Refrigerator and control method thereof

• Main Authors: SEO EUNG-RYEOL, BAE HAK-GYUN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 28.10.2008
• Subjects: BLASTING; COLD ROOMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; CONTROLLING; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT COVERED BY ANY OTHERSUBCLASS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; HEATING; ICE-BOXES; LIGHTING; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PHYSICS; REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; REFRIGERATORS; REGULATING; SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES; WEAPONS

A refrigerator and a control method thereof in which a smooth flow of a refrigerant can be provided through an effective control for a path change valve when a flow path of the refrigerant is changed between two evaporators having different pressures. The refrigerator includes low-pressure-side and high-pressure-side evaporators, a path change device, and a controller. The path change device changes a refrigerant flow path between the low-pressure-side evaporator and the high-pressure-side evaporator, and has a simultaneous opening stage to simultaneously establish refrigerant flow paths respectively communicating with the low-pressure-side evaporator and high-pressure-side evaporator during the path change. The controller controls the path change device such that the simultaneous opening stage established when the refrigerant flow path is changed from the low-pressure-side evaporator to the high-pressure-side evaporator is longer than the simultaneous opening stage established when the refrigerant flow path is changed from the high-pressure-side evaporator to the low-pressure-side evaporator.