WO2023006489A1 - Refrigerator and method therefor - Google Patents

Refrigerator and method therefor Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2023006489A1
WO2023006489A1 PCT/EP2022/070120 EP2022070120W WO2023006489A1 WO 2023006489 A1 WO2023006489 A1 WO 2023006489A1 EP 2022070120 W EP2022070120 W EP 2022070120W WO 2023006489 A1 WO2023006489 A1 WO 2023006489A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
compartment
compressor
coolant
evaporator
coolant passage
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2022/070120
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Xiangyu Liu
Qiwu Zhu
Weizhong Zhu
Original Assignee
BSH Hausgeräte GmbH
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by BSH Hausgeräte GmbH filed Critical BSH Hausgeräte GmbH
Publication of WO2023006489A1 publication Critical patent/WO2023006489A1/en

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D11/00—Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators
    • F25D11/02—Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators with cooling compartments at different temperatures
    • F25D11/022—Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators with cooling compartments at different temperatures with two or more evaporators
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B40/00—Subcoolers, desuperheaters or superheaters

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to appliances, and in particular, to a refrigerator and a method therefor.
  • Some refrigerators include two or more compartments and evaporators respectively corresponding to the compartments, where a set temperature of one compartment is higher than that of the other compartment.
  • the evaporator corresponding to the compartment having a higher set temperature where a coolant flows into has a higher pressure, that is, the coolant is more inclined to flow into the evaporator corresponding to the compartment having a lower set temperature.
  • the evaporator corresponding to the compartment having a higher set temperature may lack the coolant, and a longer time is required to cool the compartment having a higher set temperature to a target temperature.
  • An objective of the present invention is to provide an improved refrigerator and a method therefor.
  • an aspect of embodiments of the present invention provides a method for a refrigerator.
  • the refrigerator includes: a first compartment having a first set temperature, a second compartment having a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature, a first evaporator, a second evaporator, a compressor, a first coolant passage in fluid communication with the first evaporator and the compressor, and a second coolant passage in fluid communication with the second evaporator and the compressor, where entrances of the first coolant passage and the second coolant passage are connected in parallel, and the method includes the following steps: operating the compressor and supplying a coolant to the first evaporator through the first coolant passage, to cool the first compartment; closing the first coolant passage when the second compartment has a refrigeration demand, to suspend cooling the first compartment; opening the second coolant passage and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator, to cool the second compartment; and opening the first coolant passage to recover the supply of the coolant to the first evaporator.
  • a speed mode of the compressor when only the first coolant passage of the first coolant passage and the second coolant passage is opened to cool the first compartment is different from a speed mode of the compressor when only the second coolant passage of the first coolant passage and the second coolant passage is opened to cool the second compartment.
  • the step of operating the compressor and supplying a coolant to the first evaporator through the first coolant passage, to cool the first compartment includes: operating the compressor in a first speed mode to cool the first compartment, where the first speed mode includes: adjusting a speed of the compressor according to a temperature of the first compartment to enable the temperature of the first compartment to approach to a target temperature higher than a shutdown temperature of the first compartment.
  • the step of opening the second coolant passage and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator, to cool the second compartment includes: operating the compressor in a second speed mode to cool the second compartment, where the second speed mode is that the compressor is operated at a preset speed or the speed of the compressor is determined according to an ambient temperature.
  • the second coolant passage in the step of opening the second coolant passage and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator, to cool the second compartment, when the refrigeration demand of the second compartment is met, the second coolant passage is closed, and the step of opening the first coolant passage to recover the supply of the coolant to the first evaporator is performed.
  • the second compartment in the step of opening the second coolant passage and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator, to cool the second compartment, the second compartment is cooled for a first set time, where the first set time is fixed.
  • the step of opening the second coolant passage and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator, to cool the second compartment includes: cooling the second compartment for a first set time, and performing the step of opening the first coolant passage to recover the supply of the coolant to the first evaporator when the first set time elapses.
  • the compressor is operated to collect the coolant after the step of closing the first coolant passage when the second compartment has a refrigeration demand, to suspend cooling the first compartment and before the step of opening the second coolant passage and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator, to cool the second compartment.
  • the compressor is operated in a third speed mode to collect the coolant, where the third speed mode is a fixed mode or changes with an ambient temperature. In some embodiments, the compressor is operated for a second set time to collect the coolant, where the second set time is fixed or the second set time is determined according to a speed of the compressor, an ambient temperature, or a pressure on a low-pressure side.
  • the second set time ranges from 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
  • a refrigerator including: a first compartment, having a first set temperature; a second compartment, having a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature; a first evaporator; a second evaporator; a compressor; a first coolant passage, in fluid communication with the first evaporator and the compressor; a second coolant passage, in fluid communication with the second evaporator and the compressor; and a control element, configured to enable the refrigerator to perform the steps of the foregoing method.
  • the first compartment includes a freezing compartment
  • the second compartment includes at least one of a refrigerating compartment, a chill compartment, or a variable-temperature compartment.
  • FIG. l is a schematic diagram of a refrigeration loop of a refrigerator according to an aspect of embodiments of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a method for the refrigerator in FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of control modules of the refrigerator in FIG. 1.
  • FIG. l is a schematic diagram of a refrigeration loop of a refrigerator according to an aspect of embodiments of the present invention.
  • a refrigerator 10 includes a first compartment 12 having a first set temperature.
  • the first set temperature may be a default temperature set for the first compartment 12 during manufacture of the refrigerator 10, or may be a temperature set for the first compartment 12 by a user during use of the refrigerator 10.
  • the refrigerator 10 includes a second compartment 14 having a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature.
  • the second set temperature may be a default temperature set for the second compartment 14 during the manufacture of the refrigerator 10, or may be a temperature set for the second compartment 14 by the user during the use of the refrigerator 10
  • Startup temperatures and shutdown temperatures corresponding to the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 may be determined according to respective set temperatures of the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14. Generally, the startup temperature may be higher than the set temperature, and the shutdown temperature may be lower than the set temperature.
  • the first compartment 12 When a temperature of the first compartment 12 is greater than or equal to the startup temperature of the first compartment 12, the first compartment 12 is determined to have a refrigeration demand, and a refrigeration system needs to refrigerate the first compartment 12. When the temperature of the first compartment 12 reaches the shutdown temperature of the first compartment 12, the refrigeration demand of the first compartment 12 is met, and the refrigeration system needs to stop refrigerating the first compartment 12.
  • the second compartment 14 when a temperature of the second compartment 14 is greater than or equal to the startup temperature of the second compartment 14, the second compartment 14 is determined to have a refrigeration demand, and the refrigeration system needs to refrigerate the second compartment 14. When the temperature of the second compartment 14 reaches the shutdown temperature of the second compartment 14, the refrigeration demand of the second compartment 14 is met, and the refrigeration system needs to stop refrigerating the second compartment 14.
  • the refrigerator 10 includes a first evaporator 16.
  • the first evaporator 16 is configured to be adapted to cool the first compartment 12.
  • the first evaporator 16 may cool the first compartment 12 by providing cold air cooled by the first evaporator 16 to the first compartment 12 or directly cooling at least one wall of the first compartment 12.
  • the refrigerator 10 includes a second evaporator 18.
  • the second evaporator 18 is configured to be adapted to cool the second compartment 14.
  • the second evaporator 16 may cool the second compartment 14 by providing cold air cooled by the second evaporator 16 to the second compartment 14 or directly cooling at least one wall of the second compartment 14.
  • the refrigerator 10 includes a compressor 20.
  • the compressor 20 may provide a coolant to the first evaporator 16 and the second evaporator 18 to cool the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14.
  • the refrigerator 10 includes a first coolant passage 22 that is in fluid communication with the first evaporator 16 and the compressor 20.
  • the first coolant passage 22 may include devices and pipelines from the compressor 20 to the first evaporator 16.
  • the coolant may flow from the compressor 20 to the first evaporator 16 through the first coolant passage 22 in a direction shown by an arrow in FIG. 1.
  • the coolant flowing out of the first evaporator 16 may flow into the compressor 20 through a first recovery passage 21.
  • the first coolant passage 22 and the first recovery passage 21 may form a refrigeration loop in which the coolant circulates.
  • the refrigerator 10 includes a second coolant passage 24 that is in fluid communication with the second evaporator 18 and the compressor 20.
  • the second coolant passage 24 may include devices and pipelines from the compressor 20 to the second evaporator 18.
  • the coolant may flow from the compressor 20 to the second evaporator 18 through the second coolant passage 24 in a direction shown by an arrow in FIG. 1.
  • the coolant flowing out of the second evaporator 18 may flow into the compressor 20 through a second recovery passage 19.
  • the second coolant passage 24 and the second recovery passage 19 may form a refrigeration loop in which the coolant circulates.
  • the first recovery passage 21 and the second recovery passage 19 may merge into one on the way to the compressor 20.
  • Valves which are a first compartment solenoid valve 23 and a second compartment solenoid valve 25
  • the coolant may flow into none, one, or both of the first evaporator 16 and the second evaporator 18 by opening or closing the valves 23 and 25. Specifically, the passages to the first evaporator 16 and the second evaporator 18 are closed when the valves 23 and 25 are both closed.
  • the coolant may flow into the corresponding first evaporator 16 or second evaporator 18 through the corresponding first coolant passage 22 or second coolant passage 24 if one of the valves 23 and 25 is opened.
  • the coolant respectively flows into the first evaporator 16 and the second evaporator 18 through the first coolant passage 22 and the second coolant passage 24 if the valves 23 and 25 are both opened.
  • the valves 23 and 25 may be separately arranged as shown in the figure, or may be integrated into one in some embodiments, for example, a three-way valve with one way for flowing in and two ways for flowing out.
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a method for the refrigerator in FIG. 1.
  • a method 50 for the refrigerator 10 involved in an aspect of the embodiments of the present invention includes the following steps: step 52: operating the compressor 20 and supplying a coolant to the first evaporator 16 through the first coolant passage 22, to cool the first compartment 12; step 54: closing the first coolant passage 22 when the second compartment 14 has a refrigeration demand, to suspend cooling the first compartment 12; step 56: opening the second coolant passage 24 and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator 18, to cool the second compartment 14; and step 58: opening the first coolant passage 22 to recover the supply of the coolant to the first evaporator 16.
  • step 54 of closing the first coolant passage 22 when the second compartment 14 has a refrigeration demand to suspend cooling the first compartment 12; whether the second compartment 14 has the refrigeration demand can be determined according to the temperature of the second compartment 14. For example, when the temperature of the second compartment 14 reaches the startup temperature, it can be determined that the second compartment 14 has the refrigeration demand.
  • the coolant when the cooling for the first compartment 12 is suspended to separately cool the second compartment 14, the coolant may flow into the second coolant passage 24, to help avoid cases that the second evaporator 18 lacks the coolant due to the second set temperature of the second compartment 14 being higher than the first set temperature of the first compartment 12, the second compartment 14 cannot drop to the target temperature for a long time, and the refrigeration efficiency is excessively low, so that the refrigeration demand of the second compartment 14 can be met more quickly.
  • the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 are simultaneously cooled, to help avoid cases that the first compartment 12 suspends the cooling for an excessively long time, the temperature fluctuates dramatically, the temperature rises dramatically, and items stored in the refrigerator deteriorate.
  • the compressor 20 is respectively operated in different speed modes in steps 52 and 56.
  • a speed mode of the compressor 20 when only the first coolant passage 22 of the first coolant passage 22 and the second coolant passage 24 is opened to cool the first compartment 12 is different from a speed mode of the compressor 20 when only the second coolant passage 24 of the first coolant passage 22 and the second coolant passage 24 is opened to cool the second compartment 14.
  • the compressor 20 is respectively operated in different speed modes in steps 56 and 58.
  • step 52 of operating the compressor 20 and supplying a coolant to the first evaporator 16 through the first coolant passage 22, to cool the first compartment 12 may include: operating the compressor 20 in a first speed mode to cool the first compartment 12.
  • the first speed mode may include: adjusting a speed of the compressor 20 according to the temperature of the first compartment 12 to enable the temperature of the first compartment 12 to approach to a target temperature higher than the shutdown temperature of the first compartment. Therefore, it is possible to operate the refrigeration system for a long time to cool the first compartment 12, and decrease startup and shutdown frequencies of the compressor 20.
  • the target temperature may be determined according to the set temperature of the first compartment 12.
  • the target temperature may be equal to, or slightly higher than, or slightly lower than the set temperature of the first compartment 12.
  • the adjusting a speed of the compressor 20 according to the temperature of the first compartment 12 to approach to a target temperature includes: increasing the speed of the compressor to reach a temperature-drop stage in which the temperature of the first compartment approaches to the target temperature from a temperature higher than the target temperature and decreasing the speed of the compressor to reach a temperature-rise stage in which the temperature of the first compartment approaches to the target temperature from a temperature lower than the target temperature.
  • the adjusting a speed of the compressor 20 according to the temperature of the first compartment includes: adjusting the speed of the compressor 20 according to a temperature difference between the temperature of the first compartment and the target temperature.
  • the adjusting the speed of the compressor 20 according to a temperature difference between the temperature of the first compartment and the target temperature includes: adjusting the speed of the compressor 20 based on a temperature difference between an average temperature of the first compartment 12 or a currently instantaneous temperature of the first compartment 12 and the target temperature in a current time interval.
  • the adjusting a speed of the compressor 20 according to the temperature of the first compartment 12 includes: determining the speed of the compressor 20 based on a basic speed SO and an adjustment speed Sv determined according to the temperature of the first compartment 12.
  • the adjustment speed Sv may be determined according to the temperature difference between the temperature of the first compartment and the target temperature.
  • the compressor 20 is operated in the first speed mode to cool the first compartment 12, so that the first compartment 12 is continuously operated at a temperature higher than the shutdown temperature of the first compartment 12, and the temperature of the first compartment 12 fluctuates more slightly.
  • the cooling for the first compartment 12 is suspended to separately cool the second compartment 14, thereby shortening a waiting time of the first compartment 12 while greatly improving the refrigeration efficiency of the second compartment 14.
  • Step 56 of opening the second coolant passage 24 and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator 18, to cool the second compartment 14 may include: operating the compressor 20 in a second speed mode to cool the second compartment 14.
  • the second speed mode is different from the first speed mode of the compressor 20.
  • the speed of the compressor 20 may be a default value preset by a manufacturer or may be determined according to at least one parameter.
  • an operating speed of the compressor 20 may be determined according to an ambient temperature.
  • a higher speed is assigned to the compressor 20 in the second speed mode if the ambient temperature is relatively high, and a lower speed is assigned to the compressor 20 in the second speed mode if the ambient temperature is relatively low.
  • the ambient temperature slightly changes within a specific time period. Therefore, different from the first speed mode, in the second speed mode, the speed of the compressor 20 is usually not changed in real time once determined.
  • refrigeration capacity supplied to the second compartment 14 per unit time can be easily determined.
  • a time for separately supplying the coolant to the second evaporator 18 can be controlled, so that a time for suspending the cooling of the first compartment 12 to cool the second compartment 14 can be determined more precisely.
  • step 56 of opening the second coolant passage 24 and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator 18, to cool the second compartment 14 includes: when the refrigeration demand of the second compartment 14 is met, for example, when the temperature of the second compartment 14 drops to the shutdown temperature of the second compartment 14, closing the second coolant passage 24, performing step 58 of opening the first coolant passage 22 to recover the supply of the coolant to the first evaporator 16, and then returning to step 52.
  • step 58 of opening the first coolant passage 22 to recover the supply of the coolant to the first evaporator 16 is still performed.
  • the coolant can be supplied to the first evaporator 16 and the second evaporator 18 in parallel, and the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 are simultaneously cooled.
  • the first set time may be fixed.
  • the first set time may be preset by the manufacturer or may be determined according to a parameter, for example, the ambient temperature or the temperature of the second compartment 14.
  • the first set time does not exceed 20 minutes, and may range from 8 minutes to 20 minutes.
  • step 56 By selecting the first set time and/or the speed of the compressor 20 in step 56, it is possible that a case that the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 further need to be simultaneously cooled after the supply of the coolant to the first coolant passage is suspended to separately supply the coolant to the second coolant passage to cool the second compartment 14 usually occurs when the ambient temperature is relatively high or the user loads the second compartment 14.
  • the compressor 20 may be operated in a fourth speed mode when the first coolant passage and the second coolant passage are both opened to simultaneously supply the coolant to the first evaporator 16 and the second evaporator 18.
  • the fourth speed mode is the same as the first speed mode.
  • the speed of the compressor 20 is adjusted according to the temperature of the first compartment 12, so that the temperature of the first compartment 12 approaches to the set temperature of the first compartment 12.
  • the fourth speed mode may be adding a fixed or variable speed value.
  • the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 may be simultaneously cooled in a speed mode the same as the speed mode of separately cooling the first compartment 12 or in a speed mode higher than the speed mode of separately cooling the first compartment 12, thereby meeting the refrigeration demand of the second compartment 14 as soon as possible.
  • the second coolant passage 24 is closed to stop cooling the second compartment 14.
  • the compressor 20 is continuously operated to cool the first compartment 12. In this case, the refrigeration system may return to step 52 for operation.
  • the compressor 20 is operated to collect the coolant after step 54 of closing the first coolant passage 22 when the second compartment 14 has a refrigeration demand, to suspend cooling the first compartment 12 and before step 56 of opening the second coolant passage 24 and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator 18, to cool the second compartment 14. In this way, after the second coolant passage 24 is opened, sufficient coolant may flow into the second evaporator 18, so that the cooling efficiency of the second compartment 14 is improved, and a cooling time of the second compartment 14 is shortened.
  • the first coolant passage 22 is closed, the second coolant passage 24 has not been opened, and the coolant no longer flows into the first evaporator 16 and the second evaporator 18. Since the compressor 20 is operated, the coolant remaining in the first evaporator 16 and remaining on a low-pressure side of the first evaporator 16 may flow into a high-pressure side such as a condenser 27 (which is shown in FIG. 1) between the compressor 20 and the valves 23 and 25 through the first recovery passage 21, that is, the coolant is collected in the refrigeration system. After the second coolant passage 24 is opened, sufficient coolant may flow into the second evaporator 18, so that a cooling speed of the second compartment 14 is improved.
  • a condenser 27 which is shown in FIG. 1
  • the first recovery passage 21 may include a one-way valve 17 located at an outlet on one side of the first evaporator 16.
  • the one-way valve 17 may be controlled, so that the coolant can only flow out of the first evaporator 16 through the one-way valve 17 but cannot flow into the first evaporator 16 through the one-way valve 17.
  • the condenser fan may be opened, and if there is an evaporator fan (not shown in the figure) corresponding to the first evaporator 16 and the second evaporator 18, the evaporator fan may be opened.
  • the compressor 20 is operated in a third speed mode to collect the coolant.
  • the compressor 20 may be operated according to a preset speed mode, for example, the compressor 20 may be operated at a fixed speed or in a fixed speed mode.
  • the speed of the compressor 20 may be determined according to the ambient temperature.
  • the ambient temperature involved in this specification may be a temperature of an environment outside the refrigerator 10.
  • the compressor 20 may be operated at a higher speed when the ambient temperature is relatively high.
  • the compressor 20 may be operated at a lower speed when the ambient temperature is relatively low.
  • the compressor 20 is operated for a second set time to collect the coolant.
  • the second set time is fixed. In this way, the coolant may be collected within a fixed time period.
  • the fixed second set time may be a time set for collecting the coolant during the manufacture of the refrigerator 10, or may be a time selected for collecting the coolant during use of the refrigerator 10.
  • the compressor 20 is operated for a second set time to collect the coolant.
  • the second set time is determined according to a speed of the compressor 20, an ambient temperature, or a pressure on the low-pressure side.
  • the coolant may be collected according to the speed of the compressor 20, the ambient temperature, or the pressure on the low-pressure side.
  • the pressure on the low-pressure side involved in this specification may include a pressure inside the first evaporator 16 and/or a pressure at the outlet of the first evaporator 16.
  • the second set time may be shorter if the speed of the compressor 20 is relatively high, the second set time may be longer when the ambient temperature is relatively high, and the second set time may be shorter if the pressure on the low-pressure side is relatively small. The remaining may be deduced by analogy.
  • the second set time preferably does not exceed 3 minutes, and may range from 1 to 2 minutes, or range from 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
  • the compressor 20 may be continuously operated to decrease the startup and shutdown frequencies of the compressor 20.
  • the refrigerator 10 includes: a first compartment 12, having a first set temperature; a second compartment 14, having a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature; a first evaporator 16; a second evaporator 18; a compressor 20; a first coolant passage 22, in fluid communication with the first evaporator 16 and the compressor 20; a second coolant passage 24, in fluid communication with the second evaporator 18 and the compressor 20; and a control element 26, configured to enable the refrigerator 10 to perform the steps of the foregoing method 50.
  • the coolant when the cooling for the first compartment 12 is suspended to separately cool the second compartment 14, the coolant may flow into the second coolant passage 24, to help avoid cases that the second evaporator 18 lacks the coolant due to the second set temperature of the second compartment 14 being higher than the first set temperature of the first compartment 12, the second compartment 14 cannot drop to the target temperature for a long time, and the refrigeration efficiency is excessively low, so that the refrigeration demand of the second compartment 14 can be met more quickly.
  • the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 are simultaneously cooled, to help avoid cases that the first compartment 12 suspends the cooling for an excessively long time, the temperature fluctuates dramatically, the temperature rises dramatically, and items stored in the refrigerator deteriorate.
  • the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 may be configured and allocated according to national standards and user needs.
  • the first compartment 12 includes a freezing compartment
  • the second compartment 14 includes at least one of a refrigerating compartment, a chill compartment, or a variable-temperature compartment.
  • the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 may be vertically stacked as shown in FIG. 1, or may be arranged horizontally, or may be circumferentially staggered.
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of control modules of the refrigerator in FIG. 1.
  • temperatures of the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 measured by a first compartment temperature sensor 28 corresponding to the first compartment 12 and a second compartment temperature sensor 30 corresponding to the second compartment 14 may be respectively transmitted to the control element 26, so that the control element 26 controls, according to the temperatures of the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14, the compressor 20, fans 32 (including the evaporator fan, the condenser fan, and the like), the first compartment solenoid valve 23, and the second compartment solenoid valve 25 to perform related actions such as cooling one or both of the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 or collecting the coolant.
  • the control element 26 may further control, according to the set temperature of the first compartment 12, the set temperature of the second compartment 14, a selected cooling mode, a time selected for collecting the coolant, and/or a time selected for separately cooling the second compartment 14 that are set by the user during the use of the refrigerator 10 and received by a user panel 34, the compressor 20, the fans 32 (including the evaporator fan, the condenser fan, and the like), the first compartment solenoid valve 23, and the second compartment solenoid valve 25 to perform related actions such as cooling one or both of the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 or collecting the coolant.

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator (10) and a method (50) therefor. The method includes the following steps: step (52): operating a compressor (20) and supplying a coolant to a first evaporator (16) through a first coolant passage (22), to cool a first compartment (12); step (54): closing the first coolant passage when a second compartment (14) has a refrigeration demand, to suspend cooling the first compartment; step (56): opening a second coolant passage (24) and supplying the coolant to a second evaporator (18), to cool the second compartment; and step (58): opening the first coolant passage to recover the supply of the coolant to the first evaporator.

Description

REFRIGERATOR AND METHOD THEREFOR
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to appliances, and in particular, to a refrigerator and a method therefor.
BACKGROUND
Some refrigerators include two or more compartments and evaporators respectively corresponding to the compartments, where a set temperature of one compartment is higher than that of the other compartment. Generally, during cooling, the evaporator corresponding to the compartment having a higher set temperature where a coolant flows into has a higher pressure, that is, the coolant is more inclined to flow into the evaporator corresponding to the compartment having a lower set temperature. As a result, the evaporator corresponding to the compartment having a higher set temperature may lack the coolant, and a longer time is required to cool the compartment having a higher set temperature to a target temperature.
Therefore, it is necessary to improve the existing refrigerator and the method therefor.
SUMMARY
An objective of the present invention is to provide an improved refrigerator and a method therefor.
For the foregoing objective, an aspect of embodiments of the present invention provides a method for a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes: a first compartment having a first set temperature, a second compartment having a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature, a first evaporator, a second evaporator, a compressor, a first coolant passage in fluid communication with the first evaporator and the compressor, and a second coolant passage in fluid communication with the second evaporator and the compressor, where entrances of the first coolant passage and the second coolant passage are connected in parallel, and the method includes the following steps: operating the compressor and supplying a coolant to the first evaporator through the first coolant passage, to cool the first compartment; closing the first coolant passage when the second compartment has a refrigeration demand, to suspend cooling the first compartment; opening the second coolant passage and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator, to cool the second compartment; and opening the first coolant passage to recover the supply of the coolant to the first evaporator. In some embodiments, a speed mode of the compressor when only the first coolant passage of the first coolant passage and the second coolant passage is opened to cool the first compartment is different from a speed mode of the compressor when only the second coolant passage of the first coolant passage and the second coolant passage is opened to cool the second compartment.
In some embodiments, the step of operating the compressor and supplying a coolant to the first evaporator through the first coolant passage, to cool the first compartment includes: operating the compressor in a first speed mode to cool the first compartment, where the first speed mode includes: adjusting a speed of the compressor according to a temperature of the first compartment to enable the temperature of the first compartment to approach to a target temperature higher than a shutdown temperature of the first compartment.
In some embodiments, the step of opening the second coolant passage and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator, to cool the second compartment includes: operating the compressor in a second speed mode to cool the second compartment, where the second speed mode is that the compressor is operated at a preset speed or the speed of the compressor is determined according to an ambient temperature.
In some embodiments, in the step of opening the second coolant passage and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator, to cool the second compartment, when the refrigeration demand of the second compartment is met, the second coolant passage is closed, and the step of opening the first coolant passage to recover the supply of the coolant to the first evaporator is performed.
In some embodiments, in the step of opening the second coolant passage and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator, to cool the second compartment, the second compartment is cooled for a first set time, where the first set time is fixed.
In some embodiments, the step of opening the second coolant passage and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator, to cool the second compartment includes: cooling the second compartment for a first set time, and performing the step of opening the first coolant passage to recover the supply of the coolant to the first evaporator when the first set time elapses.
In some embodiments, the compressor is operated to collect the coolant after the step of closing the first coolant passage when the second compartment has a refrigeration demand, to suspend cooling the first compartment and before the step of opening the second coolant passage and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator, to cool the second compartment.
In some embodiments, the compressor is operated in a third speed mode to collect the coolant, where the third speed mode is a fixed mode or changes with an ambient temperature. In some embodiments, the compressor is operated for a second set time to collect the coolant, where the second set time is fixed or the second set time is determined according to a speed of the compressor, an ambient temperature, or a pressure on a low-pressure side.
In some embodiments, the second set time ranges from 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention provides a refrigerator, including: a first compartment, having a first set temperature; a second compartment, having a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature; a first evaporator; a second evaporator; a compressor; a first coolant passage, in fluid communication with the first evaporator and the compressor; a second coolant passage, in fluid communication with the second evaporator and the compressor; and a control element, configured to enable the refrigerator to perform the steps of the foregoing method.
In some embodiments, the first compartment includes a freezing compartment, and the second compartment includes at least one of a refrigerating compartment, a chill compartment, or a variable-temperature compartment.
If technical conditions permit, the subject matter claimed by any independent claim in this application can be combined with a single subject matter or a combination of a plurality of subject matters claimed by any dependent claims to form a novel subject matter.
The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Same or similar signs are used in the figures to denote same or similar elements, shapes, and structures in different embodiments, and descriptions of the same or similar elements, shapes, and structures in different embodiments, as well as descriptions of elements, shapes, structures, features, and effects in the prior art may alternatively be omitted.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. l is a schematic diagram of a refrigeration loop of a refrigerator according to an aspect of embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a method for the refrigerator in FIG. 1 ; and
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of control modules of the refrigerator in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. l is a schematic diagram of a refrigeration loop of a refrigerator according to an aspect of embodiments of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, a refrigerator 10 includes a first compartment 12 having a first set temperature. The first set temperature may be a default temperature set for the first compartment 12 during manufacture of the refrigerator 10, or may be a temperature set for the first compartment 12 by a user during use of the refrigerator 10.
The "first", "second", and similar terms used in this specification are merely used for distinguishing from each other, but are not intended to indicate importance, a chronological order, or a priority.
The refrigerator 10 includes a second compartment 14 having a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature. The second set temperature may be a default temperature set for the second compartment 14 during the manufacture of the refrigerator 10, or may be a temperature set for the second compartment 14 by the user during the use of the refrigerator 10
Startup temperatures and shutdown temperatures corresponding to the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 may be determined according to respective set temperatures of the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14. Generally, the startup temperature may be higher than the set temperature, and the shutdown temperature may be lower than the set temperature.
When a temperature of the first compartment 12 is greater than or equal to the startup temperature of the first compartment 12, the first compartment 12 is determined to have a refrigeration demand, and a refrigeration system needs to refrigerate the first compartment 12. When the temperature of the first compartment 12 reaches the shutdown temperature of the first compartment 12, the refrigeration demand of the first compartment 12 is met, and the refrigeration system needs to stop refrigerating the first compartment 12.
Similarly, when a temperature of the second compartment 14 is greater than or equal to the startup temperature of the second compartment 14, the second compartment 14 is determined to have a refrigeration demand, and the refrigeration system needs to refrigerate the second compartment 14. When the temperature of the second compartment 14 reaches the shutdown temperature of the second compartment 14, the refrigeration demand of the second compartment 14 is met, and the refrigeration system needs to stop refrigerating the second compartment 14.
The refrigerator 10 includes a first evaporator 16. The first evaporator 16 is configured to be adapted to cool the first compartment 12. The first evaporator 16 may cool the first compartment 12 by providing cold air cooled by the first evaporator 16 to the first compartment 12 or directly cooling at least one wall of the first compartment 12.
The refrigerator 10 includes a second evaporator 18. The second evaporator 18 is configured to be adapted to cool the second compartment 14. The second evaporator 16 may cool the second compartment 14 by providing cold air cooled by the second evaporator 16 to the second compartment 14 or directly cooling at least one wall of the second compartment 14.
The refrigerator 10 includes a compressor 20. The compressor 20 may provide a coolant to the first evaporator 16 and the second evaporator 18 to cool the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14.
The refrigerator 10 includes a first coolant passage 22 that is in fluid communication with the first evaporator 16 and the compressor 20. The first coolant passage 22 may include devices and pipelines from the compressor 20 to the first evaporator 16. The coolant may flow from the compressor 20 to the first evaporator 16 through the first coolant passage 22 in a direction shown by an arrow in FIG. 1. The coolant flowing out of the first evaporator 16 may flow into the compressor 20 through a first recovery passage 21. The first coolant passage 22 and the first recovery passage 21 may form a refrigeration loop in which the coolant circulates.
The refrigerator 10 includes a second coolant passage 24 that is in fluid communication with the second evaporator 18 and the compressor 20. The second coolant passage 24 may include devices and pipelines from the compressor 20 to the second evaporator 18. The coolant may flow from the compressor 20 to the second evaporator 18 through the second coolant passage 24 in a direction shown by an arrow in FIG. 1. The coolant flowing out of the second evaporator 18 may flow into the compressor 20 through a second recovery passage 19. The second coolant passage 24 and the second recovery passage 19 may form a refrigeration loop in which the coolant circulates. The first recovery passage 21 and the second recovery passage 19 may merge into one on the way to the compressor 20.
Entrances of the first coolant passage 22 and the second coolant passage 24 are connected in parallel. Valves (which are a first compartment solenoid valve 23 and a second compartment solenoid valve 25) may be arranged at the entrances of the first coolant passage 22 and the second coolant passage 24. The coolant may flow into none, one, or both of the first evaporator 16 and the second evaporator 18 by opening or closing the valves 23 and 25. Specifically, the passages to the first evaporator 16 and the second evaporator 18 are closed when the valves 23 and 25 are both closed. The coolant may flow into the corresponding first evaporator 16 or second evaporator 18 through the corresponding first coolant passage 22 or second coolant passage 24 if one of the valves 23 and 25 is opened. The coolant respectively flows into the first evaporator 16 and the second evaporator 18 through the first coolant passage 22 and the second coolant passage 24 if the valves 23 and 25 are both opened. The valves 23 and 25 may be separately arranged as shown in the figure, or may be integrated into one in some embodiments, for example, a three-way valve with one way for flowing in and two ways for flowing out.
FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a method for the refrigerator in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, a method 50 for the refrigerator 10 involved in an aspect of the embodiments of the present invention includes the following steps: step 52: operating the compressor 20 and supplying a coolant to the first evaporator 16 through the first coolant passage 22, to cool the first compartment 12; step 54: closing the first coolant passage 22 when the second compartment 14 has a refrigeration demand, to suspend cooling the first compartment 12; step 56: opening the second coolant passage 24 and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator 18, to cool the second compartment 14; and step 58: opening the first coolant passage 22 to recover the supply of the coolant to the first evaporator 16.
In step 52 of operating the compressor 20 and supplying a coolant to the first evaporator 16 through the first coolant passage 22, to cool the first compartment 12, the second coolant passage 24 is in a closed state, the second compartment 14 is not cooled, and only the first compartment 12 is separately cooled.
In step 54 of closing the first coolant passage 22 when the second compartment 14 has a refrigeration demand, to suspend cooling the first compartment 12; whether the second compartment 14 has the refrigeration demand can be determined according to the temperature of the second compartment 14. For example, when the temperature of the second compartment 14 reaches the startup temperature, it can be determined that the second compartment 14 has the refrigeration demand.
In step 56 of opening the second coolant passage 24 and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator 18, to cool the second compartment 14, the first coolant passage 22 has been closed, the cooling for the first compartment 12 has been suspended, and the second compartment 14 is separately cooled.
In the method 50 provided in the embodiments of the present invention, when the cooling for the first compartment 12 is suspended to separately cool the second compartment 14, the coolant may flow into the second coolant passage 24, to help avoid cases that the second evaporator 18 lacks the coolant due to the second set temperature of the second compartment 14 being higher than the first set temperature of the first compartment 12, the second compartment 14 cannot drop to the target temperature for a long time, and the refrigeration efficiency is excessively low, so that the refrigeration demand of the second compartment 14 can be met more quickly. In addition, if the refrigeration demand of the second compartment 14 is still not met when the supply of the coolant to the first evaporator 16 is recovered, the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 are simultaneously cooled, to help avoid cases that the first compartment 12 suspends the cooling for an excessively long time, the temperature fluctuates dramatically, the temperature rises dramatically, and items stored in the refrigerator deteriorate.
In some embodiments, the compressor 20 is respectively operated in different speed modes in steps 52 and 56. In other words, a speed mode of the compressor 20 when only the first coolant passage 22 of the first coolant passage 22 and the second coolant passage 24 is opened to cool the first compartment 12 is different from a speed mode of the compressor 20 when only the second coolant passage 24 of the first coolant passage 22 and the second coolant passage 24 is opened to cool the second compartment 14.
In some embodiments, the compressor 20 is respectively operated in different speed modes in steps 56 and 58.
In some embodiments, step 52 of operating the compressor 20 and supplying a coolant to the first evaporator 16 through the first coolant passage 22, to cool the first compartment 12 may include: operating the compressor 20 in a first speed mode to cool the first compartment 12.
In some embodiments, the first speed mode may include: adjusting a speed of the compressor 20 according to the temperature of the first compartment 12 to enable the temperature of the first compartment 12 to approach to a target temperature higher than the shutdown temperature of the first compartment. Therefore, it is possible to operate the refrigeration system for a long time to cool the first compartment 12, and decrease startup and shutdown frequencies of the compressor 20.
The target temperature may be determined according to the set temperature of the first compartment 12. For example, the target temperature may be equal to, or slightly higher than, or slightly lower than the set temperature of the first compartment 12.
In some embodiments, in the first speed mode, the adjusting a speed of the compressor 20 according to the temperature of the first compartment 12 to approach to a target temperature includes: increasing the speed of the compressor to reach a temperature-drop stage in which the temperature of the first compartment approaches to the target temperature from a temperature higher than the target temperature and decreasing the speed of the compressor to reach a temperature-rise stage in which the temperature of the first compartment approaches to the target temperature from a temperature lower than the target temperature.
In some embodiments, in the first speed mode, the adjusting a speed of the compressor 20 according to the temperature of the first compartment includes: adjusting the speed of the compressor 20 according to a temperature difference between the temperature of the first compartment and the target temperature.
In some embodiments, in the first speed mode, the adjusting the speed of the compressor 20 according to a temperature difference between the temperature of the first compartment and the target temperature includes: adjusting the speed of the compressor 20 based on a temperature difference between an average temperature of the first compartment 12 or a currently instantaneous temperature of the first compartment 12 and the target temperature in a current time interval.
In some embodiments, in the first speed mode, the adjusting a speed of the compressor 20 according to the temperature of the first compartment 12 includes: determining the speed of the compressor 20 based on a basic speed SO and an adjustment speed Sv determined according to the temperature of the first compartment 12. The adjustment speed Sv may be determined according to the temperature difference between the temperature of the first compartment and the target temperature.
In this way, the compressor 20 is operated in the first speed mode to cool the first compartment 12, so that the first compartment 12 is continuously operated at a temperature higher than the shutdown temperature of the first compartment 12, and the temperature of the first compartment 12 fluctuates more slightly.
When the second compartment 14 has the refrigeration demand, for example, when the temperature of the second compartment 14 rises to the startup temperature of the second compartment 14, the cooling for the first compartment 12 is suspended to separately cool the second compartment 14, thereby shortening a waiting time of the first compartment 12 while greatly improving the refrigeration efficiency of the second compartment 14.
Step 56 of opening the second coolant passage 24 and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator 18, to cool the second compartment 14 may include: operating the compressor 20 in a second speed mode to cool the second compartment 14.
The second speed mode is different from the first speed mode of the compressor 20.
In the second speed mode, the speed of the compressor 20 may be a default value preset by a manufacturer or may be determined according to at least one parameter. For example, an operating speed of the compressor 20 may be determined according to an ambient temperature. To be specific, a higher speed is assigned to the compressor 20 in the second speed mode if the ambient temperature is relatively high, and a lower speed is assigned to the compressor 20 in the second speed mode if the ambient temperature is relatively low. The ambient temperature slightly changes within a specific time period. Therefore, different from the first speed mode, in the second speed mode, the speed of the compressor 20 is usually not changed in real time once determined.
Therefore, refrigeration capacity supplied to the second compartment 14 per unit time can be easily determined. In this case, a time for separately supplying the coolant to the second evaporator 18 can be controlled, so that a time for suspending the cooling of the first compartment 12 to cool the second compartment 14 can be determined more precisely.
In some embodiments, step 56 of opening the second coolant passage 24 and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator 18, to cool the second compartment 14 includes: when the refrigeration demand of the second compartment 14 is met, for example, when the temperature of the second compartment 14 drops to the shutdown temperature of the second compartment 14, closing the second coolant passage 24, performing step 58 of opening the first coolant passage 22 to recover the supply of the coolant to the first evaporator 16, and then returning to step 52.
In some embodiments, when the time for separately supplying the coolant to the second evaporator 18 has reached a first set time, that is, when the first set time elapses, even if the temperature of the second compartment 14 has not dropped to the shutdown temperature of the second compartment 14, step 58 of opening the first coolant passage 22 to recover the supply of the coolant to the first evaporator 16 is still performed. In this case, the coolant can be supplied to the first evaporator 16 and the second evaporator 18 in parallel, and the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 are simultaneously cooled.
The first set time may be fixed. The first set time may be preset by the manufacturer or may be determined according to a parameter, for example, the ambient temperature or the temperature of the second compartment 14.
Generally, the first set time does not exceed 20 minutes, and may range from 8 minutes to 20 minutes.
By selecting the first set time and/or the speed of the compressor 20 in step 56, it is possible that a case that the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 further need to be simultaneously cooled after the supply of the coolant to the first coolant passage is suspended to separately supply the coolant to the second coolant passage to cool the second compartment 14 usually occurs when the ambient temperature is relatively high or the user loads the second compartment 14.
The compressor 20 may be operated in a fourth speed mode when the first coolant passage and the second coolant passage are both opened to simultaneously supply the coolant to the first evaporator 16 and the second evaporator 18.
In some embodiments, the fourth speed mode is the same as the first speed mode. To be specific, the speed of the compressor 20 is adjusted according to the temperature of the first compartment 12, so that the temperature of the first compartment 12 approaches to the set temperature of the first compartment 12.
In some other embodiments, compared with the first speed mode, the fourth speed mode may be adding a fixed or variable speed value. In this way, the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 may be simultaneously cooled in a speed mode the same as the speed mode of separately cooling the first compartment 12 or in a speed mode higher than the speed mode of separately cooling the first compartment 12, thereby meeting the refrigeration demand of the second compartment 14 as soon as possible.
In some embodiments, after the coolant is supplied to the first coolant passage 22 and the second coolant passage 24 in parallel, if the refrigeration demand of the second compartment 14 is met, the second coolant passage 24 is closed to stop cooling the second compartment 14. The compressor 20 is continuously operated to cool the first compartment 12. In this case, the refrigeration system may return to step 52 for operation.
In some embodiments, the compressor 20 is operated to collect the coolant after step 54 of closing the first coolant passage 22 when the second compartment 14 has a refrigeration demand, to suspend cooling the first compartment 12 and before step 56 of opening the second coolant passage 24 and supplying the coolant to the second evaporator 18, to cool the second compartment 14. In this way, after the second coolant passage 24 is opened, sufficient coolant may flow into the second evaporator 18, so that the cooling efficiency of the second compartment 14 is improved, and a cooling time of the second compartment 14 is shortened.
During collection of the coolant, the first coolant passage 22 is closed, the second coolant passage 24 has not been opened, and the coolant no longer flows into the first evaporator 16 and the second evaporator 18. Since the compressor 20 is operated, the coolant remaining in the first evaporator 16 and remaining on a low-pressure side of the first evaporator 16 may flow into a high-pressure side such as a condenser 27 (which is shown in FIG. 1) between the compressor 20 and the valves 23 and 25 through the first recovery passage 21, that is, the coolant is collected in the refrigeration system. After the second coolant passage 24 is opened, sufficient coolant may flow into the second evaporator 18, so that a cooling speed of the second compartment 14 is improved.
The first recovery passage 21 may include a one-way valve 17 located at an outlet on one side of the first evaporator 16. The one-way valve 17 may be controlled, so that the coolant can only flow out of the first evaporator 16 through the one-way valve 17 but cannot flow into the first evaporator 16 through the one-way valve 17.
During collection of the coolant, if there is a condenser fan (not shown in the figure) corresponding to the condenser 27, the condenser fan may be opened, and if there is an evaporator fan (not shown in the figure) corresponding to the first evaporator 16 and the second evaporator 18, the evaporator fan may be opened.
In some embodiments, the compressor 20 is operated in a third speed mode to collect the coolant.
In the third speed mode, the compressor 20 may be operated according to a preset speed mode, for example, the compressor 20 may be operated at a fixed speed or in a fixed speed mode. Alternatively, in the third speed mode, the speed of the compressor 20 may be determined according to the ambient temperature. The ambient temperature involved in this specification may be a temperature of an environment outside the refrigerator 10. For example, the compressor 20 may be operated at a higher speed when the ambient temperature is relatively high. The compressor 20 may be operated at a lower speed when the ambient temperature is relatively low.
In some embodiments, the compressor 20 is operated for a second set time to collect the coolant. The second set time is fixed. In this way, the coolant may be collected within a fixed time period. The fixed second set time may be a time set for collecting the coolant during the manufacture of the refrigerator 10, or may be a time selected for collecting the coolant during use of the refrigerator 10.
In some embodiments, the compressor 20 is operated for a second set time to collect the coolant. The second set time is determined according to a speed of the compressor 20, an ambient temperature, or a pressure on the low-pressure side. In this way, the coolant may be collected according to the speed of the compressor 20, the ambient temperature, or the pressure on the low-pressure side. The pressure on the low-pressure side involved in this specification may include a pressure inside the first evaporator 16 and/or a pressure at the outlet of the first evaporator 16. For example, the second set time may be shorter if the speed of the compressor 20 is relatively high, the second set time may be longer when the ambient temperature is relatively high, and the second set time may be shorter if the pressure on the low-pressure side is relatively small. The remaining may be deduced by analogy.
The second set time preferably does not exceed 3 minutes, and may range from 1 to 2 minutes, or range from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. During switching in different stages mentioned above, the compressor 20 may be continuously operated to decrease the startup and shutdown frequencies of the compressor 20.
Another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention provides a refrigerator 10. Still referring to FIG. 1, the refrigerator 10 includes: a first compartment 12, having a first set temperature; a second compartment 14, having a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature; a first evaporator 16; a second evaporator 18; a compressor 20; a first coolant passage 22, in fluid communication with the first evaporator 16 and the compressor 20; a second coolant passage 24, in fluid communication with the second evaporator 18 and the compressor 20; and a control element 26, configured to enable the refrigerator 10 to perform the steps of the foregoing method 50.
In the refrigerator 10 provided in the embodiments of the present invention, when the cooling for the first compartment 12 is suspended to separately cool the second compartment 14, the coolant may flow into the second coolant passage 24, to help avoid cases that the second evaporator 18 lacks the coolant due to the second set temperature of the second compartment 14 being higher than the first set temperature of the first compartment 12, the second compartment 14 cannot drop to the target temperature for a long time, and the refrigeration efficiency is excessively low, so that the refrigeration demand of the second compartment 14 can be met more quickly.
In addition, if the refrigeration demand of the second compartment 14 is still not met when the supply of the coolant to the first evaporator 16 is recovered, the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 are simultaneously cooled, to help avoid cases that the first compartment 12 suspends the cooling for an excessively long time, the temperature fluctuates dramatically, the temperature rises dramatically, and items stored in the refrigerator deteriorate.
Usages of the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 may be configured and allocated according to national standards and user needs. In some embodiments, the first compartment 12 includes a freezing compartment, and the second compartment 14 includes at least one of a refrigerating compartment, a chill compartment, or a variable-temperature compartment. The first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 may be vertically stacked as shown in FIG. 1, or may be arranged horizontally, or may be circumferentially staggered.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of control modules of the refrigerator in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, temperatures of the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 measured by a first compartment temperature sensor 28 corresponding to the first compartment 12 and a second compartment temperature sensor 30 corresponding to the second compartment 14 may be respectively transmitted to the control element 26, so that the control element 26 controls, according to the temperatures of the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14, the compressor 20, fans 32 (including the evaporator fan, the condenser fan, and the like), the first compartment solenoid valve 23, and the second compartment solenoid valve 25 to perform related actions such as cooling one or both of the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 or collecting the coolant.
The control element 26 may further control, according to the set temperature of the first compartment 12, the set temperature of the second compartment 14, a selected cooling mode, a time selected for collecting the coolant, and/or a time selected for separately cooling the second compartment 14 that are set by the user during the use of the refrigerator 10 and received by a user panel 34, the compressor 20, the fans 32 (including the evaporator fan, the condenser fan, and the like), the first compartment solenoid valve 23, and the second compartment solenoid valve 25 to perform related actions such as cooling one or both of the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 or collecting the coolant.
The various specific implementations described above and shown in the accompanying drawings are only used to illustrate the present invention, but are not all of the present invention. Any variation made by a person of ordinary skill in the art to the present invention within the scope of the basic technical concept of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:
1. A method (50) for a refrigerator (10), characterized in that, the refrigerator (10) comprises: a first compartment (12) having a first set temperature, a second compartment (14) having a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature, a first evaporator (16), a second evaporator (18), a compressor (20), a first coolant passage (22) in fluid communication with the first evaporator (16) and the compressor (20), and a second coolant passage (24) in fluid communication with the second evaporator (18) and the compressor (20), wherein entrances of the first coolant passage (22) and the second coolant passage (24) are connected in parallel, and the method (50) comprises the following steps: step (52): operating the compressor (20) and supplying a coolant to the first evaporator (16) through the first coolant passage (22), to cool the first compartment (12); step (54): closing the first coolant passage (22) when the second compartment (14) has a refrigeration demand, to suspend cooling the first compartment (12); step (56): opening the second coolant passage (24) to supply the coolant to the second evaporator (18), to cool the second compartment (14); and step (58): opening the first coolant passage (22) to recover the supply of the coolant to the first evaporator (16).
2. The method (50) according to claim 1, characterized in that, a speed mode of the compressor (20) when only the first coolant passage (22) of the first coolant passage (22) and the second coolant passage (24) is opened to cool the first compartment (12) is different from a speed mode of the compressor (20) when only the second coolant passage (24) of the first coolant passage (22) and the second coolant passage (24) is opened to cool the second compartment (14).
3. The method (50) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, the step (52) comprises: operating the compressor (20) in a first speed mode to cool the first compartment (12), wherein the first speed mode comprises: adjusting a speed of the compressor (20) according to a temperature of the first compartment (12) to enable the temperature of the first compartment (12) to approach to a target temperature higher than a shutdown temperature of the first compartment (12).
4. The method (50) according to claim 1, 2, or 3, characterized in that, the step (56) comprises: operating the compressor (20) in a second speed mode to cool the second compartment (14), wherein the second speed mode is that the compressor (20) is operated at a preset speed or the speed of the compressor (20) is determined according to an ambient temperature.
5. The method (50) according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the step (56), when the refrigeration demand of the second compartment (14) is met, the second coolant passage (24) is closed and step (58) is performed.
6. The method (50) according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the step (56), the second compartment (14) is cooled for a first set time, wherein the first set time is fixed.
7. The method (50) according to claim 1, characterized in that, the step (56) comprises: cooling the second compartment (14) for a first set time, and performing step (58) when the first set time elapses.
8. The method (50) according to claim 1, characterized in that, after the step (54) and before the step (56), the compressor (20) is operated to collect the coolant.
9. The method (50) according to claim 8, characterized in that, the compressor (20) is operated in a third speed mode to collect the coolant, wherein the third speed mode is a fixed mode or changes with an ambient temperature.
10. The method (50) according to claim 8, characterized in that, the compressor (20) is operated for a second set time to collect the coolant, wherein the second set time is fixed or the second set time is determined according to a speed of the compressor (20), an ambient temperature, or a pressure on a low-pressure side.
11. The method (50) according to claim 10, characterized in that, the second set time ranges from 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
12. A refrigerator (10), characterized by comprising: a first compartment (12), having a first set temperature; a second compartment (14), having a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature; a first evaporator (16); a second evaporator (18); a compressor (20); a first coolant passage (22), in fluid communication with the first evaporator (16) and the compressor (20); a second coolant passage (24), in fluid communication with the second evaporator (18) and the compressor (20); and a control element (26), configured to enable the refrigerator (10) to perform the steps of the method (50) according to any one of claims 1 to 11.
13. The refrigerator (10) according to claim 12, characterized in that, the first compartment (12) comprises a freezing compartment, and the second compartment (14) comprises at least one of a refrigerating compartment, a chill compartment, or a variable-temperature compartment.
PCT/EP2022/070120 2021-07-29 2022-07-19 Refrigerator and method therefor WO2023006489A1 (en)

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2000230766A (en) * 1999-02-09 2000-08-22 Matsushita Refrig Co Ltd Cooling cycle and refrigerator
EP1087186A2 (en) * 1999-09-21 2001-03-28 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Refrigerator with two evaporators
JP2007071520A (en) * 2005-09-09 2007-03-22 Hoshizaki Electric Co Ltd Cooling storage box, and control method for its compressor
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