Provided is an apparatus for sensing and removing dew on a refrigerator. The apparatus may include a heater disposed at a refrigerator body or inside a surface of a door, and a sensor disposed in close proximity to the heater. The sensor may be configured to sense dew formed on a prescribed surface at the refrigerator body or the door. The sensor may be disposed physically separate from the prescribed surface to sense formation of dew on the prescribed surface. The heater is controlled to generate heat that removes the sensed dew on the prescribed surface based on a signal from the sensor.

Provided is an apparatus for sensing and removing dew on a refrigerator. The apparatus may include a heater disposed at a refrigerator body or inside a surface of a door, and a sensor disposed in close proximity to the heater. The sensor may be configured to sense dew formed on a prescribed surface at the refrigerator body or the door. The sensor may be disposed physically separate from the prescribed surface to sense formation of dew on the prescribed surface. The heater is controlled to generate heat that removes the sensed dew on the prescribed surface based on a signal from the sensor.

There is disclosed a controlling method for a refrigerator comprising: a first defrosting step of performing defrosting for an evaporator, the first defrosting step which ends when the temperature of the evaporator reaches a first temperature; a pressure difference sensing step of measuring a difference between the pressure in a first through-hole arranged between an inlet hole for drawing air from a storage compartment and the evaporator and the pressure in a second through-hole arranged between an outlet hole for discharging air towards the storage compartment and the evaporator by using one differential pressure sensor; and a second defrosting step of performing additional defrosting for the evaporator when the measured pressure difference is a preset pressure or more.

The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator and, more particularly, to a refrigerator including a single module or multiple modules, each having multiple rooms. An embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a refrigerator including multiple refrigerator modules, each refrigerator module including: a cabinet forming the exterior thereof and having multiple storage chambers provided therein; doors provided in the cabinet so as to correspond to the storage chambers, respectively; a radiative cooling plate provided so as to form the rear wall of each storage chamber and to block a flow of air between the interior of each storage chamber and the interior of another storage chamber, the radiative cooling plate cooling the interior of each storage chamber through radiative cooling; a cold-air circulation channel positioned behind the radiative cooling plate so as to supply cold air for exchanging heat with the radiative cooling plate; and a machine chamber for discharging cold air to the cold-air circulation channel and suctioning cold air that has exchanged heat with the radiative cooling plate.

A refrigerator of the present invention comprises: an inner case forming a storage compartment; a cold air duct guiding the flow of air within the storage compartment and forming a heat exchange space with the inner case; an evaporator disposed in the heat exchange space between the inner case and the cold air duct; a bypass passage disposed in the cold air duct so as to allow the flow of air to bypass the evaporator; a sensor disposed in the bypass flow channel and comprising a sensor housing, a sensor PCB received in the sensor housing, a heating element installed on the sensor PCB so as to generate heat when an electric current is applied thereto, a temperature element for sensing the temperature of the heating element, and a molding material with which the sensor housing is filled; a drfrosting means for removing frost formed on the surface of the evaporator; and a control unit for controlling the defrosting means on the basis of the value output from the sensor.

The present invention discloses a method of controlling an air-cooling device and an air-cooling device. The air-cooling device enables two chambers to achieve simultaneous refrigeration, to achieve simultaneous heating, or to achieve refrigeration in one chamber and heating in the other chamber by employing a structural design with a single evaporator+a single evaporation blower+two dampers+three heating wires, in conjunction with the control of operational relationship of the compressor, the evaporation blower, the heating wires and the dampers; in conjunction with the control in the above three manners, the thermostatic control of the air-cooling device with a single refrigeration system and dual temperature zones is achieved with a simple structure and process.

A defrosting apparatus comprises a heater case comprising a heat pipe seating part formed to extend from one surface thereof in a recessed shape and a heater receiving part formed to extend to be parallel with the heat pipe seating part. The defrosting apparatus also includes a heater which is mounted in the heater receiving part so as to emit heat when power is applied thereto, a heat pipe which has a flow path through which a working fluid filled therein flows, which has a part seated on the heat pipe seating part, and which is disposed to be adjacent to a cooling pipe of an evaporator such that heat is radiated to the cooling pipe of the evaporator by means of the working fluid at a high temperature which is heated by the heater and then is transferred, and a holder which is detachably coupled to the heater case so as to cover the heat pipe seated on the heat pipe seating part.

A defrosting apparatus comprises a heater case comprising a heat pipe seating part formed to extend from one surface thereof in a recessed shape and a heater receiving part formed to extend to be parallel with the heat pipe seating part. The defrosting apparatus also includes a heater which is mounted in the heater receiving part so as to emit heat when power is applied thereto, a heat pipe which has a flow path through which a working fluid filled therein flows, which has a part seated on the heat pipe seating part, and which is disposed to be adjacent to a cooling pipe of an evaporator such that heat is radiated to the cooling pipe of the evaporator by means of the working fluid at a high temperature which is heated by the heater and then is transferred, and a holder which is detachably coupled to the heater case so as to cover the heat pipe seated on the heat pipe seating part.

A refrigerator comprising a storeroom and a cold air supplier configured to supply cold air into the storeroom. Where the cold air supplier comprises a heat exchanger producing cold air, a duct accommodating the heat exchanger and defining a flow path for air to pass through the heat exchanger, and a fan generating an air flow inside the duct. Where the heat exchanger comprises a tube in which a refrigerant flows and a fin coupled to an outer surface of the tube. Where the tube is eccentrically arranged to a side of the duct.

A novel method of deicing utilizing a fins-on-tubes type evaporator/heat exchanger system that is optimized for energy-saving inductive heating thereof, by configuring it to increase its resistance to a value at which the system's reactance at its working frequency is comparable to its electrical resistance. The system includes a set of tubes configured for flow of cooling material therethrough, and also includes a set of fins positioned and disposed perpendicular to, and along, the tubes, in such a way that at least a portion of the fins comprises longitudinal excisions therein.