KR20160090690A - Refrigerator and conrtol method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a refrigerator and a control method thereof, to prevent defrosted water or ice from being frozen again in a refrigerator. According to the present invention, the refrigerator comprises: a defrost device to remove frost formed in an evaporator; a defrost water receiver installed in a lower part of the evaporator to collect and discharge defrosted water or ice formed by removing the frost; a blowing fan to circulate air of a cold room to make a part of the air in the cold room flow into the evaporator via the defrosted water receiver; and a control unit to control operation of the blowing fan. To prevent the defrosted water or ice from being frozen again in the defrosted water receiver by using the air of the cold room, the control unit operates the blowing fan when the temperature of the defrosted water receiver is lower than a preset temperature.

Description

REFRIGERATOR AND CONTRACT METHOD THEREOF BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001]

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for controlling a refrigerator in connection with a defrosting device for removing frost on the evaporator.

The evaporator provided in the refrigeration cycle lowers the ambient temperature by using cool air generated by the circulation of the refrigerant flowing through the cooling pipe. In this process, when a temperature difference with ambient air occurs, moisture in the air is condensed and frozen on the surface of the cooling pipe.

If such a frost occurs, the operation performance of the evaporator may be deteriorated or the operation may be stopped in a severe case, which causes various functional problems of the refrigeration cycle. For example, a temperature rise inside the refrigerator may cause the quality of the stored food to deteriorate.

In order to prevent this, a defrosting operation for removing the casting impregnated in the evaporator is performed. By this defrosting operation, the property of the evaporator is removed, and the defrost water or the defrosting ice is collected in the defrost water receiver. In this case, when the defrost water collected by the defrosting ice or the like becomes 0 DEG C or less, there is a problem that the ice re-freezes. In order to limit such re-icing, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2004-0058044, etc., is provided with a heating means such as a defrost heater near the outlet of the feed water receiver to prevent drainage freezing. However, when the heat generating means is used, new problems such as the need for additional electric power occur. Thus, a more efficient apparatus and method for re-icing restriction can be considered.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for preventing re-icing of defrost water or defrosting ice in a refrigerator.

Another object of the present invention is to improve the residual water of the defrost water receiver and the drainage of the remaining water at the time of defrosting.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator comprising: a defrosting device for eliminating a property occurring in an evaporator; a defrosting device for collecting defrost water or defrosting ice produced by removing the defrosting, A blowing fan for circulating the air in the refrigerating compartment such that at least a part of the air in the refrigerating compartment flows into the evaporator via the defrost water receiver, As shown in FIG. The control unit drives the blowing fan when the temperature of the defrost water receiver is lower than a predetermined temperature so as to restrict re-icing of the defrost water or defrosting ice from the defrost water receiver using air in the refrigerating chamber.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the temperature of the defrost water receiver can be sensed by a temperature sensor disposed at an edge of the defrost water receiver or an outlet of the defrost water receiver.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, when the temperature of the defrost water receiver is lower than a predetermined temperature, the blowing fan is driven when the compressor for compressing the refrigerant supplied to the evaporator is stopped.

The refrigerator further includes a damper disposed in a cool air duct for supplying cold air heat-exchanged in the evaporator to the refrigerating chamber and opening / closing the cool air duct, wherein the damper drives the blower fan when the compressor is stopped Lt; / RTI >

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the temperature of the defrost water receiver may be compared with the preset temperature in a state where the operation of the defroster is completed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling an evaporator, comprising the steps of: driving a blowing fan for circulating air to be heat-exchanged in an evaporator; stopping driving of the blowing fan and driving a defrosting device to remove gasses generated in the evaporator; The method comprising the steps of: sensing a temperature of a defrost water receiver disposed at a lower portion of the defrost compartment; and controlling the temperature of the defrost water receiver to a predetermined temperature And driving the blower fan when the temperature of the blower fan is lower than the predetermined temperature.

According to the present invention, the power consumption can be further improved by circulating the air in the hearth to remove the remaining water of the defrost water receiver. In addition, it is possible to increase the drainage efficiency of the defrost water receiver by using the control logic of the fan for the air circulation.

Further, according to the present invention, the re-icing of the defrost water and the defrosting ice is prevented beforehand, thereby preventing or reducing the backflow of the defrost water due to clogging of the shroud and the outlet.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
2 is a perspective view showing an example of a defrost apparatus and a defrost water receiver applied to Fig.
3 is a flow chart showing a control method applied to the refrigerator of Fig.
4 is a simulation result showing the flow of cool air when cool air is circulated after defrosting.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like or similar elements are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and a duplicate description thereof will be omitted. Suffix "unit " and" part "for constituent elements used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration only of ease of specification, and do not have their own meaning or role. In the following description of the embodiments of the present invention, a detailed description of related arts will be omitted when it is determined that the gist of the embodiments disclosed herein may be blurred. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. , ≪ / RTI > equivalents, and alternatives.

Terms including ordinals, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited to these terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between.

The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the present application, the terms "comprises", "having", and the like are used to specify that a feature, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a component, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The refrigerator (100) is a device for keeping food stored in the refrigerator at a low temperature by using cold air generated by a refrigeration cycle in which a process of compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation is continuously performed.

As shown in the figure, the refrigerator body 110 has a storage space for storing food therein. The storage space may be separated by the partition wall 111 and may be divided into a refrigerating chamber 112 and a freezing chamber 113 according to a set temperature.

In this embodiment, a bottom freezer type refrigerator is shown in which a refrigerating compartment is provided at an upper portion and a freezing compartment is provided at a lower portion. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention is also applicable to a side-by-side type refrigerator in which a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber are arranged laterally, a refrigerator in a top mount type in which a freezing chamber 113 is disposed under the refrigerating chamber 112 Can be applied.

A door is connected to the refrigerator body 110 to open and close the front opening of the refrigerator body 110. In this figure, the refrigerating chamber door 114 and the freezing chamber door 115 are configured to open and close the refrigerating chamber 112 and the freezing chamber 113, respectively. The door may be variously constructed of a rotatable door rotatably connected to the refrigerator body 110, a drawer-type door slidably connected to the refrigerator body 110, and the like.

The refrigerator body 110 is provided with at least one storage unit (for example, a shelf, a tray, a basket, etc.) for efficiently utilizing the internal storage space. For example, the shelf and the tray may be installed inside the refrigerator body 110, and the basket may be installed inside the door connected to the refrigerator body 110.

On the other hand, a cooling chamber 116 having an evaporator 130 and a blowing fan 140 is provided on the rear side of the refrigerating chamber 112. A cooling chamber 216 for the freezing chamber having a freezing chamber evaporator 230 and a blowing fan 240 for the freezing chamber is provided on the rear side of the freezing chamber 113. That is, the present invention is applied to a refrigerator in which a freezing cycle independent of a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment supplies cool air. This is to remove the property of the refrigerator-use evaporator 130 by using cold air at about 4 to 5 ° C in the refrigerating compartment. Accordingly, in this embodiment, a refrigerator of the type that independently controls the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment by using a multi-evaporator is exemplified.

In the rear side of the refrigerating chamber 112, a cool air duct 150 having a plurality of cool air discharging openings 150a is installed in the front portion thereof. In this case, the cool air duct 150 serves to supply the cool air heat-exchanged in the evaporator 130 to the refrigerating chamber 112.

A machine room 117 is provided on the lower side of the backside of the refrigerator body 110 and a compressor 160 and a condenser (not shown) are provided in the machine room 117. The evaporator 130, the compressor 160 and the condenser constitute a refrigeration cycle device, and the refrigeration cycle device absorbs heat from the air of the refrigerating chamber 112 and the freezing chamber 113.

Meanwhile, the lower portion of the refrigerating chamber 112 may include a refrigerating chamber return duct 111a for sucking air from the refrigerating chamber into the cooling chamber. The air in the refrigerating chamber 112 is sucked into the cooling chamber 116 through the refrigerating chamber return duct 111a by the blowing fan 140 of the cooling chamber 116 to perform heat exchange with the evaporator 130, 150 to the freezing chamber 112 through the freezing and discharging opening 150a of the refrigerating chamber 112. [ At this time, the surface of the evaporator 130 is frozen due to the temperature difference with the circulating air flowing back through the refrigerating chamber return duct 111a.

The evaporator 130 is provided with a defrosting device 170 to remove the water removed by the defrosting device 170, that is, the purified water is collected in the defrost water receiver 180. And the defrosted water is removed to generate defrosted water or defrosting ice, which are collected in the defrost water receiver 180 and discharged to the discharge port 181. In this case, if the defrost water or the defrosting ice re-freezes, the discharge port 181 may be clogged.

When the blowing fan 140 is driven, at least a portion of the air in the refrigerating chamber 112 flows into the evaporator 130 via the defrost water receiver 180, (Discharge port) may be disposed adjacent to the defrost water receiver 180. In this case, when the air in the refrigerating chamber 112 is circulated using the blowing fan 140, the air in the refrigerating chamber 112 flows into the defrosting water receiver 180 through the refrigerating chamber return duct 111a . According to the present invention, the air in the refrigerating compartment is circulated to remove the remaining water from the defrost water receptacle provided in the refrigeration cycle of the refrigerating compartment, thereby preventing the defrosting of defrost water or defrosting ice.

Hereinafter, a new type of control method of circulating air in the hearth to remove the remaining water of the defrost water receiver 180 will be described in more detail.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a defroster device and a defrost water receptacle applied to FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control method applied to the refrigerator of FIG. 1, This is a simulation result showing the flow of cold air.

Referring to FIG. 2 together with FIG. 1, as an example of a defrosting device, a defrost heater 171 is provided below the evaporator to generate heat when power is applied. In this case, the heat pipe 172 is disposed to be heat-transferable with the defrost heater 171, and may extend upward in the vertical direction of the evaporator 130 to transfer heat to the evaporator 130.

For example, the evaporator 130 is disposed along the vertical direction of the refrigerator body, and the defrost water receiver 180 may be disposed below the evaporator 130.

Meanwhile, as described above, the blowing fan is driven by the control unit (not shown) so that the heat is exchanged in the evaporator, and the air is circulated through which the cool air is supplied to the refrigerating chamber. At this time, the refrigerating cycle apparatus operates, and the circulated air performs heat exchange in the evaporator.

According to the present invention, after the operation of the refrigeration cycle apparatus is stopped, the property of the evaporator 130 is removed through the defrost heater 171. After the evaporation of the evaporator 130 is removed, the control unit controls the evaporator 130 so that the defrosting water is supplied to the defrosting water receiver 180, 180 is lower than a predetermined temperature, the blowing fan 140 is driven.

More specifically, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 and the control method of FIG. 3, when the refrigerator is powered on (S110), the refrigerator is operated (S120). In this case, the control unit drives the compressor and the blowing fan that circulates air to be heat-exchanged in the evaporator.

Next, the defrost operation is started (S130) according to a preset reference. In the defrosting operation, the driving of the blowing fan is stopped, and the defrosting device is driven to remove the property generated in the evaporator. Further, when the defrost operation of the defrost apparatus starts (S130), the operation of the compressor can be stopped (S140). The defrost operation may be performed for a specific time according to a specific criterion and then completed (S150).

Thereafter, the temperature of the dispenser receiver is sensed and compared with a predetermined temperature (S160). The comparison of the temperatures can be performed in a state where the operation of the defrost apparatus is completed.

On the other hand, the predetermined temperature may be any one of 0 ° C to 1 ° C. When the temperature of the supernatant receiver falls below the freezing point (freezing point), the reanimation of the residuals proceeds. Therefore, the pre-set temperature is set in the range of 0 to 1 占 폚 so that the temperature of the defrost water receiver does not become 0 占 폚 or lower.

The temperature of the defrost water receiver 180 is detected by the temperature sensors 182a, 182b, and 182c disposed at the edge of the defrost water receiver 180 or the discharge port 181 of the defrost water receiver 180 . In this example, the temperature sensors 182a, 182b, and 182c are disposed at both edges of the remedial water receiver 180 and at the center where the discharge ports 181 are disposed. In this case, it can be detected whether or not any one of the temperatures sensed by the temperature sensors 182a, 182b, 182c reaches the predetermined temperature.

More specifically, the temperature sensor 182c disposed at the discharge port 181 of the defrost water receptacle 180 can detect the blocking of the discharge port 181 from the discharge port 181 at an adjacent position. The temperature sensors 182a and 182b disposed at the edges of the defrost water receptacle 180 may be provided to prevent the shroud of the refrigerator compartment from being lifted by freezing occurring at the edge of the defrost water.

At this time, only a part of the temperature sensors 182a, 182b, and 182c may be provided. Particularly, it is possible to provide a temperature sensor 182c disposed at the discharge port 181 of the defrost water receiver 180 without a temperature sensor at the edge of the defrost water receiver 180.

Next, the control unit drives the blowing fan (S170) if the temperature of the defrosting water receiver is lower than a predetermined temperature. Accordingly, the control unit can restrict re-freezing of defrost water or defrosting ice from the defrost water receiver using air in the refrigerating compartment. That is, a temperature sensor is attached to the defrost water receiver to predict the clogging of the remaining and the outlet, and the problem of clogging of the outlet and the outlet is solved by driving the blower fan.

When the temperature of the defrost water receiver is lower than the preset temperature, the blowing fan is driven when the compressor for compressing the refrigerant supplied to the evaporator is stopped.

According to such a control method, as shown in FIG. 4, air of about 5 ° C at the upper portion of the refrigerating compartment can be circulated to the suction port at the lower end of the evaporator. Through this, it is possible to prevent the defrost water or defrosting ice from re-freezing.

Also, while the blowing fan is driven (S160), the temperature of the defrost water receiver can be monitored using the temperature sensors. When the temperature of the defrost water receiver becomes higher than the preset temperature, the refrigerator can be operated again.

Further, the control method of attaching the temperature sensor to the demolition water receiver and preventing the defrost water or defrosting ice from re-freezing using the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor may be modified into various forms. Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

When the refrigerator is first turned on (S210), the refrigerator is operated (S220), and the defrosting operation is started (S230) according to a predetermined criterion. The defrost operation may proceed for a specific time according to a specific criterion and may be completed (S240). Thereafter, the temperature of the desalination receiver is sensed and compared with a predetermined temperature (S260). As described above, the same contents as the control method described above with reference to FIG. 3 can be applied from the step S220 of operating the refrigerator to the step S260 of comparing the temperature of the defrost water receiver with the preset temperature.

Next, the control unit drives the blowing fan (S270) if the temperature of the defrosting water receiver is lower than a predetermined temperature. Accordingly, the control unit can restrict re-freezing of defrost water or defrosting ice from the defrost water receiver using air in the refrigerating compartment.

In this case, the operation of the compressor for compressing the refrigerant supplied to the evaporator may be controlled by the temperature of the defrost water receiver (S280).

For example, if the temperature of the defrost water receiver is lower than a predetermined temperature, the blowing fan can be driven in a state where the compressor for compressing the refrigerant supplied to the evaporator is stopped for a predetermined time. That is, even if the temperature of the decompression water receiver is lower than the predetermined temperature, the compressor is stopped only for a preset time. This is because the cold air of the refrigerator is set to be higher than 0 DEG C, so that relatively high air in the range of 4 to 5 DEG C can be introduced into the defrost water receptacle up to a certain degree even if heat exchange occurs in the evaporator.

As another example, the driving frequency of the compressor can be controlled. That is, when the blowing fan is driven to raise the temperature of the decompressed water receiver, the cooling capability of the compressor can be reduced by lowering the driving frequency of the compressor. To this end, the compressor may include an inverter.

Also in this example, the temperature of the defrost water receiver can be monitored using the temperature sensors while the blowing fan is driven (S270). When the temperature of the defrost water receiver becomes higher than the preset temperature, the refrigerator can be operated again.

According to the present embodiment described above, it is possible not only to reduce power consumption, but also to restrict the occurrence of re-ice formation in the defrost water receiver while minimizing cold loss.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Accordingly, the above description should not be construed in a limiting sense in all respects and should be considered illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by rational interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the scope of equivalents of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (7)

A defrosting device for removing the property occurring in the evaporator;
A defrost water receiver disposed at a lower portion of the evaporator so as to collect and discharge defrost water or defrost ice produced by removing the defroster;
A blowing fan for circulating air in the refrigerating compartment so that at least a part of the air in the refrigerating compartment flows into the evaporator via the defrost water receiver; And
And a control unit for controlling the operation of the blowing fan,
The control unit drives the blowing fan when the temperature of the defrost water receiver is lower than a predetermined temperature so as to restrict re-icing of the defrost water or defrosting ice from the defrost water receiver using the air in the refrigerating chamber Refrigerator. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the temperature of the defrost water receiver is detected by a temperature sensor disposed at an edge of the defrost water receiver or an outlet of the defroster water receiver. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the blower fan is driven when the temperature of the defrost water receiver is lower than a predetermined temperature by stopping the compressor for compressing the refrigerant supplied to the evaporator. The method of claim 3,
Further comprising a damper disposed in a cool air duct for supplying cold air heat-exchanged in the evaporator to the refrigerating chamber, the damper opening and closing the cool air duct,
Wherein the damper is opened when the blower fan is driven while the compressor is stopped. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the comparison of the temperature of the defrost water receiver with the predetermined temperature is performed in a state where the operation of the defroster is completed. Driving a blowing fan for circulating air to be heat-exchanged in the evaporator;
Stopping the driving of the blowing fan and driving the defrosting device to remove the property occurring in the evaporator;
Sensing the temperature of the defrost water receiver disposed under the evaporator; And
And driving the blowing fan when the temperature of the defrost water receiver is lower than a predetermined temperature so as to restrict re-icing of defrost water or defrosting ice from the defrost water receiver using air in the refrigerating chamber Control method. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the defrosting device is driven in a state in which the compressor for compressing the refrigerant supplied to the evaporator is stopped, and when the temperature of the defrost water receiver is lower than a preset temperature, driving the blowing fan is a state in which the compressor is stopped And a controller for controlling the refrigerator.

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