EP2413075B1 - Refrigerator and method for controlling the same - Google Patents
Refrigerator and method for controlling the same Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP2413075B1 EP2413075B1 EP11175667.2A EP11175667A EP2413075B1 EP 2413075 B1 EP2413075 B1 EP 2413075B1 EP 11175667 A EP11175667 A EP 11175667A EP 2413075 B1 EP2413075 B1 EP 2413075B1
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- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- light
- evaporator
- refrigerator
- frost
- receiving unit
- 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.)
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- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 20
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 claims description 33
- 239000003507 refrigerant Substances 0.000 claims description 18
- 235000013305 food Nutrition 0.000 description 24
- 230000008014 freezing Effects 0.000 description 14
- 238000007710 freezing Methods 0.000 description 14
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 7
- 238000009825 accumulation Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 2
- 235000013399 edible fruits Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 238000005259 measurement Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 235000013311 vegetables Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 241000251468 Actinopterygii Species 0.000 description 1
- 241000743339 Agrostis Species 0.000 description 1
- 238000007664 blowing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000007599 discharging Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001704 evaporation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 235000013372 meat Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 239000008213 purified water Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000003252 repetitive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000638 solvent extraction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010257 thawing Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
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
- F25D21/02—Detecting the presence of frost or condensate
-
- 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
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D21/00—Defrosting; Preventing frosting; Removing condensed or defrost water
- F25D21/06—Removing frost
- F25D21/08—Removing frost by electric heating
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Thermal Sciences (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Defrosting Systems (AREA)
Description
- The present invention relates to refrigerators, and more particularly, to a refrigerator which can measure an amount of frost on an evaporator in real time and determine a frost removing time; and a method for controlling the same.
- In general, the refrigerator is an appliance for storing goods at a low temperature for long time fresh storage of food, wherein the goods are stored in a frozen state or a refrigerated state depending on a state of the goods intended to store.
- Cold air to be supplied to the refrigerator is produced by heat exchange of refrigerant which is kept supplied to the refrigerator as a cycle of compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation is performed repeatedly, and provided to an inside of the refrigerator uniformly by convection, enabling to store the food in the refrigerator at a desired temperature.
- In the refrigerators, there are general type refrigerators, side by side door type refrigerators, and bottom freezer type refrigerators depending on a structure of a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber.
- The general type refrigerator has a structure in which the freezing chamber is positioned on an upper side and the refrigerating chamber is positioned on a lower side, and the side by side door type refrigerator has a structure in which the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber are arranged side by side in a left to right direction.
- The bottom freezer type refrigerator is a type currently used in the U.S.A. and the Europe mostly, and has the refrigerating chamber greater than the freezing chamber positioned on the upper side while the freezing chamber is positioned on the lower side.
- In the meantime, the refrigerator is provided with a body having at least one storage space for low temperature storage of food and a door rotatably mounted to the body for selective opening/closing of the storage space.
- In general, the storage space of the refrigerator is partitioned into the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber, and, in rear of the storage space, there are an evaporator for making heat exchange with air in the storage space to produce cold air, and a fan for introducing the air from the storage space to the evaporator, and blowing the cold air having heat exchanged thus to the storage space, again.
- In the meantime, the evaporator in the cycle makes heat exchange between the air circulating in the storage space and the refrigerant, to form condensed water on a surface thereof in a process of making heat exchange with the air which circulates the storage space because a surface temperature of the evaporator is lower than a room temperature.
- In this instance, the condensed water freezes on the surface of the evaporator to turn to frost, to cause a problem of poor heat exchange efficiency of the evaporator when the frost accumulates on the surface of the evaporator.
- In order to solve the problem, a method is used, in which a frost removal heater is mounted to one side of the evaporator to operate the same at fixed time intervals.
- Above frost removal operation is performed taking operation times of the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber and a door open time into account, regardless of an actual amount of accumulation of the frost.
- However, the frost removal time predicted with reference to the door open time and the operation times of the storage space has a problem in that, in actual conditions of use of the refrigerator, the frost removal heater comes into operation at a time no frost removal is required actually, or the frost removal heater does not come into operation even if the frost removal is required. The related prior art concerning with the refrigerators and its defrosting can be found for example in the following documents:
EP0066862A1 ,GB2143945A JP2010060177A US2005/189493A1 ,WO84/01019A1 US4593533A andWO83/00211A1 - Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a refrigerator and a method for controlling the same.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator which can measure an amount of frost on an evaporator in real time and determine a frost removing time; and a method for controlling the same.
- Additional advantages, objects, and features of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
- To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a refrigerator according to
claim 1 is proposed. - And, the optical sensor can be arranged over or under the evaporator.
- In this instance, the control unit can put the frost removal heater into operation only if the quantity of the light received at the light receiving unit is greater than a reference value.
- On the other hand, the optical sensor can be arranged such that the evaporator is positioned between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit.
- In this instance, the control unit can put the frost removal heater into operation only if the quantity of the light received at the light receiving unit is smaller than a reference value.
- And, the light emitting unit of the optical sensor can include an infrared light emitting diode.
- And, the bracket can have an angle shaped section.
- And, the control unit can put the frost removal heater into operation only if the quantity of the light received at the light receiving unit is greater than a reference value.
- And, the body can have one end with the light emitting unit mounted thereto and the other end with the light receiving unit mounted thereto.
- And, the bracket has a channel shaped section.
- And, the control unit can put the frost removal heater into operation only if the quantity of the light received at the light receiving unit is smaller than a reference value.
- In another aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling a refrigerator is proposed in accordance with claim 11.
- And, the step (a) can include the step of directing a light with an infrared light emitting diode.
- And, the step (b) can include the step of receiving a light reflected at the evaporator.
- In this instance, the frost removal can be performed if the quantity of the light reflected thus is greater than a reference value.
- Different from this, the step (a) can include the step of receiving a light passed through the evaporator.
- In this instance, the frost removal can be performed if the quantity of the light passed thus is smaller than a reference value.
- It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
- The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:
-
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a refrigerator in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which one of doors is opened. -
FIG. 2 illustrates a section of key parts of the refrigerator inFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a control unit in a refrigerator in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. -
FIGS. 4 to 7 illustrate schematic views showing mounting positions of an optical sensor in a refrigerator in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, respectively. -
FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate graphs for describing a method for determining a frost removing time in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 9 illustrates a flow chart showing the steps of a method for controlling a refrigerator in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. - Reference will now be made in detail to the specific embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
- A refrigerator and a method for controlling the same in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. The attached drawings are illustrative, and only provided for describing the present invention in more detail, but do not limit the scope of the present invention, which is defined by the claims.
- And, identical or equivalent elements will be given the same reference numerals regardless of drawing numbers, repetitive description thereof will be omitted, and for convenience of description, sizes and shapes of the elements can be exaggerated or reduced.
- Though terms including ordinal numbers, such as first or second, can be used for describing various elements, the elements are not limited by the terms, and are used only for making one element distinctive from other elements.
-
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of arefrigerator 1 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which one of doors is opened, andFIG. 2 illustrates a section of key parts of the refrigerator inFIG. 1 . - Though a
refrigerator 1 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is applicable to all refrigerators of various types (For an example, a general type, a side by side door type, or a bottom freezer type), therefrigerator 1 will be described taking the side by side door type refrigerator having a freezing chamber and a refrigerating chamber positioned side by side in a left to right direction to be opened/closed by respective doors selectively as an example. - The refrigerator in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a
body 10 having at least onestorage space 40 for low temperature storage, acompressor 90 in thebody 10 for compressing refrigerant, anevaporator 60 for making heat exchange between the refrigerant from thecompressor 90 and air in thestorage space 40, afrost removal heater 70 for removing frost from theevaporator 60, an optical sensor (Not shown) having a light emitting unit for directing a light to theevaporator 60 and a light receiving unit for receiving the light from the light emitting unit, and a control unit (Not shown) for controlling operation of thefrost removal heater 70 with reference to a quantity of the light received at the light receiving unit. - Referring to
FIGS. 1 and2 , therefrigerator 1 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes abody 10 which provides aspace 40 for storage of food and food containers at a low temperature and an exterior of the refrigerator, wherein thebody 10 has a hexahedral shape substantially, with an opened front for placing the food and the food containers therein. - The
body 10 of therefrigerator 1 can also include an outer case (No reference numeral is given) and at least one inner case (No reference numeral is given) in the outer case for providing the storage space for refrigerated or frozen storage of the food. - The
doors body 10 for selective opening/closing of the opened front of thebody 10.FIG. 1 illustrates a side by side door type refrigerator in a case afirst door 20 and asecond door 30 are mounted to thebody 10 for opening/closing a left side storage space and a right side storage space, respectively. - And, currently, for convenience of use of the
refrigerator 1, various functions are added to the refrigerator, and in order to embody such functions, therefrigerator 1 can further include adispenser 21 provided to thedoor home bar 31 for placing or storage of a certain amount of food or food containers therein, conveniently. - And, on a rear of the
door 30, at least onebasket 33 and onestorage box 32 can be mounted. - And, in a case of the side by side
door type refrigerator 1, thebody 10 has an inside space partitioned into the left side space and the right side space, wherein, in general, the left side space serves as a freezing chamber (Not shown) for holding the food or the food container at a sub-zero temperature, and the right side space serves as a refrigeratingchamber 40 for holding the food or the food container at a temperature higher than a zero degree. - The freezing chamber is used for long time storage of the food by freezing the food at the sub-zero temperature, and the refrigerating
chamber 40 is maintained at a temperature lower than a room temperature for fresh storage of the food. - The freezing chamber and the refrigerating
chamber 40 have a plurality ofshelves 41 provided to inside spaces thereof for placing the food or the food container thereon, thereby partitioning the inside spaces of the freezing chamber and refrigeratingchamber 40 into a plurality of tiers to form a plurality of storage spaces. And, the freezing chamber and the refrigeratingchamber 40 can havedrawers 42 for holding food, such as vegetable and fruit. - The refrigerator stores not only the vegetable and the fruit, but also meat, fish, various food materials and cooked food, and since the
body 10 has the plurality of storage spaces with the shelves and the drawers, the food can be stored separately for each kind of food. - And, in rear of the
storage space 40, there is a cold air producing chamber (No reference numeral is given) having the evaporator 60 placed therein for making heat exchange between the refrigerant and the air in the storage space. The cold air producing chamber has a fan 50 for discharging the cold air produced by theevaporator 60 to thestorage space 40, thefrost removal heater 70 for removing frost from theevaporator 60, and adrain portion 80 under thefrost removal heater 70 for collecting water of the frost. -
FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a control unit in a refrigerator in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention,FIGS. 4 to 7 illustrate schematic views showing mounting positions of an optical sensor in a refrigerator in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention respectively, andFIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate graphs for describing a method for determining a frost removing time in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. - As described before, the
evaporator 60 in the cycle of therefrigerator 1 makes heat exchange between the air circulating the storage space and the refrigerant, and since the surface temperature of theevaporator 60 is lower than the room temperature, the condensed water is formed on the surface of theevaporator 60 in a heat exchange process with the air which circulates the storage space. - In this instance, the condensed water freezes on the surface of the
evaporator 60 into the frost, and if the frost accumulates on the surface of theevaporator 60, a problem causes in that heat exchange efficiency of theevaporator 60 becomes poor. - In order to solve the problem, the
frost removal heater 70 is mounted to one side of theevaporator 60, for removing the frost from the surface of theevaporator 60 by operating thefrost removal heater 70. - If the frost is formed on the
evaporator 60, the heat exchange efficiency of theevaporator 60 becomes poor. And, it is important to detect an amount of the frost on theevaporator 60 in real time to determine an accurate frost removal time for reducing power consumption caused by unnecessary frost removal operation and a number of temperature rise times of the storage space. - Referring to
FIG. 3 , theoptical sensor 100 includes thelight emitting unit 110 for directing the light to the evaporator and thelight receiving unit 120 for receiving the light from thelight emitting unit 110. - As one embodiment, the
optical sensor 100 senses a quantity of the light which is directed to the evaporator, reflected at the frost on the evaporator, and received at thelight receiving unit 120, and thecontrol unit 200 determines a frost removing time with reference to the quantity of light received at thelight receiving unit 120, and puts thefrost removing heater 70 into operation. - For an example, since the greater the quantity of the frost on the
evaporator 60, the greater the quantity of the light reflected at the frost, upon comparing the quantity of the light reflected thus to a reference value measured in advance experimentally, if the quantity of the light is greater than the reference value, thecontrol unit 200 can put thefrost removing heater 70 into operation. - And, the
light emitting unit 110 of theoptical sensor 100 can be a light source for emitting a light of an infrared wavelength or an ultrasonic wavelength, preferably, can include an infrared light emitting diode. - Referring to
FIG. 4 , theevaporator 60 includes arefrigerant tube 61 for the refrigerant to flow therethrough and a plurality offins 62 in contact with the refrigerant tube for increasing a heat exchange area. - The optical sensor can be mounted over the
evaporator 60. That is, both thelight emitting unit 110 and thelight receiving unit 120 can be arranged at positions spaced predetermined distances away from a top of theevaporator 60, respectively. - The
optical sensor 100 senses the quantity of the light which is directed to evaporator, reflected at the frost F on the evaporator, and received at thelight receiving unit 120, and thecontrol unit 200 determines a frost removing time with reference to the quantity of light received at thelight receiving unit 120, and puts thefrost removing heater 70 into operation. - Referring to
FIGS. 4 and8A , since the greater the quantity of the frost on theevaporator 60, the greater the quantity of the light reflected at the frost, upon comparing the quantity of the light to the reference value S1 measured in advance experimentally, if the quantity of the light is greater than the reference value S1, thecontrol unit 200 can put thefrost removing heater 70 into operation. - Referring to
FIG. 5 , theoptical sensor 100 can be arranged under theevaporator 60. That is, both thelight emitting unit 110 and thelight receiving unit 120 can be arranged at positions spaced predetermined distances away from a bottom of theevaporator 60, respectively. - Even in a case the
optical sensor 100 is arranged under theevaporator 60, a process for determining the amount of the frost, determining the frost removing time, and putting the frost removing heater into operation is identical to a case described with reference toFIGS. 4 and8A . - In the meantime, if a pattern the frost F is formed on the
evaporator 60 is examined, the frost F is formed starting from the top toward the bottom of the evaporator, or starting from the bottom toward the top of the evaporator. Though the frost forming pattern can vary with a flow path of the cold air producing chamber and a structure of the evaporator, in most of cases, in general, since the frost F is formed starting from the top toward the bottom of the evaporator, it is preferable that theoptical sensor 100 is arranged over the evaporator. - Referring to
FIG. 6 , theoptical sensor 100 can be arranged such that theevaporator 60 is positioned between thelight emitting unit 110 and thelight receiving unit 120. For an example, thelight emitting unit 110 is arranged over theevaporator 60, and thelight receiving unit 120 is arranged under the evaporator, or vice versa. Or, thelight emitting unit 110 is arranged in front of theevaporator 60, and thelight receiving unit 120 is arranged in rear of the evaporator, or vice versa. - Referring to
FIGS. 6 and8B , if the light directed to the evaporator is reflected at the frost F on the evaporator, since the light can not pass through theevaporator 60 to fail to be received at thelight receiving unit 120, the greater the amount of the frost on theevaporator 60, the smaller the quantity of light received thus. Therefore, if the quantity of light is smaller than a reference value S2 as a result of comparison of the quantity of light to the reference value S2 measured in advance experimentally, thecontrol unit 200 can put thefrost removing heater 70 into operation. - Referring to
FIG. 7 , in order to enhance reliability of the measurement, a distance d from the optical sensor (thelight emitting unit 110 and the light receiving unit 120) to the evaporator is fixedly maintained. - The refrigerator in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a
bracket 130 which connects the optical sensor to the evaporator, additionally. - The
bracket 130 includes abody 131 which is an extension in a height direction (upward or downward) of the evaporator and has a plurality ofslots 132 for placing thetube 61 therein, and a mountingportion 133 which is an inward bent from an end of thebody 131 for mounting the optical sensor toward theevaporator 60 thereto. - As described with reference to
FIGS. 4 and5 , thebody 31 has a structure which is applicable to the cases the optical sensor is arranged over or under theevaporator 60, and can have an angle shaped section, actually. In this structure, as described before, the control unit can operate the frost removal heater in a case the quantity of the light received at the light receiving unit is greater than the reference value. - The plurality of
slots 132 has elasticity, and is detachably mounted to therefrigerant tube 61 for convenience of replacement or service. - Different from this, the bracket includes a body which is an extension in a direction of a height of the evaporator with the plurality of slots for placing the refrigerant tube therein, and a mounting portion which is inward bents from both ends of the body for mounting the optical sensor thereto, respectively.
- In this instance, the body can have one end with the light emitting unit mounted thereto and the other end with the light receiving unit mounted thereto.
- And, as described with reference to
FIG. 6 , the body structure can be applicable in a case theevaporator 60 is arranged between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit of the optical sensor, and the body can have a channel shaped section, actually. In this structure, as described before, the control unit can operate the frost removal heater in a case the quantity of the light received at the light receiving unit is smaller than the reference value. -
FIG. 9 illustrates a flow chart showing the steps of a method for controlling a refrigerator in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention in a case the optical sensor is arranged at a position shown inFIG. 6 . - Referring to
FIG. 9 , the method for controlling a refrigerator includes the steps of (a) directing a light to an evaporator (S102), (b) receiving the light passed through the evaporator (S103), and performing frost removal with reference to a quantity of the light received thus (S104 and S105). - The steps (a) and (b) can be preformed with the
optical sensor 100, and the step (a) can further include the step (S101) of determining whether a measuring time is reached or not, and, accordingly, since power is applied only when measurement is required, power consumption can be reduced. - And, the optical sensor is positioned as described with reference to
FIGS. 4 ∼ 6 , and in a case the optical sensor is positioned at a position ofFIGS. 4 and5 , the light reflected at the evaporator can be received in the step (b), and the frost can be removed in a case the quantity of the reflected light is greater than the reference value. - Different from this, if the optical sensor is arranged at a position of
FIG. 6 , the light passed through the evaporator can be received at the step (b), and the frost can be removed in a case the quantity of the passed light is smaller than the reference value. - As has been described, the refrigerator and the method for controlling the same of the present invention have the following advantages.
- The amount of frost on the evaporator can be measured in real time to determine the frost removal time.
- Power consumption caused by unnecessary frost removal can be reduced, and a number of temperature rise times of the storage space can be reduced.
- Since the frost removal is performed with reference to a measured actual amount of frost accumulation, reliability of the refrigerator can become high.
- It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope of the inventions. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims (14)
- A refrigerator (1) comprising:a body (10) having at least one storage space (40) for low temperature storage;a compressor (90) in the body (10) for compressing refrigerant;an evaporator (60) for making heat exchange between the refrigerant from the compressor (90) and air in the storage space (40), the evaporator (60) comprising a refrigerant tube (61) having sections which are arranged horizontally and a plurality of fins (62) arranged in a vertical direction in contact with the refrigerant tube (61);a frost removal heater (70) for removing frost (F) from the evaporator (60);an optical sensor (100) having a light emitting unit (110) for directing a light to the evaporator (60) and a light receiving unit (120) for receiving the light from the light emitting unit (110);a bracket (130) which connects the optical sensor (100) to the evaporator (60); anda control unit (200) for controlling operation of the frost removal heater (70) with reference to a quantity of the light received at the light receiving unit (120),wherein the bracket (130) comprises:a body (131) which extends in a vertical direction of the evaporator (60) and has a plurality of slots (132) in which the refrigerant tube (61) of the evaporator (60) is positioned, wherein the plurality of slots (132) are spaced apart in a vertical direction and receive different sections of the refrigerant tube (61) that are separated from one another in the vertical direction, and each slot (132) has a side opening and has elasticity and the plurality of slots (132) are detachably mounted to the refrigerant tube (61), anda mounting portion (133), that is bent inward from one end or both ends of the body (131), to which the light emitting unit (110) and the light receiving unit (120) are mounted in an orientation in which the optical sensor (100) faces the evaporator (60), the mounting portion (133) being disposed in such a way that distance (d) from the optical sensor (100) to the evaporator (60) is fixedly maintained.
- The refrigerator (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical sensor (100) is arranged over or under the evaporator (60).
- The refrigerator (1) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the control unit (200) puts the frost removal heater (70) into operation only if the quantity of the light received at the light receiving unit (120) is the same or greater than a reference value.
- The refrigerator (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical sensor (100) is arranged such that the evaporator (60) is positioned between the light emitting unit (110) and the light receiving unit (120).
- The refrigerator (1) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the control unit (200) puts the frost removal heater (70) into operation only if the quantity of the light received at the light receiving unit (120) is the same or smaller than a reference value.
- The refrigerator (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light emitting unit (110) of the optical sensor (100) includes an infrared light emitting diode.
- The refrigerator (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit (200) is configured to determine a frost removing time with reference to the quantity of light received at the light receiving unit (120) and put the frost removing heater (70) into operation in accordance with the determined frost removing time.
- The refrigerator (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit (200) puts the frost removal heater (70) into operation only if the quantity of the light received at the light receiving unit (120) is greater than a reference value.
- The refrigerator (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mounting portion (133) comprises mounting portions (133) which are bent inward from both ends of the body (131) for mounting the light emitting unit (110) and the light receiving unit (120),
wherein the body (131) has one end with the light emitting unit (110) mounted thereto and the other end with the light receiving unit (120) mounted thereto. - The refrigerator (1) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control unit (200) puts the frost removal heater (70) into operation only if the quantity of the light received at the light receiving unit (120) is the same or smaller than a reference value.
- A method for controlling a refrigerator (1) as claimed in claim 1, comprising the steps of:(a) directing a light to the evaporator (60);(b) receiving the light from the evaporator (60); and(c) removing frost (F) in accordance with a quantity of the received light.
- The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the step (a) includes the step of directing a light with an infrared light emitting diode.
- The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the step (b) includes the step of receiving a light reflected at the evaporator (60) and
the step (c) includes the step of removing the frost (F) that is performed if the quantity of the light reflected thus is the same or greater than a reference value. - The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the step (b) includes the step of receiving a light passed through the evaporator (60) and the step (c) includes the step of removing the frost (F) that is performed if the quantity of the light passed thus is the same or smaller than a reference value.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
KR1020100073368A KR101678437B1 (en) | 2010-07-29 | 2010-07-29 | Refrigerator |
KR1020100073369A KR20120011522A (en) | 2010-07-29 | 2010-07-29 | Refrigerator and controlling method thereof |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP2413075A2 EP2413075A2 (en) | 2012-02-01 |
EP2413075A3 EP2413075A3 (en) | 2016-11-23 |
EP2413075B1 true EP2413075B1 (en) | 2021-02-17 |
Family
ID=44651056
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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EP11175667.2A Active EP2413075B1 (en) | 2010-07-29 | 2011-07-27 | Refrigerator and method for controlling the same |
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US (1) | US20120023974A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2413075B1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN105579798B (en) * | 2013-08-26 | 2018-04-17 | 株式会社 新进Enertec | The equipment to be defrosted using infrared light emitting diode sensor to the evaporator of refrigeration system |
US9459038B1 (en) * | 2015-03-04 | 2016-10-04 | Robert Michael Read | System for defrost termination |
KR102292004B1 (en) * | 2017-04-11 | 2021-08-23 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | Refrigerator |
CN112050541B (en) * | 2020-09-04 | 2021-08-24 | 珠海格力电器股份有限公司 | Refrigerating unit and defrosting control method and device |
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US3745786A (en) * | 1971-12-01 | 1973-07-17 | Whirlpool Co | Refrigeration apparatus |
US4593533A (en) * | 1974-12-05 | 1986-06-10 | Alsenz Richard H | Method and apparatus for detecting and controlling the formation of ice or frost |
US4232528A (en) * | 1978-03-16 | 1980-11-11 | Emerson Electric Co. | Frost detector |
US4409795A (en) * | 1981-04-03 | 1983-10-18 | Russell Coil Company | Demand defrost system |
ATE21760T1 (en) * | 1981-06-26 | 1986-09-15 | Richard H Alsenz | DEFROST CONTROL FOR REFRIGERATOR UNIT. |
EP0118436A1 (en) * | 1982-08-27 | 1984-09-19 | ALSENZ, Richard H. | Improved optical defrost apparatus |
GB2143945B (en) * | 1983-07-26 | 1986-11-19 | Agriculture Fisheries And Food | Frost sensor |
US4860551A (en) * | 1987-12-29 | 1989-08-29 | Whirlpool Corporation | Frost sensor for an appliance |
US7337621B2 (en) * | 2004-01-07 | 2008-03-04 | Bbc Enterprises, Inc. | Optical frost sensor |
KR100986350B1 (en) * | 2007-12-12 | 2010-10-08 | 현대자동차주식회사 | Guide unit of air conditioner for exhausting drain water in vehicles |
JP5197244B2 (en) * | 2008-09-02 | 2013-05-15 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Refrigeration cycle apparatus, refrigeration apparatus and air conditioner |
-
2011
- 2011-07-27 EP EP11175667.2A patent/EP2413075B1/en active Active
- 2011-07-28 US US13/192,906 patent/US20120023974A1/en not_active Abandoned
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
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None * |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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EP2413075A3 (en) | 2016-11-23 |
US20120023974A1 (en) | 2012-02-02 |
EP2413075A2 (en) | 2012-02-01 |
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