Lg Electronics Inc.

Jinseok Hu

Shinhyun Park

Byoungsuk Choi

Heesun Kim

Buhwan Ahn

Sangil Lee

Seonggu Shin

Jaemin Kim

Kyelyong Kang

Youngdoo Kim

Gunil Park

Sun Hwa Kim

Koonseok Lee

Namhun Kim

Jae Jun You

Young Doo Kim

A method controls a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a compressor that includes a piston and uses refrigerant as lubricant for the piston, and the method includes determining an end time point of a refrigerant recovery operation based on a driving input value of the compressor to thereby reducer abrasion of the piston and power consumption.

Refrigerator with refrigerant recovery control

The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator and a control method thereof in one embodiment. The refrigerator in one embodiment may include a storage part including a compressor and an evaporator and configured to store a food item at a low temperature using air cooled by the evaporator, an ice making compartment configured to make or store ice using air cooled by the evaporator, and a fan for making ice allowing air cooled by the evaporator to flow to the ice making compartment, wherein a rotation speed of the fan for making ice changes while the fan for making ice continues to operate during operation of the compressor.

Refrigerator and control method thereof

An apparatus and a method may control a compressor. The apparatus may control a motor (included in a compressor) such that the motor quickly repeats turn-on and turn-off operations in a cooling power supply time period/section, thereby enabling the compressor to compress refrigerant in the cooling power supply time period/section. Thus, cooling power of a refrigerator may change while the compressor operates with maximum efficiency.

Apparatus and method for controlling compressor

A refrigerator may include a storage part including a compressor and an evaporator and configured to store a food item at a low temperature using air cooled by the evaporator. The refrigerator may also include an ice making compartment configured to make or store ice using air cooled by the evaporator, and a fan for making ice allowing air cooled by the evaporator to flow to the ice making compartment. Additionally, a rotation speed of the fan for making ice changes while the fan for making ice continues to operate during operation of the compressor.

A linear compressor includes a cylinder, a piston, a linear motor configured to drive the piston, a current detection unit configured to sense a current in the linear motor, a relay configured to change an operation mode of the linear motor, and a control unit configured to set at least one parameter for determining a stroke of the piston according to the operation mode. The control unit is configured to: determine a first magnitude of a first current in the linear motor based on a state of the relay being in a first state, determine a second magnitude of a second current in the linear motor based on the relay being switched to a second state from the first state, compare the first magnitude to the second magnitude, and based on the comparison of the first magnitude to the second magnitude, determine whether the relay fails to operate.

Linear compressor and method for controlling linear compressor

A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a power input part through which power is input from a UPS device connected to a commercial power source and an auxiliary power source; a voltage sensor configured to sense a voltage of the power input through the power input part; and a control part configured to analyze a voltage signal sensed by the voltage sensor and to determine whether the input power is commercial power or auxiliary power.

Refrigerator

Provided is a refrigerator. A thermoelectric module is disposed on a top surface of an ice compartment defined in a refrigerator door to discharge hot air through a cap deco disposed on a top surface of the door so that efficient ice making in the ice compartment is realized independently from a refrigeration cycle.

Refrigerator having a thermoelectric module

The present disclosure provides an inverter module capable of driving two linear compressors through three upper arm elements and three lower arm elements. To this end, an inverter module according to an embodiment may include an inverter module including a first inverter unit including a first upper arm and a first lower arm; a second inverter unit including a second upper arm, a second lower arm, a third upper arm and a third lower arm; and a controller configured to control the switching operation of the first upper arm and the first lower arm to allow the first inverter unit to drive a first compressor in a half-bridge configuration, and control the switching operation of the second upper arm, the second lower arm, the third upper arm and the third lower arm to allow the second inverter unit to drive a second compressor in a full-bridge configuration during a first operation mode, and control the switching operation of the first upper arm, the first lower arm, the second upper arm, the second lower arm, the third upper arm and the third lower arm to allow the first inverter unit and the second inverter unit to drive the first compressor and the second compressor in a full-bridge configuration during a second operation mode.

Inverter module for driving a plurality of compressors and method for controlling the same

An appliance includes a driver to drive a load, the load requiring AC power or DC power. A power supply receives one of external AC power, back-up AC power and back-up DC power and outputs at least one of AC power or DC power to the load. An operation mode of the home appliance is one of normal operation when receiving external AC power, normal operation when receiving one of back-up AC power and back-up DC power during a power interruption, and a power save mode when receiving one of back-up AC power and back-up DC power during the power interruption. The power supplies a first power level when there is no power interruption, a second power level when there is power interruption and a third power level when there is power interruption and the power save mode is selected, where the second power level is between the first power level and the third power level. The power save mode is automatically selected when the second power level falls below a reference power level.

Home appliance and operating method thereof

A refrigerator and a method of control thereof, whereby after driving of a compressor and a blower fan is stopped as temperatures of a refrigeration compartment and a freezer compartment are in a satisfactory state, opening/closing operations of a damper are repeatedly performed, so that cold air in the freezer compartment is supplied into the refrigeration compartment. Alternatively, if the temperature of the refrigeration compartment reaches an upper limit temperature, the repeated opening/closing operations of the damper are started. The repeated opening/closing operations of the damper are performed until the temperature of the refrigeration compartment reaches a lower limit temperature, so that a cooling operation of the refrigeration compartment is performed only once while the compressor is being driven.

A power determining apparatus is disclosed. The power determining apparatus includes a sensor for sensing a current or voltage supplied from a commercial power source or an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), and a controller for analyzing a current or voltage signal sent from the sensor, and determining which one of the commercial power source and the UPS supplies power, based on results of the analysis.

Power determining apparatus and electronic appliance including the same

A home appliance includes a driver to drive a load, a power supply to convert AC power supplied from an outside of the home appliance, and to receive DC power during interruption of electric power, and a controller (1) to perform a control operation to supply first electric power based on the supplied AC power to the load in accordance with a normal operation mode when no interruption of electric power occurs, (2) to perform a control operation to supply second electric power based on the supplied DC power to the load in accordance with the normal operation mode when no interruption of electric power occurs, and (3) to perform a control operation to supply third electric power based on the supplied DC power to the load in accordance with a power saving mode upon the interruption of electric power.

A refrigerator includes a compressor, a cold storage medium, a power supply to convert AC power supplied from an outside of the refrigerator, and to receive DC power during interruption of electric power, and a controller to perform a control operation to supply a cooling capacity to an interior of the refrigerator by driving the compressor based on the supplied AC power when no interruption of electric power occurs, and to perform a control operation to supply a cooling capacity to the interior of the refrigerator based on the supplied DC power and the cold storage medium during the interruption of electric power. Accordingly, consumption of electric power during interruption of electric power is reduced.

Refrigerator and operating method thereof

A refrigerator and a method for controlling the same are disclosed. A refrigerator includes a timer for measuring an interval of one hour after power is supplied to the refrigerator, a door opening/closing sensor for sensing opening and closing of a door, a storage unit for storing information whether door is opened in a sector defined as one hour by the timer and at least 7 sector units each having 24 consecutive sectors, and a control unit for predicting a refrigerator use pattern in 24 sectors by overlapping 7 sector units, performing a normal operation mode to maintain a storage compartment at a first desired temperature in a sector in which door opening is predicted, and performing a power-saving operation mode to maintain the storage compartment at a second desired temperature higher than the first desired temperature in a sector in which door opening is not predicted.

Refrigerator and method for controlling the same

Provided is a sensorless BLDC motor apparatus for providing a drive current allowing the rotor of the BLDC motor to be aligned in a predetermined direction during an initial position setting section (or for a first period of time), and providing a drive current allowing a frequency thereof to be varied at predetermined time intervals so as to accelerate the rotational speed of the BLDC motor during an open loop section (or for a second period of time), and a method using the same.

Growing community of inventors

Seoul, South Korea

Jinseok Hu