Smart Defrosting Using Cooling Rate Feedback to Reduce Energy Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cooling systems face inefficiencies due to uncontrolled frosting, leading to increased energy consumption and decreased cooling performance, as existing methods fail to accurately determine the frosted mass and often continue defrosting processes unnecessarily.
Innovation Solution
A smart defrosting system that uses temperature sensors and a control unit to measure and record temperature changes, determining frosting based on cooling/heating rate differences and controlling the defrosting process to ensure complete melting, thereby optimizing energy use and preventing re-frosting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If defrosting is started based on fixed time intervals or temperature difference, then the system is simple to operate, but the frosting mass cannot be accurately determined leading to unnecessary defrosting and energy loss
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the cooling rate of the cooler unit and compares it with the cooling rate of the cooling volume. When a significant difference is detected, the system triggers defrosting. This feedback mechanism ensures defrosting occurs only when actually needed, avoiding unnecessary energy consumption while maintaining operational simplicity through automatic control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical timing-based or simple temperature-difference-based defrosting triggers with a sophisticated thermal rate comparison system. By substituting the control mechanism based on thermal dynamics rather than fixed parameters, the system achieves more precise control without significantly increasing operational complexity.
2Device complexity
If defrosting continues based on target temperature without mass determination, then the control logic is simple, but the frosting may not be completely melted leading to re-frosting and decreased cooling performance
Solution Approach 1:
The system monitors the heating rate during defrosting by comparing the temperature change rates of the cooler unit and cooling volume. When the heating rate exceeds a predetermined threshold, the system determines that frosting has been completely melted and stops defrosting. This feedback control ensures complete melting while preventing unnecessary continuation of the defrosting process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic control by continuously adjusting the defrosting process based on real-time thermal rate measurements. Rather than using fixed temperature thresholds, the system adapts the defrosting termination criterion to the actual melting progress, ensuring complete frosting removal while optimizing the defrosting duration.
3Device complexity
If door opening events are not detected, then the temperature sensing is simpler, but temperature changes cause misdetection of frosting formation
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback control by continuously monitoring whether the cooler unit temperature is lower than the cooling volume temperature. When this condition reverses (cooler unit becomes warmer), the system triggers defrosting. This feedback mechanism compensates for temperature fluctuations caused by door openings, as the relative temperature relationship between the cooler unit and cooling volume remains the reliable indicator of frosting conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively reduces energy consumption and maintains cooling performance by accurately determining frosting and controlling the defrosting process, ensuring complete melting and minimizing re-frosting, thus enhancing the efficiency of cooling systems.
Implementation Method 1
measurement of temperatures of cooling volume and cooler unit at unit of time intervals by temperature sensors
Implementation Method 2
determination of rates of cooling/heating by dividing the difference value to the timer time
Implementation Method 3
This occurred frosting prevents the heat energy on the cooler unit from being transmitted to the circulating air
Implementation Method 4
determination of the frosting in accordance with the difference between rates of cooling and starts the defrosting process
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
This invention is related to a smart defrosting system (1) and method (100) which ensures determination of frosting on the cooler or decrease in the melted frost mass, prevention of unnecessary defrost processes and prevention of loss of energy consumed for promptly start and promptly end of melting process and heat loss occurred in cooling systems operating based on heat pump. The system (1) subject of invention contains cooling volume (2), condenser unit (3), cooler unit (4), Heat sensor (7) and control unit (8).