Patent ID: 7475557

Claim:
A refrigerator having a refrigerating cycle, comprising: a high-pressure delivery outlet of a two-stage compression compressor connected to a condenser, the condenser connected to coolant flow path switching means; a first outlet of the switching means connected via a high-pressure side capillary tube and a refrigerator compartment evaporator to an intermediate-pressure intake of the two-stage compression compressor; and a second outlet of the switching means connected via a low-pressure side capillary tube to a freezer compartment evaporator, the freezer compartment evaporator connected via a low-pressure suction pipe to a low-pressure intake of the two-stage compression compressor, wherein the switching means switches between a simultaneous cooling mode in which coolant is passed to the refrigerator compartment evaporator and the freezer compartment evaporator simultaneously and a freezer mode in which coolant is passed to the freezer compartment evaporator only; the refrigerator further includes control means for controlling the switching means to switch to the freezer mode when, in the simultaneous cooling mode, the interior temperature of the refrigerator compartment has fallen to a predetermined temperature; and after a predetermined time elapses from the start of the simultaneous cooling mode, the control means switches to the freezer mode even when the interior temperature of the refrigerator compartment has not fallen to the predetermined temperature.