CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2005-0075579, filed on Aug. 18, 2005, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and an operation control method thereof, and more particularly, to a refrigerator and an operation control method thereof, which can prevent dew from being formed on a front area.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, a refrigerator is used for storing food at a low temperature. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator includes a main body 1 formed with a plurality of storage compartments 3 and 4; a door (not shown) for opening and closing each storage compartment 3, 4; and a cooling system cooling each storage compartment 3, 4 to maintain a proper temperature of the stored food.

The cooling system includes a compressor 11 to compress a high-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant; a condenser 12 to condense a compressed gaseous refrigerant into a liquid refrigerant; a capillary tube 14 to adiabatically expand a condensed low-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant; and evaporators 15a and 15b to evaporate the expanded refrigerant, thereby generating cool air. Here, the compressor 11, the condenser 12, the capillary tube 14 and the evaporators 15a and 15b are connected through refrigerant pipes.

Among these refrigerant pipes, the refrigerant pipes between the condenser 12 and the capillary tube 14 are called a cluster pipe 13 and a hot pipe 20. In particular, the hot pipe 20 is used to prevent a front area 6 from dew condensation due to difference in temperature between the inside and the outside of the refrigerator. Generally, as the temperature of the hot pipe 20 rises, the temperature of the front area 6 becomes closer to an outside temperature T_s. Thus, it is advantageous to preventing the dew condensation.

However, in order to improve the efficiency of the refrigerator, the conventional refrigerator and the operation control method thereof have been continuously developed to lower the temperature of the condenser. The lowered temperature of the condenser has an effect on the temperature of the hot pipe connected thereto, so that the temperature of the front area is also lowered, thereby causing the dew condensation.

The dew formed on the front area deteriorates the outer appearance of the refrigerator. Further, if the dew penetrates a power supplying unit, problems such as a fire, an electric shock, etc. may arise.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a refrigerator and an operation control method thereof, which can increase the temperature of a hot pipe to prevent dew from being formed on a front area.

Additional aspects and/or advantages of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the present invention.

The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention can be achieved by providing a refrigerator including a partition wall defining a plurality of storage compartments, and a hot pipe extended from a condenser and embedded in a front area of the partition wall, the refrigerator further including: a cooling fan to cool the condenser; an outside temperature sensor; a front area temperature sensor to sense temperature of the front area; and a controller to control the cooling fan to operate when a predetermined delay time elapses after a compressor operates in the case where sensed front area temperature is lower than sensed outside temperature by a reference temperature difference or more.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the controller controls the cooling fan to operate when the delay time elapses after the compressor operates in the case where the outside temperature ranges between dew condensation temperatures and where difference between the front area temperature and the outside temperature is smaller than the reference temperature difference.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the controller controls the cooling fan to operate at the same time when the compressor operates in the case where the outside temperature is out of the range between the dew condensation temperatures.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the refrigerator further includes a memory to store a delay time table in which the delay times according to the outside temperature and the front area temperature are previously tabulated, wherein the controller delays the operation of the cooling fan by a corresponding delay time when the sensed outside temperature and the sensed front area temperature are equal to an outside temperature and a front area temperature previously tabulated in the delay time table, respectively.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the dew condensation temperature approximately ranges from 20Â° C. through 38Â° C.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the reference temperature difference is about 2Â° C.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the delay time ranges from 5 minutes to 10 minutes.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the refrigerator further includes a memory to store a delay time table in which the delay times according to the outside temperature and the front area temperature are previously tabulated, wherein the controller delays the operation of the cooling fan by a corresponding delay time when the sensed outside temperature and the sensed front area temperature are equal to an outside temperature and a front area temperature previously tabulated in the delay time table, respectively.

The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention can be also achieved by providing an operation control method for a refrigerator to prevent dew from being formed on a front area of a partition wall defining storage compartments, the method including: sensing outside temperature; sensing temperature of the front area; controlling a cooling fan to operate when a predetermined delay time elapses after a compressor operates in the case where the sensed front area temperature is lower than the sensed outside temperature by a reference temperature difference or more.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the method further includes setting a range of dew condensation temperatures; wherein the controlling the cooling fan includes controlling the cooling fan to operate when the delay time elapses after the compressor operates in the case where the outside temperature ranges between the dew condensation temperatures and the front area temperature is lower than the outside temperature by the reference temperature difference or more.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the method further includes controlling the cooling fan to operate at the same time when the compressor operates in the case where the outside temperature is out of the range between the dew condensation temperatures and difference between the front area temperature and the outside temperature is smaller than the reference temperature difference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompany drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a cooling system of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a control flowchart of an operation control method for the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows operation states of a compressor and a cooling fan according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a table showing time delay according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to accompanying drawings. Further, a side by side refrigerator will be exemplarily described below, but not limited thereto.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a cooling system of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown therein, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 1; a cooling system provided in the main body 1; a partition wall 5 partitioning the main body 1 into a plurality of storage compartments 3, 4; a hot pipe 20 extended from a condenser 12 and embedded in a front area 6; a cooling fan 25 to cool the condenser 12; an outside temperature sensor 41; a front area temperature sensor 43 to sense the temperature of the front area 6; and a controller 30 to control the cooling fan 25 on the basis of a sensed outside temperature T_sand a front area temperature T_m.

Further, the refrigerator can include a memory 31 to store a delay time table of delay times t_dwhich are previously set according to the outside temperature T_sand the front area temperature T_m.

The main body 1 is formed with the plurality of storage compartments 3 and 4 partitioned with the partition wall 5. For example, there are two storage compartments 3 and 4, which are a refrigerator compartment 3 having a relatively high temperature, and a freezer compartment 4 having a relatively low temperature. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator compartment 3 and the freezer compartment 4 may be disposed left and right or up and down with respect to the partition wall 5, respectively. Further, three or more storage compartments may be provided.

The cooling system includes a compressor 11 to compress a high temperature and low pressure refrigerant into a high temperature and high pressure refrigerant; the condenser 12 to condense a compressed gaseous refrigerant into a liquid refrigerant; a capillary tube 14 to adiabatically expand a condensed low-temperature and high pressure refrigerant; and evaporators 15a and 15b to evaporate the expanded refrigerant, thereby generating cool air. As shown in FIG. 1, the evaporators 15a and 15b can be provided in the storage compartments 3 and 4, respectively. Alternatively, a single evaporator may be provided.

Meanwhile, the cooling system may further include a drier 17 provided between the condenser 12 and the capillary tube 14 for removing moisture from the refrigerant supplied from the condenser 12; and an accumulator 16 provided between the evaporators 15a and 15b and the compressor 11 for preventing the liquid refrigerant from flowing toward the compressor 11.

The hot pipe 20 is extended from the condenser 12 and disposed along the front area 6 of the partition wall 5. The temperature of the refrigerant flowing in the hot pipe 20 is lower than that of the refrigerant passing through the compressor 11, but is higher than that of the inside of the storage compartments 3 and 4. Therefore, the hot pipe 20 transfers heat to the front area 6, thereby preventing dew from being formed on the front area 6 due to difference in temperature between the inside and the outside of the storage compartments 3 and 4.

The cooling fan 25 is provided in a component compartment 8 and cools the condenser 12. Here, the controller 30 controls the cooling fan 25 to operate on the basis of sensed results of the outside temperature sensor 41 and the front area temperature sensor 43. That is, the cooling fan 25 can either operate (common operation) at the same time when the compressor 11 operates, or operate (delay operation) when a preset delay time t_delapses after the compressor 11 operates. In the latter case, cooling the condenser 12 is delayed, so that the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the hot pipe 20 increases.

The outside temperature sensor 41 senses of the outside temperature of the refrigerator. The sensed result of the outside temperature sensor 41 is input to the controller 30, and thus the controller 30 determines whether the outside temperature T_sranges between dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2on the basis of the sensed result.

The dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2are defined as a range of the outside temperatures in which dew is very likely to be formed on the front area 6. The dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2may vary according to an operating environment of the refrigerator. For example, the dew condensation temperature may range from 20Â° C. to 38Â° C. In the case where the outside temperature T_sis lower than the lowest dew condensation temperature, e.g., 20Â° C., the humidity of the outside is lowered, so that the dew is rarely condensed. On the other hand, in the case where the outside temperature T_sis higher than the highest dew condensation temperature, e.g., 38Â° C., the cooling system continuously operates and the temperature of the refrigerant is relatively high, so that the temperature of the front area 6 is high enough to prevent the dew from being formed thereon.

The front area temperature sensor 43 is provided in the main body 1 and senses the temperature of the front area 6. Because the temperature of the front area 6 reflects the temperatures of the storage compartments 3 and 4, the dew is formed when the difference in temperature between the outside temperature T_sand the front area temperature T_mis large.

In the case where the sensed outside temperature T_sranges between the dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2, and the sensed front area temperature T_mis lower than the sensed outside temperature T_sby a reference temperature difference R_Tor more, the controller 30 controls the cooling fan 25 to operate when the preset delay time t_delapses after the compressor 11 operates. On the other hand, in the case where the sensed outside temperature T_sis out of the range between the dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2, and the difference between the sensed front area temperature T_mand the sensed outside temperature T_sis smaller than the reference temperature difference R_T, the controller 30 controls the cooling fan 25 to operate at the same time when the compressor 11 operates.

The controller 30 determines whether the outside temperature T_ssensed by the outside temperature sensor 41 ranges between the dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2. When the outside temperature T_sranges between the dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2, the controller 30 determines whether the difference between the outside temperature T_sand the sensed front area temperature T_mis larger than the reference temperature difference R_T. In the case where the outside temperature T_sis out of the range between the dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2, the controller 30 does not compare the front area temperature T_mand the outside temperature T_s, and controls the cooling fan 25 to commonly operate (i.e., sets the cooling fan 5 to operate at the same time when the compressor 11 operates or sets a delay time t_dwith â€˜0â€™).

The reference temperature difference R_Tis set to determine whether the delay operation of the cooling fan 25 is needed in the case where the outside temperature T_sranges between the dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2. For example, even though the outside temperature T_sranges between the dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2, the dew is not formed when the front area temperature T_mis close to or higher than the outside temperature T_s. Therefore, at this time, the controller 30 controls the cooling fan 25 to operate at the same time when the compressor 11 operates, thereby enhancing the efficiency of the cooling system.

Here, the reference temperature difference R_Tmay vary as necessary. For example, let the reference temperature R_Tbe set to 2Â° C. In this case, the controller 30 delays the operation of the cooling fan 25 when the outside temperature T_sis of 25Â° C. and the front area temperature T_mis lower than 23Â° C. Otherwise, the controller 30 controls the cooling fan 25 to operate at the same time when the compressor 11 operates.

Meanwhile, the delay time t_dis defined as a period from time when the compressor 11 operates to time when the cooling fan 25 operates. Therefore, when the delay time t_dis â€˜0â€™, the cooling fan 25 operates commonly, i.e. operates at the same time when the compressor 11 operates. On the other hand, when the delay time t_dis not â€˜0â€™, the cooling fan 25 operates when the delay time t_delapses after the compressor 11 operates.

The delay time t_dmay be uniform throughout the range between the dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2, or may vary according to the outside temperature T_s. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the delay time t_dis relatively prolonged in a section between 23Â° C. and 32Â° C., in which the dew is frequently formed, as compared with other sections, thereby sufficiently increasing the temperature of the hot pipe 20.

Here, the delay times t_daccording to the outside temperatures T_scan be tabulated as the delay time table, and stored in the controller 30 or a separate memory 31.

Independently of whether the outside temperature T_sranges between the dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2or not, the controller 30 can delay the operation of the cooling fan 25 to operate when the front area temperature T_mis lower than the outside temperature T_sby the reference temperature difference R_Tor more.

Below, the operation control method for the refrigerator with this configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 through 5.

When at operation S11 the refrigerator is turned on and operated, at operation S13 the delay time table, a range between the dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2, a compressor driving temperature T_c.onand a compressor stopping temperature T_c.offare set.

At operation S15, the controller 30 controls the outside temperature sensor 41 to sense the outside temperature T_s. At operation S17, the controller 30 determines whether the outside temperature T_sranges between the dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2. When the outside temperature T_sis out of the range of the dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2, at operation S25 the controller 30 sets the delay time t_dto â€˜0â€™ (common operation).

When the outside temperature T_sranges between the dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2, the controller 30 controls the front area temperature sensor 43 to sense the front area temperature T_mat operation S19, and determines whether the sensed front area temperature T_mis lower than the sensed outside temperature T_sby the reference temperature difference R_Tor more at operation S21. Even though the outside temperature T_sranges between the dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2, when the difference between the sensed front area temperature T_mand the sensed outside temperature T_sis smaller than the reference temperature difference R_T,the delay time t_dis set to â€˜0â€™ at the operation S25 (common operation).

In the case where the outside temperature T_sranges between the dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2, and the sensed front area temperature T_mis lower than the sensed outside temperature T_sby the reference temperature difference R_Tor more, the delay time t_dis calculated on the basis of the delay time table stored in the controller 30 or the memory 31 at operation S27 (delay operation). At this time, the delay time t_dcan be calculated on the basis of the previously stored delay time table (refer to FIG. 5).

In other words, the delay time t_dis not â€˜0â€™ only when the outside temperature T_sranges between the dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2, and the sensed front area temperature T_mis lower than the sensed outside temperature T_sby the reference temperature difference R_Tor more. Otherwise, the delay time t_dis not â€˜0â€™.

Then, the controller 40 controls a compartment temperature sensor to sense the temperature T_rof the storage compartments 3 and 4 at operation S27, and compares it with the compressor driving temperature T_c.onat operation S29. When the compressor 11 has to operate, i.e., when the temperature T_ris higher than the compressor driving temperature T_c.on,the controller 30 controls the cooling fan 25 to operate when the calculated delay time t_delapses after the compressor 11 operates. Here, the delay time t_dis either of â€˜0â€™ or not.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the case where the outside temperature T_sis 25Â° C. and the front area temperature T_mis of 21Â° C. the front area temperature T_mis lower than the outside temperature T_sby the reference temperature difference R_Tor more, so that the controller 30 calculates the delay time t_das â€˜10â€™ minutes. In this case, when â€˜10â€™ minutes elapse after driving the compressor 11, the controller 30 controls the cooling fan 25 to operate. On the other hand, in the case where the outside temperature T_sis 25Â° C. and the front area temperature T_mis 24Â° C., the difference between the front area temperature T_mand the outside temperature T_sis smaller than the reference temperature difference R_Ti.e., smaller than 2Â° C. even though the outside temperature T_sranges between the dew condensation temperatures T_s1and T_s2, so that the controller 30 calculates the delay time t_das â€˜0â€™. In this case, the controller 30 controls the cooling fan 25 to operate at the same time when the compressor 11 operates.

Then, the cooling fan 25 operates normally. When the compressor 11 stops, i.e. when the temperature T_ris lower than the compressor stopping temperature T_c.offat operation S33, the controller 30 controls the compressor 11 to stop at operation S35. As long as the refrigerator operates, the foregoing operations are repeated until the compressor 11 satisfies the driving conditions.

As described above, the present invention provides a refrigerator and an operation control method thereof, which can delay an operation of a cooling fan according to an outside temperature and a front area temperature, and therefore increase the temperature of a hot pipe, thereby preventing dew from being formed on a front area.

Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.