KR101736869B1

KR101736869B1 - Apparatus for defrosting of evaporator and method for controlling the same

Info

Publication number: KR101736869B1
Application number: KR1020160025251A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 마사테루 니시무라; 아키라 다쿠시마
Original assignee: 엘지전자 주식회사
Priority date: 2016-03-02
Filing date: 2016-03-02
Publication date: 2017-05-29
Also published as: JP2017156077A; JP6321718B2

Abstract

The present invention relates to an evaporator which includes a cooling fin connected to a refrigerant pipe through which a refrigerant flows and which has a cooling fin for heat exchange, a support bracket for supporting the refrigerant pipe, and a defrost heater for supplying heat for removing gas impregnated into the refrigerant pipe A light emitting unit that emits light toward a cooling fin installed at one side of the evaporator; A sensor unit for sensing an amount of light reflected from the cooling fin; And a control unit for controlling ON / OFF of the defrost heater based on the sensed value, and a control method thereof.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a defrosting device for an evaporator,

The present invention relates to a device for detecting a gaseous state impregnated in an evaporator, and a method for controlling the same.

The evaporator used in the refrigeration cycle lowers the ambient temperature by using the cool air generated through circulation of the refrigerant moving along the cooling pipe. In this process, when the temperature difference with the surrounding air occurs, the impregnation phenomenon occurs in which the moisture in the air is condensed and frozen on the surface of the cooling pipe.

For example, when the evaporator is applied to the refrigerator, the air in the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment flows into the lower portion of the evaporator and passes through the evaporator as the blower fan and the compressor installed in the rear portion of the refrigerator are driven. And the cool air is supplied to the freezing room or the refrigerating room. The air discharged from the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment undergoes heat exchange with the refrigerant flowing along the refrigerant tube through the cooling fins. The air introduced into the evaporator from the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment during the circulation of the refrigerant is relatively warm So that the low temperature evaporator is brought into contact with the high temperature and high humidity air and condensed.

The area of contact with the cooling fin by the air blown by the blowing fan is reduced so that the heat absorbed by the refrigerant flowing along the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator is reduced and the efficiency of the evaporator is lowered. Occurs. In this case, the defrost heater is driven to remove the frost. If the defrost heater is judged to be impregnated, the unnecessary energy consumption is caused.

Conventionally, a temperature sensor is installed to detect a frost on a cooling fin, and when it is judged that the temperature is below a certain temperature, it is judged that the frost is frozen or a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor are installed together to determine a dew point, The defrost heater was driven. Conventional technologies include Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2012-0011521, Japanese Patent Publication No. 4749459, and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-216291.
However, even if the temperature is below a certain level, the humidity is low, so that there is a case where the cooling pin is not frozen, and it is difficult to measure the humidity sensor with high accuracy and it is difficult to measure the accurate dew point. have.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device that can more precisely detect the quality of the frost on the cooling fins and prevent unnecessary operation of the defrost heater.

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One object of the present invention is to propose a device for detecting and removing the frost on the cooling fin by circulating the refrigerant of the evaporator.

It is another object of the present invention to propose an apparatus for effectively detecting and removing the amount of glaze and glaze on a cooling fin.

It is another object of the present invention to propose an apparatus for effectively detecting and removing gaseous impurities on a cooling fin without limiting the flow of air by a blowing fan.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a device for transmitting a signal for actuating a defrost heater in order to eliminate the casting on the cooling fin.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a device capable of operating a defrost heater only to reduce the consumption of unnecessary energy when a frost is applied to the cooling fin.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a structure of a device capable of continuously sensing an impregnated property and its amount without flowing into a sensor part and a light emitting part even if the impregnated property on the cooling fin is melted by the operation of the defrost heater will be.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a defrost apparatus for an evaporator, including: a cooling fin coupled to a refrigerant tube through which a refrigerant flows; a cooling fin for heat exchange; And a defrost heater for supplying heat to remove the frosting on the refrigerant pipe, the evaporator comprising: a light emitting part for emitting light toward a cooling fin installed on one side of the evaporator; A sensor unit for sensing an amount of light reflected from the cooling fin; And a controller for controlling ON / OFF of the defrost heater based on the sensed value.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller turns on the defrost heater when the light sensed by the sensor unit is equal to or less than a first reference value, and when the light sensed by the sensor unit is equal to or greater than a second reference value, The defrost heater is turned off, and the second reference value is greater than the first reference value.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the light emitting unit irradiates light at an angle set toward the cooling fin, and the sensor unit is installed at an angle corresponding to the light emitting unit to sense light reflected from the cooling fin.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sensor unit comprises an illuminance sensor for sensing the brightness of the light and detecting the glaze on the cooling fin and the amount thereof.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sensor unit includes an RGB sensor for sensing the color of reflected light and detecting the gender impregnated on the cooling fin and the amount thereof.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a substrate for supplying power to the light emitting unit and the sensor unit and fixing the light emitting unit and the sensor unit at a predetermined angle is further included.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus further includes a case installed in the support bracket and positioned to face the cooling fin.

At this time, the case may include a vertical extension part for fixing to the support bracket; And a horizontal extension part protruding and extending from both ends of the vertical extension part toward the cooling fin, respectively, to prevent liquid from flowing into the light emitting part and the sensor part.

In addition, the horizontal extending portion may be formed so that one end thereof is bent toward the central portion of the vertical extending portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cooling bracket is disposed between the bracket and the cooling fin so as to face a cooling fin provided below the support bracket and extending to extend downward.

According to an example of the present invention, the support bracket is provided at a plurality of locations below the support bracket.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a defrost apparatus including a light emitting unit and a sensor unit, the method comprising: irradiating light toward a cooling fin as the compressor is driven; A sensor unit sensing a quantity of light reflected from the cooling fin; A second step of turning on the defrost heater when the light sensed by the sensor unit is lower than a first reference value; And a third step of turning off the defrost heater when the amount of light sensed by the sensor unit by the driving of the defrost heater is equal to or greater than a second reference value.

According to the present invention having the above-described structure, the light irradiated from the light emitting portion is reflected by the cooling fins, and is sensed by the sensor portion, thereby sensing the fusing on the cooling fins and removing it by the defrost heater.

In addition, according to the present invention, the light emitting unit and the sensor unit are provided at an angle corresponding to each other, so that the light irradiated by the light emitting unit is reflected by the cooling fins, Therefore, it is possible to effectively detect the quality of the frost on the cooling fin and its amount, and to remove it.

In addition, according to the present invention having the above-described configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the fusing is performed based on the reception value sensed by the sensor unit, and to transmit a signal for driving the defrost heater through the control unit.

In addition, according to the present invention having the above-described structure, unnecessary energy consumption can be reduced by activating the defrost heater through the control unit only when the cooling fins are frozen.

According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, even if the fusing on the cooling fins is melted by the operation of the defrost heater, it can be prevented from flowing into the sensor portion and the light emitting portion,

1 is a conceptual view showing a refrigerator including a defrosting device.
2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a defrost apparatus is installed in an evaporator;
3 is a partially enlarged view of a portion A in Fig.
Fig. 4 is a sectional view of Fig. 3 cut in the vertical direction. Fig.
5 (a) is a view showing a state in which a light emitting portion and a sensor portion are provided on a flat substrate.
5B is a view showing a state in which the light emitting portion and the sensor portion are installed on the substrate at a certain angle.
6 is a conceptual view showing a structure of a defrost apparatus of an evaporator;
7 is a view showing an embodiment different from the defrost apparatus of the evaporator of Fig.
8 is a view showing still another embodiment of the defrost apparatus.
Fig. 9 is a view showing another embodiment of the defrosting device different from Fig. 8; Fig.
10 is a view showing a state in which a defrost apparatus of an evaporator is installed.
11 is a view showing another aspect in which a defrost apparatus of an evaporator is installed.
12 is a view showing an operation process of the defrost apparatus of the evaporator.
13 is a flow chart showing the operation of the defrost apparatus of the evaporator.
Fig. 14 is a graph showing a change in the value received by the illuminance sensor and the operation of the defrost heater, the compressor and the blower fan according to time; Fig.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a defrosting apparatus and a control method thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the present specification, the same or similar reference numerals are given to different embodiments in the same or similar configurations. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a refrigerator 20 including a defrost apparatus 100. FIG. The defrosting apparatus 100 of the present invention serves to detect the frosting on the evaporator. The defrosting apparatus 100 of the present invention can be applied to various apparatuses, and is applicable to air conditioners and air purifiers as well as the refrigerator as shown in FIG. However, in the present invention, the evaporator of the refrigerator 20 will be described as an object for convenience.

The refrigerator 20 is a device for storing food stored in the refrigerator cabinet 21 at a low temperature by using cold air generated by a refrigeration cycle including compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation.

1, the refrigerator cabinet 21 has a storage space for storing food therein. The storage space may be separated by the partition wall 21a and may be divided into a refrigerating chamber 22 and a freezing chamber 23 according to a set temperature.

1 shows a top mount type refrigerator 20 in which a freezing compartment 23 is disposed on a refrigerating compartment 22, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention is characterized in that a side by side type refrigerator 20 in which a refrigerating compartment 22 and a freezing compartment 23 are arranged on the left and right sides, a refrigerating compartment 22 on the upper side, A bottom freezer type refrigerator 20, and the like.

A door is arranged in the refrigerator cabinet 21 to open and close the front opening of the refrigerator cabinet 21. In the figure, the refrigerating compartment door 22a and the freezing compartment door 23a are configured to open and close the refrigerating compartment 22 and the freezing compartment 23, respectively. The doors 22a and 23a may be variously constructed of a rotatable door rotatably connected to the refrigerator cabinet 21 and a drawer door slidably connected to the refrigerator cabinet 21. The refrigerator cabinet 21 is provided with a storage unit 24 for efficiently utilizing an internal storage space. The housing unit 24 means a shelf 24a, a tray 24b, and a basket 24c. The shelf 24a and the tray 24b may be installed inside the refrigerator cabinet 21 and the basket 24c may be installed inside the door connected to the refrigerator cabinet 21. [

A cooling chamber 27 provided with an evaporator 10 and a blowing fan 25 is provided at the rear of the freezing chamber 23. The compartment 21a is formed with a refrigerating chamber return duct 21b and a freezing compartment return duct 21C which allow the refrigerating compartment 22 and the freezing compartment 23 to be sucked and returned to the cooling compartment 27 side. A cool air duct 29 having a plurality of cool air discharge openings 29a communicating with the freezing chamber 23 and having a plurality of cool air discharge openings 29a is installed in the rear of the refrigerating chamber 22. [

A machine room 28 is provided on the lower side of the rear side of the refrigerator cabinet 21 and a compressor 26 and a condenser (not shown) are provided inside the machine room 28.

On the other hand, the air in the refrigerating compartment 22 and the freezing compartment 23 is supplied to the cooling chamber (not shown) through the refrigerating chamber return duct 21b and the freezing compartment return duct 21c of the partition 21a by the blowing fan 25 of the cooling chamber 27 27 to be heat-exchanged with the evaporator 10 and discharged to the refrigerating chamber 22 and the freezing chamber 23 through the cold air discharge opening 29a of the refrigerant duct 29 repeatedly. At this time, the surface of the evaporator 10 is concealed by the temperature difference between the refrigerating chamber return duct 21b and the circulating air flowing back through the freezing chamber return duct 21c.

The defrosting device 10 is provided with a defrost heater 14 at the lower part of the evaporator 10 in order to remove the defrosting when the defrosting device 10 detects the defrosting by the defrosting device 100. Water generated by the defrosting heater 14 is collected at the lower portion of the refrigerator cabinet 21 through the defrost water discharge pipe 21d. Figure 2 shows the defrosting device 100 Fig.

In this specification, an evaporator means an evaporator 10. 2, the evaporator 10 includes a refrigerant pipe 11, a plurality of cooling fins 12, and a plurality of support brackets 13 for supporting the refrigerant pipe 11 on both sides of the refrigerant pipe 11 do.

The refrigerant pipe (11) is formed such that the zigzag shape is repeatedly bent, and the refrigerant is filled in the refrigerant pipe (11). The refrigerant pipe (11) can be composed of a combination of a horizontal pipe portion and a bending pipe portion. The horizontal piping portion is vertically disposed horizontally to each other and is configured to pass through the plurality of cooling fins 12. The bending piping portion is configured to connect the ends of the upper horizontal piping portion and the lower horizontal piping portion to each other to communicate with each other. On the other hand, the refrigerant pipe 11 may be formed in a single row or may be formed in a plurality of rows in the front-rear direction of the evaporator 10.

A plurality of cooling fins (12) are arranged in the refrigerant pipe (11) so as to be spaced apart from each other along the extending direction of the refrigerant pipe (11). The cooling fin 12 may be formed of a flat plate made of an aluminum material and the refrigerant pipe 11 may be expanded in a state of being inserted into the insertion hole of the cooling fin 12 and be firmly fitted into the insertion hole. A plurality of support brackets 13 are provided on both sides of the evaporator 10 and extend vertically along the vertical direction to support the bent end of the refrigerant pipe 11. [

The defrost heater 14 serves to remove the property generated in the evaporator 10 and is installed in the evaporator 10 as shown in the figure. The defrost heater is electrically connected to a heating unit (not shown), and may be formed to generate heat by receiving an operation signal from a control unit (not shown) of the defrost apparatus 100. The control unit (not shown) may be configured to apply an operation signal to a heating unit (not shown) when the defrosting apparatus 100 senses that the evaporator 10 is frozen.

2, the defrosting apparatus 100 according to the present invention is installed on one side of the support bracket 13 to sense the casting formed on the cooling fin 12. As shown in FIG.

The air discharged from the freezing compartment 23 and the refrigerating compartment 22 is heat-exchanged with the refrigerant flowing along the refrigerant pipe 11 through the cooling fins 12. During the circulation of the refrigerant, the freezing compartment 23 and the refrigerating compartment 22, Since the air flowing into the evaporator 10 is relatively high in temperature and relatively humid as compared with the refrigerant passing through the evaporator 10, it is condensed in contact with the high temperature and high humidity air in the evaporator 10, The temperature of the cooling fins 12 is increased mainly by the low temperature of the cooling fan 11. The defrosting apparatus 100 according to the present invention can detect the frost formed on the cooling fin 12 and can operate to defrost the defrost heater 14 by a control unit (not shown). So that heat exchange between the air flowing into the evaporator (10) and the refrigerant flowing along the refrigerant pipe (11) can be smoothly performed.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of a portion A of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view of FIG. 3 taken in a vertical direction.

3 and 4, the defrost apparatus 100 of the evaporator is installed on the support bracket 13 for supporting the refrigerant pipe 11 and positioned to face the cooling fin 12. As shown in FIG. The defrosting apparatus 100 is provided with a cooling fin 12 and a cooling fin 12 so as to detect the formed state of the cooling fin 12 by irradiating light toward the cooling fin 12 and receiving reflected light, . The defrosting apparatus 100 may be provided at any one side of the support bracket 13 supporting the refrigerant pipe 11 as long as the defrosting apparatus 100 is positioned to face the cooling fin 12. [

Portions of the evaporator 10 where a relatively large amount of glaze is adhered and portions where a relatively small amount of glaze adheres are present so that uniform impregnation on the surface of the evaporator 10 is not achieved. Even if an attempt is made to uniformly perform the entire conception such as the adjustment of the intervals between the cooling fins 12, the evaporator 10 can be prevented from being damaged due to various factors such as the installation position of the evaporator 10 and the on / off cycle of the refrigerator 20 10 are not uniformly formed on the entire surface, there are portions where a relatively large amount of sex is attached and portions where a relatively small amount of sex is attached. A large amount of frosting is usually applied to the lower portion of the evaporator 10. Accordingly, it is preferable that the defrost apparatus 100 according to the present invention is positioned below the support bracket 13 so as to detect the frost cast on the cooling fins 12 located at the lower part of the evaporator 10. 4, the defrosting apparatus 100 is installed in the support bracket 13 that supports the refrigerant pipe 11 and is positioned so as to face the cooling fin 12, so that the support bracket 13, (Not shown).

6 to 9 are conceptual diagrams showing a defrost apparatus 100 according to the present invention.

The defrosting apparatus 100 includes a case 110, a light emitting unit 120, a sensor unit 130, and a control unit (not shown).

The case 110 forms the overall shape of the defrosting apparatus 100 and is fixed to one side of the support bracket 13 so as to face the cooling fin 12. [ The case 110 has a shape having an inner space so that the light emitting unit 120 and the sensor unit 130 can be positioned inside.

The case 110 may be divided into a vertical extension 111 and a horizontal extension 112.

The vertical extension portion 111 serves to fix to the support bracket 13 and is fixed in such a manner as to be attached to the support bracket 13. [ For example, the vertical extension portion 111 of the case 110 may be screwed or an adhesive may be used to fix the support bracket 13.

The horizontal extending portion 112 is extended from both ends of the vertical extending portion 111 toward the cooling fin 12 so as to prevent the liquid from flowing into the light emitting portion 120 and the sensor portion 130. At this time, both ends of the horizontal extending portion 112 are bent toward the central portion of the vertical extending portion 111 so that the elasticity which is melted by the operation of the defrost heater 14 can flow along both ends of the horizontal extending portion 112 . That is, the horizontal extending portion 112 may have a protrusion 112a extending from the both ends toward the central portion of the vertical extending portion 111.

The substrate 140 on which the light emitting unit 120 and the sensor unit 130 are fixed is located in the inner space of the case 110. [ The substrate 140 serves to supply power for the operation of the light emitting unit 120 and the sensor unit 130 so that the light emitting unit 120 and the sensor unit 130 can be fixed at a predetermined angle. Here, the substrate 140 means a substrate 140 made of SiO2, which is generally used. The substrate 140 can be supplied with power so that power can be supplied to the light emitting unit 120 and the sensor unit 130 by a supplied power source. Copper lines will be placed. The substrate 140 has a shape in which the upper and lower portions are bent toward the cooling fin 12 so that the light emitting portion 120 and the sensor portion 130 can be inclined by a certain angle.

The light emitting unit 120 is installed on the substrate 140 and radiates light toward the cooling fin 12. The light emitted from the light emitting unit 120 may be a variety of light sources. However, in the present invention, it is preferable that the light emitting unit 120 uses an LED having a low power consumption and a long lifetime.

A LED (light emitting diode) means a semiconductor device that emits light when a voltage is applied in a forward direction, and means an element having a light emission color from the ultraviolet region to the visible light region and the infrared region, depending on the material used. Since the LED has a polarity, it emits light when a voltage is applied from a cathode (cathode) to an anode (anode), but a current does not flow even when the voltage is increased below a certain voltage. Also, when a current flows above a certain voltage, light of intensity proportional to the amount of current is generated. Since the LED is relatively simple in structure and low in cost, it is suitable to be used as the light emitting portion 120 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the light emitting unit 120 is incident on the cooling fin 12 at a predetermined angle?.

The sensor unit 130 is installed on the substrate 140 so that the light emitted by the light emitting unit 120 senses light reflected from the cooling fin 12. [ The sensor unit 130 is installed at an angle corresponding to the light emitting unit 120. Here, the angle corresponding to the light emitting unit 120 means an angle equal to or similar to the angle at which the light emitting unit 120 is installed. This is to allow the light emitted from the light emitting unit 120 to partially receive the scattered and reflected light from the cooling fin 12 as much as possible. 6, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 120 is irradiated to the cooling fin 12 at an angle of?, And then incident on the sensor unit 130 at an angle of? '.

Since the light emitting unit 120 and the sensor unit 130 are installed at different positions rather than at the same position, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 120 to the cooling fin 12 may be emitted from the cooling fin 12 Some of which are scattered and some of which are reflected and can be received by the sensor unit 130. Here,? And? 'Are similar to each other and have an angular difference within a range of 3 ° to 5 °.

5A shows a state in which the light emitting unit 120 and the sensor unit 130 are installed on a flat substrate 140 and FIG. And is mounted on the substrate 140 at a predetermined angle.

5 (a) is a view illustrating a state in which the light emitting unit 120 and the sensor unit 130 are disposed side by side on a flat substrate, and the light emitting unit 120 and the sensor unit 130 function within a certain range of angles. Due to the physical volume of the device. In this case, the sensor unit 130 senses the light reflected from the cooling fin with respect to the light irradiated from the center of the light emitting unit 120 and the outer peripheral part of the light emitting unit 120, And the efficiency is inevitably lowered.

5 (b), when the light emitting unit 120 and the sensor unit 130 are installed on the substrate 140 at a predetermined angle, a virtual line connecting the centers of the light emitting units 120, The center portion of the sensor unit 130 may be positioned such that imaginary lines connecting the center of the light emitting unit 130 are overlapped with each other and focused on the light emitted from the center of the light emitting unit 120, As shown in FIG. 5 (a), the light emitting unit 120 and the sensor unit 130 can perform their functions with higher efficiency than when the light emitting unit 120 and the sensor unit 130 are disposed on a flat substrate.

The sensor unit 130 receives the light reflected by the cooling fin 12 and senses the state of the cooling pin 12 and the amount thereof. The sensor unit 130 may be configured such that the LED light source irradiated from the light emitting unit 120 is reflected by the cooling fin 12 made of aluminum and received and reflected by the cooling fin 12, It is possible to determine the amount of the cooling fins 12 in the casting state and the casting state.

In the present invention, the sensor unit 130 may include an illuminance sensor, an RGB sensor, and a CMOS sensor.

The illuminance sensor is a sensor that detects the degree of brightness of light, and includes all sensors capable of determining the brightness of light, including CDS and photodiodes. The brightness of light can be measured in lux units.

For example, when the intensity of the light emitted from the light emitting unit 120 is 200 lux, and 150 lux is detected by the illuminance sensor, When the intensity of the light sensed by the illuminance sensor is changed to 120 lux, the control unit (not shown) will judge that the cooling pin 12 is frozen on the basis of the received value. If the amount of the frost on the cooling fin 12 increases, the difference in intensity of the light received by the illuminance sensor becomes greater, and the controller (not shown) determines the amount of the frost The driving time and intensity of the defrost heater 14 may be adjusted.

The RGB sensor can acquire a color image of a visible light region through R (red, red), G (green, green), and B (blue, blue) pixels. The RGB sensor defines a specific color by the three primary colors of light, red, green and blue. It is applied to the image system and signals the color of red / green / blue to transmit it. So that a color image can be reproduced based on the signal. In recent years, it has been widely used as a component of smart phones and digital cameras to adjust the brightness and sharpness of the screen. It is also used to determine whether plating or dyeing is bad by measuring color in the plating or dyeing process.

Since the RGB sensor itself can directly detect the color of the light and transmit it to a specific analog signal, it senses the white color by the casting on the cooling fin 12 and detects the casting on the cooling fin 12 It is possible to apply it sufficiently to the application. In this case, it is possible to implement the operation of the sensor unit 130 by using the RGB sensor without using expensive parts such as a CCD camera or a DSLR camera that implements the image projected by the microlenses into digital images of various colors. The RGB sensor may be installed in a manner such that a filter is installed on the front surface and integrated into the sensor holder, and then the sensor holder is detachably inserted into the cylindrical sensor case 110.

For example, the cooling fin 12 made of aluminum has a black-based color when the cooling fin 12 is not frozen. However, when the cooling fin 12 is frosted, The color sensed by the RGB sensor changes. The RGB sensor senses the change in color and senses the frost on the cooling pin 12, and when the change in color is large, the control unit (not shown) can determine that the amount of frost is high . For example, if the RGB sensor is recognized as a value of 10 for the light of the black series and gradually becomes brighter and is recognized as a value of 0 for the white series of light, The control unit (not shown) can determine that the cooling fins 12 are filled with gasses, because the RGB sensor measures the light reflected by the cooling fins 12 and provides the changed value to the control unit Will be. Also, the sensor unit 130 may be a CMOS sensor.

The CMOS image sensor is arranged in the form of a red (R), green (G1, G2) and blue (B) pattern in a bayer pattern. In particular, since green (G) is a medium-wavelength region (about 450 nm) that has the greatest influence on human eyes, when one pixel is allocated to 'R' and 'B' Since two pixels are allocated, 'G' is divided into 'G1' and 'G2' to constitute a pixel so that a color image can be obtained. The operation of the CMOS sensor is similar to that of the RGB sensor.

The control unit (not shown) plays a role of determining whether the cooling fins 12 are frozen or not based on the values received by the sensor unit 130. Specifically, the control unit (not shown) compares the inputted reference value when the cooling fins 12 are not frozen and the sensed values changed by the sensor unit 130 on the cooling fins 12, It is judged whether or not the pin 12 is cast on the castle and the amount of the casted castle.

If the cooling fins 12 are stuck, the operation of the compressor 26 and the blowing fan 25 is stopped and the defrost heater 14 is operated to operate the defrost heater, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > a < / RTI > When the value measured by the defrosting device 100 becomes equal to or greater than the reference value while the defrost heater 14 is operated, the compressor 26 and the blowing fan 25 are operated again to cool the refrigerant generated in the evaporator 10, To the refrigerator compartment (23) and the refrigerating compartment (22).

7 is a view showing an embodiment different from the defrost apparatus 100 of Fig.

The defrosting apparatus 200 of FIG. 7 is similar to that of FIG. 6 in that it includes a case 210, a light emitting unit 220, a sensor unit 230, and a control unit (not shown) .

7, one end of the horizontal extending portion 212 of the case 210 may extend toward the cooling fin 12 without protruding to the central portion of the vertical extending portion 211, As shown in Fig. In this case, unlike FIG. 6, the installation angle of the light emitting unit 220 and the sensor unit 230 can be varied according to the installation environment.

8 is a view showing still another embodiment of the defrost apparatus 100. Fig.

As described above, the defrost apparatus 300 of FIG. 8 includes a case 310, a light emitting unit 320, a sensor unit 330, and a control unit (not shown). The vertical extension 311 is fixed to the support bracket 13 and is positioned between the support bracket 13 and the cooling fin 12. [ There is a problem in that not only the cooling fins 12 but also the defrosting device 100 can be filled with frost if the refrigerant absorbs the surrounding heat along the refrigerant pipe 11 and the temperature is lowered. There is a risk of malfunctioning in detecting the casting of the castle. 8, the protrusion 312a of the upper and lower parts of the horizontally extending part 312 is provided with a transparent plate 313 so that the transparent plate 313 is positioned at the front part of the defrosting device 100 . In this case, even though the operation of the light emitting unit 320 and the sensor unit 330 is smoothly performed, it is possible to prevent the glare from being applied to the light emitting unit 320 and the sensor unit 330 due to the ambient temperature lowering It is effective. The transparent plate 313 may be made of various materials such as glass or synthetic resin.

9 is a view showing still another embodiment of the defrost apparatus 100 which is different from that of FIG.

The defroster apparatus 400 of FIG. 9 has a structure in which the heat ray 414 is further included in the case 410 in the defrost apparatus 300 of FIG. The heat ray 414 can be supplied with power from the substrate 440 on which the light emitting unit 420 and the sensor unit 430 are positioned to generate heat. The heat line 414 serves to keep the temperature of the defrost apparatus 400 constant, thereby preventing malfunctions in sensing the performance. 9 includes a case 410, a light emitting portion 420, a sensor portion 430, and a control portion (not shown), and these components are the same as those described above.

10 and 11 are views showing positions where the defrost apparatus 100 is installed and modified examples of use.

The defrosting apparatus 100 is positioned between the support bracket 13 of the evaporator 10 and the cooling fin 12. The defrosting apparatus 100 has a function of detecting a frost on the cooling fin 12. [ However, if the interval between the cooling fins 12 is tight and the defrosting device 100 can not be installed between the support bracket 13 and the cooling fins 12,

10, the defrosting apparatus 100 is installed on the lower side of the support bracket 13 so that the cooling fins 12 are extended to extend downward to sense the frost on the cooling fins 12. At this time, the cooling fins 12, which are objects to be cast on the sidewall, are provided with the cooling fins 12, which are positioned at a portion where the length between the support bracket 13 and the cooling fins 12 is longer than the width of the defrosting apparatus 100 .

Fig. 11 shows the application example of Fig. 10 applied to the support brackets 13 on both sides. It is preferable that the defrosting apparatus 100 be installed at a plurality of positions of the support brackets 13 located on both sides of the evaporator 10 in order to more accurately detect the frost cast on the cooling fin 12. [ Figure 11 shows one of these examples.

Hereinafter, an apparatus for detecting the frost on the evaporator and its operation will be described. In the following, a method for controlling the defrost apparatus 100 will be described.

Fig. 12 is a view showing an operation process of the defrost apparatus 100. Fig. 12, the defrosting device 100 irradiates the light toward the cooling fin 12 of the evaporator 10, and the light reflected from the surface of the cooling fin 12 is partially And a part of the light is reflected and is incident on the sensor unit 130. At this time, the control unit (not shown) can compare the reference value set by the experiment with the value detected by the sensor unit 130, and determine whether the cooling fins 12 are frozen or not. The control unit stops the driving of the compressor 26 and the blowing fan 25 and transmits a signal for driving the defrost heater 14, .

13 shows a flow chart showing the operation process of the defrost apparatus 100. As shown in Fig. The control method of the defrosting apparatus 100 is composed of the first, second, and third steps.

The first step is to irradiate light toward the cooling fin 12 by the light emitting unit 120 installed in the case 110 as the compressor is driven and to cause the light from the cooling fin 12 to be reflected by the sensor unit 130 The amount of light being detected.

At this time, the light emitting unit 120 and the sensor unit 130 may be installed at a certain angle, the light emitting unit 120 may irradiate light at a predetermined angle, and the sensor unit 130 may reflect light It is possible to detect the amount of the light. The light emitting unit 120 can use the LED as a light source as described above.

In the second step, when the light sensed by the sensor unit 130 is equal to or less than the first reference value, the defrost heater is turned on to remove the impurities. The second step transmits a signal to turn on the defrost heater when the value sensed by the sensor unit 130 becomes lower than the second reference value and then changes to be lower than the first reference value. The sensor unit 130 has the above-described configuration. The first reference value and the second reference value may be arbitrarily set by the user.

The third step is a step of turning off the defrost heater when the amount of light sensed by the sensor unit by driving the defrost heater is equal to or higher than a second reference value. The third step is to transmit a signal to turn off the defrost heater when a value sensed by the sensor unit 130 by the driving of the defrost heater becomes higher than the first reference value and becomes equal to or higher than the second reference value .

14 is a view showing the change in the value sensed by the illuminance sensor and the operation of the defrost heater 14, the compressor 26 and the blowing fan 25 according to the change in value.

When the compressor is driven, the intensity of the light reflected by the light emitting unit 120 is changed when the cooling fins 12 are frozen. As the amount of the reflected light increases, The illuminance to be sensed by the light source becomes low and has a second reference value at the time of t1. At this time, the control unit (not shown) transmits a signal for stopping the driving of the compressor 26 and the blowing fan 25.

The control unit (not shown) drives the defrost heater 14 when the amount of the frost formed on the cooling fins 12 is further increased so that the illuminance sensed by the sensor unit 130 becomes lower and becomes the first reference value And the defrost heater 14 is driven.

As the defrost heater 14 is driven, the frost formed on the cooling fin 12 is melted. Therefore, the illuminance value sensed by the sensor unit 130 gradually increases as shown in the graph, and when the second reference value is reached, (Not shown) transmits a signal for turning off the defrost heater 14 and for turning on the compressor 26 and the blowing fan 25, respectively. Here, the first reference value and the second reference value may be arbitrarily selected by the user, but the second reference value is larger than the first reference value.

The defrosting apparatus 100 of the evaporator described above and the control method thereof are not limited to the configurations and the methods of the embodiments described above, but the embodiments may be modified such that all or some of the embodiments are selectively And may be configured in combination.

10: evaporator 11: refrigerant tube
12: cooling pin 13: support bracket 14: defrost heater 20: refrigerator
21: cabinet 22: refrigerating chamber
23: freezer compartment 24: storage unit
25: blower fan 26: compressor
27: cooling chamber 28: machine room
29: Cooling duct 100: Defrosting device
110: Case 111: Vertical extension part
112: horizontal extension part 112a:
120: light emitting unit 130:
140: substrate

Claims

An evaporator comprising: a cooling fin connected to a refrigerant pipe through which a refrigerant flows, for supporting a refrigerant pipe, a support bracket for supporting the refrigerant pipe, and a defrost heater for supplying heat to remove the impurities cast on the refrigerant pipe,
A light emitting unit that emits light toward a cooling fin installed on one side of the evaporator;
A sensor unit for sensing an amount of light reflected from the cooling fin;
A controller for controlling ON / OFF of the defrost heater based on the sensed value; And
And a case installed on the support bracket and positioned to face the cooling fin,
In this case,
A vertical extension fixed to the support bracket;
A horizontal extension extending from both ends of the vertical extension part to protrude toward the cooling fin to prevent liquid from flowing into the light emitting part and the sensor part;
A protrusion extending from both ends of the horizontal extension portion in a direction parallel to the vertical extension portion;
A transparent plate coupled to each of the protrusions and provided on a front surface of the transparent plate, And
And a heating line provided inside the vertical extension, the horizontal extension, and the protrusion, respectively.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein,
The defrost heater is turned on when the light sensed by the sensor unit is less than or equal to a first reference value and the defrost heater is turned off when the light sensed by the sensor unit is greater than or equal to a second reference value, Is greater than the first reference value,
The defrost heater includes:
(ON) when the value sensed by the sensor unit becomes lower than the second reference value and becomes equal to or lower than the first reference value,
Wherein when the value sensed by the sensor unit becomes higher than the first reference value and then becomes equal to or greater than the second reference value, the defrosting apparatus is turned off.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the light emitting unit irradiates light at an angle set toward the cooling fin,
Wherein the sensor unit is installed at an angle corresponding to the light emitting unit so as to detect light reflected from the cooling fin.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sensor unit comprises an illuminance sensor for sensing the brightness and the amount of the frost on the cooling fin by detecting the brightness of the light.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sensor unit comprises an RGB sensor for sensing the color of the reflected light and detecting the gender impregnated on the cooling fin and the amount thereof.

The method according to claim 1,
And a substrate for supplying power to the light emitting unit and the sensor unit and fixing the light emitting unit and the sensor unit at a predetermined angle,
Wherein the substrate is formed so that upper and lower portions thereof are bent toward the cooling fin so that the light emitting portion and the sensor portion are inclined by a predetermined angle.

delete

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the horizontal extending portion is formed so as to be bent at one end toward a center portion of the vertical extending portion.

The method according to claim 1,
And the cooling fins are disposed between the brackets and the cooling fins so as to face the cooling fins installed below the support brackets and extending downward.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the support bracket is provided at a plurality of locations below the support bracket.

A method of controlling a defrost apparatus mounted on an evaporator and including a light emitting portion and a sensor portion,
A first step of irradiating light toward the cooling fin as the compressor is driven, and sensing the amount of light reflected from the cooling fin;
A second step of turning on the defrost heater when the light sensed by the sensor unit is lower than a first reference value; And
And a third step of turning off the defrost heater when the amount of light sensed by the sensor unit by the driving of the defrost heater is equal to or greater than a second reference value,
The second step comprises:
The defrost heater is turned on when a value sensed by the sensor unit is lower than the second reference value and then changes to be equal to or less than the first reference value,
In the third step,
Wherein the control unit turns off the defrost heater when the value detected by the sensor unit becomes higher than the first reference value by driving the defrost heater and is equal to or greater than the second reference value.