KR101867826B1 - Refrigerator and defrosting method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A refrigerator according to the present invention includes a cabinet forming a storage space for storing food, an evaporator provided in the storage space for generating cold air, a pair of brackets for supporting both sides of the evaporator and fixing the evaporator to the inner wall of the cabinet, A pair of sensors provided at each of the brackets for measuring the amount of deformation of the bracket due to the frost cast on the evaporator and a defrost heater provided adjacent to the evaporator and for removing the impurities cast on the evaporator through heat exchange with the evaporator .

Description

REFRIGERATOR AND DEFROSTING METHOD FOR THE SAME

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a defrosting method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a refrigerator and a defrosting method thereof that can prevent sticking to the surface of the evaporator.

Generally, a refrigerator includes a cabinet filled with a heat insulating material and a door to form a food storage space capable of blocking heat penetrating from the outside, an evaporator for absorbing heat inside the food storage space, And a heat dissipating device for dissipating the heat generated by the microorganisms. The food storage space is maintained in a low temperature region where the microorganisms can not survive and proliferate, and the stored food is stored for a long time without deterioration.

Wherein the refrigerator is divided into a refrigerating chamber for storing food in a temperature region of the image and a freezing chamber for storing food in a temperature range of minus temperature and a top freeze chamber in which an upper freezing chamber and a lower refrigerating chamber are arranged, Top Freezer is classified into a bottom freezer refrigerator in which a refrigerator, a lower freezing room and an upper refrigerating room are arranged, and a side by side refrigerator arranged in a left freezing room and a right freezing room.

A plurality of shelves and drawers are provided in the food storage space in order to allow the user to conveniently store or retrieve food stored in the food storage space.

On the other hand, moisture may be introduced into the food storage space when the door is opened or closed, so that the surface of the evaporator may be frozen. Such impregnation may reduce the heat exchange efficiency of the evaporator and deteriorate the performance of the refrigerator. Therefore, a defrost heater should be disposed around the evaporator to periodically remove (defrost) the frost impregnated in the evaporator.

However, since the conventional refrigerator is provided with the temperature sensor in the evaporator and determines whether the defrost heater is operated based on the measurement result of the temperature sensor, defrosting may not be completely performed in the portion where the temperature sensor is not installed have. Particularly, when a vapor phase is formed in the evaporator, defrost quality may be deteriorated due to non-uniform defrost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator having improved defrost quality by preventing sagging on the surface of the evaporator.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a defrosting method of a refrigerator which can prevent sticking to the surface of the evaporator.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator including: a cabinet forming a storage space for storing food; an evaporator provided in the storage space to generate cool air; A pair of sensors mounted on the brackets for measuring the amount of deformation of the brackets due to the frost cast on the evaporators, and a pair of sensors provided adjacent to the evaporators for performing heat exchange with the evaporator And a defrost heater that removes the impurities cast on the evaporator through the defrost heater.

In exemplary embodiments, the bracket may include a body having a plurality of evaporator support grooves for supporting the evaporator, and a plurality of evaporator support grooves projecting toward the inner wall of the cabinet from the body and adapted to secure the body to the inner wall of the cabinet. And a fixing groove into which the fixing part is inserted may be provided on an inner wall of the cabinet.

In exemplary embodiments, the sensor may be installed in the securement portion.

In the exemplary embodiments, the sensor may be a strain gauge for measuring the strain of the fixing portion.

In exemplary embodiments, the sensor may be installed below the securing portion.

In the exemplary embodiments, the sensor may be a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure applied by the bracket to the inner wall of the cabinet.

In the exemplary embodiments, the refrigerator may further include a storage unit that stores setting information on operating conditions of the defrost heater, and a controller that receives the deformation amount information of the bracket from the sensors and compares the deformation amount information with the setting information stored in the storage unit And a controller for determining whether the defrost heater is operated or not.

In the exemplary embodiments, the control unit may operate the defrost heater when the evaporator is fogged.

In the exemplary embodiments, the controller may operate the defrost heater when at least one of the measured deformation amounts from the sensors is equal to or greater than a predetermined first deformation amount.

In the exemplary embodiments, the controller may stop the operation of the defrost heater when all of the measured amounts of strain from the sensors are equal to or less than a predetermined second deformation amount.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for defrosting a refrigerator, comprising the steps of: detecting an amount of frost on both sides of an evaporator installed in a cabinet of a refrigerator; And stopping the operation of the defrost heater when the amount of the both sides of the evaporator becomes equal to or less than a predetermined second predetermined amount.

In exemplary embodiments, the refrigerator includes a pair of brackets for supporting both sides of the evaporator, respectively, to secure the evaporator to the inner wall of the cabinet, And measuring a strain of the bracket due to the contact portion.

In exemplary embodiments, the refrigerator includes a pair of brackets for respectively supporting both sides of the evaporator to fix the evaporator to the inner wall of the cabinet, And measuring a pressure applied to the inner wall of the cabinet.

In exemplary embodiments, the defrosting method of the refrigerator may further include comparing the detected amounts to each other to determine whether or not the evaporator is frosted. Wherein the step of operating the defrost heater includes activating the defrost heater for a first time when the evaporator is not fogged with the evaporator, The defrost heater can be operated for a time.

In the exemplary embodiments, it may be determined that the evaporator is adhered to the evaporator when the difference between the amounts detected is equal to or greater than a predetermined difference.

In the exemplary embodiments, the step of stopping the operation of the defrost heater may include stopping operation of the defrost heater when the amount of the both sides of the evaporator is less than a predetermined second predetermined amount, and the difference between the amounts of the both sides of the evaporator is less than or equal to the predetermined difference The operation of the defrost heater can be stopped.

In exemplary embodiments, the second set amount may be smaller than the first set amount.

The refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiments can determine whether the defrost heater is operating by sensing the amount of the frost cast on the evaporator. Particularly, since sensors are installed on a pair of brackets for fixing the evaporator to the inner wall of the cabinet, it is possible to determine whether or not the gaps are attached to the evaporator.

When a flocking phase occurs, a uniform defrosting effect can be obtained by operating the defrost heater until the flicking phase is eliminated. Thus, defrost quality and energy efficiency of the refrigerator can be improved.

However, the effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and may be variously expanded without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a refrigerator according to exemplary embodiments;
2 is a perspective view showing a defrosting device.
Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged views of a portion A in Fig.
5 is a block diagram showing a defrosting apparatus.
6 is a flowchart for explaining the steps of the defrosting method of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiments.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the specific structural and functional embodiments are provided by way of illustration only, and are not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, and all changes, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention, It is to be understood that the invention includes equivalents and alternatives. In addition, the same reference numerals are used for the same constituent elements in the drawings, and redundant explanations for the same constituent elements are omitted.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a refrigerator according to exemplary embodiments; 2 is a perspective view showing a defrosting device. Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged views of a portion A in Fig.

1 is a top freezer type refrigerator in which a freezing compartment 20 is disposed in an upper portion of a refrigerating compartment 30 but is not limited thereto and may be a bottom freezer refrigerator and a side by side refrigerator Side by side refrigerator. Hereinafter, only the top freeze refrigerator will be described for convenience of explanation.

1 to 4, a refrigerator 1 includes a cabinet 10 which forms an outer shape and forms a storage space for storing food, a cabinet 10 which is rotatably attached to one side of the cabinet 10, Doors 50 and 55, and a freezing device that generates cold air.

The cabinet 10 may include an outer case 11 having an outer shape and an inner case 13 having the storage space therein. At this time, a heat insulating material is filled between the outer case 11 and the inner case 13 to prevent the cool air in the storage space from flowing out to the outside.

The storage space may include a freezing chamber 20 for storing food at a sub-zero temperature and a refrigerating chamber 30 for storing food at a temperature of the image disposed under the freezing chamber 20. For example, the freezing chamber can maintain a temperature of about -18 占 폚, and the refrigerating chamber can maintain a temperature of about 0 占 폚 to 7 占 폚.

The freezing chamber 20 and the refrigerating chamber 30 can be selectively opened and closed by the first door 50 and the second door 55, respectively. A first handle 51 for opening the freezing compartment 20 is provided on the outer side of the first door 50 and a first drawer 53 for storing food can be provided on the inner side. Likewise, a second handle 56 for opening the refrigerating chamber 30 is provided outside the second door 55, and a second drawer 58 for storing food can be provided inside. At this time, a plurality of first drawers (53) and second drawers (58) may be installed as needed.

In addition, the storage space may further include a shelf for storing food. For example, the freezer compartment 20 is provided with a first shelf 21, and the refrigerator compartment 30 is provided with a second shelf 31, a vegetable box 33, and the like.

On the other hand, the freezing compartment 20 and the refrigerating compartment 30 can be partitioned by the heat insulating partitions 16. The freezing compartment 20 may be disposed at an upper portion of the heat insulating partition 16 and the refrigerating compartment 30 may be disposed at a lower portion thereof.

The heat insulating partition wall 16 includes a cool air passage 41 for supplying the cool air in the cool air generation chamber 70 to the cool air duct 80, a first return flow passage 43 for recovering the cool air, And a second return flow path 45 for circulating the cold air in the refrigerating chamber 30 to recover the hot air.

A cool air generating chamber 70 may be disposed on the rear wall of the freezing chamber 20. In the cool air generation chamber 70, an evaporator 100 for generating cold air, a blower 90 for circulating cool air generated in the evaporator 100, brackets (not shown) for fixing the evaporator 100 to the inner case 13 110, and 120, and a defrosting device for removing frost from the evaporator 100. At this time, the defrosting apparatus includes a defrost heater 150 for heating the evaporator 100 to dissolve gaseous substances, a defrost water receiver 160 for collecting liquefied defrost water and discharging it to the outside, 132, 140 for sensing the amount of fluid in the fluid.

The evaporator 100 functions as a circulation passage of the refrigerant and can cool the air inside the cool air generation chamber 70 through heat exchange. In this case, the evaporator 100 has a pipe shape elongated in a zigzag manner, so that the contact area with air can be increased.

The evaporator 100 may constitute a refrigeration cycle with a compressor 60, a condenser (not shown), and an expansion means (not shown). That is, the refrigerant circulates in the refrigeration cycle and is cooled, so that the air inside the cool air generation chamber 70 can be cooled. At this time, the compressor (60), the condenser and the expansion means can be accommodated in the machine room (18) located at the lower rear of the refrigerator (1).

A part of the cool air in the cool air generation chamber 70 is supplied to the freezing chamber 20 through the first cool air discharge port 71 and the remainder is supplied to the cool air duct 80 in the rear of the refrigerator compartment 30 through the cool air flow path 41, . The cool air supplied to the cool air duct 80 may be supplied to the refrigerator compartment 30 through the second cool air discharge port 81. In this case, the first cold air discharge port 71 and the second cold air discharge port 81 may be formed in various positions, shapes, sizes, and numbers as necessary.

The defrost heater 150 is adjacent to the evaporator 100 and is installed under the evaporator 100 to liquefy the frost on the surface of the evaporator 100 through a heat generating function. The liquefied gas can be removed from the evaporator 100 by flowing down from the evaporator 100 and falling down to the lowered remanufactured water receiver 160.

The first and second brackets 110 and 120 support the evaporator 100 and can be fixed to the inner wall of the cabinet 10, that is, the inner case 13.

The first bracket 110 includes a plate-shaped first body 111, a plurality of first evaporator support grooves 113 for supporting one side of the evaporator 100 through the first body 111, A first defroster heater coupling groove 115 provided at a lower portion of the first body 111 and receiving a part of the defrost heater 150 and a second defroster heater coupling groove 115 extending from the upper portion of the first body 111 toward the inner case 13, And may include a < / RTI > The second bracket 120 supports the other side of the evaporator 100 and may have substantially the same shape as the first bracket 110. That is, the second bracket 120 may include a second body 121, second evaporator support grooves 123, a second defrost heater engagement groove 125, and a second fixing portion 127.

At this time, the evaporator 100 may extend in a zigzag shape through the first and second evaporator support grooves 113 and 123. The defrost heater 150 is installed at a lower portion of the evaporator 100 and may extend through the first and second defrost heater joining recesses 115 and 125.

3 and 4, the first fixing part 117 is inserted into the fixing groove 14 formed in the inner case 13 so that the first bracket 110 is detached from the cabinet 10 .

More specifically, the first fixing portion 117 includes a horizontal protrusion 118 extending in the horizontal direction from the first body 111 toward the inner case 13 on the ground, and a second protrusion 118 extending downward from the horizontal protrusion 118 The vertical protrusion 119 may be formed of a metal plate. The inner case 13 has a fixing groove 14 for receiving the first fixing portion 117 and a fixing groove 14 for upwardly protruding so as to face the vertical protrusion 119 to prevent the first fixing portion 117 from coming off And may further include fixing protrusions 15. Accordingly, the fixing groove 14 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the first fixing portion 117. [ That is, when the first fixing portion 177 has the "A" shape, the fixing groove 14 may have the "A" shape so as to correspond to the first fixing portion 177. However, the shape of the first fixing portion 177 and the fixing groove 14 is not limited to the " a " shape, and if the first body 111 can be supported so as not to be detached from the inner case 13, Shape.

The horizontal projection 118 and the vertical projection 119 are accommodated in the fixing groove 14 and the fixing projection 15 contacts the vertical projection 119 to limit the movement thereof so that the first bracket 110 is inserted into the cabinet 10). The second bracket 120 may be fixed to the inner wall of the cabinet 10 in the same manner. Accordingly, the evaporator 100, which is supported by the first and second brackets 110 and 120, can also be stably positioned inside the cool air generation chamber 70.

The first sensors 130 and 132 and the second sensor 140 are installed in the first fixing part 117 and the second fixing part 127 respectively and are installed in the first fixing part 117 and the second fixing part 127, It is possible to measure the deformation amounts of the bracket 110 and the second bracket 120, respectively. At this time, the amount of deformation of the brackets 110 and 120 may be a physical quantity that increases together as the amount of impregnated into the evaporator 100 increases.

For example, the amount of deformation may be a strain of the fixing portions 117, 127 or a pressure applied to the inner case 13 by the fixing portions 117, 127. This increases the force applied to the cabinet 10 by the brackets 110 and 120 supporting the evaporator 100 when the weight of the evaporator 100 increases due to the increase in the property. ). Therefore, by measuring the strain of the fixing portions 117, 127 or the pressure applied to the inner case 13 by the fixing portions 117, 127, it is possible to grasp the amount of the impregnated surface on the evaporator 100.

Meanwhile, the second sensor 140 is provided at the same or similar position as the first sensor 130 or 132 and performs the same function. Therefore, only the first sensor 130 or 132 will be described below.

In the exemplary embodiments, the first sensor 130 may be a strain gauge for measuring the strain of the first fixing portion 117. This is shown in FIG.

3, the first sensor 130 may be installed on the horizontal projection 118 of the first fixing part 117. As shown in FIG. The tensile stress applied to the horizontal protrusion 118 increases as the amount of the evaporation of the evaporator 100 increases. The first sensor 130 can measure the strain of the horizontal protrusion 118 as the tensile stress increases. have. Accordingly, it is possible to calculate the amount of casting impregnated in the evaporator 100.

Alternatively, the first sensor 132 may be a pressure sensor installed between the first fixing part 117 and the inner case 13. The pressure sensor can measure the magnitude of the force applied to the inner case 13 by the first fixing part 117 and can calculate the amount of the impregnated into the evaporator 100 through the pressure sensor. This is shown in FIG.

In FIG. 4, the first sensor 132 is installed below the horizontal projection 118, but the position of the first sensor 132 is not limited thereto. For example, the first sensor 132 may be provided on one surface of the vertical protrusion 119 which contacts the fixing protrusion 15, or on one surface of the fixing protrusion 15 which contacts the first fixing portion 117 As shown in FIG.

5 is a block diagram showing a defrosting apparatus.

5, the defrost apparatus includes a defrost heater 150 for removing the property of the surface of the evaporator 100 through a heat generating function, a storage unit 180 for storing setting information related to operation of the defrost heater 150, Receives the deformation amount information from the first and second sensors 130 and 140 and the sensors 130 and 140 which respectively measure the deformation amounts of the brackets 110 and 120, And a control unit 170 for controlling the operation of the defrost heater 150 in comparison with the information.

Since the defrost heater 150 and the sensors 130 and 140 have been described in detail in detail, a duplicate description will be omitted.

The storage unit 180 may provide the control unit 170 with criteria for determining whether the defrost heater 150 is operating. For example, the storage unit may store a map indicating a relationship between the amount of deformation impregnated into the evaporator 100 and the amount of deformation of the brackets 110 and 120, and setting information on a start point and an end point of defrosting, . In this case, the map, the defrost start point, and the defrost end point may be set and reset by the user. In one embodiment, the storage unit 180 may be formed integrally with the controller 170. [

The control unit 170 may calculate the amount of deformed information received from the first and second sensors 130 and 140 in correspondence with the map stored in the storage unit 180. [

The control unit 170 may determine whether the defrost heater 150 is operated by comparing the calculated amount with the set information stored in the storage unit 180.

For example, the control unit 170 operates the defrost heater 150 when the amount of the calculated defrost is equal to or greater than the defrost start point stored in the storage unit 180, and when the calculated amount is less than the defrost end point, The operation of the heater 150 can be stopped. Alternatively, the control unit 170 may operate the defrost heater 150 when the evaporator 100 is hot-plugged, and may stop the operation of the defrost heater 150 when the defrost mode is eliminated. At this time, the flocking will be described below.

Meanwhile, since the evaporator 100 repeatedly extends left and right, it can have a predetermined length in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the amount of casting on the left side and the right side may be different from each other. Hereinafter, this will be defined as an 'attachment'.

If defrosting occurs on the surface of the evaporator 100, if the defrosting is performed based on only one of them, the other property may not be completely removed, and thus the cooling efficiency of the evaporator 100 may be deteriorated. The first sensors 130 and 132 may measure the amount of deformation of the first bracket 110 and the second sensor 140 may measure the amount of deformation of the second bracket 120. [ The controller 170 can determine whether or not the evaporator 100 has been blown by comparing the measured value from the first sensor 130 or 132 and the measured value from the second sensor 140 with each other.

For example, when the difference between the received deformation amounts is equal to or greater than a predetermined difference, it can be determined that an assembling phase has occurred. At this time, the difference which is a criterion for judging the piece-wise phase can be set by the user. That is, even if there is a slight difference in the amount of glaze on both sides of the evaporator 100, if the difference is smaller than the difference set by the user, it can be determined that no flaking occurs.

Hereinafter, a method of removing the impurities adhered to the evaporator 100 using the defrost apparatus will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG.

6 is a flowchart for explaining the steps of the defrosting method of the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 6, firstly, the frosting amount on both sides of the evaporator 100 is detected (S100).

For example, when the first and second sensors 130 and 140 are strain sensors, the first sensor 130 installed on the first fixing part 117 is used to determine the strain of the first bracket 110 And detects the strain of the second bracket 120 by using the second sensor 140 provided at the second fixing part 127. [ The control unit 170 may calculate the amount of gauged on both sides of the evaporator 100 by applying the measured strain values to a map stored in the storage unit 180. [ At this time, the map of the storage unit 180 may be a data indicating the relationship between the amount of gaps impregnated into the evaporator 100 and the strains of the brackets 110 and 120.

Alternatively, when the first and second sensors 132 and 140 are pressure sensors, the pressure applied to the inner case 13 by the first bracket 110 and the second bracket 120 can be respectively measured . The control unit 170 may calculate the amount of gauged on both sides of the evaporator 100 by applying the measured pressure values to a map stored in the storage unit 180. [ At this time, the map of the storage unit 180 may be a data indicating the relationship between the amount of the gaugedness of the evaporator 100 and the pressure applied to the inner case 13 by the brackets 110 and 120.

Hereinafter, the term 'amount of deformation' of the brackets 110 and 120 is used to mean the strain, pressure, etc. of the brackets 110 and 120.

Then, it is determined whether or not defrosting is necessary (S110).

In one embodiment, it is possible to determine the necessity of defrosting by comparing the calculated amount of the two sides of the evaporator 100 with the first predetermined amount stored in the storage unit 180. At this time, the first set amount may be a reference value set by a user as a defrost start point. Further, the first setting amount may be set and reset by the user.

For example, the controller 170 may determine that defrosting is required when at least one of the amount of frost on one side of the evaporator 100 and the amount of frost on the other side is equal to or greater than the first predetermined amount. This is because the cold generating efficiency may be lowered if a predetermined amount or more is cast on a part of the surface of the evaporator 100.

Alternatively, it may be determined that defrosting is necessary only when all the amounts of the frost on both sides of the evaporator 100 are equal to or more than the first predetermined amount. This is to prevent the defrosting process from being performed too often, thereby increasing the energy efficiency of the refrigerator (1).

In another embodiment, even if all of the gauges flanked on both sides of the evaporator 100 are equal to or less than the first set amount, it may be determined that defrosting is necessary if the defrosting occurs. The defrosting quality of the evaporator 100 can be improved and the defrost quality improvement effect can be obtained.

On the other hand, it is possible to determine the necessity of defrosting based on the measured deformation amount of the brackets 110 and 120 without calculating the amount of frost on both sides of the evaporator 100.

For example, the first set amount is designated as the amount of deformation of the brackets 110 and 120, rather than the amount of impregnated into the evaporator 100. In this case, the necessity of defrosting can be determined by directly comparing the amount of deformation of the brackets 110 and 120 measured from the first and second sensors 130 and 140 with the first set amount.

As a result of the determination, if the defrost is required, the defrost heater 150 is operated to remove the impurities cast on the evaporator 100.

In this case, the control unit 170 can adjust the operation time of the defrost heater 150 according to whether or not the defrosting occurs (S120).

For example, the control unit 170 activates the defrost heater 150 for a first time (S130) if no flaking occurs, and if the flapping occurs, for a second time longer than the first time The defrost heater 150 can be operated (S135). In this way, it is possible to uniformly remove the frost on the surface of the evaporator 100 while increasing the energy efficiency.

In this case, the second time may be the minimum time required to eliminate the defrosting of the evaporator 100. That is, when the evaporator 100 is flattened, the defrosting heater 150 can be sufficiently operated to completely eliminate the defrosting phase.

Thereafter, it is determined whether or not defrost has been completed (S140, S150).

The control unit 170 receives the deformation amount information of the brackets 110 and 120 from the first and second sensors 130 and 132 and maps the deformation amount information of the brackets 110 and 120 to both sides of the evaporator 100 It is possible to determine whether or not the defrosting operation has been completed by comparing the calculated amount with the second predetermined amount stored in the storage unit 180. [ At this time, the second set amount may be a defrost end point, which is a value smaller than the first predetermined amount, which is the defrost start point. Further, the second set amount may be set and reset by the user.

In this case, the deformation amount of the brackets 110 and 120 measured from the first and second sensors 130 and 140 may be directly compared with the second set amount to determine whether the defrost has been completed.

In one embodiment, it is possible to determine that the defrosting is completed only when the defrosting phase is removed and both of the amounts of the frost on both sides of the evaporator 100 are equal to or less than the second predetermined amount. Through this, it is possible to more reliably remove the flocking phase.

In another embodiment, the control unit 170 may determine that defrosting is completed when all of the gauges on both sides of the evaporator 100 are equal to or less than the second predetermined amount. This is because the evaporator 100 can exert an appropriate performance when the amount of the frost on both sides of the evaporator 100 is equal to or less than the second predetermined amount.

If it is determined that the defrost is completed, the operation of the defrost heater 150 is stopped (S160).

The control unit 170 continuously or periodically monitors the impregnation amount of the evaporator 100 using the first sensors 130 and 132 and the second sensor 140. When it is determined that defrosting is necessary, The controller 150 can be operated again.

1: Refrigerator 10: Cabinet
20: Freezer 30: Refrigerator
50: first door 55: second door
60: compressor 70: cold generating room
80: Cooling duct 90: Blower
100: evaporator 110: first bracket
120: second bracket 130, 132: first sensor
140: second sensor 150: defrost heater
170: control unit 180:

Claims (20)

A cabinet forming a storage space for storing food;
An evaporator provided in the storage space to generate cool air;
A pair of brackets for supporting both sides of the evaporator and fixing the evaporator to the inner wall of the cabinet;
A pair of sensors installed on each of the pair of brackets for measuring a deformation amount of each of the pair of brackets due to the frost cast on the evaporator;
A defrost heater installed adjacent to the evaporator and removing a casting impregnated in the evaporator through heat exchange with the evaporator; And
And a control unit for receiving the deformation amount information of the pair of brackets from the pair of sensors and controlling the operation of the defrost heater,
The pair of brackets may include a pair of brackets,
A body having a plurality of evaporator support grooves for supporting a refrigerant tube of the evaporator; And
And a hook-shaped fixing part protruding from the body toward the inner wall of the cabinet and fixing the body to the inner wall of the cabinet,
The cabinet has an inner wall having a fixing groove into which the fixing portion is inserted,
Wherein the pair of sensors are installed in the fixing portion,
Wherein the control unit compares deformation amounts of the pair of brackets with each other, and when the difference between the two deformation amounts is equal to or greater than a predetermined difference, the controller determines that the defrosting unit is stuck and operates the defrost heater. delete delete The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a strain gauge for measuring a strain of the fixing unit. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is installed at a lower portion of the fixing portion. The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor for measuring a pressure applied to the inner wall of the cabinet by the bracket. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a storage unit in which setting information for operating conditions of the defrost heater is stored,
Wherein the control unit determines whether the defrost heater is operated by comparing the deformation amount information of the pair of brackets received from the pair of sensors with the setting information stored in the storage unit. delete [8] The refrigerator of claim 7, wherein the controller operates the defrost heater when at least one of the measured deformation amounts from the sensors is equal to or greater than a predetermined first deformation amount. 8. The refrigerator of claim 7, wherein the controller stops the operation of the defrost heater when all of the measured amounts of deformation from the sensors are less than a predetermined second deformation amount. Detecting the amount of frost on both sides of the evaporator installed in the cabinet of the refrigerator;
Operating the defrost heater to remove the property if at least one of the detected amounts of the property is equal to or greater than a predetermined first predetermined amount; And
And stopping the operation of the defrost heater when the amounts of the both sides of the evaporator become less than a predetermined second predetermined amount,
Further comprising the step of comparing the quantities to the detected gauges to determine whether the gauges have been glazed on the evaporator after the step of detecting the amount of gauze impregnated in the evaporator,
Wherein the step of operating the defrost heater includes the steps of operating the defrost heater during a first period of time when the evaporator is not flogged, And the defrost heater is operated for a second longer period of time. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the refrigerator includes a pair of brackets for supporting both sides of the evaporator and fixing the evaporator to the inner wall of the cabinet,
Wherein the step of detecting the amount of deficiency includes measuring a strain of the bracket due to implantation of the suture. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the refrigerator includes a pair of brackets for supporting both sides of the evaporator and fixing the evaporator to the inner wall of the cabinet,
Wherein the step of detecting the amount of pressure includes the step of measuring a pressure applied by the bracket to the inner wall of the cabinet. delete 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the step of determining whether or not the defrosting is performed determines that defrosting is applied to the evaporator when the detected difference is greater than or equal to a predetermined difference. 16. The method of claim 15,
Wherein the step of stopping the operation of the defrost heater includes:
Characterized in that the operation of the defrost heater is stopped when the amount of the both sides of the evaporator is less than the predetermined second predetermined amount and the difference between the amounts of the frost on both sides of the evaporator becomes equal to or less than the predetermined difference Way. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the second set amount is smaller than the first set amount. A defrosting method of a refrigerator comprising a pair of brackets installed inside a cabinet of a refrigerator to generate cool air, and a pair of brackets for supporting both sides of the evaporator to fix the evaporator to the inner wall of the cabinet,
Detecting a deformation amount of the pair of brackets due to the frost cast on the evaporator, respectively;
Comparing the detected amounts of deformation of the pair of brackets with each other to determine whether or not a glaze is formed on the evaporator; And
And operating the defrost heater adjacent to the evaporator to remove the defrosting phase when the evaporator is defrosted. 19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein the step of determining whether or not the flocking is performed determines that the flap is attached to the evaporator when the detected difference between the deformation amounts of the pair of brackets is equal to or greater than a predetermined difference. 19. The method of claim 18,
The step of detecting the amount of deformation of the bracket may include at least one of measuring a strain of the pair of brackets and measuring a pressure applied to the inner wall of the cabinet by the pair of brackets A defrosting method of a refrigerator which is characterized.

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