Refrigerator and method for controlling same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator comprising: a main body provided with a storage compartment; a humidity sensor for detecting an outside air humidity that is the humidity outside the main body; an external temperature sensor for detecting an outside air temperature that is the temperature outside the main body; an internal temperature sensor for detecting a compartment temperature that is the temperature inside the storage compartment; a cold air supply unit that supplies cold air to the storage compartment; a door that is coupled to the main body and formed to open and close the storage compartment, and that includes a light transmissive region made of a transparent material; a heater that is arranged around the light transmissive region and heats the light transmissive region so that the temperature of the light transmissive region varies according to a heater driving rate; and a controller that controls the output of the cold air supply unit supplied to the storage compartment, calculates different heater driving rates for different outside air humidities, and when the outside air humidity increases or decreases, calculates a heater driving rate that increases or decreases at a certain slope according to the increased or decreased outside air humidity.

Description

Refrigerator and method of controlling the refrigerator

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a method for controlling the refrigerator, and more particularly, to preventing dew formation on a refrigerator door.

[0002] In general, a refrigerator is a device that lowers the temperature inside the refrigerator by discharging cold air generated by a refrigeration cycle consisting of a compressor, condenser, expansion valve, and evaporator, thereby freezing or refrigerating food.

[0003] Typically, refrigerator doors are opaque and designed to open and close the storage compartments within the refrigerator. These doors can be configured to open and close to allow users to access the refrigerator or freezer. This presents a problem: users cannot determine the type and location of food stored in the refrigerator until they open the door. To address this issue, refrigerators with at least a portion of the door made transparent have emerged, allowing users to view the contents of the refrigerator without having to open the door.

[0004] However, in the case of a refrigerator, which is a device that cools the inside of the refrigerator by discharging cold air, the inside of the refrigerator is insulated using an insulating material to prevent the loss of cold air inside the refrigerator due to the high temperature outside the refrigerator. However, if at least a portion of the door is formed as a transparent area through which light can pass, i.e., a light-transmitting area, the use of insulation is limited in the light-transmitting area, so that the cold air inside the refrigerator is transmitted to the outer surface of the light-transmitting area, which may lower the surface temperature compared to other areas of the main body. Then, when the outside humidity is high, dew may form on the outer surface of the light-transmitting area, and the light in the light-transmitting area may be scattered due to the dew, which may lower the light transmittance. In other words, the user's ability to check the inside of the refrigerator through the light-transmitting area formed on the door may be limited.

[0005] To address this issue, a heater was placed around the light-transmitting region to suppress dew formation on the surface of the light-transmitting region by increasing the temperature of the light-transmitting region. By operating the heater, the temperature of the light-transmitting region is increased, thereby preventing dew formation on the surface of the light-transmitting region.

[0006] However, there is a problem that the operation of the above heater inevitably increases the power consumption of the refrigerator. Accordingly, in order to save power consumption due to the heater, a method has emerged in which the heater operation conditions are set in advance and the heater operation is controlled by making a table of the heater operation conditions and the corresponding heater operation rate so that the heater is operated only under the preset conditions. In the case of this method, not only can power consumption be saved by setting the heater operation conditions in advance, but there is also an advantage in that the different power consumption measurement standards of each country can be met by changing the heater operation rate according to the heater operation condition table.

[0007] Table 1 below is an example of the tabled heater operating conditions, showing the heater operating rate according to humidity when the internal temperature is 4 to 5 degrees Celsius and the external temperature is 19 to 28 degrees Celsius. In addition, Fig. 1 shows the operating rate (10) of the heater according to Table 1 according to external humidity.

[0008] Refrigerator External Humidity External Temperature 4~5 OnOff Operating Rate 15% 75 sec 525 sec 12.5 (75 / 75+525) % 25% 75 sec 525 sec 12.5 (75 / 75+525) % 35% 75 sec 525 sec 12.5 (75 / 75+525) % 45% 75 sec 525 sec 12.5 (75 / 75+525) % 55% 140 sec 460 sec 23.33 (140 / 140+460) % 65% 140 sec 460 sec 23.33 (140 / 140+460) % 75% 140 sec 460 sec 23.33 (140 / 140+460) % 85% 600 sec 0 sec100 (600 / 600+0) %95%600 sec0 sec100 (600 / 600+0) %

[0009]

[0010] However, in the case of a tabulated heater driving method that presets heater driving conditions and drives the heater according to the corresponding driving rate, there is a problem that the driving rate does not change if the level according to the tabulated heater driving conditions does not change even if at least one of the heater driving conditions, for example, the external temperature or humidity, and / or the indoor temperature, changes. That is, as shown in Table 1 and FIG. 1, the driving rate is the same even if the humidity changes from 15% to 45%, and it can be seen that the driving rate of the heater is the same from 55% to 75%, and also from 85% to 95%. In other words, if the heater driving conditions do not change beyond a certain level, there is a problem that the driving rate of the heater is maintained the same even if the heater driving conditions change. Conversely, at the boundary of the level where the heater operating conditions change, for example, when the external humidity exceeds 45%, 55%, and 75% in Table 1 and Fig. 1 above (e.g., 45.1%, 55.1%, and 75.1%), there is a problem that the heater operating rate changes greatly even if the heater operating conditions change only slightly. In other words, there is a problem that the heater is excessively operated at the boundary of the level where the heater operating conditions change.

[0011] In addition, in the case of the tabled heater operation method, the heater operation rate can be arbitrarily set so that the heater operation rate is lowered under conditions where a high power consumption weight is applied to meet the different power consumption measurement standards of each country, and the heater operation rate is higher under conditions where a low power consumption weight is applied. Therefore, the power consumption measurement value according to the weight may be lowered, but there is a problem that the actual power consumed by the refrigerator may be higher.

[0012] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problem and other problems, and provides a refrigerator and a control method of the refrigerator that changes the driving rate of a heater so that the temperature of the surface of the light-transmitting area changes by following the changed heater driving conditions when the heater driving conditions are changed.

[0013] In addition, the present invention aims to provide a refrigerator and a refrigerator control method for increasing the surface temperature of the light transmission area by calculating the driving rate of the heater corresponding to the changed heater driving conditions according to the slope of the dew point curve indicating the increase and decrease of the dew point according to temperature and humidity when the heater driving conditions are changed.

[0014] In addition, the present invention aims to provide a refrigerator and a refrigerator control method that can fix the heater driving rate or prevent excessive driving of the heater when the heater driving conditions change by calculating the heater driving rate according to the heater driving conditions and driving the heater according to the calculated heater driving rate.

[0015] In order to achieve the above or other objects, according to one aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized by including a main body having a storage compartment, a humidity sensor for detecting outside humidity, which is humidity outside the main body, an external temperature sensor for detecting outside temperature, which is temperature outside the main body, and an internal temperature sensor for detecting an internal temperature, which is temperature inside the storage compartment, a cold air supply unit for supplying cold air to the storage compartment, a door coupled to the main body and formed to open and close the storage compartment, the door including a light-transmitting area formed of a transparent material, a heater disposed around the light-transmitting area and heating the light-transmitting area so that the temperature of the light-transmitting area varies according to a heater driving rate, and a control unit for controlling the output of the cold air supply unit supplied to the storage compartment, calculating different heater driving rates according to different outside humidity, and calculating a heater driving rate that increases or decreases according to a specific slope in response to the increased or decreased outside humidity when the outside humidity increases or decreases.

[0016] In one embodiment, the specific slope is characterized in that the heater driving rate curve representing the different heater driving rates calculated for the different outdoor humidity does not intersect the dew point curve representing the change in dew point according to the change in temperature and humidity, and has a value between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the slopes of the tangent lines according to each dew point of the dew point curve.

[0017] In one embodiment, the control unit is characterized in that it controls the heater to heat the light transmission area to a temperature that is a certain temperature margin higher than the dew point according to the outside humidity, according to the heater driving rate on the heater driving rate curve corresponding to the outside humidity.

[0018] In one embodiment, the temperature margin is characterized in that it increases as the external humidity increases.

[0019] In one embodiment, the heater driving rate has a linearity that constantly increases or decreases according to an increase or decrease in the outside humidity, and the control unit controls the operation of the heater according to the heater driving rate according to the linearity within a preset outside humidity range, and controls the operation of the heater according to the preset heater driving rate for an outside humidity that is outside the outside humidity range.

[0020] In one embodiment, the control unit is characterized in that it calculates the heater driving rate according to the correlation between the outside temperature, outside humidity, and inside temperature with respect to the heater driving rate, and the control constants set for the outside temperature, outside humidity, and inside temperature so that the heater driving rate calculated according to the change in the outside humidity follows the specific slope.

[0021] In one embodiment, the control constant is characterized in that it is determined based on a correlation between the outside temperature, the outside humidity, and the indoor temperature with respect to the heater operating rate analyzed through regression analysis for a plurality of samples satisfying the specific slope according to the outside humidity.

[0022] In one embodiment, the control unit is characterized in that it corrects the specific slope by further reflecting a first control constant according to the device characteristics of the refrigerator.

[0023] In one embodiment, the control unit is characterized in that it corrects the specific slope by further reflecting a weight according to a second control constant preset to the outside humidity so that the power consumption measurement weight for each country is reflected in the specific slope.

[0024] In one embodiment, the control unit is characterized in that it determines the starting humidity at which the calculation of the heater driving rate according to the specific slope begins by further reflecting the preset third control constant.

[0025] In one embodiment, the control unit is characterized in that it further reflects a fourth control constant preset to the outside temperature and outside humidity and a weight according to a specific temperature constant to determine a specific outside temperature at which the specific slope increases or decreases.

[0026] In one embodiment, the control unit is characterized in that it detects whether a preset special operation is performed, and if the special operation is detected, it controls the operation of the heater according to a heater operation rate having a different value from the heater operation rate according to the specific slope.

[0027] In one embodiment, the special operation is characterized by including an initial operation when the refrigerator is turned on, a defrosting operation for removing frost, a limited operation for limiting the outflow of cold air when the door is opened, and a rapid operation for replenishing cold air.

[0028] In one embodiment, the refrigerator further includes a memory in which preset heater driving rates corresponding to different special operations are stored, and the control unit is characterized in that it drives the heater according to a heater driving rate having a larger value among the heater driving rate corresponding to the performed special operation and the heater driving rate corresponding to the outside humidity according to the specific slope.

[0029] In one embodiment, the refrigerator further includes a memory in which slope correction values ​​corresponding to different special operations are stored, and the control unit detects a slope correction value corresponding to a heater driving rate corresponding to the performed special operation, corrects a slope value of the specific slope according to the detected slope correction value, and drives the heater based on a heater driving rate corresponding to the outside humidity according to the corrected slope value.

[0030] In one embodiment, the control unit is characterized in that it controls the time for which the heater is driven within a preset time according to the heater driving rate, or controls the time for which the heater is not driven compared to the preset heater driving time according to the heater driving rate.

[0031] In one embodiment, the control unit is characterized in that it controls the capacity at which the heater is driven compared to the maximum capacity of the heater according to the heater driving rate.

[0032] The effects of the refrigerator and the refrigerator control method according to the present invention are described as follows.

[0033] According to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, the present invention calculates a heater driving rate according to a heater driving condition and drives the heater according to the calculated heater driving rate, thereby following the changing heater driving condition and changing the temperature of the surface of the light-transmitting region. In addition, by calculating the heater driving rate in proportion to the heater driving condition, the present invention allows the heater driving rate to be changed by reflecting the change even when the heater driving condition is slightly changed.

[0034] Accordingly, the present invention has the effect of preventing the heater from being driven excessively or the heater from being fixed in response to changes in the heater driving conditions by determining the heater driving rate by following minute changes in the heater driving conditions around the main body.

[0035] In addition, the present invention calculates the driving rate of the heater corresponding to the heater driving conditions according to the slope of the dew point curve indicating the increase and decrease of the dew point according to the temperature and humidity, thereby allowing the driving rate of the heater or the surface area temperature of the light transmitting area formed on the door to change in accordance with the slope of the dew point curve in response to changes in the temperature and humidity outside the refrigerator body. Accordingly, it is possible to calculate the optimal heater driving rate according to changes in the temperature and humidity outside the refrigerator body, and it is possible to optimize the refrigerator power consumption according to the heater driving.

[0036] Figure 1 is an example diagram showing the heater driving rate for external humidity according to the conventional table-type heater driving method.

[0037] FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram showing an example of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention and a refrigerator door having a light-transmitting area formed therein.

[0038] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation process for driving a heater formed around a light-transmitting area in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] FIG. 5 is an exemplary diagram showing an example of a heater driving rate curve produced in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram showing another example of a heater driving rate curve produced in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram showing a heater driving rate according to a heater driving rate curve produced in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention and a heater driving rate according to a tabulated heater driving method.

[0043] FIG. 8 is an exemplary diagram showing changes in a heater driving rate curve according to an additional control constant in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation process for controlling the operation of the heater according to the occurrence of a special operating situation in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating another operation process for controlling the operation of the heater according to the occurrence of a special operating situation in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] FIG. 11 is an exemplary diagram showing different examples of controlling a heater according to a heater driving rate in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] It should be noted that the technical terms used herein are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, singular expressions used herein include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The suffixes "module" and "part" used in the following description for components are assigned or used interchangeably solely for the convenience of writing the specification, and do not in themselves have distinct meanings or roles.

[0048] In this specification, the terms “comprises” or “includes” should not be construed to necessarily include all of the components or steps described in the specification, and some of the components or steps may not be included, or additional components or steps may be included.

[0049] In addition, when describing the technology disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may obscure the gist of the technology disclosed in this specification, the detailed description is omitted.

[0050] In addition, the attached drawings are only intended to facilitate easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical ideas disclosed in this specification are not limited by the attached drawings, and should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, or substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. In addition, not only each embodiment described below, but also a combination of embodiments may correspond to the spirit and technical scope of the present invention as modifications, equivalents, or substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

[0051] The following drawings are explained in a clockwise order, starting with the drawing at the top left. The drawing at the top left is named the 'first drawing', the drawing at the top right is named the 'second drawing', the drawing at the bottom right is named the 'third drawing', and the drawing at the bottom left is named the 'fourth drawing'.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 2, (a) of FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram showing an example of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and (b) of FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram showing an example of a door (210) of the refrigerator in which a light-transmitting area is formed.

[0053] First, referring to (a) of FIG. 2, a refrigerator (200) according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a main body (200) including a storage compartment therein, and at least one door formed on at least one surface of the main body (200) to selectively open and close the storage compartment. In addition, one of the doors of the refrigerator (e.g., 210) may be formed to have a certain level of transparency or higher so that light can be transmitted, and a light-transmitting area (201) may be formed so that a user can check food stored inside the refrigerator without opening the door (210).

[0054] Here, the light-transmitting area (201) may be formed of a material having a certain level of transparency or higher as described above. Alternatively, the light-transmitting area (201) may be configured as a transparent display (Transparent Liquid Crystal Display) whose transparency can be adjusted from a completely opaque state to a transparent state through transparency adjustment. In this case, the transparent display area may display various image information such as text, images, or videos to provide the refrigerator and various preset information (e.g., weather information, schedule information, etc.). Here, the transparent display area forms a touch screen, and various functions of the refrigerator can be controlled according to a user's touch input applied to the light-transmitting area.

[0055] Meanwhile, referring to (b) of FIG. 2, looking at the refrigerator door (210) in which the light-transmitting area (201) is formed, a heater (250) may be placed around the light-transmitting area (201) to increase the temperature of the light-transmitting area (201) and prevent dew formation on the light-transmitting area (201). In this case, the heater (250) may be placed inside the edge area between the door (210) and the light-transmitting area (201), as shown in (b) of FIG. 2. In this case, when the heater (250) is driven, heat emitted from the heater (250) may be transferred to the light-transmitting area (201), as shown in (b) of FIG. 2, and thus the surface temperature of the light-transmitting area (201) may increase.

[0056] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 3, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured to include a temperature sensor (110), a humidity sensor (120), a cold air supply unit (150), a heater (250), and a control unit (100). The components illustrated in FIG. 3 are not essential for implementing the refrigerator, and thus the refrigerator (100) described in this specification may have more or fewer components than the components listed above.

[0058] More specifically, among the above components, the temperature sensor (110) can measure the temperature of the storage compartment of the refrigerator, i.e., the temperature inside the refrigerator, and the temperature outside the refrigerator body. To this end, the temperature sensor (110) can include at least one temperature sensor (hereinafter, the temperature sensor inside the refrigerator (111)) that can measure the temperature inside the refrigerator and at least one temperature sensor (hereinafter, the temperature sensor outside the refrigerator (112)) that can measure the temperature outside the refrigerator body.

[0059] Meanwhile, the refrigerator may be divided into multiple zones, as shown in (a) of Fig. 2. In this case, each of the multiple zones may be independently controlled. To this end, the internal temperature sensor (111) may sense the internal temperature of each of the multiple zones, and may be configured as a separate temperature sensor positioned in each of the multiple zones.

[0060] Likewise, the external temperature sensor (112) may be configured to sense temperatures of different areas of the refrigerator body corresponding to each of the plurality of areas. To this end, the external temperature sensor (112) may be configured with a plurality of temperature sensors positioned in different areas of the body.

[0061] Additionally, the humidity sensor (120) can sense the humidity outside the refrigerator body. The humidity sensor (120) can also be configured to sense the humidity in different areas of the refrigerator. To this end, the humidity sensor (120) can also be configured with multiple humidity sensors positioned in different areas of the refrigerator body.

[0062] Meanwhile, as seen in (b) of the above-described FIG. 2, a light-transmitting area (201) may be formed on at least one of the doors of the refrigerator. In addition, a heater (250) may be placed on the door (210) on which the light-transmitting area (201) is formed to increase the temperature of at least a portion of the outer surface of the light-transmitting area (201).

[0063] The heater (250) may be driven under the control of the control unit (100). For example, the control unit (100) may calculate the driving rate of the heater (250) based on the sensing values ​​collected from the temperature sensor (110) and the humidity sensor (120). Here, the driving rate of the heater (250) may mean the ratio of the time that the heater (250) is driven within a preset unit time or the ratio of the time that the heater (250) is driven and the time that the heater (250) is not driven. Alternatively, it may mean the ratio of the driving capacity to the maximum capacity of the heater (250).

[0064] Alternatively, the control unit (100) may determine the external surface temperature of the light-transmitting region based on the sensing values ​​collected from the temperature sensor (110) and the humidity sensor (120). Then, the driving rate of the heater (250) may be determined so that the heater (250) is driven according to the determined external surface temperature.

[0065] In this case, if the driving rate of the heater (250) is high, the external surface temperature of the light-transmitting region may increase significantly, and if the driving rate of the heater (250) is low, the external surface temperature of the light-transmitting region may increase slightly. In addition, since the light-transmitting region is affected by the internal temperature that is maintained constantly due to the limitation of the application of the insulating material, it can be assumed that the initial temperature of the light-transmitting region is the same. In addition, if it is assumed that the initial temperature of the light-transmitting region is the same, the external surface temperature of the light-transmitting region may be proportional to the driving rate of the heater (250).

[0066] Therefore, in the following description, the external surface temperature of the light-transmitting region and the driving rate of the heater (250) will not be distinguished, but will be described as the driving rate of the heater (250). However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited thereto, and the driving rate of the heater (250) described below may also be understood as the external surface temperature of the light-transmitting region. In this case, the control unit (100) of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention may determine the external surface temperature of the light-transmitting region based on heater driving conditions, for example, sensing values ​​collected from the temperature sensor (110) and the humidity sensor (120), instead of the heater driving rate, and may drive the heater (250) so that the temperature of the light-transmitting region increases according to the determined external surface temperature.

[0067] And the cold air supply unit (150) may include various components for supplying and circulating cold air to each area inside the refrigerator.

[0068] For example, the cold air supply unit (150) may include a compressor (152) that compresses a refrigerant, a condenser (153) that condenses the refrigerant that has passed through the compressor (152), an expansion member (not shown) that expands the refrigerant that has passed through the condenser (153), and an evaporator (151) that evaporates the refrigerant that has passed through the expansion member. In this case, the evaporator (151) may be configured to include a fan (not driven) that allows cold air to flow within the refrigerator for cold air circulation, and a fan drive unit (not shown) that drives the fan.

[0069] Also, although not shown, a connecting duct or through-hole may be formed between partitions dividing each area of ​​the refrigerator to provide a passage for cold air to be supplied from one area of ​​the refrigerator to another area. In addition, the cold air supply unit (150) may further include a damper (not shown) that is installed in the connecting duct or through-hole and controls the opening or closing of the connecting duct or through-hole. In this case, the control unit (100) may control the internal temperature of the area of ​​the refrigerator by adjusting the amount of cold air supplied to the area of ​​the refrigerator through the opening angle of the damper.

[0070] Meanwhile, the memory (130) can store data supporting various functions of the refrigerator. For example, the memory (130) can store a number of application programs (or applications) for various functions or operations operated by the refrigerator, data for the operation of the refrigerator, commands, and drivers for controlling each component, for example.

[0071] In addition, the memory (130) can store various data for calculating the heater driving rate according to an embodiment of the present invention. The memory (130) can store the value of at least one control constant for calculating the heater driving rate, and can store information related to the dew point according to the temperature and humidity. For example, the memory (130) can store data such as information on dew points corresponding to different temperatures and humidity, or a saturated water vapor content curve or a psychrometric chart so as to calculate the temperature of the dew point corresponding to the different temperatures and humidity.

[0072] And the control unit (100) can control the overall operation of the refrigerator. The control unit (100) can control the cold air supply unit (150) so that the temperature of each area inside the refrigerator is maintained according to a preset refrigeration temperature or cooling temperature.

[0073] In addition, the control unit (100) can drive the heater (250) to prevent dew from forming on the light-transmitting area (201) of the door (210). To drive the heater (250), the control unit (100) can calculate the heater driving rate based on the detection values ​​detected by the temperature sensor (110) and the humidity sensor (120), and can drive the heater (250) according to the calculated heater driving rate.

[0074] Here, the control unit (100) can calculate a heater driving rate having a certain proportionality or additivity according to changes in temperature or humidity outside the refrigerator body. In this way, when the heater driving rate has proportionality or additivity according to changes in temperature or humidity outside the body, if the temperature or humidity outside the body changes, the heater driving rate can also change according to the changed temperature or humidity. In other words, different heater driving rates can be calculated for different temperatures and humidity.

[0075] To this end, the control unit (100) can control the heater (250) so that the calculated heater driving rate has a constant slope according to changes in temperature and humidity outside the main body. In this case, the slope may be greater than a preset minimum value (e.g., 0) and less than a preset maximum value. That is, when the slope is greater than 0 (a horizontal line when the slope is 0) and less than a preset maximum value (a vertical line when the slope is infinity), the heater driving rate may have linearity in which it constantly decreases or increases according to changes in temperature and humidity outside the main body. That is, the control unit (100) can linearly control the heater (250) according to the temperature and humidity outside the main body (linear control).

[0076] Meanwhile, the heater (250) is intended to prevent dew from forming on the outer surface of the light-transmitting area (201) of the door (210), and heats the light-transmitting area so that the surface temperature of the light-transmitting area becomes higher than the dew point determined by the temperature and humidity of the outside of the refrigerator body. Accordingly, the control unit (100) linearly controls the heater (250) according to the slope of the dew point curve indicating the increase and decrease of the dew point according to the temperature and humidity, thereby preventing dew from forming on the light-transmitting area while preventing excessive operation of the heater (250) and thus preventing power consumption from being wasted.

[0077] To this end, the control unit (100) may calculate the heater driving rate by reflecting a control constant for applying a preset weight to at least one of the heater driving conditions for calculating the heater driving rate, for example, the temperature and humidity outside the main body, and the internal temperature. Here, the control constant may be such that the slope of the heater driving rate curve, which represents the heater driving rate that linearly decreases or increases according to changes in the temperature and humidity outside the main body, follows the slope of the dew point curve.

[0078] Therefore, the slope of the heater driving rate curve can be formed between the slope of the tangent line having the maximum slope and the slope of the tangent line having the minimum slope among the tangent lines of the dew point curve. For example, when the dew point curve is not a straight line, the tangent lines of each dew point on the dew point curve can have different slopes. In addition, the slope of the heater driving rate curve can have a value between the slope having the maximum value and the slope having the minimum value among the slopes of the tangent lines according to each dew point of the dew point curve without the heater driving rate curve intersecting the dew point curve.

[0079] The at least one control constant may be determined through regression analysis based on the slope of the dew point curve and the heater operating rates calculated according to a plurality of different heater operating conditions. Here, the slope of the dew point curve may be the slope of the heater operating rate curve that is ultimately intended to be achieved through the control constants of each heater operating condition determined through the regression analysis.

[0080] For the above regression analysis, a plurality of first initial values ​​having a temperature margin of a first level or higher than the slope of the dew point curve in a preset low temperature and low humidity state can be determined through an experiment. In addition, a plurality of second initial values ​​having a temperature margin of a second level or higher than the slope of the dew point curve in a preset high temperature and high humidity state can be determined through an experiment. In addition, a heater driving rate curve according to a change in the heater driving rate (heater driving rate slope) that satisfies the plurality of first initial values ​​and the plurality of second initial values ​​can be generated, and a weight applied to each of the plurality of different heater driving conditions that satisfies the generated heater driving rate curve can be determined through regression analysis.

[0081] Accordingly, the correlation between the outside temperature and the outside humidity can be analyzed to calculate a heater operating rate that satisfies a specific slope according to changes in the outside temperature and the outside humidity, and the weight applied to the outside temperature and the outside humidity, i.e., the control constant, can be determined according to the analyzed correlation.

[0082] Although the above description has been explained using the outside temperature and outside humidity as examples, more heater operating conditions can be analyzed as variables in the regression analysis. For example, the inside temperature of the refrigerator, which is the temperature inside the refrigerator, can be further included as a heater operating condition. In this case, the correlation between each heater operating condition, including the inside temperature in addition to the outside temperature and outside humidity, can be analyzed through the regression analysis to calculate a heater operating rate that satisfies the specific slope.

[0083] Meanwhile, the heater operating rate may vary linearly according to changes in temperature and humidity as described above. In this case, the heater operating rate curve may be formed as a straight line having linearity. Accordingly, if the dew point curve does not have linearity, the temperature margin, which is the temperature difference between the surface temperature of the light-transmitting area (201) of the door (210) and the dew point according to the heater operating rate curve, may vary as the temperature and humidity outside the refrigerator increase or decrease.

[0084] However, the higher the humidity outside the main body, the more likely dew is to form on the surface of the light-transmitting region. Therefore, more preferably, a heater driving rate curve having a slope that increases the temperature margin as the humidity outside the main body increases while following the slope of the dew point curve may be generated, such that weights, i.e., control constants, for each of a plurality of heater driving conditions for calculating the heater driving rate may be determined. In addition, the determined control constants may be stored in the memory (130).

[0085] Meanwhile, the control unit (100) can calculate a heater driving rate according to the sensing results of the temperature sensor (110) and the humidity sensor (120), based on each heater driving condition according to the sensing results of the temperature sensor (110) and the humidity sensor (120) and the control constants set for each heater driving condition. Then, the control unit (100) can control the heater (250) so that the heater (250) is driven according to the calculated heater driving rate.

[0086] In this case, the control constants are such that the heater driving rate changes according to the change in the dew point (slope of the dew point curve) according to the temperature and humidity as described above, and the heater driving of the control unit (100) may be such that a heater driving rate curve having a slope according to the control constants is calculated, and the heater (250) is controlled at a heater driving rate matching the heater driving conditions according to the calculated heater driving rate curve.

[0087] Here, the heater operation rate may be the ratio of the time during which the heater (250) is operated during a preset period of time. Or, it may be the ratio of the time during which the heater (250) is operated to the time during which the heater (250) is not operated. Or, it may be the ratio of the capacity at which the heater (250) is operated, i.e., the heater operation capacity, to the preset maximum heater capacity of the heater (250).

[0088] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operational process for driving a heater formed around a light-transmitting area in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 5 and 6 are exemplary diagrams illustrating examples of heater driving rate curves produced in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0089] First, referring to FIG. 4, the control unit (100) of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention can detect heater operation conditions while the refrigerator is operating (S400). Here, the heater operation conditions are conditions for calculating a heater operation rate, and may include the temperature and humidity outside the refrigerator body and the temperature inside the refrigerator for a certain period of time.

[0090] In the step S400, the control unit (100) can detect the heater operation conditions for a predetermined period of time at a preset unit time cycle. For example, if the unit time is 10 seconds and the predetermined period of time is 10 minutes, the control unit (100) can sense the temperature and humidity outside the refrigerator body and the temperature inside the refrigerator at 10-second intervals for 10 minutes. Then, an average value for each sensed detection value can be calculated. Here, the calculated average value can be set as the temperature outside the refrigerator, the humidity outside the refrigerator, and the temperature inside the refrigerator for the predetermined period of time as the heater operation conditions for calculating the heater operation rate.

[0091] In the above step S400, when the temperature outside the refrigerator (hereinafter referred to as the outside temperature), the humidity outside the refrigerator (hereinafter referred to as the outside humidity), and the temperature inside the refrigerator (hereinafter referred to as the inside temperature) for the predetermined period of time are calculated, the control unit (100) can calculate the heater operation rate based on the detected heater operation conditions and the control constants set for each heater operation condition (S402). In this case, the heater operation rate can be calculated according to the following mathematical expression 1.

[0092]

[0093] Here, control constants A, B, and C may be weights assigned to the outdoor temperature, outdoor humidity, and indoor temperature. Furthermore, the heater operating rate may be a control constant determined by regression analysis so that changes in the outdoor temperature and outdoor humidity vary according to a preset slope. Furthermore, control constant D may be a control constant determined according to the device characteristics of the refrigerator.

[0094] For example, the control constant determined based on the device characteristics of the refrigerator may be a control constant determined based on the capacity or type of the refrigerator (e.g., double-door, single-door). Furthermore, the device characteristics may include the manufacturer of the refrigerator to reflect the operating characteristics of the heater of each manufacturer of the refrigerator. In other words, the control constant D may vary not only when the capacity or type of the refrigerator is different, but also when the manufacturer is different.

[0095] Meanwhile, if the heater driving rate has a linearity that constantly decreases or increases depending on the outside temperature and outside humidity, the heater driving rate curve can be formed in the form of a straight line having a slope similar to the slope of the dew point curve.

[0096] FIG. 5 is an exemplary diagram showing an example of a heater driving rate curve produced in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0097] Fig. 5 shows examples of the first heater driving rate curve (500) representing changes in the heater driving rate applied in a high temperature outside temperature region, and the second heater driving rate curve (550) representing changes in the heater driving rate applied in a low temperature outside temperature region. The control unit (100) can calculate the heater driving rate according to the outside temperature and outside humidity according to either the first heater driving rate curve (500) or the second heater driving rate curve (550) based on the average outside temperature, etc.

[0098] Here, the first heater driving rate curve (500) may have a preset first slope. And the second heater driving rate curve (550) may have a preset second slope. Here, the first slope and the second slope may have values ​​greater than 0 and less than a preset maximum value. Accordingly, the first heater driving rate curve (500) and the second heater driving rate curve (550) may have slopes greater than a horizontal line and less than a vertical line.

[0099] Meanwhile, according to the above-described explanation, the present invention has been explained in that a control constant can be set for each of the heater driving conditions, and the control constant is a weight applied to each of the heater driving conditions, which is calculated through regression analysis according to the slope of the dew point curve so that a heater driving rate satisfying the slope following the dew point curve is calculated.

[0100] Accordingly, the heater driving rate determined by the control constant set for each of the heater driving conditions can satisfy the slope that follows the dew point curve. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 5, the first heater driving rate curve (500) representing the heater driving rate that changes according to the outside temperature and outside humidity in a high temperature outside temperature region can have a slope that follows the dew point curve (501) applied in the high temperature outside temperature region. In addition, the second heater driving rate curve (550) representing the heater driving rate that changes according to the outside temperature and outside humidity in a low temperature outside temperature region can also have a slope that follows the dew point curve (551) applied in the low temperature outside temperature region.

[0101] Meanwhile, unlike the above-described FIG. 5, the control unit (100) of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention can also make the heater driving rate curve have linearity within a certain range of external humidity.

[0102] FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram showing an example of a heater driving rate curve produced in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention in such a case.

[0103] Referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 shows examples of the first heater driving rate curve (600) showing changes in the heater driving rate applied in a high temperature outside temperature region, and the second heater driving rate curve (650) showing changes in the heater driving rate applied in a low temperature outside temperature region.

[0104] In this case, according to the first heater driving rate curve (600), a heater driving rate that linearly changes according to changes in the outside humidity and outside temperature can be calculated when the outside humidity is higher than or equal to the first conversion point (621) and lower than or equal to the outside humidity corresponding to the second conversion point (622).

[0105] However, when the outside humidity corresponding to the first conversion point (621) is lower than the outside humidity, a constant heater driving rate can be matched regardless of the humidity. That is, the outside humidity corresponding to the first conversion point (621) can be the starting humidity at which the calculation of the heater driving rate having linearity begins according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0106] In addition, when the outside humidity corresponding to the second conversion point (622) is lower than the outside humidity, a constant heater driving rate can be matched regardless of the humidity. That is, the outside humidity corresponding to the second conversion point (622) can be the end humidity at which the calculation of the heater driving rate having linearity is terminated according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0107] Likewise, according to the second heater driving rate curve (650), a heater driving rate that linearly changes according to changes in the outside humidity and outside temperature can be calculated when the outside temperature and outside humidity corresponding to the first conversion point (671) are higher than or equal to the outside temperature and outside humidity corresponding to the second conversion point (672).

[0108] In this case, the outdoor humidity corresponding to the first conversion point (671) may be the starting humidity at which the calculation of the linear heater driving rate according to an embodiment of the present invention begins. In addition, the outdoor humidity corresponding to the second conversion point (672) may be the ending humidity at which the calculation of the linear heater driving rate according to an embodiment of the present invention ends.

[0109] Accordingly, the heater driving rate curve calculated according to the heater driving conditions according to the embodiment of the present invention can be divided into three regions according to the outside humidity, as shown in Fig. 6. That is, it can be divided into a first region (601, 651) in which a preset minimum heater driving rate is calculated regardless of changes in the outside humidity, a second region (602, 652) in which a preset maximum heater driving rate is calculated regardless of changes in the outside humidity, and a third region (603, 653) in which the heater driving rate changes according to changes in the outside humidity.

[0110] In this case, the third region (603, 653) may be a region in which the heater driving rate increases and decreases constantly according to changes in the outside humidity, and the change in the heater driving rate has linearity. In this case of linearity, since the heater driving rate changes in proportion to changes in the outside humidity, different heater driving rates can be matched to different outside humidity.

[0111] However, while the first and second heater driving rate curves (500, 550) have linearity that increases and decreases constantly according to changes in the outside temperature and outside humidity, the dew point curve does not have linearity, so the temperature margin (610, 660), which is the temperature difference between each dew point temperature (501, 551) and the first and second heater driving rate curves (500, 550), may vary depending on changes in humidity.

[0112] However, the higher the humidity outside the main body, the more likely dew is to form on the surface of the light-transmitting region. Accordingly, the higher the temperature of the light-transmitting region, the more effectively dew formation can be prevented. Therefore, preferably, as shown in Fig. 6, while following the slope of the dew point curve, a heater driving rate curve having a slope such that the temperature margin increases as the humidity outside the main body increases may be generated, such that control constants for each of a plurality of heater driving conditions for calculating the heater driving rate can be determined.

[0113] Meanwhile, as examined in the above FIGS. 5 and 6, the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention analyzes the correlation between the outside temperature, the outside humidity, the inside temperature and the heater operation rate through regression analysis, and applies a control constant as a weight to each of the outside temperature, the outside humidity and the inside temperature so that the heater operation rate determined according to the change in the outside temperature and the outside humidity has a constant slope within a preset outside humidity range. In addition, by making the slope of the heater operation rate curve indicating the change in the heater operation rate according to the change in the outside temperature and the outside humidity follow the slope of the dew point curve indicating the change in the dew point according to the change in temperature and humidity, it is possible to prevent the heater (250) from being excessively operated without a dew point forming on the outer surface of the light-transmitting area (201) formed on the door (210).

[0114] FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram showing a heater driving rate curve produced in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention and a heater driving rate curve according to a conventional tabulated heater driving method.

[0115] First, in the case of the conventional tabulated heater driving method, as shown in Table 1 and Fig. 1, the heater driving rate increases and decreases in steps according to changes in external humidity. Therefore, as shown in the first graph (700) of Fig. 7, which shows the heater driving rate curve according to the conventional tabulated heater driving method in a high temperature external temperature region, the heater driving rate increases rapidly at the boundary where the level changes. And, the increased heater driving rate is maintained as is regardless of the change in humidity (e.g., the maximum heater driving rate is maintained at a humidity higher than the first humidity (715)).

[0116] However, the dew point is the temperature at which dew is formed depending on the outside temperature and outside humidity. If the temperature of the surface of the light-transmitting area (201) of the door (210) is higher than the temperature on the dew point curve depending on the current outside temperature and outside humidity, dew may not be formed on the surface of the light-transmitting area (201). Accordingly, if the heater (250) is driven according to the heater driving rate determined as in the first graph (700) of FIG. 7, which represents a heater driving rate curve according to the conventional tabulated heater driving method, dew may be prevented from being formed on the surface of the light-transmitting area (201). However, as can be seen from the temperature difference between the first graph (700) and the dew point curve (501), there is a problem in that the heater (250) is driven excessively. In addition, this excessive driving of the heater (250) may waste power consumption of the refrigerator.

[0117] In contrast, according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the correlation between the heater driving conditions related to the heater driving rate is analyzed (e.g., regression analysis) so that the heater driving rate follows a specific slope, and different heater driving rates are calculated based on changes in the heater driving conditions along the specific slope according to the analyzed correlation, as shown in FIG. 7, a heater driving rate that linearly increases or decreases according to the specific slope can be calculated depending on changes in the outside humidity. Furthermore, when the specific slope follows the slope of the dew point curve, the heater driving rate can be lowered, such as the difference in heater driving rates between the first graph (700) and the first heater driving rate curve (600) representing the change in the heater driving rate calculated according to the present invention, while allowing the light transmitting area (201) to have a higher temperature than the dew point. That is, excessive operation of the heater can be prevented, and waste of power consumption of the refrigerator can be prevented accordingly.

[0118] Meanwhile, in the case of the low-temperature outdoor temperature region, the explanation is the same as above. That is, the heater driving rate can be lowered further, as in the difference in heater driving rate between the second graph (750) of Fig. 7, which shows the heater driving rate curve according to the conventional table-based heater driving method in the low-temperature outdoor temperature region, and the second heater driving rate curve (650) which shows the change in the heater driving rate calculated according to the present invention.

[0119] Moreover, in the case of the conventional table-type heater driving method, in order to prevent excessive heater driving, the surface temperature of the light transmitting area (201) must be increased to be as similar to the dew point temperature as possible. However, in the case of the table-type heater driving method, as shown in FIG. 7, since there is a step-wise change in which a specific heater driving rate is matched to a specific humidity range, the surface temperature of the light transmitting area (201) according to the heater driving rate corresponding to the third humidity (713) around the boundary where the level is changed can be very close to the temperature according to the dew point curve (551). Therefore, there is a problem that dew is easily formed at the third humidity (713) despite the driving of the heater (250).

[0120] Meanwhile, in order to solve the problem that dew may form despite the operation of the heater (250) at the third humidity (713), the heater operation rate matching the second humidity (711) to the third humidity (713) can be increased. However, when the heater operation rate is increased, there is a problem that the heater (250) is excessively operated in response to changes in the dew point, which may result in waste of power consumption.

[0121] However, in the case where the heater operation rate is calculated according to a heater operation rate curve having a specific slope according to the change in the outside humidity so as to linearly change according to the change in the outside humidity as in the present invention, the slope of the dew point curve (551) can be followed and the heater operation rate can have different values ​​according to the outside humidity. Accordingly, the heater operation rate can be lowered further, as in the difference in heater operation rate between the second graph (750) and the second heater operation rate curve (650) showing the change in the heater operation rate calculated according to the present invention, thereby preventing waste of power consumption of the refrigerator.

[0122] Meanwhile, as mentioned above, it has been mentioned that the different power consumption measurement standards differ by country. In addition, in the case of the conventional tabulated heater operation method, the heater operation rate can be arbitrarily set so that the heater operation rate is lowered under conditions where a high power consumption weight is applied in order to satisfy the different power consumption measurement standards by each country, and the heater operation rate is higher under conditions where a low power consumption weight is applied. Accordingly, in the case of the conventional tabulated heater operation method, the power consumption measurement value according to the different weights by country may be lowered, but the actual power consumed by the refrigerator may be higher. In addition, since the heater operation rate must be set according to each heater operation condition where different weights are applied by country, there may be a problem that the heater operation with the refrigerator becomes very complicated and difficult.

[0123] Meanwhile, according to the above, the present invention has a configuration that analyzes the correlation with heater operating conditions, and directly calculates different heater operating rates based on changes in the heater operating conditions along the specific slope according to the analyzed correlation. Accordingly, the present invention can reduce the power consumed in an actual refrigerator, but in measuring power consumption according to different weights for each country, the power consumption may be calculated to be higher than the power consumption measurement value according to the conventional tabulated heater operating method including the heater operating rate arbitrarily set according to the weights for each country.

[0124] Accordingly, the present invention can calculate the heater operation rate by adding a control constant for setting the outdoor humidity, i.e., the starting humidity, at which the heater operation rate begins to change linearly according to the power consumption measurement weights for each country. When such a control constant is further reflected, the heater operation rate calculated according to an embodiment of the present invention can linearly increase or decrease according to changes in outdoor humidity above the starting humidity. For example, the starting humidity may be the outdoor humidity corresponding to the first conversion point (621) of FIG. 6.

[0125] In addition, the present invention may further incorporate additional control constants for compensating for slopes based on the weighting of power consumption measurements for each country. In this case, the control constants may be for calculating the heater operating rate by further reflecting a weighting based on outdoor humidity, or for calculating the heater operating rate by further reflecting a weighting based on outdoor temperature.

[0126] FIG. 8 is an exemplary diagram showing changes in a heater driving rate curve according to an additional control constant in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0127] First, referring to (a) of Fig. 8, (a) of Fig. 8 shows the change in heater operating rate calculated for each humidity for different external temperatures according to the above mathematical expression 1.

[0128] Meanwhile, the present invention can calculate the heater operation rate according to the external humidity by adding a control constant (E) for correcting the slope according to the power consumption measurement weight of each country as described above and a control constant (F) for setting the starting humidity as shown in the following mathematical expression 2.

[0129]

[0130] Here, the basic heater operation rate may be a heater operation rate calculated according to the control constants A, B, C and the control constant D determined according to the current outside temperature, outside humidity, current inside temperature, and refrigerator device characteristics as examined in the above mathematical expression 1. In addition, the control constant E may be a weight of the outside humidity for adjusting the increase / decrease rate (slope) of the heater operation rate according to the change in outside humidity according to the weight of the country-specific power consumption measurement according to the outside humidity, and the control constant F may be a weight for determining the starting humidity at which the linear control of the heater operation rate according to the embodiment of the present invention begins.

[0131] In this case, if the control constant E increases, as shown in (b) of Fig. 8, the heater driving rate according to the increase in outside humidity may increase compared to the heater driving rate according to mathematical expression 1 (basic heater driving rate). Therefore, as shown in (b) of Fig. 8, the slope of the heater driving rate may increase (810). On the other hand, if the control constant E decreases, as shown in (b) of Fig. 8, the heater driving rate according to the increase in outside humidity may decrease compared to the basic heater driving rate. Therefore, as shown in (b) of Fig. 8, the slope of the heater driving rate may decrease (811).

[0132] In addition, when the control constant F increases, the starting humidity at which the heater driving rate changes linearly with changes in the outside humidity may increase (821), as shown in (c) of Fig. 8. On the other hand, when the control constant F decreases, the starting humidity at which the heater driving rate changes linearly with changes in the outside humidity may decrease (820), as shown in (c) of Fig. 8.

[0133] Meanwhile, the weighting factor for power consumption measurement for each country may be set differently depending on the change in the heater operation rate at a specific outside temperature. Accordingly, the present invention can further reflect terms that further reflect the outside temperature and outside humidity in the heater operation rate, as in Equation 3, so that the increase / decrease rate of the heater operation rate varies depending on the change in outside humidity in a specific temperature range, that is, the slope of the heater operation rate curve representing the heater operation rate calculated depending on the change in outside humidity varies depending on the change in outside humidity in a specific temperature range.

[0134]

[0135] Here, the temperature constant can be determined based on the temperature range in which the slope of the heater operating rate varies for each country. Furthermore, the change in outdoor humidity can be the difference between the control constant F, which determines the starting humidity, and the current outdoor humidity. In this case, if the control constant F is greater than the outdoor humidity, the change in outdoor humidity can be a negative number, and thus, the change in outdoor humidity can be calculated as shown in the following mathematical equation 4.

[0136]

[0137] Here, the control constant F is a weight for determining the starting humidity at which linear control of the heater driving rate according to an embodiment of the present invention begins.

[0138] Meanwhile, according to the above mathematical expressions 3 and 4, if the additional control constant G is further reflected in the calculation formula of the heater operation rate (e.g., mathematical expression 1 or mathematical expression 2) in which the outside temperature and outside humidity are further reflected, as shown in (d) of Fig. 8, the increase / decrease rate (slope) of the heater operation rate may vary depending on the outside humidity in a specific outside temperature range.

[0139] For example, if the control constant G of the above mathematical expression 3 is 25, as shown in (d) of Fig. 8, the increase / decrease rate of the heater operation rate according to the change in the outside humidity may vary based on the outside temperature of 25 degrees Celsius. That is, when the outside temperature is 25 degrees (the heater operation rate curve (801) corresponding to the medium outside temperature), the heater operation rate for the outside humidity may be calculated based on the basic heater operation rate.

[0140] However, in the case of high temperatures exceeding 25 degrees Celsius, as the control constant G value increases (830), the increase / decrease rate of the heater operation rate according to changes in the outside humidity may increase. That is, the slope (800-1) of the heater operation rate curve (800) according to the high outside temperature exceeding 25 degrees Celsius may increase depending on the size of the G value.

[0141] On the other hand, in the case of low temperatures below 25 degrees Celsius, as the control constant G value decreases (831), the increase / decrease rate of the heater operation rate according to changes in the outside humidity may decrease. That is, the slope (803-1) of the heater operation rate curve (803) according to the low temperature outside temperature below 25 degrees Celsius may become smaller depending on the size of the G value.

[0142] Meanwhile, in step S401 of the above-described FIG. 4, by further reflecting the additional term of the above-described mathematical formula 3 in the above-described mathematical formula 1 or mathematical formula 2, or the above-described mathematical formula 1 or mathematical formula 2, the control unit (100) of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention can calculate the heater operation rate according to the heater operation conditions detected in the above-described S400 step, for example, the outside temperature, the outside humidity, and the inside temperature.

[0143] In this case, the heater operation rate calculation formula in which the additional term of the mathematical formula 3 is further reflected in the mathematical formula 1 or 2, or the mathematical formula 1 or 2, may be a calculation formula for calculating a heater operation rate that has linearity that increases and decreases with a specific slope according to a change in the outside humidity within a specific outside humidity range. In addition, as described above, the specific slope may follow the slope of the dew point curve. The heater operation rate calculated in the step S401 may be a driving rate of the heater (250) that increases the temperature of the light transmission area to different temperatures according to a change in the outside humidity so that the surface temperature of the light transmission area (201) of the door (210) has a temperature higher than a specific temperature margin than the dew point along the slope of the dew point curve.

[0144] Accordingly, the control unit (100) can drive the heater (250) so that the temperature of the light-transmitting area (201) increases according to the heater driving rate calculated in step S401 (S402). In this case, the control unit (100) can control the on or off time of the heater (250) or control the driving capacity of the heater (250) according to the heater driving rate calculated in step S401.

[0145] Referring to FIG. 11 below, different methods in which the control unit (100) controls the operation of the heater (250) according to the heater operation rate calculated in step S401 will be examined.

[0146] In the above step S402, if the heater (250) is driven according to the calculated heater driving rate, the control unit (100) can detect whether the refrigerator is powered off (S403). If the refrigerator is not powered off, the process proceeds to step S400 again to detect the heater driving conditions for a certain period of time. Then, step S401 of calculating the heater driving rate according to the detected heater driving conditions and step S402 of driving the heater (250) according to the calculated heater driving rate can be performed.

[0147] Meanwhile, the control unit (100) of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention can detect whether a preset special operation situation has occurred during a certain period of time during which the heater operation condition is detected in step S400 when step S402 of FIG. 4, in which the heater is operated according to the heater operation rate calculated in step S401 of FIG. 4, is performed. In addition, if the special operation situation has occurred, the heater operation rate can be changed according to the special operation situation that has occurred.

[0148] Here, the special operation situation of the refrigerator may refer to a specific operation mode of the refrigerator according to a specific preset situation. For example, it may refer to an initial operation situation before a preset time has elapsed after the refrigerator is turned on, or a defrost operation situation to remove frost that occurs due to moisture freezing on the surface of the evaporator (151). In addition, a limited operation situation in which cold air discharge is stopped or limited to prevent cold air from being wasted through the open door when the refrigerator door is opened, or a rapid operation situation in which cold air discharge is accelerated to replenish cold air that has leaked after the limited operation may be included in such special operation situations. When such a special operation situation occurs, the control unit (100) may detect the special operation situation that has occurred as an event and store information about the special operation situation that has occurred in the memory (130).

[0149] Meanwhile, in these special operating situations, the temperature inside the refrigerator can change rapidly. For example, when the refrigerator is powered on after being off (initial operation) or when the refrigerator door is opened and then closed again, a rapid discharge of cold air may be required to cool the interior. Furthermore, when a defrosting operation is performed to remove frost, a rapid discharge of cold air may be required upon completion to re-cool the interior, which has been heated by the defrosting operation.

[0150] Then, the control unit (100) can control the cold air supply unit (150) to generate and flow more cold air than when the refrigerator is operating at a constant speed. Accordingly, the temperature inside the refrigerator can drop rapidly. In addition, if the temperature inside the refrigerator drops rapidly, the outer surface of the light-transmitting area (201) of the door (210) can also drop in accordance with the change in the temperature inside the refrigerator, increasing the possibility of condensation.

[0151] Therefore, when the above-described special operating situation occurs, the control unit (100) of the refrigerator can change the heater operating rate according to the special operating situation that has occurred. For example, when the above-described special operating situation occurs, the control unit (100) can prevent dew from forming on the surface of the light-transmitting area (201) of the door (210) even when the temperature inside the refrigerator changes according to the above-described special operating situation by increasing the heater operating rate.

[0152] The following Figures 9 and 10 illustrate different operation processes for changing the heater operating rate according to special operating conditions occurring in the refrigerator.

[0153] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation process for controlling the operation of the heater according to the occurrence of a special operating situation in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0154] Referring to FIG. 9, when step S402 of FIG. 4, in which the heater is driven according to the calculated heater driving rate, is performed, the control unit (100) of the refrigerator can check whether a special driving situation has occurred during a certain period of time in which the heater driving condition is detected (S900). If no special driving situation has occurred, the control unit (100) can drive the heater (250) according to the heater driving rate calculated in step S401 of FIG. 4 (S906).

[0155] However, if a preset special driving situation has occurred as a result of the check in step S900, the control unit (100) can detect the heater driving rate according to the currently occurring special driving situation (S902).

[0156] For example, in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, different heater operating rates may be preset for different special operating situations. Furthermore, information on different heater operating rates corresponding to each special operating situation may be stored in the memory (130). Accordingly, the control unit (100), in step S902, may detect a heater operating rate corresponding to the currently occurring special operating situation among the information on heater operating rates for each special operating situation stored in the memory (130).

[0157] Here, the different heater operating rates for the different special operating situations may include heater operating rates that are set differently according to different indoor temperatures when specific temperature and humidity ranges are satisfied in specific special operating situations. For example, as shown in Table 2 below, when the conditions of an outside temperature of 30 degrees Celsius or higher and an outside humidity of 70% or higher are satisfied, different heater operating rates may be preset according to different indoor temperatures.

[0158] Defrost operation Outside temperature ≥ 30°C, Outside humidity ≥ 70% Inside temperature (°C) Heater operation rate 1 ~ 3100% 4 ~ 560% 6 ~ 750%

[0159] In the above step S902, if a preset heater driving rate is detected according to a currently occurring special driving situation, the control unit (100) can compare the heater driving rate detected in the above step S902 with the heater driving rate calculated through a heater driving rate calculation formula according to an embodiment of the present invention. Then, a heater driving rate having a larger value can be detected (S904).

[0160] If a heater driving rate having a larger value than that detected in step S904 is detected, the control unit (100) can drive the heater (250) according to the heater driving rate detected in step S904 (S906). Accordingly, even if a special operating situation occurs, if the heater driving rate is lower than the heater driving rate according to the heater driving rate calculation formula according to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit (100) can drive the heater (250) based on the heater driving rate calculated according to the heater driving rate calculation formula.

[0161] Meanwhile, in the above description, it is assumed that one special driving situation occurs, but it is of course possible that multiple special driving situations may occur during a certain period of time in which the heater driving condition is detected. In this case, the control unit (100) can detect a heater driving rate corresponding to each of the multiple special driving situations that occurred in step S902. In addition, the control unit (100) can detect a heater driving rate having a largest value among the detected multiple heater driving rates and the heater driving rate according to the heater driving rate calculation formula in step S904. In addition, in step S906, the heater (250) can be driven according to the heater driving rate having the largest value.

[0162] In the above description, an example in which heater operation rates are determined in advance for each special operating situation has been described. However, unlike this, the control unit (100) of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention can, of course, change the increase / decrease rate of the heater operation rate according to the change in external humidity, i.e., the slope of the heater operation rate curve, when a special operating situation occurs. In this case, information on different heater operation rate slope correction values ​​corresponding to each special operating situation can be stored in the memory (130) of the refrigerator.

[0163] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating another operation process for controlling the operation of the heater according to the occurrence of a special operating situation in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention in such a case.

[0164] Referring to FIG. 10, when step S402 of FIG. 4, in which the heater is driven according to the calculated heater driving rate, is performed, the control unit (100) of the refrigerator can check whether a special driving situation has occurred during a certain period of time in which the heater driving condition is detected (S1000). If no special driving situation has occurred, the control unit (100) can drive the heater (250) according to the heater driving rate calculated in step S401 of FIG. 4 (S1006).

[0165] However, if a preset special driving situation has occurred as a result of the check in the above step S1000, the control unit (100) can detect information on different heater driving rate slope correction values ​​corresponding to the currently occurring special driving situation from the memory (130) (S1002).

[0166] And the control unit (100) can correct the heater driving rate calculation formula according to the present invention based on the slope correction value detected in the step S1002. For example, the slope correction value can be added as a separate additional term to the heater driving rate calculation formula in which the additional term of the mathematical expression 3 is reflected in the mathematical expression 1 or 2, or the mathematical expression 1 or 2. Accordingly, different heater driving rate slope correction values ​​corresponding to the currently occurring special driving situation are reflected in the heater driving rate calculated in the step S401 of FIG. 4, so that the heater driving rate can be recalculated (S1004).

[0167] Then, the control unit (100) can drive the heater according to the heater driving rate recalculated in the step S1004 (S1006). Accordingly, when a preset special operating situation occurs, the increase / decrease rate (slope) of the heater driving rate according to the change in the outside humidity can vary. For example, when the above special operating situation occurs, the control unit (100) can increase the heater driving rate according to the outside humidity, thereby increasing the surface temperature of the light-transmitting area (201) of the refrigerator door (210) more quickly according to the change in the outside humidity.

[0168] Meanwhile, FIG. 11 is an exemplary diagram showing different examples in which a heater is controlled according to a heater driving rate in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0169] First, (a) of FIG. 11 illustrates an example in which the time for which the heater (250) is driven is controlled for a preset period of time according to the heater driving rate. In this case, assuming that the preset period of time is 600 seconds, i.e., 10 minutes, and assuming that the currently determined heater driving rate is 50%, the control unit (100) can drive the heater for 5 minutes (300 seconds) out of the preset period of 10 minutes. In other words, the heater driving rate may refer to the ratio of the time for which the heater (250) is driven for a preset period of time.

[0170] Meanwhile, in contrast, the heater operation rate may refer to the ratio of the time during which the heater (250) is operated to the time during which the heater (250) is not operated. For example, if the heater operation rate is 100%, the control unit (100) can continuously operate the heater (250) without a time during which the heater (250) is not operated, as in the first example illustrated in (b) of FIG. 11. However, if the heater operation rate is 50%, the control unit (100) can maintain a time during which the heater (250) is not operated equal to the time during which the heater (250) is operated, as in the second example illustrated in (b) of FIG. 11. In this case, the heater (250) may be operated for a time corresponding to 50% of the time corresponding to one cycle.

[0171] Likewise, when the heater operation rate is 33%, as in the third example illustrated in (b) of FIG. 11, the control unit (100) can maintain the time during which the heater (250) is not operated for twice the time during which the heater (250) is operated. In this case, the heater (250) can be operated for a time corresponding to 33% of the time corresponding to one cycle. In addition, when the heater operation rate is 25%, as in the fourth example illustrated in (b) of FIG. 11, the control unit (100) can maintain the time during which the heater (250) is not operated for three times the time during which the heater (250) is operated. In this case, the heater (250) can be operated for a time corresponding to 25% of the time corresponding to one cycle.

[0172] Meanwhile, unlike controlling the heater (250) by the heater driving rate, which is the ratio of the time the heater (250) is driven to the time the heater (250) is not driven, as shown in (a) and (b) of the above-described FIG. 11, it is also possible to adjust the driving capacity of the heater (250) according to the currently calculated heater driving rate.

[0173] In this case, the control unit (100) can drive only a portion of the total capacity of the heater (250) according to the calculated heater driving rate. For example, when the maximum capacity of the heater (250) is 10 W, if the heater driving rate calculated according to the embodiment of the present invention is 100%, the control unit (100) can control the heater (250) to be driven at the maximum capacity of 10 W of the heater (250). However, if the heater driving rate calculated according to the embodiment of the present invention is 50%, the control unit (100) can control the heater (250) to be driven at 5 W, which is 50% of the maximum capacity of 10 W of the heater (250).

[0174] Meanwhile, in the above description, each control constant (e.g., A, B, C) is explained as a first-order constant. However, it is obvious that the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0175] For example, the above control constants are n-th order constants (e.g. A n , B n , C n ) may be. In this case, since the heater operation rate calculation formula according to the embodiment of the present invention changes the linear function to an n-th order function, a heater operation rate curve more similar to the curvature of the dew point curve can be formed. In this way, in the dew point curve, there is a constant temperature margin from the dew point according to the outside humidity, and as the change in the heater operation rate calculated according to the change in the outside humidity approaches the change in the dew point according to the dew point curve, unnecessary operation of the heater can be reduced. In other words, when the change in the heater operation rate calculated according to the change in the outside humidity is the same as the change in the dew point according to the dew point curve, ideal heater operation can be achieved.

[0176] The present invention described above can be implemented as computer-readable code on a medium in which a program is recorded. Computer-readable media include all types of recording devices that store data that can be read by a computer system. Examples of computer-readable media include hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state disk drives (SSDs), silicon disk drives (SDDs), ROMs, RAMs, CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, optical data storage devices, etc., and also include media implemented in the form of carrier waves (e.g., transmission via the Internet). In addition, the computer may include a control unit (100) of a refrigerator. Therefore, the above detailed description should not be construed as limiting in all respects, but should be considered as illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of the present invention are intended to be included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Main body equipped with storage room; A humidity sensor that detects the external humidity, which is the humidity outside the main body; An external temperature sensor that detects the outside temperature, which is the temperature outside the main body, and an internal temperature sensor that detects the internal temperature, which is the temperature inside the storage room; A cold air supply unit that supplies cold air to the above storage room; A door coupled to the main body and formed to open and close the storage room, the door including a light-transmitting area formed of a transparent material; A heater disposed around the light-transmitting area and heating the light-transmitting area so that the temperature of the light-transmitting area varies depending on the heater driving rate; and A refrigerator characterized by comprising a control unit that controls the output of a cold air supply unit supplied to the storage room, calculates different heater operation rates according to different outside humidity, and calculates a heater operation rate that increases or decreases according to a specific slope in response to the increased or decreased outside humidity when the outside humidity increases or decreases.

2. In paragraph 1, the specific slope is, A refrigerator characterized in that the heater operation rate curves representing the different heater operation rates calculated for the different outdoor humidity do not intersect the dew point curve representing the change in dew point according to the change in temperature and humidity, and have a value between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the slopes of the tangent lines according to each dew point of the dew point curve.

3. In the second paragraph, the control unit, A refrigerator characterized in that the heater is controlled to heat the light transmission area to a temperature that is a certain temperature margin higher than the dew point according to the outside humidity, according to the heater driving rate on the heater driving rate curve corresponding to the outside humidity.

4. In the third paragraph, the temperature margin is A refrigerator characterized in that it grows larger as the external humidity increases.

5. In the first paragraph, the heater driving rate is It has a linearity that increases or decreases constantly according to the increase or decrease in the above-mentioned external humidity, The above control unit, A refrigerator characterized in that the operation of the heater is controlled according to the heater operation rate according to the linearity within the preset outside humidity range, and the operation of the heater is controlled according to the preset heater operation rate for outside humidity that exceeds the outside humidity range.

6. In the first paragraph, the control unit, A refrigerator characterized in that the heater driving rate is calculated according to a correlation between the outside temperature, outside humidity, and inside temperature for the above heater driving rate, and the heater driving rate calculated according to a change in the outside humidity follows the specific slope according to a control constant set for the outside temperature, outside humidity, and inside temperature.

7. In paragraph 6, the control constant is A refrigerator characterized in that the correlation between the outside temperature, outside humidity, and internal temperature is determined based on a plurality of samples satisfying the specific slope according to the outside humidity, and the heater operating rate analyzed through regression analysis for the plurality of samples.

8. In paragraph 6, the control unit, A refrigerator characterized in that the first control constant according to the device characteristics of the refrigerator is further reflected to correct the specific slope.

9. In paragraph 6, the control unit, A refrigerator characterized in that the specific slope is corrected by further reflecting a weight according to a second control constant preset to the outside humidity so that the power consumption measurement weight for each country is reflected in the specific slope.

10. In paragraph 6, the control unit, A refrigerator characterized in that the starting humidity at which the calculation of the heater operation rate according to the specific slope begins is determined by further reflecting the preset third control constant.

11. In paragraph 6, the control unit, A refrigerator characterized in that a specific outside temperature at which the specific slope increases or decreases is determined by further reflecting a weight according to a fourth control constant and a specific temperature constant preset to the above outside temperature and outside humidity.

12. In the first paragraph, the control unit, A refrigerator characterized in that it detects whether a preset special operation is performed, and if the special operation is detected, it controls the operation of the heater according to a heater operation rate having a different value from the heater operation rate according to the specific slope.

13. In paragraph 12, the special operation is: A refrigerator characterized by including an initial operation when the power of the refrigerator is turned on, a defrosting operation for removing frost, a limited operation for limiting the outflow of cold air when the door is opened, and a rapid operation for replenishing cold air.

14. In paragraph 12, The above refrigerator, It further includes a memory storing preset heater operating rates corresponding to different special operations, The above control unit, A refrigerator characterized in that the heater is driven according to a heater driving rate having a larger value among a heater driving rate corresponding to the special operation performed above and a heater driving rate corresponding to the outside humidity according to the specific slope.

15. In paragraph 12, The above refrigerator, It further includes a memory storing slope correction values ​​corresponding to different special driving conditions, The above control unit, A refrigerator characterized in that it detects a slope correction value corresponding to a heater driving rate corresponding to the special operation performed above, corrects the slope value of the specific slope according to the detected slope correction value, and drives the heater based on the heater driving rate corresponding to the outside humidity according to the corrected slope value.

16. In the first paragraph, the control unit, A refrigerator characterized in that the time for which the heater is operated is controlled within a preset time according to the heater operation rate, or the time for which the heater is not operated is controlled compared to the preset heater operation time according to the heater operation rate.

17. In the first paragraph, the control unit, A refrigerator characterized in that the capacity at which the heater is driven is controlled in comparison with the maximum capacity of the heater according to the heater driving rate.

Images