Refrigerator and control method thereof

Abstract

The application provides a refrigerator and a control method thereof. The refrigerator comprises a first bin body, a compressor arranged in the first bin body, a fire monitoring device arranged in the first bin body, a water storage box arranged in the first bin body, and a spraying device comprising a water pumping element and a spray head, wherein the water pumping element is configured to deliver water to the spray head, the spray head is arranged towards the compressor, and the water pumping element is configured to pump water in the water storage box. The water pumping element is started in response to fire information of the fire monitoring device, so that the water in the water storage box is sprayed towards the compressor through the spray head. The application provides a refrigerator and a control method thereof, which can effectively deal with the fire of the compressor in time.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of refrigerator safety, in particular to a refrigerator and a control method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] A refrigerator is a common household electrical appliance. A fire in a refrigerator threatens home safety. The safety of a refrigerator is an important and lasting issue in the field. In a refrigerator fire accident, a fire in a compressor is frequent. Therefore, a fire in a compressor needs special attention. A fire in a compressor is hidden and unknown, and once it occurs, it will be discovered when a large fire is caused, and at this time the fire is often difficult to control, thereby causing great loss to the user. Therefore, how to timely and effectively handle a fire in a compressor is a technical problem to be solved in the field. SUMMARY

[0003] The present application provides a refrigerator and a control method thereof, which aims to timely and effectively handle a fire in a compressor.

[0004] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a refrigerator, comprising:

[0005] a first bin body;

[0006] a compressor arranged in the first bin body;

[0007] a fire condition monitoring device arranged in the first bin body;

[0008] a water storage box arranged in the first bin body; and

[0009] a spraying device, the spraying device comprising a water pumping element and a spray head, the water pumping element being configured to deliver water to the spray head; the spray head being arranged towards the compressor; the water pumping element being configured to pump water in the water storage box;

[0010] wherein the water pumping element is started in response to fire condition information of the fire condition monitoring device, so that water in the water storage box is sprayed towards the compressor through the spray head.

[0011] Optionally, the spray head is arranged at least towards a wiring position of the compressor; and / or the fire condition monitoring device is arranged at least towards the wiring position of the compressor.

[0012] Optionally, the refrigerator further comprises a second bin body, an evaporator and a water pan; the first bin body and the second bin body are arranged separately from each other; the water pan and the evaporator are arranged in the second bin body, and the water pan is arranged on the lower side of the evaporator;

[0013] the water pan and the water storage box are connected through a first valve; when the first valve is opened, water in the water storage box flows into the water pan.

[0014] Optionally, the water storage box is provided with a liquid level sensor; and / or, the bottom outer side of the water storage box is provided with a pressure sensor; and / or, the bottom outer side of the water storage box is provided with a gravity sensor.

[0015] The first valve is configured to open or close according to the liquid level signal of the liquid level sensor and / or the pressure signal of the pressure sensor and / or the gravity signal of the gravity sensor.

[0016] Optionally, the top of the water storage box is at least partially provided in an open manner; and / or, the water storage box is arranged on one side of the compressor in the horizontal direction.

[0017] Optionally, the refrigerator further comprises a main control board, the main control board is in signal connection with the fire monitoring device and in signal connection with the water pumping element; the main control board is configured to receive the fire information and control the water pumping element to start or stop based on the fire information.

[0018] Optionally, the main control board is further configured to control the compressor to be powered off based on the fire information.

[0019] Optionally, the refrigerator further comprises an alarm device; the main control board is in signal connection with the alarm device, and the main control board is used to output an alarm signal to the alarm device based on the fire information; the alarm device sends an alarm in response to the alarm signal.

[0020] Optionally, the number of the spray heads is at least two, and the spray heads are arranged at intervals on the circumferential side of the compressor.

[0021] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present application further provide a control method of a refrigerator, applied to the refrigerator as described above, and the control method of the refrigerator comprises:

[0022] determining whether the environment information collected by the fire monitoring device is fire information;

[0023] in a case where the environment information is determined to be fire information, controlling the water pumping element to start, so that the water in the water storage box is sprayed to the compressor through the spray head.

[0024] In the technical scheme of the embodiments of the present application, the fire monitoring device is arranged in the first bin body in which the compressor is arranged, to collect the environment information in the first bin body; the water storage box is further arranged in the first bin body, and the water pumping element of the spray device is used to pump the water in the water storage box; when the fire monitoring device monitors the fire information, the water pumping element is used to pump the water in the water storage box, so that the spray head sprays water towards the wiring position of the compressor, and the fire source at the wiring position is extinguished in time and effectively, to avoid the development of the fire. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and all other drawings obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort based on these drawings also belong to the protection scope of the present application.

[0026] Figure 1 is a structure schematic diagram of a part structure of the refrigerator from one perspective according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 2 is a structure schematic diagram of a part structure of the refrigerator from another perspective according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a control structure of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 4 is another schematic diagram of a control structure of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 5 is a flow schematic diagram of steps of a control method of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] List of reference signs

[0032] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort also belong to the protection scope of the present application.

[0034] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, which are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first", "second" can be explicitly or implicitly included one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0035] In this application, the word "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any implementation described as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the application. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, specific details are set forth. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present application can be practiced without using these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and processes are not described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the description of the application. Thus, the present application is not intended to be limited by the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

[0036] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The present application provides a refrigerator, comprising:

[0037] a first bin body S1;

[0038] a compressor 100 arranged in the first bin body S1;

[0039] a fire monitoring device 200 arranged in the first bin body S1;

[0040] a water storage box 400 arranged in the first bin body S1; and

[0041] a spraying device 300, the spraying device 300 comprising a water pumping element 320 and a spray head 310, the water pumping element 320 being configured to deliver water to the spray head 310; the spray head 310 being arranged towards the compressor 100; the water pumping element 320 being configured to pump water in the water storage box 400;

[0042] The water in the water storage box 400 is sprayed to the compressor 100 by the spray head 310 in response to the fire information of the fire monitoring device 200.

[0043] In the technical scheme of the embodiment, the fire monitoring device 200 is arranged in the first compartment S1 of the compressor 100 to collect the environmental information in the first compartment S1. The water storage box 400 is arranged in the first compartment S1. The water in the water storage box 400 is extracted by the water extraction component 320 of the spray device 300. When the fire monitoring device 200 monitors the fire information, the water extraction component 320 extracts the water in the water storage box 400, so that the spray head 310 sprays water to the compressor 100, effectively extinguishes the fire source at the wiring, and avoids the development of the fire.

[0044] In some embodiments, the fire monitoring device 200 can be a smoke sensor, a carbon dioxide sensor, a temperature sensor, and / or a camera. For example, the fire monitoring device 200 is a camera, which collects images or videos in the first compartment S1. According to the images or videos, it is determined whether there is fire information in the first compartment S1. For example, when the temperature sensor detects that the surface temperature in the first compartment S1 is higher than the preset temperature threshold and the smoke sensor detects smoke, it is determined that there is fire information in the first compartment S1. The water in the water storage box 400 is sprayed to the compressor 100 by the spray head 310 in response to the fire information of the fire monitoring device 200.

[0045] In some embodiments, the spray head 310 is configured as a rotary spray head 310 and / or a movable spray head 310. When it is determined that there is fire information in the first compartment S1, the fire source is determined according to the fire information. The water spraying direction of the spray head 310 or the position relative to the compressor 100 is controlled, so that the spray head 310 sprays water to the fire source, quickly and efficiently extinguishes the fire, and prevents the spread of the fire. For example, the camera collects images in the first compartment S1. According to the images, it is determined that the compressor 100 catches fire and the fire source. When the water extraction component 320 starts in response to the fire information of the fire monitoring device 200, the spray head 310 is controlled to rotate and / or move based on the position of the fire source, so that the water spraying direction and / or the position relative to the compressor 100 are consistent with the position of the fire source, and the water sprayed by the spray head 310 is sprayed to the fire source.

[0046] In this embodiment, the spray device 300 includes a driving assembly for driving the spray head 310 to rotate and / or move.

[0047] In some embodiments, the water pumping member 320 is a pump, such as a booster pump. The pump can be arranged in the water storage box 400. The pump is connected to the spray head 310 through a water pipe.

[0048] In some embodiments, the compressor 100 is prone to sparking combustion at the connection of the power supply of the refrigerator, which is an important cause of the fire of the compressor 100. Therefore, the fire of the compressor 100 needs to be handled in time and effectively, and the fire at the connection needs to be handled in time. Therefore, the fire monitoring device 200 is arranged at least towards the connection of the compressor 100 to collect fire information in time when the fire occurs at the connection. The spray head 310 is arranged at least towards the connection of the compressor 100, so that the water sprayed by the spray head 310 is sprayed towards the compressor 100.

[0049] As an optional implementation of the above embodiment, the refrigerator further comprises a second compartment S2, an evaporator 500 and a water pan 600; the first compartment S1 and the second compartment S2 are arranged apart from each other; the water pan 600 and the evaporator 500 are arranged in the second compartment S2, and the water pan 600 is arranged on the lower side of the evaporator 500; and the water pan 600 and the water storage box 400 are connected through a first valve 700. In the embodiment, the second compartment S2 is a refrigeration channel of the refrigerator, and the evaporator 500 exchanges heat with air in the second compartment S2 to refrigerate the compartments of the refrigerator. In use, the evaporator 500 is frosted, and thus defrosting operation is needed. In the defrosting process, the defrosting water generated by the defrosting of the frost layer on the evaporator 500 is collected by the water pan 600.

[0050] The water pan 600 and the water storage box 400 are connected through the first valve 700; when the first valve 700 is opened, the water in the water storage box 400 flows into the water pan 600. Further, the water in the water storage box 400 can be supplemented by the defrosting water, and the defrosting water can be consumed, so as to avoid the defrosting water from overflowing and wetting the ground.

[0051] In some embodiments, the first compartment S1 and the second compartment S2 are arranged apart from each other and share a wall surface, thereby saving the space of the refrigerator. The water pan 600 and the water storage box 400 are respectively arranged on the opposite sides of the wall surface, and the first valve 700 can be arranged on the wall surface; after the first valve 700 is opened, the water in the water pan 600 flows into the water storage box 400. In the embodiment, the bottom surface of the water pan 600 is arranged higher than the bottom surface of the water storage box 400, so as to facilitate the flow of the water in the water pan 600.

[0052] In some embodiments, the first tank S1 and the second tank S2 are arranged with another space between each other. A valve can be arranged in the space, and two ends of the valve are connected to the water storage box 400 and the water receiving tray 600 through water pipes respectively. When the first valve 700 is opened, the water in the water receiving tray 600 flows into the water storage box 400. In this embodiment, the bottom surface of the water receiving tray 600 is arranged higher than the bottom surface of the water storage box 400, so as to facilitate the water flow in the water receiving tray 600.

[0053] In some other embodiments, a water pump is further arranged between the water storage box 400 and the water receiving tray 600, and the water pump is used to pump the water in the water receiving tray 600 into the water storage box 400.

[0054] As an optional implementation of the above embodiments, in combination with Figure 4 As shown in the figure, the water storage box 400 is provided with a liquid level sensor; and / or, the bottom outer side of the water storage box 400 is provided with a pressure sensor; and / or, the bottom outer side of the water storage box 400 is provided with a gravity sensor.

[0055] The first valve 700 is configured to be opened or closed according to the liquid level signal of the liquid level sensor and / or the pressure signal of the pressure sensor and / or the gravity signal of the gravity sensor.

[0056] In the embodiments, a certain amount of water is required in the water storage box 400 to ensure that there is water to extinguish the fire when the fire breaks out. Therefore, in the embodiments, the water storage box 400 is provided with a liquid level sensor; and / or, the bottom outer side of the water storage box 400 is provided with a pressure sensor; and / or, the bottom outer side of the water storage box 400 is provided with a gravity sensor.

[0057] When the liquid level corresponding to the liquid level signal collected by the liquid level sensor is lower than the preset liquid level value, it indicates that the water in the water storage box 400 is insufficient, and the main control board controls the first valve 700 to be opened, so that the defrosting water in the water receiving tray 600 supplements the water in the water storage box 400.

[0058] When the pressure corresponding to the pressure signal collected by the pressure sensor is lower than the preset pressure value, it indicates that the water in the water storage box 400 is insufficient, and the main control board controls the first valve 700 to be opened, so that the defrosting water in the water receiving tray 600 supplements the water in the water storage box 400.

[0059] When the gravity corresponding to the gravity signal collected by the gravity sensor is lower than the preset gravity value, it indicates that the water in the water storage box 400 is insufficient, and the main control board controls the first valve 700 to be opened, so that the defrosting water in the water receiving tray 600 supplements the water in the water storage box 400.

[0060] As an optional implementation of the above embodiment, the top of the water storage box 400 is at least partially open. In the embodiment, the fire extinguishing structure is arranged in the first compartment S1, mainly to improve the safety of the refrigerator; the fire of the compressor 100 is an occasional event; the top of the water storage box 400 is at least partially open, which can absorb the heat of the compressor 100 and reduce the temperature when the compressor 100 is not on fire, which is conducive to reducing the probability of fire of the compressor 100.

[0061] In some other embodiments, the water storage box 400 is connected to the water pan 600 through the first valve 700. The water in the water pan 600 can flow into the water storage box 400 after the first valve 700 is opened. The water in the water pan 600 comes from defrosting water. The defrosting frequency of the refrigerator is much higher than the probability of fire of the compressor 100; the water storage box 400 absorbs the heat of the compressor 100 and evaporates after receiving the defrosting water, so as to avoid the water in the water pan 600 overflowing and causing water to overflow the ground. For example, in some embodiments, when the water level in the water pan 600 exceeds a preset water level, the first valve 700 can be controlled to open, so that the water in the water pan 600 flows into the water storage box 400. Since the top of the water storage box 400 is at least partially open, it absorbs the heat of the compressor 100 and evaporates, thereby avoiding the water in the water pan 600 overflowing and causing water to overflow the ground.

[0062] In some embodiments, the water storage box 400 is arranged on one side of the compressor 100 in the horizontal direction. In the embodiment, the water pan 600 is located on the lower side of the evaporator 500 and is substantially at the same horizontal position as the compressor 100; therefore, the water storage box 400 is arranged on one side of the compressor 100 in the horizontal direction, so that the positions of the water pan 600 and the water storage box 400 are suitable for receiving the defrosting water in the water pan 600. In some embodiments, the water storage box 400 is arranged on the side of the compressor 100 in the horizontal direction close to the second compartment S2.

[0063] As an optional implementation of the above embodiment, as shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4 The refrigerator further includes a main control board, which is signal connected with the fire monitoring device 200 and the water pumping device 320; the main control board is configured to receive the fire information and control the water pumping device 320 to start or stop based on the fire information.

[0064] In the embodiment, the fire monitoring device 200 monitors the environmental information in the first compartment S1; the main control board controls the water pumping device 320 to start when the environmental information is determined to be fire information, so that the water in the water storage box 400 sprays the compressor 100 through the spray head 310 to extinguish the fire, prevent the fire from spreading, and reduce the loss of the user.

[0065] As an optional implementation of the above embodiment, the main control board is further configured to control the compressor 100 to be powered off based on the fire information. In an embodiment, when a fire occurs in the first storage body S1, the main control board controls the compressor 100 to be powered off, so as to avoid a larger fire caused by a line fault of the refrigerator.

[0066] As an optional implementation of the above embodiment, as shown in Figure 3 the refrigerator further comprises an alarm device; the main control board is in signal connection with the alarm device, and the main control board is configured to output an alarm signal to the alarm device based on the fire information; and the alarm device sends an alarm in response to the alarm signal. In an embodiment, when a fire occurs in the first storage body S1, the main control board outputs an alarm signal to the alarm device; and the alarm device sends an alarm in response to the alarm signal, so as to facilitate the user to timely dispose to avoid more losses. For example, the alarm device can be a voice device; when a fire occurs in the first storage body S1, the main control board controls the voice device to send a prompt sound, such as a bee sound.

[0067] As an optional implementation of the above embodiment, the number of the spray heads 310 is at least two, and the spray heads 310 are arranged at intervals on the periphery of the compressor 100. In an embodiment, when it is determined that the compressor 100 catches fire, the spray heads 310 arranged at intervals on the periphery of the compressor 100 start to spray water to different positions of the compressor 100 at the same time, so as to hinder the development of the fire.

[0068] In some embodiments, a part of the spray heads 310 are arranged towards the wiring position of the compressor 100, and another part of the spray heads 310 are arranged towards different sides of the compressor 100. The second valve is arranged between the water pumping member 320 and each spray head 310. According to the position where the fire occurs, the corresponding second valve is controlled to be opened. For example, when the wiring position catches fire, the second valve corresponding to the spray head 310 arranged towards the wiring position is controlled to be opened; and the second valve corresponding to the spray head 310 arranged towards the different sides of the compressor 100 is controlled to be closed; so that when the fire at the wiring position is extinguished, there is enough water for extinguishing the fire.

[0069] Embodiments of the present application also propose a control method for controlling the refrigerator proposed in the foregoing embodiments. The steps of the control method can be written in the main control board of the refrigerator. Specifically, embodiments of the present application also propose a control system of a refrigerator, comprising one or more processors, a memory, and one or more application programs, wherein the one or more application programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor to implement the control method of the refrigerator as described above.

[0070] Generally, the control system of the refrigerator usually comprises at least one processor, at least one memory, and a control program of the control system of the refrigerator stored on the memory and executable on the processor, the control program of the control system of the refrigerator being configured to implement the steps of the control method as described above.

[0071] The processor can comprise one or more processing cores, such as a 4-core processor, an 8-core processor, etc. The processor can be implemented in the form of at least one of a DSP (Digital Signal Processing), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and a PLA (Programmable Logic Array). The processor can also comprise a main processor and a coprocessor, the main processor being a processor for processing data in an awake state, also referred to as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and the coprocessor being a low-power processor for processing data in a standby state. In some embodiments, the processor can be integrated with a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) for rendering and drawing content to be displayed on a display screen. The processor can further comprise an AI (Artificial Intelligence) processor for processing operations related to the control method of the control system of the refrigerator, so that the control method model of the control system of the refrigerator can be autonomously trained and learned to improve efficiency and accuracy.

[0072] The memory can comprise one or more computer-readable storage media, which can be non-transitory. The memory can further comprise a high-speed random access memory, and a non-volatile memory such as one or more disk storage devices, flash storage devices. In some embodiments, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium in the memory is used to store at least one instruction for being executed by the processor to implement the control method of the control system of the refrigerator provided by the method embodiments in the present application.

[0073] As shown in Figure 5 the control method of the refrigerator comprises:

[0074] S100, determining whether the environment information collected by the fire monitoring device 200 is fire information;

[0075] S200, in the case where the environment information is determined to be fire information, controlling the water pumping member 320 to start so that the water in the water storage box 400 is sprayed by the spray head 310 towards the compressor 100.

[0076] In the embodiment, the fire monitoring device 200 monitors the environmental information in the first bin body S1; in the case of judging that the environmental information is fire information, the water pumping element 320 is controlled to start, so that the water in the water storage box 400 is sprayed to the compressor 100 through the spray head 310 to extinguish the fire, prevent the fire from expanding, and reduce the loss of the user.

[0077] The above describes in detail the refrigerator and the control method provided by the embodiment of the application. The principles and implementation manners of the application are described by applying specific examples. The above embodiment is only used to help understand the method of the application and the core idea thereof. Meanwhile, for those skilled in the art, the specific implementation manners and application ranges can be changed according to the idea of the application. In summary, the content of the specification should not be understood as a limitation on the application.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, characterized in that, include: First compartment; The compressor is located inside the first compartment. A fire monitoring device is installed inside the first compartment; A water storage box is located inside the first compartment; and A spraying device includes a water pump and a nozzle, the water pump being configured to supply water to the nozzle; the nozzle being positioned toward the compressor; and the water pump being configured to draw water from the water storage tank. The water pumping unit is activated in response to the fire information from the fire monitoring device, so that the water in the water storage box is sprayed onto the compressor through the nozzle; The refrigerator also includes a second compartment, an evaporator, and a drip tray; the first compartment and the second compartment are spaced apart from each other; the drip tray and the evaporator are located in the second compartment, and the drip tray is located below the evaporator; The water receiving tray and the water storage box are connected by a first valve; when the first valve is opened, the water in the water receiving tray flows into the water storage box. The water storage box is equipped with a liquid level sensor; and / or, the bottom outer side of the water storage box is equipped with a pressure sensor; and / or, the bottom outer side of the water storage box is equipped with a gravity sensor. The first valve is configured to open or close based on the liquid level signal from the liquid level sensor and / or the pressure signal from the pressure sensor and / or the gravity signal from the gravity sensor.

2. The refrigerator as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The nozzle is positioned at least toward the wiring terminal of the compressor; and / or, the fire monitoring device is positioned at least toward the wiring terminal of the compressor.

3. The refrigerator as described in any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that, The top of the water storage box is at least partially open; and / or the water storage box is located on one side of the compressor in the horizontal direction.

4. The refrigerator as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The refrigerator also includes a main control board, which is signal-connected to the fire monitoring device and to the water pump; the main control board is configured to receive the fire information and control the water pump to start or stop based on the fire information.

5. The refrigerator as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The main control board is also configured to control the compressor to cut off power based on the fire information.

6. The refrigerator as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The refrigerator also includes an alarm device; the main control board is signal-connected to the alarm device, and the main control board is used to output an alarm signal to the alarm device based on the fire information; the alarm device responds to the alarm signal and issues an alarm.

7. The refrigerator as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The number of nozzles is at least two, and they are spaced apart around the compressor.

8. A method for controlling a refrigerator, characterized in that, The refrigerator, as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, has a control method comprising: Determine whether the environmental information collected by the fire monitoring device is fire information; If the environmental information indicates a fire, the pumping unit is activated so that water in the water storage box is sprayed onto the compressor through the nozzle.

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