Apparatus and method for protecting motor of inverter refrigerator

• US 6,351,960 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2000
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Shin, Hyeon Jae
• Primary Examiner(s): Walberg, Teresa
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAHBOUR, HENRY
• Application Number:
  US09/650,598
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 622/29, 621/26, 622/30, 622/283, 622/281, 361/22, 361/24, 361/31, 361/33
• US Class Current: 62/229
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 2203/0205 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 2207/01 Load in general
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 35/04 the means being electric
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/10 Other safety measures
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/005 of safety devices F25B49/02 and F25B49/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/06 Arrangements for supplying operative power power supply arrangements in general G05F, H02M
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/08 for dynamo-electric motors

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for protecting a motor of an inverter refrigerator comprising an OLP detect unit detecting operation of an OLP, and a power select unit selecting a power feed line in accordance with a detect signal inputted from the OLP detect unit, which is capable of driving properly the OLP in order to prevent damages on the motor due to overload or a rise in temperature of the motor with hysteresis of the OLP operation by preventing cutting off of the power feeding to a CPU when the OLP operates, accordingly the present invention can decrease claims from customers.

Claims

1. An apparatus for protecting a motor, comprising:

an OLP (Over Load Protector) cutting off an AC power source inputted to the motor;

an OLP (Over Load Protector) detect unit detecting operation/non-operation of the OLP;

a power select unit selecting the AC power from the AC power source after passing through the OLP or AC power from the AC power source without passing through the OLP in accordance with a power select control signal;

a CPU (Central Processing Unit) outputting the power select control signal to the power select unit and a driving control signal for driving the motor in accordance with a detect signal from the OLP detect unit; and

a SMPS (Switching Mode Power Supply) feeding a driving power to the CPU after receiving the power selected by the power select unit controlled in accordance with the power select control signal outputted from the CPU.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a driving unit controlling the operation of the motor after receiving the driving control signal outputted from the CPU.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is applied to a refrigerator and further comprises a detector outputting a detect signal to the CPU after detecting the present state of the refrigerator.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is applied to a refrigerator and further comprises a display unit displaying the state of the refrigerator in accordance with a state control signal outputted from the CPU.

5. A method for protecting a motor, comprising:

judging whether an OLP (Over Load Protector) operates; and

controlling a power select unit in order to prevent cutting off of power feeding to a CPU by detecting the operation of the OLP (Over Load Protector), wherein the controlling step further comprises the steps of;

feeding a driving power generated from an AC power source to the CPU without passing through the OLP in accordance with a control of the CPU when the OLP operates; and

feeding a driving power generated from the AC power source to the CPU after passing through the OLP in accordance with a control of the CPU when the OLP does not operate.