Refrigerator and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention belongs to the field of refrigerators, and particularly provides a refrigerator and a control method thereof. The control method comprises the steps that in response to the situation that a liquid supplementing container of the refrigerator is filled with water, whether a gas adjusting device of the refrigerator needs liquid supplementing or not is detected; if yes, a liquid supplementing pump of the refrigerator is controlled to work until the liquid level in the air adjusting device rises to the preset highest liquid level. It is ensured that the liquid supplementing container is filled with water before the liquid supplementing pump works, and idling of the liquid supplementing pump is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of refrigerators, and specifically provides a refrigerator and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Currently, some refrigerators are equipped with an atmosphere-controlled space and an atmosphere-controlled device, so that the atmosphere-controlled device can reduce or increase the oxygen content in the atmosphere-controlled space.

[0003] The existing gas conditioning device generally includes a container defining a reaction chamber, a cathode disposed at the open end of the reaction chamber, an anode disposed in the reaction chamber, and an electrolyte filled in the reaction chamber. The gas conditioning device contacts the air in the hypoxic space through the cathode, so that oxygen undergoes a reduction reaction at the cathode, namely: O2+2H2O+4e - →4OH - . An oxidation reaction occurs at the anode, and oxygen is generated, namely: 4OH - →O2+2H2O+4e - .

[0004] During the operation of the gas conditioning device, the oxygen generated by the gas conditioning device will carry a small amount of electrolyte to escape, causing the electrolyte in the gas conditioning device to gradually decrease. In order to ensure the normal operation of the gas conditioning device, some refrigerators are also equipped with a liquid replenishment container and a liquid replenishment pump, so that the liquid (such as water or electrolyte) in the liquid replenishment container can be transported to the gas conditioning device through the liquid replenishment pump.

[0005] In order to prevent the gas conditioning device from tilting during the transportation and handling of the refrigerator, which may lead to electrolyte leakage, the prior art generally adds electrolyte or water into the gas conditioning device after the refrigerator is powered on for the first time. However, when the refrigerator is powered on for the first time, users often neglect to add water to the refilling container or do not have time to add water to the refilling container because they do not understand the function of the refrigerator, causing the refilling pump to run idle continuously. This not only makes a lot of noise, but also increases the energy consumption of the refrigerator and may even damage the refilling pump. Summary of the invention

[0006] An object of the present invention is to solve the problem that a liquid replenishing pump of an existing refrigerator is prone to idle rotation when it is powered on for the first time.

[0007] A further object of the present invention is to solve at least one of the following problems: how to determine whether the liquid replenishing container is short of water or full of water, how to determine whether the electrolyte in the gas conditioning device needs to be replenished and whether the replenishment is completed.

[0008] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a refrigerator control method in a first aspect, comprising:

[0009] In response to the liquid replenishing container of the refrigerator being filled with water, detecting whether the atmosphere control device of the refrigerator needs liquid replenishment;

[0010] If necessary, the liquid replenishing pump of the refrigerator is controlled to operate until the liquid level in the gas conditioning device rises to a preset maximum liquid level.

[0011] Optionally, the step of detecting whether the atmosphere conditioning device of the refrigerator needs to be replenished includes:

[0012] The first low liquid level sensor of the gas-conditioning device is used to detect whether the liquid level therein has dropped to a preset minimum liquid level, so as to determine that the gas-conditioning device needs to be replenished with liquid when the first low liquid level sensor is triggered.

[0013] Optionally, the step of controlling the liquid replenishing pump of the refrigerator to operate until the liquid level in the gas conditioning device rises to a preset maximum liquid level includes:

[0014] The fluid infusion pump is controlled to operate for a first preset time period.

[0015] Optionally, the control method further includes:

[0016] After the refill pump has worked for a second preset time, the first low liquid level sensor is still in a triggered state and sends out a fault message to remind the user to check at least one of the first low liquid level sensor, the refill pump and the gas conditioning device.

[0017] Optionally, the step of detecting whether the atmosphere conditioning device of the refrigerator needs to be replenished includes:

[0018] Obtaining a first cumulative working time of the gas conditioning device from the last time the first high liquid level sensor thereof was triggered to the current moment;

[0019] Determine whether the first accumulated time is greater than or equal to a first time threshold, so as to determine that the gas-conditioning device needs liquid replenishment when the accumulated time is greater than or equal to the first time threshold, and determine that the gas-conditioning device does not need liquid replenishment when the accumulated time is less than the first time threshold.

[0020] Optionally, the step of controlling the liquid replenishing pump of the refrigerator to operate until the liquid level in the gas conditioning device rises to a preset maximum liquid level includes:

[0021] The liquid replenishing pump is controlled to work until the first high liquid level sensor of the gas-conditioning device detects that the liquid level in the gas-conditioning device rises to the maximum liquid level.

[0022] Optionally, the control method further includes:

[0023] After the liquid replenishing pump has worked for a third preset time, the first high liquid level sensor is still not triggered, and a fault message is issued to remind the user to check at least one of the first high liquid level sensor, the liquid replenishing pump and the gas conditioning device.

[0024] Optionally, the control method further includes:

[0025] In response to detecting that the second low liquid level sensor of the liquid replenishment container is triggered, a water replenishment reminder message is issued.

[0026] Optionally, before the step of detecting whether the atmosphere control device of the refrigerator needs to be replenished with liquid in response to the liquid replenishing container of the refrigerator being filled with water, the control method further includes:

[0027] In response to the refrigerator being powered on, issuing a water replenishment reminder message;

[0028] In response to receiving the full water instruction, it is determined that the liquid replenishing container is fully replenished with water.

[0029] Optionally, before the step of detecting whether the atmosphere control device of the refrigerator needs to be replenished with liquid in response to the liquid replenishing container of the refrigerator being filled with water, the control method further includes:

[0030] In response to the refrigerator being powered on, detecting a state of a second high liquid level sensor of the liquid replenishing container;

[0031] In response to detecting that the second high liquid level sensor is not triggered, issuing a water replenishment prompt message;

[0032] In response to detecting that the second high liquid level sensor is triggered, it is determined that the liquid replenishing container is fully replenished with water.

[0033] Optionally, after the liquid replenishing container is filled with water, the control method further includes:

[0034] Obtaining a second accumulated working time of the infusion pump;

[0035] If the second accumulated time is greater than or equal to the second time threshold, a water replenishment reminder message is issued.

[0036] Optionally, after sending the water replenishment reminder information, the control method further includes:

[0037] Obtaining a third accumulated working time of the infusion pump;

[0038] When the third accumulated time is greater than or equal to the third time threshold, if the information that the liquid replenishment container is full of water is still not obtained, the liquid replenishment pump is controlled to stop rotating and the frequency of sending the water replenishment prompt information is increased.

[0039] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a refrigerator, comprising a controller, wherein the controller comprises a processor and a memory, wherein a machine executable program is stored in the memory, and when the processor executes the machine executable program, the control method described in any one of the first aspects can be implemented.

[0040] Based on the above description, those skilled in the art can understand that, in the above technical solution of the present invention, after the liquid replenishing container of the refrigerator is filled with water, it is detected whether the atmosphere control device of the refrigerator needs to be replenished, and if necessary, the liquid replenishing pump of the refrigerator is controlled to work until the liquid level in the atmosphere control device rises to the preset maximum liquid level. Therefore, the present invention ensures that the liquid replenishing container is filled with water before the liquid replenishing pump works, thereby avoiding idling of the liquid replenishing pump.

[0041] Furthermore, the first low liquid level sensor of the gas-conditioning device is used to detect whether the liquid level therein has dropped to a preset minimum liquid level, so as to determine that the gas-conditioning device needs to be replenished with liquid; and by counting the working time of the replenishment pump, it is determined whether the liquid level in the gas-conditioning device has risen to a preset maximum liquid level, thereby ensuring that the gas-conditioning device in the present invention can be replenished with electrolyte in a timely manner and avoiding excessive replenishment of electrolyte with the gas-conditioning device.

[0042] Furthermore, the second highest liquid level sensor of the liquid replenishing container is used to detect the highest liquid level in the liquid replenishing container. When the refrigerator is powered on for the first time, the refrigerator can determine that the liquid replenishing container is full of water according to the triggering state of the second highest liquid level sensor. Then, when the second highest liquid level sensor is not triggered, a water replenishment reminder message is issued to avoid the situation where the user forgets to add water to the liquid replenishing container.

[0043] Other beneficial effects of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can more clearly understand the improved purposes, features and advantages of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, some embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the same reference numerals indicate the same or similar components or parts in different drawings; the drawings of the present invention are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0045] In the attached figure:

[0046] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the effect of a refrigerator provided by the present invention;

[0047] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the effect of the atmosphere conditioning part of the refrigerator in the present invention;

[0048] Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram of a controller in the present invention;

[0049] Figure 4 is a flow chart of the main steps of the control method in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 5 is a partial step flow chart of the control method in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 6 is a partial step flow chart of the control method in the third embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 7 It is the power-cooling time mapping table in the present invention;

[0053] Figure 8 is a partial step flow chart of the control method in the fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] Fig. 9 is a partial step flow chart of the control method in the fifth embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] Fig.10 It is a partial step flow chart of the control method in the sixth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described below are only some embodiments of the present invention, rather than all embodiments of the present invention, and these embodiments are intended to explain the technical principles of the present invention, rather than to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Based on the embodiments provided by the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0057] It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "top", "bottom", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside" and the like indicating directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, which are only for the convenience of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0058] Furthermore, it should be noted that in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0059] In addition, it should be noted that in the description of the present invention, the terms "cold" and "heat" are two descriptions of the same physical state. That is, the higher the "cold" of a certain target object (such as an evaporator, air, condenser, etc.), the lower the "heat" it has, and the lower the "cold" it has, the higher the "heat" it has. A certain target object will release "heat" while absorbing "cold", and will absorb "heat" while releasing "cold". A certain target object stores "cold" or "heat" to keep the current temperature of the target object. "Refrigeration" and "heat absorption" are two descriptions of the same physical phenomenon, that is, a certain target object (such as an evaporator) will absorb heat while cooling.

[0060] like Figure 1 As shown, in the present invention, the refrigerator includes a cabinet 100, and the cabinet 100 defines an atmosphere-conditioned space 101. The oxygen content in the atmosphere-conditioned space 101 can be adjusted to increase or decrease the oxygen content.

[0061] like Figure 2 As shown, in the present invention, the refrigerator further includes an atmosphere control device 200, a liquid replenishing container 300 and a liquid replenishing pump 400. The liquid replenishing pump 400 is used to transport the liquid in the liquid replenishing container 300 to the atmosphere control device 200, and can also be used to transport the electrolyte in the atmosphere control device 200 to the liquid replenishing container 300.

[0062] In the present invention, the liquid in the liquid replenishing container 300 is water. In addition, those skilled in the art may also make the liquid in the liquid replenishing container 300 an electrolyte as required.

[0063] like Figure 2 As shown, in the present invention, the gas conditioning device 200 includes a housing 210, a cathode membrane group 220 and an anode plate 230. An opening 211 is provided on one side wall of the housing 210, and the cathode membrane group 220 is installed at the opening 211 of the housing 210 and is used to cover the opening 211 to prevent the electrolyte in the housing 210 from leaking from the opening 211. The anode plate 230 is arranged in the housing 210.

[0064] In the present invention, the cathode membrane group 220 is used to consume oxygen through an electrochemical reaction, and the anode plate 230 is used to generate oxygen through an electrochemical reaction.

[0065] Among them, the cathode membrane group 220 may include a catalytic layer, a first waterproof and breathable layer, a conductive layer, and a second waterproof and breathable layer arranged in sequence. The catalytic layer may use a precious metal or rare metal catalyst, such as metal platinum, metal gold, metal silver, metal manganese, or metal rubidium. The first waterproof and breathable layer and the second waterproof and breathable layer may be waterproof and breathable membranes, so that the electrolyte cannot seep out of the housing 210, while air can pass through the first waterproof and breathable layer and the second waterproof and breathable layer into the housing 210. The conductive layer may be made into a corrosion-resistant metal current collecting net, such as metal nickel, metal titanium, etc., so that it not only has better conductivity, corrosion resistance, and supporting strength.

[0066] The anode plate 230 may also be provided with a plurality of through holes to allow the electrolyte and air to pass through.

[0067] Continue reading Figure 2 The shell 210 is provided with an exhaust port 212 to discharge the oxygen generated by the anode plate 230 .

[0068] Continue reading Figure 2 The gas conditioning device 200 may further include a first low liquid level sensor 241 and a first high liquid level sensor 242, so as to detect the lowest liquid level of the electrolyte in the shell 210 through the first low liquid level sensor 241 and detect the highest liquid level of the electrolyte in the shell 210 through the first high liquid level sensor 242.

[0069] Furthermore, those skilled in the art may also, as required, enable the atmosphere conditioning device 200 to have only one of the first low liquid level sensor 241 and the first high liquid level sensor 242 . For details, please refer to the description of the refrigerator control method in the following embodiments.

[0070] Alternatively, those skilled in the art may also combine the first low liquid level sensor 241 and the first high liquid level sensor 242 into an analog liquid level sensor as needed to detect the liquid level in the housing 210 in real time.

[0071] Further, although not shown in the figure, in the present invention, the housing 210 can be connected to the air-conditioning space 101 through its opening 211, so that the air-conditioning device 200 consumes oxygen in the air-conditioning space 101, thereby reducing the oxygen content in the air-conditioning space 101. The housing 210 can also be connected to the air-conditioning space 101 through its exhaust port 212, so that the air-conditioning device 200 provides oxygen to the air-conditioning space 101, thereby increasing the oxygen content in the air-conditioning space 101.

[0072] Continue reading Figure 2The liquid replenishing container 300 may further include a second low liquid level sensor 311 and a second high liquid level sensor 312, so as to detect the lowest liquid level of water in the liquid replenishing container 300 through the second low liquid level sensor 311 and detect the highest liquid level of water in the liquid replenishing container 300 through the second high liquid level sensor 312.

[0073] Furthermore, those skilled in the art may also, as needed, enable the liquid replenishing container 300 to have only one of the second low liquid level sensor 311 and the second high liquid level sensor 312 . For details, please refer to the description of the refrigerator control method in the following embodiments.

[0074] Alternatively, those skilled in the art may also configure the second low liquid level sensor 311 and the second high liquid level sensor 312 as an analog liquid level sensor as needed to detect the liquid level in the liquid replenishing container 300 in real time.

[0075] like Figure 3 As shown, in the present invention, the refrigerator also includes a controller 500, which includes a memory 510 and a processor 520. The memory 510 stores a machine executable program 511, and when the machine executable program 511 is executed by the processor 520, the control method described in any of the following embodiments is implemented.

[0076] The memory 510 may include a memory and a non-volatile memory 510 (non-volatile memory), and provide execution instructions and data to the processor 520. Exemplarily, the memory may be a high-speed random access memory 510 (Random-Access Memory, RAM), and the non-volatile memory may be at least one disk storage.

[0077] In the present invention, the processor 520 is an integrated circuit chip having the ability to process signals. The processor 520 may be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, microprocessors, and any other conventional processors.

[0078] Refer to the following Figures 4 to 10The control method of the refrigerator in the present invention is described by way of example. Figure 4 is a flow chart of the main steps of the control method in the first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 is a partial step flow chart of the control method in the second embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6 is a partial step flow chart of the control method in the third embodiment of the present invention, Figure 8 is a partial step flow chart of the control method in the fourth embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 9 is a partial step flow chart of the control method in the fifth embodiment of the present invention, Fig.10 It is a partial step flow chart of the control method in the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

[0079] like Figure 4 As shown, in a first embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator control method includes:

[0080] Step S110 , in response to the liquid replenishing container 300 of the refrigerator being filled with water, detecting whether the atmosphere conditioning device 200 of the refrigerator needs liquid replenishment.

[0081] In the first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 The second high liquid level sensor 312 shown in FIG. 1 is used to detect whether the water in the liquid replenishing container 300 is filled, that is, to detect whether the second high liquid level sensor 312 is triggered.

[0082] In the description of the present invention, the triggering of any liquid level sensor may refer to a change in the current or voltage output by the liquid level sensor. For example, if the liquid level sensor is a switch type sensor, the switch type sensor may be triggered from an off state to an on state, or from an on state to an off state.

[0083] In the first embodiment of the present invention, a function key provided on the refrigerator can be used to detect whether the atmosphere control device 200 of the refrigerator needs to be refilled. The function key can be a physical button provided on the refrigerator, or a virtual function key displayed on a display screen. When the refrigerator detects that the function key is triggered (i.e., after being operated by the user), it can be determined that the refill container 300 is fully refilled with water.

[0084] In the first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 The first low liquid level sensor 241 shown in the figure detects whether the liquid level in the gas-conditioning device 200 drops to a preset minimum liquid level, so as to determine that the gas-conditioning device 200 needs to be replenished with liquid when the first low liquid level sensor 241 is triggered.

[0085] In the first embodiment of the present invention, it is also possible to determine whether the gas-conditioning device 200 needs to be replenished by counting the cumulative working time of the gas-conditioning device 200. For details, please refer to the third embodiment below.

[0086] Step S120: If necessary, control the liquid replenishing pump 400 of the refrigerator to work until the liquid level in the gas conditioning device 200 rises to a preset maximum liquid level.

[0087] In the first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 The first high liquid level sensor 242 shown in the figure detects whether the liquid level in the gas-conditioning device 200 rises to a preset maximum liquid level, thereby controlling the liquid replenishing pump 400 to stop working.

[0088] In the first embodiment of the present invention, it is also possible to determine whether the liquid level in the gas-conditioning device 200 has risen to a preset maximum liquid level by counting the working time of the liquid-replenishing pump 400. For details, please refer to the second embodiment below.

[0089] Based on the foregoing description, those skilled in the art can understand that the first embodiment of the present invention ensures that the fluid replenishment container 300 is filled with water before the fluid replenishment pump 400 operates, thereby preventing the fluid replenishment pump 400 from idling.

[0090] like Figure 5 As shown, in a second embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator control method includes:

[0091] In step S210, in response to the refrigerator's liquid replenishing container 300 being filled with water, the first low liquid level sensor 241 of the atmosphere control device 200 is used to detect whether the liquid level therein has dropped to a preset minimum liquid level, so as to determine that the atmosphere control device 200 needs liquid replenishment when the first low liquid level sensor 241 is triggered, and execute step S220.

[0092] In the second embodiment of the present invention, regarding “detecting whether the water in the liquid replenishing container 300 is fully replenished”, please refer to the above description of step S110.

[0093] Step S220, controlling the fluid infusion pump 400 to work for a first preset time period.

[0094] In the second embodiment of the present invention, when the replenishing pump 400 rotates for the first preset time, the amount of water supplied to the gas conditioning device 200 is just enough to raise the liquid level of the electrolyte in the gas conditioning device 200 from the lowest liquid level to the set highest liquid level.

[0095] Among them, the highest liquid level can be set by the manufacturer's technicians when the refrigerator leaves the factory.

[0096] For this purpose, the first preset time length may be any feasible time length, such as 30S, 65S, 130S, 400S, etc. The preset time length may be determined by experiments, observing and recording the operation time of the refill pump 400 when the liquid level of the electrolyte in the gas-conditioning device 200 rises from the lowest liquid level to the highest liquid level; it may also be determined according to the rotation speed and displacement of the refill pump 400 and the volume of the gas-conditioning device 200.

[0097] In step S230 parallel to step S220, after the liquid replenishing pump 400 has worked for a second preset time period, the first low liquid level sensor 241 is still in a triggered state and sends out a fault message to remind the user to check at least one of the first low liquid level sensor 241, the liquid replenishing pump 400 and the gas conditioning device 200.

[0098] The second preset time length is less than the first preset time length. After the refill pump 400 has worked for the second preset time length, if the first low liquid level sensor 241 is still in the triggered state, it means that the atmosphere control device 200 has not received new liquid. The reasons may be that the first low liquid level sensor 241 is damaged and mistakenly remains in the triggered state; the refill pump 400 is damaged and cannot pump water; the atmosphere control device 200 leaks, and the leakage rate may be greater than the rate at which the refill pump 400 delivers water. Therefore, the refrigerator sends a fault message to remind the user to check at least one of the first low liquid level sensor 241, the refill pump 400 and the atmosphere control device 200.

[0099] Based on the foregoing description, those skilled in the art may also, as needed, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the gas-conditioning device 200 can detect the lowest liquid level of the gas-conditioning device 200 through the first low liquid level sensor 241; through the running time of the first low liquid level sensor 241 and the replenishing pump 400, it can be determined that the electrolyte in the gas-conditioning device 200 has reached the highest liquid level, and it can be determined whether the first low liquid level sensor 241, the replenishing pump 400 and the gas-conditioning device 200 have failed.

[0100] like Figure 6 As shown, in a third embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator control method includes:

[0101] Step S310, in response to the liquid replenishing container 300 of the refrigerator being filled with water, obtaining a first cumulative working time of the atmosphere control device 200 from the last time the first high liquid level sensor 242 thereof was triggered to the current moment.

[0102] In the third embodiment of the present invention, regarding “detecting whether the water in the liquid replenishing container 300 is fully replenished”, please refer to the above description of step S110.

[0103] The first accumulated duration may be the actual working duration of the gas conditioning device 200, especially when the gas conditioning device 200 operates at a constant power each time. The first accumulated duration may also be the equivalent working duration of the gas conditioning device 200, especially when the gas conditioning device 200 can operate at different powers. The latter is taken as an example to further illustrate step S310.

[0104] If the first accumulated duration is the equivalent working duration of the gas conditioning device 200, step S310 further includes steps S311 to S316, which are as follows:

[0105] Step S311, obtaining the actual cumulative duration of the gas conditioning device 200 operating at various powers from the last time the first high liquid level sensor 242 was triggered to the current moment. For the convenience of description, "from the last time the first high liquid level sensor 242 was triggered to the current moment" is hereinafter referred to as the current liquid replenishment cycle.

[0106] Specifically, the gas conditioning device 200 determines the current operating power each time it works, and records the actual operating time under the current power. Then, all the actual operating times corresponding to each power are summed up to determine the total actual accumulated time corresponding to each power.

[0107] Step S312: Determine the corresponding equivalent cumulative duration T according to the power corresponding to each actual cumulative duration. The specific calculation method is as follows:

[0108]

[0109] Wherein, k is the correction coefficient, p is the current power of the gas conditioning device 200, p0 is the maximum power of the gas conditioning device 200, and t is the actual accumulated time of the gas conditioning device 200 at the power p.

[0110] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that by using the above formula to determine the cumulative time T when the gas conditioning device 200 is running at each power, the accuracy of the judgment in step S310 can be improved. The reason is that the greater the operating power of the gas conditioning device 200, the higher the temperature of the electrolyte, and the easier it is to evaporate; the smaller the operating power of the gas conditioning device 200, the lower the temperature of the electrolyte, and the less likely it is to evaporate.

[0111] Step S313, calculating the sum of all actual accumulated time lengths T to determine the first accumulated time length of the gas outlet regulating device 200 working in the current liquid replenishing cycle.

[0112] Specifically, the sum of all actual accumulated durations T may be directly taken as the final first accumulated duration; and steps S314 to S316 may be continued to be performed to obtain a more accurate first accumulated duration.

[0113] Step S314, obtaining the working times of the gas conditioning device 200 at each power in the current liquid replenishing cycle.

[0114] Step S315, according to the working times at each power and the preset power-cooling time mapping table (such as Figure 7 As shown), determine the total cooling time of the gas conditioning device 200 in the current liquid replenishment cycle.

[0115] exist Figure 7 In the power-cooling time mapping table shown in , the percentage in the power column is the percentage of the maximum power of the gas conditioning device 200. The cooling time can be the actual cooling time corresponding to each power, or it can be an equivalent time set manually.

[0116] As described above, the greater the operating power of the gas conditioning device 200, the higher the temperature of the electrolyte. Based on this, the greater the operating power of the gas conditioning device 200, the longer it takes for the electrolyte to cool to the temperature of the environment where the gas conditioning device 200 is located after stopping operation.

[0117] Step S316, calculating the sum of the total cooling time and all equivalent cumulative durations T, and determining the calculation result as the first cumulative duration.

[0118] Specifically, in the current rehydration cycle, the cooling time of each operation of the gas conditioning device 200 is obtained and summed to determine the total cooling time. The total cooling time is then summed with the equivalent cumulative time T calculated in step S113 to calculate the final first cumulative time.

[0119] Step S320, determining whether the first accumulated time is greater than or equal to the first time threshold, so as to determine that the gas-conditioning device 200 needs to be replenished when it is greater than or equal to the first time threshold, and determine that the gas-conditioning device 200 does not need to be replenished when it is less than the first time threshold.

[0120] In the third embodiment of the present invention, when the first accumulated working time of the gas conditioning device 200 reaches the first time threshold, it indicates that the electrolyte in the gas conditioning device 200 has dropped to the lowest liquid level and needs to be replenished, otherwise the gas conditioning function of the gas conditioning device 200 will be affected.

[0121] Based on this, the first time threshold may be any feasible duration, such as 3 days, 7 days, 10 days, 1 month, etc.

[0122] Step S330 , controlling the liquid replenishing pump 400 to work until the first high liquid level sensor 242 of the gas-conditioning device 200 detects that the liquid level in the gas-conditioning device 200 rises to the highest liquid level.

[0123] In step S340 parallel to step S330, after the liquid replenishing pump 400 has worked for the third preset time, the first high liquid level sensor 242 is still not triggered, and a fault message is issued to remind the user to check at least one of the first high liquid level sensor 242, the liquid replenishing pump 400 and the gas conditioning device 200.

[0124] In the third embodiment of the present invention, under normal circumstances, when the refill pump 400 works for the third preset time, the amount of water delivered by the refill pump 400 is sufficient to raise the electrolyte in the gas-conditioning device 200 from the lowest liquid level to above the highest liquid level, and ensure that the first high liquid level sensor 242 is triggered. After the refill pump 400 works for the third preset time, if the first high liquid level sensor 242 is still not triggered, it means that the first high liquid level sensor 242 is damaged and mistakenly remains in the triggered state; or the refill pump 400 is damaged and cannot pump water; or the gas-conditioning device 200 leaks, and the leakage rate may be greater than the rate at which the refill pump 400 delivers water. Therefore, the refrigerator sends a fault message to remind the user to check at least one of the first high liquid level sensor 242, the refill pump 400 and the gas-conditioning device 200.

[0125] For this purpose, the third preset time length may be any feasible time length, such as 30S, 65S, 130S, 400S, etc. The third preset time length may be determined by experiments, observing and recording the operation time of the refill pump 400 when the liquid level of the electrolyte in the gas-conditioning device 200 rises from the lowest liquid level to the highest liquid level; it may also be determined according to the rotation speed and displacement of the refill pump 400 and the volume of the gas-conditioning device 200.

[0126] Based on the foregoing description, those skilled in the art may also, as needed, in the third embodiment of the present invention, the gas-conditioning device 200 can detect the maximum liquid level of the gas-conditioning device 200 through the first high liquid level sensor 242; through the running time of the first high liquid level sensor 242 and the replenishing pump 400, it can be determined that the electrolyte in the gas-conditioning device 200 has reached the maximum liquid level, and it can be determined whether the first high liquid level sensor 242, the replenishing pump 400 and the gas-conditioning device 200 have failed.

[0127] like Figure 8 As shown, compared with the first, second or third embodiment, in the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the control method of the refrigerator includes:

[0128] Step S410, in response to the refrigerator being powered on, a water replenishment reminder message is issued.

[0129] In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, step S410 is located before step S110, step S210 or step S310.

[0130] In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the fluid replenishment container 300 is only Figure 2The second low liquid level sensor 311 shown in the figure detects the lowest liquid level of water therein.

[0131] Specifically, after the refrigerator is powered on, the refrigerator sends a water replenishment reminder message to remind the user to replenish water in the liquid replenishment container 300. The user first observes whether the liquid replenishment container 300 is short of water. If the liquid replenishment container 300 is short of water, the user replenishes water; if the liquid replenishment container 300 is not short of water, the user does not need to replenish water.

[0132] Step S420: In response to receiving the full water instruction, determining whether the liquid replenishing container 300 is fully replenished with water.

[0133] In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, a full water function key is provided on the refrigerator. When the refrigerator detects that the full water function key is triggered (ie, operated by the user), it indicates that a full water instruction has been received.

[0134] The full water function key may be a physical button set on the refrigerator, or a virtual function key displayed on a display screen.

[0135] Step S430 , in response to detecting that the second low liquid level sensor 311 of the liquid replenishing container 300 is triggered, a water replenishment prompt message is issued.

[0136] In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, when it is detected that the second low liquid level sensor 311 is triggered, it indicates that the water in the liquid replenishing container 300 has dropped to the lowest liquid level and needs to be replenished.

[0137] Based on the foregoing description, those skilled in the art may also, as needed, in the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the liquid replenishing container 300 can detect the lowest liquid level of the liquid replenishing container 300 through the second low liquid level sensor 311, and enable the refrigerator to remind the user to replenish water.

[0138] like Fig. 9 As shown, compared with the first, second or third embodiment, in the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the control method of the refrigerator includes:

[0139] Step S510 , in response to the refrigerator being powered on, detecting the state of the second high liquid level sensor 312 of the liquid replenishing container 300 to determine whether the liquid replenishing container 300 is full of water.

[0140] In the fifth embodiment of the present invention, step S510 is located before step S110, step S210 or step S310.

[0141] Step S520, in response to detecting that the second high liquid level sensor 312 is not triggered, it is determined that the liquid replenishing container 300 is not full of water, and a water replenishment reminder message is issued to remind the user to replenish water.

[0142] Step S530: In response to detecting that the second high liquid level sensor 312 is triggered, it is determined that the liquid replenishing container 300 is full of water, and the user can be reminded not to continue replenishing water.

[0143] Step S540, obtaining a second accumulated working time of the infusion pump 400.

[0144] The second accumulated time is the actual rotation time of the infusion pump 400.

[0145] Step S550: If the second accumulated time is greater than or equal to the second time threshold, it means that the water delivered by the liquid replenishing pump 400 has caused the liquid level in the liquid replenishing container 300 to drop to the minimum liquid level, and water replenishment is required. A water replenishment reminder message is issued to remind the user to replenish water.

[0146] For this purpose, the second time threshold can be any feasible time length, such as 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc. The second time threshold can be determined through experiments, where after the liquid replenishment in the liquid replenishment container 300 is completed, the liquid replenishment pump 400 is controlled to work and the time is recorded, and when the liquid level in the liquid replenishment container 300 drops to the lowest liquid level, the time length of the process is recorded. Then, the time length is determined as the second time threshold.

[0147] Based on the foregoing description, those skilled in the art may also, as needed, in the fifth embodiment of the present invention, use the second high liquid level sensor 312 to remind the user to refill the liquid refilling container 300 .

[0148] like Fig.10 As shown, in the sixth embodiment of the present invention, compared with any of the embodiments described above, after the refrigerator sends a water replenishment reminder message, the control method further includes:

[0149] Step S610, obtaining a third accumulated working time of the infusion pump 400.

[0150] Step S620, when the third accumulated time is greater than or equal to the third time threshold, if the information that the liquid replenishing container 300 is full of water is still not obtained, the liquid replenishing pump 400 is controlled to stop rotating and the frequency of sending the water replenishment prompt information is increased.

[0151] In the sixth embodiment of the present invention, when the refrigerator issues a water replenishment reminder message, there is still a certain amount of water in the liquid replenishment container 300 that can be used by the gas conditioning device 200. When the third cumulative working time of the liquid replenishment pump 400 reaches the third time threshold, the water in the liquid replenishment container 300 can no longer be pumped out by the liquid replenishment pump 400, and the liquid replenishment pump 400 starts to run idle. At this time, the frequency of issuing the water replenishment reminder message is increased to remind the user to quickly replenish water.

[0152] Among them, increasing the frequency of sending water replenishment reminder information can make the current reminder frequency M times the original frequency, where M is a natural number greater than 1.

[0153] Based on the foregoing description, those skilled in the art will understand that the sixth embodiment of the present invention enables the liquid replenishment pump 400 to continue to replenish some water to the atmosphere control device 200 when the liquid replenishment container 300 is short of water, thereby ensuring the operation of the atmosphere control device 200, and at the same time can normally remind the user to replenish the liquid replenishment container 300 with water.

[0154] Finally, it should be noted that in the present invention, the refill reminder information and / or fault information can be sent in any feasible way, such as being presented in the form of text and / or graphics on a display screen on the refrigerator, being sent in the form of voice, being sent to the user's corresponding terminal device in the form of a signal, etc.

[0155] So far, the technical solution of the present invention has been described in combination with the above multiple embodiments, but it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments. Without departing from the technical principles of the present invention, those skilled in the art can split and combine the technical solutions in the above embodiments, and can also make equivalent changes or replacements to the relevant technical features. Any changes, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the technical concept and / or technical principles of the present invention will fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0156] Finally, it should be noted that the refrigerator of the present invention is a refrigerator in a broad sense, which not only includes the so-called refrigerator in a narrow sense, but also includes fresh-keeping equipment with refrigeration and / or freezing functions, such as refrigerators, freezers, etc.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a refrigerator, comprising: In response to the liquid replenishing container of the refrigerator being filled with water, detecting whether the atmosphere control device of the refrigerator needs liquid replenishment; If necessary, the liquid replenishing pump of the refrigerator is controlled to work until the liquid level in the gas conditioning device rises to a preset maximum liquid level.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of detecting whether the atmosphere conditioning device of the refrigerator needs to be replenished includes: The first low liquid level sensor of the gas-conditioning device is used to detect whether the liquid level therein has dropped to a preset minimum liquid level, so as to determine that the gas-conditioning device needs to be replenished with liquid when the first low liquid level sensor is triggered.

3. The control method according to claim 2, wherein: The step of controlling the liquid replenishing pump of the refrigerator to work until the liquid level in the gas conditioning device rises to a preset maximum liquid level comprises: The fluid infusion pump is controlled to operate for a first preset time period.

4. The control method according to claim 3, further comprising: After the refill pump has worked for a second preset time, the first low liquid level sensor is still in a triggered state and sends out a fault message to remind the user to check at least one of the first low liquid level sensor, the refill pump and the gas conditioning device.

5. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of detecting whether the atmosphere conditioning device of the refrigerator needs to be replenished includes: Obtaining a first cumulative working time of the gas-conditioning device from the last time the first high liquid level sensor thereof was triggered to the current moment; Determine whether the first accumulated time is greater than or equal to a first time threshold, so as to determine that the gas-conditioning device needs liquid replenishment when the accumulated time is greater than or equal to the first time threshold, and determine that the gas-conditioning device does not need liquid replenishment when the accumulated time is less than the first time threshold.

6. The control method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein: The step of controlling the liquid replenishing pump of the refrigerator to work until the liquid level in the gas conditioning device rises to a preset maximum liquid level comprises: The liquid replenishing pump is controlled to work until the first high liquid level sensor of the gas-conditioning device detects that the liquid level in the gas-conditioning device rises to the maximum liquid level.

7. The control method according to claim 6, further comprising: After the liquid replenishing pump has worked for a third preset time, the first high liquid level sensor is still not triggered, and a fault message is issued to remind the user to check at least one of the first high liquid level sensor, the liquid replenishing pump and the gas conditioning device.

8. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to detecting that the second low liquid level sensor of the liquid replenishment container is triggered, a water replenishment reminder message is issued.

9. The control method according to claim 1 or 8, before the step of detecting whether the atmosphere control device of the refrigerator needs to be replenished with liquid in response to the liquid replenishing container of the refrigerator being filled with water, the control method further comprises: In response to the refrigerator being powered on, issuing a water replenishment reminder message; In response to receiving the full water instruction, it is determined that the liquid replenishing container is fully replenished with water.

10. The control method according to claim 1, before the step of detecting whether the atmosphere control device of the refrigerator needs to be replenished with liquid in response to the liquid replenishing container of the refrigerator being filled with water, the control method further comprises: In response to the refrigerator being powered on, detecting a state of a second high liquid level sensor of the liquid replenishing container; In response to detecting that the second high liquid level sensor is not triggered, issuing a water replenishment prompt message; In response to detecting that the second high liquid level sensor is triggered, it is determined that the liquid replenishing container is fully replenished with water.

11. The control method according to claim 10, after the liquid replenishing container is filled with water, the control method further comprises: Obtaining a second accumulated working time of the infusion pump; If the second accumulated time is greater than or equal to the second time threshold, a water replenishment reminder message is issued.

12. The control method according to claim 8 or 11, after sending the water replenishment reminder information, the control method further comprises: Obtaining a third accumulated working time of the infusion pump; When the third accumulated time is greater than or equal to the third time threshold, if the information that the liquid replenishment container is full of water is still not obtained, the liquid replenishment pump is controlled to stop rotating and the frequency of sending the water replenishment prompt information is increased.

13. A refrigerator, comprising a controller, wherein the controller comprises a processor and a memory, wherein a machine executable program is stored in the memory, and when the processor executes the machine executable program, the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 can be implemented.

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