Refrigerator system

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to a refrigerator system, the system comprising a refrigerator terminal, an Internet of Things platform and a data platform, the refrigerator terminal being configured to: issue a first flag bit to the data platform through the Internet of Things platform at a preset time point before reaching a first scheduled defrosting time; the data platform being configured to: extract difference data in a first time period when receiving the first flag bit issued by the refrigerator terminal; if any one of the abnormal judgment rules is not hit, issue a first delayed defrosting instruction of the current defrosting cycle to the refrigerator terminal, so that the refrigerator terminal determines a second scheduled defrosting time, and defrosts at the second scheduled defrosting time if no second delayed defrosting instruction is received before the second scheduled defrosting time; if at least one of the abnormal judgment rules is hit, notify the refrigerator terminal to defrost at the first scheduled defrosting time. The present application can delay defrosting when the refrigerator terminal is in a stable running state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of refrigerator technology, and in particular to a refrigerator system. Background Technology

[0002] Frosting on the condenser is a major pain point for refrigerator products.

[0003] Because condenser frost buildup can cause malfunctions in refrigerator cooling, ultimately affecting its preservation performance, the industry has been exploring ways to precisely control condenser frost buildup and reduce cooling anomalies caused by it. To minimize the impact of condenser frost, refrigerator manufacturers have developed a defrosting algorithm based on years of experimental experience, which calculates the cumulative defrosting interval based on compressor operating time, operating rate, and door opening time. The core of this algorithm is to prioritize preventing condenser frost buildup even if it requires a higher defrosting frequency. For example, a certain brand of refrigerator may require defrosting approximately once every 24 hours.

[0004] However, a higher defrosting frequency increases the refrigerator's power consumption, and the freezer temperature rises when the defrosting heater is working, creating temperature shocks that affect the preservation of food stored in the freezer. Furthermore, after defrosting, the high freezer temperature causes the compressor to operate at high speed for intensive cooling, but this reduces the compressor's lifespan and generates significant noise. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, or at least partially solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a refrigerator system.

[0006] The refrigerator system provided in this embodiment of the invention includes a refrigerator terminal, an Internet of Things (IoT) platform, and a data platform. The refrigerator terminal and the data platform interact with each other through the IoT platform.

[0007] The refrigerator terminal is used to: send the first flag bit to the data platform through the Internet of Things platform at a preset time point before reaching the first predetermined defrost time. The first predetermined defrost time is obtained by adding the defrost reference interval time to the end time of the previous defrost. The defrost reference interval time is a reference value of the defrost interval time calculated by the refrigerator terminal based on the operating status of the refrigerator terminal.

[0008] The data platform is used to: upon receiving a first flag bit from the refrigerator terminal, extract difference data within a first time period; wherein, the first time period is from the end of the last defrost cycle to the time when the refrigerator terminal sends the first flag bit, and the difference data is the difference between the freezer temperature and the evaporator temperature of the refrigerator terminal; based on the difference data within the first time period, determine whether the refrigerator terminal's operation within the first time period matches any of the abnormal judgment rules in the performance auxiliary judgment rules; if no abnormal judgment rule is matched, issue the first delayed defrost command for this defrost cycle to the refrigerator terminal through the IoT platform, so that the refrigerator terminal determines a second predetermined defrost time, and performs defrost at the second predetermined defrost time if no further delayed defrost command is received before the second predetermined defrost time; wherein, the second predetermined defrost time is the first predetermined defrost time plus a delay duration; if at least one abnormal judgment rule is matched, notify the refrigerator terminal through the IoT platform to perform defrost at the first predetermined defrost time.

[0009] The refrigerator system provided in this embodiment of the invention involves the refrigerator terminal sending a first flag bit to a data platform at a preset time point before reaching a first predetermined defrost time. When the data platform receives the first flag bit, it extracts the difference data within a first time period and then determines whether the refrigerator terminal's operation within the first time period matches any of the abnormal judgment rules in the performance auxiliary judgment rules. If no abnormal judgment rule is matched, the system sends the first delayed defrost command for this defrost cycle to the refrigerator terminal, enabling the refrigerator terminal to determine a second predetermined defrost time. If no further delayed defrost command is received before the second predetermined defrost time, defrosting is performed at the second predetermined defrost time. If at least one abnormal judgment rule is matched, the system notifies the refrigerator terminal to perform defrost at the first predetermined defrost time via the Internet of Things platform. Therefore, in this embodiment of the invention, delayed defrosting is performed when the refrigerator terminal's operation is stable, and not when the operation is unstable. This reduces the number of defrost cycles and lowers the refrigerator terminal's energy consumption when the operation is stable. Reducing the number of defrost cycles also reduces temperature fluctuations caused by the defrost heater, preventing any impact on food preservation. Furthermore, it also reduces the impact on the compressor's working life caused by the need for the compressor to operate at high speed for strong cooling after defrosting, which can extend the compressor's working life and reduce the noise generated. Attached Figure Description

[0010] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0011] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the refrigerator system in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the refrigerator system in one embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0014] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0015] This invention provides a refrigerator system.

[0016] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 The system includes a refrigerator terminal, an Internet of Things (IoT) platform, and a data platform. The refrigerator terminal and the data platform interact with each other through the IoT platform.

[0017] The refrigerator terminal is used to: send the first flag bit to the data platform through the Internet of Things platform at a preset time point before reaching the first predetermined defrost time. The first predetermined defrost time is obtained by adding the defrost reference interval time to the end time of the previous defrost. The defrost reference interval time is a reference value of the defrost interval time calculated by the refrigerator terminal based on the operating status of the refrigerator terminal.

[0018] The data platform is used to: upon receiving a first flag bit from the refrigerator terminal, extract difference data within a first time period; wherein, the first time period is from the end of the last defrost cycle to the time when the refrigerator terminal sends the first flag bit, and the difference data is the difference between the freezer temperature and the evaporator temperature of the refrigerator terminal; based on the difference data within the first time period, determine whether the refrigerator terminal's operation within the first time period matches any of the abnormal judgment rules in the performance auxiliary judgment rules; if no abnormal judgment rule is matched, issue the first delayed defrost command for this defrost cycle to the refrigerator terminal through the IoT platform, so that the refrigerator terminal determines a second predetermined defrost time, and performs defrost at the second predetermined defrost time if no further delayed defrost command is received before the second predetermined defrost time; wherein, the second predetermined defrost time is the first predetermined defrost time plus a delay duration; if at least one abnormal judgment rule is matched, notify the refrigerator terminal through the IoT platform to perform defrost at the first predetermined defrost time.

[0019] The defrosting baseline interval can be calculated using the refrigerator's defrosting algorithm. This algorithm calculates the baseline value for the defrosting interval based on operational data such as compressor operating time, operating rate, and door opening time. Therefore, the defrosting baseline interval changes with the refrigerator's operating conditions, rather than remaining constant.

[0020] For example, the defrosting baseline interval calculated in one instance was 8 hours.

[0021] The refrigerator terminal sends a first flag bit at a preset time point before the first predetermined defrost time. The first predetermined defrost time is obtained by adding the defrost baseline interval time to the end time of the previous defrost operation. For example, if the last defrost operation ended at 1:00 AM on a certain day, and the defrost baseline interval time is 8 hours, then the first predetermined defrost time is 9:00 AM on that day. In other words, the refrigerator terminal initially anticipates defrosting at 9:00 AM, and therefore sends the first flag bit 0xFF to the data platform at 8:30 AM. That is, the first flag bit 0xFF is sent to the data platform half an hour before the first predetermined defrost time to determine whether defrosting needs to be delayed. If delayed defrosting is needed, the defrosting will proceed after a certain time from 9:00 AM; if delayed defrosting is not needed, defrosting will begin at 9:00 AM.

[0022] The first time period is from the end of the last defrost cycle to the time when the refrigerator terminal sends the first flag bit. The end of the last defrost cycle was 1:00 AM on a certain day. The refrigerator terminal sent the first flag bit 0xFF to the data platform at 8:30 AM. Therefore, the first time period is from 1:00 AM to 8:30 AM.

[0023] The difference data refers to the temperature difference between the freezer compartment and the evaporator compartment of the refrigerator terminal. Therefore, the difference data represents the difference between the two temperatures. Within the first time period, there are multiple time points. At each time point, the temperature sensors in the refrigerator terminal can collect the freezer compartment temperature and the evaporator compartment temperature. Therefore, the difference between the two temperatures is calculated to obtain a difference data point. The difference data points corresponding to each time point form a time series, thus obtaining the difference data for the first time period.

[0024] In one embodiment, before the data platform determines whether the refrigerator terminal's operation in the first time period matches the abnormal judgment rule in the performance auxiliary judgment rule based on the difference data in the first time period, it can also be used to: exclude invalid difference data or extract valid difference data from the difference data in the first time period according to the difference extraction rule.

[0025] The difference extraction rules include at least one of the following: using the difference data of the compressor of the refrigerator terminal during its operation after being turned on as valid difference data; using the difference data of the evaporator temperature of the refrigerator terminal being lower than a preset temperature as valid difference data; using the difference data of the second time period after the defrost heater of the refrigerator terminal finishes heating as invalid difference data; using the difference data of the third time period after the door opening event occurs as invalid difference data; using the difference data of the fourth time period after the refrigerator door changes from the open state to the closed state as invalid difference data; wherein, the door opening event includes: any one of the door opening events corresponding to the refrigerator compartment, the freezer compartment, and the variable temperature compartment;

[0026] Correspondingly, the step of determining whether the operation of the refrigerator terminal in the first time period hits the abnormal judgment rule in the performance auxiliary judgment rule based on the difference data in the first time period in the data platform includes: determining whether the operation of the refrigerator terminal in the first time period hits the abnormal judgment rule in the performance auxiliary judgment rule based on the valid difference data in the first time period.

[0027] In other words, after extracting the difference data for the first time period, because there may be invalid difference data, in order to avoid invalid difference data affecting subsequent steps, invalid difference data is extracted, and valid difference data is retained; or, valid difference data is extracted directly. Specifically, here, invalid difference data is removed or valid difference data is extracted according to the preset difference extraction rules.

[0028] In the difference extraction rule, the difference data of the refrigerator terminal's compressor during the working period after it is turned on is taken as the valid difference data. That is to say, only the difference data generated during the compressor's working period is valid difference data, while the difference data generated in other time periods is invalid difference data.

[0029] In the difference extraction rule, the difference data where the evaporator temperature at the refrigerator terminal is lower than the preset temperature is taken as valid difference data. That is to say, when the evaporator temperature is lower than the preset temperature, it means that the refrigerator terminal has entered a stable period. Therefore, the difference data generated at this time is taken as valid difference data, and the difference data that has not entered the stable period is taken as invalid difference data.

[0030] In the difference extraction rule, the difference data in the second time period after the defrost heater of the refrigerator terminal finishes heating is regarded as invalid difference data. That is to say, in the initial time period after the defrost heater finishes working, the difference data is affected by the defrost heater and is biased. Therefore, the difference data in the second time period after the defrost heater finishes heating is regarded as invalid difference data, and the difference data after the second time period is regarded as valid difference data.

[0031] Specifically, in the difference extraction rules, the difference data within the third time period after the door opening event is considered invalid difference data. The door opening event includes any one of the door opening events corresponding to the refrigerator compartment, freezer compartment, and variable temperature compartment. In other words, all door opening events of the refrigerator terminal, especially single-system refrigerators, in the refrigerator compartment, freezer compartment, and variable temperature compartment are excluded, thus eliminating the influence of door opening events.

[0032] Specifically, the difference data during the fourth time period after the refrigeration damper changes from the open state to the closed state is considered invalid difference data. In other words, the difference data is unstable for a short period of time after the refrigeration damper changes from the open state to the closed state, so the difference data during this period is considered invalid difference data.

[0033] As can be seen, by using the difference extraction rules, the influence of some factors can be eliminated, thereby obtaining stable and effective difference data that can accurately reflect the difference between the temperature of the freezer compartment and the temperature of the evaporator compartment.

[0034] In one embodiment, the data platform needs to predetermine the preset temperature, second time period, third time period, and fourth time period in the difference extraction rules. Specifically, the data platform can determine these parameters through the following steps S1 to S7:

[0035] S1. Extract the evaporator temperature of the refrigerator terminal during the first time period, the difference data at different time points after the defrost heater finishes working, the difference data at different time points after the door opening event occurs, and the difference data at different time points after the refrigerator door switches from open to closed.

[0036] Specifically, the difference data corresponding to different time points under different conditions is extracted from the difference data within the first time period.

[0037] S2. Using the box method, outlier data are removed from the evaporator temperature of the refrigerator terminal during the first time period, the difference data at different time points after the defrost heater finishes working, the difference data at different time points after the door opening event occurs, and the difference data at different time points after the refrigerator door is switched from open to closed.

[0038] For example, for the time series of evaporator temperatures within the first time period, the series is arranged in ascending or descending order to obtain a sorted sequence. Then, the evaporator temperatures q1 at the 1 / 4 position and q3 at the 3 / 4 position are extracted from this sorted sequence. Then, iqr = q3 - q1 is calculated. Evaporator temperatures less than or equal to q1 - 1*iqr and greater than or equal to q3 + 1*iqr are then removed as outliers, resulting in a sequence with outliers eliminated. This process is the process of the box method.

[0039] S3. Based on the temperatures of each evaporator during the first time period, determine the first range of values ​​for the evaporator temperature when the evaporator is in a stable period.

[0040] That is, based on the evaporator temperatures after removing outliers in the first time period, the range of evaporator temperatures can be determined and denoted as the first range.

[0041] S4. Based on the difference data at different time points after the defrosting heater finishes working, determine the change of the difference data at different time points after the defrosting heater finishes working, and determine the second value range corresponding to the second time period based on the change of the difference data at different time points after the defrosting heater finishes working.

[0042] That is, after removing outliers from the difference data at different time points after the defrosting heater finishes working in the first time period, we can know the changes in the difference data at different time points after the defrosting heater finishes working. Then, based on these changes, we can determine the distribution of the difference data at each time point when it is in a stable state, and thus know the second value range corresponding to the second time period.

[0043] S5. Based on the difference data at different time points after the door opening event, determine the change of the difference data at different time points after the door opening event, and determine the third value range corresponding to the third time period based on the change of the difference data at different time points after the door opening event.

[0044] That is, for the difference data at different time points after the door opening event in the first time period, after removing outliers, we can know the changes in the difference data at each time point after the door opening time. Then, based on these changes, we can determine the distribution of the difference data at each time point when it is in a stable state, and thus know the third value range corresponding to the third time period.

[0045] S6. Based on the difference data corresponding to different time points after the refrigeration damper is switched from open to closed, determine the change of the difference data at different time points after the refrigeration damper is switched from open to closed, and determine the fourth value range corresponding to the fourth time period based on the change of the difference data at different time points after the refrigeration damper is switched from open to closed.

[0046] That is, after removing outliers, we can determine the changes in the difference data at different time points after the refrigeration damper is switched from open to closed. Based on these changes, we can determine the distribution of the difference data at each time point when the difference data is in a stable state, and thus determine the fourth value range corresponding to the fourth time period.

[0047] S7. Select the preset temperature from the first value range, select the second time period from the second value range, select the third time period from the third value range, and select the fourth time period from the fourth value range.

[0048] For example, if the first value range is (a1, a2), a temperature value is selected from this range through iteration. Then, keeping other parameters (i.e., the second, third, and fourth time periods) unchanged, the selected temperature value is input into the aforementioned difference extraction rule. It is then determined whether the difference data extracted according to the current difference extraction rule corresponds to the temperature at which the evaporator enters a stable period. In this way, an optimal temperature value can be selected from the first value range and used as the preset temperature. The selection of the second, third, and fourth time periods follows the same principle.

[0049] For example, in the difference extraction rules, the preset temperature is set to -20 degrees Celsius, the second time period is set to 1 hour, the second time period is set to 30 minutes, and the fourth time period is set to 10 minutes.

[0050] Among them, the performance auxiliary judgment rule is the judgment rule for determining whether the refrigerator is operating well. The performance auxiliary judgment rule includes at least one anomaly judgment rule.

[0051] Specifically, if, based on the difference data within the first time period, the refrigerator terminal's operation within that time period matches one or more anomaly judgment rules, it indicates that the refrigerator terminal's operation is not good, and therefore, delayed defrosting is not suitable. Conversely, if the refrigerator terminal's operation within the first time period does not match any of the anomaly judgment rules, it indicates that the refrigerator terminal's operation within that time period is good, and delayed defrosting is permissible.

[0052] In one embodiment, the performance auxiliary judgment rule includes a first anomaly judgment rule, which includes: the compressor start-up rate of the refrigerator terminal is greater than 90% during the first time period, and the compressor speed exceeds a preset speed for a period of more than 60% of the time; wherein, if the difference data in the first time period matches the first anomaly judgment rule, it is determined that there is a spike on the change curve of the difference data of the refrigerator terminal in the first time period.

[0053] In other words, the first anomaly detection rule is used to determine whether there are any "jump points" on the curve of the difference data over time within the first time period. A "jump point" refers to a point on the curve that jumps around.

[0054] The preset speed is, for example, 3000 RPM.

[0055] The uptime rate refers to the percentage of time the compressor operates within the first time period.

[0056] For example, if the compressor's operating rate exceeds 60% and the time spent at 3000 RPM or higher exceeds 60% in the first time period, it indicates that there are gaps in the difference data in the first time period, and delayed defrosting is not suitable in this case.

[0057] In one embodiment, the performance-assisted judgment rule includes a second anomaly judgment rule, which includes at least one of the following:

[0058] The number of valid difference data within the first time period is less than a preset number;

[0059] The average fluctuation value of the effective difference data within the first time period is greater than the preset value.

[0060] The preset quantity is, for example, 5. Typically, the number of difference data points in a defrosting cycle is around 100. If the number of valid difference data points is less than 5, it indicates that the difference data is greatly affected by external factors, resulting in a large number of invalid difference data points.

[0061] The preset value is, for example, 1. If the average fluctuation value of the effective difference data is greater than 1 within a defrosting cycle or within the first time period, it indicates that the effective difference data has problems of dispersion, non-aggregation, and non-convergence.

[0062] It is evident that if the valid difference data within the first time period matches at least one of the above-mentioned second anomaly judgment rules, it indicates that the data is inaccurate, of poor quality, and does not meet the data quality requirements, which will have a significant impact on subsequent steps.

[0063] In one embodiment, the performance-assisted judgment rule includes a third anomaly judgment rule, which includes:

[0064] The current time is more than 8 hours away from the start time of the last defrost, the refrigeration time tn is greater than or equal to tmax×1.8, and there is no refrigerator door opening event during the current refrigeration cycle;

[0065] Wherein, the refrigeration time tn is calculated from the moment the compressor is turned on for the second time in the first refrigeration cycle after the end of the previous defrosting, until the end of the nth refrigeration cycle in which the current moment is located; tmax is max(t2, t3); t2 is calculated from the end of two consecutive refrigeration cycles starting from the second refrigeration cycle; t3 is calculated from the end of two consecutive refrigeration cycles starting from the end of the third refrigeration cycle; the refrigeration cycle is calculated from the end of one refrigeration cycle until the end of the next refrigeration cycle.

[0066] The third anomaly judgment rule is used to determine whether there is a frost blockage problem at the refrigerator terminal.

[0067] The refrigeration cycle is the period from the end of one refrigeration cycle to the end of the next refrigeration cycle.

[0068] The refrigeration time tn is calculated from the moment the compressor is turned on for the second time in the first refrigeration cycle after the last defrost, until the end of the nth refrigeration cycle in which the current moment is located; where the current moment refers to the moment when the refrigerator terminal sends the first flag bit, and the nth refrigeration cycle in which the current moment is located is the current refrigeration cycle.

[0069] Where tmax is max(t2, t3), tmax refers to the steady-state refrigeration time of the refrigerator.

[0070] If the refrigerator terminal's operation matches the third abnormal judgment rule mentioned above, it indicates that the refrigerator terminal has experienced frost blockage, and in this case, defrosting will not be delayed.

[0071] As can be seen, the above performance-assisted judgment rules specify several specific situations in which delayed defrosting cannot be performed. Of course, there may also be other situations in which delayed defrosting is not suitable.

[0072] Understandably, if the refrigerator terminal does not trigger any of the anomaly detection rules, it indicates that the refrigerator terminal is operating smoothly and defrosting can be delayed. Therefore, the data platform issues an initial delayed defrosting command through the IoT platform, which is the first instruction to delay defrosting. After receiving the initial delayed defrosting command, the refrigerator terminal determines a second scheduled defrosting time. The second scheduled defrosting time is based on the first scheduled defrosting time with an added delay period. For example, if the delay period is 2 hours and the first scheduled defrosting time is 9:00 AM, then the second scheduled defrosting time is 11:00 AM.

[0073] Of course, defrosting will not necessarily occur at the second scheduled defrost time. Therefore, before the second scheduled defrost time arrives, the data platform may send another defrost delay command to the refrigerator terminal. In this case, the refrigerator terminal will update the second scheduled defrost time, for example, delaying it by two hours, so the updated second scheduled defrost time is 13:00. Moreover, the data platform may send multiple defrost delay commands to the refrigerator terminal, thus creating multiple delays.

[0074] It is evident that if the refrigerator terminal does not receive a further delay defrosting instruction from the data platform before the second predetermined defrosting time, the refrigerator terminal will perform defrosting when the second predetermined defrosting time is reached.

[0075] Understandably, if the refrigerator terminal hits at least one of the abnormal judgment rules, it means that the refrigerator terminal is not operating stably. Therefore, the defrosting will not be delayed and the refrigerator terminal will defrost at the first predetermined defrosting time.

[0076] In one embodiment, the data platform can also be used to: if any anomaly judgment rule is not hit, calculate the average value of the difference data in the first time period and record the average value as the first average value; calculate the average fluctuation value in the first time period based on the difference data in the first time period and the first average value; sum the first average value and the average fluctuation value to obtain a standard value and store the standard value.

[0077] Specifically, the average of the effective difference data within the first time period can be calculated. For example, the effective difference data within the first time period is... Then, the first average value is calculated using the following formula: Where Ac is the first average value, and n is the number of valid difference data within the first time period.

[0078] Specifically, the average fluctuation value can be calculated using a first formula, which is: Where Ab is the average fluctuation value, and n is the number of difference data points within the first time period. The difference data within the first time period. This is the first average value.

[0079] Specifically, the average fluctuation value of the effective difference data within the first time period can be calculated. In this case, n in the first calculation formula above represents the number of effective difference data within the first time period. The valid difference data within the first time period. is the average of the valid difference data within the first time period. Ab is the average fluctuation of the valid difference data within the first time period.

[0080] Next, sum Ac and Ab to obtain the standard value A.

[0081] Understandably, the above steps for the data platform to calculate the standard value are performed when the refrigerator terminal does not hit any of the anomaly judgment rules. Therefore, the failure to hit any of the anomaly judgment rules indicates that the refrigerator terminal is operating smoothly in the first time period. Thus, the standard value can be calculated based on the difference data in the first time period, and then the standard value can be used to determine whether it is necessary to delay defrosting again.

[0082] In one embodiment, the data platform can also be used to perform the following steps S11~S15:

[0083] S11. Upon receiving the second flag bit sent by the refrigerator terminal, extract the difference data within the fifth time period; wherein, the fifth time period is from the time when the refrigerator terminal sends the first flag bit to the time when the refrigerator terminal sends the second flag bit; the refrigerator terminal sends the second flag bit to the data platform through the Internet of Things platform at a preset time point before the current second predetermined defrosting time;

[0084] Specifically, the refrigerator terminal will send the second flag bit to the data platform through the IoT platform at a preset time point before the current second predetermined defrost time. For example, if the current second predetermined defrost time is 11:00, the refrigerator terminal will send the second flag bit 0xFE to the data platform at 10:30, that is, send the second flag bit 0xFE 30 minutes in advance.

[0085] The fifth time period is from the time when the refrigerator terminal sends the first flag bit to the time when the refrigerator terminal sends the second flag bit. For example, if the refrigerator sends the first flag bit 0xFF to the data platform at 8:30 and the second flag bit 0xFE to the data platform at 10:30, then the fifth time period is from 8:30 to 10:30.

[0086] For example, after the data platform receives the second flag, it will extract the difference data from the time period from 8:30 to 10:30, and even extract the valid values ​​from the difference data in the fifth time period to obtain the valid difference data in the fifth time period.

[0087] S12. Calculate the average value of the difference data within the fifth time period, and record this average value as the second average value;

[0088] For example, the effective difference data within the fifth time period is The second average value is calculated using the following formula: Among them, Bc is the second average value.

[0089] S13. Determine whether the second average value is less than the standard value;

[0090] That is, determine whether the second average value Bc is less than the standard value A, where the standard value A is Ac+Ab.

[0091] S14. If so, the IoT platform sends a defrosting delay instruction to the refrigerator terminal for the current defrosting cycle, so that the refrigerator terminal determines the second scheduled defrosting time after the current update, and performs defrosting at the second scheduled defrosting time after the current update if no defrosting delay instruction is received before the second scheduled defrosting time after the current update. The second scheduled defrosting time after the current update is obtained by adding a delay time to the second scheduled defrosting time before the current update.

[0092] In other words, if the second average value is less than the standard value, it means that the operation of the refrigerator terminal fluctuates less and is relatively stable during the fifth time period, so defrosting can be delayed again.

[0093] If the second average value is lower than the standard value, the data platform will issue a further delay command for defrosting via the IoT platform. Upon receiving this command, the refrigerator terminal will update the second scheduled defrosting time. Specifically, the delay time will be increased from the previous scheduled defrosting time. For example, if the previous scheduled defrosting time was 11:00, adding a two-hour delay will result in an updated scheduled defrosting time of 13:00. If the refrigerator terminal does not receive a new delay command before 13:00, defrosting will begin at 13:00. Therefore, the refrigerator terminal has already delayed the defrosting time twice since 9:00.

[0094] Understandably, at 12:30, the refrigerator terminal will send the second flag bit to the data platform. At this time, the data platform will extract the difference data within the new fifth time period (i.e., 10:30 to 12:30), and then calculate the second average value within this fifth time period to determine whether the second average value is less than the aforementioned standard value. If it is less, the data platform will send another defrosting instruction to the refrigerator terminal, thus updating the second scheduled defrosting time to 15:00.

[0095] As can be seen, multiple delayed defrosting cycles are possible.

[0096] S15. Otherwise, notify the refrigerator terminal through the IoT platform to defrost at the second predetermined defrost time before this update.

[0097] That is, if the second average value is greater than or equal to the standard value, it means that the operation of the refrigerator terminal fluctuates greatly and is not very stable during the fifth time period, so no further delay is made.

[0098] For example, if the second scheduled defrost time is 11:00, and the second average value is greater than or equal to the standard value, the refrigerator terminal will perform defrosting at 11:00.

[0099] The data transmission between the refrigerator terminal, the IoT platform, and the data platform is a transparent transmission method.

[0100] In one embodiment, after receiving the instruction to delay defrosting again and determining the second predetermined defrosting time after this update, the refrigerator terminal is further configured to: calculate the current cumulative delay time within the current defrosting cycle, and determine whether the current cumulative delay time is less than the maximum delay time; if so, defrosting is performed at the second predetermined defrosting time after this update if no instruction to delay defrosting again is received before the second predetermined defrosting time after this update; otherwise, defrosting is performed at the second predetermined defrosting time before this update.

[0101] To avoid indefinite defrosting delays, a maximum delay time is set here. After the refrigerator terminal determines the second scheduled defrosting time after this update, the current cumulative delay time is accumulated from the initial delay. Then, it is checked whether the current cumulative delay time is less than the maximum delay time. If it is less, defrosting will proceed at the second scheduled defrosting time after this update, provided no further delay instruction is received before the second scheduled defrosting time after this update; that is, the second scheduled defrosting time after this update is valid. However, if it is greater than or equal to the maximum delay time, the second scheduled defrosting time after this update is invalid, and defrosting will proceed at the second scheduled defrosting time before this update.

[0102] In one embodiment, the refrigerator terminal is further configured to: time the current defrost interval within the current defrost cycle, and determine whether the current defrost interval is greater than or equal to the maximum defrost interval; if so, automatically enter the defrost state.

[0103] A maximum defrosting interval is set here. The current defrosting interval is the time from the end of the last defrosting to the current time. This time is timed and compared to the maximum defrosting interval. If the timed duration is less than the maximum defrosting interval, the predetermined defrosting time is determined according to the instructions issued by the data platform. If the timed duration is greater than or equal to the maximum defrosting interval, automatic defrosting is immediately initiated.

[0104] As can be seen, the current defrost interval is the time delayed from the baseline defrost interval to the current moment. The baseline defrost interval varies in different defrost cycles and is calculated by the refrigerator terminal using an intelligent defrost algorithm based on the refrigerator's operating status. Therefore, the current defrost interval reflects both the baseline interval and the time delayed to the current moment. This method avoids infinite delays and provides overall control over the defrost interval.

[0105] In practical scenarios, the method provided by the embodiments of the present invention is a defrosting control process under normal defrosting scenarios. The method provided by the embodiments of the present invention is not applicable to scenarios such as first defrosting, high-temperature defrosting, and energy consumption testing.

[0106] In real-world scenarios, if a Wi-Fi outage occurs during the delayed defrosting control process, the data platform will not resend the delayed defrosting command (i.e., the first delayed defrosting command or the second delayed defrosting command). Instead, it will perform defrosting at the previously determined scheduled defrosting time, such as the second scheduled defrosting time before this update.

[0107] In real-world scenarios, since the difference data originates from temperature data collected by sensors, there may be issues with the sensor's accuracy and stability. If the difference data between two adjacent time points fluctuates significantly, it indicates a problem with accuracy or stability, and such difference data can be discarded.

[0108] In real-world scenarios, the delay time should not be too long, and can be set to 2 hours to reduce the impact of sudden changes in refrigerator performance, such as a sudden door opening event.

[0109] In summary, in the refrigerator system provided by this embodiment of the invention, delayed defrosting is performed when the refrigerator terminal is operating stably, and delayed defrosting is not performed when the operating conditions are unstable. Therefore, the number of defrosting cycles can be reduced under stable operating conditions, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the refrigerator terminal. Reducing the number of defrosting cycles also reduces temperature fluctuations caused by the operation of the defrosting heater, preventing any impact on food preservation. Furthermore, it also reduces the impact on the compressor's lifespan caused by the need for the compressor to operate at high speed for strong cooling after defrosting, thus extending the compressor's lifespan and reducing noise generation.

[0110] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to mutually. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments. In particular, the apparatus embodiments are basically similar to the method embodiments, so the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions of the method embodiments.

[0111] Those skilled in the art will recognize that, in one or more of the examples above, the functions described in this invention can be implemented using hardware, software, widgets, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium.

[0112] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solution, and beneficial effects of the present invention. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made on the basis of the technical solution of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A refrigerator system, characterized in that, The system includes a refrigerator terminal, an Internet of Things (IoT) platform, and a data platform. The refrigerator terminal and the data platform interact with each other via the IoT platform. The refrigerator terminal is used to: send a first flag bit to the data platform through the Internet of Things platform at a preset time point before reaching the first predetermined defrost time. The first predetermined defrost time is obtained by adding a defrost reference interval time to the end time of the previous defrost. The defrost reference interval time is a reference value of the defrost interval time calculated by the refrigerator terminal based on the operating status of the refrigerator terminal. The data platform is used to: upon receiving a first flag bit from the refrigerator terminal, extract difference data within a first time period; wherein, the first time period is from the end of the last defrost cycle to the moment the refrigerator terminal sends the first flag bit, and the difference data is the difference between the freezer temperature and the evaporator temperature of the refrigerator terminal; based on the difference data within the first time period, determine whether the refrigerator terminal's operation within the first time period matches any of the abnormal judgment rules in the performance auxiliary judgment rules; if no abnormal judgment rule is matched, issue the first delayed defrost command for this defrost cycle to the refrigerator terminal through the IoT platform, so that the refrigerator terminal determines a second predetermined defrost time, and performs defrost at the second predetermined defrost time if no further delayed defrost command is received before the second predetermined defrost time; wherein, the second predetermined defrost time is the first predetermined defrost time plus a delay duration; if at least one abnormal judgment rule is matched, notify the refrigerator terminal through the IoT platform to perform defrost at the first predetermined defrost time; The data platform is also used to perform the following steps: Upon receiving the second flag bit sent by the refrigerator terminal, the difference data within the fifth time period is extracted; wherein, the fifth time period is from the time when the refrigerator terminal sends the first flag bit to the time when the refrigerator terminal sends the second flag bit; the refrigerator terminal sends the second flag bit to the data platform through the Internet of Things platform at a preset time point before the current second predetermined defrosting time; Calculate the average value of the difference data within the fifth time period, and record this average value as the second average value; Determine whether the second average value is less than the standard value; If so, the IoT platform sends a defrosting delay instruction to the refrigerator terminal for the current defrosting cycle, so that the refrigerator terminal determines the second scheduled defrosting time after the update. If no further defrosting delay instruction is received before the second scheduled defrosting time after the update, defrosting will be performed at the second scheduled defrosting time after the update. The second scheduled defrosting time after the update is obtained by adding a delay time to the second scheduled defrosting time before the update. Otherwise, the refrigerator terminal is notified through the IoT platform to defrost at the second predetermined defrost time before this update; Before determining whether the refrigerator terminal's operation during the first time period matches the anomaly judgment rule in the performance auxiliary judgment rules based on the difference data within the first time period, the data platform is further configured to: exclude invalid difference data or extract valid difference data from the difference data within the first time period according to the difference extraction rules; wherein, the difference extraction rules include at least one of the following: taking the difference data of the refrigerator terminal's compressor during its operation after being turned on as valid difference data; taking the difference data of the refrigerator terminal's evaporator temperature being lower than a preset temperature as valid difference data; taking the difference data of the second time period after the refrigerator terminal's defrost heater finishes heating as invalid difference data; taking the difference data of the third time period after the door opening event occurs as invalid difference data; taking the difference data of the fourth time period after the refrigerator door changes from an open state to a closed state as invalid difference data; wherein, the door opening event includes: any one of the opening events corresponding to the refrigerator compartment, freezer compartment, and variable temperature compartment; Correspondingly, the step of determining whether the operation of the refrigerator terminal in the first time period hits the abnormal judgment rule in the performance auxiliary judgment rule based on the difference data in the first time period in the data platform includes: determining whether the operation of the refrigerator terminal in the first time period hits the abnormal judgment rule in the performance auxiliary judgment rule based on the valid difference data in the first time period. The data platform determines the preset temperature, second time period, third time period, and fourth time period in the difference extraction rules through the following steps S1~S7: S1. Extract the evaporator temperature of the refrigerator terminal during the first time period, the difference data at different time points after the defrost heater finishes working, the difference data at different time points after the door opening event occurs, and the difference data at different time points after the refrigerator door switches from open to closed. S2. Using the box method, outlier data are removed from the evaporator temperature of the refrigerator terminal during the first time period, the difference data at different time points after the defrost heater finishes working, the difference data at different time points after the door opening event occurs, and the difference data at different time points after the refrigerator door is switched from open to closed. S3. Based on the temperatures of each evaporator during the first time period, determine the first range of values ​​for the evaporator temperature when the evaporator is in a stable period. S4. Based on the difference data at different time points after the defrosting heater finishes working, determine the change of the difference data at different time points after the defrosting heater finishes working, and determine the second value range corresponding to the second time period based on the change of the difference data at different time points after the defrosting heater finishes working. S5. Based on the difference data at different time points after the door opening event, determine the change of the difference data at different time points after the door opening event, and determine the third value range corresponding to the third time period based on the change of the difference data at different time points after the door opening event. S6. Based on the difference data corresponding to different time points after the refrigeration damper is switched from open to closed, determine the change of the difference data at different time points after the refrigeration damper is switched from open to closed, and determine the fourth value range corresponding to the fourth time period based on the change of the difference data at different time points after the refrigeration damper is switched from open to closed. S7. Select the preset temperature from the first value range, select the second time period from the second value range, select the third time period from the third value range, and select the fourth time period from the fourth value range.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The performance auxiliary judgment rule includes a first anomaly judgment rule, which includes: the compressor start-up rate of the refrigerator terminal is greater than 90% during the first time period, and the compressor speed exceeds the preset speed for more than 60% of the time. If the difference data in the first time period matches the first anomaly judgment rule, it is determined that there is a peak on the change curve of the difference data of the refrigerator terminal in the first time period.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The performance-assisted judgment rule includes a second anomaly judgment rule, which includes at least one of the following: The number of valid difference data within the first time period is less than a preset number; The average fluctuation value of the effective difference data within the first time period is greater than the preset value.

4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The performance-assisted judgment rule includes a third anomaly judgment rule, which includes: The current time is more than 8 hours since the start of the last defrost, the refrigeration time tn is greater than or equal to tmax×1.8, and there is no refrigerator door opening event during this refrigeration cycle; Wherein, the refrigeration time tn is calculated from the moment the compressor is turned on for the second time in the first refrigeration cycle after the end of the previous defrosting, until the end of the nth refrigeration cycle in which the current moment is located; tmax is max(t2, t3); t2 is calculated from the end of two consecutive refrigeration cycles starting from the second refrigeration cycle; t3 is calculated from the end of two consecutive refrigeration cycles starting from the end of the third refrigeration cycle; the refrigeration cycle is calculated from the end of one refrigeration cycle until the end of the next refrigeration cycle.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The data platform is also used to: if any anomaly judgment rule is not hit, calculate the average value of the difference data in the first time period and record the average value as the first average value; calculate the average fluctuation value in the first time period based on the difference data in the first time period and the first average value; sum the first average value and the average fluctuation value to obtain a standard value and store the standard value.

6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The data platform is specifically used to: calculate the average fluctuation value using a first calculation formula, wherein the first calculation formula is: Where Ab is the average fluctuation value, and n is the number of difference data points within the first time period. The difference data within the first time period. This is the first average value.

7. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, After receiving the instruction to delay defrosting again and determining the second predetermined defrosting time after this update, the refrigerator terminal is further configured to: calculate the current cumulative delay time within the current defrosting cycle, and determine whether the current cumulative delay time is less than the maximum delay time; if so, defrosting is performed at the second predetermined defrosting time after this update if no instruction to delay defrosting again is received before the second predetermined defrosting time after this update; otherwise, defrosting is performed at the second predetermined defrosting time before this update.

8. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The refrigerator terminal is also used to: time the current defrost interval within the current defrost cycle, and determine whether the current defrost interval is greater than or equal to the maximum defrost interval; if so, automatically enter the defrost state.

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