# US 2019/0170433 A1 · Control device, program, control method of refrigerator, and refrigerator

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- Number: US 2019/0170433 A1
- Document ID: US20190170433A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/324,591
- Filed: 2017-08-21
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-08-25
- Assignees: Nidec Corporation
- Applicants: Nidec Corporation
- Inventors: Shohei IMADA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190170433A1

## CPC

- F25D 29/00: Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
- F25D 17/065: {with compartments at different temperatures}
- F25B 2600/0251: with on-off operation
- F25B 2700/173: of the evaporator fan
- F25D 2600/04: Controlling heat transfer
- F25D 2700/12: Sensors measuring the inside temperature
- F25D 2700/14: Sensors measuring the temperature outside the refrigerator or freezer
- F25D: REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (refrigerated showcases A47F3/04; thermally-insulated vessels for domestic use A47J41/00; refrigerated vehicles, see the appropriate subclasses of classes B60 - B64; containers with thermal insulation in general B65D81/38; heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials, e.g. refrigerants, or materials for the production of heat or cold by chemical reactions other than by combustion C09K5/00; thermally-insulated vessels for liquefied or solidified gases F17C; air-conditioning or air-humidification F24F; refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25B; cooling of instruments or comparable apparatus without refrigeration G12B)
- F25B: REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS

## Abstract

A control device that controls a compressor and an in-refrigerator fan to circulate cool air in a refrigerator including first and second storage compartments, includes a controller that controls a rotational speed of the compressor and the in-refrigerator fan based on an outside air temperature of the refrigerator, and a calculator that calculates an average internal temperature of the second storage compartment during one cycle from when the compressor stops an operation until when the compressor stops a next operation. The controller controls an operation and stoppage of the compressor based on an internal temperature of the first storage compartment and corrects the rotational speed of the in-refrigerator fan when the compressor operates during a next cycle based on a comparison result between the average temperature and a threshold.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

1-10. (canceled)

### Claim 11

A control device that controls, in a refrigerator including a first storage compartment and a second storage compartment, a compressor and an in-refrigerator fan to circulate cool air in the refrigerator, the control device comprising:
a controller that controls a rotational speed of each of the compressor and the in-refrigerator fan based on an outside air temperature of the refrigerator; and
a calculator that calculates an average internal temperature of the second storage compartment during one cycle from when the compressor stops an operation until when the compressor stops a next operation; wherein
the controller controls an operation and stoppage of the compressor based on an internal temperature of the first storage compartment and corrects the rotational speed of the in-refrigerator fan when the compressor operates during a next cycle based on a comparison result between the average internal temperature and a threshold.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The control device according to claim 11, wherein the controller corrects the rotational speed of the in-refrigerator fan when the compressor operates during the next cycle from a reference rotational speed which is determined according to the rotational speed of the compressor, based on the comparison result between the average temperature and the threshold.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The control device according to claim 11, wherein, in a case where the rotational speed of the compressor is changed based on the outside air temperature, the controller maintains the rotational speed of the in-refrigerator fan when the compressor operates during the next cycle as a reference rotational speed which is determined according to the rotational speed of the compressor.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The control device according to claim 12, wherein, in a case where the first storage compartment is a freezer compartment and the second storage compartment is a refrigerator compartment, the controller decreases the rotational speed of the in-refrigerator fan when the compressor operates during the next cycle to a value lower than the reference rotational speed in a case where the average temperature is lower than a first threshold, and the controller increases the rotational speed of the in-refrigerator fan when the compressor operates during the next cycle to a value higher than the reference rotational speed in a case where the average temperature is higher than the second threshold larger than the first threshold.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The control device according to claim 14, wherein, even in a case where the average temperature is higher than or equal to the first threshold and is lower than or equal to the second threshold, when the outside air temperature increases, the controller increases the rotational speed of the in-refrigerator fan when the compressor operates during the next cycle to a value higher than the reference rotational speed.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The control device according to claim 14, wherein, even in a case where the average temperature is higher than or equal to the first threshold and is lower than or equal to the second threshold, when the outside air temperature decreases, the controller decreases the rotational speed of the in-refrigerator fan when the compressor operates during the next cycle to a value lower than the reference rotational speed.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The control device according to claim 12, wherein, in a case where the first storage compartment is a refrigerator compartment and the second storage compartment is a freezer compartment, the controller increases the rotational speed of the in-refrigerator fan when the compressor operates during the next cycle to a value higher than the reference rotational speed in a case where the average temperature is lower than the first threshold, and the controller decreases the rotational speed of the in-refrigerator fan when the compressor operates during the next cycle to a value lower than the reference rotational speed in a case where the average temperature is higher than the first threshold and is higher than the second threshold.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

A non-transitory computer-readable medium including a program that causes a computer to function as the control device according to claim 11.

### Claim 19

A control method of controlling, in a refrigerator including a first storage compartment and a second storage compartment, a compressor and an in-refrigerator fan to circulate cool air in the refrigerator, the method comprising:
a control process of causing a process core to control a rotational speed of each of the compressor and the in-refrigerator fan based on an outside air temperature of the refrigerator; and
a calculation process of causing a process core to calculate an average internal temperature of the second storage compartment during one cycle from when the compressor stops an operation until when the compressor stops a next operation; wherein
in the control process, the processor core controls an operation and stoppage of the compressor based on an internal temperature of the first storage compartment and corrects the rotational speed of the in-refrigerator fan when the compressor operates during a next cycle based on a comparison result between the average temperature and a threshold.

### Claim 20 (depends on 11)

A refrigerator comprising:
a first storage compartment;
a second storage compartment;
a first storage compartment temperature sensor that measures an internal temperature of the first storage compartment;
a second storage compartment temperature sensor that measures an internal temperature of the second storage compartment;
an outside air temperature sensor that measures an outside air temperature of the refrigerator;
a compressor that circulates a cooling medium;
an evaporator that generates cool air by vaporizing the cooling medium;
an in-refrigerator fan that circulates the cool air in the refrigerator; and
the control device according to claim 11.