RU2811723C1 - Refrigerator and method for controlling it - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: control of refrigerators.

SUBSTANCE: cold air transmission unit is turned off and the cold air generator is driven with a cooling power that is predetermined because the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than the second reference temperature; whether the temperature of the storage compartment becomes equal to or higher than the first reference temperature, which is higher than the second reference temperature, is then identified. The cold air transmission unit is turned on and the cold air generator is driven with a cooling power that is predetermined when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature. It is determined whether the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than the second reference temperature. The controller calculates the utilization factor of the cold air transmission unit based on the on time and the off time of the cold air transfer unit after determining that the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than the second reference temperature, and determines the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the utilization coefficient of the cold air transfer unit. A cold air generator with a certain cooling capacity is activated.

EFFECT: freshness of the product increases.

20 cl, 10 dwg

Description

Field of technology to which the invention relates

[1] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator and a method for controlling it.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[2] A refrigerator is a household device for storing food at low temperatures. It is important to always keep the storage compartment at a constant low temperature. Currently, in the case of a household refrigerator, the storage compartment is maintained at a temperature between the upper and lower limits based on the set temperature. That is, the refrigerator is controlled by a method of driving a freezing cycle to cool the storage compartment when the temperature of the storage compartment rises to the upper limit temperature, and stopping the freezing cycle when the temperature of the storage compartment reaches the lower limit temperature.

[3] Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1997-0022182 (Publication date: May 28, 1997) (hereinafter referred to as “Background Art 1”) discloses a method for continuously controlling temperature to maintain a refrigerator storage compartment at a constant temperature.

[4] According to the prior art 1, when the temperature of the storage compartment is higher than the set temperature, the compressor and the fan are driven, the damper of the storage compartment is fully opened, and the temperature of the storage compartment is cooled to the set temperature, driving the compressor and/or or the fan stops and the storage door closes.

[5] According to the prior art 1, since the procedure of driving the compressor when the temperature of the storage compartment of the refrigerator rises to a set temperature or more, and then stopping the compressor when the temperature of the storage compartment is cooled to a set temperature is repeated, power consumption may be increased when the compressor is restarted.

[6] In addition, since the damper is fully open to cool the storage compartment, cold air may be excessively supplied to the storage compartment in the position where the damper is fully open. Accordingly, the storage compartment becomes excessively cool. In other words, the storage compartment may be difficult to maintain a constant temperature.

[7] Moreover, in a structure in which a damper is installed in a partition to separate the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment, and the damper is fully opened to cool the refrigerator compartment so that cold air is supplied from the freezer compartment to the refrigerator compartment, the refrigerator compartment is cooled excessively, and The load on the freezer compartment increases sharply due to excessively supplied cold air.

[8] Korean Unexamined Patent Document 10-2018-0061753 (published on June 08, 2018) (hereinafter referred to as “Prior Art 2”) discloses a method for determining the cooling output of a cold air supply unit based on the sum of the previously determined cooling output and delay output power.

[9] According to the prior art 2, although the cooling output of the cold air supply unit changes because the cold air supply unit continuously operates without stopping, the detection range of the cooling output power is limited when there is a sudden change in temperature, thus quick countermeasures are not taken against sharply changed temperature.

[10] Korean Unexamined Patent Document 10-2019-0005032 (published on January 15, 2018) (hereinafter referred to as “Prior Art 3”) discloses a refrigerator including a casing having a storage compartment, a cold air supply unit that is driven actuated to supply cool air to the storage compartment, a temperature sensor to detect the temperature of the storage compartment, and a controller to increase or decrease the temperature of the storage compartment, which is detected by the temperature sensor at regular intervals, and to adjust the output of the cold air supply unit based on difference between the set temperature and the current temperature detected by the temperature sensor.

[11] However, the prior art 3 only discloses adjusting the output power of a cold air supply unit based on a change in the temperature of the storage compartment, and does not disclose adjusting the output power of a cold air supply unit based on a change in the utilization rate of a cold air transfer unit such as a cooling fan. .

Disclosure

Technical problem

[12] The present embodiment describes a refrigerator that is controlled to maintain the temperature of the storage compartment in a temperature range that satisfies requirements for improving the freshness of a product to be stored, and a method for controlling it.

[13] Alternatively or additionally, the present embodiment describes a refrigerator capable of adjusting the temperature of a storage compartment to be maintained in a temperature range that satisfies the requirements, even if there is no damper in the duct, in the storage compartment to receive cold air through the duct, and the way to manage it.

[14] Alternatively or additionally, the present embodiment describes a refrigerator capable of preventing the output power of a cold air transmission unit from being determined to be inappropriate by performing a temperature stabilization operation at an initial stage, and a method for controlling it.

[15] Alternatively or additionally, the present embodiment describes a refrigerator capable of reducing power consumption when continuously operating a cold air generator, and a method for controlling it.

[16] Alternatively or additionally, the present embodiment describes a refrigerator capable of quickly restoring a constant temperature state when the temperature of the storage compartment falls outside the temperature range that satisfies the requirements, and when the temperature of the storage compartment quickly leaves the constant temperature state.

Technical solution

[17] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling a refrigerator may include a controller calculating a utilization rate of a cold air transmission unit during a process of repeatedly turning the cold air transmission unit on and off, and determining a cooling power of a cold air generator based on the calculated utilization rate.

[18] For example, a method of controlling a refrigerator may include turning off a cold air transmission unit and operating a cold air generator with a cooling power that is predetermined because the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than a second reference temperature, determining whether it becomes the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature, which is higher than the second reference temperature, turning on the cold air transmission unit and driving the cold air generator with a cooling capacity that is predetermined, when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature, determining whether the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than the second reference temperature, and calculating, by the controller, the utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit based on the on time and the off time of the cold air transfer unit after determining that the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than the second reference temperature, and determining the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit. The method of controlling the refrigerator may further include driving the cold air generator with a certain cooling capacity.

[19] The cold air generator can be a compressor. The cold air transfer assembly may be a cooling fan that operates to supply cool air to the storage compartment, or a damper that opens or closes the duct to supply cool air to the storage compartment.

[20] The storage compartment may receive cold air through a cold air transfer unit from an additional storage compartment in communication with the storage compartment. The temperature of the additional storage compartment can be maintained at a temperature lower than the temperature of the storage compartment.

[21] The controller may turn off the cold air unit when the second reference temperature is reached or lower.

[22] The utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit can be the ratio of the on time to the sum of the on time and the off time of the cold air transmission unit.

[23] The controller can determine the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the difference between the previous utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit and the current utilization ratio of the cold air transmission unit.

[24] The controller may determine the cooling power of the cold air generator to be increased or decreased when the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value.

[25] The controller may determine the cooling power of the cold air generator to be maintained when the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is less than the first reference value.

[26] The controller can determine the cooling power of the cold air generator to be increased when the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is less than zero, and when the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value.

[27] The controller may determine the cooling power of the cold air generator to be reduced when the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is greater than zero, and when the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value.

[28] The controller may determine the cooling power of the cold air generator to be increased or decreased by the first level when the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value and less than the second reference value, which is greater than the first reference value, And

[29] The controller may determine the cooling power of the cold air generator to be increased or decreased by a second level that is higher than the first level when the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the second reference value.

[30] The controller may determine the cooling capacity of the cold air generator based on the difference between the reference utilization factor that is previously determined and the current utilization factor of the cold air transmission unit.

[31] The controller can determine the cooling power of the cold air generator to be increased or decreased when the absolute value of the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value, and

[32] The controller may determine the cooling power of the cold air generator to be maintained when the absolute value of the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is less than the first reference value.

[33] The controller can determine the cooling power of the cold air generator to be increased when the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is less than zero, and when the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value.

[34] The controller determines the cooling power of the cold air generator to be reduced when the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is greater than zero, and when the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value.

[35] The controller may determine the cooling power of the cold air generator to be increased or decreased by a first level when the absolute value of the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value and less than the second reference value, which is greater than the first reference value.

[36] The controller may determine the cooling power of the cold air generator to be increased or decreased by a second level that is higher than the first level when the absolute value of the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the second reference value.

[37] The controller can determine the cooling power of the cold air generator based on a first coefficient, which is the difference between the previous utilization coefficient of the cold air transmission unit and the current utilization coefficient of the cold air transmission unit, and a second coefficient, which is the difference between a reference utilization coefficient that is previously determined, and the current utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit.

[38] The controller may determine the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the first coefficient, determine the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the second coefficient, and combine the results of the first coefficient and the second coefficient, thereby determining the cooling power of the cold air generator to increase, maintain, or decrease.

[39] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling a refrigerator that includes a first storage compartment, a second storage compartment for receiving cold air to cool the first storage compartment, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the second storage compartment, cooling a fan for supplying cool air to the second storage compartment; and a compressor that is driven to cool the first storage compartment.

[40] A method for controlling a refrigerator may include calculating a cooling fan utilization rate during a process of repeatedly turning the cooling fan on and off, and determining the cooling capacity of a compressor based on the calculated utilization ratio.

[41] For example, a method of controlling a refrigerator may include turning off a cooling fan and driving a compressor with a cooling power that is predetermined when the temperature of the second storage compartment is equal to or less than a second reference temperature, determining whether the temperature of the second storage compartment becomes for storage equal to or higher than the first reference temperature, which is higher than the second reference temperature, turning on the cooling fan and driving the compressor with a cooling power that is previously determined, when the temperature of the second storage compartment is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature, determining whether the temperature of the second storage compartment is equal to or less than the second reference temperature, calculating by the controller the cooling fan utilization factor based on the on time and the off time of the cooling fan after determining that the temperature of the second storage compartment is equal to or less than the second reference temperature, and determining the cooling capacity of the compressor based on cooling fan utilization rate.

[42] The method for controlling a refrigerator further includes driving a compressor with a certain cooling capacity.

[43] The first storage compartment may be a freezer compartment, and the second storage compartment may be a refrigeration compartment.

[44] The controller can determine the cooling capacity of the compressor based on the difference between the previous cooling fan utilization factor and the current cooling fan utilization factor.

[45] The controller may determine the cooling capacity of the compressor based on the difference between the reference utilization factor that is previously determined and the current utilization factor of the cooling fan.

[46] The controller may determine the cooling capacity of the compressor based on a first ratio, which is the difference between the previous utilization ratio of the cold air transmission unit and the current utilization ratio of the cooling fan, and a second ratio, which is the difference between a reference utilization ratio that is previously determined and the current one. cooling utilization factor.

[47] According to another aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method for controlling a refrigerator including a cold air generator for generating cold air for cooling a storage compartment and a cold air transfer unit for transmitting cold air to the storage compartment.

[48] The method for controlling the refrigerator may include reducing the temperature of the storage compartment to a lower limit temperature when the refrigerator is turned on, operating the cold air supply unit and the cold air transfer unit so that the temperature of the storage compartment is within the first reference temperature range, and a second reference temperature, and operating the cold air supply unit and the cold air transfer unit so that the temperature of the storage compartment is maintained in the range of the first reference temperature and the second reference temperature.

[49] Operating the cold air supply unit and the cold air transfer unit so that the temperature of the storage compartment is maintained in the range of the first reference temperature and the second reference temperature may include calculating the utilization rate of the cold air transfer unit during the restarting process and turning off the cold air transmission unit, and determining the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the calculated utilization factor.

[50] For example, a method of controlling a refrigerator may include driving a cold air generator with a set output power and driving a cold air transmission unit with a set output power when turning on the refrigerator, determining whether the temperature of the storage compartment reaches a lower limit temperature , reducing the output power of the cold air transmission unit to an output power less than the set output power when the temperature of the storage compartment reaches the lower limit temperature, and driving the cold air generator with a reference power, and driving the cold air transmission unit with a reference power, when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature, which is higher than the lower limit temperature.

[51] A method for controlling a refrigerator may include turning off a cold air transmission unit and operating a cold air generator with a reference cooling power, when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than a second reference temperature between the first reference temperature and a lower limit temperature, turning on the transmission unit cold air and driving the cold air generator with the reference cooling power when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature, turning off the cold air transmission unit and calculating the utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit based on the on time and the off time of the cold air transmission unit when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than the second reference temperature, and the controller determining the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the calculated utilization factor, and operating the cold air generator with the determined cooling power.

[52] The reference cooling capacity of the cold air transfer unit may be less than the installed cooling capacity.

[53] When the temperature of the storage compartment reaches the lower limit temperature, the cold air transfer unit may be turned off or may be operated at an output power lower than the set output power.

[54] The controller may repeatedly turn off and on the cold air transfer unit so that the temperature of the storage compartment is maintained in the range of the first reference temperature and the second reference temperature.

[55] The utilization coefficient of the cold air transmission unit is recalculated in one operating period obtained by the sum of the on time and the off time of the cold air transmission unit, and the controller can determine the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the calculated utilization coefficient.

[56] The controller may determine the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the difference between the previous utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit and the current utilization ratio of the cold air transmission unit.

[57] The controller may determine the cooling capacity of the cold air generator based on the difference between the reference utilization factor that is previously determined and the current utilization factor of the cold air transmission unit.

[58] The controller can determine the cooling power of the cold air generator based on a first coefficient, which is the difference between the previous utilization coefficient of the cold air transmission unit and the current utilization coefficient of the cold air transmission unit, and a second coefficient, which is the difference between a reference utilization coefficient that is previously determined, and the current utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit.

[59] According to another aspect, the refrigerator may include a first storage compartment, a second storage compartment for receiving cold air to cool the first storage compartment, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the second storage compartment, a cooling fan for supplying cool air to a second storage compartment, and a compressor for cooling the first storage compartment, and a controller for controlling the compressor.

[60] The controller repeatedly turns the cooling fan on and off based on the temperature of the second storage compartment so that the temperature of the second storage compartment is maintained in a range of the first reference temperature and a second reference temperature that is lower than the first reference temperature.

[61] The controller can perform a control operation to determine the cooling power of the compressor based on the cooling fan utilization ratio, which is the ratio of the on time to the sum of the on time and the off time of the cooling fan, and drive the compressor with the determined cooling power.

[62] According to another embodiment, a method for controlling a refrigerator includes a cold air generator for generating cold air for cooling a storage compartment and a cold air transfer unit for transmitting cold air to the storage compartment. The method may include operating a cold air generator with a set cooling output and operating a cold air transmission unit with a set output after the initial operating condition is satisfied, determining whether the temperature of the storage compartment reaches a lower limit temperature A2, reducing the output power of the cold air transmission unit to a level lower than the setting output power and continuously driving the cold air generator with the reference cooling power after the temperature of the storage compartment reaches the lower limit temperature A2, driving the cold air transmission unit with the reference output power when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature H1, which is higher than the lower limit temperature, and reducing the output power of the cold air transmission unit to lower than the reference output power, and continuously driving the cold air generator with the reference cooling power, when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or higher than the second reference temperature H2 between the first reference temperature and the lower limit temperature.

[63] The refrigerator control method further includes increasing the output power of the cold air transmission unit more than the output power in the previous step, and continuously driving the cold air generator with a reference cooling power when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature. , a larger reduction in the output power of the cold air transmission unit compared with the output power in the previous step, and continuously driving the cold air generator with the reference cooling power when the temperature of the storage compartment is less than or higher than the second reference temperature, and calculating the utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit based on the turn-on time during which the output power of the cold air transmission unit increases, and the time during which the output power of the cold air transmission unit decreases.

[64] The refrigerator control method may further include calculating the utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit at least twice, the controller determining the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the difference between the previous utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit and the current utilization rate of the transmission unit cold air and operating a cold air generator with a certain cooling capacity.

[65] The initial operating condition may include at least one of a case where the refrigerator is turned on, a case where an initial operation condition corresponding to a load on the door of the refrigerator is satisfied, or a case where a condition for completing the defrosting operation of the refrigerator is satisfied.

[66] The controller may determine the cooling capacity of the cold air generator based on a first coefficient, which is the difference between the previous utilization ratio of the cold air transmission unit and the current utilization ratio of the cold air transmission unit, and a second coefficient, which is the difference between the reference utilization ratio, which is predetermined, and the current utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit.

[67] The utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit can be determined based on (running time in the state where the output power of the cold air transfer unit increases)/(running time in the state where the output power of the cold air transmission unit increases+running time in the state when the output power of the cold air transmission unit decreases.

[68] The cooling power of the cold air generator at the current stage can be determined through MVT=MV _t-1 - (K _p (e _t -e _t-1 ) + Kie _t ).

[69] In this case, MVT is the cooling power of the cold air generator in the current stage, MV _t-1 is the cooling power of the cold air generator in the previous stage, K _p is the 'P' control constant, K _i is the 'I' control constant, and et represents (target utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit is the utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit in the current stage), or e _t-1 represents (target utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit is the utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit in the previous stage).

[70] The cold air generator can be a compressor. The cold air transfer unit may be a cooling fan that operates to supply cool air to the storage compartment, or a damper that opens or closes the duct to supply cool air to the storage compartment.

[71] The refrigerator may include an evaporator, a first storage compartment, and a second storage compartment maintained at a temperature lower than the temperature of the first storage compartment.

[72] The evaporator and cooling fan may be located closer to the second storage compartment rather than to the first storage compartment. The refrigerator may further include a knob for adjusting that cool air generated from the second storage compartment is transmitted to the first storage compartment.

Positive results

[73] According to the proposed embodiment, the temperature of the storage compartment is maintained within a temperature range that satisfies the requirements, the freshness of the stored product can be improved.

[74] In addition, since the cooling power of the cold air generator is changed based on the utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit, the cooling power of the cold air generator is adjusted in the state when the cold air generator is not turned off, thereby preventing an increase in power consumption due to repeated on/off operations cold air generator.

[75] Even if the cold air generator operates continuously, the cooling power of the cold air generator is maintained at a cooling power level lower than the intermediate cooling power between the maximum cooling power and the minimum cooling. Accordingly, the power consumption of the cold air generator can be minimized.

[76] Since the cooling power of the cold air generator is controlled at multiple levels, the temperature of the storage compartment can be returned to a temperature range that satisfies the requirements even if the temperature of the storage compartment rapidly increases or decreases.

Brief description of drawings

[77] FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[78] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[79] FIGS. 3 to 5 are block diagrams showing a method of controlling a refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[80] FIG. 6 is a view showing the change in temperature of the refrigeration compartment and the operating state of the cooling fan over time.

[81] FIG. 7 is a curve showing the change in the utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit and the output power control of the cold air generator.

[82] FIG. 8 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[83] FIG. 9 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[84] FIG. 10 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a refrigerator according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[85] Below, certain embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that when elements in the drawings are designated by reference numerals, the same elements have the same reference numerals as far as possible even if the elements are shown in different drawings. Moreover, in describing embodiments of the present disclosure, when it is determined that detailed descriptions of well-known structures or functions interfere with understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure, detailed descriptions will be omitted.

[86] In addition, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a) and (b) may be used in describing embodiments of the present disclosure. Each of the terms is used simply to distinguish the corresponding element from other elements, and does not define the essence, order or sequence of the corresponding element. It should be understood that when one element is "connected", "linked" or "coupled" to another element, the former may be directly connected or mated to the latter, or may be "coupled", "coupled" or "coupled" to the latter by the third element located between them.

[87] FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[88] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure may include a casing 10 in which a storage compartment is formed, and a storage compartment door connected to the casing 10 for opening and closing the storage compartment.

[89] The storage compartment may include a freezer compartment 111 and a refrigerator compartment 112. Items to be stored, such as food, may be stored in the freezer compartment 111 and the refrigerator compartment 112.

[90] Although FIG. 1 shows, for example, a refrigerator in which the freezing compartment 111 and the refrigerating compartment 112 are arranged in the vertical direction, in the present disclosure, the arrangement of the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment is not limited, and the type of the refrigerator is not limited.

[91] For example, the freezer compartment 111 may be located above the refrigerator compartment 112.

[92] The freezing compartment 111 and the refrigerating compartment 112 may be separated in a vertical direction within the casing 10 by a partition 113. A cold air passage 114 may be formed in the partition 113 to allow passage of cold air to supply cold air from the freezing compartment 111 to the refrigerating compartment 112.

[93] The refrigerator 1 may further include a freezing cycle to cool the freezer compartment 111 and/or the refrigerator compartment 112.

[94] The refrigeration cycle may include a compressor 21 to compress the refrigerant, a condenser 22 to condense the refrigerant passed through the compressor 21, an expansion element 23 to expand the refrigerant passed through the condenser 22, and an evaporator 24 to evaporate the refrigerant passed through the expansion element 23. .

[95] The evaporator 24 may include, for example, a freezer compartment evaporator. That is, cold air exchanging heat with the evaporator 24 may be supplied to the freezing compartment 111, and cold air from the freezing compartment 111 may be supplied to the refrigerating compartment 112 through the cold air passage 114.

[96] In another example, in the housing 10, the cold air passage 114 may be located in a position different from the baffle 113 so that the cold air from the freezer compartment 111 is directed to the refrigerator compartment 112.

[97] The refrigerator 1 may include a cooling fan 26 for causing air to flow toward the evaporator 24 to circulate cool air to the freezer compartment 111 and a fan drive assembly 25 for driving the cooling fan 26.

[98] The damper may not be located in the cold air duct 114. According to the present embodiment, the amount of cold air supplied to the refrigerator compartment 112 can be determined in accordance with the on/off operation of the cooling fan 26 and the rotation speed (RPM) of the cooling fan 26. The temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 can be changed due to the amount of cold air , supplied to the refrigeration compartment 112.

[99] In the present embodiment, to supply cool air to the freezer compartment 111, the compressor 21 and the cooling fan 26 (or the fan drive unit 25) must be operated.

[100] In the present disclosure, the compressor 21 and the cooling fan 26 (or the fan drive unit 25) may be collectively referred to as a “cooling unit” that operates to cool the storage compartment.

[101] The cooling unit may include one or more cold air generators operating to generate cold air, and a cold air transmission unit (cold air transmitter) operating to transmit cold air.

[102] The compressor 21 may be called a cold air generator, and the cooling fan 26 may be called a cold air transmission unit.

[103] In the present disclosure, the cooling power (or output power) of the cold air generator may mean, for example, the cooling power (or output power) of the compressor 21, and the output power of the cold air transmission unit may mean, for example, the rotation speed of the cooling fan 26.

[104] The utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit may mean the ratio of the on time to the sum of the on time and the off time of the cooling fan 26 in one on/off period of the cooling fan 26. Accordingly, a high utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit means that the on time of the cooling fan 26 fan 26 is continuous, and the low utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit means that the on time of the cooling fan 26 is short.

[105] The refrigerator 1 may further include a temperature sensor 41 for detecting the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 and a controller 50 for controlling the cold air generator based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 41 .

[106] The controller 50 may control one or more compressors 21 and cooling fan 26 such that the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112 is maintained within a temperature range that satisfies requirements.

[107] For example, controller 50 may turn cooling fan 26 on/off or change the rotation speed of cooling fan 26. Controller 50 may increase, maintain, or decrease the cooling capacity of compressor 21.

[108] The controller 50 may vary the cooling power (or power output) of the compressor 21 based on the utilization rate of the cooling fan 26.

[109] The refrigerator 1 may further include a memory 44. A set temperature (or target temperature) may be stored in the memory 44. The set temperature may be input through an input (not shown) or may be a temperature generally set in the product. Memory 44 may store information about the utilization rate of cooling fan 26.

[110] In the present disclosure, a temperature above a set temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 may be referred to as a first reference temperature, and a temperature below a set temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 may be referred to as a second reference temperature.

[111] In addition, a temperature above the first reference temperature may be referred to as an upper limit temperature, and a second reference temperature may be referred to as a lower limit temperature.

[112] The range between the first reference temperature and the second reference temperature may be referred to as a temperature range that satisfies the requirements. The set temperature may be, for example, an average temperature between the first reference temperature and the second reference temperature.

[113] A method for controlling a refrigerator to maintain the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 in a temperature range that satisfies requirements will be described below.

[114] FIGS. 3 to 5 are block diagrams showing a method of controlling a refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[115] FIG. 6 is a view showing changes in the temperature of the refrigeration compartment and the operating state of the cooling fan over time.

[116] As shown in FIGS. 2-6, the controller 50 may perform a preliminary operation to continuously adjust the temperature when the refrigerator 1 is turned on (S1) (or door opening and closing is detected). In the present embodiment, the pre-operation may be an operation of rapidly reducing the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112.

[117] For example, the controller 50 may control such that the compressor 21 operates at a cooling capacity and the cooling fan 26 operates at a set speed (S2).

[118] The set speed may be, but the present disclosure is not limited to, a maximum speed.

[119] Generally, when the refrigerator 1 is turned on or the compressor 21 is turned on in a state in which the compressor is turned off, the cold air generator is turned off for defrosting, or the door is opened and closed, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 may be higher than the reference temperature A1 when turned on.

[120] Accordingly, the set cooling power of the compressor 21 may be, for example, the maximum cooling power or a power close to the maximum cooling power, so that the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112 is quickly reduced. In addition, the set speed of the cooling fan 26 may be, for example, a maximum speed or a speed close to the maximum speed.

[121] When the compressor 21 and the cooling fan 26 operate, the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112 decreases.

[122] The controller 50 can determine whether the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 becomes equal to or less than the lower limit temperature A2 (or reference change temperature), for example (S3).

[123] After determining that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 reaches the lower limit temperature A2 in step S3, the controller 50 may execute control to perform temperature stabilization work.

[124] That is, the controller 50 can execute control to perform temperature stabilization work after completion of the preliminary work (S4-S6).

[125] The temperature stabilization operation means an operation to ensure that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 is within a temperature range that satisfies the requirements.

[126] For example, controller 50 may control compressor 21 with a reference cooling capacity (S4).

[127] The reference cooling power may be the cooling power between the maximum and minimum cooling powers of the compressor 21. For example, the reference cooling power may be less than the intermediate cooling power between the maximum and minimum cooling powers of the compressor 21.

[128] In addition, the controller 50 may control such that the cooling fan 26 is turned off, or the cooling fan 26 is operated at a limited speed (S4).

[129] The limited speed may be, for example, the minimum speed (greater than 0) of the cooling fan 26 or a speed close to the minimum speed.

[130] When the cooling fan 26 operates at a limited speed, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 can be increased. In other words, the temperature of the refrigerating compartment 112 can be increased because the amount of cool air supplied to the refrigerating compartment 112 by operating the cooling fan 26 is more reduced compared to when the cooling fan 26 is operating at a set speed.

[131] The controller 50 can determine whether the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112 is equal to or greater than the first reference temperature during operation of the compressor 21 (S5).

[132] After determining that the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112 is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature according to the determination result in step S5, the controller 50 may drive the cooling fan at the first reference speed in the state in which the compressor 21 is running (S6) .

[133] In the present embodiment, the first reference speed may be greater than the limited speed.

[134] For example, when the cooling fan 26 operates at the first reference speed, the first reference speed may be set to reduce the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112.

[135] In other words, when the cooling fan 26 operates at the first reference speed, the amount of cool air supplied to the refrigerator compartment 112 increases compared to when the cooling fan 26 operates at a limited speed, so that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 can be reduced .

[136] The first reference speed may be a fixed speed. In addition, the first reference speed may be changed at least once.

[137] If the first reference speed is changed at least once, the first reference speed may be changed to a second speed that is lower than the first speed from the first speed.

[138] When the cooling fan 26 operates at the first speed, the amount of cool air supplied to the refrigeration compartment 112 increases, thereby increasing the rate at which the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112 decreases.

[139] After the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112 is reduced to a certain extent, the rotation speed of the cooling fan 26 is reduced to a second speed, thereby reducing the temperature reduction rate of the refrigeration compartment 112. In this case, the temperature change of the air compressor 10 per hour can be reduced .

[140] In this case, the point in time at which the rotation speed of the cooling fan 26 changes from the first speed to the second speed can be determined over time or can be determined based on the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112.

[141] For example, when the cooling fan 26 is operated at the first speed and the setting time has elapsed, the cooling fan 26 may be operated at the second speed.

[142] Alternatively, while the cooling fan 26 operates at the first speed, when the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 reaches a third reference temperature between the first reference temperature and the second reference temperature, the cooling fan 26 may operate at the second speed.

[143] The controller 50 can determine whether the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 is equal to or less than the second reference temperature (S7).

[144] After determining that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 is equal to or less than the second reference temperature in step S7, the controller 50 may perform control to perform the operation at a constant temperature.

[145] The controller 50 may perform control to repeat the operation of turning off and then turning on the cooling fan 26 in the constant temperature operation step.

[146] In the present disclosure, the period from the time the cooling fan 26 is turned on after being turned off until the time the cooling fan is turned off again may be referred to as one operation period.

[147] The controller 50 may calculate the utilization factor of the cooling fan 26 for each operating cycle during the two operating cycles, and may determine the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 based on the calculated two utilization factors in the constant temperature operation phase.

[148] The controller 50 may control the compressor 21 at a certain cooling capacity in the next operating cycle.

[149] After determining that the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112 is equal to or less than the second reference temperature in step S7, the controller 50 turns off the cooling fan 26 in a state in which the operation of the compressor 21 (S8) is maintained.

[150] When the cooling fan 26 is turned off, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 may increase.

[151] While the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 increases, the controller 50 can determine whether the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature (S9).

[152] After determining that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature C1 in step S9, the controller 50 may turn on the cooling fan 26 and control the cooling fan 26 so that the cooling fan 26 operates at the second reference speed (S10) .

[153] In step S10, when the cooling fan 26 operates at the second reference speed, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 may decrease. The second reference speed may be equal to or different from the first reference speed.

[154] The second reference speed may be identical to or different from the first reference speed.

[155] The second reference speed may be a fixed speed or may be varied one or more times as described above in conjunction with the first reference speed. Since the case where the second reference speed is changed may be the same as the case where the first reference speed is changed, description thereof will be omitted.

[156] The controller 50 can determine whether the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 is equal to or less than the second reference temperature while the cooling fan 26 is operating at the second reference speed (S11).

[157] After determining that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 becomes equal to or less than the second reference temperature in step S11, the controller 50 may calculate the utilization ratio of the cooling fan 26 based on the on time and the off time of the cooling fan 26 in steps S8 to S10 (S12) . The calculated utilization rate of the cooling fan 26 may be stored in the memory 44.

[158] In addition, after determining that the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112 becomes equal to or less than the second reference temperature in step S11, the controller 50 may turn off the cooling fan 26 in a state in which the operation of the compressor 21 is maintained (S13).

[159] When the cooling fan 26 is turned off, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 may increase.

[160] In the state in which the cooling fan 26 is turned off, the controller 50 can determine whether the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 becomes equal to or higher than the first reference temperature C1 (S14).

[161] When the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 becomes equal to or higher than the first reference temperature, according to the determination result of step S14, the controller 50 may control the cooling fan 26 so that the cooling fan 26 is turned on and operated at the third reference speed (S15).

[162] In step S15, when the cooling fan 26 operates at the third reference speed, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 can be lowered.

[163] The third reference speed may be equal to at least one of the first reference speed or the second reference speed, or may be different from the first reference speed and the second reference speed.

[164] The third reference speed may be a fixed speed or may be varied one or more times as described above in conjunction with the first reference speed. Since the case where the third reference speed is changed may be the same as the case where the first reference speed is changed, description thereof will be omitted.

[165] The controller 50 can determine whether the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 is equal to or less than the second reference temperature while the cooling fan 26 is operating at the third reference speed (S16).

[166] After determining that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 becomes equal to or less than the second reference temperature in step S16, the controller 50 may calculate the utilization ratio of the cooling fan 26 based on the on time and the off time of the cooling fan 26 in steps S13 to S15 (S17) . The calculated utilization rate of the cooling fan 26 may be stored in the memory 44.

[167] In other words, the utilization rate of the cooling fan 26 for each operating period may be calculated and stored in the memory 44.

[168] For convenience of description, the utilization rate calculated in step S12 may be called the previous utilization ratio, and the utilization rate calculated in step S17 may be referred to as the current utilization ratio.

[169] When the current utilization factor is calculated, the controller 50 may determine the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 by comparing the previous utilization factor with the current utilization factor (S18).

[170] The controller 50 can control the compressor 21 with a certain cooling capacity (S19).

[171] In other words, the controller 50 may perform a control process such that the compressor 21 operates at a certain cooling capacity in the next operating cycle.

[172] As shown in FIG. 6, when one operating cycle is completed at the time at which the cooling fan 26 is turned off, the utilization rate of the cooling fan 26 can be determined at the time at which the cooling fan 26 is turned off. Accordingly, the cooling power of the compressor 21 can be determined at the time at which the cooling fan 26 is turned off. In this case, the cooling power of the compressor 21 can be changed at the time at which the cooling fan 26 is turned off or after it.

[173] When one operating cycle is completed at the time at which the cooling fan 26 is turned on, the utilization rate of the cooling fan 26 can be determined at the time at which the cooling fan 26 is turned on. Accordingly, the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 can be determined at the time at which the cooling fan 26 is turned on. In this case, the cooling power of the compressor 21 can be changed at the time at which the cooling fan 26 is turned on or after it.

[174] As long as the refrigerator is not turned off (S20), the controller 50 can continuously perform a constant temperature operation to change the cooling power of the compressor 21 in the state when the compressor 21 is turned on.

[175] For example, when the compressor 21 rotates at a certain cooling capacity, the controller 50 may repeatedly execute steps S13 to S19.

[176] When steps S13 to S19 are executed repeatedly, the utilization factor of the cooling fan 26 is calculated for each operating period, the last calculated utilization factor becomes the current utilization factor, and the previously calculated utilization factor becomes the previous utilization factor.

[177] According to the present embodiment, the controller 50 may determine the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 based on the difference value between the previous utilization rate and the current utilization ratio of the cooling fan 26.

[178] For example, when the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor of the cooling fan 26 is less than the first reference value, the controller 50 may maintain the cooling power of the compressor 21 at the current cooling power level. In other words, controller 50 does not change the cooling output of compressor 21.

[179] Alternatively, when the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor of the cooling fan 26 is equal to or greater than the first reference value, the controller 50 may increase or decrease the cooling capacity of the compressor 21.

[180] For example, when the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is less than 0, and the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value, the cooling power of the compressor 21 can be increased by the first level.

[181] A difference between the previous utilization rate and the current utilization rate that is less than 0 may indicate that the current utilization rate is greater than the previous utilization rate.

[182] The current utilization rate, which is higher than the previous utilization ratio, means that the operating time of the cooling fan 26 is increased. Increasing the operating time of the cooling fan 26 means that the time required to raise the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 from the first reference temperature to reaching the second reference temperature increases.

[183] When the cooling power of the compressor 21 shows a lower cooling power, the cold air supplied to the refrigeration compartment 112 may have a higher temperature.

[184] When the temperature of the cold air actually supplied to the refrigeration compartment 112 is higher than the cold air temperature corresponding to the current load of the refrigeration compartment 112, the time required until the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112 reaches a second reference temperature from the first reference temperature may be increased.

[185] Accordingly, according to the present embodiment, when the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is less than 0, and the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value, the cooling power of the compressor 21 can be increased to the first level.

[186] Alternatively, when the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is greater than zero, and the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value, the cooling power of the compressor 21 may be reduced by the first level.

[187] A difference between the previous utilization rate and the current utilization rate that is greater than 0 means that the current utilization rate is less than the previous utilization rate.

[188] A current utilization rate that is less than the previous utilization ratio means that the operating time of the cooling fan 26 is reduced. Reducing the operating time of the cooling fan 26 means that the time required for the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 to rise from the first reference temperature to reaching the second reference temperature is reduced.

[189] When the cooling power of the compressor 21 shows a higher cooling power, the cold air supplied to the refrigeration compartment 112 may have a lower temperature.

[190] When the temperature of the cold air actually supplied to the refrigeration compartment 112 is lower than the cold air temperature corresponding to the current load of the refrigeration compartment 112, the time required until the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112 reaches the second reference temperature from the first reference temperature is may be reduced.

[191] Accordingly, according to the present embodiment, when the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is greater than 0, and the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value, the cooling power of the compressor 21 can be reduced to the first level.

[192] In the present embodiment, a plurality of reference values can be set for comparison with the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization rate and the current utilization ratio.

[193] For example, when the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is less than 0, and the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the second reference value, which is larger than the first reference value, the cooling power of the compressor 21 can be increased to the second level.

[194] Alternatively, when the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the third reference value, which is larger than the second reference value, the cooling power of the compressor 21 may be increased by a third level. Alternatively, when the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the third reference value, which is larger than the second reference value, the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 can be determined as the maximum speed.

[195] Moreover, when the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is greater than 0, and the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the second reference value, which is larger than the first reference value, the cooling power of the compressor 21 can be reduced to the second level.

[196] Alternatively, when the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the third reference value, which is larger than the second reference value, the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 can be determined as the maximum speed. Alternatively, when the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the third reference value, which is larger than the second reference value, the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 can be determined as the minimum speed.

[197] In this case, the differences between the plurality of reference values can be determined in the same way or differently.

[198] For example, the first reference value may be set to B1, the second reference value may be set to 2*B1, and the third reference value may be set to 3*B1. Alternatively, the first reference value may be set to B2, the second reference value may be set to C*B2, and the third reference value may be set to C1*B2. In this case, C1 can have a value greater than C.

[199] In addition, the differences between the plurality of levels may be set the same or differently.

[200] For example, the first level may be set to a cooling power change value D1, the second level may be set to a cooling power change value 2*D, and the third level may be set to a cooling power change value 3*D.

[201] Alternatively, the first level may be the cooling power change value D, the second level may be set to the cooling power change value D1 (a value greater than D) instead of the value 2*D, and the third level may be set to the change value D2 cooling capacity (value greater than D1) instead of 3*D.

[202] According to the present embodiment, since the cooling power of the compressor 21 can be changed based on the result of the comparison between the previous utilization ratio and the current utilization ratio of the cooling fan 26, the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 can be adjusted without turning off the compressor 21, thereby preventing an increase in flow rate electricity due to repeated actions of turning on/off the compressor 21.

[203] The cooling power of the compressor 21 may converge to a certain cooling power during constant temperature operation, or may operate at a cooling power similar to a specific cooling power. The cooling power of the compressor 21, which is the cooling power to actually maintain the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112 within a temperature range that satisfies the requirements, may be less than the intermediate cooling power of the compressor 21.

[204] Accordingly, even if the compressor 21 operates continuously, since the cooling power of the compressor 21 is kept smaller than the intermediate cooling power, the increase in power consumption of the compressor 21 can be minimized.

[205] Since the temperature of the refrigerating compartment 112 is maintained in a temperature range that satisfies the requirements, the temperature variation range of the article to be stored which is stored in the refrigerating compartment 112 can be minimized, and the freshness of the article to be stored can be maintained.

[206] In addition, since the cooling power of the compressor 21 can be adjusted to a plurality of levels when the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 rapidly increases or decreases (for example, when the door is opened, when the door is opened and cold air having a temperature lower than the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 is supplied to refrigerator compartment 112, or when air from outside the refrigerator is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 112), the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112 can be quickly returned to a temperature range that satisfies the requirements.

[207] The present embodiment will be briefly described as follows. In the constant temperature operation phase, the compressor 21 operates at a predetermined cooling capacity. When one operating cycle is completed, the current utilization rate of the cooling fan 26 is obtained to determine the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 to be operated in the next operating cycle, and the compressor 21 rotates at the determined cooling capacity.

[208] In the present disclosure, either of the freezer compartment 111 and the refrigerator compartment 112 may be referred to as a first storage compartment, and the other of them may be referred to as a second storage compartment.

[209] When the temperature sensor is located in the freezer compartment 111, turning on and off of the cooling fan 26 can be determined in accordance with the change in the temperature of the freezer compartment 111. In this case, the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 can be determined based on the utilization rate of the cooling fan 26.

[210] According to the present embodiment, when the cooling power of the compressor 21 is determined based on the utilization ratio of the cooling fan 26, the following effect can be obtained compared with when the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 is determined based on the utilization ratio of the compressor 21.

[211] First, according to the present embodiment, since the actions of turning on and off the compressor 21 are not repeated, significant power consumption in the process of turning on the compressor 21 can be prevented. Moreover, in the state where the compressor 21 is turned off, noise occurs when the compressor 21 is turned on. In addition, the number of times the compressor is turned on and off is reduced, thus reducing the likelihood of damage to the compressor 21.

[212] Below, a modification of the first embodiment will be described.

[213] According to the above embodiment, although the cooling power of the compressor 21 is determined based on the previous utilization ratio and the current utilization ratio of the cooling fan 26, the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 may be determined depending on the result of the comparison between the current utilization ratio of the cooling fan and the reference utilization ratio , which was defined earlier. The reference utilization factor may be stored in the memory 44.

[214] In this case, in the refrigerator control method of FIGS. 3 to 5, steps S13 to S17 may be omitted. In addition, step S18 may be changed to a step of changing the cooling power of the compressor 21 as a result of comparing the current utilization factor with a reference utilization factor that was previously determined (or a target utilization factor).

[215] In addition, if the refrigerator is not turned off after step S19, the method may proceed to step S8 in FIG. 3 and the constant temperature operation may be performed again.

[216] That is, in the constant temperature operation stage, when the current utilization rate of the cooling fan 26 is calculated, the cooling power of the compressor 21 is determined by comparison with the reference utilization rate stored in the memory 44, and the compressor 21 can operate at a certain cooling capacity in next working period.

[217] For example, when the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is less than the first reference value, the controller 50 may maintain the cooling power of the compressor 21 at the current cooling power level. In other words, controller 50 does not change the cooling output of compressor 21.

[218] Alternatively, when the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor of the cooling fan 26 is equal to or greater than the first reference value, the cooling power of the compressor 21 may be increased or decreased.

[219] For example, when the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is less than 0, and the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value, the cooling power of the compressor 21 can be increased by the first level.

[220] The reference utilization factor can be determined experimentally such that the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112 is maintained within a temperature range that satisfies the requirements while the compressor 21 operates at a cooling power less than the intermediate cooling power without external influence in the state when the door of the refrigerator compartment 112 is closed. The reference utilization factor may not change in the storage state of the memory 44 or may change depending on the type of refrigerator or the external environment (temperature).

[221] For example, when the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is less than 0, and the absolute value of the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value, the cooling power of the compressor 21 can be increased by the first level.

[222] In the present embodiment, a plurality of reference values can be set for comparison with the absolute value of the difference between the reference utilization rate and the current utilization rate.

[223] For example, when the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is less than 0, and the absolute value of the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the second reference value, which is larger than the first reference value, the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 may be increased to the second level.

[224] Alternatively, when the absolute value of the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the third reference value, which is larger than the second reference value, the cooling power of the compressor 21 may be increased to a third level.

[225] For example, when the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is greater than 0, and the absolute value of the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the second reference value, which is larger than the first reference value, the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 may be reduced to the second level.

[226] Alternatively, when the absolute value of the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the third reference value, which is larger than the second reference value, the cooling power of the compressor 21 may be increased to a third level.

[227] Here, the differences between the plurality of reference values may be set the same or differently.

[228] For example, the first reference value may be set to E1, the second reference value may be set to 2*E1, and the third reference value may be set to 3*E1. Alternatively, the first reference value may be set to E2, the second reference value may be set to F*E2, and the third reference value may be set to F1*E2. In this case, F1 may have a greater value than F.

[229] In addition, the differences between the multiple levels may be set the same or differently.

[230] For example, the first level may be set to a cooling power change value G, the second level may be set to a cooling power change value 2*G, and the third level may be set to a cooling power change value 3*G.

[231] Alternatively, the first level can be set to the cooling power change value G1, the second level can be set to the cooling power change value G2 (greater than G1) instead of 2*G1, and the third level can be set to the G3 value change in cooling power (greater than G2) instead of 3*G1.

[232] According to the present embodiment, since the cooling power of the compressor 21 can be changed based on the result of the comparison between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor of the cooling fan 26, the cooling power of the compressor 21 can be adjusted without turning off the compressor 21, thereby preventing an increase in flow rate electricity due to repeated on/off actions of the compressor 21.

[233] Below, a modification of the first embodiment will be described.

[234] The controller 50 may maintain the cooling power of the compressor in the current state or increase or decrease the cooling power based on a first ratio (the difference between the previous cooling fan utilization ratio and the current utilization ratio of the cooling fan 26) and a second ratio (the difference between the reference utilization ratio that previously determined, and the current utilization factor of the cooling fan 26) to regulate the cooling power of the compressor 21.

[235] In this modified example, steps S1 to S20 described in the first embodiment can be performed in the same way.

[236] The controller 50 can determine whether the cooling power of the compressor 21 is increased, maintained, or decreased based on the first coefficient, determine whether the cooling power of the compressor 21 is increased, maintained, or decreased based on the second coefficient, and then finally determine that whether the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 is increased, maintained or decreased based on the combined results.

[237] For example, after determining that the cooling power of the compressor 21 is maintained based on the first coefficient, and determining that the cooling power of the compressor 21 is increased based on the second coefficient, the cooling power of the compressor 21 is finally increased.

[238] After determining that the cooling power of the compressor 21 is maintained based on the first coefficient, and determining that the cooling power of the compressor 21 is reduced based on the second coefficient, the cooling power of the compressor 21 is finally reduced.

[239] After determining that the cooling power of the compressor 21 is maintained based on the first coefficient and the second coefficient, the cooling power of the compressor 21 is finally maintained.

[240] After determining that the cooling power of the compressor 21 is increased based on the first coefficient, and determining that the cooling power of the compressor 21 is maintained based on the second coefficient, the cooling power of the compressor 21 is finally increased.

[241] After determining that the cooling power of the compressor 21 is reduced based on the first coefficient, and determining that the cooling power of the compressor 21 is maintained based on the second coefficient, the cooling power of the compressor 21 is finally reduced.

[242] After determining that the cooling power of the compressor 21 is increased based on the first coefficient and the second coefficient, the cooling power of the compressor 21 is finally increased.

[243] After determining that the cooling power of the compressor 21 is reduced based on the first coefficient and the second coefficient, the cooling power of the compressor 21 is finally reduced.

[244] After determining that the cooling power of the compressor 21 is reduced based on the first coefficient i, and determining that the cooling power of the compressor 21 is increasing based on the second coefficient, the cooling power of the compressor 21 may be maintained, increased, or decreased in accordance with the cooling power level , determined to be reduced based on the first coefficient, and the rotation speed level determined to be increased based on the second coefficient.

[245] After determining that the cooling power of the compressor 21 is increased based on the first coefficient, and determining that the cooling power of the compressor 21 is decreased based on the second coefficient, the cooling power of the compressor 21 may be maintained, increased, or decreased in accordance with the cooling power level, determined to be increased based on the first coefficient, and the cooling power level determined to be decreased based on the second coefficient.

[246] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, as described above, the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 can be determined based on the utilization ratio of the cooling fan 21. According to a modification, the cooling fan utilization ratio can be set by replacing the cooling fan utilization ratio with a utilization ratio flaps. In other words, the cooling capacity of the cold air generator can be determined based on the damper utilization rate.

[247] In addition, the output power of the cold air transmission unit may be the output power of the cooling fan or the opening angle of the damper.

[248] According to an aspect, a method (control method) for controlling a refrigerator including a cold air generator for generating cold air for cooling a storage compartment and a cold air transfer unit for transmitting cold air to the storage compartment may include periodically activation of the cold air generator with the set cooling capacity after the initial operating condition has been met.

[249] The control method may further include controlling the cold air transmission unit at a set output power after the initial operating condition is satisfied.

[250] The control method may further include determining whether the temperature of the storage compartment reaches the lower limit temperature A2. The control method may further include reducing the output power of the cold air transmission unit below the set output power after the temperature of the storage compartment reaches the lower limit temperature A2. The control method may further include continuously driving the cold air transmission unit with the reference cooling power after the temperature of the storage compartment reaches the lower limit temperature A2.

[251] The control method may further include controlling the cold air transmission unit with a reference output after the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature C1, which is higher than the lower limit temperature. The control method may further include reducing the output power of the cold air transmission unit below a reference output power (eg, a shutdown step) after the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than a second reference temperature C2 between the first reference temperature and the lower limit temperature. The control method may further include continuously driving the cold air generator with a reference cooling power when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than a second reference temperature C2 between the first reference temperature and the lower limit temperature.

[252] The control method may further include increasing the output power of the cold air transfer unit to a higher power than a previous level when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or greater than the first reference temperature. The control method may further include continuously driving the cold air generator at a reference cooling power when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature. The control method may further include reducing the output power of the cold air transfer unit to a lower level than a previous level when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or higher than the second reference temperature. The control method may further include continuously operating the cold air generator at a reference cooling power when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or lower than the second reference temperature.

[253] The control method further includes calculating the utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit based on the operating time (eg, on time) in the state in which the output power of the cold air transmission unit is increased, and the operating time (eg, off time) in the state , in which the output power of the cold air transmission unit is reduced.

[254] The control method further includes the controller determining the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the difference between the previous utilization ratio of the cold air transmission unit and the current utilization ratio of the cold air transmission unit, in a state where the utilization ratio of the cold air transmission unit is calculated to be at least at least twice. The control method may include driving the cold air transmission unit at a certain power output by the controller.

[255] The initial operating condition may include at least one of a case where the refrigerator is turned on, a case where the initial operation condition corresponding to the load on the door of the refrigerator is satisfied, or a case where the condition for completing the defrosting process of the refrigerator is satisfied (in other words , the initial operating condition is fulfilled after defrosting).

[256] The controller may determine the cooling capacity of the cold air generator based on a first coefficient, which is the difference between the previous utilization coefficient of the cold air transmission unit and the current utilization coefficient of the cold air transmission unit, and a second coefficient, which is the difference between the reference utilization coefficient, which is predetermined, and the current utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit.

[257] The utilization ratio of the cold air transmission unit can be determined based on (running time (such as fan ON time) in the state where the output power of the cold air transmission unit is increased)/(running time (fan ON time) in the state where the output The power of the cold air transmission unit is increased + the operating time (for example, the fan off time) in a state where the output power of the cold air transmission unit is reduced.

[258] The utilization factor of the cold air transfer unit can be determined using the following equation.

[259] MV _T =MV _t-1 - (K _p (e _t -e _t-1 ) + K _i e _t )

[260] In this case, MV _T is the cooling power of the cold air generator at the current stage, MV _t-1 is the cooling power of the cold air generator at the previous stage, K _p is the 'P' control constant, K _i is the 'I' control constant, and et represents (the target utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit is the utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit at the current stage), or e _t-1 represents (the target utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit is the utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit at the previous stage).

[261] The cold air generator may be a compressor, and the cold air transfer unit may be a cooling fan that operates to supply cool air to the storage compartment, or a damper that opens or closes a passage to supply cool air to the storage compartment.

[262] The refrigerator may include an evaporator, a first storage compartment, and a second storage compartment (eg, a freezer compartment) maintained at a temperature lower than the temperature of the first storage compartment. The evaporator and cooling fan may be located closer to the second storage compartment rather than to the first storage compartment. The refrigerator may further include a knob for adjusting that cool air generated from the second storage compartment is transmitted to the first storage compartment.

[263] According to another embodiment of the inventive concept, the cooling fan utilization factor can be set by replacing the cooling fan utilization factor with the time during which the cooling fan power is maintained increased compared to the cooling fan power in the previous step.

[264] In other words, the cooling power of the cold air generator can be determined based on the time during which the power output of the cooling fan is maintained increased compared to the power output of the cooling fan in the previous step. For example, the time during which the power output of the cooling fan is kept increased compared to the output power of the cooling fan in the previous step may be the time during which the cooling fan is kept on when the cooling fan becomes on in the current step after the cooling fan is turned off. fan at the previous stage.

[265] According to the modification, the utilization ratio of the cooling fan can be set by changing the opening angle of the damper, which is kept increased compared with the opening angle in the previous step. In other words, the cooling capacity of the cold air generator can be determined based on the time during which the damper opening angle is kept increased compared with the damper opening angle in the previous step. For example, when the shutter becomes open after closing in the previous step, the time during which the shutter opening angle is kept increased compared with the shutter opening angle in the previous step may be the time during which the shutter remains open. In this case, the output power of the cold air transmission unit may be the output power of the cooling fan. The output power of the cold air transmission unit can be the opening angle of the damper.

[266] A method of controlling a refrigerator including a cold air generator for generating cold air for cooling a storage compartment, and a cold air transfer unit for transmitting cold air to the storage compartment, may include immediately operating the cold air generator with a setting cooling capacity, after the initial operating condition is completed.

[267] The control method may further include controlling the cold air transmission unit at a set output power after the initial operating condition is satisfied. The control method may further include determining whether the temperature of the storage compartment reaches a lower limit temperature A2. The control method further includes reducing the output power of the cold air transmission unit below the set output power after the temperature of the storage compartment reaches the lower limit temperature A2.

[268] The control method further includes continuously driving the cold air generator with a reference cooling power after the temperature of the storage compartment reaches the lower limit temperature A2.

[269] The control method may further include controlling the cold air transmission unit with a reference output after the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature C1 higher than the lower limit temperature. The control method may further include reducing an output power of the cold air transfer unit that is below a reference output power (e.g., a shutdown step) after the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than a second reference temperature C2 between the first reference temperature and the lower limit temperature . The control method may further include continuously driving the cold air generator with a reference cooling power when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than a second reference temperature C2 between the first reference temperature and the lower limit temperature.

[270] The control method may further include increasing (eg, a turn-on step) the output power of the cold air transfer unit to a higher power than a previous level when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or greater than the first reference temperature. The control method further includes continuously driving the cold air generator with a reference cooling power when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or greater than the first reference temperature. The control method may further include increasing (eg, a turn-on step) the output power of the cold air transfer unit to a higher level than a previous level when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than the second reference temperature. The control method may further include continuously driving the cold air generator at a reference cooling power when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than the second reference temperature.

[271] The control method may further include calculating the time during which the output power of the cold air transmission unit is maintained increased (eg, on time).

[272] The control method may include determining, by the controller, the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the difference between the time during which the output power of the cold air transmission unit is maintained increased in the previous step and the time during which the output power of the transmission unit is maintained. cold air increased (eg, on-time) in the current step, in which at least two calculations are made of the time during which the output power of the cold air transmission unit is maintained increased.

[273] The control method may include the controller driving a cold air generator with a certain cooling capacity.

[274] The controller may determine the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the first coefficient, which is the difference between the time (for example, the fan on time) during which the output power of the cold air transmission unit is maintained increased in the previous step and the time (for example, fan on time), during which the output power of the cold air transmission unit is maintained increased at the current stage, and a second coefficient, which is the difference between the reference time that was previously determined (for example, the fan on time), during which the output power of the unit the cold air transmission unit is maintained increased in the previous stage, and the time (eg, on time) during which the output power of the cold air transmission unit is maintained increased in the current stage.

[275] The utilization factor of the cold air transfer unit can be determined using the following equation.

[276] MV _T =MV _t-1 - (K _p (e _t -e _t-1 ) + K _i e _t )

[277] In this case, MV _T is the cooling power of the cold air generator at the current stage, MV _t-1 is the cooling power of the cold air generator at the previous stage, K _p is the control constant 'P', K _i is the control constant 'I', and e _t represents (the target utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit is the utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit at the current stage), or e _t-1 represents (the target utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit is the utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit at the previous stage).

[278] According to another embodiment of the inventive concept, the cooling fan utilization factor can be set by replacing the cooling fan utilization factor with the time during which the cooling fan power output is maintained increased compared to the cooling fan power output in the previous step.

[279] In other words, the cooling power of the cold air generator can be determined based on the time during which the power output of the cooling fan is maintained increased compared to the power output of the cooling fan in the previous step. For example, the time during which the power output of the cooling fan is kept reduced compared to the output power of the cooling fan in the previous step may be the time during which the cooling fan is kept off when the cooling fan becomes off in the current step after the cooling fan is turned off. to the previous stage.

[280] According to the modification, the utilization ratio of the cooling fan can be set by changing the damper opening angle, which is kept reduced compared with the damper opening angle in the previous step. In other words, the cooling capacity of the cold air generator can be determined based on the time during which the damper opening angle is kept reduced compared with the damper opening angle in the previous step. For example, when the shutter becomes closed after opening in the previous step, the time during which the shutter opening angle is kept reduced compared to the shutter opening angle in the previous step may be the time during which the shutter remains closed. In this case, the output power of the cold air transmission unit may be the output power of the cooling fan. The output power of the cold air transmission unit can be the opening angle of the damper.

[281] A method for controlling a refrigerator including a cold air generator that generates cold air to cool a storage compartment and a cold air transfer unit that transmits cold air to the storage compartment includes periodically driving the cold air generator with installed power after the initial operating condition has been met.

[282] The control method may further include operating the cold air transmission unit at a set output power after the initial operating condition is satisfied. The control method may further include determining whether the temperature of the storage compartment reaches a lower limit temperature A2. The control method further includes reducing the output power of the cold air transfer unit to a level below the set output power after the temperature of the storage compartment reaches the lower limit temperature A2. The control method further includes continuously driving the cold air generator with a reference cooling power after the temperature of the storage compartment reaches the lower limit temperature A2.

[283] The control method may further include operating the cold air transmission unit with a reference output power after the temperature of the storage compartment becomes equal to or higher than the first reference temperature C1, which is higher than the lower limit temperature. The control method may further include reducing the output power of the cold air transmission unit to a level below a reference output power (e.g., a shutdown step) after the temperature of the storage compartment becomes equal to or greater than a second reference temperature C2 between the first reference temperature and the lower limit temperature . The control method may further include continuously driving the cold air generator with a reference cooling power when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than a second reference temperature C2 between the first reference temperature and the lower limit temperature.

[284] The control method may further include increasing (eg, a turn-on step) the output power of the cold air transfer unit to a level higher than the output power of the cold air transfer unit at a previous level when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature. The control method may further include continuously driving the cold air generator at a reference cooling power when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature. The control method may further include increasing (eg, a shutdown step) the output power of the cold air transfer unit to a level lower than a previous level when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or higher than the second reference temperature. The control method may further include continuously driving the cold air generator at a reference cooling power when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than the second reference temperature.

[285] The control method may further include calculating the time during which the output power of the cold air transmission unit is maintained increased (eg, on time).

[286] The control method may include the controller determining the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the difference between the time during which the output power of the cold air transmission unit is maintained reduced in a previous step and the time during which the output power of the cold air transmission unit is maintained. reduced (eg, switch-off time) in the current step, in which at least two calculations of the time during which the output power of the cold air transmission unit is maintained reduced (eg, switch-off time) are performed. The control method may include controlling, by the controller, a cold air generator with a certain cooling capacity.

[287] The controller may determine the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the first coefficient, which is the difference between the time during which the output power of the cold air transmission unit is kept reduced in the previous step (for example, the time the fan is turned off) and the time during which the output power of the cold air transmission unit is kept reduced at the current stage (for example, fan off time), and a second coefficient, which is the difference between the reference time, which is determined previously, the time during which the output power of the cold air transmission unit is maintained reduced by the previous stage, and the time during which the output power of the cold air transmission unit is maintained reduced in the current stage.

[288] The utilization factor of the cold air transfer unit can be determined using the following equation.

[289] MV _T =MV _t-1 - (K _p (e _t -e _t-1 ) + K _i e _t )

[290] In this case, MV _T is the cooling power of the cold air generator at the current stage, MV _t-1 is the cooling power of the cold air generator at the previous stage, K _p is the 'P' control constant, K _i is the 'I' control constant, and e _t represents (the target utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit is the utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit at the current stage), or e _t-1 represents (the target utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit is the utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit at the previous stage).

[291] According to an embodiment of the inventive idea, a method for controlling a refrigerator may include performing a control process to determine the cooling power of a compressor based on the temperature of a storage compartment per unit time.

[292] The refrigerator controller may determine the cooling capacity of the compressor based on the temperature of the storage compartment. The temperature of the storage compartment can be measured every time unit (which is preset). In this case, the cooling power of the compressor, which is one of the cooling unit, is adjusted depending on the change in temperature of the object (that is, the storage compartment) to be cooled.

[293] The unit of time can be significantly short. Accordingly, when the cooling power of the compressor is adjusted per unit time, the cooling power of the compressor can often be adjusted. Accordingly, the power consumption of the compressor can be increased. In addition, the number of times noise can be generated can be increased by increasing the cooling capacity of the compressor. In addition, the likelihood of compressor failure may be increased.

[294] The output power of the cooling fan (which may be a common fan in the plurality of storage compartments; the first cooling unit) may be adjusted based on the temperature of the storage compartment, and the cooling power of the compressor (the second cooling unit) may be adjusted to determine based on the adjustment of the output power cooling fan.

[295] The refrigerator controller may determine the power output of the cooling fan based on the temperature of the storage compartment. The controller can determine the cooling capacity of the compressor based on the operation of a specific cooling fan. The cooling fan is one of the cooling components of the refrigerator. The cooling fan is another of the cooling units of the refrigerator.

[296] The refrigerator controller may determine the power output of the first cooling unit based on the temperature of the storage compartment. The controller may determine the cooling power of the second cooling unit based on operating information about the first cooling unit.

[297] The refrigerator controller may perform a control process such that the first cooling unit pre-cools the storage compartment based on the temperature of the storage compartment. The controller may perform a control process such that the second cooling unit cools the storage compartment based on operating information of the first cooling unit. The operating information of the first cooling unit may include at least one of a utilization rate of the first cooling unit, a time during which the power output of the first cooling unit is maintained increased compared to the power output of the first cooling unit in a previous step, or a time at during which the output power of the first cooling unit is maintained reduced compared to the output power of the first cooling unit in the previous stage.

[298] The controller's determination of the power output of the first cooling unit may be different from the controller's determination of the cooling power of the second cooling unit.

[299] The output power of the first cooling unit may be determined by a method other than proportional-integral (PI) control, and the cooling power of the second cooling unit may be determined using proportional-integral (PI) control.

[300] According to an embodiment of the inventive concept, determining the output power of the cooling fan based on the temperature of the storage compartment may not be proportional-integral (PI) control. In other words, when the temperature of the storage compartment reaches the first reference temperature C1, the controller may control the output power of the cooling fan to increase or turn on. In other words, when the temperature of the storage compartment reaches the second reference temperature C2, the controller may control the output power of the cooling fan to decrease or turn off.

[301] As a result, although the temperature of the storage compartment is measured every unit of time, which is set in advance, the output power of the cooling fan, which is one cooling unit per unit of time, may not be adjusted depending on the temperature change of the cooling target, that is, the storage compartment. storage Accordingly, frequent adjustment of the power output of the cooling fan can be reduced, thus, the power consumption of the cooling fan can be reduced. In addition, the number of times noise is generated by increasing the output power of the cooling fan can be reduced. Additionally, the likelihood of cooling fan failure may be increased.

[302] In addition, the cooling power of the compressor, which is another cooling unit, cannot be immediately adjusted according to the temperature change of the storage compartment per unit time. Accordingly, the compressor's power consumption can be reduced. In addition, the number of times noise can be generated can be increased by increasing the cooling capacity of the compressor. Additionally, the likelihood of cooling fan failure may be increased.

[303] Here, the refrigerator operates for at least two cycles between the first reference temperature C1 and the second reference temperature C2.

[304] When the refrigerator operates for two cycles, the controller may compare the cooling fan utilization rate in the previous step with the cooling fan utilization rate in the current step.

[305] The controller may control the cooling power of the compressor to be adjusted based on the compared operating speed of the cooling fan. Determining the cooling capacity of the compressor based on the utilization factor of the cooling fan can be proportional-integral control.

[306] According to another embodiment, determining the output power of the cooling fan based on the temperature of the storage compartment may not be a proportional-integral control. The output power of the cooling fan can be determined based on the temperature of the storage compartment measured per unit time. In this case, the output power of the cooling fan per unit time can be adjusted frequently. As described above, the power consumption of the cooling fan may be increased, the noise of the cooling fan may be increased, or the possibility of failure of the cooling fan may be increased. In addition, the cooling power of the compressor, which is another refrigeration unit, cannot be immediately adjusted according to the temperature change of the storage compartment per unit time. Accordingly, the compressor's power consumption can be reduced. In addition, the number of times noise can be generated can be increased by increasing the cooling capacity of the compressor. Additionally, the likelihood of cooling fan failure may be increased.

[307] Here, the refrigerator operates for at least two cycles between the first reference temperature C1 and the second reference temperature C2.

[308] When the refrigerator operates for two cycles, the controller may compare the cooling fan utilization rate in the previous step with the cooling fan utilization rate in the current step.

[309] The controller may control the cooling power of the compressor, which should be adjusted based on the compared operating speed of the cooling fan. Determining the cooling capacity of the compressor based on the utilization factor of the cooling fan can be proportional-integral control.

[310] In accordance with the inventive concept, a temperature stabilization duration may be included. When the refrigerator enters the continuous operation zone, the controller continuously changes the output power or cooling power without turning off.

[311] When entering the cooling fan utilization factor calculation step without temperature stabilization operation after the initial operating state, the difference between the utilization factor calculated in cooling fan utilization factor calculation step 1 and the utilization factor calculated in cooling fan utilization factor calculation step 2 may represent a significantly larger value or a significantly smaller value. Insufficient cooling capacity can be determined at the stage of changing the compressor cooling capacity based on the cooling fan utilization rate.

[312] FIG. 7 is a curve showing the change in the utilization rate of a cold air transmission unit and the output power control of a cold air generator.

[313] In FIG. 7, P1-P11 refer to the output powers of the cold air generator for each time unit.

[314] P2 is less than P1, and P3 is less than P2. P4 is less than P3, and P5 is less than P4. P6 is greater than P5, P7 is greater than P6, and P8 is equal to P7. P9 is smaller than P8, and P10 and P11 are the same as P9.

[315] As shown in FIG. 7, a method for controlling a refrigerator including a cold air generator that generates cold air to cool a storage compartment and a cold air transfer unit that transmits cold air to the storage compartment may include driving the cold air generator for a specific time at a previously determined output power.

[316] The control method may include the controller determining the output power of the cold air generator based on the current temperature of the storage compartment, which is detected by the temperature sensor after a specific time has elapsed. The control method may include operating, by the controller, a cold air generator with a certain power output.

[317] When the absolute value of the difference value between the utilization rate (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit in the previous stage and the utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit in the current stage is less than the first reference value, and when the difference between the target utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit and the utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit at the current stage is equal to or greater than the first upper limit reference value, the controller can determine the output power cold air transmission unit to be increased.

[318] When the difference between the target utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit and the utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transfer unit at the current stage is greater than the first lower limit reference value, the controller may execute the process control so that the output power of the cold air supply unit is determined to be reduced (for example, see when the output power of the cold air generator is reduced from P2 to P3).

[319] In addition, when the absolute value of the difference value between the utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit in the previous stage and the utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit in the current stage is greater than the first reference value, and when the difference between the target utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit and the utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit at the current stage is equal to or greater than the first reference upper limit value, the controller may determine the output power of the cold air generator to be increased.

[320] In addition, when the absolute value of the difference value between the utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit in the previous stage and the utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit in the current stage is greater than the first reference value, and when the difference between the target utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit and the utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit at the current stage is equal to or greater than the first lower limit reference value, the controller may determine the output power of the cold air generator to be reduced.

[321] When the difference between the target utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit and the utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit at the current stage is less than the first upper limit reference value or the first lower limit reference value value, the controller can carry out the control process so that the output power of the cold air generator is maintained.

[322] While the cold air generator is driven with a reduced or increased output power, because the controller determines the output power of the cold air generator to be reduced or increased when the absolute value of the difference value between the utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit in the previous stage and the utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit in the current stage is less than the first reference value, and when the absolute value of the difference between the target utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit air and the utilization factor (or on time or off time) of the cold air transmission unit at the current stage is equal to or greater than the first upper limit reference value or the first lower limit reference value, the controller can determine the output power of the cold air generator to be reduced or increased again (output power is reduced/increased again when the same condition is met after a specified period of time).

[323] According to another embodiment of the inventive concept, the cooling fan utilization factor can be set by replacing the cooling fan utilization factor with the time during which the cooling fan power output is maintained increased compared to the cooling fan power output in the previous step.

[324] In accordance with yet another embodiment of the inventive concept, the utilization factor of the cold air transfer unit can be set by replacing the utilization factor of the cold air transfer unit with the time during which the output power of the cold air transfer unit is maintained reduced compared to the output power of the cold air transfer unit. air at the previous stage.

[325] Reference values (which are determined by an output power change table based on the change (previous value-current value) of temperatures measured at specific time intervals) can be set at regular intervals or irregular intervals.

[326] The specific time intervals may be regular time intervals or irregular time intervals. For example, the interval in the range that satisfies the requirements may be larger than the interval in the range that does not satisfy the requirements.

[327] The upper limit reference value or the lower limit reference value can be set equal to or different from the reference value.

[328] FIG. 8 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[329] As shown in FIG. 8, the refrigerator 1A according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure may include a casing 10 in which a freezing compartment 111a and a refrigerating compartment 112a are formed, and doors (not shown) connected to the casing 10, for opening and closing the freezer compartment 111a and the refrigerator compartment 112a.

[330] The freezing compartment 111a and the refrigerating compartment 112a may be separated horizontally or vertically by a partition 113a in the casing 10. A cold air opening may be formed in the partition 113a, and a shutter 12 may be mounted on the cold air opening to open or close the cold air opening. cold air.

[331] The refrigerator 1 may further include a freezing cycle 20 for cooling the freezer compartment 111a and/or the refrigerator compartment 112a.

[332] The freezing cycle 20 may be the same as in the first embodiment, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[333] In freeze cycle 20, evaporator 24 may include a freezer compartment evaporator.

[334] The refrigerator 1 may include a cooling fan 26 for providing air passage to the evaporator 24 to circulate cool air in the freezer compartment 111a and a fan drive assembly 25 for driving the cooling fan 26.

[335] In the present embodiment, the compressor 21 and the cooling fan 26 must be operated to supply cool air to the freezing compartment 111a, and the compressor 21 and the cooling fan 26 must be operated and the damper 12 must be opened to supply cold air to the refrigerator compartment 112a. In this case, the shutter 12 can be driven by the shutter drive unit 114a.

[336] The compressor 21, cooling fan 26 (or fan drive unit 25), and damper 12 (or damper motor 114a) may be referred to as a “cooling unit” that operates to cool the storage compartment. The cooling unit may include one or more cold air generators and a cold air transmission unit (cold air transmitter).

[337] In the present embodiment, the compressor 21 may be called a cold air generator, and the cooling fan 26 and the damper 12 may be called a cold air transmission unit.

[338] In the present disclosure, the power output of the cold air generator may mean the cooling power of the compressor 21, and the power output of the cold air transmission unit may mean the rotation speed of the cooling fan 26 and/or the opening angle of the damper 12.

[339] When the cold air transmission unit is the cooling fan 26, the utilization rate of the cooling fan 26 may mean the ratio of the on time to the sum of the on time and the off time of the cooling fan 26 in one on/off period of the cooling fan 26.

[340] In the present embodiment, a position in which the shutter 12 is closed is defined as a position in which the cold air transmission unit is turned off, and a position in which the shutter 12 is open is defined as a position in which the cold air transmission unit is turned on.

[341] When the cold air transmission unit is a damper 12, the damper utilization ratio may mean the ratio of the opening time of the damper 12 to the sum of the time of one closing of the damper 12 and the time of one opening of the damper 12.

[342] The refrigerator 1A may further include a freezer compartment temperature sensor 41a for detecting the temperature of the freezer compartment 111a, a freezer compartment temperature sensor 42a for detecting the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a, and a controller 50 for controlling the cold air generator based on the temperatures detected by the sensors 41a and 42a. temperature.

[343] The controller 50 may control one or more compressors 21 and cooling fan 26 such that the temperature of the freezer compartment 111a is maintained at a set temperature (or target temperature).

[344] The controller 50 may control the power output of one or more compressors 21, cooling fan 26, and damper 12 to maintain the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a at a set temperature.

[345] For example, the cooling power of the compressor 21 can be adjusted based on the utilization ratio of the cooling fan 26 or the utilization ratio of the damper 12 in the same manner as in the control method described in the first embodiment.

[346] For example, when the refrigerator 1 is turned on, the controller 50 may perform a preliminary operation to continuously regulate the temperature. For example, the controller 50 may control such that the compressor 21 operates at a set cooling capacity and the cooling fan 26 operates at a set speed. In addition, the controller 50 can control so that the shutter 12 opens at a predetermined angle.

[347] The set cooling power of the compressor 21 may be, for example, a maximum cooling power or a cooling power close to the maximum cooling power, so that the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112a drops quickly. In addition, the set speed of the cooling fan 26 may be, for example, a maximum speed or a speed close to the maximum speed. In addition, the opening angle of the shutter 12 may be a maximum angle or an angle close to the maximum angle.

[348] When the compressor 21 and the cooling fan 26 are operated and the damper 12 is opened to a set angle, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a drops.

[349] After determining that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a reaches the lower limit temperature A2, the controller 50 may execute control to perform a temperature stabilization operation.

[350] For example, controller 50 may perform control such that compressor 21 operates at a reference cooling capacity. The reference cooling power may be less than the intermediate cooling power between the maximum cooling power and the minimum cooling power of the compressor 21.

[351] In addition, the controller 50 may change the opening angle of the shutter 12 so that the shutter 12 closes, or the opening angle of the shutter 12 becomes a limited angle. The limited angle may be equal to or greater than the minimum flap angle of 12, for example.

[352] When the damper 12 is closed, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a may increase.

[353] The controller 50 may determine whether the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112a is equal to or greater than the first reference temperature during operation of the compressor 21.

[354] The controller 50 may set the opening angle of the damper 12 as the first reference angle after determining that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a is equal to or greater than the first reference temperature.

[355] In the present embodiment, the first reference angle may be larger than the limited angle.

[356] For example, when the damper 12 is opened to the first reference angle, the first reference angle can be set to reduce the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a.

[357] Since the amount of cold air supplied to the refrigerating compartment 112a when the damper 12 is opened to the first reference angle is greater than the amount of cold air supplied to the refrigerating compartment 112a when the damper 12 is open to a limited angle, the temperature of the refrigerating compartment 112a may decrease.

[358] The first reference angle may be a fixed angle. Alternatively, the first reference angle may be changed one or more times.

[359] When the first reference angle is changed one or more times, the first reference angle may be changed from a first angle to a second angle smaller than the first angle.

[360] When the damper 12 is opened to the first angle, the amount of cold air supplied to the refrigerating compartment 112a is large, and thus the rate of decrease in the temperature of the refrigerating compartment 112a can increase.

[361] After the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a decreases to a certain extent, the opening angle of the damper 12 may decrease to a second angle, thereby reducing the rate of decrease in the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a. In this case, it is possible to reduce the temperature variation range of the refrigerator compartment 112a per unit time.

[362] Here, the time at which the opening angle of the shutter 12 changes from the first angle to the second angle can be determined by time or based on the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a.

[363] For example, when the shutter 12 is opened to a first angle and the set time has elapsed, the shutter 12 may be opened to a second angle.

[364] Alternatively, when the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a reaches a third reference temperature between the first reference temperature and the second reference temperature in the position where the damper 12 is open to the first angle, the damper 12 may be opened to the second angle.

[365] When the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a is equal to or less than the second reference temperature, the controller 50 may execute control to perform operation at a constant temperature.

[366] The controller 50 may perform control to repeat the operation of closing and then opening the damper 12 in the constant temperature operation step.

[367] In the present embodiment, the period during which the shutter 12 is closed, opened, and closed again may be referred to as one operating period.

[368] The controller 50 may calculate the utilization factor of the damper 12 for each operating cycle during the two operating cycles, and may determine the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 based on the calculated two utilization factors in the constant temperature operation phase. The controller 50 may control the compressor 21 at a certain cooling capacity during the next operating cycle.

[369] When the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112a is equal to or less than the second reference temperature, the controller 50 performs control to close the damper 12 to a position that maintains the operation of the compressor 21.

[370] When the damper 12 is closed, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a may increase. The controller 50 may perform control to open the damper 12 to a second reference angle upon determining that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature.

[371] When the damper 12 is opened to the second reference angle, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a can be lowered.

[372] The second reference angle may be equal to or different from the first reference angle.

[373] The second reference angle may be fixed or changed one or more times like the first reference angle. The change in the second reference angle may be equal to the change in the first reference angle, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[374] In the position in which the damper 12 is open to the second reference angle after determining that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a becomes equal to or less than the second reference temperature, the controller 50 can calculate the utilization rate of the damper 12 based on the closing time and the opening time of the damper 12. The calculated utilization rate of the shutter 12 may be stored in the memory 44.

[375] After determining that the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112a becomes equal to or less than the second reference temperature, the controller 50 may execute control to close the damper 12 in the position to maintain operation of the compressor 21.

[376] When the damper 12 is closed, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a may increase. In the position in which the damper 12 is closed after determining that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a becomes equal to or greater than the first reference temperature, the controller 50 may perform control so that the damper 12 opens at the third reference angle. When the damper 12 is opened at the third reference angle, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a can be lowered.

[377] The third reference angle may be equal to one or more of the first reference angle and the second reference angle, or may be different from the first reference angle and the second reference angle.

[378] The third reference angle may be fixed or changed one or more times like the first reference angle. The change in the third reference angle may be equal to the change in the first reference angle, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[379] In the position in which the damper 12 is open to the third reference angle after determining that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a becomes equal to or less than the second reference temperature, the controller 50 can calculate the utilization rate of the damper 12 based on the closing time and the opening time of the damper 12. The calculated utilization rate of the shutter 12 may be stored in the memory 44.

[380] That is, the utilization rate of the damper 12 can be calculated for each operating period and stored in the memory 44.

[381] When the current utilization factor is calculated, the controller 50 may determine the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 by comparing the previous utilization factor with the current utilization factor. The controller 50 can control the compressor 21 with a certain cooling capacity.

[382] In other words, the controller 50 may perform a control operation such that the compressor 21 operates at a certain cooling capacity during the next operating cycle.

[383] As described in the description of the first embodiment, the controller 50 may determine the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 by comparing a previous utilization rate with a current utilization ratio of the cooling fan 50.

[384] As another example, the controller 50 may determine the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 by comparing a reference utilization factor with the current utilization factor of the damper 12.

[385] In another example, the controller 50 may maintain the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 in the current state or increase or decrease the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 based on the first coefficient (which is the difference between the previous utilization ratio and the current utilization ratio of the damper 12) to adjust the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 and the second coefficient (which is the difference between the reference utilization coefficient and the current utilization coefficient of the damper 12). Since the method for determining the cooling power of the compressor 21 based on the first coefficient and the second coefficient is the same in the description in the first embodiment, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[386] FIG. 9 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[387] As shown in FIG. 9, the refrigerator 1B according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure may include a casing 10 in which a freezing compartment 111a and a refrigerating compartment 112b are formed, and doors (not shown) connected to the casing 10 for opening and closing the freezer compartment 111a and the refrigerator compartment 112a.

[388] The freezer compartment 111a and the refrigerator compartment 112a may be separated horizontally or vertically by a partition 113a in the housing 10.

[389] The refrigerator 1B may further include a condenser 22, an expansion member 23, a freezer compartment evaporator 30 (or a first evaporator) for cooling the freezer compartment 111a, and a refrigerator compartment evaporator 30a (or a second evaporator) for cooling the refrigerator compartment 112a.

[390] Refrigerator 1B may include a switch valve 38 allowing refrigerant passed through expansion member 23 to pass to either of freezer compartment evaporator 30 and refrigerator compartment evaporator 30a.

[391] In the present embodiment, the position in which the switching valve 38 operates so that the refrigerant flows into the freezing compartment evaporator 30 may be called the first position. In addition, the position in which the switching valve 38 operates so that the refrigerant flows into the refrigeration compartment evaporator 30a may be called the second position. The switch valve 38 may be, for example, a three-way valve.

[392] The switch valve 38 can selectively open either of the first refrigerant passage connected so that the refrigerant passes between the compressor 21 and the refrigerator evaporator 30a, and the second refrigerant passage connected so that the refrigerant passes between the compressor 21 and the freezer evaporator 30 departments. By means of the switching valve 38, cooling of the refrigerating compartment 112a and cooling of the freezing compartment 111a can be performed alternately.

[393] The refrigerator 1B may include a freezer fan 32 (which may be referred to as a first fan) for supplying air to the freezer evaporator 30, a first motor 31 for rotating the freezer fan 32, a refrigerator fan 32a (which may be referred to as a second fan) for supplying air to the refrigeration compartment evaporator 30a and a second motor 31a for rotating the refrigeration compartment fan 32a.

[394] In the present embodiment, the series of cycles in which the refrigerant passes through the compressor 21, the condenser 22, the expansion element 23 and the freezer evaporator 30 may be called a "freeze cycle", and the series of cycles in which the refrigerant passes through the compressor 21, the condenser 22, the expansion member 23 and the refrigeration compartment evaporator 30a may be referred to as a “refrigeration cycle.”

[395] "Refrigeration cycle operation" means that the compressor 21 is turned on, the refrigeration compartment fan 32a rotates, and the refrigerant passing through the refrigeration compartment evaporator 30a exchanges heat with the air, while the refrigerant passes through the refrigeration compartment evaporator 30a by switching valve 38.

[396] "Freeze cycle operation" means that the compressor 21 is turned on, the freezer fan 32 rotates, the refrigerant passing through the freezer evaporator 30 exchanges heat with the air, while the refrigerant passes through the freezer evaporator 30 by means of a switch valve 38.

[397] Although in the above description, one expansion element 23 is located on the upstream side of the switch valve 38, the first expansion element is located between the switch valve 38 and the freezer evaporator 30, and the second expansion element is located between the switch valve 38 and the refrigeration evaporator 30a. departments.

[398] In another example, the switching valve 38 may not be used, the first valve may be located on the inlet side of the freezer compartment evaporator 30, and the second valve may be located on the inlet side of the refrigeration compartment evaporator 30a. The first valve may be turned on and the second valve may be turned off during operation of the freezing cycle, and the first valve may be turned off and the second valve may be turned on during operation of the refrigeration cycle.

[399] The refrigeration fan and the compressor may be referred to as a first cooling unit for cooling the first storage compartment, and the freezing compartment fan and the compressor may be referred to as a second cooling unit for cooling the second storage compartment.

[400] The refrigerator 1B may include a freezer compartment temperature sensor 41a for detecting the temperature of the freezer compartment 111a, a refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 42a for detecting the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a, an input unit (not shown) for inputting corresponding target temperatures (or set temperatures) of the freezer compartment 111a and refrigeration compartment 112a; and a controller 50 for controlling a refrigeration cycle (including a freezing cycle and a refrigeration cycle) based on input target temperatures and temperatures detected by temperature sensors 41a and 42a.

[401] In addition, in the present disclosure, a temperature above the set temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a may be referred to as a first refrigerator compartment reference temperature, and a temperature below the set temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112a may be referred to as a second refrigerator compartment reference temperature. In addition, the range between the first refrigeration compartment reference temperature and the second refrigeration compartment reference temperature may be referred to as a refrigeration compartment set temperature range.

[402] In the present disclosure, a temperature above the set temperature of the freezer compartment 111a is called a first freezer compartment reference temperature, and a temperature below the set temperature of the freezer compartment 111a may be a second freezer compartment reference temperature. In addition, the range between the first freezing compartment reference temperature and the second freezing compartment reference temperature may be referred to as a freezer compartment set temperature range.

[403] In the present embodiment, the user can set the respective target temperatures of the freezer compartment 111a and the refrigerator compartment 112a.

[404] In the present embodiment, the controller 50 can perform control so that the refrigeration cycle, the freezing cycle, and the pumping cycle form one operating period. That is, the controller 50 can control the cycle while continuously driving the compressor 21 without stopping.

[405] In the present embodiment, the pumping operation means the operation of driving the compressor 21 to collect the refrigerant remaining in each evaporator in the compressor 21 in a position in which the supply of refrigerant to the entire plurality of evaporators is prevented.

[406] The controller 50 controls the refrigeration cycle and controls the freezing cycle when the refrigeration cycle stop condition is met. When the freezing cycle stopping condition is satisfied while the freezing cycle is running, the pumping process can be performed. Once the pumpdown process is complete, the refrigeration cycle can operate again.

[407] In the present embodiment, when the condition for stopping the refrigeration cycle is satisfied, cooling of the refrigeration compartment can be considered complete. In addition, when the condition for stopping the freezing cycle is met, cooling of the freezer compartment can be considered complete.

[408] However, in the present disclosure, the condition for stopping the refrigeration cycle may be the condition for starting the freezing cycle.

[409] In the present embodiment, the pumping operation may be omitted under a specific condition. In this case, the refrigeration cycle and the freezing cycle can operate alternately. The refrigeration cycle and the freezing cycle can form one operating period.

[410] During one operating period, the utilization rate of the refrigeration compartment fan 32a can be determined.

[411] For example, during one operating period when the refrigeration cycle is operating, the refrigeration fan 32a may be turned on, and when the freezing cycle is operating, the refrigeration fan 32a may be turned off. Accordingly, the utilization ratio of the refrigeration fan 32a can be determined, which is the ratio of the on time of the refrigeration fan 32a to the sum of the on time and the off time of the refrigeration fan 32a.

[412] The controller 50 may determine the cooling power of the compressor 21 during a freezing cycle based on the determined utilization rate of the freezer compartment fan 32a.

[413] As described above in the first embodiment, the controller 50 may compare the previous utilization rate of the refrigeration compartment fan 32a with the current utilization ratio of the refrigeration compartment fan 32a and determine the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 during operation of the refrigeration cycle.

[414] In another example, the controller 50 may compare the reference utilization rate of the refrigeration compartment fan 32a with the current utilization rate of the refrigeration compartment fan 32a and determine the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 during operation of the refrigeration cycle.

[415] In another example, the controller 50 may maintain the cooling power of the compressor 21 in the current state or may increase or decrease the cooling power of the compressor 21 based on a first ratio (the difference between the previous refrigeration compartment fan utilization ratio and the current refrigeration compartment fan utilization ratio) and a second ratio (the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current refrigerator compartment fan utilization factor) to adjust the cooling power of compressor 21.

[416] In addition, during one operating period, the utilization rate of the freezer compartment fan 32 can be determined.

[417] For example, during one operating period when the freezing cycle is operating, the freezer fan 32 may be turned on, and while the refrigeration cycle is operating, the freezer fan 32 may be turned off. Accordingly, the utilization ratio of the freezer fan 32 can be determined, which is the ratio of the on time of the freezer fan 32 to the sum of the on time and the off time of the freezer fan 32.

[418] The controller 50 may determine the cooling power of the compressor 21 during a freezing cycle based on the determined utilization rate of the freezer fan 32 .

[419] As described above in the first embodiment, the controller 50 may compare the previous utilization rate of the freezer fan 32 with the current utilization rate of the freezer fan 32 and determine the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 during operation of the freezing cycle.

[420] In another example, the controller 50 may compare the reference utilization rate of the freezer fan 32 with the current utilization rate of the freezer fan 32 and determine the cooling capacity of the compressor 21 during operation of the freeze cycle.

[421] In another example, the controller 50 may maintain the cooling power of the compressor 21 in the current state, or may increase or decrease the cooling power of the compressor 21 based on a first ratio (the difference between the previous freezer fan utilization ratio and the current freezer fan utilization ratio) and a second ratio (the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current freezer fan utilization factor) to adjust the cooling power of compressor 21.

[422] FIG. 10 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a refrigerator according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[423] As shown in FIG. 10, the refrigerator 1C according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure may include a casing 10 in which a freezing compartment 111b and a refrigerating compartment 112b are formed, and doors (not shown) connected to the casing 10, for opening and closing the freezer compartment 111b and the refrigerator compartment 112b.

[424] The freezer compartment 111b and the refrigerator compartment 112b may be separated horizontally or vertically by a partition 113b in the housing 10.

[425] In addition, the refrigerator 1C may include a refrigeration cycle for cooling the freezer compartment 111b and the refrigerator compartment 112b.

[426] The refrigeration cycle may include a freezing cycle for cooling the freezer compartment 111b and a refrigeration cycle for cooling the refrigerator compartment 112b.

[427] The refrigeration cycle may include a freezer compressor 21a (or a first compressor), a condenser 35, a first expansion element 36, a first evaporator 37, and a freezer fan 39.

[428] The freezer compartment fan 39 may be rotated by the first motor 38. The freezer compartment fan 39 may supply air to the first evaporator 37 to circulate cool air in the freezer compartment 111b.

[429] In the present embodiment, the freezer compartment compressor 21a and the freezer compartment fan 39 may be called a “freezer compartment cooling unit” for cooling the freezer compartment 111b.

[430] The refrigeration cycle may include a refrigeration compartment compressor 21b (or a second compressor), a condenser 35, a second expansion element 36a, a second evaporator 37a, and a refrigeration compartment fan 39a.

[431] The refrigeration compartment fan 39a can be rotated by the second motor 38a. The refrigeration compartment fan 39a may supply air to the second evaporator 37a to circulate cool air in the refrigeration compartment 112b.

[432] In the present embodiment, the refrigeration compartment compressor 21b and the refrigeration compartment fan 39a may be referred to as a “refrigerator compartment cooling unit” that operates to cool the refrigeration compartment 112b.

[433] Here, the condenser 35 forms one heat exchanger and is divided into two parts so that the refrigerant passes through. That is, the refrigerant discharged from the first compressor 21a may pass into the first portion 351 of the condenser 35, and the refrigerant discharged from the second compressor 21b may pass into the second portion 352 of the condenser 35. A condenser pin for the first portion 351 and a condenser pin for the second portion 352 can be connected to improve the condensing efficiency of the capacitor.

[434] Compared with the case where two separate capacitors are installed in the engine room, it is possible to improve the condensation efficiency of the capacitor by reducing the area for installing the capacitor. Accordingly, the first portion 351 may be referred to as a first capacitor, and the second portion 352 may be referred to as a second capacitor.

[435] Refrigerator 1C may further include a controller for controlling a refrigeration cycle based on temperatures of the freezer compartment 111b and/or refrigerator compartment 112b input via an input unit (not shown) and temperatures detected by the freezer compartment temperature sensor and/or temperature sensor refrigerator compartment (not shown).

[436] In the present embodiment, the temperature above the target temperature of the freezer compartment 111b is called the first freezer compartment reference temperature, and the temperature below the target temperature of the freezer compartment 111b is called the second freezer compartment reference temperature. In addition, the range between the first freezing compartment reference temperature and the second freezing compartment reference temperature may be referred to as a freezer compartment set temperature range.

[437] In the present embodiment, the controller performs control so that the temperature of the freezer compartment 111b is maintained within the set temperature range. Here, control to maintain the temperature of the freezer compartment 111b within the set temperature range is called continuous freezer compartment temperature control.

[438] In addition, in the present embodiment, a temperature above the target temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112b is called a first reference temperature of the refrigerator compartment, and a temperature below the target temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112b may be called a second reference temperature of the refrigerator compartment. In addition, the range between the first refrigeration compartment reference temperature and the second refrigeration compartment reference temperature may be referred to as a refrigeration compartment set temperature range.

[439] In the present embodiment, the controller performs control so that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112b is maintained within the set temperature range. Here, control to maintain the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 112b within the set temperature range is called continuous temperature control of the refrigerator compartment.

[440] The cooling cycle for the freezing compartment 111b and the refrigerating compartment 112b may form respective cooling cycles such that the cooling unit is independently operated in accordance with the first reference temperature and the second reference temperature of the freezing compartment 111b and the first reference temperature and the second reference temperature of the refrigerating compartment 112b .

[441] For example, the refrigeration cycle may stop operating and the freezing cycle may operate to continuously regulate the temperature of the freezer compartment 111b. To continuously control the temperature of the freezer compartment 111b, the freezer compartment compressor 21a and the freezer compartment fan 39 may be operated.

[442] When the refrigeration cycle operates, the temperature of the freezer compartment 111b drops. On the contrary, in the state in which the refrigeration cycle is stopped, the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112b rises.

[443] During operation of the refrigeration cycle, after determining that the detected temperature of the refrigeration compartment reaches the first reference temperature of the refrigeration compartment, the controller operates the refrigeration cycle. That is, to reduce the temperature of the refrigeration compartment 112b, the controller drives the refrigeration compartment compressor 21b and the refrigeration compartment fan 39a.

[444] During at least some periods during which the refrigeration cycle is operated, the freezer compressor 21a and the freezer fan 39 may be turned off.

[445] During at least some periods during which the freezing cycle is operating, the refrigeration compartment compressor 21b and the refrigeration compartment fan 39a may be turned off.

[446] When the refrigeration cycle operating conditions are met during refrigeration cycle operation, the controller can control the freezing cycle.

[447] The freezer compartment fan 39 can be turned on and off repeatedly by repeating the refrigeration cycle operation and the refrigeration cycle operation, and the refrigerator compartment fan 39a is also turned on and off repeatedly.

[448] The controller can calculate the utilization rate of the freezer fan 39 using the on time and off time of the freezer fan 39 . In addition, the controller can calculate the utilization rate of the refrigeration compartment fan 39a using the on time and the off time of the refrigeration compartment fan 39a.

[449] The controller may determine the cooling power of the freezer compartment compressor 21a during a freezing cycle based on the utilization rate of the freezer compartment fan 39.

[450] As described above in the first embodiment, the controller may compare the previous utilization rate of the freezer compartment fan 39 with the current utilization ratio of the freezer compartment fan 39 and determine the cooling power of the freezer compartment compressor 21a during operation of the refrigeration cycle.

[451] In another example, the controller may compare the reference utilization rate of the freezer compartment fan 39 with the current utilization rate of the freezer compartment fan 39 and determine the cooling capacity of the freezer compartment compressor 21a during operation of the freeze cycle.

[452] In another example, the controller may maintain the cooling power of the freezer compartment compressor 21a at the current state, or may increase or decrease the rotation speed of the freezer compartment fan 39 based on the first ratio (the difference between the previous freezer compartment fan utilization ratio and the current freezer compartment fan utilization ratio) and a second coefficient (the difference between the reference utilization ratio and the current freezer compartment fan utilization ratio) for adjusting the cooling power of the freezer compartment compressor 21a.

[453] The controller may determine the cooling power of the freezer compartment compressor 21a during operation of the refrigeration cycle based on the utilization rate of the refrigerator compartment fan 39a.

[454] As described above in the first embodiment, the controller may compare the previous utilization rate of the refrigeration compartment fan 39a with the current utilization ratio of the refrigeration compartment fan 39a and determine the cooling capacity of the freezer compartment compressor 21a during operation of the freezing cycle.

[455] In another example, the controller may compare the reference utilization rate of the refrigeration compartment fan 39a with the current utilization rate of the refrigeration compartment fan 39a and determine the cooling capacity of the freezer compartment compressor 21a during operation of the freeze cycle.

[456] In another example, the controller may maintain the cooling power of the freezer compartment compressor 21b at the current state, or may increase or decrease the rotation speed of the refrigerator compartment fan 39a based on the first ratio (the difference between the previous refrigerator compartment fan utilization rate and the current refrigerator compartment fan utilization ratio) and a second coefficient (the difference between the reference utilization ratio and the current utilization ratio of the refrigeration compartment fan) for adjusting the cooling power of the freezer compartment compressor 21b.

[457] In the present disclosure, the rotation speed of the cooling fan and the damper angle may be collectively referred to as power output. For example, the reference speed of a cooling fan and the reference damper angle may be referred to as the reference output power. In addition, the set speed of the cooling fan may be referred to as the set cooling fan output, and the limited speed of the cooling fan may be referred to as the limited cooling fan output.

Claims (20)

1. A method for controlling a refrigerator, the method comprising the steps of: turning off the cold air transmission unit and driving the cold air generator with a cooling power that is predetermined because the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than a second reference temperature; determining whether the temperature of the storage compartment becomes equal to or higher than the first reference temperature, which is higher than the second reference temperature; turning on the cold air transmission unit and driving the cold air generator with a cooling power that is predetermined when the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature; determining whether the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than the second reference temperature; calculating by the controller the utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit based on the on time and the off time of the cold air transfer unit after determining that the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than the second reference temperature, and determining the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the utilization coefficient of the cold air transfer unit ; and activate the cold air generator with a certain cooling capacity. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cold air generator is a compressor, and wherein the cold air transfer unit is a cooling fan that operates to supply cold air to the storage compartment, or a damper that opens or closes a passage for supplying cold air to the storage compartment. storage compartment. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cold air transfer unit is turned off again after determining that the temperature of the storage compartment is equal to or less than the second reference temperature. 4. The method according to claim 1, in which the utilization factor of the cold air transmission unit is the ratio of the on time to the sum of the on time and the off time of the cold air transmission unit. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller determines the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the difference between the previous utilization rate of the cold air transmission unit and the current utilization ratio of the cold air transmission unit. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the controller determines the cooling power of the cold air generator to be increased or decreased if the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value, and wherein the controller determines the cooling power of the cold air generator air to be maintained if the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is less than the first reference value. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the controller determines the cooling power of the cold air generator to be increased if the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is less than zero, and if the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater a first reference value, and wherein the controller determines the cooling power of the cold air generator to be reduced if the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is greater than zero, and if the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value . 8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the controller determines the cooling power of the cold air generator to be increased or decreased by the first level if the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value and less than the second reference value, which is greater than the first reference value, and wherein the controller determines the cooling power of the cold air generator to be increased or decreased by a second level that is higher than the first level if the absolute value of the difference between the previous utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the second reference value. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller determines the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the difference between a reference utilization factor that is predetermined and a current utilization factor of the cold air transmission unit. 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the controller determines the cooling power of the cold air generator to be increased or decreased if the absolute value of the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value, and wherein the controller determines the cooling power of the cold air generator air to be maintained if the absolute value of the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is less than the first reference value. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the controller determines the cooling capacity of the cold air generator to be increased if the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is less than zero, and if the absolute value of the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater a first reference value, and wherein the controller determines the cooling power of the cold air generator to be reduced if the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is greater than zero, and if the absolute value of the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value . 12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the controller determines the cooling power of the cold air generator to be increased or decreased by the first level if the absolute value of the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the first reference value and less than the second reference value, which is greater than the first reference value, and wherein the controller determines the cooling power of the cold air generator to be increased or decreased by a second level that is higher than the first level if the absolute value of the difference between the reference utilization factor and the current utilization factor is equal to or greater than the second reference value. 13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines the cooling power of the cold air generator based on the first coefficient, which is the difference between the previous utilization coefficient of the cold air transmission unit and the current utilization coefficient of the cold air transmission unit, and the second coefficient, which is the difference between the reference utilization factor that was previously determined and the current utilization factor of the cold air transmission unit. 14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of: determining by the controller whether to increase, maintain, or decrease the cooling power of the cold air generator at the final stage by combining the result of the first coefficient with the result of the second coefficient after determining the cooling power of the cold air generator at based on the first coefficient and determine the cooling power of the cold air generator. 15. A method for controlling a refrigerator including a first storage compartment, a second storage compartment for receiving cold air to cool the first storage compartment, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the second storage compartment, a cooling fan for supplying cold air to the second storage compartment and a compressor for operating to cool the first storage compartment, the method comprising the steps of: turning off the cooling fan and operating the compressor at a cooling capacity that is predetermined because the temperature of the second storage compartment is equal to or less than the second reference temperature; determining whether the temperature of the second storage compartment becomes equal to or higher than the first reference temperature, which is higher than the second reference temperature; turning on the cooling fan and driving the compressor with a cooling power that is predetermined if the temperature of the second storage compartment is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature; determining whether the temperature of the second storage compartment is equal to or less than the second reference temperature; calculating, by the controller, a cooling fan utilization factor based on a cooling fan on time and an OFF time of the cooling fan after determining that the temperature of the second storage compartment is equal to or less than a second reference temperature, and determining a cooling power of the compressor based on the cooling fan utilization factor; and drive a compressor with a certain cooling capacity. 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the first storage compartment is a freezer compartment and the second storage compartment is a refrigeration compartment. 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the controller determines the cooling capacity of the compressor based on the difference between the previous cooling fan utilization rate and the current cooling fan utilization ratio. 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the controller determines the cooling capacity of the compressor based on the difference between a reference utilization factor that is previously determined and a current utilization factor of the cooling fan. 19. The method of claim 15, wherein the controller determines the cooling capacity of the compressor based on the first coefficient, which is the difference between the previous cooling fan utilization coefficient and the current cooling fan utilization coefficient, and the second coefficient, which is the difference between the reference utilization coefficient, which is previously determined by the current cooling fan utilization factor. 20. The method of claim 15, wherein the cooling fan utilization rate is the ratio of the on time to the sum of the on time and the off time of the cooling fan.