Refrigerator and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a refrigerator and a control method thereof, which can automatically check the voltage collected by a sensor, the mounting position of the sensor and the running state of a controller in sequence when defrosting heating abnormity or chamber temperature abnormity occurs in the refrigerator, and perform fault processing according to the check result, so that the fault of the refrigerator can be processed in time, and the working efficiency of the refrigerator is improved. The maintenance efficiency is improved, and the user experience is further improved.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] With the improvement of people's living standards, refrigerators have become common appliances in people's daily lives. In existing solutions, when the defrosting heating of the refrigerator is abnormal or the temperature of the compartment is abnormal, the refrigerator is usually controlled to stop running and wait for maintenance personnel to check the refrigerator faults one by one. The refrigerator fault cannot be handled in time, the maintenance efficiency is low, and the user experience is reduced. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the embodiment of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator and a method thereof, which can automatically check the sensor collection voltage, the sensor installation position and the operating status of the controller in sequence when the defrosting heating abnormality or the compartment temperature abnormality occurs in the refrigerator, and perform fault processing according to the inspection results, so as to timely handle the refrigerator fault, improve the maintenance efficiency, and thus improve the user experience.

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

[0005] The evaporator is located in the refrigerator and is used to generate cold air;

[0006] A defrost heater is arranged near the evaporator and is used to generate heat and defrost the evaporator through heat diffusion;

[0007] An evaporation sensor, disposed on the evaporator, for monitoring the real-time temperature of the evaporator;

[0008] A compartment sensor, disposed in the compartment of the refrigerator, for monitoring the real-time room temperature of the compartment;

[0009] Controller for:

[0010] When the defrost heater works abnormally or the real-time room temperature is abnormal, controlling the refrigerator to enter a self-check mode;

[0011] In the self-check mode, the sensor collection voltage, the sensor installation position and the operating status of the controller are checked in sequence until the cause of the fault is found;

[0012] Determining a target processing solution from a preset processing solution set according to the fault cause to perform fault processing on the refrigerator, and recording the fault cause and fault processing result;

[0013] After the fault is handled, the refrigerator is controlled to initialize so that the refrigerator resumes normal operation.

[0014] As an improvement of the above solution, when the continuous heating time of the defrost heater reaches a preset maximum heating time threshold or the real-time evaporation temperature of the evaporation sensor reaches a preset maximum temperature threshold, it is determined that the defrost heater is operating abnormally;

[0015] When it is determined that the compartment does not request cooling and the duration of the real-time compartment temperature being greater than the preset cooling start temperature reaches a preset abnormal non-cooling maximum time threshold, it is determined that the real-time compartment temperature is abnormal.

[0016] As an improvement of the above solution, the refrigerator comprises a plurality of compartments, each of which is provided with a defrost heater, a compartment sensor, an evaporator and an evaporation sensor;

[0017] The controller is used to check the installation position of the sensor in the following manner:

[0018] Controlling the refrigerator to cool each of the compartments in turn;

[0019] Before the refrigerator refrigerates the current compartment, the real-time temperature monitored by all sensors is obtained as the original temperature; wherein the sensors include a compartment sensor and an evaporation sensor;

[0020] When the refrigeration time of the current compartment by the refrigerator reaches a preset refrigeration time, acquiring the real-time temperature monitored by all the sensors as the target temperature;

[0021] Subtracting the corresponding original temperature from each target temperature to obtain the cooling temperature difference corresponding to each sensor;

[0022] Selecting two sensors with the largest refrigeration temperature difference as the first sensor and the second sensor of the current compartment;

[0023] When the target temperature of the first sensor is lower than the target temperature of the second sensor and the cooling temperature difference of the first sensor is higher than the cooling temperature difference of the second sensor, it is determined that the first sensor is the theoretical evaporation sensor of the current compartment and the second sensor is the theoretical compartment sensor of the current compartment;

[0024] Each theoretical sensor of each compartment is respectively compared with the sensor information currently configured in the FLASH memory of the refrigerator to obtain the inspection result of the sensor installation position; wherein the theoretical sensor includes the theoretical evaporation sensor and the theoretical compartment sensor.

[0025] As an improvement of the above solution, the target processing solution is determined from a preset processing solution set according to the fault cause to perform fault processing on the refrigerator, and the fault cause and fault processing result are recorded, including:

[0026] When the inspection result of the sensor installation position is that the sensor position is installed incorrectly, based on the preset mapping relationship between the sensor category and the AD acquisition channel, a corresponding AD acquisition channel is allocated to each of the theoretical sensors to obtain a new channel allocation result, and the sensor position abnormality information is recorded in the FLASH memory.

[0027] As an improvement of the above solution, the controlling the refrigerator to initialize so that the refrigerator resumes normal operation includes:

[0028] By not feeding the dog for a preset waiting time, a hot reset of the controller is triggered;

[0029] After the controller is reset, reading the fault cause in the FLASH memory of the refrigerator;

[0030] When the fault cause is abnormal sensor position information, rewriting the new channel allocation result into the FLASH memory;

[0031] Initialize all operating parameters of the refrigerator to restore the refrigerator to normal operation.

[0032] As an improvement of the above solution, the controller is used to check the operating status of the controller in the following manner:

[0033] When the inspection results of the sensor collection voltage and the sensor installation position are normal, the controller is inspected to obtain a software inspection result.

[0034] As an improvement of the above solution, the target processing solution is determined from a preset processing solution set according to the fault cause to perform fault processing on the refrigerator, and the fault cause and fault processing result are recorded, including:

[0035] When the software check result is a program abnormality, the software parameters of the controller are initialized, a program abnormality record is generated, and the number of program abnormalities recorded in the FLASH memory of the refrigerator is controlled to increase by one;

[0036] When the number of program abnormalities is greater than a preset threshold, the program abnormality status is displayed on the display panel of the refrigerator to remind the user to check the program design of the controller.

[0037] As an improvement of the above solution, the controlling the refrigerator to initialize so that the refrigerator resumes normal operation includes:

[0038] By not feeding the dog for a preset waiting time, a hot reset of the controller is triggered;

[0039] After the controller is reset, the number of program exceptions is read from the FLASH memory;

[0040] When the number of program abnormalities is greater than a preset threshold, the program abnormality status is displayed on the display panel of the refrigerator to remind the user to check the programming of the controller. As an improvement to the above solution, the controller is used to check the voltage collected by the sensor in the following manner:

[0041] Acquiring a first collected voltage of the evaporation sensor and a second collected voltage of the compartment sensor;

[0042] When the first collected voltage exceeds a normal range, the evaporation sensor is faulty;

[0043] When the second collected voltage exceeds a normal range, the compartment sensor is faulty.

[0044] As an improvement of the above solution, the target processing solution is determined from a preset processing solution set according to the fault cause to perform fault processing on the refrigerator, and the fault processing result is obtained and recorded, including:

[0045] When the evaporation sensor fails, the failure state of the evaporation sensor is reported to the display panel of the refrigerator to remind the user to repair and replace the evaporation sensor;

[0046] When the compartment temperature sensor fails, the failure state of the compartment temperature sensor is reported to the display panel to remind the user to repair or replace the compartment temperature sensor.

[0047] To achieve the above object, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a refrigerator control method, comprising:

[0048] When the defrost heater of the refrigerator works abnormally or the real-time room temperature of the refrigerator is abnormal, controlling the refrigerator to enter a self-checking mode;

[0049] In the self-check mode, the sensor collection voltage, the sensor installation position and the operating state of the refrigerator controller are checked in sequence until the cause of the fault is found;

[0050] Determining a target processing solution from a preset processing solution set according to the fault cause to perform fault processing on the refrigerator, and recording the fault cause and fault processing result;

[0051] After the fault is handled, the refrigerator is controlled to initialize so that the refrigerator resumes normal operation.

[0052] Compared with the prior art, the refrigerator and the control method thereof disclosed in the present invention, when the defrost heater works abnormally or the real-time compartment temperature is abnormal, controls the refrigerator to enter the self-check mode, sequentially checks the sensor acquisition voltage, the sensor installation position and the operating state of the controller until the cause of the fault is found; determines the target processing scheme from the preset processing scheme set according to the cause of the fault, so as to perform fault processing on the refrigerator, and records the cause of the fault and the result of the fault processing; when the fault processing is completed, controls the refrigerator to initialize, so that the refrigerator resumes normal operation. The refrigerator and the control method thereof disclosed in the present invention can automatically check the sensor acquisition voltage, the sensor installation position and the operating state of the controller in sequence when the defrost heating is abnormal or the compartment temperature is abnormal, and performs fault processing according to the inspection results, so as to timely process the refrigerator fault, improve the maintenance efficiency, and thus improve the user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional diagram of a refrigerator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 2 is a three-dimensional diagram of a refrigerator door provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigeration system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0056] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the flow direction of the refrigerant during refrigeration provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0057] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the cooling air flow direction of the compartment provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0058] Figure 6 is a structural schematic diagram of a refrigerator control system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0059] Figure 7 is a first working flow diagram of a controller provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0060] Figure 8 is a second working flow diagram of the controller provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0061] Fig. 9 is a third working flow diagram of the controller provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0062] Fig.10 is a fourth working flow diagram of the controller provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0063] Fig.11The present invention provides a flow chart of a refrigerator environment humidity calculation method.

[0064] Among them, 100, box body, 200, door body, 210, door body shell, 220, door body liner, 230, upper end cover, 240, lower end cover; 1, compressor, 2, condenser, 3, anti-condensation tube, 4, drying filter, 5, pressure reducer, 6, evaporator, 7, gas-liquid separator, 8, compartment, 9, fan, 91, refrigeration fan, 92, variable temperature fan, 93, freezing fan, 10, defrost heater, 101, refrigeration defrost heater, 102, variable temperature defrost heater, 103, freezing defrost sensor, 11, compartment sensor, 111, refrigeration temperature sensor, 112, variable temperature temperature sensor, 113, freezing temperature sensor, 12, air inlet, 13 return air outlet, 14, evaporation sensor, 141, refrigeration evaporation sensor, 142, variable temperature evaporation sensor, 143, freezing evaporation sensor, 15, controller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] 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 device or element referred to 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.

[0066] The terms "first" and "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.

[0067] 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 indirectly connected 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.

[0068] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1is a perspective view of a refrigerator provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The refrigerator of this embodiment is approximately in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. The refrigerator includes a box body 100 defining a storage space and a plurality of door bodies 200 disposed at the opening of the box body 100. Figure 2 As shown, the door body 200 includes a door body outer shell 210 located on the outside of the box body 100, a door body liner 220 located on the inside of the box body 100, an upper end cover 230, a lower end cover 240, and an insulation layer located between the door body outer shell 210, the door body liner 220, the upper end cover 230, and the lower end cover 240; usually, the insulation layer is filled with foam. The box body 100 is provided with a chamber, wherein the chamber includes a component storage chamber for placing components in the refrigerator, such as a compressor, etc., and also includes a storage space for storing food, medicine, etc. Among them, the refrigerator in the embodiment of the present invention includes a refrigeration system, see Figure 3 The refrigeration system structure diagram shown in the figure, the refrigeration system is arranged in the component storage cavity, and is used to provide power for the refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator, including a compressor, an evaporator, a pressure reducer and a condenser; the storage space can be divided into multiple storage rooms (compartments), and the storage rooms can be configured as refrigerators, freezers, and temperature-changing rooms (also called fresh-keeping rooms) according to different uses. Each storage room corresponds to one or more door bodies, for example, Figure 1 The storage room at the upper part 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 realize drawer-like storage.

[0069] See also Figure 3 , Figure 3 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a refrigeration system in a refrigerator provided in an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the refrigeration system comprises a compressor 1, a condenser 2, an anti-condensation tube 3, a drying filter 4, a pressure reducer 5, an evaporator 6 and a gas-liquid separator 7. The working process of the refrigeration system comprises a compression process, a condensation process, a throttling process and an evaporation process.

[0070] Among them, combined Figure 3The compression process is as follows: plug in the refrigerator power cord, and when the contacts of the thermostat are connected, compressor 1 starts working, and the low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant is sucked into compressor 1, compressed into high-temperature, high-pressure superheated gas in the cylinder of compressor 1, and then discharged into condenser 2; the condensation process is as follows: the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas dissipates heat through condenser 2, the temperature continues to drop, and is gradually cooled to a saturated vapor at room temperature and high pressure, and 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 system after condensation The saturated liquid refrigerant is filtered through the drying filter 4 to remove moisture and impurities and then flows into the pressure reducer 5 (such as a capillary tube), through which the refrigerant is throttled and depressurized, and becomes 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 vaporizes in the evaporator 6, which not only reduces the temperature of the evaporator and its surroundings, but also turns the refrigerant into a low-temperature, low-pressure gas. The refrigerant coming out of the evaporator 6 passes through the gas-liquid separator 7 and then returns to the compressor 1 again, repeating the above process to transfer the heat in the refrigerator to the air outside the box, thus achieving the purpose of refrigeration. The flow direction of the refrigerant can also be seen in Figure 4 shown.

[0071] The existing refrigerator is equipped with a Figure 5 The defrost heater 10 shown; the defrost heater 10, the defrost timer, the bimetallic thermostat and the temperature fuse (when the temperature exceeds the set value, the temperature fuse melts and the power supply of the electric heating tube is cut off) constitute an automatic defrosting system. After the compressor 1 has been working for a period of time (about 8-10 hours), frost will also form on the surface of the evaporator 6. If defrosting is not performed, the frost will become thicker and thicker, and then the evaporator 6 will be filled with frost and the air duct will be blocked, so that the cold air cannot circulate and the refrigeration effect is reduced. After the defrost timer has worked for 8-10 hours, it will automatically cut off the power supply of the compressor 1 and turn on the defrost heater 10. The defrost heater 10 heats and melts the frost on the evaporator 6. When the temperature rises to a certain temperature, the bimetallic thermostat disconnects and cuts off the power supply of the defrost heater 10. After the defrosting is completed, the defrost timer cuts off the power supply of the defrost heater 10 and turns on the power supply of the compressor 1 to resume refrigeration, and the cycle repeats itself. Among them, the bimetallic thermostat includes the following: Figure 5 The evaporation sensor 14 shown is arranged near the defrost heater 10, generally on the evaporator 6, and is used to monitor the defrost temperature of the evaporator.

[0072] like Figure 5 , Figure 5Schematic diagram of the air flow direction of the compartment refrigeration provided by an embodiment of the present invention. A compartment temperature sensor is arranged in the compartment 8 of the refrigerator, and an evaporator 6, a fan 9 and a defrost heater 10 are configured for the compartment 8. A defrost sensor (evaporation sensor 14) is arranged on the defrost heater. When cooling the compartment 8, the fan 9 allows air to continuously enter the fins of the evaporator 6 from the return air port 13 of the compartment 8 for cold exchange, and at the same time, the air that becomes cold after the evaporator 6 absorbs heat is sent to the compartment 8 from the air inlet 12 of the compartment 8 through the air duct, so that the air in the compartment 8 continuously circulates to achieve the purpose of lowering the temperature. When the evaporator 6 is defrosted, the return air port 13 and the air inlet 12 are closed, and the defrost heater 10 of the refrigerator is used to generate heat to defrost the evaporator 6.

[0073] In existing refrigerators, defrost sensors and compartment sensors are both necessary temperature sensing components. The defrost sensor is used to monitor the temperature of the evaporator when the refrigerator is in defrost mode, and the compartment sensor is arranged in the compartment to monitor the real-time temperature of the compartment.

[0074] For example, see Figure 6 , Figure 6 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a refrigerator control system provided by an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the compartments include a refrigerating compartment, a variable temperature chamber and a freezing compartment, the fan 9 of the refrigerator includes a refrigerating fan 91 matched with the refrigerating compartment, a variable temperature fan 92 matched with the variable temperature chamber, and a freezing fan 93 matched with the freezing compartment, the defrost heater 10 of the refrigerator includes a refrigerating defrost heater 101 matched with the refrigerating compartment, a variable temperature defrost heater 102 matched with the variable temperature chamber, and a freezing defrost heater 103 matched with the freezing compartment, the compartment sensor 11 of the refrigerator includes a refrigerating temperature sensor 111 matched with the refrigerating compartment, a variable temperature sensor 112 matched with the variable temperature chamber, and a freezing temperature sensor 113 matched with the freezing compartment, the evaporation sensor 14 of the refrigerator includes a refrigerating evaporation sensor 141 matched with the refrigerating compartment, a variable temperature evaporation sensor 142 matched with the variable temperature chamber, and a freezing evaporation sensor 143 matched with the freezing compartment, and the evaporator 6 includes a refrigerating evaporator corresponding to the refrigerating compartment, a variable temperature evaporator corresponding to the variable temperature chamber, and a freezing evaporator corresponding to the freezing compartment. The controller controls the fans, evaporators, compressors, and defrost heaters, etc., related to the refrigerating chamber by collecting signals from sensors related to the refrigerating chamber, controls the fans, evaporators, compressors, and defrost heaters, etc., related to the variable temperature chamber by collecting signals from sensors related to the freezing chamber, and controls the fans, evaporators, compressors, and defrost heaters, etc., related to the freezing chamber by collecting signals from sensors related to the freezing chamber. It is understandable that different compartments of the refrigerator may share a compressor, or each may be equipped with a compressor, etc., which is not limited here.

[0075] In an embodiment of the present invention, the controller is used to: when the defrost heater operates abnormally or the real-time room temperature is abnormal, control the refrigerator to enter a self-check mode; in the self-check mode, sequentially check the sensor acquisition voltage, the sensor installation position and the operating status of the controller until the cause of the fault is found; determine a target processing solution from a preset processing solution set according to the cause of the fault to perform fault processing on the refrigerator, and record the cause of the fault and the result of the fault processing; when the fault processing is completed, control the refrigerator to initialize so that the refrigerator resumes normal operation.

[0076] For example, see Figure 7 , Figure 7 is a first working flow chart of a controller provided in an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the controller is used to execute steps S11 to S14:

[0077] S11, when the defrost heater works abnormally or the real-time room temperature is abnormal, controlling the refrigerator to enter a self-check mode;

[0078] S12, in the self-check mode, sequentially checking the sensor collection voltage, the sensor installation position and the operating status of the controller until the cause of the fault is found;

[0079] S13, determining a target processing solution from a preset processing solution set according to the fault cause, so as to perform fault processing on the refrigerator, and recording the fault cause and fault processing result;

[0080] S14. After the fault is handled, the refrigerator is controlled to initialize so that the refrigerator resumes normal operation.

[0081] Specifically, when the defrost heater works abnormally or the real-time room temperature in each compartment is abnormal, the refrigerator is controlled to enter the self-test mode. In this mode, the collected voltage of each sensor is first detected to determine whether the sensor is faulty; then the installation position of each sensor is detected to determine whether the sensor is installed in the wrong position, such as identifying the freezing temperature sensor as the refrigeration temperature sensor; then the controller program is checked to determine whether there are program anomalies such as software bugs or memory assignment anomalies, and finally the target processing plan is determined according to the cause of the fault found to handle the refrigerator fault, and finally the refrigerator is initialized to restore the normal operation of the refrigerator.

[0082] Compared with the prior art, the embodiments of the present invention can automatically check the sensor collection voltage, sensor installation position and controller operating status in sequence when abnormal defrost heating or abnormal compartment temperature occurs in the refrigerator, and perform fault processing based on the inspection results. It can handle refrigerator faults in time, improve maintenance efficiency, and further improve user experience.

[0083] In a preferred embodiment, the controller is also used for: when the continuous heating time of the defrost heater reaches a preset maximum heating time threshold or the real-time evaporation temperature of the evaporation sensor reaches a preset maximum temperature threshold, determining that the defrost heater is operating abnormally; when it is determined that the compartment does not request refrigeration and the continuous time that the real-time compartment temperature is greater than the preset refrigeration start-up temperature reaches a preset abnormal non-refrigeration maximum time threshold, determining that the real-time compartment temperature is abnormal.

[0084] For example, see Figure 8 , Figure 8 is a second working flow chart of the controller provided in an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the controller is used to execute steps S15 to S19:

[0085] S15, obtaining the operating mode of the refrigerator;

[0086] S16, determining whether the operation mode is the defrost mode, if so, proceeding to step S17, if not, proceeding to step S19.

[0087] S17, determine whether the continuous heating time of the defrost heater is less than the preset maximum heating time threshold and the real-time evaporation temperature of the evaporation sensor is less than the preset maximum temperature threshold, if so, return to step S15, if not, enter step S18.

[0088] S18, determining that the defrost heater operates abnormally.

[0089] S19: When it is determined that the compartment does not request cooling and the duration of the real-time compartment temperature being greater than the preset cooling start temperature reaches a preset abnormal non-cooling maximum time threshold, it is determined that the real-time compartment temperature is abnormal.

[0090] Exemplarily, whether the defrost heater is operating abnormally can be determined based on the working time of the defrost heater. The abnormal conditions include: 1. When the refrigerated defrost heater is turned on, the heating time of the refrigerated defrost heater reaches the corresponding maximum heating time threshold T imeMaxR; when the variable temperature defrost heater is turned on, the heating time of the variable temperature defrost heater reaches the corresponding maximum heating time threshold T imeMaxV; 3. When the frozen defrost heater is turned on, the heating time of the frozen defrost heater reaches the corresponding maximum heating time threshold T imeMaxF.

[0091] It is worth noting that there are differences in the maximum heating time thresholds of different compartments of the same refrigerator. For example, the maximum defrost heating time thresholds of the refrigerator compartment, temperature-changing chamber, and freezer compartment of the same refrigerator are different; the maximum defrost heating time thresholds of different refrigerators may also be different. Specifically, the maximum defrost heating time threshold is obtained through refrigerator safety experiments (dry burning experiments and wet burning experiments).

[0092] Exemplarily, it is also possible to determine whether the defrost heater is operating abnormally based on the temperature of the evaporation sensor, which is arranged on the evaporator and is used to monitor the real-time evaporation temperature of the evaporator. Abnormal conditions include: 1. When the refrigerated defrost heater is turned on, the temperature monitored by the refrigerated evaporation sensor reaches the corresponding maximum temperature threshold TevapMaxR (no judgment is made when the sensor fails). 2. When the variable temperature defrost heater is turned on, the temperature monitored by the variable temperature evaporation sensor reaches the corresponding maximum temperature threshold TevapMaxV (no judgment is made when the sensor fails). 3. When the frozen defrost heater is turned on, the temperature monitored by the frozen evaporation sensor reaches the corresponding maximum temperature threshold TevapMaxF (no judgment is made when the sensor fails). When the temperature of the evaporation sensor reaches the safety temperature threshold, the defrost heater should stop heating immediately. When the temperature of the evaporation sensor reaches the maximum temperature threshold, it is determined that the defrost heater is operating abnormally, wherein the safety temperature threshold is less than the maximum temperature threshold.

[0093] It is worth noting that the maximum temperature threshold of the evaporator of different refrigerators may be different. Specifically, the maximum temperature threshold of the evaporator is obtained through refrigerator safety experiments (dry burning experiment and wet burning experiment). It is understandable that when the sensor fails, it should not be judged whether the defrost heater is working abnormally based on the temperature of the evaporation sensor.

[0094] Exemplary, abnormal room temperature: (the judgment of abnormal temperature should exclude special modes such as sales floor mode, standby mode, maintenance mode, etc., and no judgment will be made when the sensor fails).

[0095] 1. The control board (controller) (Microcontroller Unit, MCU) determines that the refrigerator compartment does not request cooling, but the temperature detected by the refrigerator temperature sensor is higher than the power-on point + 5 degrees, and reaches the corresponding abnormal non-cooling maximum time threshold TimeMaxCoolStopR. Among them, the power-on point refers to the cooling start temperature. When the refrigerator compartment reaches the power-on point, the refrigerator compartment should be cooled.

[0096] 2. The control board MCU determines that the variable temperature room does not request cooling, but the temperature detected by the variable temperature sensor is higher than the power-on point + 5 degrees, and reaches the corresponding abnormal non-cooling maximum time threshold TimeMaxCoolStopV.

[0097] 3. The control board MCU determines that the freezer compartment does not request cooling, but the temperature detected by the freezer temperature sensor is higher than the power-on point + 5 degrees, and reaches the corresponding abnormal non-cooling maximum time threshold TimeMaxCoolStopF.

[0098] When a real-time room temperature anomaly is detected, the refrigerator control board MCU controls the refrigerator to enter a self-check mode to find the cause of the fault, and then performs fault processing and finally requests a reset.

[0099] It is worth noting that the thresholds for the maximum time of abnormal non-refrigeration in different compartments of the same refrigerator are different. For example, the thresholds for the maximum time of abnormal non-refrigeration in the refrigerator compartment, the temperature-changing room, and the freezer compartment of the same refrigerator are different; the thresholds for the maximum time of abnormal non-refrigeration in different refrigerators may also be different. The thresholds for the maximum time of abnormal non-refrigeration are defined based on the time it takes for the refrigerator temperature to rise, for example, in minutes, greater than 30 minutes. It is worth noting that when the refrigerator is in a special mode such as detection mode, sales mode, standby mode, and maintenance mode, it is not judged whether the compartment temperature is abnormal.

[0100] It is worth noting that whether the defrost heater is working abnormally and whether the real-time chamber temperature is abnormal may also be determined by other methods, which are not limited here.

[0101] Specifically, if the refrigerator has abnormal heating state or abnormal cooling state, if it is not handled in time, the refrigerator will lose its basic cooling and defrosting functions. Therefore, if the refrigerator has abnormal heating or abnormal compartment temperature, the refrigerator stops heating and resumes cooling, automatically enters the self-check mode, detects the refrigerator state, and initializes the refrigerator parameters after the detection is completed, so that the refrigerator can resume normal working state. The specific inspection process is as follows: 1. First, perform fault detection on each sensor. When it is determined that the sensor is faulty, the fault state of the sensor is displayed on the display panel of the refrigerator to remind the user to replace the sensor in time; 2. When it is determined that the sensor is not faulty, check the installation position of each sensor. If the sensor is not accurately installed, modify the controller's acquisition channel for the sensor so that the sensor is accurately installed, and finally reset it; 3. When there is no problem with the installation position of the sensor, check the controller and reset it.

[0102] In a preferred embodiment, the refrigerator comprises a plurality of compartments, each of which is provided with a defrost heater, a compartment sensor, an evaporator and an evaporation sensor;

[0103] The controller is used to check the installation position of the sensor in the following manner:

[0104] Controlling the refrigerator to cool each of the compartments in turn;

[0105] Before the refrigerator refrigerates the current compartment, the real-time temperature monitored by all sensors is obtained as the original temperature; wherein the sensors include a compartment sensor and an evaporation sensor;

[0106] When the refrigeration time of the current compartment by the refrigerator reaches a preset refrigeration time, obtaining the real-time temperature monitored by all the sensors as the target temperature;

[0107] Subtracting the corresponding original temperature from each target temperature to obtain the cooling temperature difference corresponding to each sensor;

[0108] Selecting two sensors with the largest refrigeration temperature difference as the first sensor and the second sensor of the current compartment;

[0109] When the target temperature of the first sensor is lower than the target temperature of the second sensor and the cooling temperature difference of the first sensor is higher than the cooling temperature difference of the second sensor, it is determined that the first sensor is the theoretical evaporation sensor of the current compartment and the second sensor is the theoretical compartment sensor of the current compartment;

[0110] Each theoretical sensor of each compartment is respectively compared with the sensor information currently configured in the FLASH memory of the refrigerator to obtain the inspection result of the sensor installation position; wherein the theoretical sensor includes the theoretical evaporation sensor and the theoretical compartment sensor.

[0111] In a preferred embodiment, the refrigerator comprises a plurality of compartments, each of which is provided with a defrost heater, a compartment sensor, an evaporator and an evaporation sensor;

[0112] The controller is used to check the installation position of the sensor in the following manner:

[0113] Controlling the refrigerator to cool each of the compartments in turn;

[0114] Before the refrigerator refrigerates the current compartment, the real-time temperature monitored by all sensors is obtained as the original temperature; wherein the sensors include a compartment sensor and an evaporation sensor;

[0115] When the refrigeration time of the current compartment by the refrigerator reaches a preset refrigeration time, obtaining the real-time temperature monitored by all the sensors as the target temperature;

[0116] Subtracting the corresponding original temperature from each target temperature to obtain the cooling temperature difference corresponding to each sensor;

[0117] Selecting two sensors with the largest refrigeration temperature difference as the first sensor and the second sensor of the current compartment;

[0118] When the target temperature of the first sensor is lower than the target temperature of the second sensor and the cooling temperature difference of the first sensor is higher than the cooling temperature difference of the second sensor, it is determined that the first sensor is the theoretical evaporation sensor of the current compartment and the second sensor is the theoretical compartment sensor of the current compartment;

[0119] Each theoretical sensor of each compartment is respectively compared with the sensor information currently configured in the FLASH memory of the refrigerator to obtain the inspection result of the sensor installation position; wherein the theoretical sensor includes the theoretical evaporation sensor and the theoretical compartment sensor.

[0120] In one embodiment, determining a target processing solution from a preset processing solution set according to the fault cause to perform fault processing on the refrigerator, and recording the fault cause and the fault processing result, includes:

[0121] When the inspection result of the sensor installation position is that the sensor position is installed incorrectly, based on the preset mapping relationship between the sensor category and the AD acquisition channel, a corresponding AD acquisition channel is allocated to each of the theoretical sensors to obtain a new channel allocation result, and the sensor position abnormality information is recorded in the FLASH memory.

[0122] For example, after an abnormality occurs in the refrigerator, the refrigerator stops heating and resumes cooling, and the refrigerator will enter self-test. When the sensor voltage is normal, check whether the sensors are installed reversely. Record the initial temperatures of the current freezing temperature sensor F-SNR, freezing evaporation sensor HS-F-SNR, variable temperature temperature sensor V-SNR, variable temperature evaporation sensor HS-V-SNR, refrigeration temperature sensor R-SNR, and refrigeration evaporation sensor HS-R-SNR. The control board controls the freezing room, the refrigeration room, and the variable temperature room to cool for 5 minutes each. The temperature change value of each sensor is calculated as the current temperature-initial temperature, that is, the target temperature-original temperature. When cooling each compartment, select the two temperature sensors with the largest temperature change values ​​as the temperature sensors belonging to the compartment currently being refrigerated. After cooling, the temperature of the evaporation sensor is less than that of the compartment sensor, and the temperature change value detected by the evaporation sensor is greater than the temperature change value detected by the compartment sensor. This rule is used to distinguish which sensor is the real evaporation sensor and which is the real compartment sensor. For example: when the freezer is refrigerated, the temperature change value of each sensor is compared with the temperature value. Normally, the temperature value is HS-F-SNR<F-SNR; the temperature change value is HS-F-SNR>F-SNR>V-SNR, HS-V-SNR, R-SNR, HS-R-SNR. If the above conditions are not met after refrigeration, the temperature value is judged to be HS-F-SNR>F-SNR, and the temperature change is HS-F-SNR<F-SNR. It is considered that the refrigeration sensor and the refrigeration evaporation sensor are installed reversely, and the reverse installation information is written into FLASH, and the sensor data acquisition channel number is changed. If the temperature change of other sensors is greater than that of the refrigeration evaporation sensor after refrigeration is completed, it is considered that the actual refrigeration evaporation sensor is the one with the greater change, and the wrong installation information is written into FLASH. When detecting the temperature, the fan, door switch and other signals will be checked.

[0123] Definition of channel number of each sensor in FLASH memory:

[0124]

[0125] After traversing all sensor temperatures according to the refrigeration, confirm whether they are installed incorrectly or upside down. If not, it is considered that the sensor is installed normally. If yes, the sensor correspondence is reallocated and the program automatically switches to restore normal control of the refrigerator.

[0126] In one embodiment, the controlling the refrigerator to initialize so that the refrigerator resumes normal operation includes:

[0127] By not feeding the dog for a preset waiting time, a hot reset of the controller is triggered;

[0128] After the controller is reset, reading the fault cause in the FLASH memory of the refrigerator;

[0129] When the fault cause is abnormal sensor position information, rewriting the new channel allocation result into the FLASH memory;

[0130] Initialize all operating parameters of the refrigerator to restore the refrigerator to normal operation.

[0131] For example, see Fig. 9 , Fig. 9 is a third working flow chart of the controller provided in an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the controller is used to execute steps S20 to S23:

[0132] S20: triggering a thermal reset of the controller by not feeding the dog for a preset waiting time;

[0133] S21, after the controller is reset, reading the fault cause in the FLASH memory of the refrigerator;

[0134] S22, determine whether the fault cause is abnormal sensor position information, if so, enter step S23, if not, enter other control logics, such as steps S24 to S26.

[0135] S23, rewriting the new channel allocation result into the FLASH memory; initializing all operating parameters of the refrigerator to restore the refrigerator to normal operation.

[0136] It can be understood that the controller acquires sensor data through the channel allocation result set in the FLASH memory to determine the temperature of each compartment and the evaporator. Only when the channel allocation result is correct can the correct temperature data be obtained to control the normal operation of the refrigerator.

[0137] In one embodiment, the controller is used to check the operating status of the controller in the following manner:

[0138] When the sensor voltage collection and the sensor installation position inspection results are normal, the controller is inspected to obtain a software inspection result. It is understandable that after the sensor is inspected for faults and the installation position, if it is determined that the sensor has no fault problem and is not installed in the wrong or reversed position, it is considered whether there is a problem in the operation process of the controller.

[0139] In one embodiment, determining a target processing solution from a preset processing solution set according to the fault cause to perform fault processing on the refrigerator, and recording the fault cause and the fault processing result, includes:

[0140] When the software check result is a program abnormality, the software parameters of the controller are initialized, a program abnormality record is generated, and the number of program abnormalities recorded in the FLASH memory of the refrigerator is controlled to increase by one;

[0141] When the number of program abnormalities is greater than a preset threshold, the program abnormality status is displayed on the display panel of the refrigerator to remind the user to check the program design of the controller.

[0142] For example, see Fig.10 , Fig.10 is a fourth working flow chart of the controller provided in an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the controller is used to execute steps S24 to S26:

[0143] S24. When the software check result is a program exception, the software parameters of the controller are initialized, a program exception record is generated, and the number of program exceptions recorded in the FLASH memory of the refrigerator is controlled to increase by one, and then enter step S25.

[0144] S25, determine whether the number of program exceptions is greater than a preset threshold, if so, proceed to step S26, if not, end.

[0145] S26, generating a program abnormality status and uploading it to the display panel of the refrigerator for display, so as to remind the user to check the programming of the controller. It is understandable that when the controller has problems for many times, it means that there are major problems with the programming of the controller, which needs to be optimized.

[0146] In one embodiment, the controlling the refrigerator to initialize so that the refrigerator resumes normal operation includes:

[0147] By not feeding the dog for a preset waiting time, a hot reset of the controller is triggered;

[0148] After the controller is reset, the number of program exceptions is read from the FLASH memory;

[0149] When the number of program abnormalities is greater than a preset threshold, the program abnormality status is displayed on the display panel of the refrigerator to remind the user to check the program design of the controller.

[0150] For example, if the refrigerator sensor detects normally, check whether it is caused by software bugs or program abnormalities such as memory assignment abnormalities. The refrigerator can be made to work again through software initialization parameters, and the number of program abnormalities is recorded and written into FLASH. If the number is greater than n times (for example, n=2), the fault status bit is sent to the display panel to remind the design, testing or maintenance personnel that the refrigerator is abnormal and they need to check whether there are any loopholes in the program design.

[0151] After the above tests are completed, the refrigerator exits the self-test mode and enters the refrigerator initialization control.

[0152] The process of refrigerator initialization control is as follows:

[0153] 1. Exception information is recorded in a specific area of ​​the MCU memory.

[0154] After exiting the self-test mode, first check the information written to FLASH, and write abnormal reset information, such as the magic number (99999999), to a certain block address of FLASH.

[0155] 2. Warm reset

[0156] By not feeding the dog for a long time, the MCU hot reset is triggered. After the reset and MCU system initialization, the abnormal information written into FLASH (magic number (99999999)) is read to determine whether the MCU restart is caused by abnormal reset. The channel number of each sensor in FLASH is read, and the refrigerator is controlled according to the new channel number; the number of resets caused by software bugs and memory abnormalities is read. If the number exceeds the limit, the abnormality is sent to the display board and the abnormality information is displayed.

[0157] Finally, all operating parameters of the refrigerator are initialized and the refrigerator resumes normal operation.

[0158] In one implementation, the controller is used to check the sensor acquisition voltage in the following manner:

[0159] Acquiring a first collected voltage of the evaporation sensor and a second collected voltage of the compartment sensor;

[0160] When the first collected voltage exceeds a normal range, the evaporation sensor is faulty;

[0161] When the second collected voltage exceeds the normal range, the compartment sensor is faulty.

[0162] Determining a target processing solution from a preset processing solution set according to the fault cause to perform fault processing on the refrigerator, and obtaining and recording the fault processing result, includes:

[0163] When the evaporation sensor fails, the failure state of the evaporation sensor is reported to the display panel of the refrigerator to remind the user to repair and replace the evaporation sensor;

[0164] When the compartment temperature sensor fails, the failure state of the compartment temperature sensor is reported to the display panel to remind the user to repair or replace the compartment temperature sensor.

[0165] For example, the voltage collected by each sensor is checked to see if it is within the normal range. If the sensor voltage value exceeds the normal range, the sensor is considered to be faulty, and the sensor fault status is reported to the display panel to remind the user to repair and replace it. After the user replaces the faulty sensor, the refrigerator is initialized and restarted.

[0166] See also Fig.11 , is a flow chart of a refrigerator control method provided by an embodiment of the present invention, comprising steps S1 to S4:

[0167] S1. When the defrost heater works abnormally or the real-time room temperature is abnormal, controlling the refrigerator to enter a self-check mode;

[0168] S2. In the self-check mode, the sensor collection voltage, the sensor installation position and the operating status of the controller are checked in sequence until the cause of the fault is found;

[0169] S3, determining a target processing solution from a preset processing solution set according to the fault cause, so as to perform fault processing on the refrigerator, and recording the fault cause and fault processing result;

[0170] S4. After the fault is handled, the refrigerator is controlled to initialize so that the refrigerator resumes normal operation.

[0171] It is worth noting that the working process of any refrigerator control method in the embodiments of the present invention can refer to the specific working process of the refrigerator controller described in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0172] Compared with the prior art, the refrigerator control method disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention controls the refrigerator to enter the self-check mode when the defrost heater works abnormally or the real-time compartment temperature is abnormal, and sequentially checks the sensor acquisition voltage, the sensor installation position and the operating status of the controller until the cause of the fault is found; according to the cause of the fault, a target processing scheme is determined from a preset processing scheme set to perform fault processing on the refrigerator, and the cause of the fault and the result of the fault processing are recorded; after the fault processing is completed, the refrigerator is controlled to be initialized so that the refrigerator resumes normal operation. The refrigerator and its control method disclosed in the present invention can automatically check the sensor acquisition voltage, the sensor installation position and the operating status of the controller in sequence when the defrost heating is abnormal or the compartment temperature is abnormal, and perform fault processing according to the inspection results, so as to timely process the refrigerator fault, improve the maintenance efficiency, and thus improve the user experience.

[0173] 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: The evaporator is located in the refrigerator and is used to generate cold air; A defrost heater is arranged near the evaporator and is used to generate heat and defrost the evaporator through heat diffusion; An evaporation sensor, disposed on the evaporator, for monitoring the real-time evaporation temperature of the evaporator; A compartment sensor, disposed in the compartment of the refrigerator, for monitoring the real-time room temperature of the compartment; Controller for: When the defrost heater works abnormally or the real-time room temperature is abnormal, controlling the refrigerator to enter a self-check mode; In the self-check mode, the sensor collection voltage, the sensor installation position and the operating status of the controller are checked in sequence until the cause of the fault is found; Determining a target processing solution from a preset processing solution set according to the fault cause to perform fault processing on the refrigerator, and recording the fault cause and fault processing result; After the fault is handled, the refrigerator is controlled to initialize so that the refrigerator resumes normal operation.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller is also used for: When the continuous heating time of the defrost heater reaches a preset maximum heating time threshold or the real-time evaporation temperature of the evaporation sensor reaches a preset maximum temperature threshold, it is determined that the defrost heater is operating abnormally; When it is determined that the compartment does not request cooling and the duration of the real-time compartment temperature being greater than the preset cooling start temperature reaches a preset abnormal non-cooling maximum time threshold, it is determined that the real-time compartment temperature is abnormal.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The refrigerator comprises a plurality of compartments, each of which is provided with a defrost heater, a compartment sensor, an evaporator and an evaporation sensor; The controller is used to check the installation position of the sensor in the following manner: Controlling the refrigerator to cool each of the compartments in turn; Before the refrigerator refrigerates the current compartment, the real-time temperature monitored by all sensors is obtained as the original temperature; wherein the sensors include a compartment sensor and an evaporation sensor; When the refrigeration time of the current compartment by the refrigerator reaches a preset refrigeration time, obtaining the real-time temperature monitored by all the sensors as the target temperature; Subtracting the corresponding original temperature from each target temperature to obtain the cooling temperature difference corresponding to each sensor; Selecting two sensors with the largest refrigeration temperature difference as the first sensor and the second sensor of the current compartment; When the target temperature of the first sensor is lower than the target temperature of the second sensor and the cooling temperature difference of the first sensor is higher than the cooling temperature difference of the second sensor, it is determined that the first sensor is the theoretical evaporation sensor of the current compartment and the second sensor is the theoretical compartment sensor of the current compartment; Each theoretical sensor of each compartment is respectively compared with the sensor information currently configured in the FLASH memory of the refrigerator to obtain the inspection result of the sensor installation position; wherein the theoretical sensor includes the theoretical evaporation sensor and the theoretical compartment sensor.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, characterized in that: Determining a target processing solution from a preset processing solution set according to the fault cause to perform fault processing on the refrigerator, and recording the fault cause and the fault processing result, including: When the inspection result of the sensor installation position is that the sensor position is installed incorrectly, based on the preset mapping relationship between the sensor category and the AD acquisition channel, a corresponding AD acquisition channel is allocated to each of the theoretical sensors to obtain a new channel allocation result, and the sensor position abnormality information is recorded in the FLASH memory.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that: The controlling the refrigerator to initialize so that the refrigerator resumes normal operation includes: By not feeding the dog for a preset waiting time, a hot reset of the controller is triggered; After the controller is reset, reading the fault cause in the FLASH memory of the refrigerator; When the fault cause is abnormal sensor position information, rewriting the new channel allocation result into the FLASH memory; Initialize all operating parameters of the refrigerator to restore the refrigerator to normal operation.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller is used to check the operating status of the controller in the following manner: When the inspection results of the sensor collection voltage and the sensor installation position are normal, the controller is inspected to obtain a software inspection result.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, characterized in that Determining a target processing solution from a preset processing solution set according to the fault cause to perform fault processing on the refrigerator, and recording the fault cause and the fault processing result, including: When the software check result is a program abnormality, the software parameters of the controller are initialized, a program abnormality record is generated, and the number of program abnormalities recorded in the FLASH memory of the refrigerator is controlled to increase by one; When the number of program abnormalities is greater than a preset threshold, the program abnormality status is displayed on the display panel of the refrigerator to remind the user to check the program design of the controller.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, characterized in that: The controlling the refrigerator to initialize so that the refrigerator resumes normal operation includes: By not feeding the dog for a preset waiting time, a hot reset of the controller is triggered; After the controller is reset, the number of program exceptions is read from the FLASH memory; When the number of program abnormalities is greater than a preset threshold, the program abnormality status is displayed on the display panel of the refrigerator to remind the user to check the program design of the controller.

9. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The controller is used to check the sensor acquisition voltage in the following manner: Acquiring a first collected voltage of the evaporation sensor and a second collected voltage of the compartment sensor; When the first collected voltage exceeds a normal range, the evaporation sensor is faulty; When the second collected voltage exceeds the normal range, the compartment sensor is faulty; Determining a target processing solution from a preset processing solution set according to the fault cause to perform fault processing on the refrigerator, and obtaining and recording the fault processing result, includes: When the evaporation sensor fails, the failure state of the evaporation sensor is reported to the display panel of the refrigerator to remind the user to repair and replace the evaporation sensor; When the compartment temperature sensor fails, the failure state of the compartment temperature sensor is reported to the display panel to remind the user to repair or replace the compartment temperature sensor.

10. A refrigerator control method, characterized in that: include: When the defrost heater of the refrigerator works abnormally or the real-time room temperature of the refrigerator is abnormal, controlling the refrigerator to enter a self-checking mode; In the self-check mode, the sensor collection voltage, the sensor installation position and the operating state of the refrigerator controller are checked in sequence until the cause of the fault is found; Determining a target processing solution from a preset processing solution set according to the fault cause to perform fault processing on the refrigerator, and recording the fault cause and fault processing result; After the fault is handled, the refrigerator is controlled to initialize so that the refrigerator resumes normal operation.

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