Cooling apparatus having a variable speed compressor with speed limited on the basis of a sensed performance parameter

Abstract

A cooling apparatus such as a refrigerator includes a refrigeration cycle including a compressor driven by an electric motor, a condenser, a throttle valve and an evaporator, a first physical amount detector capable of detecting a physical quantity representing a temperature of an object to be cooled by the cooling operation of the evaporator, a temperature control device capable of controlling a rotating speed of the motor based on the physical quantity detected by the first physical quantity detector so that the object is cooled approximately to a target temperature, a second physical quantity detector capable of detecting a physical quantity corresponding to a performance margin of the refrigeration cycle, and a rotating speed limiter capable of limiting the rotating speed of the motor to or below a predetermined speed based on a physical quantity detected by the second physical quantity detector.