KR20110051369A - Refrigerator and control method of refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A refrigerator and a control method thereof are provided to supply refrigerant through a first capillary tube and a second capillary tube when load variation thereinside is high and supply the refrigerant through the first capillary tube when the load variation is relatively small. CONSTITUTION: A refrigerator comprises a cabinet(10), an evaporator(300), a first capillary tube(310), a second capillary tube(320), a switching valve(400), a controller, and a damper(60). The cabinet comprises a refrigerator compartment refrigerator compartment and freezer compartment. The evaporator is provided inside a heat exchange chamber(100) arranged on the rear part of the freezer compartment and evaporates liquid refrigerant. The first capillary tube is connected to the evaporator and reduces the pressure of liquid refrigerant. The second capillary tube connects to the evaporator with the first capillary tube in parallel and transfers the liquid refrigerant. The switching valve connects to the first capillary tube and the second capillary tube and supplies refrigerant to the evaporator. The controller adjusts the operation of the switching valve according to the load variation signals. The damper opens and closes a flow path in order to selectively guide the cool air of the evaporator to the refrigerator compartment.

Description

Refrigerator and control method of refrigerator

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a method of controlling the refrigerator.

In general, a refrigerator is a home appliance that allows food to be stored at a low temperature in an interior storage space shielded by a door, and is stored by cooling the inside of the storage space using cold air generated through heat exchange with a refrigerant circulating in a refrigeration cycle. It is configured to keep foods in optimal condition.

Apparatus for the refrigeration cycle includes a compressor, a condenser, a capillary tube and an evaporator, it is configured to cool the inside by generating cold air by the phase change of the refrigerant circulating them.

In order to cope with load fluctuations in the refrigerator, a variable speed compressor is generally used, and the flow rate of the refrigerant is adjusted according to a change in the rotational speed of the variable speed compressor.

However, there is a problem that it is difficult to cope effectively only by adjusting the flow rate by the compressor when the load fluctuations in the refrigerator are very large or the temperature difference between the interior and the exterior is very large.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first capillary tube and the second capillary tube having different supply flow rates are connected in parallel between the compressor and the evaporator, and the switching valve is connected to the first capillary tube and the second capillary tube in response to the load change signal in the refrigerator. An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator configured to open one or both of the first capillary tube and the second capillary tube.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a load change signal in a high load is provided by connecting a first capillary tube and a second capillary tube having different flow rates between the compressor and the evaporator in parallel, and a switching valve connected to the first capillary tube and the second capillary tube. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a control method of a refrigerator in which one or both of the first capillary tube and the second capillary tube are opened.

A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a cabinet in which a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment are formed; An evaporator provided in a heat exchange chamber partitioned behind the freezing chamber and evaporating a liquid refrigerant; A first capillary tube connected to the evaporator and configured to reduce a pressure of a liquid refrigerant; A second capillary tube connected to the evaporator in parallel with the first capillary tube, the second capillary tube being formed to allow a higher amount of refrigerant to move than the first capillary tube; A switching valve connected to the first capillary tube and the second capillary tube, and configured to supply a reduced pressure refrigerant to the evaporator through any one or both of the first capillary tube and the second capillary tube; A control unit controlling an operation of the switching valve according to a load change signal of the refrigerating chamber or the freezing chamber; It comprises a damper for opening and closing the flow path so that the cold air of the evaporator can be selectively guided to the refrigerating chamber side.

In addition, the first capillary tube is characterized in that the inner diameter is formed smaller than the second capillary tube.

In addition, the first capillary tube is characterized in that the pipe resistance is formed larger than the second capillary tube.

In addition, the first capillary tube is characterized in that formed longer than the second capillary tube.

The load change signal may be provided by a temperature sensed by a temperature sensor inside the refrigerating compartment or the freezing compartment.

In addition, the load change signal is characterized in that provided by the user's input.

And, the control method of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention, the step of detecting the load change signal in the high during normal operation; When the load change signal is a high load signal, opening both the first capillary tube and the second capillary tube so that the supply flow rate of the refrigerant is greatest; When the load change signal is a low load signal, opening only the first capillary tube so that the supply flow rate of the refrigerant is smallest; When the load change signal is between a high load and a low load, only the second capillary having an inner diameter larger than the first capillary is opened.

The load change signal may be provided by a temperature sensed by a temperature sensor inside the refrigerating compartment or the freezing compartment.

In addition, the load change signal is characterized in that provided by the user's input.

In addition, only the second capillary tube is opened in the normal operation step.

According to the control method of the refrigerator and the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to vary the flow rate of the refrigerant supplied through the first capillary and the second capillary tube according to the load change in the refrigerator.

That is, when the load fluctuations in the refrigerator are large, all the switching valves are opened so that the refrigerant can be supplied through both the first capillary tube and the second capillary tube, and when the load fluctuations in the refrigerator are relatively small, 1 The switching valve is opened so that the refrigerant can be supplied through the capillary tube. When the load variation in the high load is between the high load and the low load, the switching valve is opened so that the refrigerant can be supplied through the second capillary tube whose supply flow rate is larger than that of the first capillary tube.

Therefore, by adjusting the flow rate of the refrigerant supplied in accordance with the load change in the high temperature it is possible to maintain the temperature in the high temperature can be expected to improve the cooling efficiency and performance.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments in which the spirit of the present invention is presented, and other embodiments included in the spirit of the present invention or other inventions which are degenerate by addition, modification, or deletion of other components are easily provided. Can suggest.

1 is a front view of an open door of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. And, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a block diagram showing a signal flow of a control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 3, the refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention has an outer shape formed by a cabinet 10 in which a storage space is formed and a door 20 opening and closing the storage space.

The cabinet 10 is formed so that the front surface is opened, and the inside is divided left and right by the barrier 12 to form the freezing chamber 40 and the refrigerating chamber 30, respectively. In addition, the interior of the freezing compartment 40 and the refrigerating compartment 30 is provided with a configuration for storing food, such as a plurality of shelves and drawers.

The door 20 is composed of a refrigerating compartment door 22 and a freezing compartment door 24 to shield the refrigerating compartment 30 and the freezing compartment 40, respectively, and is rotatable by being coupled to the cabinet 10 by a hinge. It is configured to. Therefore, the refrigerating compartment 30 and the freezing compartment 40 are configured to be selectively opened and closed by the rotation of the refrigerating compartment door 22 and the freezing compartment door 24.

A grill pan 42 is provided on a rear surface of the freezer compartment door 24, and a heat exchange chamber 100 is formed behind the freezer compartment 40 by the grill pan 42. The heat exchange chamber 100 is a separate space partitioned from the freezing chamber 40 may be provided with an evaporator 300 which is one of the devices constituting a refrigeration cycle therein.

In addition, a plurality of cold air outlets may be formed in the grill pan 42 so that cold air generated in the evaporator 300 may be supplied into the freezing chamber 40.

On the other hand, the device constituting the refrigeration cycle, it may be configured to include a compressor 210, a condenser 220, capillaries (310, 320) and the evaporator (300).

In detail, the compressor 210 converts the refrigerant into a state of high temperature and high pressure, and is provided in the machine room 200 provided as a separate space independent of the high inner side at the lower rear side of the cabinet 10.

The compressor 210 may be a variable speed compressor whose rotation speed varies depending on the rotation frequency, and the flow rate supplied may vary according to the rotation speed of the compressor 210.

The condenser 220 is to discharge the latent heat inside to the outside while converting the refrigerant of the high temperature and high pressure state compressed by the compressor 210 to the liquid phase, is disposed in the machine room 200 and communicate with the compressor 210 It is configured to be.

In addition, one side of the compressor 210 may be further provided with a condenser fan for forcibly blowing air to the compressor 210 to promote heat exchange.

The capillary tubes 310 and 320 are for reducing the pressure of the refrigerant converted into the liquid phase in the condenser 220 and are configured to connect between the condenser 220 and the evaporator 300. The capillary tubes 310 and 320 are composed of a first capillary tube 310 and a second capillary tube 320 having different feed flow rates, and are connected to the evaporator 300 in parallel.

The inner diameter of the first capillary tube 310 may be narrower than that of the second capillary tube 320, and the inner diameter of the first capillary tube 310 may be narrower than that of the second capillary tube 320. The flow rate of the refrigerant supplied through the first capillary tube 310 is relatively smaller.

Of course, the inner diameters of the first capillary tube 310 and the second capillary tube 320 are the same, and the length of the first capillary tube 310 is longer, or the pipe resistance is increased on the inner surface of the first capillary tube 310. It may be possible to form a coating or to change the shape of the interior.

On the other hand, the first capillary tube 310 and the second capillary tube 320 are connected to the outlet side of the condenser 220 by a switching valve 400. That is, the outlet pipe of the condenser 220 may be connected to the switching valve 400, the switching valve 400 is branched may be connected to the first capillary tube 310 and the second capillary tube 320, respectively. .

In addition, the switching valve 400 is selectively opened and closed in accordance with the instructions of the control unit by the load change signal in the refrigerator to open any one of the first capillary tube 310 and the second capillary tube 320 or the first capillary tube ( Both the 310 and the second capillary tube 320 may be opened to supply the refrigerant to the evaporator 300.

In detail, the refrigerating chamber 30 and the freezing chamber 40 are provided with a temperature sensor 50, it is possible to detect the temperature change in the interior by the temperature sensor 50. When the temperature sensor 50 senses a temperature change in the interior of the refrigerating chamber 30 or the freezing chamber 40 and transmits it to the control unit 500, the control unit 500 detects a load change signal and loads the load. It is possible to instruct the operation of the switching valve 400 according to the change.

In addition, the load variation in the user's refrigerator may be manipulated such as a rapid cooling operation in the refrigerator. In this case, the controller 500 may detect a load change signal and instruct the operation of the switching valve 400 according to the load change. Will be.

Meanwhile, the evaporator 300 absorbs external heat while evaporating the liquid refrigerant expanded in the capillary tubes 310 and 320 in a gaseous state, by forcibly blowing cold air generated in the freezer compartment 40 and Supply to the refrigerating chamber (30).

The evaporator 300 may be disposed in the heat exchange chamber 100 to supply cold air to the freezing chamber 40 through the grill pan 42, and between the heat exchange chamber 100 and the refrigerating chamber 30. Cool air can be supplied to the refrigerating chamber 30 according to the opening and closing of the damper 60 provided in the refrigerator.

Hereinafter, a control method of a refrigerator according to the present invention having the configuration as described above will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, when power is applied to the refrigerator 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and the devices constituting the refrigeration cycle are driven, the refrigerant circulates the refrigeration cycle and cool air through heat exchange of the evaporator 300. Will generate The generated cold air may be supplied to the freezing compartment 40 and the refrigerating compartment 30, and the cold air may be cooled through the supply of cold air, thereby operating normally. [S100]

In this state, when the load change signal in the high load is transmitted to the controller 500, the liquid refrigerant discharged from the condenser 220 passes through the switching valve 400 and the first capillary tube 310 and the second capillary tube. At least one of 320 is selectively passed.

At this time, the load change signal inside the high temperature can be detected by the temperature sensor 50 provided in the refrigerating chamber 30 and the freezing chamber 40, the food having a high temperature inside the refrigerating chamber 30 and the freezing chamber 40 When the temperature of the inside or the inside of the refrigerator needs to be drastically lowered, the temperature sensor 50 senses the temperatures of the refrigerating chamber 30 and the freezing chamber 40 and transmits them to the controller 500.

The internal load change signal may be input by a user's direct manipulation in addition to the temperature sensor 50. For example, when food requiring rapid cooling is stored in the refrigerator or when the temperature in the refrigerator needs to be drastically lowered, the user may directly input an operation signal to input the load change signal in the refrigerator to the controller 500. [S200]

On the other hand, when the internal load variation signal sensed by the control unit 500 is a high load, it must be possible to supply the refrigerant of the maximum flow rate to the evaporator 300 through the capillary tubes (310, 320), the switching valve 400 for Both the first capillary tube 310 and the second capillary tube 320 are opened.

Therefore, the liquid refrigerant discharged from the condenser 220 can be supplied to the evaporator 300 via both the first capillary tube 310 and the second capillary tube 320, and the refrigerant flow rate at this time is the maximum. By lowering the temperature of the evaporator (300) it is possible to cool the interior quickly and low temperature [S300].

In addition, when the internal load variation signal sensed by the controller 500 is a low load, the refrigerant having a minimum flow rate must be supplied to the evaporator 300 through the capillary tubes 310 and 320. Open the first capillary tube 310 that can supply a relatively low flow rate refrigerant and the second capillary tube 320 is closed.

Therefore, the liquid refrigerant discharged from the condenser 220 can be supplied to the evaporator 300 via the first capillary tube 310, and the refrigerant flow rate at this time is relatively minimum so that the evaporator 300 By relatively increasing the temperature of the inside can be cooled to a relatively high temperature. [S400]

In addition, when the internal load change signal detected by the controller 500 corresponds to a high load and a low load, the refrigerant between the high load and the low load should be able to be supplied to the evaporator 300 through the capillary tubes 310 and 320. To this end, the switching valve 400 opens the second capillary tube 320 capable of supplying the refrigerant at a flow rate corresponding to the high flow rate and the low flow rate, and the first capillary tube 310 is closed.

Accordingly, the liquid refrigerant discharged from the condenser 220 may be supplied to the evaporator 300 via the first capillary tube 310, and the refrigerant flow rate at this time may be relatively between the maximum and the minimum. The temperature of the evaporator 300 to be the highest temperature and the lowest temperature, so that the temperature in the high temperature can also be cooled to the middle temperature of the highest and lowest temperature.

The state in which the refrigerant is supplied through the second capillary tube 320 may correspond to a normal state. Therefore, in the normal operation state, the refrigerant is supplied through the second capillary tube 320, and a high flow rate is higher than that in the normal operation state. If necessary, the refrigerant is supplied through both the first capillary tube 310 and the second capillary tube 320, and when a lower flow rate is required than the normal operation state, the refrigerant is supplied through the first capillary tube 310. It becomes possible.

On the other hand, when the temperature in the refrigerator can be maintained at a specific temperature through the opening of the capillary tubes 310 and 320, the control unit 500 is switched to a normal operation state, and the refrigerant is supplied through the second capillary tube 320. Will be maintained.

On the other hand, the refrigerator according to the present invention having the configuration as described above may be various embodiments in addition to the above-described embodiment. Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Another embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the switching valve is provided in both the first capillary tube and the second capillary tube to open and close the first capillary tube and the second capillary tube, respectively, according to an operation signal of the controller.

Other embodiments of the present invention are all the same except for the switching valve, so the same reference numerals as those in the above-described embodiment for the configuration, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

5 is a schematic view schematically showing a configuration of a refrigeration cycle of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the evaporator 300 is provided in the heat exchange chamber 100 formed at the rear of the freezing chamber 40, and the compressor 210 and the condenser 220 are provided inside the machine chamber 200. do.

The first capillary tube 310 and the second capillary tube 320 are connected in parallel between the condenser 220 and the evaporator 300, respectively, and the first capillary tube 310 and the second capillary tube 320 are connected to each other. Each of the first switching valve 410 and the second switching valve 420 is provided.

The first switching valve 410 and the second switching valve 420 is to open and close the first capillary tube 310 and the second capillary tube 320, respectively, the operation is controlled by the control unit 500, The control unit 500 controls the operation of the first switching valve 410 and the second switching valve 420 by the load change signal inside the high temperature transmitted by the temperature sensor 50 or the user's input.

For example, when a high load signal is transmitted to the control unit 500, the control unit 500 opens both the first switching valve 410 and the second switching valve 420, and the first capillary tube 310 and The refrigerant may be supplied to the evaporator 300 through both of the second capillary tubes 320.

When the low load signal is transmitted to the controller 500, the first switching valve 410 is opened to allow the refrigerant to be supplied to the evaporator 300 through the first capillary tube 310. When the signal between the high load and the low load is transmitted to the controller 500, the controller 500 opens the second switching valve 420 so that the refrigerant passes through the second capillary tube 320. 300 can be supplied.

1 is a front view of an open door of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic view schematically showing a configuration of a refrigeration cycle of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a signal flow of a controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a schematic view schematically showing a configuration of a refrigeration cycle of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (10)

A cabinet in which a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment are formed; An evaporator provided in a heat exchange chamber partitioned behind the freezing chamber and evaporating a liquid refrigerant; A first capillary tube connected to the evaporator and configured to reduce a pressure of a liquid refrigerant; A second capillary tube connected to the evaporator in parallel with the first capillary tube, the second capillary tube being formed to allow a higher amount of refrigerant to move than the first capillary tube; A switching valve connected to the first capillary tube and the second capillary tube, and configured to supply a reduced pressure refrigerant to the evaporator through any one or both of the first capillary tube and the second capillary tube; A control unit controlling an operation of the switching valve according to a load change signal of the refrigerating chamber or the freezing chamber; And a damper that opens and closes a flow path so that cold air of the evaporator can be selectively guided to the refrigerating compartment side. The method of claim 1, And the first capillary tube has an inner diameter smaller than that of the second capillary tube. The method of claim 1, The first capillary tube is characterized in that the passage resistance is formed larger than the second capillary tube. The method of claim 1, And the first capillary tube is formed longer than the second capillary tube. The method of claim 1, And the load change signal is provided by a temperature sensed by a temperature sensor inside the refrigerating compartment or the freezing compartment. The method of claim 1, The load change signal is a refrigerator, characterized in that provided by the user's input. Detecting an internal load change signal during normal operation; When the load change signal is a high load signal, opening both the first capillary tube and the second capillary tube so that the supply flow rate of the refrigerant is greatest; When the load change signal is a low load signal, opening only the first capillary tube so that the supply flow rate of the refrigerant is smallest; And opening the second capillary tube having a larger inner diameter than the first capillary tube when the load change signal is between a high load and a low load. The method of claim 7, wherein The load change signal is a control method of a refrigerator, characterized in that provided by the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor inside the refrigerating compartment or freezing compartment. The method of claim 7, wherein And the load change signal is provided by a user input. The method of claim 7, wherein The control method of the refrigerator, characterized in that only the second capillary tube is opened in the normal operation step.

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