Outdoor Unit Inverter Reset Control for Compressor Auto-Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for controlling outdoor units of air conditioners require manual operator intervention for restarting actuators after defects are detected and necessitate additional hardware, such as watchdog timers, which is inefficient and labor-intensive.
Innovation Solution
A control method that periodically monitors the operating condition of the drive circuit, resets the power supply to the drive circuit upon communication defects, and restarts the drive circuit only when communication is restored, without requiring new hardware, allowing for automatic recovery from temporary malfunctions like microcomputer runaway or latch-up.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual restart is performed by operator after defect detection, then actuator can be restarted, but operator labor is required and system productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The drive circuit automatically detects communication defects and performs self-restart by resetting its operation, eliminating the need for manual operator intervention. The circuit monitors its own communication status and autonomously recovers from temporary malfunctions.
Solution Approach 2:
The control circuit continuously monitors communication status from the drive circuit and uses this feedback to determine when resetting is necessary. The system establishes a feedback loop where communication defects trigger automatic restart sequences.
2Reliability
If watchdog timer hardware is added for periodic actuator checking, then automatic defect detection is achieved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The existing communication interface between control circuit and drive circuit is used for multiple purposes: both normal control operations and defect detection. The same communication channel serves dual functions, eliminating the need for dedicated watchdog timer hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The defect detection function is merged with the existing communication protocol between control and drive circuits. Rather than adding separate detection hardware, the communication system itself performs both control and monitoring functions.
3Reliability
If drive circuit operation is reset upon communication defect, then temporary malfunctions are recovered, but false resets may occur during normal operation
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary verification by checking communication status before initiating reset. The control circuit anticipates potential issues by continuously monitoring communication and prepares reset sequences only when genuine defects are detected, not during normal operational variations.
Solution Approach 2:
Continuous feedback monitoring of communication status allows the system to distinguish between temporary glitches requiring reset and normal operational variations. The feedback mechanism provides real-time information about communication health, enabling intelligent reset decisions.
Data Source
AI summary
An outdoor unit includes an outdoor unit control circuit, an inverter substrate and a compressor. Periodic communication showing the operating condition of the inverter substrate is set from the inverter substrate to the outdoor unit control circuit. Thus, when the communication is performed normally, the drive of the compressor is changed to a power saving process according to the necessity of the power consumption and the operating condition of the inverter substrate. When the communication is defective, the power-on reset is done to the inverter substrate.