Refrigerator and method of controlling the same

Abstract

A method for controlling a refrigerator includes operating a cooling device at a previously-determined output for cooling a storage space; measuring, by a temperature sensor, a temperature of the storage space in unit times; determining a representative temperature of the storage space based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor, and determining whether the determined representative temperature of the storage space falls within a convergence temperature range, when an output change time is reached after the output of the cooling device is previously determined; maintaining the output of the cooling device or determining the output of the cooling device according to one of a plurality of methods including a first method and a second method when the representative temperature of the storage space falls within the convergence temperature range, and determining the output of the cooling device according to the second method when the representative temperature of the storage space is out of the convergence temperature range; and operating the cooling device at the determined output.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for controlling a refrigerator having a storage space and a cooling device to cool the storage space, comprising:
 operating the cooling device at a determined output for cooling the storage space;   determining, by a temperature sensor, a temperature of the storage space at unit time intervals while the cooling device is operating;   determining a representative temperature of the storage space based on the temperature determined by the temperature sensor, and determining whether the determined representative temperature of the storage space is within a convergence temperature range;   maintaining the output of the cooling device or determining the output of the cooling device according to one of a plurality of methods including a first method and a second method when the representative temperature of the storage space is determined to be within the convergence temperature range;   determining the output of the cooling device according to the second method when the representative temperature of the storage space is determined to be out of the convergence temperature range; and   operating the cooling device at the determined output,   wherein the output of the cooling device can be determined based on the first method which is different from the second method, and   the determining the output of the cooling device according to the second method is based on at least one of a first factor which is a difference value between the representative temperature of the storage space and a set temperature, or a second factor which is a difference value between a current representative temperature and a previous representative temperature of the storage space.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the output of the cooling device can be determined based on the first method when the representative temperature of the storage space is determined to be within the convergence temperature range. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the output of the cooling device can be determined based on the first method when the representative temperature of the storage space is determined to not be converging. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 maintaining the output of the cooling device when the representative temperature of the storage space is determined to be converging.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein an example where the representative temperature of the storage space is converging includes:
 a first example in which the representative temperature of the storage space is continuously maintained within the convergence temperature range is greater than or equal to a first reference time,   a second example where a number of times the representative temperature of the storage space has fallen within the convergence temperature range is greater than or equal to a first reference number (N) when determining whether the representative temperature of the storage space is within the convergence temperature range at each sampling time,   a third example where an accumulated time in which the representative temperature of the storage space is continuously maintained within the convergence temperature range is greater than or equal to a second reference time, or   a fourth example in which a number of times the representative temperature of the storage space has reached the set temperature of the storage space is greater than or equal to a second reference number (M).   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the representative temperature of the storage space corresponds to:
 a temperature of the storage space,   an average temperature of the storage space,   an average temperature of the storage space in some of all sections of the storage space,   an average temperature of a highest temperature and a lowest temperature in all of the sections of the storage space, or   an average temperature of a highest temperature and a lowest temperature in some of all of the sections of the storage space.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein an example where the representative temperature of the storage space can be determined based on the first method includes:
 an example in which a time for which the representative temperature of the storage space is continuously maintained within the convergence temperature range is less than the first reference time and greater than or equal to a third reference time shorter than the first reference time,   an example in which a number of times the representative temperature of the storage space has fallen within the convergence temperature range is less than the first reference number (N) and greater than or equal to a third reference number (X) less than the first reference number (N) when determining whether the representative temperature of the storage space is within the convergence temperature range at each sampling time,   an example in which the time for which the representative temperature of the storage space is continuously maintained within the convergence temperature range is less than the second reference time and greater than or equal to a fourth reference time shorter than the second reference time, and   an example in which the number of times the representative temperature of the storage space has reached the set temperature is less than the second reference number (M) and greater than or equal to a fourth reference number (Y).   
     
     
         8 . A method for controlling a refrigerator having a storage space and a cooling device to cool the storage space, comprising:
 operating the cooling device at a determined output for cooling the storage space;   determining, by a temperature sensor, a temperature of the storage space at unit time intervals while the cooling device is operating;   determining a representative temperature of the storage space based on the temperature determined by the temperature sensor, and determining whether the determined representative temperature of the storage space is within a convergence temperature range;   maintaining the output of the cooling device or determining the output of the cooling device according to one of a plurality of methods including a first method and a second method when the representative temperature of the storage space is determined to be within the convergence temperature range;   determining the output of the cooling device according to the second method when the representative temperature of the storage space is determined to be out of the convergence temperature range; and   operating the cooling device at the determined output,   wherein the output of the cooling device can be determined based on the first method which is different from the second method, and   the determining the output of the cooling device according to the first method is based on a previous output of the cooling device.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the output of the cooling device can be determined based on the first method when the representative temperature of the storage space is determined to be within the convergence temperature range. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the output of the cooling device can be determined based on the first method when the representative temperature of the storage space is determined to not be converging. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 maintaining the output of the cooling device when the representative temperature of the storage space is determined to be converging.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the representative temperature of the storage space corresponds to:
 a temperature of the storage space,   an average temperature of the storage space,   an average temperature of the storage space in some of all sections of the storage space,   an average temperature of a highest temperature and a lowest temperature in all of the sections of the storage space, or   an average temperature of a highest temperature and a lowest temperature in some of all of the sections of the storage space.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein an example where the representative temperature of the storage space can be determined based on the first method includes:
 an example in which a time for which the representative temperature of the storage space is continuously maintained within the convergence temperature range is less than the first reference time and greater than or equal to a third reference time shorter than the first reference time,   an example in which a number of times the representative temperature of the storage space has fallen within the convergence temperature range is less than the first reference number (N) and greater than or equal to a third reference number (X) less than the first reference number (N) when determining whether the representative temperature of the storage space is within the convergence temperature range at each sampling time,   an example in which the time for which the representative temperature of the storage space is continuously maintained within the convergence temperature range is less than the second reference time and greater than or equal to a fourth reference time shorter than the second reference time, and   an example in which the number of times the representative temperature of the storage space has reached a set temperature is less than the second reference number (M) and greater than or equal to a fourth reference number (Y).   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein determining the output of the cooling device according to the first method includes determining the output of the cooling device by multiplying a sum of a maximum value and a minimum value of the output of the cooling device by “a”. 
     
     
         15 . A method for controlling a refrigerator having a storage space and a cooling device to cool the storage space, comprising:
 operating the cooling device at a determined output for cooling the storage space;   determining, by a temperature sensor, a temperature of the storage space at unit time intervals while the cooling device is operating;   determining whether one of temperatures of the storage space is within a convergence temperature range;   maintaining the output of the cooling device or determining the output of the cooling device according to one of a plurality of methods including a first method and a second method when the one of temperatures of the storage space is determined to be within the convergence temperature range;   determining the output of the cooling device according to the second method when the one of temperatures of the storage space is determined to be out of the convergence temperature range; and   operating the cooling device at the determined output,   wherein the output of the cooling device can be determined based on the first method which is different from the second method.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the output of the cooling device is determined based on the first method, when the one of temperatures of the storage space is determined to be within the convergence temperature range. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the determining the output of the cooling device according to the first method is based on a previous output of the cooling device. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , the determining the output of the cooling device according to the second method is based on a difference value between the one of temperatures of the storage space and a set temperature. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the determining the output of the cooling device according to the second method is based on a difference value between a current the one of temperatures of the storage space and a previous the one of temperatures of the storage space. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the determining the output of the cooling device according to the second method is based on at least one of a first factor which is a difference value between the one of temperatures of the storage space and a set temperature, or a second factor which is a difference value between a current the one of temperatures of the storage space and a previous the one of temperatures of the storage space.