Method and apparatus for controlling initial operation of refrigerator
AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorHaejin Park
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
When power is supplied to a refrigerator, the refrigerator control system performs one of two different automatic refrigerator temperature setting operations, depending upon whether it is determined that the power is or is not being supplied following a temporary power failure. That determination is made by sensing an internal refrigerator temperature (i.e., a temperature of the cooling compartment and/or the freezing compartment), and providing a reference temperature based upon a sensed external atmosphere temperature. If the refrigerator temperature is less than the reference temperature, then it is assumed that the power is being supplied following a temporary power failure and an appropriate refrigerator temperature setting operation is performed.
Claims10
A method of automatically setting a refrigerator temperature in response to the application of power thereto, comprising the steps of:
- A) sensing a temperature in the refrigerator;
- B) sensing an external atmosphere temperature, and supplying a reference temperature based thereon;
- C) comparing the sensed refrigerator temperature of step A with the reference temperature of step B;
- D) determining that power is being supplied after a temporary power outage, if the sensed refrigerator temperature is less than the reference temperature, or that power is not being supplied after a temporary power outage if the sensed refrigerator temperature is not less than the reference temperature;
- and
- E) performing one of two different automatic refrigerator temperature setting operations, depending on whether it is determined that power is or is not being supplied after a temporary power outage.
A refrigerator including a refrigerator compartment, a compressor, an evaporator for performing a heat exchange between air and a coolant compressed by the compressor, a fan for blowing heat-exchanged air from the evaporator to the refrigerator compartment, and a control mechanism for automatically setting a refrigerator temperature in response to the application of power thereto, the control mechanism comprising:
- first temperature sensing means for measuring a temperature in the food compartment;
- second temperature sensing means for sensing an external atmosphere temperature and supplying a reference temperature based thereon;
- means for comparing the sensed refrigerator temperature to the sensed external atmosphere temperature;
- and
- means for determining that power is being supplied after a temporary power outage if the sensed refrigerator temperature is less than the reference temperature, or that power is not being supplied after a temporary power outage, if the sensed refrigerator temperature is not less than the reference temperature, and
- means for performing one of two different automatic refrigerator temperature setting operations, depending on whether it is determined that power is or is not being supplied after a temporary power outage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.