Refrigeration – Automatic control – Preventing – removing or handling atmospheric condensate
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-14
2001-12-18
Tanner, Harry B. (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Automatic control
Preventing, removing or handling atmospheric condensate
C062S179000, C062S180000, C062S442000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06330803
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an operation control apparatus for a refrigerator. More particularly, it relates to an operation control apparatus for a refrigerator which performs a cooling operation by using a refrigerating compartment temperature regulator which is directly connected to a power-supply input terminal so that even if a freezing compartment temperature regulator is turned off, a cooling operation of the refrigerating compartment continues thereby effectively restricting an increase of the inside temperature of a refrigerating compartment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, a refrigerator includes a storage chamber for storing the food therein. The refrigerator regulates a compartment inside temperature by using a cooling cycle apparatus (comprised of a compressor, condenser, capillary tube, and evaporator), and stores the foodstuffs received in the compartment to keep the foodstuffs fresh for a long time.
In recent times, following the trend for large-sized storage compartments for storing great quantities of foodstuffs, a refrigerator having such a large-sized storage chamber is well known in the art. Such a refrigerator includes a freezing compartment as well as the refrigerating compartment with a large capacity. The refrigerator further includes a plurality of evaporators and fans, and thus respectively provides cool air to the freezing and refrigerating compartments.
In such a conventional refrigerator, the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment are separated from each other. An evaporator and fan are mounted on a rear wall of the freezing compartment, and another evaporator and another fan are mounted to a rear wall of the refrigerating compartment.
Referring to a conventional large-size refrigerator depicted in
FIG. 1
, a compressor
27
is connected in series to a freezing compartment temperature regulator
10
and a defrosting timer
11
. A starting condenser C
1
connected to a front end of the compressor
27
provides a starting current from a power-supply. An operation condenser C
2
provides an operation current after a starting operation. A positive temperature coefficient (PTC) relay
26
provides a starting current to the compressor
27
. An overload relay
28
prevents an abnormal temperature rising and overcurrent of the compressor
27
. A compressor cooling fan motor
25
adjacent to the compressor
27
is driven with the compressor
27
in order to circulate outside air and hence to cool the compressor
27
.
A first terminal al of the defrosting timer
11
is connected to a freezing compartment fan motor
21
and a refrigerating compartment temperature regulator
22
. A refrigerating compartment fan motor
24
is connected to a first terminal b
1
of the refrigerating compartment temperature regulator
22
. The freezing compartment fan motor
21
and the refrigerating compartment fan motor
24
respectively circulate cool air generated by the freezing compartment evaporator and the refrigerating compartment evaporator respectively to the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment.
A second terminal b
2
of the refrigerating compartment temperature regulator
22
is connected to a metal heater
23
. The metal heater
23
generates a slight heat. By this slight heat, the temperature regulator
22
is compensated a peripheral low temperature.
A door switch
20
is directly connected to a power-supply input terminal AC. The door switch
20
turns on a first lamp
18
when opening a refrigerating compartment door, and turns on a second lamp
19
when opening a freezing compartment door. The door switch
20
cuts off power applied to the fan motors
21
and
24
simultaneously with the turning on of the lamps
18
and
19
.
In a defrosting operation, a synchronous motor M
1
of a defrosting timer
11
is driven, and thus the synchronous motor M
1
is connected to the second terminal a
2
. A first defrosting heater
14
serially connected to a first temperature fuse
13
and a second defrosting heater
17
serially connected to a second temperature fuse
16
generate heat. A first bimetal thermostat
12
is connected to the first temperature fuse
13
. A second bimetal thermostat
15
is connected to the second temperature fuse
16
. These thermostats
12
and
15
sense a surface temperature of a freezing compartment evaporator and of a refrigerating compartment evaporator. If the first and second bimetal thermostats
12
and
15
are turned off because they arrive at a defrosting release temperature, power is cut off so that the defrosting operation of the first defrosting heater
14
and the second defrosting heater
17
is terminated.
In the aforementioned refrigerator, the refrigerating compartment temperature regulator
22
for controlling the refrigerating compartment temperature is dependent upon the freezing compartment temperature regulator
10
. Therefore, cooling of the refrigerating compartment is not achieved even if the refrigerating compartment temperature is high when the freezing compartment temperature regulator
10
is turned off.
Referring to
FIG. 2
, in the case where a refrigerator is initially driven after receiving power from a power-supply, the temperatures of the freezing and refrigerating compartments are higher than each set temperature. At this time, under the condition that the freezing compartment temperature regulator
10
is connected to the first terminal b
1
and that the defrosting timer
11
is connected to the first terminal a
1
so that the compressor
27
and the freezing compartment fan motor
21
are driven, cool air generated by the freezing compartment evaporator is circulated toward the inside of the freezing compartment. In addition, with the refrigerating compartment temperature regulator
22
connected to the first terminal b
1
, cool air generated by the refrigerating compartment evaporator is circulated toward the inside of the refrigerating compartment.
If the freezing compartment temperature is below the freezing compartment set temperature while performing a cooling operation for each compartment, the freezing compartment temperature regulator
10
goes to an off state so that the power is cut off, and therefore the compressor
27
and the freezing compartment fan motor
21
are turned off. In a period R
1
wherein a cooling operation is still required because a temperature of the refrigerating compartment is still higher than the refrigerating compartment set temperature, the refrigerating compartment temperature regulator
22
is connected to the first terminal b
1
. However, with the power cut off, the refrigerating compartment fan motor
24
is stopped. As a result, further circulation of cool air toward the inside of the refrigerating compartment is stopped, so that the cooling operation of the refrigerating compartment is inefficiently effected.
If a defrosting operation starts, a defrosting timer
11
is connected to the second terminal a
2
by a driving of the synchronous motor M
1
. The first and second defrosting heaters
14
and
17
are then driven so that a defrosting operation is performed to remove frost formed on the freezing compartment evaporator.
If the defrosting operation is terminated, the defrosting timer
11
is connected to the first terminal a
1
by a driving of the synchronous motor M
1
. This results in the compressor
27
and the freezing compartment fan motor
21
being driven, cool air being applied to the freezing compartment, and a cooling operation of the freezing compartment being performed. At this time, if a refrigerating compartment temperature regulator
22
is connected to the first terminal b
1
, the refrigerating compartment fan motor
24
is driven so that a cooling operation of the refrigerating compartment is performed.
When a temperature of the freezing compartment becomes lower than the freezing compartment set temperature while performing the cooling operation of the freezing compartment, the freezing compartment temperature regulator
10
is changed to an off state and the power is c
Larson & Taylor PLC
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
Tanner Harry B.
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