of a high-profile profile for the ADC, or such data may, if available, be used as a backup used to confirm the data based on compressor run times and / or freezer compartment temperatures.
  • the maximum voltage of the AC line input (18 of Fig. 1 ) occurs at night. Accordingly, the voltage level of the AC line may be analyzed over a period of days to find the maximum voltage values (indicating the night), and the microcontroller may schedule the defrost cycles at those times.
  • a defrost cycle is scheduled in place of the next requested compressor cycle as mentioned above.
  • the duration of the defrost cycle is logged and compared to the average defrost cycle. The delay until the next defrost request is adjusted based on this comparison.
  • the data collected in the bins can be analyzed and used to influence other operations of the refrigerator.
  • the low-usage times data from the microcontroller 110 may be used to coordinate with an external ice maker control to provide greater efficiency for the refrigerator, as making ice has become a major energy use in refrigerators.
  • the stored data diagnostic functions of the refrigerator can be provided. For example, if a change in the long term average is detected, the microcontroller may signal to check that the door is closed (i.e., if the ratio remains below the line for 24 hours).
  • the operation of the entire system is stable and should be prepared to perform defrost cycles during the periods of minimal use of the cooling system.
  • These benefits are provided with little or no additional cost over the traditional ADC design and require at most a slightly larger program memory.
  • the implementation of an algorithm according to a particular embodiment of the invention will require an additional 256 bytes of flat memory (program memory) and an additional 72 bytes of RAM.
  • the system of the invention does not require any additional signals to be obtained than are already present in conventional ADCs.
  • it may be possible to simplify the connections to the ADC by using only the temperature to indicate compressor operation. By simplifying such connections, it may be possible to place the ADC on the back of the refrigerator in the vicinity of the refrigerator Relocate evaporator, so that more usable space in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator is made possible.
  • the system of the present invention advantageously relocates the defrost cycle to times of little use of the refrigerator without requiring external sensors or clocks to determine those times. Accordingly, a refrigerator incorporating the ADC of the present invention can ensure better quality of food in the main use time of the refrigerator. Shifting the defrost to times of low use also improves the temperature stability of the refrigerated compartment by shifting defrosts (which may increase the temperature in that compartment) to periods of low refrigerator traffic.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Defrosting Systems (AREA)
  • Devices That Are Associated With Refrigeration Equipment (AREA)
EP20100013799 2009-10-21 2010-10-20 Commande de décongélation adaptative et procédé pour un appareil de réfrigération Withdrawn EP2314960A2 (fr)

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US12/603,189 US9032751B2 (en) 2009-10-21 2009-10-21 Adaptive defrost controller for a refrigeration device

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US20110088415A1 (en) 2011-04-21

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