Communication system and communication method for a washing machine

Abstract

The application relates to a communication system and a communication method for a washing machine. The communication system comprises a plurality of communication boards, each of which is in communication connection with a bus channel selector through a respective 485 transceiver, the bus channel selector is in communication connection with a data transmission bus, so that the connection communication of each communication board is realized; the receiving line of the 485 transceiver comprises a receiving main pin and a receiving backup pin, the receiving main pin and the receiving backup pin are respectively connected with different output pins of the communication board; the sending line of the 485 transceiver comprises a sending main pin and a sending backup pin, the sending main pin and the sending backup pin are respectively connected with different input pins of the communication board; the scheme uses a plurality of groups of communication pins to realize communication in a single group communication mode, the pin channel is switched through different groups of communication pins of the chip of the communication board, so that the communication pin detection can be realized when the communication fault occurs, and the communication can be recovered by switching different groups of communication pins in the case of unrecoverability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of communication technology, and specifically to a communication system and method for a washing machine. Background Technology

[0002] If a communication failure occurs during the washing process, and the washing / drying program is in progress, attempting to restore communication by resetting the faulty chip on the hardware board will result in the loss of current washing data and the inability to continue the program before the failure. If the user does not address this promptly, it may lead to clothes being soaked for too long or remaining wet and sealed inside the washing drum for an extended period, causing bacterial growth or damage to the clothes. Even when using software to restore the chip communication module, errors in the program or hardware open circuits may prevent communication restoration, causing the washing machine to shut down for an extended period. Users will then have to restart the machine by disconnecting the power or contacting after-sales service, disrupting the user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to address the above-mentioned shortcomings by providing a communication system and communication method for a washing machine.

[0004] One technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the technical problem is to provide a communication system for a washing machine, including several communication boards, each communication board being connected to a bus channel selector via its own 485 transceiver, and the bus channel selector being connected to a data transmission bus to realize the connection and communication of each communication board.

[0005] The receiving line of the 485 transceiver includes a main receiving pin and at least one spare receiving pin, and the main receiving pin and the spare receiving pin are respectively connected to different output pins of the communication board.

[0006] The transmit line of the 485 transceiver includes a main transmit pin and at least one spare transmit pin, and the main transmit pin and the spare transmit pin are respectively connected to different input pins of the communication board.

[0007] The functions of each component are as follows:

[0008] The communication board is used to receive, process, and send data.

[0009] A 485 transceiver is used for sending and receiving data.

[0010] Bus channel selector, used to enable communication between corresponding communication boards;

[0011] Data transmission bus, used for data transmission.

[0012] Furthermore, the communication board includes a display board for displaying the current washing program information; a main board for controlling the entire washing machine washing process; and a drive board for driving the motor to rotate.

[0013] Furthermore, one of the I / O interfaces of the communication board is connected to the CS pin of the bus channel selector as a bus chip select pin.

[0014] Another technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the technical problem is to provide a communication method for a washing machine, which uses the above-mentioned communication system for a washing machine and includes the following steps:

[0015] S1: The control chip on the communication board determines whether it is acting as a master or a slave at this time;

[0016] If it is the host, proceed to step S10;

[0017] If it is a slave device, proceed to step S20;

[0018] S10: The communication board sends data packets to the 485 transceiver through the main receiving pin. The 485 transceiver sends the data packets to the bus channel selector. The bus channel selector sends the data packets to the data transmission bus. The corresponding slave device receives the data packets from the data transmission bus, parses and processes them, performs the corresponding function, and then sends feedback data to the master.

[0019] S11: After the communication board sends data, it attempts to retrieve data from the data transmission bus at time T1;

[0020] If the complete data packet is successfully obtained, proceed to step S12; otherwise, perform fault detection processing.

[0021] S12: After the communication board processes the data, it enters a waiting state and waits for the countdown to end before sending the data again;

[0022] S20: The communication board attempts to obtain the data sent by the host from the data transmission bus at time T1;

[0023] If the complete data packet is successfully obtained, proceed to step S21; otherwise, perform fault detection processing.

[0024] S21: The communication board receives, parses, and processes data packets, performs the corresponding functions, sends feedback data to the host, and waits for the next data transmission bus to receive data.

[0025] Furthermore, the fault detection process includes the following steps:

[0026] S31: After the communication board waits for a timeout to acquire data, it will maintain a time interval of T2 to acquire data from the data transmission bus.

[0027] If the data acquisition is successful, exit the waiting state and continue to execute step S12 or step S21.

[0028] If data retrieval fails, proceed to step S32;

[0029] S32: The communication board closes data communication with the main receive pin and the main transmit pin, and switches to select one backup receive pin and one backup transmit pin for data communication.

[0030] S33: After the communication board detects the communication error flags on the receive main pin and transmit main pin, the communication board sends the detection results and error information to the data transmission bus.

[0031] Furthermore, in step S33,

[0032] When the communication board acts as the host, the host periodically sends the whole machine data before and during the communication failure to the bus data transmission bus in the form of messages.

[0033] When the communication board acts as a slave device, the slave device detects the data obtained after switching the pin and waits for the data packet to be sent by the master device.

[0034] Furthermore, the communication board sending the detection results and error information to the data transmission bus includes the following steps:

[0035] S41: After switching pins, the communication board continuously monitors the error flags stored in the module registers on the communication board and the pin levels at the receive main pin and transmit main pin;

[0036] S42: The communication board reports the detection results to the data transmission bus in the form of a message;

[0037] S43: If the test results still show error indicators, proceed to step S44;

[0038] If the detection result shows no error, and the pin levels at the receive main pin and transmit main pin return to normal, proceed to step S45;

[0039] S44: The communication board continues to perform normal data communication using the communication line after switching the spare pin;

[0040] S45: The communication board shuts down data communication with the receive backup pin and transmit backup pin, and switches back to data communication with the receive main pin and transmit main pin.

[0041] Furthermore, the continuous detection refers to continuous, timed detection.

[0042] Furthermore, the timed detection is performed once per minute.

[0043] Furthermore, T1 is 4-10 seconds.

[0044] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: This solution uses multiple sets of communication pins corresponding to a single set of communication methods for communication. The pin channel is switched by different sets of communication pins of the chip on the communication board, so that communication pin detection can be performed when a communication failure occurs, and communication can be restored by switching different sets of communication pins in the case of irreversible failure. Attached Figure Description

[0045] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0046] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the communication system.

[0047] Figure 2 This is a flowchart for fault detection and handling.

[0048] Figure 3 The flowchart shows the process of sending test results and error information from the communication board to the data transmission bus.

[0049] In the diagram: 1-Communication board; 2-485 transceiver; 3-Bus channel selector; 4-Data transmission bus; 5-Receive line; 6-Receive main pin; 7-Receive spare pin; 8-Transmit line; 9-Transmit main pin; 10-Transmit spare pin. Detailed Implementation

[0050] Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in more detail below; however, it should be understood that the invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the invention more thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0051] Example 1:

[0052] If a communication failure occurs during the washing process, and the washing / drying program is in progress, attempting to restore communication by resetting the faulty chip on the hardware board will result in the loss of current washing data and the inability to continue the program before the failure. If the user does not address this promptly, it may lead to clothes being soaked for too long or remaining wet and sealed inside the washing drum for an extended period, causing bacterial growth or damage to the clothes. Even when using software to restore the chip communication module, errors in the program or hardware open circuits may prevent communication restoration, causing the washing machine to shut down for an extended period. Users will then have to restart the machine by disconnecting the power or contacting after-sales service, disrupting the user experience.

[0053] In summary, the following issues need to be addressed:

[0054] Question 1: When the control software experiences a communication failure, the communication module cannot be restored by resetting the control chip or restarting the application.

[0055] Question 2: Based on Question 1, the control software lacks a fault detection and partial reset mechanism for the communication module.

[0056] Question 3: When multiple control boards work together, a communication failure occurs, making it impossible to locate the faulty board and quickly restore communication to continue operation, which may affect the system's operation;

[0057] Question 4: Based on Question 3, what is the backup plan for restoring communication and continuing operation when the control software communication recovery mechanism fails, given that the faulty board lacks such a mechanism?

[0058] To address the above problems, Embodiment 1 provides a communication system for a washing machine.

[0059] like Figure 1 As shown, the communication system includes several communication boards 1. Each communication board is connected to a bus channel selector 3 via its own 485 transceiver 2. The bus channel selector is connected to a data transmission bus 4 to realize the connection and communication of each communication board.

[0060] The receiving line 5 of the 485 transceiver includes a main receiving pin 6 and at least one spare receiving pin 7. The main receiving pin and the spare receiving pin are respectively connected to different output pins of the communication board.

[0061] The transmit line 8 of the 485 transceiver includes a main transmit pin 9 and at least one spare transmit pin 10. The main transmit pin and the spare transmit pin are respectively connected to different input pins of the communication board.

[0062] The communication board includes a display board, a motherboard, and a driver board;

[0063] The functions of each component are as follows:

[0064] The communication board is used to receive, process, and send data.

[0065] A 485 transceiver is used for sending and receiving data.

[0066] Bus channel selector, used to enable communication between corresponding communication boards;

[0067] Data transmission bus, used for data transmission.

[0068] The display panel is used to show information about the current washing program.

[0069] The motherboard is used to control the entire washing machine washing process.

[0070] The drive board is used to drive the motor to rotate.

[0071] In this embodiment, one I / O interface of the communication board is connected to the CS pin of the bus channel selector as a bus chip select pin.

[0072] When in use, if a communication channel line fails, the system checks whether the current communication pin is functioning correctly at the time of the failure, locates the actual faulty pin, and restores communication by switching between different pin channels.

[0073] like Figure 1 As shown, I / O2 is the main output pin of the chip on the communication board, and I / O3 is the main input pin of the chip. They are normally in a connected working state and are both connected to the 485 transceiver. The differential signal output by the 485 transceiver goes to the bus channel selector.

[0074] I / 04 is a spare output pin of the chip on the communication board, and I / 05 is a spare input pin of the chip on the communication board; normally they are in a disconnected, non-working state.

[0075] When a communication channel line fails, the communication fault can be restored by controlling the switching pins through the chip on the communication board.

[0076] For example, if the slave communication board can receive the data sent by the host's communication board, but the host's communication board cannot receive the information sent by the slave's communication board, it indicates that the I / O2 pin is abnormal and the I / O3 pin is normal. In this case, the I / O2 pin can be switched to the I / O4 pin; or all I / O2 and I / O3 pins can be switched to make the I / O4 and I / O5 pins work, thereby switching the entire communication channel.

[0077] This solution uses multiple sets of communication pins corresponding to a single set of communication methods for communication. By switching the pin channels through different sets of communication pins of the communication board chip, communication pin detection can be performed when a communication failure occurs. In the case of unrecoverable failure, communication can be restored by switching different sets of communication pins.

[0078] Example 2:

[0079] Example 2 improves a communication method for a washing machine based on the communication structure of Example 1.

[0080] Includes the following steps:

[0081] S1: The control chip on the communication board determines whether it is acting as a master or a slave at this time;

[0082] If it is the host, proceed to step S10;

[0083] If it is a slave device, proceed to step S20;

[0084] S10: The communication board sends data packets to the 485 transceiver through the main receiving pin. The 485 transceiver sends the data packets to the bus channel selector. The bus channel selector sends the data packets to the data transmission bus. The corresponding slave device receives the data packets from the data transmission bus, parses and processes them, performs the corresponding function, and then sends feedback data to the master.

[0085] S11: After the communication board sends data, it attempts to retrieve data from the data transmission bus at time T1;

[0086] In step S11, the data transmission process is as follows: the data packet is first sent from the data transmission bus to the bus channel selector, then from the bus channel selector to the 485 transceiver, and finally sent to the communication board for data processing via the main transmit pin of the 485 transceiver.

[0087] If the complete data packet is successfully obtained, proceed to step S12; otherwise, perform fault detection processing.

[0088] S12: After the communication board processes the data, it enters a waiting state and waits for the countdown to end before sending the data again;

[0089] S20: The communication board attempts to obtain the data sent by the host from the data transmission bus at time T1;

[0090] In step S20, the data transmission process is as follows: the data packet is first sent from the data transmission bus to the bus channel selector, then from the bus channel selector to the 485 transceiver, and finally sent to the communication board for data processing via the main transmit pin of the 485 transceiver.

[0091] If the complete data packet is successfully obtained, proceed to step S21; otherwise, perform fault detection processing.

[0092] S21: The communication board receives, parses, and processes data packets, performs the corresponding functions, sends feedback data to the host, and waits for the next data transmission bus to receive data.

[0093] like Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the fault detection process includes the following steps:

[0094] S31: After the communication board waits for a timeout to acquire data, it will maintain a time interval of T2 to acquire data from the data transmission bus.

[0095] If the data acquisition is successful, exit the waiting state and continue to execute step S12 or step S21.

[0096] If data retrieval fails, proceed to step S32;

[0097] S32: The communication board closes data communication with the main receive pin and the main transmit pin, and switches to select one backup receive pin and one backup transmit pin for data communication.

[0098] S33: After the communication board detects the communication error flags on the receive main pin and transmit main pin, the communication board sends the detection results and error information to the data transmission bus.

[0099] In step S33, when the communication board acts as the host, the host periodically sends the whole machine data before and during the communication failure to the bus data transmission bus in the form of messages.

[0100] In step S33, when the communication board acts as a slave, the slave detects the data obtained after switching the pin and waits for the data packet sent by the master.

[0101] like Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the communication board sending the detection results and error information to the data transmission bus includes the following steps:

[0102] S41: After switching pins, the communication board continuously monitors the error flags stored in the module registers on the communication board and the pin levels at the receive main pin and transmit main pin;

[0103] S42: The communication board reports the detection results to the data transmission bus in the form of a message;

[0104] S43: If the test results still show error indicators, proceed to step S44;

[0105] If the detection result shows no error, and the pin levels at the receive main pin and transmit main pin return to normal, proceed to step S45;

[0106] S44: The communication board continues to perform normal data communication using the communication line after switching the spare pin;

[0107] S45: The communication board shuts down data communication with the receive backup pin and transmit backup pin, and switches back to data communication with the receive main pin and transmit main pin.

[0108] In this embodiment, the continuous detection refers to continuous timed detection.

[0109] In this embodiment, the timed detection is performed once per minute.

[0110] In this embodiment, T1 is 4-10 seconds.

[0111] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of this application. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined, it need not be discussed further thereafter.

[0112] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by directional terms such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom" is generally based on the orientation or positional relationship shown and is only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise stated, these directional terms do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of protection of this application; the directional terms "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0113] For ease of description, spatial relative terms such as "above," "on top of," "on the upper surface of," and "above" may be used here to describe the spatial positional relationship of the features. It should be understood that spatial relative terms are intended to include different orientations in use or operation in addition to the orientation described.

[0114] Furthermore, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to define components is merely for the purpose of distinguishing the corresponding components. Unless otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore cannot be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this application.

[0115] If this application discloses or relates to components or structural parts that are fixedly connected to each other, then, unless otherwise stated, a fixed connection can be understood as: a fixed connection that can be disassembled (e.g., a connection using bolts or screws), or a fixed connection that cannot be disassembled (e.g., riveting, welding). Of course, a fixed connection can also be replaced by an integral structure (e.g., manufactured in one piece using a casting process) (except where it is obviously impossible to use an integral molding process).

[0116] The above-described preferred embodiments further illustrate the purpose, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention. It should be understood that the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A communication method for a washing machine using a communication system for a washing machine, characterized by, The communication system for the washing machine comprises several communication boards, each of which is connected with a bus channel selector through a respective 485 transceiver, and the bus channel selector is connected with a data transmission bus to realize the connection communication of each communication board; The receiving line of the 485 transceiver comprises a receiving main pin and at least one receiving standby pin, and the receiving main pin and the receiving standby pin are respectively connected with different output pins of the communication board; The sending line of the 485 transceiver comprises a sending main pin and at least one sending standby pin, and the sending main pin and the sending standby pin are respectively connected with different input pins of the communication board; The method comprises the following steps: S1: the control chip of the communication board determines whether it is a host or a slave at this time; If it is a host, step S10 is entered; If it is a slave, step S20 is entered; S10: the communication board sends a data packet to the 485 transceiver through the receiving main pin, the 485 transceiver sends the data packet to the bus channel selector, the bus channel selector sends the data packet to the data transmission bus, and the corresponding slave receives and analyzes the data packet from the data transmission bus and performs corresponding functions, and then sends feedback data to the host; S11: after the communication board sends data, it tries to obtain data from the data transmission bus at T1 time; If a complete data packet is successfully obtained, step S12 is executed, otherwise, a fault detection process is executed; S12: after the communication board processes the data, it enters a waiting state, and after the countdown is over, it sends data again; S20: the communication board tries to obtain data sent by the host from the data transmission bus at T1 time; If a complete data packet is successfully obtained, step S21 is executed, otherwise, a fault detection process is executed; S21: after the communication board receives and analyzes the data packet, it performs corresponding functions, and then sends feedback data to the host, and waits to receive data signals from the data transmission bus next time; The fault detection process comprises the following steps: S31: after the communication board obtains data and waits for a timeout, it maintains T2 time to obtain data from the data transmission bus; If the data is successfully obtained, the waiting is exited, and step S12 or step S21 is continued to be executed; If the data is not successfully obtained, step S32 is executed; S32: the communication board closes the data communication with the receiving main pin and the sending main pin, and switches to select a receiving standby pin and a sending standby pin to perform data communication; S33: after the communication board detects the communication error identifier of the receiving main pin and the sending main pin, the communication board sends the detection result and error information to the data transmission bus.

2. The communication method for a washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S33, When the communication board is a host, the host sends communication faults and current machine data to the data transmission bus in the form of a message; When the communication board is a slave, the slave detects the data obtained after the switch pin, and waits for the data packet sent by the host.

3. The communication method for the washing machine according to claim 2, wherein: The communication board sending the detection result and error information to the data transmission bus comprises the following steps: S41: after the switch pin, the communication board continuously detects the error identifier stored in the module register of the communication board and the pin level at the receiving main pin and the sending main pin. S42: the communication board reports the detection result in the form of a message to the data transmission bus; S43: if the detection result still has error identification, step S44 is performed; if the detection result has no error identification and the pin levels at the receiving main pin and the sending main pin return to normal, step S45 is performed; S44: the communication board continues normal data communication through the communication line after switching the standby pin; S45: the communication board closes the data communication with the receiving standby pin and the sending standby pin and switches back to the data communication with the receiving main pin and the sending main pin.

4. The communication method for a washing machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The continuous detection refers to continuous timing detection.

5. The communication method for a washing machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The timing detection is performed once every minute.

6. The communication method for a washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The T1 is 4-10 seconds.

7. The communication method for a washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The communication board comprises a display board for displaying current washing program information, a main board for controlling the whole washing process of the washing machine, and a driving board for driving the motor to rotate.

8. The communication method for a washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: One I / O interface of the communication board is connected to the bus channel selector CS pin as a bus slice selection pin.

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