Refrigerator and method of controlling the same
AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorSeong-Wook Jeong
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A refrigerator which uses a microcomputer having a common input port for a plurality of temperature sensing devices, and a method of controlling the same. In the refrigerator, inexpensive bimetals are used as one or more of the temperature sensing devices to sense a defrost temperature of the refrigerator. Accordingly, the manufacturing cost of the refrigerator is reduced. Furthermore, because the refrigerator is provided with the common input port for the temperature sensing devices, a circuit construction thereof is simplified.
Claims27
A refrigerator which performs a cooling operation and a defrosting operation, comprising:
- an evaporator to perform the cooling operation;
- a defrost temperature sensing unit which includes a plurality of temperature sensing devices, wherein:
- the temperature sensing devices are mounted on the evaporator to be spaced apart from each other, and
- the defrost temperature sensing unit senses a defrost temperature using the temperature sensing devices;
- and
- a microcomputer having a common input port which receives the defrost temperature detected by the defrost temperature sensing unit.
A method of controlling a refrigerator which senses a defrost temperature using a plurality of temperature sensing devices, which are mounted on an evaporator to be spaced apart from each other, and performs a defrosting operation to defrost the evaporator according to a control of a microcomputer having a common input port to receive the sensed defrost temperature, the method comprising:
- determining operating states of the temperature sensing devices on the basis of the defrost temperature input through the common input port in the defrosting operation;
- and
- stopping the defrosting operation in response to the defrost temperature corresponding to defrosting stop conditions on the basis of determined results for the operating states of the temperature sensing devices.
A method of controlling a refrigerator which senses a defrost temperature using a plurality of temperature sensing devices, which are mounted on an evaporator to be spaced apart from each other, and performs a defrosting operation to defrost the evaporator according to a control of a microcomputer having a common input port to receive the sensed defrost temperature, the method comprising:
- determining whether a voltage detected through the common input port is greater than a set voltage, wherein the set voltage is indicative of whether all but one of the temperature sensing devices are switched off;
- calculating the defrost temperature in response to the voltage being greater than the set voltage;
- and
- stopping the defrosting operation in response to the calculated defrosting temperature corresponding to a predetermined defrost stop temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.