Refrigerator and peculiar smell detection method thereof

Abstract

According to the peculiar smell detection method, a peculiar smell sensor and a temperature and humidity sensor are arranged in a storage chamber of the refrigerator, firstly, a target temperature interval where the peculiar smell sensor and the temperature and humidity sensor are located is determined according to detected real-time temperature, and a target humidity interval where the peculiar smell sensor and the temperature and humidity sensor are located is determined according to detected real-time humidity; then, the real-time resistance value detected by the peculiar smell sensor is obtained, and the resistance variable quantity of the real-time resistance value and the reference resistance value is calculated, so that the change condition of the resistance value of the peculiar smell sensor can be reflected, and the peculiar smell degree of the storage room is indirectly reflected; and finally, determining the peculiar smell degree of the current storage chamber according to the resistance variation, the target temperature interval and the target humidity interval. As the influence of the temperature and humidity in the storage chamber on the resistance value of the odor sensor is considered when the odor degree of the storage chamber is evaluated, the influence of the temperature and humidity on the sensitivity of the odor sensor can be reduced, and the odor degree of the storage chamber of the refrigerator can be accurately reflected.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of refrigerators, and in particular to a refrigerator and a method for detecting odor thereof. Background Art

[0002] As the food in the refrigerator deteriorates over time, it not only produces unpleasant toxic gases but also accelerates the deterioration of other foods. Therefore, it is necessary to find a way to detect spoiled food in the refrigerator in time. Metal oxide sensors are inexpensive and have good response values ​​to many volatile organic gases (VOCs). The main gas produced by food deterioration is mainly VOCs, and the more serious the food deterioration, the greater the concentration of VOCs produced. Therefore, metal oxides are usually used as odor sensors in existing refrigerators. The concentration of VOCs in the refrigerator can be measured by detecting the concentration of VOCs in the refrigerator through the metal oxide sensor. However, due to the uncontrollability of the processing technology of the metal oxide sensor, the responsiveness of the metal oxide sensor to a certain concentration of VOCs is fixed, that is, no matter how the resistance of the metal oxide sensor changes, the final response value of the sensor to the same concentration of VOCs is constant. However, when actually used, the resistance value of the sensor will be affected by environmental factors, resulting in the output of the odor gas detection value being different from the actual measurement value, and the sensitivity is low, which in turn affects the subsequent odor purification process of the refrigerator. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator and an odor detection method thereof, which can reduce the influence of temperature and humidity on the sensitivity of the odor sensor and accurately reflect the odor level of the refrigerator storage compartment.

[0004] To achieve the above object, an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator, comprising:

[0005] a box body, in which a storage chamber is formed, and the storage chamber includes at least a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber;

[0006] A door, used for opening and closing the storage room;

[0007] An odor sensor is disposed in the storage room and is used to detect the real-time gas concentration of the odorous gas in the storage room;

[0008] A temperature and humidity sensor is provided in the storage room and is used to detect the real-time temperature and real-time humidity in the storage room;

[0009] The controller is configured as:

[0010] Acquire the real-time temperature and real-time humidity of the current storage room detected by the temperature and humidity sensor;

[0011] Determine the target temperature range according to the real-time temperature, and determine the target humidity range according to the real-time humidity;

[0012] Obtaining the real-time resistance value detected by the odor sensor, and calculating the resistance change between the real-time resistance value and the reference resistance value; wherein the reference resistance value is the predicted resistance value corresponding to the odor sensor in an odor-free environment;

[0013] The odor level of the current storage chamber is determined according to the resistance change, the target temperature range, and the target humidity range.

[0014] As an improvement of the above scheme,

[0015] As an improvement of the above solution, the step of determining the current odor level of the storage chamber according to the resistance change, the temperature range and the humidity range includes:

[0016] Acquire a plurality of variation intervals corresponding to the target temperature interval and the target humidity interval; wherein each variation interval corresponds to an odor level for reflecting the concentration of odorous gas;

[0017] A target variation interval corresponding to the resistance variation is searched in the plurality of variation intervals, and a target odor level corresponding to the target variation interval is obtained as the odor level of the current storage chamber.

[0018] As an improvement of the above solution, the resistance change is the ratio of the real-time resistance value to the reference resistance value, and the ratio is directly proportional to the concentration of the odorous gas.

[0019] As an improvement of the above solution, after determining the current odor level of the storage chamber, the controller is further configured to:

[0020] When the odor level meets the preset odor warning condition, a prompt message is issued; wherein the prompt message includes at least one of a sound prompt, a light prompt, and a text prompt.

[0021] As an improvement of the above solution, the refrigerator further includes:

[0022] The door opening and closing detection device is arranged on the door of the storage room and is used to detect the opening and closing state of the door of the storage room;

[0023] Then, the controller is further configured to:

[0024] Get the duration between the last door opening and the door opening time of the current storage room;

[0025] When the door opening interval is longer than a preset door opening time threshold, the odor sensor of the current storage room is controlled to start and detect odorous gas;

[0026] Until it is detected that the door of the current storage room is opened and then closed, and the odor level of the current storage room after the door is closed is at the odorless level, the odor sensor of the current storage room is controlled to shut down.

[0027] As an improvement of the above solution, different storage rooms correspond to different door opening time thresholds, and the door opening time threshold is inversely proportional to the set temperature of the storage room.

[0028] To achieve the above object, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a refrigerator odor detection method, wherein an odor sensor and a temperature and humidity sensor are provided in a storage chamber of the refrigerator, wherein the odor sensor is used to detect the real-time gas concentration of the odorous gas in the storage chamber; and the temperature and humidity sensor is used to detect the real-time temperature and real-time humidity in the storage chamber. Then, the refrigerator odor detection method comprises:

[0029] Acquire the real-time temperature and real-time humidity of the current storage room detected by the temperature and humidity sensor;

[0030] Determine the target temperature range according to the real-time temperature, and determine the target humidity range according to the real-time humidity;

[0031] Obtaining the real-time resistance value detected by the odor sensor, and calculating the resistance change between the real-time resistance value and the reference resistance value; wherein the reference resistance value is the predicted resistance value corresponding to the odor sensor in an odor-free environment;

[0032] The odor level of the current storage chamber is determined according to the resistance change, the target temperature range, and the target humidity range.

[0033] As an improvement of the above solution, the step of determining the current odor level of the storage chamber according to the resistance change, the temperature range and the humidity range includes:

[0034] Acquire a plurality of variation intervals corresponding to the target temperature interval and the target humidity interval; wherein each variation interval corresponds to an odor level for reflecting the concentration of odorous gas;

[0035] A target variation interval corresponding to the resistance variation is searched in the plurality of variation intervals, and a target odor level corresponding to the target variation interval is obtained as the odor level of the current storage chamber.

[0036] As an improvement of the above solution, the resistance change is the ratio of the real-time resistance value to the reference resistance value, and the ratio is directly proportional to the concentration of the odorous gas.

[0037] As an improvement of the above solution, after determining the current odor level of the storage chamber, the method further includes:

[0038] When the odor level meets the preset odor warning condition, a prompt message is issued; wherein the prompt message includes at least one of a sound prompt, a light prompt, and a text prompt.

[0039] Compared with the prior art, the refrigerator and its odor detection method disclosed in the present invention, by setting an odor sensor and a temperature and humidity sensor in the storage room of the refrigerator, first determine the target temperature range according to the detected real-time temperature, and determine the target humidity range according to the detected real-time humidity; then obtain the real-time resistance value detected by the odor sensor, and calculate the resistance change between the real-time resistance value and the reference resistance value, which can reflect the change of the resistance value of the odor sensor and indirectly reflect the odor degree of the storage room, and finally determine the odor degree of the current storage room according to the resistance change, the target temperature range and the target humidity range. Since the influence of the temperature and humidity in the storage room on the resistance value of the odor sensor is taken into account when evaluating the odor degree of the storage room, the influence of temperature and humidity on the sensitivity of the odor sensor can be reduced, and the odor degree of the refrigerator storage room can be accurately reflected. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the external structure of a refrigerator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a refrigerator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a refrigeration system in a refrigerator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 4 is a first working flow diagram of a controller in a refrigerator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of output of resistance change percentage provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 6 is a second working flow chart of the controller in the refrigerator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the operation of the sensor provided by an embodiment of the present invention in a refrigerator;

[0047] Figure 8 is a third working flow diagram of the controller in the refrigerator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Fig. 9 is a fourth working flow diagram of a controller in a refrigerator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Fig.10 The present invention provides a flowchart of a refrigerator odor detection method.

[0050] Among them, 100, refrigerator; 101, temperature and humidity sensor; 102, odor sensor; 1, compressor; 2, evaporator; 3, capillary tube; 4, condenser. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0052] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0053] The terms "first", "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0054] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0055] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the external structure of a refrigerator 100 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The refrigerator 100 of this embodiment is approximately in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. The refrigerator includes a box body that defines a storage space and a plurality of door bodies arranged at the opening of the box body, wherein the door body includes a door body outer shell located on the outside of the box body, a door body liner located on the inside of the box body, an upper end cover, a lower end cover, and an insulating layer located between the door body outer shell, the door body liner, the upper end cover, and the lower end cover; usually, the insulating layer is filled with foam material. The box body is provided with a chamber, wherein the chamber includes a component storage chamber for placing components in the refrigerator, such as a compressor cabin, etc., and also includes a storage space for storing food, etc. Among them, the storage space can be divided into a plurality of storage chambers, and the storage chambers can be configured as a refrigeration chamber and a freezing chamber according to different uses, and can also include a temperature changing chamber, a vacuum drawer, a moisturizing drawer, etc. Each storage chamber corresponds to one or more door bodies, for example, in Figure 1 The upper storage room is provided with a double-opening door body. The door body can be pivotally arranged at the opening of the box body, and can also be opened in a drawer-like manner to achieve drawer-like storage. The refrigerator door is provided with a display screen, which is used to display prompt information and receive user touch operations.

[0056] See also Figure 2 , Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a refrigerator 100 provided in an embodiment of the present invention, wherein a temperature and humidity sensor 101 and an odor sensor 102 are provided in the refrigerator, wherein the temperature and humidity sensor 101 is provided in the storage room to detect the real-time temperature and real-time humidity in the storage room; the odor sensor 102 is provided in the storage room to detect the real-time gas concentration of the odorous gas in the storage room. It is understandable that when the storage room is a drawer inside a refrigerator, due to the effect of the baffle of the drawer, the temperature and humidity inside it are different from the temperature and humidity of the storage space of the refrigerator shelf, and the gas between the drawer and the shelf is difficult to pass through, therefore, a temperature and humidity sensor and an odor sensor are provided at the shelf and the drawer, respectively. In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the odor sensor and the temperature and humidity sensor are provided in the refrigerator shelf and the drawer, and since the temperature in the freezer is very low,

[0057] See also Figure 3 , Figure 3It is a structural schematic diagram of a refrigeration system in a refrigerator provided by an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the refrigeration system includes a compressor 1, an evaporator 2, a drying filter (not shown in the figure), a capillary tube 3, a condenser 4 and a gas-liquid separator (not shown in the figure). The working process of the refrigeration system includes a compression process, a condensation process, a throttling process and an evaporation process. Among them, the compression process is: plug in the power cord of the refrigerator, when the contacts of the thermostat are connected, the compressor 1 starts to work, and the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 1, and is compressed into a high-temperature and high-pressure superheated gas in the cylinder of the compressor 1 and then discharged into the condenser 4; the condensation process is: the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas dissipates heat through the condenser 4, the temperature continues to drop, and is gradually cooled to a saturated vapor of normal temperature and high pressure, and is further cooled to a saturated liquid, and the temperature no longer drops. The temperature at this time is called the condensation temperature, and the pressure of the refrigerant remains almost unchanged during the entire condensation process; the throttling process is as follows: The flow process is as follows: the saturated liquid refrigerant after condensation is filtered out of moisture and impurities by a drying filter and then flows into the capillary 3, through which the refrigerant is throttled and depressurized to become wet steam at room temperature and low pressure; the evaporation process is as follows: the wet steam at room temperature and low pressure begins to absorb heat and vaporize in the evaporator 2, which not only reduces the temperature of the evaporator 2 and its surroundings, but also turns the refrigerant into a low-temperature and low-pressure gas. The refrigerant coming out of the evaporator 2 passes through the gas-liquid separator and then returns to the compressor 1, repeating the above process to transfer the heat in the refrigerator to the air outside the box, thereby achieving the purpose of refrigeration.

[0058] In the embodiment of the present invention, the odor sensor used is a metal oxide sensor. Based on the relevant theories of metal oxide sensors, starting from the definition of the metal oxide sensor's response value to odor, a new and operable detection method is derived through theoretical deduction. Compared with the traditional method, this method has higher accuracy. Only one preliminary experiment is needed to test a small number of sensors and establish a corresponding database under the premise of ensuring the accuracy of the test results, so that the sensors can be used in batches on refrigerators. This not only improves the use value of the sensors, but also improves work efficiency, and does not require individual calibration of each sensor.

[0059] In an embodiment of the present invention, the resistance change is the ratio of the real-time resistance value to the reference resistance value, and the ratio is proportional to the concentration of the odorous gas. The responsiveness of the metal oxide sensor to a certain concentration of VOCs is fixed, that is, no matter how the resistance of the metal oxide sensor changes, the final response value of the sensor to the same concentration of VOCs is constant. For example: the resistance of sensor 1 in odor-free air is R1, and the resistance in a certain odor of 1ppm is R2, and it is assumed that R1>R2; the resistance of sensor 2 in odor-free air is R3, and the resistance in the same odor of 1ppm is R4, and it is assumed that R3>R4 (unless otherwise specified, this article assumes that R1>R2, R3>R4), then the sensors have the following relationship:

[0060] Sensor 1 responsivity = R1 / R2 (1);

[0061] Sensor 2 responsivity = R3 / R4 (2);

[0062] R1 / R2=R3 / R4 (3);

[0063] Taking the resistance of the sensor in odor-free air as a reference, R2 and R4 in equations (1) and (2) can be expressed as:

[0064] R2=a%*R1 (4);

[0065] R4=b%*R3 (5);

[0066] Since equation (3) needs to hold, combining equation (4) and equation (5) yields: a = b. Therefore, the concentration of the odor can be determined by the percentage change in the resistance of a single sensor in odorous air relative to the resistance in odor-free air.

[0067] Specifically, the controller in the refrigerator is configured to: obtain the real-time temperature and real-time humidity of the current storage room detected by the temperature and humidity sensor; determine its target temperature range according to the real-time temperature, and determine its target humidity range according to the real-time humidity; obtain the real-time resistance value detected by the odor sensor, and calculate the resistance change between the real-time resistance value and the reference resistance value; wherein the reference resistance value is the predicted resistance value corresponding to the odor sensor in an odor-free environment; determine the degree of odor in the current storage room according to the resistance change, the target temperature range and the target humidity range.

[0068] For example, see Figure 4 , Figure 4This is the first working flow chart of the controller in the refrigerator provided by an embodiment of the present invention, and the controller is configured to execute steps S11 to S15. The actual temperature and humidity in the refrigerator are measured by the temperature and humidity sensors in the refrigerator. After identification, the system automatically compares them with the pre-input database to determine the target temperature range and target humidity range where the sensor is located, and then obtains the real-time resistance value detected by the odor sensor. Prior to this, the resistance of the sensor in an odor-free environment is tested, and then used as a reference resistance value, and compared with the current real-time measured sensor resistance, and the resistance change is output. The resistance change is the ratio of the real-time resistance value to the reference resistance value, which can be expressed as a percentage of resistance change. The ratio is directly proportional to the concentration of the odorous gas. See. Figure 5 , Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the output of the resistance change percentage provided by an embodiment of the present invention, the reference resistance value Ra, the real-time resistance value Rb, and the calculated resistance change percentage = Rb / Ra*100%.

[0069] Specifically, determining the odor level of the current storage room based on the resistance change, the temperature interval and the humidity interval includes: obtaining a plurality of change intervals corresponding to the target temperature interval and the target humidity interval; wherein each of the change intervals corresponds to an odor level reflecting the concentration of odorous gas; searching for a target change interval corresponding to the resistance change in the plurality of change intervals, and obtaining a target odor level corresponding to the target change interval as the odor level of the current storage room.

[0070] For example, see Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is the second working flow chart of the controller in the refrigerator provided by the embodiment of the present invention, and the step S15 includes steps S151-S152. In the embodiment of the present invention, the variation range of the odor sensor under different temperature and humidity environments is pre-established through pre-testing, and each variation range corresponds to an odor level for reflecting the concentration of odorous gas, so that in actual application, the corresponding target variation range is found according to the measured temperature and humidity, and then the odor degree of the refrigerator is obtained.

[0071] The process of building a database is as follows: analyze the main components of the odor in the refrigerator and the proportion of various gases, configure different concentrations of odor gas according to the analysis results (or select a typical gas in the odor), and classify these different concentrations of odor according to subjective feelings, for example, the odor levels are divided into: odorless, mild, and severe. The three odor levels are represented by an odor concentration range. At this time, the responsiveness of the odor sensor in different concentrations of odor at different temperatures and different humidities is tested, and the percentage of the resistance change of the sensor in different concentrations of odor is calculated respectively. Since small-range changes in temperature and humidity will only cause small-range changes in responsiveness, for example: at a certain temperature T and humidity H, the responsiveness of the sensor to a certain concentration of odor is S, then when the temperature and humidity are within a certain range, the responsiveness of the sensor does not change much (such as the upper and lower floating value is 1), so the temperature and humidity can be divided into intervals to obtain the responsiveness of the sensor within a certain temperature and humidity interval, and all temperatures and humidities within this responsiveness range are simplified to (T, H). At the same time, the percentage range of resistance value change where the odor level lies is defined, so that a database of the sensor's response to odors of different concentrations at different temperatures and humidities can be obtained. The database is input into the system as a reference for actual testing of the sensor in the refrigerator.

[0072] In an embodiment of the present invention, since the influence of the temperature and humidity in the storage room on the resistance value of the odor sensor is taken into account when evaluating the odor level of the storage room, the influence of temperature and humidity on the sensitivity of the odor sensor can be reduced, thereby accurately reflecting the odor level of the refrigerator storage room.

[0073] See also Figure 7 , Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the operation of the sensor provided in the refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the refrigerator also includes an alarm device, and the alarm device is used to issue a prompt message; then, after determining the odor level of the current storage room, the controller is further configured to: when the odor level meets the preset odor warning condition, control the alarm device to issue a prompt message; wherein, the prompt message includes at least one of a sound prompt, a light prompt, and a text prompt.

[0074] For example, see Figure 8 , Figure 8It is the third working flow chart of the controller in the refrigerator provided by the embodiment of the present invention. After executing step S15, the controller is also used to execute steps S16 to S17. The odor warning condition is: the odor level is at the level where a prompt needs to be issued, such as a severe level, prompting the user to discard spoiled food in time. Among them, the sound prompt is issued by the voice playback device installed on the alarm device. At this time, an artificial prompt sound can be played, such as "The odor concentration in storage room n is too high, please pay attention to whether the food has deteriorated", or a prompt sound such as "beep...beep...beep" can be played directly. The prompt sound can be played at intervals of a period of time (such as 1h), and the user can manually choose to turn off this prompt sound. The light prompt is issued by the indicator light installed on the alarm device. When the odor warning condition is not met, the indicator light is not on or is green. When the odor warning condition is met, the indicator light is red. The indicator light can be always on, and the user can manually choose to turn off this indicator light. The text prompt is issued by the indicator light installed on the alarm device, and the reminder words "the odor concentration in storage room n is too high" can be presented on the display. The text prompt can be displayed all the time, and the user can manually choose to close the text prompt.

[0075] Specifically, the refrigerator also includes: a door opening and closing detection device, which is arranged on the door of the storage chamber, and is used to detect the opening and closing status of the door of the storage chamber; then, the controller is also configured to: obtain the opening interval time of the door of the current storage chamber from the last time it was opened; when the door opening interval time is greater than a preset door opening time threshold, control the odor sensor of the current storage chamber to start and perform odor gas detection; until it is detected that the door of the current storage chamber is opened and then closed, and the odor level of the current storage chamber after the door is closed is at an odorless level, control the odor sensor of the current storage chamber to shut down.

[0076] For example, see Fig. 9 , Fig. 9 It is the fourth work flow chart of the controller in the refrigerator provided by the embodiment of the present invention, and the controller is further configured to execute steps S21 to S26. Different storage chambers correspond to different door opening time thresholds, and the door opening time thresholds are inversely proportional to the set temperature of the storage chamber. The lower the temperature of the storage chamber, the lower the possibility of food spoilage, so a longer door opening time threshold can be set in response. If the user has not opened the refrigerator door for a long time (such as 24 hours), it means that the food in this storage chamber has been stored for a long time, and the food is prone to spoilage at this time, so the odor sensor can be activated for detection; when the user closes the door after opening it, it means that the user may have cleaned the storage chamber, or stored and accessed food, and the odor will be reduced a lot during this process, so the odor level of the storage chamber is detected again after the user closes the door. If the odor level is at the odorless level, the odor sensor can be temporarily turned off.

[0077] In an embodiment of the present invention, a control logic for controlling the startup and shutdown of an odor sensor is provided, which can achieve the effects of energy saving and extending the service life of the sensor.

[0078] Compared with the prior art, the refrigerator disclosed in the present invention sets an odor sensor and a temperature and humidity sensor in the storage room of the refrigerator, firstly determines the target temperature range according to the detected real-time temperature, and determines the target humidity range according to the detected real-time humidity; then obtains the real-time resistance value detected by the odor sensor, and calculates the resistance change between the real-time resistance value and the reference resistance value, which can reflect the change of the resistance value of the odor sensor and indirectly reflect the degree of odor in the storage room, and finally determines the degree of odor in the current storage room according to the resistance change, the target temperature range and the target humidity range. Since the influence of the temperature and humidity in the storage room on the resistance value of the odor sensor is taken into account when evaluating the degree of odor in the storage room, the influence of temperature and humidity on the sensitivity of the odor sensor can be reduced, and the degree of odor in the refrigerator storage room can be accurately reflected.

[0079] See also Fig.10 , Fig.10 The flowchart of a refrigerator odor detection method provided by an embodiment of the present invention is provided. The storage chamber of the refrigerator is provided with an odor sensor and a temperature and humidity sensor. The odor sensor is used to detect the real-time gas concentration of the odor gas in the storage chamber; the temperature and humidity sensor is used to detect the real-time temperature and real-time humidity in the storage chamber. Then, the refrigerator odor detection method includes:

[0080] S1. Obtaining the real-time temperature and real-time humidity of the current storage room detected by the temperature and humidity sensor;

[0081] S2. determining a target temperature interval according to the real-time temperature, and determining a target humidity interval according to the real-time humidity;

[0082] S3, obtaining the real-time resistance value detected by the odor sensor, and calculating the resistance change between the real-time resistance value and the reference resistance value; wherein the reference resistance value is the predicted resistance value corresponding to the odor sensor in an odor-free environment;

[0083] S4. Determine the odor level of the current storage chamber according to the resistance change, the target temperature range, and the target humidity range.

[0084] Exemplarily, the actual temperature and humidity in the refrigerator are measured by the temperature and humidity sensor in the refrigerator. After identification, the system automatically compares with the pre-input database to determine the target temperature range and target humidity range of the sensor, and then obtains the real-time resistance value detected by the odor sensor. Prior to this, the resistance of the sensor in an odor-free environment is tested, and then used as a baseline resistance value, compared with the current real-time measured sensor resistance, and the resistance change is output. The resistance change is the ratio of the real-time resistance value to the baseline resistance value, which can be expressed as a percentage of resistance change. The ratio is directly proportional to the concentration of the odorous gas.

[0085] Specifically, determining the odor level of the current storage room based on the resistance change, the temperature interval and the humidity interval includes: obtaining a plurality of change intervals corresponding to the target temperature interval and the target humidity interval; wherein each of the change intervals corresponds to an odor level reflecting the concentration of odorous gas; searching for a target change interval corresponding to the resistance change in the plurality of change intervals, and obtaining a target odor level corresponding to the target change interval as the odor level of the current storage room.

[0086] In the embodiment of the present invention, the variation interval of the odor sensor under different temperature and humidity environments is pre-established through pre-testing, and each variation interval corresponds to an odor level for reflecting the concentration of odorous gas, so that in actual application, the corresponding target variation interval is found according to the measured temperature and humidity, and then the odor degree of the refrigerator is obtained. Since the influence of the temperature and humidity in the storage room on the resistance value of the odor sensor is considered when evaluating the odor degree of the storage room, the influence of temperature and humidity on the sensitivity of the odor sensor can be reduced, and the odor degree of the refrigerator storage room can be accurately reflected.

[0087] Specifically, after determining the odor level of the current storage room, the method further includes: when the odor level meets a preset odor warning condition, controlling the alarm device to issue a prompt message; wherein the prompt message includes at least one of a sound prompt, a light prompt, and a text prompt.

[0088] Exemplarily, the odor warning condition is: the odor level is at a level that requires a prompt, such as a severe level, to prompt the user to discard spoiled food in time. Among them, the sound prompt is issued by the voice playback device installed on the alarm device. At this time, an artificial prompt sound can be played, such as "The odor concentration in storage room n is too high, please pay attention to whether the food is spoiled", or a prompt sound such as "beep...beep...beep" can be played directly. The prompt sound can be played at intervals of a period of time (such as 1 hour), and the user can manually choose to turn off this prompt sound. The light prompt is issued by the indicator light installed on the alarm device. When the odor warning condition is not met, the indicator light is not on or is green. When the odor warning condition is met, the indicator light is red. The indicator light can be always on, and the user can manually choose to turn off this indicator light. The text prompt is issued by the indicator light installed on the alarm device. The reminder words "The odor concentration in storage room n is too high" can be displayed on the display. The text prompt can be displayed all the time, and the user can manually choose to turn off this text prompt.

[0089] Specifically, the refrigerator also includes: a door opening and closing detection device, which is arranged on the door of the storage chamber, and is used to detect the opening and closing status of the door of the storage chamber; then, the method also includes: obtaining the opening interval time length of the door of the current storage chamber from the last time it was opened; when the door opening interval time length is greater than a preset door opening time length threshold, controlling the odor sensor of the current storage chamber to start and perform odor gas detection; until it is detected that the door of the current storage chamber is opened and then closed, and the odor level of the current storage chamber after the door is closed is at an odorless level, controlling the odor sensor of the current storage chamber to shut down.

[0090] Exemplarily, different storage rooms correspond to different door opening time thresholds, and the door opening time threshold is inversely proportional to the set temperature of the storage room. The lower the temperature of the storage room, the lower the possibility of food spoilage, so a longer door opening time threshold can be set accordingly. If the user does not open the refrigerator door for a long time (such as 24 hours), it means that the food in this storage room has been stored for a long time, and it is easy for the food to spoil, so the odor sensor can be activated for detection; when the user closes the door after opening it, it means that the user may have cleaned the storage room, or stored and retrieved food, and the odor will be reduced a lot during this process, so the odor level of the storage room is detected again after the user closes the door. If the odor level is at the odorless level, the odor sensor can be temporarily turned off.

[0091] In an embodiment of the present invention, a control logic for controlling the startup and shutdown of an odor sensor is provided, which can achieve the effects of energy saving and extending the service life of the sensor.

[0092] Compared with the prior art, the refrigerator odor detection method disclosed in the present invention sets an odor sensor and a temperature and humidity sensor in the storage room of the refrigerator, firstly determines the target temperature range according to the detected real-time temperature, and determines the target humidity range according to the detected real-time humidity; then obtains the real-time resistance value detected by the odor sensor, and calculates the resistance change between the real-time resistance value and the reference resistance value, which can reflect the change of the resistance value of the odor sensor and indirectly reflect the degree of odor in the storage room, and finally determines the degree of odor in the current storage room according to the resistance change, the target temperature range and the target humidity range. Since the influence of the temperature and humidity in the storage room on the resistance value of the odor sensor is taken into account when evaluating the degree of odor in the storage room, the influence of temperature and humidity on the sensitivity of the odor sensor can be reduced, and the degree of odor in the refrigerator storage room can be accurately reflected.

[0093] The above is a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be pointed out that a person skilled in the art can make several improvements and modifications without departing from the principle of the present invention. These improvements and modifications are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, characterized in that: include: a box body, in which a storage chamber is formed, and the storage chamber includes at least a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber; A door, used for opening and closing the storage chamber; An odor sensor is disposed in the storage room and is used to detect the real-time gas concentration of the odorous gas in the storage room; A temperature and humidity sensor is provided in the storage room and is used to detect the real-time temperature and real-time humidity in the storage room; The controller is configured as: Acquire the real-time temperature and real-time humidity of the current storage room detected by the temperature and humidity sensor; Determining a target temperature interval according to the real-time temperature, and determining a target humidity interval according to the real-time humidity; Obtaining the real-time resistance value detected by the odor sensor, and calculating the resistance change between the real-time resistance value and the reference resistance value; wherein the reference resistance value is the predicted resistance value corresponding to the odor sensor in an odor-free environment; The degree of odor in the current storage chamber is determined according to the resistance change, the target temperature range, and the target humidity range.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The determining the current odor level of the storage chamber according to the resistance change, the temperature range, and the humidity range includes: Acquire a plurality of variation intervals corresponding to the target temperature interval and the target humidity interval; wherein each variation interval corresponds to an odor level for reflecting the concentration of odorous gas; A target variation interval corresponding to the resistance variation is searched in the plurality of variation intervals, and a target odor level corresponding to the target variation interval is obtained as the odor level of the current storage chamber.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The resistance change is the ratio of the real-time resistance value to the reference resistance value, and the ratio is proportional to the concentration of the odorous gas.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: After determining the current odor level of the storage chamber, the controller is further configured to: When the odor level meets the preset odor warning condition, a prompt message is issued; wherein the prompt message includes at least one of a sound prompt, a light prompt, and a text prompt.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The refrigerator further comprises: The door opening and closing detection device is arranged on the door of the storage room and is used to detect the opening and closing state of the door of the storage room; Then, the controller is further configured to: Get the duration between the last door opening and the door opening time of the current storage room; When the door opening interval is longer than a preset door opening time threshold, the odor sensor of the current storage room is controlled to start and detect odorous gas; Until it is detected that the door of the current storage room is opened and then closed, and the odor level of the current storage room after the door is closed is at the odorless level, the odor sensor of the current storage room is controlled to shut down.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: Different storage rooms correspond to different door opening time thresholds, and the door opening time threshold is inversely proportional to the set temperature of the storage room.

7. A method for detecting odor in a refrigerator, characterized in that: The storage chamber of the refrigerator is provided with an odor sensor and a temperature and humidity sensor, wherein the odor sensor is used to detect the real-time gas concentration of the odorous gas in the storage chamber; the temperature and humidity sensor is used to detect the real-time temperature and real-time humidity in the storage chamber; then, the refrigerator odor detection method comprises: Acquire the real-time temperature and real-time humidity of the current storage room detected by the temperature and humidity sensor; Determining a target temperature interval according to the real-time temperature, and determining a target humidity interval according to the real-time humidity; Obtaining the real-time resistance value detected by the odor sensor, and calculating the resistance change between the real-time resistance value and the reference resistance value; wherein the reference resistance value is the predicted resistance value corresponding to the odor sensor in an odor-free environment; The degree of odor in the current storage chamber is determined according to the resistance change, the target temperature range, and the target humidity range.

8. The refrigerator odor detection method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The determining the current odor level of the storage chamber according to the resistance change, the temperature range, and the humidity range includes: Acquire a plurality of variation intervals corresponding to the target temperature interval and the target humidity interval; wherein each variation interval corresponds to an odor level for reflecting the concentration of odorous gas; A target variation interval corresponding to the resistance variation is searched in the plurality of variation intervals, and a target odor level corresponding to the target variation interval is obtained as the odor level of the current storage chamber.

9. The refrigerator odor detection method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The resistance change is the ratio of the real-time resistance value to the reference resistance value, and the ratio is proportional to the concentration of the odorous gas.

10. The refrigerator odor detection method according to claim 7, characterized in that: After determining the current odor level of the storage chamber, the method further includes: When the odor level meets the preset odor warning condition, a prompt message is issued; wherein the prompt message includes at least one of a sound prompt, a light prompt, and a text prompt.

Images