# US 12,760,950 B2 · Refrigerator and control method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,760,950 B2 - Document ID: US12760950B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/266,235 - Filed: 2021-11-12 - Published: 2025-12-11 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2020-12-14 - Assignees: LG Electronics Inc. - Applicants: LG Electronics Inc. - Inventors: Youngseung Song; Kyong Bae Park; Min Hyuk Park; Yun Su Cho - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12760950B2 ## CPC - F25B 49/022: {Compressor control arrangements} - F25B 2700/2104: of an indoor room or compartment - F25B: REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS ## Abstract The present invention is configured such that, after operation-start conditions for load-responsive operation have been met and load-responsive operation has been implemented, if the in-compartment temperature inside a storage chamber, when a door is opened, satisfies operation-termination conditions or a change in the in-compartment temperature will satisfy operation-termination conditions, the load-responsive operation is terminated. Thus, excessive power consumption during load-responsive operation can be prevented, and thus it is possible to improve the power consumption resulting therefrom. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A control method of a refrigerator, the method comprising: a normal storage operation step of maintaining compartment temperatures of a first storage compartment and a second storage compartment within a satisfaction region while supplying cold air into the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment while performing the normal storage operation; a load operation step of performing a load operation in response to a start condition of the load operation being satisfied in response to a door being opened while the normal storage operation is being performed; an emergency operation confirmation step of confirming occurrence of an abnormal situation while at least the normal storage operation or the load operation is being performed; and an emergency operation step of performing an emergency operation according to the occurrence of the abnormal situation wherein the emergency operation step includes: a temperature checking step of checking the compartment temperatures of the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment in response to the abnormal situation occurring; a cooling power determination step of determining a cooling power for performing the emergency operation by considering the checked compartment temperatures of the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment; and an operation step of performing the emergency operation while controlling a compressor to operate with the determined cooling power. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the abnormal situation includes a case where a continuous operation time of a compressor exceeds a set operation time, and a case where the compartment temperature of at least one of the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment is a temperature in a dissatisfaction region. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the temperature in the dissatisfaction region is a temperature higher than an upper limit notch temperature (NT+diff). ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein in the cooling power determination step, the compressor is controlled to operate with a higher cooling power as the higher one of the compartment temperature of the first storage compartment and the compartment temperature of the second storage compartment falls within a higher temperature region. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein in the cooling power determination step, the compressor is controlled to operate with a higher cooling power when the compartment temperature of the second storage compartment is higher than the compartment temperature of the first storage compartment. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein in the cooling power determination step, the compressor is controlled to operate with a maximum cooling power when the compartment temperatures of the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment are in a dissatisfaction region. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein in the cooling power determination step, the compressor is controlled to operate with a higher cooling power in response to the compartment temperature of the first storage compartment being in the satisfaction region and the compartment temperature of the second storage compartment being in a dissatisfaction region than in response to the compartment temperature of the first storage compartment being in the dissatisfaction region and the compartment temperature of the second storage compartment being in the satisfaction region. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein a temperature in the satisfaction region is a temperature between an upper limit notch temperature (NT+diff) and a lower limit notch temperature (NT−diff), and a temperature in the dissatisfaction region is a temperature region higher than the upper limit notch temperature (NT+diff). ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein in the cooling power determination step, the compressor is controlled to operate with a lower cooling power in response to the compartment temperature of the first storage compartment being in the satisfaction region and the compartment temperature of the second storage compartment being in a dissatisfaction region than in response to the compartment temperatures of the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment being in the dissatisfaction region. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein in the cooling power determination step, the compressor is controlled to operated with a lower cooling power in response to the compartment temperature of the first storage compartment being in a dissatisfaction region and the compartment temperature of the second storage compartment being in the satisfaction region than in response to the compartment temperatures of the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment being in the dissatisfaction region. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein during the emergency operation, the cooling power of the compressor is controlled to be varied according to a temperature region in at least one of the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein as the temperature region in at least one of the first and second storage compartments decreases in temperature, the compressor is controlled to operate with a lower cooling power corresponding to the decrease in temperature of the temperature region. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein in the cooling power determination step, in response to the compartment temperature of the second storage compartment being in a dissatisfaction region and the compartment temperature of the first storage compartment being higher than a temperature region between an upper limit notch temperature (NT+diff) and a set notch temperature (NT), the compressor is controlled to operate with a maximum cooling power. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein in the cooling power determination step, in response to the compartment temperature of the second storage compartment being lower than a lower limit notch temperature (NT2−diff) and the compartment temperature of the first storage compartment being lower than a temperature between a set notch temperature (NT) and a lower limit notch temperature (NT−diff), the compressor is controlled to operate with a lowest cooling power. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein during the emergency operation, when the compartment temperature of at least one of the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment increases and the increased compartment temperature of the corresponding storage compartment reaches an upper limit notch temperature (NT+diff), the compressor is controlled to operate with a higher cooling power. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein during the emergency operation, in response to the compartment temperature of at least one of the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment decreasing and reaching a lower limit notch temperature (NT-diff), the compressor is controlled to operate with a lower cooling power. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the compressor is controlled to operate with a higher cooling power during the load operation or emergency operation than during the normal storage operation.