Refrigerant abnormality degree determination method, air conditioner, and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

The application discloses a refrigerant abnormality degree determination method, an air conditioner and a computer readable storage medium. The method comprises the following steps: after the air conditioner is controlled to run in a refrigeration mode, determining a refrigerant state judgment condition according to an outdoor environment temperature; determining a satisfaction state of the refrigerant state judgment condition according to collected exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat and exhaust pressure; determining an abnormality tendency of current refrigerant of the air conditioner according to an outdoor unit current; and determining a current refrigerant abnormality degree of the air conditioner according to the abnormality tendency and the satisfaction state of the judgment condition. The application aims to improve the accuracy of determining the refrigerant abnormality degree.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of air conditioner technology, and in particular to a method for determining the degree of refrigerant abnormality, an air conditioner, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] Air conditioners use refrigerant as a medium to exchange heat through continuous phase changes. The amount of refrigerant not only affects the performance of the air conditioner but also its reliability. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain the amount of refrigerant in the air conditioner within the normal range.

[0003] In related technologies, when an air conditioner exhibits high exhaust temperature or high exhaust superheat, it is assumed to be due to a refrigerant shortage, requiring the user to contact a repair technician to add refrigerant. However, the cause of this situation may not be a lack of refrigerant; for example, the exhaust port's heat dissipation performance might be poor. Because the degree of refrigerant abnormality cannot be accurately determined, this results in a waste of manpower and other resources.

[0004] The above content is only used to help understand the technical solution of the present invention and does not represent an admission that the above content is prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main objective of this invention is to provide a method for determining the degree of refrigerant anomaly, an air conditioner, and a computer-readable storage medium, aiming to improve the accuracy of determining the degree of refrigerant anomaly.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a method for determining the degree of refrigerant anomaly, the method comprising:

[0007] After controlling the air conditioner to operate in cooling mode, the refrigerant status judgment condition is determined based on the outdoor ambient temperature;

[0008] Based on the collected exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, and exhaust pressure, determine the state in which the refrigerant state judgment conditions are met.

[0009] The abnormal tendency of the refrigerant in the air conditioner is determined based on the outdoor unit current;

[0010] Based on the abnormal tendency and the satisfaction of the judgment conditions, the current refrigerant abnormality level of the air conditioner is determined.

[0011] Optionally, the step of determining the abnormal tendency of the air conditioner refrigerant based on the outdoor unit current includes:

[0012] When the outdoor unit current is less than or equal to the first preset current value, the abnormal tendency is determined to be a refrigerant shortage tendency.

[0013] When the outdoor unit current is greater than or equal to the second preset current value, the abnormal tendency is determined to be a refrigerant overload tendency.

[0014] Optionally, the step of determining the abnormal tendency of the air conditioner refrigerant based on the outdoor unit current includes:

[0015] Determine the current variation trend of the outdoor unit current;

[0016] When the current change trend is an accelerated decrease, the abnormal tendency is determined to be a refrigerant shortage tendency;

[0017] When the current change trend is accelerating upward, the abnormal tendency is determined to be a refrigerant-prone tendency.

[0018] Optionally, the step of determining the satisfaction status of the refrigerant state judgment condition based on the collected exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, and exhaust pressure includes:

[0019] Based on the refrigerant state judgment conditions, the refrigerant state judgment thresholds corresponding to the exhaust temperature, the exhaust superheat, and the exhaust pressure are determined respectively;

[0020] Based on the comparison results between the exhaust temperature, the exhaust superheat, and the exhaust pressure and the corresponding refrigerant state judgment threshold, the refrigerant state determined based on the exhaust temperature, the exhaust superheat, and the exhaust pressure are determined respectively.

[0021] The satisfied state is determined based on the refrigerant state.

[0022] Optionally, before the step of determining the refrigerant state judgment condition based on the outdoor ambient temperature, the method further includes:

[0023] Obtain the initial outdoor temperature of the air conditioner before it operates in the cooling mode;

[0024] Determine the temperature change between the initial outdoor temperature and the outdoor ambient temperature;

[0025] When the temperature change value is less than or equal to the preset temperature change value, the step of determining the refrigerant state judgment condition based on the outdoor ambient temperature is executed.

[0026] Optionally, before the step of obtaining the initial outdoor temperature of the air conditioner before operating the cooling mode, the method further includes:

[0027] Turn off the compressor and indoor fan of the air conditioner, and control the operation of the outdoor fan of the air conditioner;

[0028] When the outdoor fan runs for longer than a preset time, the initial outdoor temperature is recorded.

[0029] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0030] When the judgment result determined based on the satisfied state is inconsistent with the abnormal tendency, or when the current outdoor unit current determines that the current refrigerant abnormality is not judged, or when the exhaust pressure is greater than the preset exhaust pressure, the step of determining the refrigerant state judgment condition based on the outdoor ambient temperature is re-executed after controlling the air conditioner to operate in cooling mode.

[0031] Optionally, before the step of determining the refrigerant state judgment condition based on the outdoor ambient temperature, the method further includes:

[0032] When the start-up conditions of the refrigerant quantity judgment mode are met, the step of determining the refrigerant state judgment conditions based on the outdoor ambient temperature is executed after controlling the air conditioner to operate in cooling mode.

[0033] The activation conditions include at least one of the following:

[0034] The air conditioner is detected to have at least one of the following parameters: real-time exhaust temperature, real-time exhaust superheat, real-time exhaust pressure, or real-time outdoor unit current, which does not meet the normal operating conditions.

[0035] A malfunction was detected in the air conditioner;

[0036] Received instruction to determine the degree of refrigerant abnormality;

[0037] The preset time for judging the degree of refrigerant abnormality has been reached.

[0038] In addition, to achieve the above objectives, the present invention also provides an air conditioner, the air conditioner including a memory, a processor, and a refrigerant abnormality determination program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the refrigerant abnormality determination program is executed by the processor, it implements the steps of the refrigerant abnormality determination method as described above.

[0039] In addition, to achieve the above objectives, the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a refrigerant anomaly determination program, wherein the refrigerant anomaly determination program, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the refrigerant anomaly determination method as described above.

[0040] This method, after controlling the air conditioner to operate in cooling mode, determines the refrigerant state judgment conditions based on the outdoor ambient temperature. Then, based on the collected exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, and exhaust pressure, it determines whether the refrigerant state judgment conditions are met. While this determines the degree of refrigerant abnormality, it is still necessary to determine the air conditioner's refrigerant abnormality tendency based on the outdoor unit current. The abnormality tendency can be used to verify the reliability of the refrigerant abnormality degree determined based on the satisfaction of the judgment conditions. Therefore, the reliability and accuracy of the current refrigerant abnormality degree determined based on both the abnormality tendency and the satisfaction of the judgment conditions are higher. Thus, based on the above scheme, the accuracy of determining the degree of refrigerant abnormality can be improved. Attached Figure Description

[0041] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the terminal structure of the hardware operating environment involved in the embodiments of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the refrigerant anomaly determination method of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of the refrigerant anomaly determination method of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the judgment conditions involved in the refrigerant anomaly determination method of the present invention.

[0045] The realization of the objective, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0046] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0047] In related technologies, when an air conditioner exhibits high exhaust temperature or high exhaust superheat, it is assumed to be due to a refrigerant shortage, requiring the user to contact a repairman to add refrigerant. However, the cause of this situation may not be a lack of refrigerant; for example, the exhaust port's heat dissipation performance might be poor. Because the degree of refrigerant abnormality cannot be accurately determined, this results in a waste of manpower and other resources.

[0048] To improve the accuracy of determining the degree of refrigerant anomaly, embodiments of the present invention propose a method for determining the degree of refrigerant anomaly, an air conditioner, and a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the main steps of the method include:

[0049] After controlling the air conditioner to operate in cooling mode, the refrigerant status judgment condition is determined based on the outdoor ambient temperature;

[0050] Based on the collected exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, and exhaust pressure, determine the state in which the refrigerant state judgment conditions are met.

[0051] The abnormal tendency of the refrigerant in the air conditioner is determined based on the outdoor unit current;

[0052] Based on the abnormal tendency and the satisfaction of the judgment conditions, the current refrigerant abnormality level of the air conditioner is determined.

[0053] After controlling the air conditioner to operate in cooling mode, the refrigerant status judgment conditions are determined based on the outdoor ambient temperature. Then, based on the collected exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, and exhaust pressure, the satisfaction status of the refrigerant status judgment conditions is determined. The abnormal tendency determined by the outdoor unit current is used as the judgment result corresponding to the satisfaction status of the refrigerant status judgment conditions for verification, thereby obtaining an accurate degree of refrigerant abnormality in the air conditioner and improving the accuracy of determining the degree of refrigerant abnormality.

[0054] The claims of this invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0055] like Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the terminal structure of the hardware operating environment involved in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0056] In this embodiment of the invention, the terminal can be an air conditioner.

[0057] like Figure 1 As shown, the terminal may include: a processor 1001, such as a CPU, a memory 1003, and a communication bus 1002. The communication bus 1002 is used to enable communication between these components. The memory 1003 may be a high-speed RAM or a stable, non-volatile memory, such as a disk drive. Optionally, the memory 1003 may also be a storage device independent of the aforementioned processor 1001.

[0058] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 1 The terminal structure shown does not constitute a limitation on the terminal and may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0059] like Figure 1 As shown, the memory 1003, which serves as a computer storage medium, may include an operating system and a refrigerant anomaly determination program.

[0060] exist Figure 1 In the terminal shown, the processor 1001 can be used to call the refrigerant anomaly determination program stored in the memory 1003 and perform the following operations:

[0061] After controlling the air conditioner to operate in cooling mode, the refrigerant status judgment condition is determined based on the outdoor ambient temperature;

[0062] Based on the collected exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, and exhaust pressure, determine the state in which the refrigerant state judgment conditions are met.

[0063] The abnormal tendency of the refrigerant in the air conditioner is determined based on the outdoor unit current;

[0064] Based on the abnormal tendency and the satisfaction of the judgment conditions, the current refrigerant abnormality level of the air conditioner is determined.

[0065] Furthermore, the processor 1001 can call the refrigerant anomaly determination program stored in the memory 1003 and also perform the following operations:

[0066] When the outdoor unit current is less than or equal to the first preset current value, the abnormal tendency is determined to be a refrigerant shortage tendency.

[0067] When the outdoor unit current is greater than or equal to the second preset current value, the abnormal tendency is determined to be a refrigerant overload tendency.

[0068] Furthermore, the processor 1001 can call the refrigerant anomaly determination program stored in the memory 1003 and also perform the following operations:

[0069] Determine the current variation trend of the outdoor unit current;

[0070] When the current change trend is an accelerated decrease, the abnormal tendency is determined to be a refrigerant shortage tendency;

[0071] When the current change trend is accelerating upward, the abnormal tendency is determined to be a refrigerant-prone tendency.

[0072] Furthermore, the processor 1001 can call the refrigerant anomaly determination program stored in the memory 1003 and also perform the following operations:

[0073] Based on the refrigerant state judgment conditions, the refrigerant state judgment thresholds corresponding to the exhaust temperature, the exhaust superheat, and the exhaust pressure are determined respectively;

[0074] Based on the comparison results between the exhaust temperature, the exhaust superheat, and the exhaust pressure and the corresponding refrigerant state judgment threshold, the refrigerant state determined based on the exhaust temperature, the exhaust superheat, and the exhaust pressure are determined respectively.

[0075] The satisfied state is determined based on the refrigerant state.

[0076] Furthermore, the processor 1001 can call the refrigerant anomaly determination program stored in the memory 1003 and also perform the following operations:

[0077] Obtain the initial outdoor temperature of the air conditioner before it operates in the cooling mode;

[0078] Determine the temperature change between the initial outdoor temperature and the outdoor ambient temperature;

[0079] When the temperature change value is less than or equal to the preset temperature change value, the step of determining the refrigerant state judgment condition based on the outdoor ambient temperature is executed.

[0080] Furthermore, the processor 1001 can call the refrigerant anomaly determination program stored in the memory 1003 and also perform the following operations:

[0081] Turn off the compressor and indoor fan of the air conditioner, and control the operation of the outdoor fan of the air conditioner;

[0082] When the outdoor fan runs for longer than a preset time, the initial outdoor temperature is recorded.

[0083] Furthermore, the processor 1001 can call the refrigerant anomaly determination program stored in the memory 1003 and also perform the following operations:

[0084] When the judgment result determined based on the satisfied state is inconsistent with the abnormal tendency, or when the current outdoor unit current determines that the current refrigerant abnormality is not judged, or when the exhaust pressure is greater than the preset exhaust pressure, the step of determining the refrigerant state judgment condition based on the outdoor ambient temperature is re-executed after controlling the air conditioner to operate in cooling mode.

[0085] Furthermore, the processor 1001 can call the refrigerant anomaly determination program stored in the memory 1003 and also perform the following operations:

[0086] When the start-up conditions of the refrigerant quantity judgment mode are met, the step of determining the refrigerant state judgment conditions based on the outdoor ambient temperature is executed after controlling the air conditioner to operate in cooling mode.

[0087] The activation conditions include at least one of the following:

[0088] The air conditioner is detected to have at least one of the following parameters: real-time exhaust temperature, real-time exhaust superheat, real-time exhaust pressure, or real-time outdoor unit current, which does not meet the normal operating conditions.

[0089] A malfunction was detected in the air conditioner;

[0090] Received instruction to determine the degree of refrigerant abnormality;

[0091] The preset time for judging the degree of refrigerant abnormality has been reached.

[0092] The following explanation, through specific exemplary solutions, clarifies the scope of protection claimed in the claims of this invention, so that those skilled in the art can better understand the scope of protection of the claims. It is understood that the following exemplary solutions do not limit the scope of protection of this invention, but are only used to explain this invention.

[0093] For example, refer to Figure 2 In one embodiment of the refrigerant anomaly determination method of the present invention, the refrigerant anomaly determination method includes the following steps:

[0094] Step S10: After controlling the air conditioner to operate in cooling mode, determine the refrigerant status judgment conditions based on the outdoor ambient temperature.

[0095] In this embodiment, the subject executing the refrigerant anomaly determination method can be an air conditioner. Refrigerant is a working fluid used in systems such as refrigeration air conditioners to transfer heat energy and produce a cooling effect; it is a substance that transfers heat through evaporation and condensation. The amount of refrigerant not only affects the cooling effect of the air conditioner but also its reliability. Therefore, the refrigerant content stored in a normally operating air conditioner should be within the normal range. However, with the use of air conditioners, abnormal situations such as excess or insufficient refrigerant may inevitably occur. It is necessary to use an accurate and reliable method to determine the degree of refrigerant anomaly in order to accurately select whether to increase or decrease the refrigerant content and ensure the normal operation of the air conditioner.

[0096] To accurately determine the current refrigerant abnormality level of the air conditioner, the air conditioner can be controlled to run in cooling mode for a period of time. After the first preset period of cooling mode is established, the refrigerant status judgment criteria are determined based on the outdoor ambient temperature. (Refer to...) Figure 4 Different outdoor ambient temperatures correspond to different refrigerant state judgment conditions (corresponding columns). Outdoor ambient temperature is the base value for all environmental parameters. Even if the air conditioner operates with the same parameters, different outdoor ambient temperatures will result in different detected environmental parameters. For example, with outdoor ambient temperatures of 5℃ and 25℃, the air conditioner's operation can cause a temperature rise of 5℃, resulting in exhaust temperatures of 10℃ and 30℃ respectively. The refrigerant state judgment conditions are set to determine certain environmental parameters after the air conditioner has been running in cooling mode. Therefore, there is a correspondence between outdoor ambient temperature and refrigerant state judgment conditions; different refrigerant state judgment conditions correspond to different outdoor ambient temperatures.

[0097] Optionally, when the air conditioner is running in cooling mode, it operates with the parameters that produce the maximum cooling effect in cooling mode, including all indoor units of the air conditioner being turned on and running at the highest fan speed, the set temperature being the lowest set temperature in cooling mode, which can be 16°C, and the timing starting from the start of the air conditioner's compressor as the initial moment of the preset time period. When the compressor is running, the corresponding priority indoor unit can be turned on (the other indoor units are in standby mode) and all of them can run at high fan speed. The valve opening degree and frequency can be freely controlled.

[0098] Step S20: Determine whether the refrigerant state judgment condition is met based on the collected exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat and exhaust pressure.

[0099] In this embodiment, after the air conditioner operates in cooling mode for the first preset period, data recording begins when the compressor starts for t = 23 minutes. The recorded data includes: T4 (outdoor ambient temperature), TP (exhaust temperature), HS (exhaust pressure), TC (saturation temperature corresponding to exhaust pressure), TH (exhaust superheat), outdoor unit current I, etc., where TH = TP - TC. After the air conditioner operates in cooling mode for the first preset period, multiple of the above data can be recorded in the second preset period. Finally, the average value of the above data is calculated as the final data collected after the air conditioner operates in cooling mode for the first preset period, thereby avoiding data instability.

[0100] For example, the first set of data (T4) was recorded 23 minutes after the air conditioner had been running in cooling mode (compressor on). t1 TP t1 HS t1 TC t1 TH t1 Record data every 20 seconds until the air conditioner has been running in cooling mode (compressor on) for 27 minutes. Calculate the average values ​​T4_AVG, TP_AVG, HS_AVG, TH_AVG, and TC_AVG for each data point. TH_AVG can also be determined by subtracting TC_AVG from TP_AVG.

[0101] The refrigerant judgment conditions are determined based on the outdoor ambient temperature or the average outdoor ambient temperature collected at any time within the second preset time period. The state of satisfaction of the refrigerant state judgment conditions is determined based on the exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat and exhaust pressure collected at any time within the second preset time period, or the average exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat and exhaust pressure.

[0102] Optionally, step S20 includes:

[0103] Based on the refrigerant state judgment conditions, the refrigerant state judgment thresholds corresponding to the exhaust temperature, the exhaust superheat, and the exhaust pressure are determined respectively;

[0104] Based on the comparison results between the exhaust temperature, the exhaust superheat, and the exhaust pressure and the corresponding refrigerant state judgment threshold, the refrigerant state determined based on the exhaust temperature, the exhaust superheat, and the exhaust pressure are determined respectively.

[0105] The satisfied state is determined based on the refrigerant state.

[0106] The refrigerant status determination criteria include different refrigerant status determination thresholds for different environmental parameters. Specifically, there are refrigerant status determination thresholds corresponding to exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, and exhaust pressure. Each refrigerant status determination threshold includes a threshold range corresponding to different refrigerant states. The refrigerant status determination threshold is compared with the corresponding currently collected exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, or exhaust pressure to determine the threshold range corresponding to exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, and exhaust pressure. Based on the corresponding threshold range, the refrigerant status corresponding to exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, and exhaust pressure is determined. The refrigerant status, determined based on exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, or exhaust pressure, indicates whether the air conditioner is currently in a high refrigerant state, low refrigerant state, or normal state. However, the refrigerant status determined based on each parameter is different and needs to be determined according to the specific conditions of each refrigerant state. Exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, or exhaust pressure correspond to three refrigerant states. When both a high refrigerant state and a low refrigerant state appear simultaneously among these three refrigerant states, it is considered that the state is contradictory (the probability is very small), has no reference value, and is not used to judge the degree of refrigerant abnormality. Then, the state is determined based on the number of low refrigerant states or high refrigerant states.

[0107] When one refrigerant shortage state occurs, the condition for satisfying the condition of one refrigerant shortage state is determined. When two refrigerant shortage states occur, the condition for satisfying the condition of two refrigerant shortage states is determined. When three refrigerant shortage states occur, the condition for satisfying the condition of two refrigerant shortage states is determined. When one refrigerant surplus state occurs, the condition for satisfying the condition of one refrigerant surplus state is determined. When two refrigerant surplus states occur, the condition for satisfying the condition of two refrigerant surplus states is determined. When three refrigerant surplus states occur, the condition for satisfying the condition of two refrigerant surplus states is determined.

[0108] By determining the refrigerant state based on exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, and exhaust pressure, the refrigerant state judgment conditions can be met more quickly and accurately, improving the efficiency and accuracy of determining the degree of refrigerant abnormality.

[0109] Optionally, when the activation conditions of the refrigerant quantity judgment mode are met, step S10 is executed;

[0110] The activation conditions include at least one of the following:

[0111] The air conditioner is detected to have at least one of the following parameters: real-time exhaust temperature, real-time exhaust superheat, real-time exhaust pressure, or real-time outdoor unit current, which does not meet the normal operating conditions.

[0112] A malfunction was detected in the air conditioner;

[0113] Received instruction to determine the degree of refrigerant abnormality;

[0114] The preset time for judging the degree of refrigerant abnormality has been reached.

[0115] In this embodiment, executing step S10 means initiating the process of judging the current refrigerant abnormality level of the air conditioner. Therefore, step S10 can have certain triggering conditions, which are related to the air conditioner's need to detect the refrigerant abnormality level. During the normal operation of the air conditioner, at least one of the air conditioner's real-time exhaust temperature, real-time exhaust superheat, real-time exhaust pressure, or outdoor unit current can be detected in real time. Whether these parameters are within the normal range is closely related to the amount of refrigerant. However, when at least one of the parameters does not meet the normal operating conditions, it indicates that it may be affected by refrigerant abnormality, and there is a need to eliminate refrigerant abnormality. Therefore, when it is detected that at least one of the air conditioner's real-time exhaust temperature, real-time exhaust superheat, real-time exhaust pressure, or real-time outdoor unit current does not meet the normal operating conditions, step S10 can be executed.

[0116] Air conditioners may malfunction during operation, causing them to fail to operate properly or reduce their effectiveness. When an air conditioner malfunctions, it indicates that its reliability is affected, and it is necessary to rule out whether the malfunction is caused by an abnormal refrigerant. Therefore, when an air conditioner malfunction is detected, step S10 can be executed.

[0117] The determination of the refrigerant abnormality level of the air conditioner can also be triggered by the user. When the user has the need to determine the refrigerant abnormality level, he / she can trigger the refrigerant abnormality level judgment command through remote control, app, etc. When the air conditioner receives the refrigerant abnormality level judgment command, it needs to judge the refrigerant abnormality level and can execute step S10.

[0118] The air conditioner can also detect and judge the degree of refrigerant abnormality on a regular basis. A periodic preset refrigerant abnormality judgment time can be set, or the refrigerant abnormality judgment time can be set before the high incidence of refrigerant abnormality or the usual time of cooling mode. When the preset refrigerant abnormality judgment time is reached, step S10 can be executed to realize the timed detection of refrigerant.

[0119] By setting trigger conditions, when the air conditioner needs to determine the degree of refrigerant abnormality, the relevant judgment process is automatically carried out to accurately determine the degree of refrigerant abnormality, thereby timely eliminating or confirming the potential impact of refrigerant abnormality on the normal operation of the air conditioner and improving the user experience.

[0120] Step S30: Determine the abnormal tendency of the refrigerant in the air conditioner based on the outdoor unit current;

[0121] In this embodiment, after the air conditioner operates in cooling mode for a first preset period, the outdoor unit current of the air conditioner is recorded. The outdoor unit current can be the outdoor unit current at any time during the second preset period after the first preset period, or the average value of the outdoor unit current during the second preset period. The outdoor unit current is directly affected by the amount of refrigerant. When there is more refrigerant, the current is higher, and when there is less refrigerant, the current is lower. Therefore, based on the outdoor unit current, it can be determined whether the abnormal refrigerant tendency of the air conditioner is a tendency of too much refrigerant or a tendency of too little refrigerant.

[0122] Optionally, step S30 includes:

[0123] When the outdoor unit current is less than or equal to the first preset current value, the abnormal tendency is determined to be a refrigerant shortage tendency.

[0124] When the outdoor unit current is greater than or equal to the second preset current value, the abnormal tendency is determined to be a refrigerant shortage tendency.

[0125] When the outdoor unit current is greater than the first preset current value and less than the second preset current value, the degree of abnormality of the current refrigerant is not determined.

[0126] In this embodiment, the outdoor unit current is directly affected by the amount of refrigerant. More refrigerant results in a higher current, and less refrigerant results in a lower current. Therefore, the current value I can be directly compared with a preset current value. When the outdoor unit current is less than or equal to the first preset current value, the current is too low, indicating a refrigerant deficiency. When the outdoor unit current is greater than or equal to the second preset current value, the current is too high, indicating a refrigerant overload. When the outdoor unit current is greater than the first preset current value but less than the second preset current value, the current value is within the normal range, and a refrigerant abnormality cannot be determined. However, it is also impossible to guarantee whether the refrigerant is abnormal, so the degree of refrigerant abnormality in the air conditioner is not determined. This allows for quick and accurate determination of the air conditioner's refrigerant abnormality based on the outdoor current value, improving the efficiency and accuracy of determining the degree of refrigerant abnormality.

[0127] Optionally, step S30 includes:

[0128] Determine the current variation trend of the outdoor unit current;

[0129] When the current change trend is an accelerated decrease, the abnormal tendency is determined to be a refrigerant shortage tendency;

[0130] When the current change trend is accelerating upward, the abnormal tendency is determined to be a refrigerant-prone tendency.

[0131] In this embodiment, after the air conditioner operates in cooling mode for a first preset period, the outdoor unit current of the air conditioner is recorded during a second preset period. Based on the outdoor current values ​​at multiple time points, the current change trend of the outdoor unit power during the second period is determined. When the current change trend is an accelerating decrease, i.e., the outdoor unit current decreases over time and the rate of decrease gradually increases, the abnormal tendency is determined to be a low refrigerant tendency. When the current change trend is an accelerating increase, i.e., the outdoor unit current increases over time and the rate of increase gradually increases, the abnormal tendency is determined to be a high refrigerant tendency. This method of determining the abnormal refrigerant tendency of the air conditioner more accurately based on the current change trend of the outdoor unit current improves the accuracy and degree of refrigerant abnormality determination.

[0132] Step S40: Determine the current refrigerant abnormality level of the air conditioner based on the abnormal tendency and the satisfaction status of the judgment conditions.

[0133] In this embodiment, "abnormal tendency" refers to whether the air conditioner's refrigerant tends to be abnormally high or low, based on the outdoor unit current. The "satisfaction status of judgment conditions" indicates the number of judgment conditions corresponding to either a high or low refrigerant state, based on exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, and exhaust pressure. The more judgment conditions corresponding to a high or low refrigerant state are satisfied, the more severe the initial assessment of the abnormality.

[0134] Specifically, if the condition for a state with one low refrigerant state is met, it is initially judged as slightly low refrigerant; if the condition for a state with two low refrigerant state is met, it is initially judged as significantly low refrigerant; and if the condition for a state with three low refrigerant state is met, it is initially judged as severely low refrigerant. Similarly, if the condition for a state with one high refrigerant state is met, it is initially judged as slightly high refrigerant; if the condition for a state with two high refrigerant state is met, it is initially judged as significantly high refrigerant; and if the condition for a state with three high refrigerant state is met, it is initially judged as severely high refrigerant.

[0135] However, while the initial assessment of the refrigerant levels based on the satisfactory status can determine the degree of refrigerant abnormality in the air conditioner, further verification using the outdoor unit current is needed to confirm the accuracy of the current refrigerant abnormality. If the abnormal trend aligns with the initial assessment of the current refrigerant abnormality based on the satisfactory status (e.g., the abnormal trend indicates a refrigerant shortage while the initial assessment indicates a slight / significant / severe refrigerant shortage, or the abnormal trend indicates an excess refrigerant while the initial assessment indicates a slight / significant / severe excess refrigerant), then the initial assessment of the current refrigerant abnormality based on the satisfactory status is confirmed as the current refrigerant abnormality of the air conditioner, and a prompt message can be output based on the current refrigerant abnormality. Conversely, if the abnormal trend does not align with the initial assessment of the current refrigerant abnormality based on the satisfactory status (e.g., the abnormal trend indicates a refrigerant shortage while the initial assessment indicates a slight / significant / severe excess refrigerant, or the abnormal trend indicates an excess refrigerant while the initial assessment indicates a slight / significant / severe refrigerant shortage), then the initial assessment of the current refrigerant abnormality based on the satisfactory status cannot be used as the current refrigerant abnormality of the air conditioner.

[0136] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0137] When the judgment result determined based on the satisfied state is inconsistent with the abnormal tendency, or when the abnormal tendency is determined to be not to judge the current refrigerant abnormality level, or when the current refrigerant abnormality level is determined to be not to judge based on the exhaust pressure, the step of determining the refrigerant state judgment condition based on the outdoor ambient temperature after controlling the air conditioner to operate in cooling mode is re-executed.

[0138] When the judgment result determined based on the satisfied state is inconsistent with the abnormal tendency, it indicates that after verifying the preliminary judgment result determined based on the abnormal tendency, the preliminary judgment result determined based on the satisfied state is not reliable, and it is necessary to re-judge the degree of refrigerant abnormality.

[0139] When determining the abnormal trend based on the outdoor unit current, there may be situations where the outdoor unit current cannot determine the abnormal trend. These situations include situations where the outdoor unit current is greater than the first preset current value but less than the second preset current value. In such cases, it is impossible to verify the preliminary judgment result that satisfies the status determination. Therefore, the degree of refrigerant abnormality of the air conditioner is not judged, and data needs to be collected again to judge the degree of refrigerant abnormality.

[0140] When the exhaust pressure is preset based on the exhaust pressure, it indicates that the exhaust pressure is too high. Under the condition that the exhaust pressure is too high, the environmental conditions such as exhaust temperature will be inaccurately collected, and thus the degree of refrigerant abnormality cannot be accurately determined. It is necessary to collect data again to judge the degree of refrigerant abnormality.

[0141] When the conditions for re-judging the refrigerant abnormality level mentioned above are met, data needs to be collected again to re-judge the refrigerant abnormality level. Instead of restarting the air conditioner, the air conditioner can be controlled to run in cooling mode for a first preset time, and then, within a second preset time, outdoor ambient temperature, exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, exhaust pressure, and outdoor unit current are collected. Then, based on the collected outdoor ambient temperature, the refrigerant status judgment conditions are determined; based on the collected exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, and exhaust pressure, the satisfaction status of the refrigerant status judgment conditions is determined; based on the outdoor unit current, the current refrigerant abnormality tendency of the air conditioner is determined; and based on the abnormality tendency and the satisfaction status of the judgment conditions, the current refrigerant abnormality level of the air conditioner is determined again. During this process, the conditions for re-judging the refrigerant abnormality level may be triggered again. If triggered, the above process is repeated, and this cycle continues until the current refrigerant abnormality level of the air conditioner is determined.

[0142] In this way, when the current refrigerant abnormality level of the air conditioner cannot be accurately determined, the timer is reset to zero, and data is collected again to determine the refrigerant abnormality level until a more accurate and precise refrigerant abnormality level of the air conditioner can be determined, thereby improving the accuracy of determining the refrigerant abnormality level.

[0143] In the technical solution disclosed in this embodiment, after controlling the air conditioner to operate in cooling mode, the refrigerant state judgment conditions are determined based on the outdoor ambient temperature; the satisfaction status of the refrigerant state judgment conditions is determined based on the collected exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, and exhaust pressure; the abnormal tendency of the air conditioner's current refrigerant is determined based on the outdoor unit current; and the degree of refrigerant abnormality of the air conditioner is determined based on the abnormal tendency and the satisfaction status of the judgment conditions. This not only enables automatic judgment of the degree of refrigerant abnormality but also verifies the refrigerant state determined based on the satisfaction status of the refrigerant state judgment conditions by using the abnormal tendency determined based on the outdoor unit current. This results in a more accurate determination of the current degree of refrigerant abnormality, improving the accuracy of determining the degree of refrigerant abnormality. It also allows for a more accurate identification of the cause of the air conditioner malfunction when the air conditioner malfunctions or its performance decreases, thus reducing resource waste.

[0144] Optionally, refer to Figure 3 Based on any of the above embodiments, in another embodiment of the refrigerant anomaly determination method of the present invention, before step S10 of the refrigerant anomaly determination method, the method further includes:

[0145] Step S50: Obtain the initial outdoor temperature of the air conditioner before it runs the cooling mode;

[0146] Step S60: Determine the temperature change value between the initial outdoor temperature and the outdoor ambient temperature;

[0147] Step S70: When the temperature change value is less than or equal to the preset temperature change value, execute the step of determining the refrigerant state judgment condition based on the outdoor ambient temperature.

[0148] In this embodiment, the degree of refrigerant abnormality in the air conditioner is determined by various exhaust parameters. If the heat dissipation of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner is poor, the detected exhaust parameters will be inaccurate, thus making it impossible to obtain an accurate judgment result on the degree of refrigerant abnormality. Therefore, before the air conditioner is run in the cooling mode used to detect the degree of refrigerant abnormality, the initial outdoor temperature of the corresponding outdoor environment must be monitored and saved.

[0149] After the air conditioner operates in cooling mode, the outdoor ambient temperature is collected. This outdoor temperature may rise due to the influence of the air conditioner's outdoor unit during cooling mode. The previously saved initial outdoor temperature is retrieved, and the difference between this initial outdoor temperature and the actual outdoor ambient temperature is calculated to obtain the change in outdoor temperature after the air conditioner operates in cooling mode. If the temperature change is too high (greater than the preset temperature change value), it indicates poor heat dissipation from the outdoor unit. The automatic refrigerant fault determination process is then terminated, and a corresponding prompt message is output. If the temperature change is not high (less than or equal to the preset temperature change value), it indicates adequate heat dissipation from the outdoor unit, and the automatic refrigerant fault determination process can continue, proceeding to step S10.

[0150] Optionally, before step S50, the following steps are also included:

[0151] Turn off the compressor and indoor fan of the air conditioner, and control the operation of the outdoor fan of the air conditioner;

[0152] When the outdoor fan runs for longer than a preset threshold, the initial outdoor temperature is recorded.

[0153] Before collecting the initial outdoor temperature, the air conditioner may have already been running for a period of time, such as in cooling mode. This can cause the outdoor temperature to be too high, making the collected initial outdoor temperature inaccurate. Therefore, when it is determined that the air conditioner has an automatic refrigerant detection requirement, the compressor and indoor fan of the air conditioner need to be turned off to stop the air conditioner from running when the automatic refrigerant detection process is started. Then, the outdoor fan of the air conditioner is controlled to run at a preset speed for a preset time. When the outdoor fan runs for a preset time, the air conditioner detects that the outdoor temperature has been quickly restored to an accurate outdoor temperature. Recording the initial outdoor temperature at this time is more accurate.

[0154] To better understand, let's illustrate this with a specific application scenario:

[0155] When the air conditioner triggers the start condition for automatic refrigerant judgment, the air conditioner performs automatic refrigerant judgment. The outdoor unit fan runs for 2 minutes first, and the initial outdoor temperature T40 is recorded. Start the air conditioner to run in the cooling mode, with all indoor units fully open and running at the highest wind speed. The set temperature of the air conditioner is the lowest at 16°C. When the compressor is started and at time t, start the corresponding priority indoor units (the remaining indoor units are in standby state) and all run at high wind speed, and both the valve opening and frequency are freely controlled. When the compressor is started at t = 23 minutes, start recording the first set of data. The data recording includes: T4 (outdoor ambient temperature), TP (discharge temperature), HS (discharge pressure), Tc (saturation temperature corresponding to the discharge pressure), and record once every 20S. End the recording when the compressor is started at t = 27 minutes, and a total of 13 sets of data are recorded. Calculate the average value of the above data (as follows). After the data recording is completed, let the standby indoor units enter the running state (i.e., all indoor units run) to prepare for a possible next judgment cycle. At the 35th minute, control the air conditioner to stop running.

[0156] T4_AVG = (T401 + T402 + … + T413) / 13;

[0157] TP_AVG = (TP01 + TP02 + TP03 + … + TP13) / 13;

[0158] HS_AVG = (HS01 + HS02 + HS03 + … + HS13) / 13;

[0159] TC_AVG = (TC01 + TC02 + TC03 + … + TC13) / 13;

[0160] TH_AVG (average discharge superheat) = TP_AVG (discharge temperature) - TC_AVG (saturation temperature corresponding to the discharge pressure).

[0161] First, judge whether T4_AVG - T40 ≥ k (k is the critical value for judging poor heat dissipation of the outdoor unit, that is, the preset temperature change value). If so, it is judged that the outdoor unit has poor heat dissipation, and no more automatic refrigerant judgment is made, and the automatic refrigerant judgment is exited. If T4_AVG - T40 < k, then continue with the automatic refrigerant judgment.

[0162] After running in the cooling mode for t = 23 minutes, the current I value of the outdoor unit will also be recorded. If I ≤ i1, it is considered that the abnormal tendency of the air conditioner is the tendency of less refrigerant. If I ≥ i2, the abnormal tendency of the air conditioner is the tendency of more refrigerant. If i1 < I < i2, no judgment is made, the system running time t is cleared to 0 to calculate the time again, and the above acquisition process is executed again.

[0163] Refer to Figure 4Based on the interval where T4_AVG is located, find the corresponding refrigerant status judgment condition in the icon, and determine the satisfaction status of the corresponding refrigerant status judgment condition based on TH_AVG, TP_AVG, and HS_AVG.

[0164] When TH_AVG, TP_AVG, and HS_AVG all correspond to refrigerant shortage and the abnormality trend is refrigerant shortage tendency, the refrigerant abnormality is determined to be severe refrigerant shortage.

[0165] When two of TH_AVG, TP_AVG, and HS_AVG correspond to refrigerant shortage and one corresponds to normal, and the abnormality trend is refrigerant shortage, the refrigerant abnormality is determined to be obvious refrigerant shortage.

[0166] When one of TH_AVG, TP_AVG and HS_AVG corresponds to a refrigerant shortage, two correspond to normal, and the abnormality trend is a refrigerant shortage tendency, the refrigerant abnormality is determined to be a slight refrigerant shortage.

[0167] When TH_AVG, TP_AVG, and HS_AVG all correspond to refrigerant shortage and the abnormality trend is refrigerant shortage tendency, the refrigerant abnormality is determined to be severe refrigerant shortage.

[0168] When two of TH_AVG, TP_AVG, and HS_AVG correspond to multiple refrigerants and one corresponds to normal, and the abnormality tendency is multiple refrigerant tendency, the refrigerant abnormality is determined to be obvious multiple refrigerant.

[0169] When one of TH_AVG, TP_AVG and HS_AVG corresponds to excess refrigerant, two correspond to normal, and the abnormality trend is excess refrigerant, the refrigerant abnormality is determined to be a slight refrigerant shortage.

[0170] If one of TH_AVG, TP_AVG, and HS_AVG corresponds to multiple refrigerants, another corresponds to fewer refrigerants, or if HS_AVG is not determined, then no determination is made, the system runtime t is reset to 0, the time is recalculated, and the above acquisition process is re-executed.

[0171] In the technical solution disclosed in this embodiment, before determining the refrigerant status judgment condition based on the outdoor ambient temperature, it is necessary to compare the initial outdoor temperature before running the cooling mode to ensure good heat dissipation of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner and to ensure the accuracy of the collected data, thereby improving the accuracy of determining the degree of refrigerant abnormality.

[0172] Furthermore, this invention also proposes an air conditioner, which includes a memory, a processor, and a refrigerant anomaly determination program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the refrigerant anomaly determination program is executed by the processor, it implements the steps of the refrigerant anomaly determination method as described in the above embodiments.

[0173] Furthermore, this invention also proposes a computer-readable storage medium storing a refrigerant anomaly determination program. When the refrigerant anomaly determination program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the refrigerant anomaly determination method as described in the above embodiments.

[0174] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or system that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or system. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or system that includes that element.

[0175] The sequence numbers of the above embodiments of the present invention are for descriptive purposes only and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments.

[0176] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) as described above, and includes several instructions to cause the air conditioner to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0177] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not limit the scope of the patent. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made based on the description and drawings of the present invention, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the scope of patent protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for determining the degree of refrigerant anomaly, characterized in that, The method for determining the degree of refrigerant abnormality includes: After controlling the air conditioner to operate in cooling mode, the initial outdoor temperature of the air conditioner before operating in cooling mode is obtained; Determine the temperature change between the initial outdoor temperature and the outdoor ambient temperature; When the temperature change value is less than or equal to the preset temperature change value, the refrigerant status judgment condition is determined based on the outdoor ambient temperature. Based on the collected exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, and exhaust pressure, determine the state in which the refrigerant state judgment conditions are met. The abnormal tendency of the refrigerant in the air conditioner is determined based on the outdoor unit current. Specifically, after the air conditioner has been operating in cooling mode for a first preset duration, multiple outdoor unit current data points are collected within a second preset duration. Based on the multiple outdoor unit current data points collected within the second preset duration, the current change trend is determined. When the current change trend is an accelerating decrease, the abnormal tendency is determined to be a low refrigerant tendency; when the current change trend is an accelerating increase, the abnormal tendency is determined to be a high refrigerant tendency. Based on the abnormal tendency and the satisfaction status of the judgment conditions, determine the current refrigerant abnormality level of the air conditioner; The method further includes: When the judgment result determined based on the satisfied state is inconsistent with the abnormal tendency, or when the current outdoor unit current determines that the current refrigerant abnormality is not judged, or when the exhaust pressure is greater than the preset exhaust pressure, the step of determining the refrigerant state judgment condition based on the outdoor ambient temperature is re-executed after controlling the air conditioner to operate in cooling mode.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining the abnormal refrigerant tendency of the air conditioner based on the outdoor unit current includes: When the outdoor unit current is less than or equal to the first preset current value, the abnormal tendency is determined to be a refrigerant shortage tendency. When the outdoor unit current is greater than or equal to the second preset current value, the abnormal tendency is determined to be a refrigerant overload tendency.

3. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining the satisfaction status of the refrigerant state judgment conditions based on the collected exhaust temperature, exhaust superheat, and exhaust pressure includes: Based on the refrigerant state judgment conditions, the refrigerant state judgment thresholds corresponding to the exhaust temperature, the exhaust superheat, and the exhaust pressure are determined respectively; Based on the comparison results between the exhaust temperature, the exhaust superheat, and the exhaust pressure and the corresponding refrigerant state judgment threshold, the refrigerant state determined based on the exhaust temperature, the exhaust superheat, and the exhaust pressure are determined respectively. The satisfied state is determined based on the refrigerant state.

4. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Before the step of obtaining the initial outdoor temperature of the air conditioner before it operates in the cooling mode, the method further includes: Turn off the compressor and indoor fan of the air conditioner, and control the operation of the outdoor fan of the air conditioner; When the outdoor fan runs for longer than a preset time, the initial outdoor temperature is recorded.

5. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Before the step of determining the refrigerant state judgment condition based on the outdoor ambient temperature, the method further includes: When the start-up conditions of the refrigerant quantity judgment mode are met, the step of determining the refrigerant state judgment conditions based on the outdoor ambient temperature is executed after controlling the air conditioner to operate in cooling mode. The activation conditions include at least one of the following: The air conditioner is detected to have at least one of the following parameters: real-time exhaust temperature, real-time exhaust superheat, real-time exhaust pressure, or real-time outdoor unit current, which does not meet the normal operating conditions. A malfunction was detected in the air conditioner; Received instruction to determine the degree of refrigerant abnormality; The preset time for judging the degree of refrigerant abnormality has been reached.

6. An air conditioner, characterized in that, The air conditioner includes: a memory, a processor, and a refrigerant anomaly determination program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the refrigerant anomaly determination program is executed by the processor, it implements the steps of the refrigerant anomaly determination method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a refrigerant anomaly determination program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the refrigerant anomaly determination method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

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