Air conditioner and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses an air conditioner and a control method thereof, and the air conditioner comprises a refrigerant circulation loop, a four-way valve, an indoor environment temperature sensor, an indoor coil pipe temperature sensor, an outdoor environment temperature sensor, an outdoor coil pipe temperature sensor, an exhaust pressure sensor, an air suction pressure sensor and a controller, the controller is configured to judge whether the direct-current four-way valve breaks down or not according to the change conditions of the indoor environment temperature, the indoor coil pipe temperature, the outdoor environment temperature, the outdoor coil pipe temperature and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor in different operation modes when the compressor is started and the four-way valve is determined to be the direct-current four-way valve, so that after the direct-current four-way valve breaks down, the direct-current four-way valve is switched on. According to the method, alarm or shutdown processing is carried out in time, user discomfort and complaint accidents caused by continuous operation of the air conditioner are avoided, meanwhile, after-sales personnel can conveniently carry out fault processing on the air conditioner in time, and the operation reliability of the air conditioner is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of air conditioners, and more particularly to an air conditioner and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] An air conditioner is an electrical product widely used in people's lives. The air conditioner plays an important role in regulating the indoor temperature, can provide a healthy and comfortable indoor environment for users, and meet the normal work, life and learning needs. A four-way valve is an essential key component for the vast majority of heating and cooling air conditioners. By reversing the four-way valve, the flow direction of the refrigerant can be switched, thereby switching between the cooling mode and the heating mode. When the system pressure difference is insufficient or foreign objects in the system, such as welding chips, wear particles, etc. enter the four-way valve, it will cause the four-way valve to fail to reverse or the reversal is not in place. When a fault such as reversal or gas leakage occurs in the four-way valve of the air conditioning system, the cooling or heating effect will become poor, which will affect the customer's use and even result in customer complaints. In the prior art, the fault handling of the four-way valve of the air conditioner mainly controls the ordinary AC four-way valve, and does not mention the control method for the DC four-way valve fault. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems occurring in the prior art. For this purpose, the object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner and a control method thereof.

[0004] An air conditioner according to the present invention includes: a refrigerant circulation circuit that enables the refrigerant to perform a refrigeration cycle in a circuit composed of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, one of the condenser and the evaporator being an outdoor heat exchanger and the other being an indoor heat exchanger; a four-way valve for switching the flow direction of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor; an indoor ambient temperature sensor for detecting the indoor ambient temperature; an indoor coil temperature sensor for detecting the indoor coil temperature; an outdoor ambient temperature sensor for detecting the outdoor ambient temperature; an outdoor coil temperature sensor for detecting the outdoor coil temperature; an exhaust pressure sensor for detecting the exhaust pressure of the compressor; a suction pressure sensor for detecting the suction pressure of the compressor; a controller configured to: when the compressor starts and it is determined that the four-way valve is a DC four-way valve, obtain the operating mode, indoor ambient temperature, indoor coil temperature, outdoor ambient temperature, outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor of the air conditioner, and determine whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the changes in the indoor ambient temperature, indoor coil temperature, outdoor ambient temperature, outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor under the operating mode.

[0005] In addition, the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention may further have the following additional technical features:

[0006] Further, when determining whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the changes in the indoor environmental temperature, indoor coil temperature, outdoor environmental temperature, outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor in the described operating mode, the controller is specifically configured to: obtain the first indoor environmental temperature, the first indoor coil temperature, and the first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor after the compressor has continuously operated for a first preset time, as well as the second indoor environmental temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor environmental temperature, the second outdoor coil temperature, and the second exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor after the compressor has continuously operated for a second preset time, and determine whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the operating mode, the first indoor environmental temperature, the first indoor coil temperature, the first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor, the second indoor environmental temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor environmental temperature, the second outdoor coil temperature, and the second exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor; wherein, the first preset time is less than the second preset time.

[0007] Further, when determining whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the operating mode, the first indoor environmental temperature, the first indoor coil temperature, the first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor, the second indoor environmental temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor environmental temperature, the second outdoor coil temperature, and the second exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor, the controller is specifically configured to: when the operating mode is the heating mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than a first preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor environmental temperature and the first indoor environmental temperature is not greater than a second preset difference, determine whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the second indoor environmental temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor environmental temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature; when the operating mode is the heating mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than a third preset difference, and the difference between the second exhaust / suction pressure and the first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor is not greater than a fourth preset difference, determine that the DC four-way valve has a gas leakage fault; wherein, the third preset difference is less than the first preset difference; when the operating mode is the heating mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is greater than the first preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor environmental temperature and the first indoor environmental temperature is greater than the second preset difference, and the continuous operation time of the compressor reaches a third preset time, determine that the DC four-way valve has not failed; wherein, the third preset time is greater than the second preset time.

[0008] Further, when determining whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature, the controller is specifically configured to: if the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature and the second indoor coil temperature is greater than or equal to a fifth preset difference, and the difference between the second outdoor coil temperature and the second outdoor ambient temperature is greater than or equal to a sixth preset difference, and the duration is greater than a fourth preset time, it is determined that the DC four-way valve has a complete non-reversing failure.

[0009] Further, when determining whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the operating mode, the first indoor ambient temperature, the first indoor coil temperature, the first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor, the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, the second outdoor coil temperature, and the second exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor, the controller is specifically configured to: when the operating mode is the cooling mode or the dehumidification mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is greater than a seventh preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature and the first indoor ambient temperature is greater than an eighth preset difference, determine whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature; when the operating mode is the cooling mode or the dehumidification mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than a ninth preset difference, and the difference between the second exhaust / suction pressure and the first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor is not greater than a tenth preset difference, it is determined that the DC four-way valve has a gas leakage failure; wherein, the ninth preset difference is less than the seventh preset difference; when the operating mode is the cooling mode or the dehumidification mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than the seventh preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature and the first indoor ambient temperature is not greater than the eighth preset difference, and the continuous operation time of the compressor reaches a sixth preset time, it is determined that the DC four-way valve has no failure; wherein, the sixth preset time is greater than the second preset time.

[0010] Further, when determining whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature, the controller is specifically configured to: if the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the second indoor ambient temperature is greater than or equal to a ninth preset difference, and the difference between the second outdoor ambient temperature and the second outdoor coil temperature is greater than or equal to a tenth preset difference, and the duration is greater than a seventh preset time, it is determined that the DC four-way valve has a complete non-reversing failure.

[0011] Further, after it is determined that the direct current four-way valve has the complete non-reversing fault or the gas leakage fault, the controller is further configured to: control the compressor to stop, and after an eighth preset time, control the direct current four-way valve to conduct reverse direct current for a ninth preset time, and after a tenth preset time of delay, restart the compressor, and return to execute the step of judging whether the direct current four-way valve has a fault according to the changes in the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor under the operating mode.

[0012] Further, the controller is further configured to: alarm according to the number of consecutive faults of the direct current four-way valve, where the faults include the gas leakage fault and the complete non-reversing fault.

[0013] Further, when alarming according to the number of consecutive faults of the direct current four-way valve, the controller is specifically configured to: when the number of consecutive faults of the direct current four-way valve reaches a preset number, control the outdoor unit to stop and output an alarm signal.

[0014] For the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the compressor starts and it is determined that the four-way valve is a direct current four-way valve, by obtaining the operating mode of the air conditioner, the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor, and judging whether the direct current four-way valve has a fault according to the changes in the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor under different operating modes, it is possible to alarm or stop the machine in time after the direct current four-way valve has a fault, avoid discomfort to the user and complaints caused by the continuous operation of the air conditioner, and at the same time facilitate the after-sales personnel to process the faults of the air conditioner in time, improving the reliability of the operation of the air conditioner itself. Further, after it is determined that the direct current four-way valve has the complete non-reversing fault or the gas leakage fault, control the compressor to stop, and after an eighth preset time, control the direct current four-way valve to conduct reverse direct current for a ninth preset time, and after a tenth preset time of delay, restart the compressor, and return to execute the step of judging whether the direct current four-way valve has a fault according to the changes in the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor under the operating mode, which can further improve the accuracy of the judgment result.

[0015] In view of the above problems, the present invention further provides a control method for an air conditioner, which is used for the air conditioner described in any of the above embodiments. The method includes the following steps: When the compressor starts and it is determined that the four-way valve is a DC four-way valve, obtain the operating mode of the air conditioner, the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the discharge / suction pressure of the compressor; determine whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the changes in the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the discharge / suction pressure of the compressor under the operating mode.

[0016] According to the control method of the air conditioner in the embodiment of the present invention, when the compressor starts and it is determined that the four-way valve is a DC four-way valve, by obtaining the operating mode of the air conditioner, the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the discharge / suction pressure of the compressor, and determining whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the changes in the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the discharge / suction pressure of the compressor under different operating modes, it is possible to give an alarm or stop the machine in time after the DC four-way valve fails, avoid discomfort to users and complaints caused by the continuous operation of the air conditioner, and at the same time facilitate after-sales personnel to handle the faults of the air conditioner in time, improving the reliability of the operation of the air conditioner itself. Further, after determining that the DC four-way valve has a complete non-reversing fault or a gas leakage fault, control the compressor to stop, and after the eighth preset time, control the DC four-way valve to conduct reverse direct current for the ninth preset time, and after delaying the tenth preset time, start the compressor again, and return to execute the step of determining whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the changes in the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the discharge / suction pressure of the compressor under the operating mode, which can further improve the accuracy of the judgment result.

[0017] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description, become apparent in part from the following description, or be learned through the practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above and additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and be readily understood from the following description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the refrigeration cycle system of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a controller according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3It is a schematic structural diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 It is a flowchart for judging whether a direct current four-way valve fails according to the changes of indoor environmental temperature, indoor coil temperature, outdoor environmental temperature, outdoor coil temperature, and exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor under different operating modes according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 It is a flowchart for judging whether a direct current four-way valve fails according to the operating mode, first indoor environmental temperature, first indoor coil temperature, first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor, second indoor environmental temperature, second indoor coil temperature, second outdoor environmental temperature, second outdoor coil temperature, and second exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 It is a flowchart for judging whether a direct current four-way valve fails according to the operating mode, first indoor environmental temperature, first indoor coil temperature, first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor, second indoor environmental temperature, second indoor coil temperature, second outdoor environmental temperature, second outdoor coil temperature, and second exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 7 It is a flowchart after judging that the direct current four-way valve has a complete non-reversing failure or a gas leakage failure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 8 It is a flowchart of a control method for an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specific embodiments

[0027] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0028] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying 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 construed as a limitation of the present invention.

[0029] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more.

[0030] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the terms "mounted", "connected" and "coupled" shall be construed in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it may be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, and it may be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention may be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0031] As Figure 1 shown, one of the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger is a condenser and the other is an evaporator. In the present invention, the air conditioner performs the refrigeration cycle by using a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator and a four-way valve. The refrigeration cycle includes a series of processes involving compression, condensation, expansion and evaporation, and supplies refrigerant to the air that has been conditioned and heat-exchanged.

[0032] The compressor compresses the refrigerant gas in a high-temperature and high-pressure state that enters from the suction pipe and discharges the compressed refrigerant gas through the discharge pipe. The discharged refrigerant gas flows into the condenser from the condenser inlet pipe. The condenser condenses the compressed refrigerant into a liquid phase, and the heat is released to the surrounding environment through the condensation process.

[0033] The indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger serve as a condenser or an evaporator. When the indoor heat exchanger serves as a condenser, the air conditioner serves as a heater in the heating mode, and when the indoor heat exchanger serves as an evaporator, the air conditioner serves as a cooler in the cooling mode.

[0034] The expansion valve expands the high-temperature and high-pressure liquid-phase refrigerant that has been condensed in the condenser and discharged through the condenser outlet pipe into a low-pressure liquid-phase refrigerant. The evaporator evaporates the refrigerant that has expanded in the expansion valve and returns the refrigerant gas in a low-temperature and low-pressure state to the compressor. The evaporator can achieve a refrigeration effect by using the latent heat of evaporation of the refrigerant to perform heat exchange with the material to be cooled. During the whole cycle, the air conditioner can adjust the temperature of the indoor space.

[0035] In the embodiment shown in the present application, the air conditioner further includes a controller 71, which refers to a device that can generate operation control signals according to instruction operation codes and timing signals to instruct the air conditioner to execute control instructions. For example, in response to the power-on or power-off instructions issued by the user received, the controller 71 can perform operations related to the object selected by the power-on or power-off instructions.

[0036] The embodiment of the present application also provides a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a controller 71, as Figure 2 shown. The controller 71 includes a processor 83. Optionally, it further includes a memory 82 and a communication interface 84 connected to the processor 83. The processor 83, the memory 82, and the communication interface 84 are connected through a bus 81.

[0037] The processor 83 can be a central processing unit 83 (CPU), a general-purpose processor 83, a network processor 83 (NP), a digital signal processor 83 (DSP), a microprocessor 83, a microcontroller 83, a programmable logic device (PLD), or any combination thereof. The processor 83 can also be any other device with processing functions, such as a circuit, a device, or a software module. The processor 83 can also include multiple CPUs, and the processor 83 can be a single-core (single CPU) processor 83 or a multi-core (multi CPU) processor 83. Here, the processor 83 can refer to one or more devices, circuits, or processing cores for processing data (such as computer program instructions).

[0038] The memory 82 can be a read only memory (ROM), or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM), or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions. It can also be an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read only memory (CD ROM), or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer. The embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on this. The memory 82 can exist independently or be integrated with the processor 83. Among them, the memory 82 can contain computer program code. The processor 83 is used to execute the computer program code stored in the memory 82, so as to implement the control method of the air conditioner provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0039] The communication interface 84 can be used to communicate with other devices or communication networks (such as Ethernet, radio access network (RAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), etc.). The communication interface 84 can be a module, a circuit, a transceiver, or any device capable of implementing communication.

[0040] The bus 81 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus 81 or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus 81, etc. The bus 81 can be divided into an address bus 81, a data bus 81, a control bus 81, etc.

[0041] Next, in combination with Figures 3 - 8 Describe the air conditioner and its control method according to the embodiments of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 3As shown in the figure, an air conditioner includes: a refrigerant circulation circuit 11, a four-way valve 12, an indoor ambient temperature sensor 13, an indoor coil temperature sensor 14, an outdoor ambient temperature sensor 15, an outdoor coil temperature sensor 16, an exhaust pressure sensor 17, a suction pressure sensor 18, and a controller 71. Among them, the refrigerant circulation circuit 11 enables the refrigerant to perform a refrigeration cycle in a circuit composed of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. One of the condenser and the evaporator is an outdoor heat exchanger, and the other is an indoor heat exchanger; the four-way valve 12 is used to switch the flow direction of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor; the indoor ambient temperature sensor 13 is used to detect the indoor ambient temperature; the indoor coil temperature sensor 14 is used to detect the indoor coil temperature; the outdoor ambient temperature sensor 15 is used to detect the outdoor ambient temperature; the outdoor coil temperature sensor 16 is used to detect the outdoor coil temperature; the exhaust pressure sensor 17 is used to detect the exhaust pressure of the compressor; the suction pressure sensor 18 is used to detect the suction pressure of the compressor; the controller 71 is configured to: when the compressor starts and it is determined that the four-way valve 12 is a DC four-way valve, obtain the operating mode of the air conditioner, the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor, and judge whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the changes in the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor under different operating modes.

[0043] Specifically, when the compressor starts and the air conditioner is operating in the cooling (including dehumidification) or heating mode, if the DC four-way valve has poor commutation (including complete non-commutation failure and gas leakage failure), the key parameters of the refrigeration system will show different characteristics, including but not limited to the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor. In the embodiments of the present invention, by analyzing the changes in the above key parameters under different operating modes, it is possible to accurately judge whether the DC four-way valve fails, so as to perform alarm or shutdown processing in time after the DC four-way valve fails, avoid discomfort to users and complaints caused by the continuous operation of the air conditioner, and at the same time facilitate after-sales personnel to perform fault handling on the air conditioner in time, improving the reliability of the operation of the air conditioner itself.

[0044] In a specific embodiment, it is possible to determine whether the four-way valve 12 is a DC four-way valve by obtaining a preset flag bit in the memory. For example, when the preset flag bit is "1", the four-way valve 12 is a DC four-way valve, and when the preset flag bit is "0", the four-way valve 12 is an AC four-way valve.

[0045] In an embodiment of the present invention, as Figure 4As shown, when determining whether the DC four-way valve fails based on the changes in the indoor ambient temperature, indoor coil temperature, outdoor ambient temperature, outdoor coil temperature, and the discharge / suction pressure of the compressor under different operating modes, the controller 71 is specifically configured to: obtain the first indoor ambient temperature, the first indoor coil temperature, and the first discharge / suction pressure of the compressor after the compressor has continuously operated for a first preset time, and the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, the second outdoor coil temperature, and the second discharge / suction pressure of the compressor after the compressor has continuously operated for a second preset time, and determine whether the DC four-way valve fails according to different operating modes, the first indoor ambient temperature, the first indoor coil temperature, the first discharge / suction pressure of the compressor, the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, the second outdoor coil temperature, and the second discharge / suction pressure of the compressor; wherein, the first preset time is less than the second preset time.

[0046] Specifically, when the compressor starts and it is determined that the four-way valve 12 is a DC four-way valve, obtain the first indoor ambient temperature, the first indoor coil temperature, and the first discharge / suction pressure of the compressor after the compressor has continuously operated for a first preset time, and the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, the second outdoor coil temperature, and the second discharge / suction pressure of the compressor after the compressor has continuously operated for a second preset time, so as to determine whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the changes in the indoor ambient temperature, indoor coil temperature, outdoor ambient temperature, outdoor coil temperature, and the discharge / suction pressure of the compressor under different operating modes. That is, after the compressor starts, determine whether the DC four-way valve fails based on the indoor ambient temperature, indoor coil temperature, outdoor ambient temperature, outdoor coil temperature, and the discharge / suction pressure of the compressor at two different times.

[0047] In a specific embodiment, the first preset time and the second preset time can be preset according to the actual situation. Exemplarily, if the first preset time is 5 minutes and the second preset time is 8 minutes, then after the compressor starts, determine whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the indoor ambient temperature, indoor coil temperature, outdoor ambient temperature, outdoor coil temperature, and the discharge / suction pressure of the compressor when the compressor has continuously operated for 5 minutes and 8 minutes under different operating modes.

[0048] In an embodiment of the present invention, as Figure 5As shown, when determining whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the operating mode, the first indoor environmental temperature, the first indoor coil temperature, the first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor, the second indoor environmental temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor environmental temperature, the second outdoor coil temperature, and the second exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor, the controller 71 is specifically configured as follows: when the operating mode is the heating mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than the first preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor environmental temperature and the first indoor environmental temperature is not greater than the second preset difference, determine whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the second indoor environmental temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor environmental temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature; when the operating mode is the heating mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than the third preset difference, and the difference between the second exhaust / suction pressure and the first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor is not greater than the fourth preset difference, determine that the DC four-way valve has a gas leakage fault; where the third preset difference is less than the first preset difference; when the operating mode is the heating mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is greater than the first preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor environmental temperature and the first indoor environmental temperature is greater than the second preset difference, and the continuous operation time of the compressor reaches the third preset time, determine that the DC four-way valve has not failed; where the third preset time is greater than the second preset time.

[0049] Specifically, after the compressor starts, if the air conditioner operates in the heating mode and the compressor operates continuously for a period of time, the indoor coil temperature and the indoor environmental temperature will gradually increase, that is, the second indoor coil temperature will be higher than the first indoor coil temperature by a certain value, and the second indoor environmental temperature will be higher than the first indoor environmental temperature by a certain value. If the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than the first preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor environmental temperature and the first indoor environmental temperature is not greater than the second preset difference, it is initially considered that the DC four-way valve may fail. At this time, determine whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the second indoor environmental temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor environmental temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature, so as to improve the accuracy of determining whether the DC four-way valve fails.

[0050] In some other embodiments, when the air conditioner operates in the heating mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than a third preset difference, and the difference between the second exhaust / suction pressure and the first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor is not greater than a fourth preset difference, it is considered that the indoor coil temperature and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor corresponding to the continuous operation of the first preset time change insignificantly compared with the indoor coil temperature and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor corresponding to the continuous operation of the second preset time, that is, the indoor coil temperature and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor basically remain unchanged, then the DC four-way valve has a gas leakage fault. Among them, the third preset difference is smaller than the first preset difference. Thus, compared with the previous embodiment, the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature in this embodiment is smaller, indicating that the indoor coil temperature basically remains unchanged.

[0051] In some other embodiments, when the air conditioner operates in the heating mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is greater than the first preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature and the first indoor ambient temperature is greater than the second preset difference, and the continuous operation time of the compressor reaches the third preset time, as described above, it is considered that the second indoor coil temperature is higher than the first indoor coil temperature by a certain value, and the second indoor ambient temperature is higher than the first indoor ambient temperature by a certain value, and it is determined that the DC four-way valve has no fault; among them, the third preset time is greater than the second preset time.

[0052] In a specific embodiment, the first preset time, the second preset time, the third preset time, the first preset difference, the second preset difference, the third preset difference, and the fourth preset difference can be preset according to the actual situation. Exemplarily, the first preset time is 5 minutes, the second preset time is 8 minutes, the third preset time is 10 minutes, the first preset difference is 8 °C, the second preset difference is 2 °C, the third preset difference is 1 °C, and the fourth preset difference is 0.05 MPa. Then, when the air conditioner operates in the heating mode, and when the compressor continuously operates for 5 minutes and 8 minutes, the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the discharge / suction pressure of the compressor are respectively obtained. If the difference between the second indoor coil temperature corresponding to 8 minutes and the first indoor coil temperature corresponding to 5 minutes is not greater than 8 °C, and the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature corresponding to 8 minutes and the first indoor ambient temperature corresponding to 5 minutes is not greater than 2 °C, the direct current four-way valve is judged whether it fails according to the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature corresponding to 8 minutes; if the difference between the second indoor coil temperature corresponding to 8 minutes and the first indoor coil temperature corresponding to 5 minutes is not greater than 1 °C, and the difference between the second discharge / suction pressure of the compressor corresponding to 8 minutes and the first discharge / suction pressure corresponding to 5 minutes is not greater than 0.05 MPa, it is judged that the direct current four-way valve has a gas leakage fault; if the difference between the second indoor coil temperature corresponding to 8 minutes and the first indoor coil temperature corresponding to 5 minutes is greater than 8 °C, and the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature corresponding to 8 minutes and the first indoor ambient temperature corresponding to 5 minutes is greater than 2 °C, and the continuous operation time of the compressor reaches 10 minutes, it is judged that the direct current four-way valve has not failed.

[0053] In an embodiment of the present invention, when judging whether the direct current four-way valve fails according to the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature, the controller 71 is specifically configured to: if the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature and the second indoor coil temperature is greater than or equal to a fifth preset difference, and the difference between the second outdoor coil temperature and the second outdoor ambient temperature is greater than or equal to a sixth preset difference, and the duration is greater than a fourth preset time, it is judged that the direct current four-way valve has a complete non-reversing fault.

[0054] Specifically, after the compressor starts, if the air conditioner operates in the heating mode, for the indoor heat exchanger, only when the indoor coil temperature is higher than the indoor ambient temperature by a certain value can the indoor heat exchanger play a role in releasing heat and reducing the temperature; for the outdoor heat exchanger, only when the outdoor ambient temperature is higher than the outdoor coil temperature by a certain value can the outdoor heat exchanger play a role in absorbing heat and increasing the temperature. In this way, the temperature of the indoor environment can be increased. If the direct current four-way valve has a complete non-reversing fault, then within a certain period of time, the indoor ambient temperature will be higher than the indoor coil temperature, and the outdoor coil temperature will be higher than the outdoor ambient temperature. Therefore, within a certain period of time, the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the outdoor ambient temperature can be compared to determine whether the direct current four-way valve has a complete non-reversing fault. The embodiment of the present invention is described by the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature after the compressor continuously operates for the second preset time. That is, if the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature and the second indoor coil temperature is greater than or equal to the fifth preset difference, and the difference between the second outdoor coil temperature and the second outdoor ambient temperature is greater than or equal to the sixth preset difference, and the duration is greater than the fourth preset time, it is considered that within the fourth preset time, the indoor ambient temperature is higher than the indoor coil temperature, and the outdoor coil temperature is higher than the outdoor ambient temperature, then it is determined that the direct current four-way valve has a complete non-reversing fault.

[0055] In a specific embodiment, the second preset time, the fourth preset time, the fifth preset difference, and the sixth preset difference can be preset according to the actual situation. Exemplarily, the second preset time is 8 minutes, the fourth preset time is 10s, the fifth preset difference is 10 °C, and the sixth preset difference is 15 °C. Then when the air conditioner operates in the heating mode and the compressor continuously operates for 8 minutes, the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, and the outdoor coil temperature are respectively obtained. If the difference between the second indoor coil temperature corresponding to 8 minutes and the first indoor coil temperature corresponding to 5 minutes is not greater than 1 °C, and the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature corresponding to 8 minutes and the second indoor coil temperature is greater than or equal to 10 °C, and the difference between the second outdoor coil temperature corresponding to 8 minutes and the second outdoor ambient temperature is greater than or equal to 15 °C, and the duration is greater than 10s, it is determined that the direct current four-way valve has a complete non-reversing fault.

[0056] In an embodiment of the present invention, as Figure 6As shown, when determining whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the operating mode, the first indoor ambient temperature, the first indoor coil temperature, the first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor, the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, the second outdoor coil temperature, and the second exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor, the controller 71 is specifically configured as follows: When the operating mode is the cooling mode or the dehumidification mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is greater than the seventh preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature and the first indoor ambient temperature is greater than the eighth preset difference, determine whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature; When the operating mode is the cooling mode or the dehumidification mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than the ninth preset difference, and the difference between the second exhaust / suction pressure and the first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor is not greater than the tenth preset difference, determine that the DC four-way valve has a gas leakage fault; where the ninth preset difference is less than the seventh preset difference; When the operating mode is the cooling mode or the dehumidification mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than the seventh preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature and the first indoor ambient temperature is not greater than the eighth preset difference, and the continuous operation time of the compressor reaches the sixth preset time, determine that the DC four-way valve has not failed; where the sixth preset time is greater than the second preset time.

[0057] Specifically, after the compressor starts, if the air conditioner operates in the cooling mode or the dehumidification mode, and the compressor operates continuously for a period of time, the indoor coil temperature and the indoor ambient temperature will gradually decrease, that is, the second indoor coil temperature will be lower than the first indoor coil temperature by a certain value, and the second indoor ambient temperature will be lower than the first indoor ambient temperature by a certain value. If the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is greater than the seventh preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature and the first indoor ambient temperature is greater than the eighth preset difference, it is initially considered that the DC four-way valve may fail. At this time, determine whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature, so as to improve the accuracy of determining whether the DC four-way valve fails.

[0058] In some other embodiments, when the air conditioner operates in the cooling mode or the dehumidifying mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than a ninth preset difference, and the difference between the second exhaust / suction pressure and the first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor is not greater than a tenth preset difference, it is considered that the indoor coil temperature and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor corresponding to the first preset continuous operation time change insignificantly compared with the indoor coil temperature and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor corresponding to the second preset continuous operation time, that is, the indoor coil temperature and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor basically remain unchanged, then the DC four-way valve has a gas leakage fault. Among them, the ninth preset difference is less than the seventh preset difference. Thus, compared with the previous embodiment, the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature in this embodiment is smaller, indicating that the indoor coil temperature basically remains unchanged.

[0059] In some other embodiments, when the air conditioner operates in the cooling mode or the dehumidifying mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than the seventh preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature and the first indoor ambient temperature is not greater than the eighth preset difference, and the continuous operation time of the compressor reaches the sixth preset time, as described above, it is considered that the second indoor coil temperature is lower than the first indoor coil temperature by a certain value, and the second indoor ambient temperature is lower than the first indoor ambient temperature by a certain value, and it is determined that the DC four-way valve has no fault; among them, the sixth preset time is greater than the second preset time.

[0060] In a specific embodiment, the first preset time, the second preset time, the sixth preset time, the seventh preset difference, the eighth preset difference, the ninth preset difference, and the tenth preset difference can be preset according to the actual situation. Exemplarily, the first preset time is 5 minutes, the second preset time is 8 minutes, the sixth preset time is 10 minutes, the seventh preset difference is 8 °C, the eighth preset difference is 2 °C, the ninth preset difference is 1 °C, and the tenth preset difference is 0.05 MPa. Then, when the air conditioner operates in the cooling mode or the dehumidifying mode, and when the compressor continuously operates for 5 minutes and 8 minutes, the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor are respectively obtained. If the difference between the second indoor coil temperature corresponding to 8 minutes and the first indoor coil temperature corresponding to 5 minutes is greater than 8 °C, and the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature corresponding to 8 minutes and the first indoor ambient temperature corresponding to 5 minutes is greater than 2 °C, it is determined whether the DC four-way valve is faulty according to the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature; if the difference between the second indoor coil temperature corresponding to 8 minutes and the first indoor coil temperature corresponding to 5 minutes is not greater than 1 °C, and the difference between the second exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor corresponding to 8 minutes and the first exhaust / suction pressure corresponding to 5 minutes is not greater than 0.05 MPa, it is determined that the DC four-way valve has a gas leakage fault; if the difference between the second indoor coil temperature corresponding to 8 minutes and the first indoor coil temperature corresponding to 5 minutes is not greater than 8 °C, and the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature corresponding to 8 minutes and the first indoor ambient temperature corresponding to 5 minutes is not greater than 2 °C, and the continuous operation time of the compressor reaches 10 minutes, it is determined that the DC four-way valve is not faulty.

[0061] In an embodiment of the present invention, when determining whether the DC four-way valve is faulty according to the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature, the controller 71 is specifically configured to: if the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the second indoor ambient temperature is greater than or equal to the ninth preset difference, and the difference between the second outdoor ambient temperature and the second outdoor coil temperature is greater than or equal to the tenth preset difference, and the duration is greater than the seventh preset time, it is determined that the DC four-way valve has a complete non-reversing fault.

[0062] Specifically, after the compressor starts, if the air conditioner operates in the cooling mode or the dehumidifying mode, for the indoor heat exchanger, only when the indoor coil temperature is lower than the indoor ambient temperature by a certain value can the indoor heat exchanger play the role of absorbing heat and raising the temperature; for the outdoor heat exchanger, only when the outdoor ambient temperature is lower than the outdoor coil temperature by a certain value can the outdoor heat exchanger play the role of releasing heat and lowering the temperature. In this way, the temperature of the indoor environment can be reduced. If the direct current four-way valve has a complete non-reversing fault, then within a certain period of time, the indoor ambient temperature will be lower than the indoor coil temperature, and the outdoor coil temperature will be lower than the outdoor ambient temperature. Therefore, within a certain period of time, the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the outdoor ambient temperature can be compared to determine whether the direct current four-way valve has a complete non-reversing fault. The embodiment of the present invention is described by using the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature after the compressor continuously operates for the second preset time, that is, if the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the second indoor ambient temperature is greater than or equal to the ninth preset difference, and the difference between the second outdoor ambient temperature and the second outdoor coil temperature is greater than or equal to the tenth preset difference, and the duration is greater than the seventh preset time, it is considered that within the seventh preset time, the indoor ambient temperature will be lower than the indoor coil temperature, and the outdoor coil temperature will be lower than the outdoor ambient temperature, then it is determined that the direct current four-way valve has a complete non-reversing fault.

[0063] In an embodiment of the present invention, as Figure 7 shown, after it is determined that the direct current four-way valve has a complete non-reversing fault or a gas leakage fault, the controller 71 is further configured to: control the compressor to stop, and after the eighth preset time, control the direct current four-way valve to conduct reverse direct current for the ninth preset time, and after delaying for the tenth preset time, restart the compressor again, and return to execute the step of determining whether the direct current four-way valve has a fault according to the changes in the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor under the described operating mode.

[0064] Specifically, after determining that the DC four-way valve has a complete non-reversing failure or a gas leakage failure, the embodiment of the present invention controls the compressor to stop, and after an eighth preset time, controls the DC four-way valve to conduct reverse direct current for a ninth preset time, and after delaying for a tenth preset time, starts the compressor again, and returns to execute the step of determining whether the DC four-way valve has a failure according to the changes in the indoor ambient temperature, indoor coil temperature, outdoor ambient temperature, outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor under the said operation mode, so as to observe whether the DC four-way valve will return to normal, so that after the DC four-way valve returns to normal, it enters the normal heating or cooling mode, avoiding misjudgment due to insufficient system pressure difference and further improving the accuracy of the judgment result. It should be noted that after controlling the four-way valve to conduct reverse direct current for the ninth preset time and delaying for the tenth preset time, starting the compressor again and determining whether the DC four-way valve has a failure are as described in the foregoing embodiment and will not be elaborated here. In a specific embodiment, the eighth preset time, the ninth preset time, and the tenth preset time can be preset according to actual conditions. Exemplarily, the eighth preset time is 50 s, the ninth preset time is 10 s, and the tenth preset time is 3 minutes.

[0065] In an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 71 is further configured to: give an alarm according to the number of consecutive failures of the DC four-way valve, where the failures include gas leakage failures and complete non-reversing failures.

[0066] Specifically, after determining that the DC four-way valve has a complete non-reversing failure or a gas leakage failure, the embodiment of the present invention controls the compressor to stop, and after an eighth preset time, controls the DC four-way valve to conduct reverse direct current for a ninth preset time, and after delaying for a tenth preset time, starts the compressor again, and returns to execute the step of determining whether the DC four-way valve has a failure according to the changes in the indoor ambient temperature, indoor coil temperature, outdoor ambient temperature, outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor under the said operation mode. If the DC four-way valve cannot return to normal, there may continue to be gas leakage failures or complete non-reversing failures, then an alarm is given according to the number of consecutive failures of the DC four-way valve. Specifically, when the number of consecutive failures of the DC four-way valve reaches a preset number, control the outdoor unit to stop and output an alarm signal, avoiding discomfort for users and complaints caused by the continued operation of the air conditioner, and at the same time facilitating after-sales personnel to timely handle the faults of the air conditioner and improving the reliability of the operation of the air conditioner itself. When the number of consecutive failures of the DC four-way valve does not reach the preset number, it is considered that the DC four-way valve can return to normal, and then it enters the normal heating or cooling mode.

[0067] According to the air conditioner of the embodiment of the present invention, when the compressor starts and it is determined that the four-way valve is a DC four-way valve, by obtaining the operating mode of the air conditioner, the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor, and judging whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the changes of the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor under different operating modes, it is possible to give an alarm or stop the machine in time after the DC four-way valve fails, avoiding discomfort of users and complaint accidents caused by the continuous operation of the air conditioner, and at the same time facilitating after-sales personnel to handle the faults of the air conditioner in time, improving the reliability of the operation of the air conditioner itself. Further, after judging that the DC four-way valve has a complete non-reversing fault or a gas leakage fault, the compressor is controlled to stop, and after the eighth preset time, the DC four-way valve is controlled to conduct reverse direct current for the ninth preset time, and after delaying the tenth preset time, the compressor is started again, and the step of judging whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the changes of the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor under the operating mode is returned to execute, which can further improve the accuracy of the judgment result.

[0068] A further embodiment of the present invention also discloses a control method for an air conditioner, which is used for the air conditioner described in any of the above embodiments. Figure 8 It is a flowchart of a control method for an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 8 shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0069] Step S1: When the compressor starts and it is determined that the four-way valve is a DC four-way valve, obtain the operating mode of the air conditioner, the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor.

[0070] Step S2: Judge whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the changes of the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor under the operating mode.

[0071] In an embodiment of the present invention, according to the changes in the indoor ambient temperature, indoor coil temperature, outdoor ambient temperature, outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor under different operating modes, it is determined whether the DC four-way valve fails, including: obtaining the first indoor ambient temperature, the first indoor coil temperature, and the first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor after the compressor has continuously operated for a first preset time, and the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, the second outdoor coil temperature, and the second exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor after the compressor has continuously operated for a second preset time, and determining whether the DC four-way valve fails according to different operating modes, the first indoor ambient temperature, the first indoor coil temperature, the first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor, the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, the second outdoor coil temperature, and the second exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor; wherein, the first preset time is less than the second preset time.

[0072] In an embodiment of the present invention, determining whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the operating mode, the first indoor ambient temperature, the first indoor coil temperature, the first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor, the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, the second outdoor coil temperature, and the second exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor includes: when the operating mode is the heating mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than a first preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature and the first indoor ambient temperature is not greater than a second preset difference, determining whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature; when the operating mode is the heating mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than a third preset difference, and the difference between the second exhaust / suction pressure and the first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor is not greater than a fourth preset difference, determining that the DC four-way valve has a gas leakage fault; wherein, the third preset difference is less than the first preset difference; when the operating mode is the heating mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is greater than the first preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature and the first indoor ambient temperature is greater than the second preset difference, and the continuous operation time of the compressor reaches a third preset time, determining that the DC four-way valve has not failed; wherein, the third preset time is greater than the second preset time.

[0073] In an embodiment of the present invention, determining whether a DC four-way valve fails based on the second indoor environmental temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor environmental temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature includes: if the difference between the second indoor environmental temperature and the second indoor coil temperature is greater than or equal to a fifth preset difference, and the difference between the second outdoor coil temperature and the second outdoor environmental temperature is greater than or equal to a sixth preset difference, and the duration is greater than a fourth preset time, it is determined that the DC four-way valve has a complete non-reversing failure.

[0074] In an embodiment of the present invention, determining whether a DC four-way valve fails based on the operating mode, the first indoor environmental temperature, the first indoor coil temperature, the first exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor, the second indoor environmental temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor environmental temperature, the second outdoor coil temperature, and the second exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor includes: when the operating mode is a cooling mode or a dehumidifying mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is greater than a seventh preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor environmental temperature and the first indoor environmental temperature is greater than an eighth preset difference, determining whether the DC four-way valve fails based on the second indoor environmental temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor environmental temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature; when the operating mode is a cooling mode or a dehumidifying mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than a ninth preset difference, and the difference between the second exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor and the first exhaust / suction pressure is not greater than a tenth preset difference, it is determined that the DC four-way valve has a gas leakage failure; wherein, the ninth preset difference is less than the seventh preset difference; when the operating mode is a cooling mode or a dehumidifying mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than the seventh preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor environmental temperature and the first indoor environmental temperature is not greater than the eighth preset difference, and the continuous operating time of the compressor reaches a sixth preset time, it is determined that the DC four-way valve has not failed; wherein, the sixth preset time is greater than the second preset time.

[0075] In an embodiment of the present invention, determining whether a DC four-way valve fails based on the second indoor environmental temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor environmental temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature includes: if the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the second indoor environmental temperature is greater than or equal to a ninth preset difference, and the difference between the second outdoor environmental temperature and the second outdoor coil temperature is greater than or equal to a tenth preset difference, and the duration is greater than a seventh preset time, it is determined that the DC four-way valve has a complete non-reversing failure.

[0076] In one embodiment of the present invention, after determining that the direct-current four-way valve has the complete non-reversing fault or the gas leakage fault, the method further includes: controlling the compressor to stop; after an eighth preset time, controlling the direct-current four-way valve to conduct reverse direct current for a ninth preset time; after delaying for a tenth preset time, restarting the compressor, and returning to execute the step of determining whether the direct-current four-way valve has a fault according to the changes in the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor under the operating mode.

[0077] In one embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes: alarming according to the number of consecutive faults of the direct-current four-way valve, where the faults include the gas leakage fault and the complete non-reversing fault.

[0078] In one embodiment of the present invention, alarming according to the number of consecutive faults of the direct-current four-way valve includes: when the number of consecutive faults of the direct-current four-way valve reaches a preset number, controlling the outdoor unit to stop and outputting an alarm signal.

[0079] It should be noted that when the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention is controlled, its specific implementation manner is similar to the control method of the air conditioner controller 71 in the embodiment of the present invention. For details, please refer to the description in the method part. To reduce redundancy, it will not be elaborated here.

[0080] According to the control method of the air conditioner in the embodiment of the present invention, when the compressor starts and it is determined that the four-way valve is a direct-current four-way valve, by obtaining the operating mode, the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor of the air conditioner, and determining whether the direct-current four-way valve has a fault according to the changes in the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor under different operating modes, it is possible to give an alarm or stop the machine in time after the direct-current four-way valve has a fault, avoid discomfort to the user and complaints caused by the continuous operation of the air conditioner, and at the same time facilitate the after-sales personnel to handle the fault of the air conditioner in time, improving the reliability of the operation of the air conditioner itself. Further, after determining that the direct-current four-way valve has the complete non-reversing fault or the gas leakage fault, controlling the compressor to stop; after an eighth preset time, controlling the direct-current four-way valve to conduct reverse direct current for a ninth preset time; after delaying for a tenth preset time, restarting the compressor, and returning to execute the step of determining whether the direct-current four-way valve has a fault according to the changes in the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / suction pressure of the compressor under the operating mode can further improve the accuracy of the judgment result.

[0081] In the description of this specification, the descriptions referring to terms such as "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "schematic embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples", etc., mean that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example.

[0082] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An air conditioner, characterized in that: include: A refrigerant circulation loop, wherein the refrigerant performs a refrigeration cycle in a loop consisting of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, wherein one of the condenser and the evaporator is an outdoor heat exchanger and the other is an indoor heat exchanger; A four-way valve for switching the flow direction of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor; Indoor ambient temperature sensor, used to detect indoor ambient temperature; Indoor coil temperature sensor, used to detect indoor coil temperature; Outdoor ambient temperature sensor, used to detect outdoor ambient temperature; Outdoor coil temperature sensor, used to detect outdoor coil temperature; An exhaust pressure sensor, used to detect the exhaust pressure of the compressor; A suction pressure sensor, used to detect the suction pressure of the compressor; A controller, wherein the controller is configured to: when the compressor is started and it is determined that the four-way valve is a DC four-way valve, obtain the operating mode of the air conditioner, the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature and the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / intake pressure of the compressor, and determine whether the DC four-way valve is faulty based on changes in the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / intake pressure of the compressor under the operating mode.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that: When judging whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the changes of the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / intake pressure of the compressor under the operating mode, the controller is specifically configured as follows: Obtain the first indoor ambient temperature, the first indoor coil temperature, and the first exhaust / intake pressure of the compressor after the compressor has been running continuously for a first preset time, and obtain the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, the second outdoor coil temperature, and the second exhaust / intake pressure of the compressor after the compressor has been running continuously for a second preset time, and determine whether the DC four-way valve has a fault based on the operation mode, the first indoor ambient temperature, the first indoor coil temperature, the first exhaust / intake pressure of the compressor, the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, the second outdoor coil temperature, and the second exhaust / intake pressure of the compressor; wherein the first preset time is less than the second preset time.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, characterized in that: When judging whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the operation mode, the first indoor ambient temperature, the first indoor coil temperature, the first exhaust / intake pressure of the compressor, the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, the second outdoor coil temperature, and the second exhaust / intake pressure of the compressor, the controller is specifically configured as follows: When the operation mode is the heating mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than a first preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature and the first indoor ambient temperature is not greater than a second preset difference, judging whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature; When the operation mode is the heating mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than a third preset difference, and the difference between the second exhaust / intake pressure of the compressor and the first exhaust / intake pressure is not greater than a fourth preset difference, it is determined that a cross-flow fault occurs in the DC four-way valve; wherein the third preset difference is less than the first preset difference; When the operating mode is the heating mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is greater than the first preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature and the first indoor ambient temperature is greater than the second preset difference, and the continuous operation time of the compressor reaches a third preset time, it is determined that the DC four-way valve has not failed; wherein the third preset time is greater than the second preset time.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 3, characterized in that: When judging whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature and the second outdoor coil temperature, the controller is specifically configured as follows: If the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature and the second indoor coil temperature is greater than or equal to the fifth preset difference, and the difference between the second outdoor coil temperature and the second outdoor ambient temperature is greater than or equal to the sixth preset difference, and the duration is greater than the fourth preset time, it is determined that the DC four-way valve has a complete non-reversing fault.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 2, characterized in that: When judging whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the operation mode, the first indoor ambient temperature, the first indoor coil temperature, the first exhaust / intake pressure of the compressor, the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, the second outdoor coil temperature, and the second exhaust / intake pressure of the compressor, the controller is specifically configured as follows: When the operation mode is the cooling mode or the dehumidification mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is greater than a seventh preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature and the first indoor ambient temperature is greater than an eighth preset difference, judging whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature, and the second outdoor coil temperature; When the operation mode is the cooling mode or the dehumidification mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than a ninth preset difference, and the difference between the second exhaust / intake pressure and the first exhaust / intake pressure of the compressor is not greater than a tenth preset difference, it is determined that a cross-flow fault occurs in the DC four-way valve; wherein the ninth preset difference is less than the seventh preset difference; When the operating mode is the cooling mode or the dehumidification mode, and the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the first indoor coil temperature is not greater than the seventh preset difference, and the difference between the second indoor ambient temperature and the first indoor ambient temperature is not greater than the eighth preset difference, and the continuous operation time of the compressor reaches the sixth preset time, it is determined that the DC four-way valve has not failed; wherein the sixth preset time is greater than the second preset time.

6. The air conditioner according to claim 5, characterized in that: When judging whether the DC four-way valve fails according to the second indoor ambient temperature, the second indoor coil temperature, the second outdoor ambient temperature and the second outdoor coil temperature, the controller is specifically configured as follows: If the difference between the second indoor coil temperature and the second indoor ambient temperature is greater than or equal to a ninth preset difference, and the difference between the second outdoor ambient temperature and the second outdoor coil temperature is greater than or equal to a tenth preset difference, and the duration is greater than a seventh preset time, it is determined that a complete non-reversing fault occurs in the DC four-way valve.

7. The air conditioner according to claim 4 or 6, characterized in that: After determining that the DC four-way valve has the complete non-reversing fault or the cross-flow fault, the controller is further configured to: The compressor is controlled to stop, and after an eighth preset time, the DC four-way valve is controlled to pass reverse DC power for a ninth preset time, and after a delay of a tenth preset time, the compressor is started again, and the step of returning to execute the step of determining whether the DC four-way valve is faulty according to changes in the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / intake pressure of the compressor under the operating mode is determined.

8. The air conditioner according to claim 7, characterized in that: The controller is also configured to: An alarm is issued according to the number of consecutive failures of the DC four-way valve, wherein the failures include the cross-flow failure and the complete non-reversing failure.

9. The air conditioner according to claim 8, characterized in that: When an alarm is issued according to the number of consecutive failures of the DC four-way valve, the controller is specifically configured as follows: When the DC four-way valve fails continuously for a number of times reaching a preset number, the outdoor unit is controlled to shut down and an alarm signal is output.

10. A method for controlling an air conditioner, characterized in that: For the air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the method comprises the following steps: When the compressor is started and it is determined that the four-way valve is a DC four-way valve, the operation mode of the air conditioner, the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature and the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / intake pressure of the compressor are obtained; Whether the DC four-way valve fails is determined based on changes in the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor coil temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, the outdoor coil temperature, and the exhaust / intake pressure of the compressor under the operating mode.

Images