Refrigerator and main control board communication mode switching method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a refrigerator and a main control board communication mode switching method thereof, which are characterized in that an analog switch is additionally arranged between a main control board and a plurality of slave devices, and when the main control board adopts an independent serial port communication mode, the running state of the analog switch is controlled, so that at least one serial port is connected with one corresponding slave device; and when the main control board adopts the MBUS communication mode, the operation state of the analog switch is controlled, so that at least one serial port is connected with at least two corresponding slave devices. Due to the cooperative use of the analog switch, an independent serial port communication mode and an MBUS communication mode of the main control board and a plurality of slave devices can be compatible, and the main control board can adaptively identify the communication mode with the slave devices according to the actual application requirements of products and complete the switching of communication circuits without manual participation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of refrigerators, and in particular to a refrigerator and a method for switching communication modes of a main control board thereof. Background Art

[0002] In home appliances, there are multiple communication methods between the main control board and each slave device, such as serial communication or MBUS communication, depending on actual needs. Therefore, different circuit designs are required to implement them. Figure 1 As shown in the figure, electronic control board 1 communicates with three devices through three serial ports, while electronic control board 2 communicates with three devices through MBUS. When the number of slave devices is small and the master MCU has sufficient serial port resources, the slave devices and the master MCU complete one-to-one serial port communication. When the number of slave devices is large and the master MCU has insufficient serial port resources, the slave devices and the master MCU communicate using MBUS. Due to the different communication methods, two different communication circuits are usually designed on the two electronic control boards during design (other functional modules are exactly the same). In actual use, different electronic control boards are selected based on the number of slave devices. Traditional electronic control board communication methods increase labor costs, design costs, and management costs, and are time-consuming and labor-intensive. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the embodiment of the present invention is to provide a method for switching the communication mode of a refrigerator and its main control board, which allows the main control board to adaptively identify the communication mode with the slave device according to the actual application requirements of the product and complete the switching of the communication circuit without manual intervention.

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

[0005] a box body, in which at least one storage chamber is formed;

[0006] a main control board, disposed in the housing, comprising a main controller and at least two serial ports for connecting to slave devices, wherein the main controller is configured to send control instructions to the slave devices through the serial ports;

[0007] at least three slave devices, disposed in the housing and configured to receive control instructions sent by the master controller;

[0008] at least two analog switches, provided between the main control board and the slave device, for conducting or cutting off communication between the main control board and the slave device;

[0009] The main controller is configured as:

[0010] When the main control board adopts an independent serial port communication mode, controlling the operating state of the analog switch so that at least one serial port is connected to a corresponding slave device;

[0011] When the main control board adopts the MBUS communication mode, the operation state of the analog switch is controlled so that at least one serial port is connected to the corresponding at least two slave devices.

[0012] As an improvement to the above solution, the analog switch includes a first switch and a second switch; then, the main controller is configured as follows:

[0013] When the main control board adopts an independent serial port communication mode, controlling the first switch to be closed and controlling the second switch to be open, so that at least one serial port is connected to a corresponding slave device;

[0014] When the main control board adopts the MBUS communication mode, the first switch is controlled to be open and the second switch is controlled to be closed, so that at least one serial port is connected to the corresponding at least two slave devices.

[0015] As an improvement to the above solution, the slave device includes at least one first slave device that uses a fixed serial port communication and a second slave device that uses a non-fixed serial port communication. The analog switch is not set between the main controller and the first slave device, and the analog switch is set between the main controller and the second slave device.

[0016] As an improvement to the above solution, the refrigerator further includes a first receiving circuit provided between the main controller and the analog switch, the first receiving circuit including a first filtering module, a second filtering module and a first transistor; wherein,

[0017] The output end of the first filter module is connected to the main controller, the input end of the first filter module is connected to the first transistor, the first transistor is also connected to the output end of the second filter module, and the input end of the second filter module is connected to the analog switch or the slave device.

[0018] As an improvement of the above solution, the first filtering module is an RC filtering module, and the second filtering module is an RC filtering module.

[0019] As an improvement to the above solution, the first receiving circuit further includes a pull-down resistor, and the pull-down resistor is arranged between the first transistor and the second filtering module.

[0020] As an improvement to the above solution, the refrigerator further includes a first transmitting circuit provided between the main controller and the analog switch, the first transmitting circuit including a third filtering module, a second transistor and a fourth filtering module; wherein,

[0021] The input end of the third filter module is connected to the main controller, the output end of the third filter module is connected to the second transistor, the second transistor is also connected to the input end of the fourth filter module, and the output end of the fourth filter module is connected to the analog switch or the slave device.

[0022] As an improvement to the above solution, the third filtering module is a capacitor filtering module, and the fourth filtering module is an RC filtering module.

[0023] To achieve the above objectives, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for switching the communication mode of a main control board of a refrigerator, the refrigerator comprising a main control board, at least three slave devices, and at least two analog switches, the main control board comprising a main controller and at least two serial ports for connecting to the slave devices, the main controller being configured to send control instructions to the slave devices via the serial ports; the slave devices being configured to receive control instructions sent by the main controller; and the analog switches being configured to enable or disable communication between the main control board and the slave devices. The method comprises:

[0024] When the main control board adopts an independent serial port communication mode, controlling the operating state of the analog switch so that at least one serial port is connected to a corresponding slave device;

[0025] When the main control board adopts the MBUS communication mode, the operation state of the analog switch is controlled so that at least one serial port is connected to the corresponding at least two slave devices.

[0026] Compared to the prior art, the refrigerator and its main control board communication mode switching method disclosed in the present invention add an analog switch between the main control board and multiple slave devices. When the main control board uses an independent serial port communication mode, the operating state of the analog switch is controlled to connect at least one serial port to a corresponding slave device; when the main control board uses an MBUS communication mode, the operating state of the analog switch is controlled to connect at least one serial port to at least two corresponding slave devices. Because the analog switch is used in conjunction with the refrigerator, both independent serial port and MBUS communication modes are compatible between the main control board and multiple slave devices. This allows the main control board to adaptively identify the communication mode with the slave devices based on the actual application requirements of the product and complete the switching of communication circuits without manual intervention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 These are two connection diagrams of the main control board and slave devices provided by the existing technology;

[0028] Figure 2 1 is a schematic diagram of the external structure of a refrigerator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a refrigerator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigeration system in a refrigerator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 Schematic diagrams of two connections between a master control board and a slave device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the main controller provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a connection between a main control board and a slave device using independent serial port communication according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between the main control board and the slave device using the MBUS communication method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 9 is a circuit diagram of a first receiving circuit provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 10 is a circuit diagram of a first transmitting circuit provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 11 This is a complete circuit diagram of the main control board and slave device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 12 This is a complete connection diagram of the main control board and the slave device using independent serial port communication according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 13 This is a complete connection diagram of the main control board and slave devices using the MBUS communication method provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Among them, 100, refrigerator; 10, display screen; 1, compressor; 2, evaporator; 3, capillary tube; 4, condenser; 11, first filter module; 12, second filter module; 13, third filter module; 14, fourth filter module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0042] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this 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 cannot be understood as a limitation on this application.

[0043] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, features specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0044] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood broadly. For example, they may refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0045] See also Figure 2 , Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the external structure of a refrigerator 100 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The refrigerator described in the embodiment of the present invention is an air-cooled refrigerator. The refrigerator 100 described in the embodiment of the present invention is approximately rectangular in shape. The refrigerator includes a box body that defines a storage space and a plurality of door bodies provided at the opening of the box body, wherein the door body includes a door body shell located on the outside of the box body, a door body liner located on the inside of the box body, an upper end cover, a lower end cover, and an insulating layer located between the door body shell, the door body liner, the upper end cover, and the lower end cover; usually, the insulating layer is filled with foam material. The box body is provided with a cavity, wherein the cavity includes a component storage cavity for placing components in the refrigerator, such as a press cabin, etc., and also includes a storage space for storing food, etc. The door of the refrigerator is provided with a display screen, and the display screen is used to display prompt information and receive user touch operations.

[0046] See also Figure 3 , Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a refrigerator 100 provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The storage space can be divided into multiple storage rooms. The storage rooms can be configured as refrigerators and freezers according to different uses. They can also include variable temperature rooms, vacuum drawers, moisturizing drawers, etc. In the refrigerator 100 shown in the embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator is located above the freezer. In other embodiments, the refrigerator can also be located below the freezer. Each storage room corresponds to one or more door bodies, for example, Figure 2 The upper refrigeration compartment is provided with a double-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.

[0047] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 The structural diagram of the refrigeration system in the refrigerator provided by the embodiment of the present invention, the refrigeration system includes a compressor 1, an evaporator 2, a drying filter (not shown in the figure), a capillary tube 3, a condenser 4 and a gas-liquid separator (not shown in the figure). The working process of the refrigeration system includes a compression process, a condensation process, a throttling process and an evaporation process. Among them, the compression process is: plug in the power cord of the refrigerator, when the contacts of the thermostat are connected, the compressor 1 starts to work, the low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 1, and is compressed into a high-temperature, high-pressure superheated gas in the cylinder of the compressor 1 and then discharged into the condenser 4; the condensation process is: the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas dissipates heat through the condenser 4, the temperature continues to drop, and is gradually cooled to a saturated vapor of normal temperature and high pressure, and is further cooled to a saturated liquid, and the temperature no longer drops. The temperature at this time is called the condensation temperature, and the pressure of the refrigerant remains almost unchanged during the entire condensation process; the throttling process is as follows ... The process is as follows: the saturated refrigerant liquid after condensation is filtered out of moisture and impurities by a drying filter and then flows into the capillary tube 3, through which it is throttled and depressurized, and the refrigerant 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 vaporize in the evaporator 2, which not only reduces the temperature of the evaporator 2 and its surroundings, but also turns the refrigerant into a low-temperature, low-pressure gas. The refrigerant coming out of the evaporator 2 passes through the gas-liquid separator and returns to the compressor 1 again, repeating the above process to transfer the heat in the refrigerator to the air outside the box, thereby achieving the purpose of refrigeration.

[0048] Specifically, see Figure 5 , Figure 5 Schematic diagrams of two connections between a main control board and a slave device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The main control board in an embodiment of the present invention is compatible with both an independent serial port communication mode and an MBUS communication mode. The refrigerator includes:

[0049] a main control board, disposed in the housing, comprising a main controller and at least two serial ports for connecting to slave devices, wherein the main controller is configured to send control instructions to the slave devices through the serial ports;

[0050] at least three slave devices, disposed in the housing and configured to receive control instructions sent by the master controller;

[0051] At least two analog switches are provided between the main control board and the slave device, and are used to conduct or cut off the communication between the main control board and the slave device.

[0052] For example, when there are three serial ports, they are serial ports 1 to 3, and when there are five slave devices, they are slave devices 1 to 5. The slave devices can be display screens, progress boards, adapter boards, frequency converter boards, etc. When the main control board only needs to connect to a small number of slave devices (that is, the number of slave devices is less than or equal to the number of serial ports), an independent serial port communication method can be used. Since there are only three serial ports, three slave devices can be connected through the three serial ports, such as Figure 5 In the connection mode marked as ①, it is assumed that slave devices 2 to 4 are connected to the main control board, serial port 1 is connected to slave device 2, serial port 2 is connected to slave device 3, and serial port 3 is connected to slave device 4; when the main control board only needs to connect to a large number of slave devices (that is, the number of slave devices is greater than the number of serial ports), the MBUS communication mode can be used. Since there are only three serial ports at this time, two slave devices can be connected through two serial ports respectively, and the remaining serial port can be connected to three slave devices, such as Figure 5 In the connection mode marked as ②, it is assumed that slave devices 1 to 5 are connected to the main control board, serial port 1 is connected to slave device 1, serial port 2 is connected to slave devices 2 to 4, and serial port 3 is connected to slave device 5. It is worth noting that the main controller can monitor the number of slave devices that need to be connected at this time and select the corresponding communication mode. Alternatively, it can be manually triggered by the user, such as the user touching the function gear on the door display screen or the software timing software switching the main control board communication mode at a certain interval.

[0053] Specifically, the main controller is configured to: when the main control board adopts an independent serial port communication mode, control the operating state of the analog switch so that at least one serial port is connected to a corresponding slave device; when the main control board adopts an MBUS communication mode, control the operating state of the analog switch so that at least one serial port is connected to at least two corresponding slave devices.

[0054] For example, see Figure 6 , Figure 6is a workflow diagram of a main controller provided by an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the main controller is configured to execute steps S1 to S2. The analog switch includes a first switch and a second switch; the main controller is configured to: when the main control board uses an independent serial port communication mode, control the first switch to close and the second switch to open, so that at least one serial port is connected to a corresponding slave device; when the main control board uses an MBUS communication mode, control the first switch to open and the second switch to close, so that at least one serial port is connected to at least two corresponding slave devices.

[0055] For example, see Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is a connection diagram of a main control board and a slave device using an independent serial port communication method provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The slave device includes at least one first slave device using a fixed serial port communication method and a second slave device using a non-fixed serial port communication method. The analog switch is not provided between the main controller and the first slave device, and the analog switch is provided between the main controller and the second slave device. If the fixed serial port is serial port 2, this serial port 2 is fixedly connected to the first slave device (slave device 3), and the non-fixed serial ports are serial port 1 and serial port 3, when using the independent serial port communication method, serial port 1 is connected to slave device 2, and serial port 3 is connected to slave device 4. When using the MBUS communication method, serial port 1 is connected to slave device 1, and serial port 3 is connected to slave device 5. In this case, in addition to being connected to slave device 3, the fixed serial port 2 is also connected to slave device 2 and slave device 4.

[0056] For example, assuming that there are 4 first switches, namely S11 to S14, and 5 second switches, namely S21 to S25, when using independent serial port communication, the first switches are closed, that is, S11 to S14 are all closed, and the second switches are open, that is, S21 to S25 are all open. At this time, serial port 1 is connected to slave device 2, serial port 2 is fixedly connected to slave device 3, and serial port 3 is connected to slave device 4. Figure 8 , Figure 8 This is a connection diagram of the main control board and the slave device provided by an embodiment of the present invention using the MBUS communication method. When the MBUS communication method is used, the first switch is disconnected, that is, S11 to S14 are all disconnected, and the second switch is closed, that is, S21 to S25 are all closed. At this time, serial port 1 is connected to slave device 1, serial port 2 is connected to slave devices 2 to 4, and serial port 3 is connected to slave device 5.

[0057] Specifically, the refrigerator also includes a first receiving circuit arranged between the main controller and the analog switch, and the first receiving circuit includes a first filter module 11, a second filter module 12 and a first transistor Q1; wherein, the output end of the first filter module 11 is connected to the main controller, the input end of the first filter module 11 is connected to the first transistor Q1, the first transistor Q1 is also connected to the output end of the second filter module 12, and the input end of the second filter module 12 is connected to the analog switch or the slave device.

[0058] For example, see Figure 9 , Figure 9 : This is a circuit diagram of a first receiving circuit provided in an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the first receiving circuit is used to receive signals sent from a device. The first filter module 11 is an RC filter module, and the second filter module 12 is an RC filter module. The first receiving circuit also includes a pull-down resistor R4, which is arranged between the first transistor Q1 and the second filter module 12. The first end of the pull-down resistor R4 is respectively connected to the base of the first transistor Q1 and the first end of the third resistor R3, and the second end of the pull-down resistor R4 is grounded. The first filter module 11 includes a first capacitor C1 and a first resistor R1, and the first capacitor C1 and the first resistor R1 form an RC filter module to remove high-frequency noise. The second filter module 12 includes a second capacitor C2 and a third resistor R3, and the second capacitor C2 and the third resistor R3 form an RC filter module to remove high-frequency noise. The first receiving circuit also includes a second resistor R2 and a first power supply V1. The second resistor R2 is a pull-up resistor. The first end of the second resistor R2 is connected to the first power supply V1, and the other end of the first power supply V1 is grounded. The second end of the second resistor R2 is connected to the collector of the first transistor Q1. The first power supply V1 is used to provide power input, thereby turning on the first transistor Q1.

[0059] Specifically, the refrigerator also includes a first transmitting circuit arranged between the main controller and the analog switch, and the first transmitting circuit includes a third filter module 13, a second transistor Q2 and a fourth filter module 14; wherein, the input end of the third filter module 13 is connected to the main controller, the output end of the third filter module 13 is connected to the second transistor Q2, the second transistor Q2 is also connected to the input end of the fourth filter module 14, and the output end of the fourth filter module 14 is connected to the analog switch or the slave device.

[0060] For example, see Figure 10 , Figure 10This is a circuit diagram of a first transmitting circuit provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The master controller transmits a control signal to the slave device via the first transmitting circuit. The third filtering module 13 is a capacitor filtering module, and the fourth filtering module 14 is an RC filtering module. The third filtering module 13 includes a third capacitor C3, the first end of which is connected to the master controller and the base of the second transistor Q2, respectively. The fourth filtering module 14 includes a fourth capacitor C4 and a sixth resistor R6. The fourth capacitor C4 and the sixth resistor R6 form an RC filtering module to remove high-frequency noise. The first transmitting circuit also includes a fifth resistor R5 and a second power supply V2. The fifth resistor R5 is a pull-up resistor. The first end of the fifth resistor R5 is connected to the second power supply V2, the other end of the second power supply V2 is grounded, and the second end of the fifth resistor R5 is connected to the collector of the second transistor Q2. The second power supply V2 is used to provide power input, thereby turning on the second transistor Q2.

[0061] See also Figure 11 , Figure 11 This is a complete circuit diagram of the main control board and the slave device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The refrigerator also includes a second transmitting circuit and a second receiving circuit arranged between the slave device and the connector. The second transmitting circuit is connected to the first receiving circuit through the connector so that the slave device transmits a signal to the main controller through the second transmitting circuit and the first receiving circuit; the first transmitting circuit is connected to the second receiving circuit through the connector so that the main controller transmits a control signal to the slave device through the first transmitting circuit and the second receiving circuit.

[0062] Specifically, the master controller includes several first transmitting circuits and first receiving circuits. For example, the master controller's multiple signal transmitting terminals are respectively connected to the first transmitting circuits, such as MCU_TX1 and MCU_TX2, and the master controller's signal receiving terminals are respectively connected to the first receiving circuits, such as MCU_RX1 and MCU_RX2. Similarly, the slave device includes several second transmitting circuits and second receiving circuits, the circuit structure of the second transmitting circuit being identical to that of the first receiving circuit, and the circuit structure of the second receiving circuit being identical to that of the first transmitting circuit. For example, the slave device's multiple signal transmitting terminals are respectively connected to the second transmitting circuits, such as AA_TX1 and AA_TX2, and the slave device's signal receiving terminals are respectively connected to the second receiving circuits, such as AA_RX1 and AA_RX2. Slave device 2 sends a feedback signal to the second transmitting circuit via AA_TX1, which then passes through the search connector to the first receiving circuit, and then to MCU_RX1, where the feedback signal is fed back to the master controller via MCU_RX1. The rest of the signal transmission / reception process is identical to this one and will not be further described here.

[0063] It can be understood that for each additional slave device, a first transmitting circuit and a first receiving circuit need to be added on the master controller side, and a second transmitting circuit and a second receiving circuit need to be added on the slave device side.

[0064] See also Figure 12 , Figure 12 This is a complete connection diagram of the main control board and slave device provided by an embodiment of the present invention using independent serial port communication. At this time, the first switches S11~S14 are closed, the second switches S21~S25 are disconnected, serial port 1 is connected to slave device 2, serial port 2 is connected to slave device 3, and serial port 3 is connected to slave device 4.

[0065] See also Figure 13 , Figure 13 This is a complete connection diagram of the main control board and the slave device using the MBUS communication method provided by an embodiment of the present invention. At this time, the first switches S11 to S14 are disconnected, the second switches S21 to S25 are closed, serial port 1 is connected to slave device 1, serial port 2 is connected to slave devices 2 to 4, and serial port 3 is connected to slave device 5.

[0066] Compared to the prior art, the refrigerator disclosed in the present invention adds an analog switch between the main control board and multiple slave devices. When the main control board uses an independent serial port communication mode, the operating state of the analog switch is controlled to connect at least one serial port to a corresponding slave device; when the main control board uses an MBUS communication mode, the operating state of the analog switch is controlled to connect at least one serial port to at least two corresponding slave devices. Because the analog switch is used in conjunction with multiple slave devices, the main control board is compatible with both independent serial port and MBUS communication modes. This allows the main control board to adaptively identify the communication mode with the slave devices based on the actual application requirements of the product and complete the switching of communication circuits without manual intervention.

[0067] Furthermore, an embodiment of the present invention also provides a method for switching the communication mode of a main control board of a refrigerator, the refrigerator comprising a main control board, at least three slave devices, and at least two analog switches, the main control board comprising a main controller and at least two serial ports for connecting to the slave devices, the main controller being configured to send control instructions to the slave devices via the serial ports; the slave devices being configured to receive control instructions sent by the main controller; and the analog switches being configured to enable or disable communication between the main control board and the slave devices. The method comprises:

[0068] When the main control board adopts an independent serial port communication mode, controlling the operating state of the analog switch so that at least one serial port is connected to a corresponding slave device;

[0069] When the main control board adopts the MBUS communication mode, the operation state of the analog switch is controlled so that at least one serial port is connected to the corresponding at least two slave devices.

[0070] Specifically, the analog switch includes a first switch and a second switch; then, the method includes:

[0071] When the main control board adopts an independent serial port communication mode, controlling the first switch to be closed and controlling the second switch to be open, so that at least one serial port is connected to a corresponding slave device;

[0072] When the main control board adopts the MBUS communication mode, the first switch is controlled to be open and the second switch is controlled to be closed, so that at least one serial port is connected to the corresponding at least two slave devices.

[0073] Specifically, the slave device includes at least one first slave device using a fixed serial port communication and a second slave device using a non-fixed serial port communication. The analog switch is not set between the main controller and the first slave device, and the analog switch is set between the main controller and the second slave device.

[0074] Specifically, the refrigerator further includes a first receiving circuit provided between the main controller and the analog switch, the first receiving circuit including a first filtering module, a second filtering module and a first transistor; wherein,

[0075] The output end of the first filter module is connected to the main controller, the input end of the first filter module is connected to the first transistor, the first transistor is also connected to the output end of the second filter module, and the input end of the second filter module is connected to the analog switch or the slave device.

[0076] Specifically, the first filtering module is an RC filtering module, and the second filtering module is an RC filtering module.

[0077] Specifically, the first receiving circuit further includes a pull-down resistor, and the pull-down resistor is provided between the first transistor and the second filtering module.

[0078] Specifically, the refrigerator further includes a first transmitting circuit provided between the main controller and the analog switch, the first transmitting circuit including a third filtering module, a second transistor and a fourth filtering module; wherein,

[0079] The input end of the third filter module is connected to the main controller, the output end of the third filter module is connected to the second transistor, the second transistor is also connected to the input end of the fourth filter module, and the output end of the fourth filter module is connected to the analog switch or the slave device.

[0080] Specifically, the third filtering module is an RC filtering module, and the fourth filtering module is a capacitor filtering module.

[0081] It is worth noting that the workflow of the method for switching the communication mode of the main control board of the refrigerator described in the embodiment of the present invention can refer to the workflow of the main controller in the refrigerator described in the above embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0082] Compared to the prior art, the disclosed method for switching the communication mode of a refrigerator's main control board adds an analog switch between the main control board and multiple slave devices. When the main control board uses an independent serial port communication mode, the analog switch's operating state is controlled to connect at least one serial port to a corresponding slave device. When the main control board uses the MBUS communication mode, the analog switch's operating state is controlled to connect at least one serial port to at least two corresponding slave devices. Because the analog switch is compatible with both independent serial port and MBUS communication modes between the main control board and multiple slave devices, the main control board can adaptively identify the communication mode with the slave devices based on the actual product application requirements and complete communication circuit switching without manual intervention.

[0083] The above is a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the present invention. These improvements and modifications are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, characterized in that: include: a box body, in which at least one storage chamber is formed; a main control board, disposed in the housing, comprising a main controller and at least two serial ports for connecting to slave devices, wherein the main controller is configured to send control instructions to the slave devices through the serial ports; at least three slave devices, disposed in the housing and configured to receive control instructions sent by the master controller; at least two analog switches, provided between the main control board and the slave device, for conducting or cutting off communication between the main control board and the slave device; The main controller is configured as: When the main control board adopts an independent serial port communication mode, controlling the operating state of the analog switch so that at least one serial port is connected to a corresponding slave device; When the main control board adopts the MBUS communication mode, the operation state of the analog switch is controlled so that at least one serial port is connected to the corresponding at least two slave devices.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein The analog switch includes a first switch and a second switch; then, the main controller is configured to: When the main control board adopts an independent serial port communication mode, controlling the first switch to be closed and controlling the second switch to be open, so that at least one serial port is connected to a corresponding slave device; When the main control board adopts the MBUS communication mode, the first switch is controlled to be open and the second switch is controlled to be closed, so that at least one serial port is connected to the corresponding at least two slave devices.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein The slave device includes at least one first slave device using a fixed serial port communication and a second slave device using a non-fixed serial port communication. The analog switch is not set between the main controller and the first slave device, and the analog switch is set between the main controller and the second slave device.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein The refrigerator further includes a first receiving circuit provided between the main controller and the analog switch, wherein the first receiving circuit includes a first filtering module, a second filtering module and a first transistor; wherein, The output end of the first filter module is connected to the main controller, the input end of the first filter module is connected to the first transistor, the first transistor is also connected to the output end of the second filter module, and the input end of the second filter module is connected to the analog switch or the slave device.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein: The first filtering module is an RC filtering module, and the second filtering module is an RC filtering module.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein: The first receiving circuit further includes a pull-down resistor, and the pull-down resistor is arranged between the first transistor and the second filtering module.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein The refrigerator further includes a first transmitting circuit provided between the main controller and the analog switch, wherein the first transmitting circuit includes a third filtering module, a second transistor and a fourth filtering module; wherein, The input end of the third filter module is connected to the main controller, the output end of the third filter module is connected to the second transistor, the second transistor is also connected to the input end of the fourth filter module, and the output end of the fourth filter module is connected to the analog switch or the slave device.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein: The third filtering module is a capacitor filtering module, and the fourth filtering module is an RC filtering module.

9. A method for switching the communication mode of a refrigerator main control board, characterized in that: The refrigerator includes a main control board, at least three slave devices, and at least two analog switches. The main control board includes a main controller and at least two serial ports for connecting to the slave devices. The main controller is used to send control instructions to the slave devices through the serial ports. The slave device is used to receive the control instruction sent by the main controller; the analog switch is used to conduct or cut off the communication between the main control board and the slave device; then, the method includes: When the main control board adopts an independent serial port communication mode, controlling the operating state of the analog switch so that at least one serial port is connected to a corresponding slave device; When the main control board adopts the MBUS communication mode, the operation state of the analog switch is controlled so that at least one serial port is connected to the corresponding at least two slave devices.

Images