Electric heating circuit break protection control method, air conditioner and computer readable storage medium

Abstract

The invention discloses an electric heating circuit break protection control method, an air conditioner and a computer readable storage medium, and relates to the technical field of air conditioners, the electric heating circuit break protection control method is applied to the air conditioner, the air conditioner at least comprises a water tank, and the water tank at least comprises a controller and electric heating equipment which are connected with each other. The electric heating circuit break protection control method comprises the steps that when an electric heating control instruction is received and a power supply circuit of electric heating equipment is in a circuit break state, a controller is locked to be in a closed state, and timing of protection duration is started; judging whether the currently accumulated number of times of de-protection is greater than or equal to a preset number of times; if not, unlocking the controller when the protection duration reaches the preset duration, and updating the number of times of unlocking the protection; if yes, the controller is continuously locked to be in the closed state. The technical problem that an electric heating circuit break protection scheme of an existing air conditioner can affect the overall operation stability of the air conditioner is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of air conditioner technology, and in particular to an electric heating circuit breaker protection control method, an air conditioner, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] The heat pump water heater in an air conditioning system contains an electric heating element in its tank to heat the water (e.g., hot water). This electric heating element uses a different power supply than the outdoor unit of the air conditioner. In practical applications, a circuit breaker may break in the power supply circuit for the electric heating element. This triggers the electric heating circuit breaker protection, locking the controller of the electric heating element in a closed state. After the power supply circuit for the electric heating element is restored, the entire air conditioning system must be manually powered off to release the circuit breaker protection, which will also affect the operation of other indoor units connected to the outdoor unit. Therefore, the current electric heating circuit breaker protection scheme for air conditioners can negatively impact the overall operational stability of the air conditioner. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The main purpose of this application is to provide an electric heating circuit breaker protection control method, an air conditioner, and a computer-readable storage medium, aiming to solve the technical problem that the current electric heating circuit breaker protection scheme of air conditioners affects the overall operational stability of the air conditioner.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides an electric heating circuit breaker protection control method applied to an air conditioner. The air conditioner includes at least a water tank, and the water tank includes at least a controller and an electric heating device connected to each other. The electric heating circuit breaker protection control method includes: When an electric heating control command is received and the power supply circuit of the electric heating equipment is in an open circuit state, the controller will be locked in the off state and the protection timer will start. Determine whether the current cumulative number of times protection has been lifted is greater than or equal to the preset number; If not, the controller is unlocked when the protection duration reaches the preset duration, and the number of times the protection is unlocked is updated; If so, the controller will remain locked in the off state.

[0005] In one embodiment, the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method further includes: If the power supply circuit is in an on state when the electric heating control command is received, then the number of times the protection is deactivated and the protection duration are reset. When a manual deprotection command is received, the controller is unlocked, and the number of deprotection attempts and the protection duration are reset.

[0006] In one embodiment, the air conditioner further includes an outdoor unit connected to the water in the water tank for heat exchange. After the step of locking the controller to the off state, the method further includes: When the air conditioner is in vacation mode, the controller will remain locked in the off state. When the air conditioner is in non-holiday mode, and the temperature of the water in the water tank is lower than the target temperature and the maximum heating temperature of the outdoor unit, the outdoor unit is controlled to heat the water. After the outdoor unit stops heating, if the water temperature is lower than the target temperature, and the number of times the protection is released is less than the preset number, the controller is unlocked and the controller is started.

[0007] In one embodiment, after the step of activating the controller, the method further includes: If the power supply circuit is in a closed state, then the number of times the protection is deactivated is reset; If the power supply circuit is in an open circuit state, the number of times the protection is released is updated, and the controller is locked in the off state.

[0008] In one embodiment, the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method further includes: When the air conditioner is in non-holiday mode, and the temperature of the water in the water tank is lower than the target temperature but higher than the maximum heating temperature of the outdoor unit, if the number of times the protection is released is less than the preset number, the lock on the controller is released and the controller is started.

[0009] In one embodiment, the air conditioner further includes an indoor unit, and the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method further includes: If the temperature of the water in the water tank is lower than the target temperature when the air conditioner is in non-holiday mode, then it is determined whether the indoor unit of the air conditioner is in heating mode. When the indoor unit of the air conditioner is in heating mode, the water is heated by the outdoor unit. When the protection duration is greater than or equal to the preset duration and the number of times the protection is released is less than the preset number of times, the lock on the controller is released and the controller is started.

[0010] In one embodiment, after the step of controlling the outdoor unit to heat the water, the method further includes: When the temperature of the water is greater than or equal to the target temperature or the maximum heating temperature of the outdoor unit, the outdoor unit is controlled to stop heating.

[0011] In one embodiment, the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method further includes: When the air conditioner is in non-holiday mode, and the temperature of the water in the water tank is lower than the difference between the target temperature and the temperature hysteresis, and the temperature of the water is lower than the difference between the maximum heating temperature of the outdoor unit and the temperature hysteresis, the outdoor unit is controlled to heat the water.

[0012] In addition, to achieve the above objectives, this application also provides an air conditioner, which is a physical device, comprising: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, which are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the steps of the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method as described above.

[0013] In addition, to achieve the above objectives, this application also provides a readable storage medium, which is a computer-readable storage medium, and stores a program for implementing the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method. The program for implementing the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method is executed by a processor to implement the steps of the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method as described above.

[0014] In addition, to achieve the above objectives, this application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method described above.

[0015] This application provides a method for controlling the circuit breaker protection of an electric heating unit in an air conditioner. The air conditioner includes at least a water tank, and the water tank includes at least a controller and an electric heating device connected to each other. The method includes: when an electric heating control command is received and the power supply circuit of the electric heating device is in an open circuit state, locking the controller to a closed state and starting a protection timer; determining whether the current cumulative number of protection releases is greater than or equal to a preset number; if not, releasing the lock on the controller when the protection time reaches the preset time and updating the protection release count; if yes, keeping the controller locked to a closed state. In this application's technical solution, after the controller is locked to a closed state, i.e., after the circuit breaker protection is triggered, the lock on the electric heating controller relay is automatically released after a preset time, achieving the effect of automatically releasing the circuit breaker protection. This eliminates the need for manual release of protection or power outage protection by the user, avoiding impact on the operation of other indoor air conditioning units when releasing the circuit breaker protection, maintaining the overall operational stability of the air conditioner, and improving the user experience. Furthermore, since this application presets the number of times the protection is released and the protection duration, it controls the total number and frequency of times the circuit breaker protection is released, thus avoiding frequent switching of the controller when the power supply circuit is in a long-term open circuit state, and extending the life of the controller. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method in this application. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the composition structure of a feasible multi-pipe air conditioning system; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of automatically releasing the circuit breaker protection based on the number of times the protection is released and the preset time when the electric heating circuit breaker protection occurs in the embodiments of this application; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the process for manually disabling the electric heating circuit breaker protection in an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of automatically releasing the circuit breaker protection based on the current water temperature and the set temperature when the air conditioner is in non-holiday mode, as described in this application embodiment. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of automatically releasing the circuit breaker protection under different heating priority conditions in the embodiments of this application; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the equipment structure of the hardware operating environment involved in the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method in the embodiments of this application.

[0019] The purpose, features, and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0021] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the technical solutions of this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0022] To better understand the technical solution of this application, a detailed description will be provided below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0023] In multi-pipe air conditioning systems, there is typically one outdoor unit paired with a water tank and several indoor units. Due to current limitations, the electric heating input for the water tank cannot share the same power supply as the outdoor unit and requires a separate power source. However, during operation, it's possible that only the outdoor unit's power supply is connected, while the water tank's electric heating power supply remains unconnected. This results in the electric heating system failing to supply power, triggering its circuit breaker protection. If the electric heating power supply is restored at this point, manually disabling the circuit breaker to release it would affect the operation of other indoor units. Manually releasing the circuit breaker is inefficient. Therefore, multi-pipe air conditioning systems urgently need an automatic circuit breaker release control method.

[0024] To overcome the technical problems and defects existing in the prior art, this application provides a method for controlling the circuit breaker protection of an electric heater in an air conditioner. The air conditioner includes at least a water tank, and the water tank includes at least a controller and an electric heating device connected to each other. (Refer to...) Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method of this application. The electric heating circuit breaker protection control method specifically includes: Step S10: When an electric heating control command is received and the power supply circuit of the electric heating device is in an open circuit state, the controller is locked in the off state and the protection timer starts. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the air conditioner is a multi-pipe air conditioner or a heat pump water heater. In a multi-pipe air conditioner system, refer to... Figure 2, one outdoor unit (including a compressor and a fan) can connect to more than one indoor unit (such as air conditioner indoor units 1 - 3 and a water tank), and can provide air conditioning cooling / heating and water tank heating simultaneously. Among them, the connection between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit is achieved through a current loop (power supply + communication), and the power input is on the outdoor unit side. Depending on the capacity of the outdoor unit, the current is generally between 16A and 20A. Among them, the capacity of the water tank is different, and the electric heating power inside may be different, ranging from 1kW to 3kW, so the current is between 4A and 15A. Due to current limitations, the power supply of the entire system cannot be completed through the same set of power lines (power input 1 and power input 2). Therefore, the power supply for the electric heating of the water tank and the power supply on the outdoor unit side are separated. The power supply may come from the same set of alternating current or different sets, but different air switches (circuit breakers) will be used, so there may be a situation where the outdoor unit side and the water tank electric heating side do not have power simultaneously. For example, if there is power supply on the outdoor unit side, and the target water temperature set by the user can be basically provided and satisfied by the outdoor unit, then there is no need for the electric heating device to heat the water in the water tank. So sometimes there is no power supply to the electric heating side. And when electric heating is required, the user may forget to restore power supply to the electric heating side, resulting in a situation where power is not supplied simultaneously on both sides (the power supply circuit of the electric heating side is in an open circuit state).

[0025] It should be noted that there is an electric heating device designed in the heat pump water heater water tank (split or integral). When the electric heating function needs to be turned on, by detecting and comparing the current changes before and after starting the electric heating device, it is judged whether the power supply circuit of the electric heating device is open. For example, if the current change < 2A (generally, the electric heating power is above 1000w, I = P / U = 1000 / 220 = 4.5A), it is considered that the power supply circuit of the electric heating device is open, and the open circuit protection is triggered. After the open circuit protection is triggered, the electric heating device cannot be started again (the controller is locked in the off state). At this time, only after power-off or manually解除保护 on the control panel can the electric heating device be started again. Among them, the controller is used to control the on / off state of the electric heating device, such as controlling a relay. Specifically, the process of the electric heating device triggering the open circuit protection can include: before the water tank electric heating device is turned on (the controller is off), the current is detected and recorded as Ie1. When the electric heating control instruction is received and the water tank electric heating is started (the controller is on), the current is detected and recorded as Ie2. If Ie2 < Ie1 or (Ie2 – Ie1) < 2A, where 2A is a preset current fluctuation threshold, it is considered that the electric heating open circuit protection (faults in the electric heating body, abnormal wiring, and power supply faults can all cause this) has occurred. After the electric heating open circuit protection appears, the relay is no longer allowed to be opened, and the protection duration is timed from zero to trigger the automatic解除保护 after reaching the preset duration.

[0026] Step S20, determine whether the currently accumulated number of解除保护 times is greater than or equal to the preset number; It should be noted that the term "解除保护" in the original text seems to be a specific operation or state description in the relevant context, but it's not clear what it exactly means. Here it's directly translated as "解除保护" for the purpose of maintaining the original text. You may need to further clarify its exact meaning according to the actual situation.Before automatically disabling circuit breaker protection, it is necessary to determine whether the current cumulative number of protection disabling attempts is greater than or equal to the preset number. It is understood that each time automatic protection is triggered, the protection disabling count is incremented by one. This is to prevent the controller from frequently starting and stopping when the power supply circuit is in a circuit state for an extended period, thus affecting the controller's lifespan.

[0027] Step S30: If not, unlock the controller when the protection duration reaches the preset duration, and update the number of times the protection is unlocked; If the current cumulative number of protection releases has not reached the preset number, the timing for releasing the controller lock can be determined based on the current protection duration. Specifically, after the protection duration reaches the preset duration (e.g., 6 hours), the controller lock will be automatically released (i.e., the circuit breaker protection will be released), and the cumulative number of protection releases will be incremented by 1. It should be noted that releasing the controller lock does not automatically activate the relay; it only indicates that the controller is in an operable state. After the circuit breaker protection is released, the air conditioner can respond to electric heating control commands issued by the user or the air conditioner itself. Whether it can successfully start depends on whether the power supply circuit is in a continuous state.

[0028] Step S40: If yes, then keep the controller locked in the off state.

[0029] If the current cumulative number of times the protection is deactivated is greater than or equal to the preset number (e.g., 20 times), the automatic deactivation step for the circuit breaker protection will not be executed, and the controller will remain locked. The controller will only deactivate the circuit breaker protection after the user manually deactivates it or the entire air conditioner is powered off.

[0030] This application provides a method for controlling the circuit breaker protection of an electric heating unit in an air conditioner. The air conditioner includes at least a water tank, and the water tank includes at least a controller and an electric heating device connected to each other. The method includes: when an electric heating control command is received and the power supply circuit of the electric heating device is in an open circuit state, locking the controller to a closed state and starting a protection timer; determining whether the current cumulative number of times the protection is released is greater than or equal to a preset number; if not, releasing the lock on the controller when the protection time reaches the preset time and updating the number of times the protection is released; if yes, keeping the controller locked to a closed state. In the technical solution of this application, after the controller is locked to a closed state, i.e., after the circuit breaker protection is triggered, the lock on the electric heating controller relay is automatically released after a preset time, achieving the effect of automatically releasing the circuit breaker protection. This eliminates the need for manual release of protection or power outage protection by the user, avoiding impact on the operation of other indoor air conditioning units when releasing the circuit breaker protection, maintaining the overall operational stability of the air conditioner, and improving the user experience. Furthermore, since the embodiments of this application pre-set the preset number of times the protection is released and the preset duration of the protection, the total number and frequency of releasing the circuit breaker protection are controlled, avoiding frequent switching of the controller when the power supply circuit is in a long-term open circuit state, thus extending the life of the controller.

[0031] Furthermore, in one feasible embodiment, the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method further includes: Step S50: If the power supply circuit is in the open state when the electric heating control command is received, then reset the number of times to release the protection and the protection duration. If the power supply circuit is in an open state when the air conditioner receives the electric heating control command, there is no need to trigger the circuit breaker protection operation. In this case, the accumulated number of times the protection has been deactivated and the protection duration can be reset (cleared to zero). The number of times the protection has been deactivated and the protection duration will be re-accumulated after the next circuit breaker protection is triggered. This is because the number of times the protection has been deactivated and the protection duration are designed to prevent the controller from being frequently activated when it is in a long-term open state. After the controller is in an open state, the number of times the protection has been deactivated and the protection duration are recalculated.

[0032] Based on the foregoing embodiments, the process for activating the electric heating function and automatically releasing the circuit breaker protection based on the number of resets and a specified time when an electric heating circuit breaker occurs is as follows: Figure 3As shown, when an electric heating control command is received to turn on the electric heating function, it is first determined whether the electric heating circuit breaker protection is triggered (based on the on / off state of the power supply circuit). If not, the number of times the protection is deactivated and the protection duration are reset. If so, the electric heating control function is turned off (specifically, this is achieved by locking the controller to the off state). Furthermore, when the accumulated number of times the protection is deactivated exceeds the preset number, the electric heating control function remains off. If not, the protection duration is started to be timed. After the protection duration exceeds the preset duration, the circuit breaker protection is deactivated, and the number of times the protection is deactivated is incremented by 1, so that the electric heating function can be turned on when the electric heating control command is received again.

[0033] Step S60: When a manual deprotection command is received, the controller is unlocked, and the number of deprotection attempts and the protection duration are reset.

[0034] When the controller is in power failure protection mode (locked off and cannot be turned on), the user can manually deactivate the protection by entering a command on the air conditioner's control panel. This command can be entered either before or after the preset number of deactivations has been reached. Regardless of the situation, upon receiving a manual deactivation command, the air conditioner will reset the deactivation count and protection duration, re-accumulating these values ​​the next time the circuit breaker protection is triggered.

[0035] For example, the procedure for manually disabling the electric heating circuit breaker protection is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, after an electric heating circuit breaker occurs, the user can manually deactivate the circuit breaker on the control panel, resetting the number of deactivation attempts and the protection duration.

[0036] It should be noted that if the power supply circuit of the electric heating device remains open, the aforementioned manual control method can limit the number of times the protection is released, thereby extending the lifespan of the controller. Once the power supply circuit of the electric heating device is restored, the controller will release the power outage protection and then normally heat the water in the tank the next time the electric heating device is needed to produce hot water.

[0037] In one feasible embodiment, the air conditioner further includes an outdoor unit connected to the water in the water tank for heat exchange. After the step of locking the controller to the off state, the method further includes: Step A10: When the air conditioner is in vacation mode, keep the controller locked in the off state. It should be noted that air conditioners have an outdoor unit, and the heat pump function of the outdoor unit can heat the internal environment by using heat from the external environment. For example, the indoor unit heats the air in the internal environment, and the outdoor unit heats the water in the water tank.

[0038] Furthermore, if the power supply circuit of the electric heating device is always in an open circuit state, even if the open circuit protection is attempted to be released, it will still trigger again the next time the electric heating is turned on. To prevent frequent release of the open circuit protection from affecting the lifespan of the controller, this embodiment considers whether the air conditioner is in vacation mode to determine whether to activate the automatic release of the open circuit protection function.

[0039] For example, when the air conditioner triggers its circuit breaker protection, the system first determines whether the air conditioner is currently in vacation mode. Vacation mode refers to the state of the air conditioner when the user is not at the location where it is used for an extended period. For instance, when a user goes on a trip, the air conditioner at home is set to vacation mode, entering a low-energy consumption state. If it is operating in vacation mode, the target water temperature in the water tank is very low (the water temperature that prevents the water tank from freezing, generally 15°C), and since the user is not at home, the power supply circuit of the electric heating device is in a broken circuit state and cannot be restored. In this case, there is no need to perform a deactivation operation in vacation mode. There are two ways to determine whether the air conditioner is in vacation mode: one is based on the user's settings, for example, if the user sets the air conditioner to vacation mode before going on a trip, and this is recorded in the air conditioner, then the air conditioner is in vacation mode; the other is based on the target water temperature in the water tank. If the target water temperature is not higher than a preset temperature threshold (e.g., 15°C), then the air conditioner is in vacation mode.

[0040] Once circuit breaker protection is triggered in vacation mode, there is no need to determine the number of times protection can be lifted or to time the protection duration; simply maintain the circuit breaker protection state.

[0041] Step A20: When the air conditioner is in non-holiday mode and the water temperature in the water tank is lower than the target temperature and the outdoor unit's maximum heating temperature, control the outdoor unit to heat the water. Step A30: After the outdoor unit stops heating, if the water temperature is lower than the target temperature, the controller will be unlocked and started if the number of times the protection is released is less than the preset number.

[0042] On the other hand, in non-holiday mode, if the water temperature in the tank drops below the target temperature and is also below the outdoor unit's maximum heating temperature, the outdoor unit can be used first to heat the water in the tank. The outdoor unit's maximum heating temperature depends on the ambient temperature; the higher the ambient temperature, the higher the outdoor unit's maximum heating temperature. The outdoor unit will heat the water in the tank for a period of time until it can no longer heat (e.g., the current water temperature has reached the maximum heating temperature but not the target temperature). Then, the electric heating device will be used to heat the water in the tank. Since the controller is in a circuit breaker protection state at this time, it needs to first determine if the accumulated number of protection releases is below the preset number. If so, the circuit breaker protection can be automatically released (i.e., the controller lock can be released). Furthermore, after the circuit breaker protection is released, the controller is automatically started to heat the water in the tank using the electric heating device.

[0043] It should be noted that after the circuit breaker protection is automatically released, the number of times the protection has been released needs to be incremented by 1.

[0044] For example, such as Figure 5 As shown, after the electric heating function is turned on, it is determined whether the electric heating circuit breaker protection is triggered. If yes, the number of times the protection is deactivated is reset; if no, the electric heating control function is turned off, and it is determined whether the air conditioner is in non-holiday mode and the outdoor unit has stopped running and the current refrigerant temperature has not reached the target temperature. If yes, the circuit breaker protection is deactivated when the cumulative number of deactivations does not exceed the preset number, and the number of deactivations is incremented by 1; if no or the cumulative number of deactivations exceeds the preset number, the circuit breaker protection status is maintained.

[0045] In one feasible embodiment, after the step of controlling the outdoor unit to heat the water, the method further includes: Step A21: When the water temperature is greater than or equal to the target temperature or the outdoor unit's maximum heating temperature, control the outdoor unit to stop heating.

[0046] This application provides a control method for heating water using an outdoor unit. This method enables the outdoor unit and the electric heating equipment to work together to heat the water in the water tank.

[0047] Specifically, when the water temperature is greater than or equal to the target temperature after being heated by the outdoor unit, it indicates that the target temperature is less than or equal to the outdoor unit's maximum heating temperature. In this case, further heating is unnecessary, and the outdoor unit can be stopped. Furthermore, once the water temperature reaches the target temperature, step A30 does not need to be executed again, and the circuit breaker protection of the electric heating device does not need to be released. When the water temperature reaches the outdoor unit's maximum heating temperature, the outdoor unit can no longer further increase the water temperature. At this point, the outdoor unit should be stopped, and step A30 should be executed again to release the circuit breaker protection of the electric heating device and restart the process of heating the water.

[0048] Furthermore, after the step of activating the controller, the method further includes: Step A31: If the power supply circuit is in the open state, reset the number of times the protection can be cleared. Step A32: If the power supply circuit is in an open circuit state, update the number of times the protection is released and lock the controller to the off state.

[0049] After the outdoor unit finishes heating, if the water temperature does not reach the target temperature, the electric heating device needs to continue heating the water in the tank. In this case, the controller lock needs to be released immediately (i.e., the circuit breaker protection needs to be released). There are two scenarios: First, the power supply circuit has been restored to a continuous state, the electric heating device is powered normally and can work normally, so the protection release count is reset (set to 0). Second, the power supply circuit is still in an open circuit state. In this case, the protection release count is incremented by 1 according to the aforementioned scheme, and the circuit breaker protection is retried, locking the controller in the off state.

[0050] Once the electric heating equipment is powered normally, it continuously heats the water in the tank to the target temperature. When the power supply circuit for the electric heating is disconnected, the water in the tank stops being heated and is allowed to cool naturally until the water temperature drops to a level suitable for heating by the outdoor unit. Then, the water is heated by the outdoor unit, and the return value step A30 is used to release the circuit breaker again. Then, depending on the status of the power supply circuit, either step A31 or step A32 is executed.

[0051] In another feasible embodiment, the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method further includes: Step A40: When the air conditioner is in non-holiday mode and the temperature of the water in the water tank is lower than the target temperature but higher than the maximum heating temperature of the outdoor unit, the controller is unlocked and started if the number of times the protection is released is less than the preset number.

[0052] In some situations, the outdoor unit cannot directly heat the water in the tank. For example, when the ambient temperature is low, the outdoor unit's heating performance is poor, resulting in a lower maximum heating temperature. Furthermore, when the air conditioner is in non-off-peak mode, if the water temperature in the tank is higher than the outdoor unit's maximum heating temperature, the outdoor unit cannot heat the water. In this case, it is necessary to directly activate the electric heating device, follow the steps to release the circuit breaker protection, and then activate the controller to heat the water in the tank via the electric heating device.

[0053] In another feasible embodiment, the air conditioner further includes an indoor unit, and the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method further includes: Step B10: If the temperature of the water in the water tank is lower than the target temperature when the air conditioner is in non-holiday mode, then determine whether the indoor unit of the air conditioner is in heating mode. Step B20: When the indoor unit of the air conditioner is in heating mode, the water is heated by the outdoor unit. When the protection duration is greater than or equal to the preset duration and the number of times the protection is released is less than the preset number of times, the lock on the controller is released and the controller is started.

[0054] Further considering a multi-pipe air conditioning system, which includes both indoor units and a water tank, the system typically prioritizes heating the indoor unit when it needs to heat. For example, if both the indoor unit and the water tank require heating, the outdoor unit prioritizes heating the indoor unit, resulting in a lower proportion of heat supplied to the water tank by the outdoor unit. This leads to poorer heating efficiency and a significantly longer time to reach the target temperature or the outdoor unit's maximum heating temperature. Therefore, when the indoor unit is also heating, there's no need to wait for the outdoor unit to finish heating the water tank. The electric heating device should be activated immediately after the number of protection cycles is less than the preset number and the protection duration reaches the preset duration to quickly raise the water temperature to the target level. Similarly, the steps for activating the electric heating device are the same as in step A30: first, release the circuit breaker protection, then activate the controller, and ensure the electric heating device's power supply circuit is normal before heating the water tank, reducing heating time and improving heating efficiency.

[0055] For example, refer to Figure 6 Compared to the aforementioned embodiments, when the water is water, an air conditioner control method combining electric heating and outdoor unit heating includes: when the electric heating function needs to be turned on, determining whether the electric heating circuit breaker protection has been triggered; if not, resetting the number of times the protection is deactivated and the protection duration; if so, turning off the electric heating control function; in non-holiday mode, if the multi-pipe air conditioner system is in hot water production priority mode, then after the outdoor unit stops running and the current water temperature has not reached the target temperature, the circuit breaker protection is deactivated when the accumulated number of times the protection is deactivated has not reached the preset number; when the accumulated number of times the protection is deactivated exceeds the preset number, the electric heating control function is turned off; when the system is not in hot water production priority mode, determining whether the conditions for the outdoor unit to be turned on have been met (e.g., the current water temperature is lower than the outdoor unit's maximum heating temperature and target temperature), turning on the outdoor unit when the conditions for turning on are met, and deactivating the circuit breaker protection when the current protection duration and the number of times the protection is deactivated are not greater than the preset duration and the preset number, respectively, and incrementing the number of times the protection is deactivated by 1, so as to heat the water tank through the electric heating device.

[0056] Furthermore, in another feasible embodiment, the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method further includes: Step C10: When the air conditioner is in non-holiday mode, the water temperature in the water tank is lower than the difference between the target temperature and the temperature hysteresis, and the water temperature is lower than the difference between the outdoor unit's maximum heating temperature and the temperature hysteresis, the outdoor unit is controlled to heat the water.

[0057] To avoid frequent start-up and stop of the heating process of the external machine on the water tank, a temperature hysteresis can be preset. That is, only when the current water temperature is lower than the difference between the maximum heating temperature of the external machine and the temperature hysteresis, and lower than the difference between the target temperature and the temperature hysteresis, the external machine starts to heat the water.

[0058] Specifically, after the water is heated to the maximum heating temperature or the target temperature by the external machine, the heating stops and waits for the water temperature to drop. When it drops to the maximum heating temperature or the target temperature, the external machine is not restarted immediately (to avoid frequent heating). Instead, when it drops below the difference between the target temperature and the temperature hysteresis and the difference between the maximum heating temperature of the external machine and the temperature hysteresis, the external machine is restarted for heating. For example, if the current water temperature T5 is 45°C, the target temperature Ts set by the user is 70°C, the maximum temperature Tstop for external machine heating is 50°C, and the temperature hysteresis for starting to use the external machine for heating is Td (8°C). If T5 < Min(Ts, Tstop) – Td, then the external machine starts to heat. That is, when the water temperature of T5 drops below 42°C, the external machine starts to heat. When T5 ≥ Min(Ts, Tstop), such as when the external machine raises the water temperature to 50°C, the external machine stops heating. At this time, the water temperature still does not meet the user's set requirement of 70°C, so the open-circuit protection of the electric heating is removed to activate the electric heating function.

[0059] The electric heating open-circuit protection control method provided by the embodiments of the present application can automatically remove the open-circuit protection of the electric heating, reduce the operations of user power-off recovery or manual removal, and improve the user experience. After the power supply on the electric heating side of the water tank in the embodiments of the present application is restored, the open-circuit protection is automatically removed as much as possible. By presetting the limits on the number of protection removals and the protection duration, the life of devices such as the controller can be protected while improving the user experience.

[0060] The embodiments of the present application further provide an air conditioner, which at least includes: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein, the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to execute the electric heating open-circuit protection control method in the first embodiment above.

[0061] Reference is made below to Figure 7 , which shows a schematic structural diagram of an air conditioner suitable for implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 7 The air conditioner shown is only an example and should not impose any limitation on the functions and usage scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0062] As Figure 7As shown, the air conditioner may include a processing device 1001 (e.g., a central processing unit, a graphics processor, etc.) that can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 1002 or a program loaded from a storage device 1003 into a random access memory (RAM) 1004. The RAM 1004 also stores various programs and data required for the operation of the air conditioner. The processing device 1001, ROM 1002, and RAM 1004 are interconnected via a bus 1005. An input / output (I / O) interface 1006 is also connected to the bus. Typically, the following systems can be connected to the I / O interface 1006: input devices 1007 including, for example, a touchscreen, touchpad, keyboard, mouse, image sensor, microphone, accelerometer, gyroscope, etc.; output devices 1008 including, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), speaker, vibrator, etc.; storage devices 1003 including, for example, magnetic tape, hard disk, etc.; and communication devices 1009. The communication device 1009 allows the air conditioner to communicate wirelessly or wiredly with other devices to exchange data. Although the figure shows an air conditioner with various systems, it should be understood that it is not required to implement or have all of the systems shown. More or fewer systems may be implemented alternatively.

[0063] In particular, according to embodiments of this disclosure, the processes described above with reference to the flowcharts can be implemented as computer software programs. For example, embodiments of this disclosure include a computer program product comprising a computer program carried on a computer-readable medium, the computer program containing program code for performing the methods shown in the flowcharts. In such embodiments, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network via a communication device, or installed from storage device 1003, or installed from ROM 1002. When the computer program is executed by processing device 1001, it performs the functions defined in the methods of embodiments of this disclosure.

[0064] The air conditioner provided in this application employs the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method described in the above embodiments, which can solve the technical problem that the electric heating circuit breaker protection scheme of current air conditioners affects the overall operational stability of the air conditioner. Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the air conditioner provided in this application are the same as those of the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method provided in the above embodiments, and other technical features of this air conditioner are the same as those disclosed in the previous embodiment method, and will not be repeated here.

[0065] It should be understood that various parts of this disclosure can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the description of the above embodiments, specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0066] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

[0067] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program instructions stored thereon, which are used to execute the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method in the above embodiment 1.

[0068] The computer-readable storage medium provided in this application embodiment may be, for example, a USB flash drive, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or any combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to: electrical connections with one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof. In this embodiment, the computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that can be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, system, or device. The program code contained on the computer-readable storage medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to: wires, optical cables, RF (Radio Frequency), etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0069] The aforementioned computer-readable storage medium may be included in the air conditioner; or it may exist independently and not be installed in the air conditioner.

[0070] The aforementioned computer-readable storage medium carries one or more programs. When the air conditioner executes the aforementioned one or more programs, the air conditioner performs the following actions: when it receives an electric heating control command and the power supply circuit of the electric heating device is in an open circuit state, it locks the controller to the off state and starts timing the protection duration; it determines whether the currently accumulated number of times the protection is released is greater than or equal to a preset number; if not, it releases the lock on the controller when the protection duration reaches the preset duration and updates the number of times the protection is released; if yes, it keeps the controller locked to the off state.

[0071] Computer program code for performing the operations of this disclosure can be written in one or more programming languages ​​or a combination thereof, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, Smalltalk, and C++, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the "C" language or similar programming languages. The program code can be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In cases involving remote computers, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer via any type of network—including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN)—or can be connected to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0072] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of this application. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code containing one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions indicated in the blocks may occur in a different order than those indicated in the drawings. For example, two consecutively indicated blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, can be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or operation, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0073] The modules described in the embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in software or hardware. The names of the modules do not necessarily limit the functionality of the unit itself.

[0074] The readable storage medium provided in this application is a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer-readable program instructions for executing the above-described electric heating circuit breaker protection control method. This solves the technical problem that current electric heating circuit breaker protection schemes for air conditioners affect the overall operational stability of the air conditioner. Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the computer-readable storage medium provided in this application are the same as those of the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method provided in Embodiment 1 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0075] This application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method described above.

[0076] The computer program product provided in this application can solve the technical problem that current electric heating circuit breaker protection schemes for air conditioners affect the overall operational stability of air conditioners. Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the computer program product provided in this application are the same as those of the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method provided in Embodiment 1 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0077] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and do not limit the patent scope of this application. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made using the content of this application's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent scope of this application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling circuit breaking protection of electric heating, characterized in that, Applied to an air conditioner, the air conditioner includes at least a water tank, the water tank includes at least a controller and an electric heating device connected to each other, and the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method includes: When an electric heating control command is received and the power supply circuit of the electric heating equipment is in an open circuit state, the controller will be locked in the off state and the protection timer will start. Determine whether the current cumulative number of times protection has been lifted is greater than or equal to the preset number; If not, the controller is unlocked when the protection duration reaches the preset duration, and the number of times the protection is unlocked is updated; If so, the controller will remain locked in the off state.

2. The electric heating circuit breaker protection control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The electric heating circuit breaker protection control method further includes: If the power supply circuit is in an on state when the electric heating control command is received, then the number of times the protection is deactivated and the protection duration are reset. When a manual deprotection command is received, the controller is unlocked, and the number of deprotection attempts and the protection duration are reset.

3. The electric heating circuit breaker protection control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The air conditioner also includes an outdoor unit, which is connected to the water in the water tank for heat exchange. After the step of locking the controller to the off state, the method further includes: When the air conditioner is in vacation mode, the controller will remain locked in the off state. When the air conditioner is in non-holiday mode, and the temperature of the water in the water tank is lower than the target temperature and the maximum heating temperature of the outdoor unit, the outdoor unit is controlled to heat the water. After the outdoor unit stops heating, if the water temperature is lower than the target temperature, and the number of times the protection is released is less than the preset number, the controller is unlocked and the controller is started.

4. The electric heating circuit breaker protection control method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, After the step of activating the controller, the method further includes: If the power supply circuit is in a closed state, then the number of times the protection is deactivated is reset; If the power supply circuit is in an open circuit state, the number of times the protection is released is updated, and the controller is locked in the off state.

5. The electric heating circuit breaker protection control method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The electric heating circuit breaker protection control method further includes: When the air conditioner is in non-holiday mode, and the temperature of the water in the water tank is lower than the target temperature but higher than the maximum heating temperature of the outdoor unit, if the number of times the protection is released is less than the preset number, the lock on the controller is released and the controller is started.

6. The electric heating circuit breaker protection control method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The air conditioner also includes an indoor unit, and the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method further includes: If the temperature of the water in the water tank is lower than the target temperature when the air conditioner is in non-holiday mode, then it is determined whether the indoor unit of the air conditioner is in heating mode. When the indoor unit of the air conditioner is in heating mode, the water is heated by the outdoor unit. When the protection duration is greater than or equal to the preset duration and the number of times the protection is released is less than the preset number of times, the lock on the controller is released and the controller is started.

7. The electric heating circuit breaker protection control method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, After the step of controlling the outdoor unit to heat the water, the method further includes: When the temperature of the water is greater than or equal to the target temperature or the maximum heating temperature of the outdoor unit, the outdoor unit is controlled to stop heating.

8. The electric heating circuit breaker protection control method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The electric heating circuit breaker protection control method further includes: When the air conditioner is in non-holiday mode, and the temperature of the water in the water tank is lower than the difference between the target temperature and the temperature hysteresis, and the temperature of the water is lower than the difference between the maximum heating temperature of the outdoor unit and the temperature hysteresis, the outdoor unit is controlled to heat the water.

9. An air conditioner, characterized in that, The air conditioner includes: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, the computer program being configured to implement the steps of the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A readable storage medium, characterized in that, The readable storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, and the computer-readable storage medium stores a program for implementing the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method. The program for implementing the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method is executed by a processor to implement the steps of the electric heating circuit breaker protection control method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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