Refrigerator and Method for Controlling Same

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/036,267, filed May 10, 2023, which is a U.S. National Stage Application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of PCT Application No. PCT/KR2021/016358, filed Nov. 10, 2021, which claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0149427, filed Nov. 10, 2020, whose entire disclosures are hereby incorporated by reference.

The present embodiments relate to a refrigerator and a method for controlling the same.

Refrigerators are home appliances that store foods at a low temperature. It is essential that a storage space is always maintained at a constant low temperature. At present, in the case of household refrigerators, the storage space is maintained at a temperature within the upper and lower limit ranges on the basis of a set temperature. That is, the refrigerator is controlled through a method in which when the storage space increases to the upper limit temperature, a refrigeration cycle operates to cool the storage space, and when the storage space reaches the lower limit temperature, the refrigeration cycle is stopped.

A refrigerator and a method for controlling the same are disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0005032, which is a prior art document.

The refrigerator of the prior art document includes: a cabinet having a storage space; a cooling apparatus which operates to supply cold air to the storage space; a temperature sensor that senses a temperature of the storage space; and a controller that controls an output of the cooling apparatus based on an increase or decrease of the temperature of the storage space sensed by the temperature sensor at regular time intervals and a difference value between a set temperature and a current temperature sensed by the temperature sensor.

According to prior art document, the temperature of the storage space is sensed at regular time intervals to adjust the output of the cooling apparatus. However, when a predetermined time interval is fixed, there is an advantageous in that the output of the cooling apparatus is not quickly adjusted in response to a rapid change in temperature until the predetermined time elapses.

In addition, in the case of the prior art document, it is disclosed that a sampling time is different according to a section of the current temperature, but a specific technique of varying in sample time based on the change in temperature is not disclosed.

The present embodiment provides a refrigerator, in which a temperature of a storage space is maintained in a constant temperature state to freshness of an object to be stored, and a method for controlling the same.

Optionally or additionally, the present embodiment provides a refrigerator, in which power consumption of a cooling apparatus is capable of being reduced while being maintained in a constant temperature state in a storage space, and a method for controlling the same.

Optionally or additionally, the present embodiment provides a refrigerator in which a period of a set time for sensing a temperature is adjusted, and if a temperature of a storage space is out of a constant temperature state, the state is quickly restored in the constant temperature state, and a method for controlling the same.

A refrigerator according to an aspect includes: a cabinet provided with a storage space; a cooling apparatus configured to operate in order to cool the storage space; a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of the storage space at a set time interval; and a controller configured to control the cooling apparatus.

The controller may be configured to adjust an output the cooling apparatus based on one or more of a first factor that is a difference value between a previous temperature of the storage space and a current temperature of the storage space and a second factor that is a difference value between a predetermined set temperature and the current temperature of the storage space.

The set time may be adjusted based on any one of the first factor and the second factor.

When an absolute value of the first factor or the second factor increases, the set time may decrease.

The set time may be determined by a×(initial set time/e), a may be greater than 0 and less than 1, and emay be the absolute value of the first factor or the second factor.

Any one time of a plurality of predetermined set times may be selected based on the absolute value of the first factor or the second factor.

When the absolute value of the first factor or the second factor is less than a first set value, an initial set time may be selected. When the absolute value of the first factor or the second factor is greater than the first set value and less than a second set value, a first set time less than the initial set time may be selected when the absolute value of the first factor or the second factor is greater than the second set value, a second set time less than the first set time may be selected.

Cooling capacity of the cooling apparatus may be determined by MV=MV−K(e−e).

MVmay be current cooling capacity of the cooling apparatus, MVmay be previous cooling capacity of the cooling apparatus, Kmay be a P control gain value, emay be a difference between the set temperature and the current temperature, and emay be a difference between the set temperature and the previous temperature.

Kmay be variable based on the first factor.

When an absolute value of the first factor is high, Kmay increase, when an absolute of the first factor is low, Kmay decrease.

Cooling capacity of the cooling apparatus may be determined by MV=MV−K(e),

MVmay be current cooling capacity of the cooling apparatus, MVmay be previous cooling capacity of the cooling apparatus, Kmay be an I control gain value, and emay be a difference between the set temperature and the current temperature. Kmay be variable based on the second factor.

When an absolute value of the second factor is large, Kmay increase, when an absolute of the first factor is small, Kmay decrease.

A refrigerator according to another aspect includes: a cabinet provided with a storage space; a cooling apparatus configured to operate in order to cool the storage space; a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of the storage space at a set time interval; and a controller configured to control the cooling apparatus. The controller may be configured to adjust cooling capacity of the cooling apparatus based on a difference value between a previous temperature of the storage space and a current temperature of the storage space.

Cooling capacity of the cooling apparatus may be determined by MV=MV−K(e−e). MVmay be current cooling capacity of the cooling apparatus, MVmay be previous cooling capacity of the cooling apparatus, Kmay be a P control gain value, emay be a difference between the set temperature and the current temperature, and emay be a difference between the set temperature and the previous temperature.

Kmay be variable based on the difference value between the previous temperature of the storage space and the current temperature of the storage space.

When the difference value between the previous temperature of the storage space and the current temperature of the storage space is large, Kmay increase. The difference value between the previous temperature of the storage space and the current temperature of the storage space is small, Kmay decrease.

In a refrigerator according to further another aspect, the cooling capacity VMof the cooling apparatus may be determined by MV=MV−K(e).

MVmay be current cooling capacity of the cooling apparatus, MVmay be previous cooling capacity of the cooling apparatus, Kmay be an I control gain value, and emay be a difference between the set temperature and the current temperature. Kmay be variable based on the second factor.

When the difference value between the set temperature and the current temperature of the storage space is large, Kmay increase. The difference value between the set temperature and the current temperature of the storage space is small, Kmay decrease.

A refrigerator according to further another aspect includes: a cabinet provided with a storage space; a cooling apparatus configured to operate in order to cool the storage space; a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of the storage space at a set time interval; and a controller configured to control the cooling apparatus. The controller may be configured to perform any one control of a constant temperature control and a normal control,

During the constant temperature control, if a constant temperature control termination condition may be satisfied, the normal control is performed. During the constant temperature control, the set time may be variable. During the normal control, the set time may be fixed.

During the normal control, if a constant temperature control start condition is satisfied, the constant temperature control may be performed.

The controller may be configured to allow the set time to be variable based on one or more of the first factor and the second factor.

A refrigerator according to further another aspect includes: a cabinet provided with a storage space in which a set temperature is set; a cooling apparatus configured to operate in order to cool the storage space; a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of the storage space at a set time interval; and a controller configured to control the cooling apparatus. The controller may be configured to perform any one control of a constant temperature control and a normal control. During the constant temperature control, the controller may be configured to adjust an output the cooling apparatus based on one or more of a first factor that is a difference value between a previous temperature of the storage space and a current temperature of the storage space and a second factor that is a difference value between a predetermined set temperature and the current temperature of the storage space.

The controller may be configured to control the cooling apparatus so that the set time when the set temperature is less than a limit temperature and the set time when the set temperature is equal to or greater than the limit temperature are different from each other.

When the set temperature is equal to or greater than the limit temperature, the set time may be fixed, and when the set temperature is less than the limit temperature, the set time may vary.

The set time when the set temperature is equal to or greater than the limit temperature may be greater than the set time when the set temperature is less than the limit temperature.

A variable range of the set time when the set temperature is equal to or greater than the limit temperature may be less than a variable range when the set temperature is less than the limit temperature.

A method for controlling a refrigerator according to further another aspect includes: allowing a cooling apparatus to operate at a predetermined output for a set time; sensing a temperature of a storage space when the set time elapses; allow a controller to determine an output of the cooling apparatus based a first factor that is a difference value between a previous temperature of the storage space and a current temperature of the storage space and a second factor that is a difference value between a set temperature and the current temperature of the storage space; and allowing the cooling unit to operate at the determined output.

The set time may be determined based on one or more of the first factor and the second factor.

According to the proposed embodiment, the temperature of the storage space may be maintained in the constant temperature state to improve the freshness of the object to be stored.

According to the present embodiment, the power consumption of the cooling apparatus may be reduced while the temperature of the storage space is maintained in the constant temperature state.

According to the present embodiment, when the temperature of the storage space is out of the constant temperature state, the temperature of the storage space may be quickly restored to the constant temperature state.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In adding of reference numerals to components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same components have the same numerals as much as possible even if the components are displayed on different drawings. In addition, in describing the embodiments of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function disturbs understanding of the embodiment of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

Also, in the description of the embodiments of the present invention, the terms such as first, second, A, B, (a) and (b) may be used. These terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components, and the essence, sequence, or order of the corresponding component is not limited by the term. It should be understood that when an element is described as being “connected,” “coupled”, or “joined” to another element, the former may be directly connected or jointed to the latter or may be “connected”, coupled” or “joined” to the latter with a third component interposed therebetween.

is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, andis a schematic view illustrating a configuration of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.is a block diagram illustrating the refrigerator according to the present invention.

Referring to, a refrigeratoraccording to an embodiment of the present invention may include a cabinetdefining a storage space and a storage space door that opens and closes the storage space of the cabinet.

The storage space may include a freezing compartmentand a refrigerating compartment. The freezing compartmentand the refrigerating compartmentmay store articles such as foods.