A refrigerator including a compressor, a condenser, a freezing chamber evaporator, a freezing chamber fan, a defrosting heater, a wine chamber evaporator, a wine chamber fan, a path switching device configured to guide the refrigerant condensed in the condenser to the freezing chamber evaporator in a freezing chamber mode and to guide the refrigerant condensed in the condenser to the wine chamber evaporator in a wine chamber mode, and a controller configured to turn on the defrosting heater to perform a freezing chamber defrosting mode for defrosting the freezing chamber evaporator, to control the path switching device to the wine chamber mode while the temperature of the wine chamber is dissatisfied when the temperature of the wine chamber is dissatisfied in the freezing chamber defrosting mode, and to drive the wine chamber fan.

A transport refrigeration unit (TRU) is provided. The TRU includes a housing defining a flow path from an intake to an outlet, a blower to drive air along the flow path from the intake to the outlet, coils disposed in the flow path between the intake and the outlet and over which the air driven by the blower flows, a defrost element to execute a defrost action with respect to the coils, sensing elements at the intake and the outlet to sense pressures of the air at the intake and the outlet and a controller. The controller is configured to control at least one of the blower and the defrost element in accordance with readings of the sensing elements.

A refrigerator including a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion unit that constitute a refrigeration cycle, an evaporator that evaporates a refrigerant that has passed through the expansion unit, a heating unit that provides heat for defrosting the evaporator, and a frost sensor unit that is provided at one side of the evaporator to sense the amount of frost on the evaporator, the frost sensor unit including a sound-source transmitting unit that generates a sound-source of a first volume to the evaporator, and a sound-source receiving unit that receives a sound-source of a second volume formed after the sound-source transmitted by the sound-source transmitting unit reflects from or passes through the evaporator, and a controller that controls the heating unit to generate heat, when the difference between the first volume and the second volume reaches a predetermined value.

A defrosting control system includes an obtainer, a setting unit, and an outputter. The obtainer obtains schedule information indicating whether power saving is scheduled for a temporary power saving request. The setting unit sets a defrosting schedule including an execution time period and an execution interval of defrosting control for refrigeration equipment, based on the schedule information obtained by the obtainer. The outputter outputs an instruction to execute the defrosting control for the refrigeration equipment according to the defrosting schedule set by the setting unit.

A defrost cycle control assembly includes a first sensor that is configured to measure a temperature adjacent a top portion of an outdoor heat exchanger of a heat pump, a second sensor that is configured to measure a temperature adjacent a bottom portion of the outdoor heat exchanger, and a third sensor that is configured to measure an ambient temperature. Further, the defrost cycle control assembly includes a controller that is configured to initiate a defrost cycle of the heat pump based on the temperature adjacent the top portion and the ambient temperature when said temperatures indicate formation of frost at the top portion of the outdoor heat exchanger where the first sensor is disposed. The controller is configured to terminate the defrost cycle when the temperature at the bottom portion reaches a termination temperature which indicates that the frost on the outdoor heat exchanger has melted.

A method initializes a defrosting operation in a refrigeration appliance having a speed-controlled compressor. The method includes the steps of: a) starting up the compressor at a speed set to an initial value, b) adjusting the speed of the compressor in order to prevent a temperature in a storage chamber of the refrigeration appliance from deviating from a target temperature, c) monitoring a deviation between an adjusted speed and the initial value, and d) deciding that defrosting is necessary if the deviation exceeds a limit value.

A heat pump apparatus includes: a refrigerant circuit which circulates refrigerant; a heat medium circuit which makes a heat medium flow; a heat exchanger which cause heat exchange to be performed between the refrigerant and the heat medium; and an indoor unit which houses at least the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger has a double-wall structure. The indoor unit includes a container which houses the heat exchanger. In the container, a first opening port is formed to communicate with an outdoor space without communicating with an indoor space.

A system includes a conductive element. The system also includes a resonant circuit having a sensing capacitor arranged such that an amount of target material in a sensing zone of the sensing capacitor changes a capacitance of the sensing capacitor, wherein the conductive element is electrically isolated from at least part of the resonant circuit. The system also includes a resonant circuit analyzer configured to detect a resonant frequency of the resonant circuit and to output a digitized analyzer signal based on the resonant frequency. The system also includes a processor configured to receive the digitized analyzer signal, to determine a target material estimate based on the digitized analyzer signal, and to output the target material estimate or a signal derived from the target material estimate to an output device.

The present disclosure provides a method of controlling a refrigerator that includes a compressor, an evaporator to supply cold air to a storage chamber, a defrosting heater to defrost the evaporator, and a controller to control the defrosting heater. The method includes: operating a cooling cycle for cooling the storage chamber; determining whether a defrosting start condition is satisfied during operation of the cooling cycle; determining whether a defrosting delay condition is satisfied when the defrosting start condition is satisfied; and starting a defrosting operation when the defrosting delay condition is not satisfied, and starting the defrosting operation at a delayed defrosting start time when the defrosting delay condition is satisfied.

The air-conditioning apparatus has a refrigeration cycle for circulating refrigerant by connecting a compressor, a four-way valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an indoor heat exchanger in this order with refrigerant pipes. The outdoor heat exchanger includes a plurality of heat transfer fins, a heat transfer tube having a plurality of paths, a distributor configured to branch, at an intermediate portion of the heat transfer fin, a refrigerant flow path into an upper path and a lower path of the heat transfer tube, a first temperature detecting unit configured to detect a refrigerant temperature merged through the distributor, a second temperature detecting unit configured to detect a refrigerant temperature of a refrigerant passing through the lower path, and a controller for performing control for terminating the defrosting operation when the refrigerant temperature detected by the first temperature detecting unit reaches the first target temperature and the refrigerant temperature detected by the second temperature detecting unit reaches the second target temperature during the defrosting operation.