Fiber-Optic ice sensors for refrigerators

In any kind of refrigerator, frost and ice formation has to be limited by defrosting of the evaporator surface. This paper proposes the use of fiber-optic sensor technology to successfully achieve the goal of sensing and controlling ice formation inside refrigerators, by monitoring ice thickness and servocontrolling the defrosting cycle. The main advantages of such a choice are discussed. Different fiber optic sensors are analyzed. An experimental investigation on a test bench and inside a real refrigerator is performed. The problem of cost of the sensor is also addressed