KR19990017861A - How to control the operation of the refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an operation control method of a refrigerator in which the temperature control of the refrigerator is prevented after the defrosting is minimized, and when the defrost mode is switched, the compressor is driven on for a predetermined time and the cold air is discharged into the refrigerator compartment. Controlling the fan in response to the comparison between the refrigerating chamber temperature and the first reference temperature, and after a predetermined time, defrosting the heater installed inside the evaporator by stopping the driving of the compressor and discharging the fan for discharging cold air into the refrigerating chamber. Driving the defrost heater, and accumulating the number of opening and closing times and opening / closing times of the refrigerator door during driving of the defrost heater, and turning off the defrost heater and stopping the driving of the compressor and the fan for a predetermined time when the evaporator internal temperature is equal to or greater than the second reference temperature. The step of having a mode, and the cumulative number of door opening and closing when the idle mode ends Controlling the fan for a predetermined time by setting and changing the first reference temperature downward in proportion to, and controlling the fan to the first reference temperature again when the predetermined time elapses. The user can perform the operation of the efficient refrigerator by compensating for the weak cooling shape of the refrigerating chamber caused by frequent door opening and closing.

Description

How to control the operation of the refrigerator

The present invention relates to a method for controlling the operation of a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a method for controlling the operation of a refrigerator to prevent temperature rise of the refrigerator compartment after defrosting to a minimum.

In general, a refrigeration cycle of a refrigerator includes a compressor for compressing and outputting a low-temperature, low-pressure gaseous refrigerant, and a condenser and a condenser for cooling and condensing the high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant from the compressor by external air. It is circulated through a capillary tube for depressurizing and outputting a refrigerant in a high pressure liquid state and an evaporator for absorbing and cooling heat by evaporating to a low temperature in a low pressure state. The fan-cooling refrigerator includes a fan for discharging cold air, and discharges cold air around the evaporator into the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment to cool the inside of the refrigerator, and performs temperature control as a driving / stop control of the fan and the compressor. .

On the other hand, among such fan-cooling refrigerators, which convectively cool the air around the evaporator by a fan and control the temperature around the refrigerator compartment temperature, the refrigerator having one fan in the freezer compartment is detected in the refrigerator compartment. In order to liquefy a fan that discharges cold air around a temperature and a refrigerant in a gaseous state, a compressor that converts low-pressure low-temperature refrigerant gas into high-pressure high-temperature refrigerant gas is driven on / off to control cold air around the evaporator to a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment. Keep the refrigerator at the proper temperature by discharging it.

In other words, if the detected temperature in the refrigerating compartment is above the predetermined upper limit temperature, the fan and the compressor are simultaneously driven on to cool the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment, and if the detected temperature in the refrigerating compartment is lower than the preset lower limit temperature, the fan and compressor are The drive is stopped at the same time to stop cooling.

On the other hand, in the refrigerator that controls the temperature centering around the temperature of each of the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment, two fans respectively discharged to the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment are individually driven and controlled based on the detected freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment temperature. The temperature of the refrigerator is maintained at an appropriate temperature by driving control depending on a fan for discharging cold air.

On the other hand, moisture in the air in the refrigerator and water that evaporates from the food freezes, causing frost on the surface of the evaporator. If you do not have a lot of frost on the evaporator. The low heat transfer rate results in lower cooling efficiency and higher compressor operation rate, resulting in increased power consumption. Therefore, defrosting is necessary to keep the refrigerator's cooling function at its best at all times.

Therefore, when a defrost heater is conventionally used to perform defrosting of the evaporator, the compressor is operated for a predetermined time (for example, about 50 minutes) to install a defrost heater inside the evaporator to compensate for the temperature rise of the refrigerator during the defrosting. After performing Pre-Cool mode, the compressor is driven off until the evaporator temperature rises to about 10 ° C until the frost attached to the evaporator is removed. The defrost heater was energized while the fan to be stopped was melted to remove the frost of the evaporator.

However, in the above-described defrost mode, in particular, when the defrost heater is frequently opened and closed when the user opens the refrigerator door, there is a problem in that the temperature of the refrigerating compartment after defrosting is excessively increased.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of controlling a refrigerator in which a refrigerator can perform efficient temperature control of a refrigerator by performing post-defrost temperature compensation corresponding to a frequency of opening and closing a door of a user during defrosting.

The operation control method of the refrigerator according to the present invention is a method of controlling operation after defrosting in the refrigerator, wherein a fan for driving on the compressor for a predetermined time and discharging cold air into the refrigerating chamber when the defrost mode is switched to the refrigerating chamber temperature and the first reference temperature Normal control in response to the comparison of the steps of: turning off the driving of the compressor, stopping the driving of the fan for discharging cold air to the refrigerating chamber, and turning on the defrost heater installed inside the evaporator; If the number of opening and closing the refrigerator door accumulates the opening and closing time while the evaporator internal temperature is higher than the second reference temperature, the defrost heater is driven off and has a pause mode for stopping the compressor and the fan for a predetermined time, and the idle mode ends The first reference temperature is changed downward in proportion to the accumulated number of door opening and closing times. And driving the fan to the set third reference temperature for a predetermined time and controlling the fan to the first reference temperature again after a predetermined time elapses.

1 is a schematic block diagram of a refrigerator employed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation control process of a refrigerator according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

10,20: first and second temperature detector 30: door detector

40: microcomputer 50: fan drive unit

60: fan 70: compressor drive unit

80 compressor 90 heater drive unit

100: heater

The above objects and various advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the preferred embodiments of the invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings by those skilled in the art.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic block diagram of a refrigerator employed according to the present invention, wherein the first and second temperature detectors 10 and 20, the door detector 30, the microcomputer 40, the fan driver 50, and the fan 60 are shown in FIG. ), A compressor driver 70, a compressor 80, a heater driver 90, and a heater 100.

In this configuration, the first temperature detector 10 is installed at a predetermined position in the refrigerating compartment to detect the room temperature of the refrigerating compartment and applies the detection signal to the A / D (Analog to Digital) port of the microcomputer 40 described later. .

The second temperature detector 20 is installed at a predetermined position in the evaporator, detects the temperature of the evaporator, and applies a detection signal to the A / D port of the microcomputer 40.

In addition, the door detector 30 detects opening and closing of the refrigerator door and outputs a door opening and closing detection signal to the microcomputer 40.

On the other hand, the microcomputer 40 is driven to control the compressor 80 for a predetermined time when switching to the defrost mode and the fan 60 is applied to the A / D port through the first temperature detector 10 is converted into a digital signal In response to the comparison result between the refrigerating compartment detection temperature and the first preset reference temperature, a normal driving on / off control is performed. More specifically, the refrigerating compartment detection temperature is a suitable lower limit temperature of the refrigerating compartment while the compressor 80 is forcibly driven. (For example, 2 degrees C or less), the fan 60 mentioned later will drive stop control, and if the refrigerator compartment detection temperature is more than the predetermined upper limit temperature (for example, 2.35 degreeC) of a predetermined refrigerator compartment, the fan 60 will be driven on. Switch to Pre-Cool mode to control.

In addition, the microcomputer 40 performs the above-described precooling mode for a predetermined time, and then stops the driving of the compressor 80 and the fan 60 and drives the heater 100 to drive on and remove the frost attached to the evaporator. On the basis of the door open / close detection signal from the door detection unit 30, the number of times of opening and closing the door is accumulated.

In addition, the microcomputer 40 turns off the driving of the heater 100 when the evaporator detection temperature from the second temperature detector 20 becomes equal to or greater than a preset second reference temperature (eg, 10 ° C.), and the compressor ( 80 and the idle mode for a predetermined time to stop the drive of the fan 60, and then the first reference temperature that is the driving reference of the fan 60 in proportion to the accumulated number of door opening and closing times (definite lower limit temperature (e.g., For example, 2 ° C.) and an appropriate upper limit temperature (eg, 2.35 ° C.) are adjusted downward to control the fan 60 to be turned on / off for a predetermined time at the set third reference temperature, and then to the first reference temperature. The fan 60 is normally driven on / off control.

On the other hand, the fan driver 50 outputs a predetermined drive signal to the fan 60 based on the control from the microcomputer 40 using a drive element and a relay, and the fan 60 is connected to the fan driver 50 from the fan driver 50. Driven based on the drive signal, the cold air around the evaporator (not shown) is discharged to the refrigerating chamber.

In addition, the compressor driving unit 70 outputs a predetermined driving signal to the compressor 80 based on the product from the microcomputer 40 by using a driving element, a relay, and the like, and the compressor 80 performs the refrigeration cycle as described above. In the preparation step for liquefying and re-liquefying the vaporized refrigerant in the compressed low-temperature low-pressure refrigerant gas from the evaporator (not shown) is converted into a high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant gas and output to the condenser (not shown).

On the other hand, the heater driver 90 outputs a predetermined drive signal to the heater 100 under the control of the microcomputer 40 using a drive element and a relay, etc., the heater 100 to remove the frost attached to the evaporator As a defrost heater, a defrost heater is mounted on the evaporator to generate heat based on a drive signal from the heater driver 90 to melt and remove frost attached to the evaporator.

Next, the operation control process of the refrigerator according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention including the above-described configuration will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2.

First, when the microcomputer 40 is switched to the defrost mode (step 200), the compressor 80 is continuously driven on for a predetermined time, and the fan 60 is normally controlled in response to the temperature in the refrigerator compartment as described above. The precool mode is switched to (step 202).

In detail, the compressor 80 is continuously driven on regardless of the temperature of the refrigerating chamber, and the refrigerating chamber temperature detected based on the first temperature detection unit 10 has a predetermined lower limit temperature (for example, 2 ° C.). Or less), the fan 60 is driven off, and when the detected refrigerator compartment temperature is higher than a predetermined upper limit temperature (for example, 2.35 ° C.), the fan 60 is driven on to control the fan 60 normally. .

On the other hand, in the precool mode, the refrigerator is cooled to the maximum before entering the defrost mode, that is, before driving the heater 100 for defrosting, in order to prevent the weak cooling of the refrigerator to the maximum as the temperature of the evaporator increases due to the heater during defrosting. It is for.

Next, the microcomputer 40 performs the precool mode for a predetermined time, and then stops driving the compressor 80 and the fan 60 and drives the heater 100 for defrosting on (step 204).

Then, the heater 100 is energized based on the drive signal of the heater driver 90 to start the heat generation, and thus the temperature of the evaporator is increased to remove the frost attached to the evaporator.

On the other hand, after the heater 100 is driven, the microcomputer 40 recognizes the evaporator surface (internal) temperature based on the second temperature detector 20, and the detected evaporator surface temperature is a preset second reference temperature (eg, 10 ° C.) or higher (step 206).

At this time, while the detected evaporator surface temperature is lower than the second reference temperature, it is determined based on the door open / close detection signal from the door detection unit 30 to determine whether the refrigerator door is opened and closed while driving and controlling the heater 100 to perform defrost. (Step 208), if the door is opened or closed, the cumulative calculation is continued for the number of door openings and closing times (step 210).

On the other hand, when the evaporator surface temperature detected in step 206 above the second reference temperature is recognized as the frost attached to the evaporator is removed to stop the driving of the heater 100 for defrosting (step 212).

Next, even if the compressor 80 and the fan 60 are driven on at the present time due to the rise of the temperature of the evaporator by the heater 100, it is difficult to expect the cooling effect, and thus the idle mode is held for a predetermined time (step 214).

Next, the first reference temperature (the appropriate upper limit temperature, the appropriate lower limit temperature), which is the driving on / off criterion of the fan 60, is adjusted downward in proportion to the accumulated number of door opening and closing times (step 216), and the downward adjustment is set. The fan 60 is driven and controlled to the third reference temperature (step 218).

Then, the refrigerating compartment weak cooling caused by frequent door opening and closing is compensated and the microcomputer 40 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed (step 220), and when the predetermined time has elapsed, the driving on / off criterion of the fan 60 is again normal. It is set to the first reference temperature to control the operation (step 222).

Meanwhile, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the low temperature of the refrigerating compartment caused by frequent opening and closing of the door during defrosting is compensated by adjusting the driving on / off reference temperature of the refrigerating compartment fan 60 after defrosting, but the rotation of the fan 60 is performed. It can be seen that it is easy to carry out the deformation by operating at a relatively high speed or opening the damper to the maximum on the passage of the cold air discharged to the refrigerating chamber.

In addition, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect that an efficient refrigerator operation can be performed by compensating for a weak cooling shape generated in the refrigerator due to frequent opening and closing of the door during defrosting.

Claims (1)

A method of controlling operation after defrosting in a refrigerator, the method comprising: normally controlling a fan for driving a compressor for a predetermined time and discharging cold air into a refrigerating compartment in response to a comparison between a refrigerating compartment temperature and a first reference temperature when switching to a defrost mode; Turning off the driving of the compressor and stopping the driving of the fan for discharging cold air into the refrigerating chamber after the predetermined time has elapsed; Having an idle mode in which the defrost heater is driven off and the driving of the compressor and the fan is stopped for a predetermined time while accumulating the number of opening and closing times and opening / closing time of the refrigerator door while the defrost heater is being driven; When the idle mode ends, the first reference temperature is changed downwardly in proportion to the accumulated number of door opening and closing times and the opening and closing time, and the fan is controlled to be driven for the predetermined third reference temperature for a predetermined time. Operating control method of the refrigerator comprising the step of controlling the fan normally.