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EP-4735810-A1 - REFRIGERATOR WITH LESS ICE ON EVAPORATOR

EP4735810A1EP 4735810 A1EP4735810 A1EP 4735810A1EP-4735810-A1

Abstract

Described is, among other things, a refrigerator. The refrigerator comprises a cooling arrangement comprising a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator connected in a closed loop wherein a refrigerant is circulated to provide cooling in the refrigerator. The refrigerator further comprises a controller and at least one cooled compartment. The refrigerator has a compartment temperature sensor for providing a temperature for the at least one cooled compartment, and an evaporator temperature sensor connected to the evaporator for providing an evaporator temperature. The controller is configured to control the operation of the compressor based on a set temperature for said at least one cooled compartment, and the controller is further configured to adjust the operation control of the compressor speed or the compressor run time based on the evaporator temperature.

Inventors

  • VARGAS, Mario
  • BICALHO, André

Assignees

  • ELECTROLUX APPLIANCES AKTIEBOLAG

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20230630

Claims (10)

  1. 1. A refrigerator (10) comprising: a cooling arrangement comprising a compressor (32), a condenser (34) and an evaporator (36) connected in a closed loop wherein a refrigerant is circulated to provide cooling in the refrigerator, - a controller (42), - at least one cooled compartment (12), - a compartment temperature sensor (44) for providing a temperature for said at least one cooled compartment, - an evaporator temperature sensor (46) connected to the evaporator for providing an evaporator temperature, wherein - the controller is configured to control the operation of the compressor based on a set temperature for said at least one cooled compartment, - the controller being further configured to adjust the operation control of the compressor speed or the compressor run time based on the evaporator temperature.
  2. 2. The refrigerator (10) according to claim 1, wherein the controller (42) is configured to adjust the control of the compressor by reducing the compressor speed based on the evaporator temperature.
  3. 3. The refrigerator (10) according to claim 2, wherein the controller (42) is configured to adjust the control of the compressor by setting a maximum compressor speed based on the evaporator temperature.
  4. 4. The refrigerator (10) according to claim 1, wherein the controller (42) is configured to adjust the operation control of the compressor by reducing the compressor run time based on the evaporator temperature.
  5. 5. The refrigerator (10) according to claim 4, wherein the controller (42) is configured to adjust the operation control of the compressor by setting a maximum compressor run time based on the evaporator temperature.
  6. 6. The refrigerator (10) according to any one of claims 1 - 5, wherein the controller (42) is configured to adjust the operation control of the compressor speed or run time to limit the minimum temperature of the evaporator to a set evaporator minimum temperature.
  7. 7 The refrigerator (10) according to claim 6, wherein the set evaporator minimum temperature is based on one or more of the following parameters: ambient temperature, and cooled compartment temperature.
  8. 8. The refrigerator (10) according to claim 7, when the set evaporator minimum temperature is based on the ambient temperature, the refrigerator further comprising an ambient temperature sensor for providing the ambient temperature.
  9. 9. The refrigerator (10) according to claim 7, when the set evaporator minimum temperature is based on the ambient temperature, the refrigerator further comprising an interface for receiving the ambient temperature from another entity.
  10. 10. The refrigerator (10) according to claim 7, when the set evaporator minimum temperature is based on the ambient temperature, the refrigerator is configured to determine the ambient temperature based on an internal measured parameter.

Description

Refrigerator with less ice on evaporator TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a refrigerator allowing for reduced ice formation on the evaporator. BACKGROUND In a refrigerator cooling is provided by a cooling circuit where an evaporator is cooled to provide cooling for the refrigerator. The evaporator typically becomes very cold and ice can form on the evaporator. Forming of ice on the evaporator is generally not desired and can for example lead to energy losses in the cooling system. It is therefore desired to reduce the risk for ice forming on the evaporator. Also, there is a constant desire to improve the performance in a refrigerator and to provide more efficient refrigerator. Hence, there is a need for an improved a refrigerator. SUMMARY It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved refrigerator. This object and/or others are obtained by the refrigerator as set out in the appended claims. As has been realized by the inventors, a common problem in at least some types of refrigerators is overcooling of the evaporator. This problem can typically occur in refrigerators having both a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment where only one compartment is dynamically controlled, but also in other types of refrigerators. In order to solve this problem, the output from a temperature sensor of the evaporator can be used to the limit the maximum speed of the compressor or the compressor run time to ensure that the evaporator is not overcooled and thereby reduce the risk for ice formation on the evaporator. Thus, to solve the problem of ice formation on the evaporator that typically can occur when the compartment is warm and the evaporator is cold, the operation control of the compressor (run time, speed etc.) that is normally controlled based on the temperature sensor output from the cooled compartment can be supplemented to be also based on the output from a temperature sensor of the evaporator. In accordance with the invention, a refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator comprises a cooling arrangement comprising a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator connected in a closed loop wherein a refrigerant is circulated to provide cooling in the refrigerator. The refrigerator further comprises a controller and at least one cooled compartment. The refrigerator has a compartment temperature sensor for providing a temperature for the at least one cooled compartment, and an evaporator temperature sensor connected to the evaporator for providing an evaporator temperature. The controller is configured to control the operation of the compressor based on a set temperature for said at least one cooled compartment, and the controller is further configured to adjust the operation control of the compressor speed or the compressor run time based on the evaporator temperature. Hereby, the operation of the compressor can be adjusted to deliver less cooling in the event that the evaporator risks getting too cold so that there is a risk of ice forming on the evaporator. By eliminating or at least reducing the risk of ice formation on the evaporator, the performance of the refrigerator can be improved. For example, when the compressor is a variable speed compressor, the controller can be configured to adjust the control of the compressor speed by reducing the compressor speed based on the evaporator temperature. For example, the controller can be configured to set a maximum compressor speed or reduce the compressor speed based on the evaporator temperature. In another example, when the compressor is a fixed speed compressor, the controller can be configured to adjust the control of the compressor by reducing the compressor run time based on the evaporator temperature. For example, the controller can be configured to adjust the operation control of the compressor by setting a maximum compressor run time based on the evaporator temperature. In accordance with one embodiment, the controller is configured to adjust the operation control of the compressor speed or run time to limit the minimum temperature of the evaporator to a set evaporator minimum temperature. Hereby a control scheme can be obtained that strives to keep the evaporator temperature above a temperature that does not risk that ice is formed on the evaporator. The set evaporator minimum temperature can in some embodiments be dependent on some parameters. For example, the set evaporator minimum temperature can be based on the ambient temperature, and/ or the cooled compartment temperature. The ambient temperature can be obtained in various ways. For example, the refrigerator can comprise an ambient temperature sensor for providing the ambient temperature. Also, the refrigerator can comprise an interface for receiving the ambient temperature from another entity or the refrigerator can be configured to determine the ambient temperature based on an internal measured