A nitrogen production control method, system and a refrigerator

Abstract

This application relates to a nitrogen production control method, system, and refrigerator. Applicable to a nitrogen production device in a refrigerator, the method includes: in response to a received nitrogen production command, controlling the nitrogen production device's molecular sieve tower to vent when the refrigerator door has been closed for a preset first period of time and the refrigerator is in a cooling state; after the molecular sieve tower is vented, controlling the nitrogen production device to produce nitrogen. This method addresses the issue of existing nitrogen production control methods for refrigerators, which are not suitable for refrigerator environments and thus shorten the lifespan of the nitrogen production device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of household appliance control technology, and in particular to a nitrogen production control method and system and a refrigerator. Background Art

[0002] With the advancement of home appliance control technology, people's expectations for home appliances are gradually increasing. Traditional refrigerators maintain food freshness by controlling the internal temperature. However, maintaining food freshness solely through temperature control can cause wrinkles and scarring on the surface of some foods, affecting the original taste and nutritional value of the food.

[0003] Nitrogen, as a colorless and odorless inert gas, has been widely used in food preservation. Therefore, by installing a nitrogen generator in the refrigerator and controlling the nitrogen and temperature in the refrigerator, the food in the refrigerator can be preserved.

[0004] However, existing nitrogen production control methods, which only achieve periodic or scheduled nitrogen production by controlling the various components of the nitrogen generator according to preset durations and sequences, are not suitable for refrigerator environments. Using existing nitrogen production control methods directly to produce nitrogen in refrigerators would shorten the lifespan of the nitrogen generator because it is not suitable for refrigerator environments.

[0005] Currently, no effective solution has been proposed to the problem that the existing nitrogen production control method is not suitable for refrigerator environments and thus affects the life of the nitrogen production device. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a nitrogen production control method, system and refrigerator to address the above technical problems.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a nitrogen production control method, which is applied to a nitrogen production device of a refrigerator. The method comprises the following steps:

[0008] In response to the received nitrogen production command, when the refrigerator door is closed for a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, controlling the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device to exhaust;

[0009] After the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen production device is controlled to produce nitrogen.

[0010] In one embodiment, in response to a received nitrogen production command, when the refrigerator door is closed for a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, before controlling the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device to exhaust, the following steps are further included:

[0011] In response to the received nitrogen production command, monitoring the opening time and closing time of the refrigerator door in real time;

[0012] When the closing time of the refrigerator door reaches a preset first time length, the refrigeration state of the refrigerator is detected.

[0013] In one embodiment, in response to the received nitrogen production command, when the refrigerator door is closed for a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, controlling the exhaust of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device includes the following steps:

[0014] In response to the received nitrogen production command, when the refrigerator door is closed for the preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, controlling the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device to open;

[0015] When the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower is opened for a preset second time length, the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower is controlled to be closed.

[0016] In one embodiment, the following steps are also included:

[0017] In response to the received first nitrogen production command, when the closing time of the refrigerator door reaches a preset third time length, controlling the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device to exhaust;

[0018] After the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen production device is controlled to produce nitrogen.

[0019] In one embodiment, after the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, controlling the nitrogen generator to produce nitrogen includes the following steps:

[0020] After the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen generator is controlled to generate nitrogen for a fourth time period, and the refrigerator door is opened, and the nitrogen generator is controlled to stop generating nitrogen; the fourth time period is less than a preset nitrogen generation time period.

[0021] In one embodiment, after the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, after the nitrogen generator is controlled to generate nitrogen for a fourth time period, the refrigerator door is opened, and after the nitrogen generator is controlled to stop generating nitrogen, the refrigerator further comprises the following steps:

[0022] When the closing time of the refrigerator door reaches the preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, controlling the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator to exhaust;

[0023] When the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen production device is controlled to produce nitrogen for a preset fifth time length and then stop; the preset fifth time length is equal to the time difference between the preset nitrogen production time length and the fourth time length.

[0024] In one embodiment, after the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen generator is controlled to produce nitrogen, including the following steps:

[0025] When the refrigerator door is continuously closed, nitrogen is periodically generated for the refrigerator at preset time intervals.

[0026] In one embodiment, after the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen generator is controlled to produce nitrogen, and the following steps are further included:

[0027] When the refrigerator door is closed for the preset first time length after being opened and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, controlling the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator to exhaust;

[0028] After the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen production device is controlled to produce nitrogen for a preset nitrogen production time and then stop.

[0029] In one embodiment, when the refrigerator door is closed for the preset first time length after being opened and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, controlling the exhaust of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator comprises the following steps:

[0030] After the refrigerator door is opened and then closed for the preset first time length, and the refrigerator continues to refrigerate for a preset sixth time length, the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator is controlled to be exhausted.

[0031] In a second aspect, the present application further provides a nitrogen production control system. A nitrogen production device for a refrigerator, the system comprising:

[0032] an exhaust module, configured to, in response to a received nitrogen production command, control the exhaust of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device when the refrigerator door is closed for a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state;

[0033] and a nitrogen production module, which is used to control the nitrogen production device to produce nitrogen after the molecular sieve tower is exhausted.

[0034] In a third aspect, the present application further provides a refrigerator comprising: a refrigeration device, a nitrogen generator, and a processor and a memory connected to the refrigeration device and the nitrogen generator;

[0035] The refrigeration device is used to refrigerate the refrigerator when the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state;

[0036] The nitrogen generating device is used to generate nitrogen for the refrigerator;

[0037] The nitrogen production device includes at least a molecular sieve tower, an air pump and a solenoid valve; the molecular sieve tower is filled with nitrogen-producing molecular sieves and is used to convert the received air into nitrogen and oxygen to produce nitrogen for the refrigerator; the air pump is used to flush air into the molecular sieve tower; the solenoid valve is located at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower;

[0038] The memory stores a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the nitrogen production control method described in the first aspect are implemented.

[0039] The above-mentioned nitrogen production control method, system, and refrigerator, in response to a received nitrogen production command, control the exhaust of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device when the refrigerator door has been closed for a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in the cooling state. After the exhaust of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device is completed, the nitrogen production device is controlled. Nitrogen production is performed when the refrigerator is in the cooling state. Because the air humidity inside the refrigerator is lowered during the cooling state, the air humidity received by the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device is lower. This solves the problem of the nitrogen production device's life being affected by the high humidity inside the refrigerator and the high air humidity received by the molecular sieve tower. In addition, the molecular sieve tower is exhausted before nitrogen production, avoiding the pressure start-up of the nitrogen production device's air pump, allowing the nitrogen production device to integrate with the refrigerator environment. This solves the problem that existing nitrogen production control methods for refrigerator nitrogen production are not suitable for refrigerator environments, which affects the life of the nitrogen production device.

[0040] The details of one or more embodiments of the present application are set forth in the following drawings and description to make other features, objects, and advantages of the present application more readily apparent. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0042] Figure 1 A hardware structure block diagram of a terminal for a nitrogen production control method provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 2 A flow chart of a nitrogen production control method provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 3 A flow chart of a nitrogen production control method provided in a preferred embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 4 This is a structural block diagram of a nitrogen production control system provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 5This is a structural block diagram of a refrigerator provided in one embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] In order to more clearly understand the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present application, the present application is described and illustrated below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0048] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms involved in this application should have the general meaning understood by people with ordinary skills in the technical field to which this application belongs. The words "one", "an", "a", "the", "these" and the like in this application do not indicate quantitative restrictions, and they can be singular or plural. The terms "include", "comprise", "have" and any variants thereof involved in this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions; for example, a process, method and system, product or device comprising a series of steps or modules (units) is not limited to the listed steps or modules (units), but may include unlisted steps or modules (units), or may include other steps or modules (units) inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices. The words "connect", "connected", "coupled" and the like involved in this application are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. The "plurality" involved in this application refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Generally, the character " / " indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship. The terms "first," "second," "third," etc. used in this application are only used to distinguish similar objects and do not represent a specific ordering of the objects.

[0049] The method embodiment provided in this embodiment can be executed in a terminal, a computer or a similar computing device. For example, running on a terminal, Figure 1 This is a hardware block diagram of the terminal of the nitrogen production control method of this embodiment. Figure 1 As shown, the terminal may include one or more ( Figure 1 Only one is shown) a processor 102 and a memory 104 for storing data, wherein the processor 102 may include but is not limited to a processing device such as a microprocessor MCU or a programmable logic device FPGA. The above terminal may also include a transmission device 106 and an input and output device 108 for communication functions. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that Figure 1 The structure shown is only for illustration and does not limit the structure of the above terminal. Figure 1 More or fewer components than shown, or with Figure 1Different configurations shown.

[0050] The memory 104 can be used to store computer programs, such as software programs and modules of application software, such as the computer program corresponding to the nitrogen production control method in this embodiment. The processor 102 executes the computer program stored in the memory 104 to perform various functional applications and data processing, thereby implementing the above-mentioned method. The memory 104 may include a high-speed random access memory and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic storage devices, flash memory, or other non-volatile solid-state memory. In some examples, the memory 104 may further include a memory remotely located relative to the processor 102, and such remote memory may be connected to the terminal via a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the Internet, an intranet, a local area network, a mobile communication network, and combinations thereof.

[0051] The transmission device 106 is used to receive or send data via a network. The network may include a wireless network provided by the terminal's telecommunications provider. In one embodiment, the transmission device 106 includes a network interface controller (NIC), which can be connected to other network devices via a base station to enable communication with the Internet. In another embodiment, the transmission device 106 may be a radio frequency (RF) module, which is used to communicate with the Internet wirelessly.

[0052] In this embodiment, a nitrogen production control method is provided. Figure 2 is a flow chart of the nitrogen production control method of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, the process includes the following steps:

[0053] Step S210 , in response to the received nitrogen production command, when the refrigerator door is closed for a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, controlling the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device to exhaust.

[0054] The nitrogen-generating command can be a command sent by the user to activate the nitrogen-generating function. In the intelligent control of the refrigerator, the user can choose to activate or deactivate the nitrogen-generating function according to their needs, thereby enabling or disabling the oxygen-control and fresh-keeping functions of the refrigerator's fresh-keeping compartment. Specifically, the user can send commands to activate or deactivate the nitrogen-generating function to the refrigerator's main control terminal via the refrigerator's operating panel or a mobile phone app (Application). The fresh-keeping compartment can be an oxygen-controlled and fresh-keeping space within the refrigerator for storing food. It should be noted that the fresh-keeping compartment has excellent airtightness. When the refrigerator door is closed, the fresh-keeping compartment exchanges air slowly with the outside world, or even completely, to maintain a low-oxygen environment within the compartment and preserve food freshness. When the refrigerator door is opened, the air within the compartment rapidly exchanges air with the air outside the refrigerator, returning the air within the compartment to a normal nitrogen and oxygen state.

[0055] Because the refrigerator door is frequently opened and closed during meal preparation time, particularly at noon or in the evening, the refrigerator door is often opened and closed multiple times during this period due to the large amount of food preparation required. If nitrogen production were to begin immediately upon the door's closure, the nitrogen production process would be interrupted multiple times due to the repeated opening and closing of the door. Furthermore, the nitrogen generator would be activated multiple times within a short period of time, shortening its lifespan. To prevent this, the present embodiment monitors the opening and closing times of the refrigerator door to ensure that the door remains closed for a predetermined first time period before controlling the nitrogen generator to produce nitrogen. This predetermined first time period can be set based on actual needs. For example, the predetermined first time period can be set to 30 minutes or 10 minutes.

[0056] The above-mentioned nitrogen production device can be a nitrogen production device that produces nitrogen using the PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) method. The specific nitrogen production process is that when air enters the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device, the molecular sieve in the molecular sieve tower will preferentially intercept oxygen and then release nitrogen, and nitrogen is produced in this way. In this process, the molecular sieve in the molecular sieve tower also has the characteristic of preferentially adsorbing moisture in the air. When the molecular sieve adsorbs too much moisture, the moisture will destroy the microscopic micropores on the surface of the molecular sieve that adsorb oxygen, making it impossible for the molecular sieve to fully analyze the nitrogen and oxygen in the air, resulting in a decrease in the nitrogen production capacity of the molecular sieve. Therefore, before the air is filled into the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device, it is necessary to ensure that the humidity of the air filled in meets the preset humidity requirement, that is, the humidity of the air filled into the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device needs to be less than the humidity threshold. The above-mentioned humidity threshold is the minimum humidity value that affects the nitrogen production capacity of the nitrogen production device.

[0057] Typically, a nitrogen generator uses air from the refrigerator or air outside the refrigerator as its nitrogen production feedstock. When using air outside the refrigerator as its nitrogen production feedstock, the humidity of the air outside the refrigerator is generally greater than a humidity threshold. In this case, the air outside the refrigerator must first be dehumidified and then fed into the nitrogen generator's molecular sieve column to produce nitrogen. However, this approach requires installing a dehumidifier inside or outside the refrigerator, which increases costs and hinders the integration of the nitrogen generator. When using air from the refrigerator as its nitrogen production feedstock, the humidity inside the refrigerator is generally greater than the humidity threshold. However, when the refrigerator is in cooling mode, the humidity inside the refrigerator drops significantly, dropping below the humidity threshold. Therefore, this embodiment controls the nitrogen generator to produce nitrogen when the refrigerator is in cooling mode. This eliminates the need for further dehumidification of the air inside the refrigerator, allowing the refrigerator air to be used directly as the nitrogen production feedstock. This is simple, cost-effective, and avoids the issue of excessive humidity in the molecular sieve column, which can affect the lifespan of the nitrogen generator.

[0058] Step S220: After the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen generator is controlled to generate nitrogen.

[0059] It should be noted that before controlling the nitrogen generator to produce nitrogen, the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator may be in a high-pressure state due to the previous nitrogen production. At this time, the air pump of the nitrogen generator is bearing the load brought by the high pressure. If the nitrogen generator is directly controlled to produce nitrogen, the air pump may be damaged by directly starting the load. Based on this, before controlling the nitrogen generator to produce nitrogen, this embodiment needs to control the exhaust of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator to ensure that the nitrogen generator is controlled to produce nitrogen only after the molecular sieve tower and the air pump have returned to normal pressure. This avoids the problem of the air pump of the nitrogen generator being started under pressure and affecting the life of the nitrogen generator.

[0060] Furthermore, the above-mentioned control of nitrogen production by the nitrogen generator can be to control the nitrogen generator to stop after producing nitrogen for a preset nitrogen production time length. The above-mentioned preset nitrogen production time length can be set according to the specific scenario, as long as it can ensure that after the nitrogen generator produces nitrogen for the preset nitrogen production time length, the nitrogen in the refrigerator's fresh-keeping compartment is filled to a preset concentration, or the oxygen in the refrigerator's fresh-keeping compartment is reduced to a preset concentration. It should be noted that due to the structural limitations of the refrigerator, the nitrogen generator installed in the refrigerator is generally small in size and low in complexity, and therefore has a limited nitrogen production capacity. Based on this, the preset nitrogen production time length can be calculated based on the size of the refrigerator's fresh-keeping compartment and the nitrogen production efficiency of the nitrogen generator.

[0061] In steps S210 to S220, in response to a received nitrogen production command, the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device is controlled to vent when the refrigerator door has been closed for a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a cooling state. After the venting of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device is completed, the nitrogen production device is controlled to produce nitrogen. Nitrogen production is performed when the refrigerator is in the cooling state. Because the air humidity inside the refrigerator is lowered during the cooling state, the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device receives a lower air humidity. This solves the problem of the nitrogen production device's life being affected by the high humidity inside the refrigerator and the high air humidity received by the molecular sieve tower. In addition, venting the molecular sieve tower before nitrogen production avoids the pressure-induced startup of the nitrogen production device's air pump, allowing the nitrogen production device to adapt to the refrigerator environment. This solves the problem that existing nitrogen production control methods for nitrogen production in refrigerators, which are not suitable for refrigerator environments, affect the life of the nitrogen production device.

[0062] In addition, in one embodiment, before step S210, the following steps are further included:

[0063] Step S202: In response to the received nitrogen production command, monitor the opening time and closing time of the refrigerator door in real time.

[0064] The aforementioned opening time may refer to the length of time the refrigerator door is continuously open. The aforementioned closing time may refer to the length of time the refrigerator door is continuously closed. This step detects the refrigerator's refrigeration status when the refrigerator's closing time reaches a preset first time length by monitoring the refrigerator door's opening and closing times in real time. Furthermore, by detecting the refrigerator door's opening and closing times, the detection data can be used to determine the time intervals during which the user frequently opens and closes the refrigerator door, as well as the regularity of the intervals between opening and closing the refrigerator door. This facilitates setting the opening and closing times of the nitrogen generation function based on the time intervals during which the user frequently opens and closes the refrigerator door, and setting a more reasonable first time length based on the regularity of the intervals between opening and closing the refrigerator door.

[0065] Step S204: When the closing time of the refrigerator door reaches a preset first time length, the refrigeration state of the refrigerator is detected.

[0066] The refrigeration state of the refrigerator may include two states: the refrigerator is in the refrigeration state and the refrigerator is not in the refrigeration state. When the refrigeration device of the refrigerator is refrigerating the refrigerator, the refrigerator is in the refrigeration state; when the refrigeration device of the refrigerator is not refrigerating the refrigerator, the refrigerator is not in the refrigeration state.

[0067] In steps S202 to S204, in response to a received nitrogen-generating command, the opening and closing times of the refrigerator door are detected in real time, so as to detect the refrigerator's cooling state when the refrigerator door has been closed for a preset first time period. By detecting the refrigerator's cooling state when the refrigerator door has been closed for the preset first time period, the nitrogen-generating device is promptly controlled to generate nitrogen when the refrigerator door has been closed for the preset first time period and the refrigerator is in a cooling state. By utilizing the air within the refrigerator to generate nitrogen when the refrigerator is in a cooling state, the nitrogen-generating device is ensured to have a low humidity level in the air supplied to the nitrogen-generating device, thereby enabling the nitrogen-generating device to adapt to the refrigerator environment. This solves the problem that existing nitrogen-generating control methods for refrigerator nitrogen generation, which are not suitable for refrigerator environments and thus affect the lifespan of the nitrogen-generating device, are not suitable for refrigerator environments.

[0068] Furthermore, in one embodiment, in response to the received nitrogen production command, the above step S210, when the refrigerator door is closed for a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, controlling the exhaust of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device may include the following steps:

[0069] Step S212, in response to the received nitrogen production command, when the refrigerator door is closed for a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device is controlled to open.

[0070] When the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator is opened, the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator is connected to the outside world through the solenoid valve. If the molecular sieve tower itself is in a high pressure state, the oxygen adsorbed by the molecular sieve in the molecular sieve tower is released and discharged to the outside of the molecular sieve tower through the solenoid valve. During this process, the air pressure in the molecular sieve tower is reduced to the same as the air pressure outside the molecular sieve tower.

[0071] Step S214 , when the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower is opened for a preset second time length, the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower is controlled to be closed.

[0072] The preset second time length can be set according to specific needs, as long as it can ensure that the air pressure in the molecular sieve tower can be reduced to the same as the air pressure outside the molecular sieve tower within the preset second time length. For example, the preset second time length can be set to 10 seconds.

[0073] In the above steps S212 to S214, in response to the received nitrogen production command, when the refrigerator door is closed for a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device is controlled to open, and after the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower is opened for a preset second time length, the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower is controlled to close, so that the high pressure state of the molecular sieve tower is reduced to a normal pressure state, ensuring that before the nitrogen production device is controlled to produce nitrogen, the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device is controlled to be exhausted, so as to ensure that the nitrogen production device starts to produce nitrogen when the states of the molecular sieve tower and the air pump are restored to a normal pressure state, thereby avoiding the problem that the air pump of the nitrogen production device is affected by the pressure start-up of the nitrogen production device.

[0074] In one embodiment, the nitrogen production control method further includes the following steps:

[0075] Step S230: In response to the received first nitrogen production command, when the closing time of the refrigerator door reaches a preset third time length, controlling the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device to exhaust.

[0076] When the first nitrogen generation command is received, nitrogen generation needs to be performed in the refrigerator within a short period of time. Therefore, the preset third time period can be set based on specific needs and can be a shorter time period. Generally, the preset third time period is shorter than the preset first time period. For example, the preset third time period can be 15 seconds.

[0077] Step S240: After the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen generator is controlled to generate nitrogen.

[0078] In the above steps S230 to S240, in response to the received first nitrogen production command, the nitrogen production device is controlled to produce nitrogen when the closing time of the refrigerator door reaches a preset third time length, thereby ensuring that nitrogen is produced quickly in a short time after receiving the first nitrogen production command.

[0079] Preferably, in response to the first nitrogen production command received, when the closing time of the refrigerator door reaches a preset third time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device is controlled to be vented; after the exhaust of the molecular sieve tower is completed, the nitrogen production device is controlled to produce nitrogen.

[0080] Specifically, in one embodiment, based on step S220, after the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, controlling the nitrogen generator to produce nitrogen includes the following steps:

[0081] Step S222: After the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen generator is controlled to generate nitrogen for a fourth time period, and the refrigerator door is opened, and the nitrogen generator is controlled to stop generating nitrogen; the fourth time period is less than the preset nitrogen generation time period.

[0082] After the nitrogen generator is controlled to produce nitrogen for a fourth time period, the refrigerator door is opened, and the oxygen-controlled fresh-keeping space in the refrigerator is opened. At this time, the fresh-keeping compartment of the refrigerator cannot maintain a low oxygen state. It is meaningless for the nitrogen generator to continue producing nitrogen while the refrigerator is open. Furthermore, if nitrogen is continued while the refrigerator door is open, it will generate a certain amount of noise, affecting the user experience. Therefore, it is necessary to control the nitrogen generator to stop nitrogen production when the refrigerator door is opened. This step controls the nitrogen generator to stop nitrogen production if the refrigerator door is opened during nitrogen production, thereby promptly stopping nitrogen production in the event of an interruption in the nitrogen production process and avoiding ineffective nitrogen production that shortens the life of the nitrogen generator.

[0083] Furthermore, in one embodiment, after step S222, the method further includes:

[0084] In step S224, when the closing time of the refrigerator door reaches a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator is controlled to exhaust.

[0085] In step S226, after the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen generator is controlled to generate nitrogen for a preset fifth time length and then stop; the preset fifth time length is equal to the time difference between the preset nitrogen generation time length and the fourth time length.

[0086] In steps S224 to S226, after the nitrogen production process is interrupted due to the refrigerator door being opened, if it is detected that the refrigerator door has been closed for a preset first time duration and the refrigerator is in a cooling state, the nitrogen generator is controlled to produce nitrogen for a preset fifth time duration before stopping. This ensures that the sum of the nitrogen production time durations before and after the nitrogen production process is interrupted equals the preset nitrogen production time duration. This avoids the situation where nitrogen production continues for the preset nitrogen production time duration each time the refrigerator door is closed, resulting in excessive consumption of the molecular sieve in the nitrogen generator.

[0087] Furthermore, in one embodiment, after step S220, the following steps are included:

[0088] Step S250: When the refrigerator door is continuously closed, nitrogen is periodically generated in the refrigerator at preset time intervals.

[0089] The above-mentioned preset time interval can be specifically set according to actual conditions. For example, the preset time interval can be 8 hours. The above-mentioned periodic nitrogen production for the refrigerator can be performed periodically as follows: detecting the refrigeration state of the refrigerator, when the refrigerator is in the refrigeration state, controlling the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device to exhaust, and after the molecular sieve tower exhaust is completed, controlling the nitrogen production device to produce nitrogen; when the refrigerator is not in the refrigeration state, continuously detecting until the refrigerator enters the refrigeration state, when the refrigerator continues to refrigerate for a preset sixth time length, controlling the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device to exhaust, and after the molecular sieve tower exhaust is completed, controlling the nitrogen production device to produce nitrogen. Specifically, the following process can be performed periodically: detecting the refrigeration state of the refrigerator, when the refrigerator is in the refrigeration state, controlling the electromagnetic valve of the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device to open; when the electromagnetic valve of the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower is opened for a preset second time length, controlling the electromagnetic valve of the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower to close; when the electromagnetic valve of the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower is closed, controlling the nitrogen production device to produce nitrogen for the preset nitrogen production time length and then stop. Alternatively, when the refrigerator is not in the refrigeration state, the system continuously detects until the refrigerator enters the refrigeration state. When the refrigerator continues to refrigerate for a preset sixth time period, the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator is controlled to open. When the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower is opened for a preset second time period, the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower is controlled to close. When the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower is closed, the nitrogen generator is controlled to produce nitrogen for a preset nitrogen production time period and then stop. The above-mentioned preset sixth time period can be specifically set according to needs. For example, the preset sixth time period can be set to 5 minutes. It is only necessary to ensure that the air humidity in the refrigerator is less than the humidity threshold after the refrigerator continues to refrigerate for the preset sixth time period.

[0090] This step ensures that the refrigerator is kept in a low-oxygen fresh-keeping state by periodically producing nitrogen in the refrigerator at preset time intervals while the refrigerator door is continuously closed, thereby replenishing nitrogen in the refrigerator at preset time intervals, and keeping the food in the refrigerator fresh.

[0091] In addition, in one embodiment, after step S220, the following steps are further included:

[0092] Step S260: When the refrigerator door is closed for a preset first time length after being opened and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator is controlled to exhaust.

[0093] Step S270: After the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen generator is controlled to generate nitrogen for a preset nitrogen generation time and then stop.

[0094] In the above steps S260 to S270, the nitrogen production device is controlled to produce nitrogen for a preset time length after the refrigerator door is opened and closed for a preset first time length, and when the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, thereby realizing nitrogen production control after the refrigerator door is opened and then closed.

[0095] Specifically, in one embodiment, the above step S260, when the refrigerator door is closed for a preset first time length after being opened and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, controlling the exhaust of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator includes the following steps:

[0096] Step S262: After the refrigerator door is opened and then closed for a preset first time length, and the refrigerator continues to refrigerate for a preset sixth time length, the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator is controlled to exhaust.

[0097] This step ensures that the refrigerator door remains closed for a preset first time period after opening, ensuring that the refrigerator continues to refrigerate for the preset time period. The nitrogen generator is then controlled to generate nitrogen, ensuring that nitrogen generation occurs when the air humidity in the refrigerator is below a humidity threshold. This ensures that the humidity of the air entering the nitrogen generator does not affect the service life of the nitrogen generator, allowing the nitrogen generator to adapt to the refrigerator environment. This solves the problem that existing nitrogen generation control methods, which are not suitable for refrigerator environments and thus shorten the service life of the nitrogen generator, address the problem that existing nitrogen generation control methods are not suitable for refrigerator environments.

[0098] The present embodiment is described and illustrated below through preferred embodiments.

[0099] Figure 3 This is a flow chart of a nitrogen production control method provided by a preferred embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 As shown, the nitrogen production control method includes the following steps:

[0100] Step S310, in response to the received nitrogen production command, monitoring the opening time and closing time of the refrigerator door in real time;

[0101] Step S320: When the closing time of the refrigerator door reaches a preset first time length, detecting the refrigeration state of the refrigerator;

[0102] Step S330, when the refrigerator door is closed for a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, controlling the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator to open;

[0103] Step S340, when the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower is opened for a preset second time length, controlling the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower to close;

[0104] Step S350: After the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower is closed, the nitrogen generator is controlled to generate nitrogen.

[0105] In steps S310 to S350, in response to a received nitrogen production command, the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device is controlled to vent when the refrigerator door has been closed for a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a cooling state. After the venting of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device is completed, the nitrogen production device is controlled to produce nitrogen. Nitrogen production is performed when the refrigerator is in the cooling state. Because the air humidity inside the refrigerator is lowered during the cooling state, the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device receives a lower air humidity. This solves the problem of the nitrogen production device's life being affected by the high humidity inside the refrigerator and the high air humidity received by the molecular sieve tower. In addition, venting the molecular sieve tower before nitrogen production avoids the pressure-induced startup of the nitrogen production device's air pump, allowing the nitrogen production device to integrate with the refrigerator environment. This solves the problem that existing nitrogen production control methods for nitrogen production in refrigerators, which are not suitable for refrigerator environments, affect the life of the nitrogen production device.

[0106] It should be understood that, although the various steps in the flowcharts involved in the various embodiments described above are displayed in sequence according to the instructions of the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in sequence in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless otherwise specified herein, there is no strict order restriction on the execution of these steps, and these steps can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least a portion of the steps in the flowcharts involved in the various embodiments described above can include multiple steps or multiple stages, and these steps or stages are not necessarily executed and completed at the same time, but can be executed at different times, and the execution order of these steps or stages is not necessarily to be carried out in sequence, but can be executed in turn or alternately with other steps or at least a portion of steps or stages in other steps.

[0107] Based on the same inventive concept, this embodiment also provides a nitrogen production control system, which is used to implement the above-mentioned embodiments and preferred embodiments. Details already described will not be repeated here. Terms such as "module," "unit," and "subunit" used below may refer to a combination of software and / or hardware that implements a predetermined function. While the systems described in the following embodiments are preferably implemented using software, implementation using hardware, or a combination of software and hardware, is also possible and contemplated.

[0108] In one embodiment, Figure 4 This is a structural block diagram of a nitrogen production control system provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 As shown, the nitrogen production control system includes:

[0109] an exhaust module 42 for controlling the exhaust of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator in response to a received nitrogen generation command when the refrigerator door is closed for a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state;

[0110] And the nitrogen production module 44 is used to control the nitrogen production device to produce nitrogen after the molecular sieve tower is exhausted.

[0111] The nitrogen production control system, in response to a received nitrogen production command, controls the venting of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device when the refrigerator door has been closed for a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in the cooling state. After the venting of the molecular sieve tower is complete, the nitrogen production device is controlled to produce nitrogen. Nitrogen production is performed while the refrigerator is in the cooling state. Because the air humidity inside the refrigerator is lowered during this state, the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device receives a lower air humidity. This solves the problem of the nitrogen production device's life being affected by the high humidity inside the refrigerator and the high air humidity received by the molecular sieve tower. Furthermore, venting the molecular sieve tower before nitrogen production prevents the nitrogen production device's air pump from starting under pressure, allowing the nitrogen production device to adapt to the refrigerator environment. This solves the problem of existing nitrogen production control methods affecting the life of nitrogen production devices due to their unsuitability for refrigerator environments.

[0112] It should be noted that the above modules can be functional modules or program modules, and can be implemented through software or hardware. For modules implemented through hardware, the above modules can be located in the same processor; or the above modules can be located in different processors in any combination.

[0113] In one embodiment, a refrigerator is provided. Figure 5 This is a structural block diagram of the refrigerator provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 As shown, the refrigerator includes a refrigeration device 52, a nitrogen generator 54, and a processor 56 and a memory 58 connected to the refrigeration device 52 and the nitrogen generator 54;

[0114] The refrigeration device 52 is used to cool the refrigerator when the refrigerator is in the refrigeration state;

[0115] a nitrogen generator 54 for generating nitrogen for the refrigerator;

[0116] The nitrogen generator 54 includes at least one molecular sieve tower, an air pump, and a solenoid valve. The molecular sieve tower is filled with nitrogen-generating molecular sieves and is used to convert the received air into nitrogen and oxygen to generate nitrogen for the refrigerator. The air pump is used to flush air into the molecular sieve tower. The solenoid valve is located at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower.

[0117] The memory 58 stores a computer program, and when the processor 56 executes the computer program, any one of the nitrogen production control methods in the above embodiments is implemented.

[0118] This embodiment achieves integration of the nitrogen generator with the refrigerator environment by jointly controlling the nitrogen generator and the refrigeration device, thereby resolving the problem that the existing nitrogen generator control method is not suitable for refrigerator environments and thus shortens the life of the nitrogen generator.

[0119] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be implemented by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program, and the computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. Among them, any reference to memory, database or other media used in the embodiments provided in this application may include at least one of non-volatile and volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may include read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory, optical memory, high-density embedded non-volatile memory, resistive random access memory (ReRAM), magnetic random access memory (MRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), phase change memory (PCM), graphene memory, etc. Volatile memory may include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory, etc. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM can be in various forms, such as static random access memory (SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (DRAM). The database involved in the various embodiments provided herein may include at least one of a relational database and a non-relational database. Non-relational databases may include, but are not limited to, distributed databases based on blockchains. The processor involved in the various embodiments provided herein may be, but are not limited to, a general-purpose processor, a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, a digital signal processor, a programmable logic unit, a data processing logic unit based on quantum computing, and the like.

[0120] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0121] The above-described embodiments merely represent several implementation methods of the present application. While the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present application. It should be noted that a person of ordinary skill in the art may make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present application, and these modifications and improvements fall within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A nitrogen production control method, characterized in that: A nitrogen generating device applied to a refrigerator, the method comprising: In response to the received nitrogen production command, when the refrigerator door is closed for a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, controlling the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device to exhaust; After the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen production device is controlled to produce nitrogen.

2. The nitrogen production control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In response to the received nitrogen production command, when the refrigerator door is closed for a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, before controlling the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device to exhaust, the method further includes: In response to the received nitrogen production command, monitoring the opening time and closing time of the refrigerator door in real time; When the closing time of the refrigerator door reaches a preset first time length, the refrigeration state of the refrigerator is detected.

3. The nitrogen production control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In response to the received nitrogen production command, when the refrigerator door is closed for a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, controlling the exhaust of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device includes: In response to the received nitrogen production command, when the refrigerator door is closed for the preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, controlling the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device to open; When the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower is opened for a preset second time length, the solenoid valve at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower is controlled to be closed.

4. The nitrogen production control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: In response to the received first nitrogen production command, when the closing time of the refrigerator door reaches a preset third time length, controlling the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device to exhaust; After the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen production device is controlled to produce nitrogen.

5. The nitrogen production control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: After the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, controlling the nitrogen generator to produce nitrogen includes: After the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen generator is controlled to generate nitrogen for a fourth time period, and the refrigerator door is opened, and the nitrogen generator is controlled to stop generating nitrogen; the fourth time period is less than a preset nitrogen generation time period.

6. The nitrogen production control method according to claim 5, characterized in that: After the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, after the nitrogen generator is controlled to generate nitrogen for a fourth time period, the refrigerator door is opened, and after the nitrogen generator is controlled to stop generating nitrogen, the method further includes: When the closing time of the refrigerator door reaches the preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, controlling the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator to exhaust; When the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen production device is controlled to produce nitrogen for a preset fifth time length and then stop; the preset fifth time length is equal to the time difference between the preset nitrogen production time length and the fourth time length.

7. The nitrogen production control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: After the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen generator is controlled to generate nitrogen, including: When the refrigerator door is continuously closed, nitrogen is periodically generated for the refrigerator at preset time intervals.

8. The nitrogen production control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: After the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen generator is controlled to generate nitrogen, and the method further includes: When the refrigerator door is closed for the preset first time length after being opened and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state, controlling the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator to exhaust; After the molecular sieve tower is exhausted, the nitrogen production device is controlled to produce nitrogen for a preset nitrogen production time and then stop.

9. The nitrogen production control method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The method of controlling the exhaust of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator when the refrigerator door is closed for the preset first time length after being opened and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state comprises: After the refrigerator door is opened and then closed for the preset first time length, and the refrigerator continues to refrigerate for a preset sixth time length, the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen generator is controlled to be exhausted.

10. A nitrogen production control system, characterized in that: A nitrogen generating device for a refrigerator, the system comprising: an exhaust module, configured to, in response to a received nitrogen production command, control the exhaust of the molecular sieve tower of the nitrogen production device when the refrigerator door is closed for a preset first time length and the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state; and a nitrogen production module, which is used to control the nitrogen production device to produce nitrogen after the molecular sieve tower is exhausted.

11. A refrigerator, characterized in that: The refrigerator comprises: a refrigeration device, a nitrogen generator, and a processor and a memory connected to the refrigeration device and the nitrogen generator; The refrigeration device is used to refrigerate the refrigerator when the refrigerator is in a refrigeration state; The nitrogen generating device is used to generate nitrogen for the refrigerator; The nitrogen production device includes at least a molecular sieve tower, an air pump and a solenoid valve; the molecular sieve tower is filled with nitrogen-producing molecular sieves and is used to convert the received air into nitrogen and oxygen to produce nitrogen for the refrigerator; the air pump is used to flush air into the molecular sieve tower; the solenoid valve is located at the oxygen exhaust end of the molecular sieve tower; The memory stores a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the nitrogen production control method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 are implemented.

Images