Power board with failure indicator

Description

1 / 5 POWER BOARD WITH FAULT INDICATOR

[001] The present solution relates to a power board with an integrated fault indicator. More specifically, a power and control board for refrigerators and similar appliances is described, which comprises at least one LED indicating a fault condition. State of the Art

[002] Refrigerators, freezers, refrigerated counters and similar devices currently known and marketed have their functions controlled by a so-called power board, or control board. Among these functions are refrigeration and defrosting cycles, motor activation, selection of refrigeration intensity in the freezer and refrigerator, detection of ambient and defrost temperatures, among other functionalities.

[003] In general, refrigerator manufacturers use specific power boards for a refrigerator model, or for a line of refrigerators, the controller boards being thus specifically designed in view of the devices and functionalities of the refrigerator, or of a line of refrigerators.

[004] Eventually, with use, the refrigerator's power board may be damaged by a number of events, the most common being: problems with the compressor motor (overload or short circuit), severe variations in the power relay, excessive unit or direct contact with water, short circuit in the wiring harness or refrigerator components, damage caused by insects, rodents or others, problems with the sensors. In this case, the possible solution is to replace the power board with an equivalent one, or the damaged component.

[005] It turns out that, due to the increase in the quantity and multiplicity of components in refrigerators, the task of identifying a problem in the operation of the refrigerator through tests, once simple, is becoming increasingly complex.

[006] Thus, what remains in the art is the need for a power plate capable of clearly and quickly indicating the operating condition of refrigerator components. Solution Summary

[007] These and other problems are solved by using a power board. Petition 870250016914, dated 28 / 02 / 2025, page 9 / 16 2 / 5 with integrated fault indicator, particularly for refrigerators, the power board comprising a processor and a logic connector capable of sending and receiving signals from an interface and capable of receiving and connecting the connection terminals of the temperature sensors, comprising an LED for indicating a fault condition detected and controlled by the processor.

[008] In particular, an LED indicates the refrigerator's operating mode in the absence of a detected fault condition.

[009] In particular, the identification of the faulty sensor(s) is done by activating the LED a certain number of times within a period of time. Brief Description of the Figures

[0010] The present solution can be better understood from the detailed description that follows, in a preferred and non-limiting embodiment, which is supported by the attached figures, provided for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic view of a power board according to the present solution. Preferred Method of Implementation

[0011] In accordance with the attached figure, 1 indicates, in its entirety, a power board, specifically for a refrigerator (not shown). Conventionally, the power board 1 may comprise a processor 2, a memory 3, a relay 4, as well as several other components not shown, for image simplification.

[0012] For the purposes of this description, and as used herein, the term processor refers to microprocessors, central processing units (CPUs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), logic circuits, and / or other circuits or processors capable of performing the functions of the power board 1.

[0013] Power board 1 also includes a first connector 5 to which a terminal of the mains power supply harness 6 (127 / 220 AC) is connected. Power board 1 also includes a second logic connector 7, capable of sending and receiving logic signals, or possibly low-intensity analog signals, for example with the user interface 8, which receives commands and indicates the operating conditions. Petition 870250016914, dated 28 / 02 / 2025, page 10 / 16 3 / 5 of the refrigerator. In addition, the second connector 7 is also able to receive the connection terminals of the temperature sensors, such as an ambient temperature sensor 9, a defrost sensor 10, among other possible temperature sensors or those related to some specific functionality of the refrigerator.

[0014] Furthermore, said power board also comprises at least one first LED L1 and possibly a second LED L2, wherein the first LED L1 and, alternatively, the first LED L1 and a second LED L2 are driven by processor 2.

[0015] More specifically, said processor 2 is capable of identifying and controlling the state / operating mode of the refrigerator, which are the refrigeration cycles and the defrost cycles, in a manner known in the art. Also in a manner known, said refrigeration and defrost cycles are executed based on the electrical temperature indicators captured by said ambient temperature sensor 9 and defrost sensor 10 (evaporator temperature).

[0016] In one embodiment, LED L1 is responsive to the refrigerator's operating mode through predefined sequences of LED on and off. Thus, and in particular, LED L1 remains on to indicate a refrigeration cycle in progress, and assumes a flashing condition – on time approximately equal to off time – to indicate a defrost cycle in progress.

[0017] In other words, once processor 2 commands the start of a cooling cycle, the same processor 2 commands the continuous activation of LED L1. Similarly, once processor 2 commands the start of a defrosting cycle, the same processor 2 commands the flashing activation of LED L1. In both cases, LED L1 remains continuously lit, or flashing, while the respective cycle (cooling or defrosting) is being executed.

[0018] In an alternative embodiment, LED 1 is of the bicolor type, with the operating mode indicated by the color green, while the fault mode is indicated by the color red.

[0019] On the other hand, and once a fault is detected in one or both of the temperature sensors 9, 10, the processor 2 detects such a fault relatively easily, since, as mentioned, such temperatures are imperative (but not exclusive) for defining the refrigeration and defrosting cycles according to the selected programming. Petition 870250016914, dated 28 / 02 / 2025, p. 11 / 16 4 / 5 by the user.

[0020] In the event of a detected fault, LED L1 will display a predefined fault code, allowing a technician to quickly identify which sensor is not functioning properly.

[0021] In other words, once processor 2 has identified a fault in any of the sensors 9, 10 the same processor 2 commands the activation of LED L1 a predetermined number of times within a period of time. For example, in the case of a fault in temperature sensor 9, LED L1 starts flashing once per time period; in the case of a fault in defrost sensor 10, LED L1 starts flashing twice per time period; and in the case of a fault in both temperature sensor 9 and defrost sensor 10, LED L1 starts flashing three times per time period.

[0022] In an alternative embodiment, said power board 1 comprises the first LED L1 and the second LED L2, both driven by processor 2. In this case, LED L1 is exclusively intended to identify the operating mode being executed, i.e., cooling or defrosting, while LED L2 is exclusively intended to identify a fault in a component. In order to highlight the identified fault condition, LED 2 is preferably a red LED, while LED 1 is green.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first LED L1 and the second LED L2 light up, as shown in the tables below, depending on the errors detected. Table 1 - Green L1 Operation Behavior: Active cooling cycle: Flashes once every 3 seconds. Active defrost cycle: Flashes twice every 3 seconds. Table 2 - L2 red Error Behavior Ambient sensor failure Flashes 1 time every 3 seconds Defrost sensor failure Flashes 2 times every 3 seconds Simultaneous failure of both sensors Flashes 3 times every 3 seconds Last defrost cycle completed by Flashes 4 times every 3 seconds Petition 870250016914, dated 28 / 02 / 2025, page 12 / 16 5 / 5 Resistance timeout. Serial communication failure (UART). Flashes 5 times every 3 seconds.

[0024] Obviously, as is expensive for technicians in the sector, operating or fault codes may vary as long as each one is distinct enough to clearly identify the operating mode or fault condition identified by processor 2.

[0025] In this way, the present solution comprises a power board 1, which is able to indicate, in a clear and simple way, the eventual occurrence of faults in refrigerator components, using a diagnostic LED. The precise indication of the detected fault is made from the frequency of the LED lighting, thus greatly facilitating the diagnosis of a fault and, therefore, its solution. Petition 870250016914, dated 28 / 02 / 2025, page 13 / 16

Claims

1 / 1 Claims 1. Power board (1), for a refrigerator or similar, said board comprising a processor (2), and a logic connector (7) capable of sending and receiving signals from an interface (8) and capable of receiving and connecting the connection terminals of the temperature sensors (9, 10), characterized by comprising an LED (L1; L2) for indicating a fault condition detected and commanded by the processor (2).

2. Power board (1), according to claim 1, characterized in that the LED (L1) indicates the refrigerator operating mode in the absence of a detected fault condition.

3. Power board (1), according to claim 1, characterized in that the identification of the faulty sensor(s) (9, 10) is made by activating the LED (L1; L2) a certain number of times within a period of time. Petition 870250016914, dated 28 / 02 / 2025, page 14 / 16

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