KR20160148897A - Control method for refrigerator - Google Patents

Control method for refrigerator Download PDF

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Publication number
KR20160148897A
KR20160148897A KR1020150085672A KR20150085672A KR20160148897A KR 20160148897 A KR20160148897 A KR 20160148897A KR 1020150085672 A KR1020150085672 A KR 1020150085672A KR 20150085672 A KR20150085672 A KR 20150085672A KR 20160148897 A KR20160148897 A KR 20160148897A
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KR
South Korea
Prior art keywords
refrigerator
control unit
power information
reference data
power
Prior art date
Application number
KR1020150085672A
Other languages
Korean (ko)
Inventor
강대종
Original Assignee
엘지전자 주식회사
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
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Publication date
Application filed by 엘지전자 주식회사 filed Critical 엘지전자 주식회사
Priority to KR1020150085672A priority Critical patent/KR20160148897A/en
Publication of KR20160148897A publication Critical patent/KR20160148897A/en

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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D29/00—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
    • F25D29/006—Safety devices
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D29/00—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
    • F25D29/005—Mounting of control devices
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D2400/00—General features of, or devices for refrigerators, cold rooms, ice-boxes, or for cooling or freezing apparatus not covered by any other subclass
    • F25D2400/36—Visual displays
    • Y02B40/30—

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Devices That Are Associated With Refrigeration Equipment (AREA)

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator control method for checking an abnormal situation by linking an operation and usage pattern of a refrigerator with electric power information of a refrigerator, and displaying and self-repairing the abnormality when the abnormal situation is confirmed.

Description

Control method for refrigerator [0002]

The present invention relates to a refrigerator control method.

Generally, a refrigerator is a household appliance that allows low-temperature storage of food in an internal storage space that is shielded by a door. To this end, the refrigerator is configured to cool the inside of the storage space by using cool air generated through heat exchange with the refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration cycle, thereby storing the stored food in an optimum state.

Such a refrigerator allows the temperature inside the refrigerator to be maintained at a predetermined temperature so that the food stored in the refrigerator can always be stored in the best condition. In order to maintain the set temperature, the inside must be sealed, and it is configured to have a structure capable of continuous cooling by supplying cold air using a refrigeration cycle.

Various control methods of the refrigerator have been developed to improve user-friendliness and reduce power consumption.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-20230 discloses a monitoring system that stores usage patterns such as the number and time of opening and closing of a refrigerator door and compares the usage pattern with a reference pattern to notify the user of the abnormality when the abnormality is detected.

U.S. Patent No. 2006/0123807 discloses a refrigerator control method in which a refrigerator is provided with a device capable of detecting energy consumption and efficiency to store information and display information through a display.

However, in such a conventional technique, there is a problem that it is impossible to perform improvement of its own abnormal state or other operations for its own merely by displaying only an abnormal situation or a current power state.

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator control method which can check an abnormal situation by linking the operation and use pattern of the refrigerator with the electric power information of the refrigerator, do.

A method of controlling a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: checking a power information in a specific operation pattern during a refrigerator operation in a control unit for controlling operation of the refrigerator; Comparing the identified power information with reference data made up of power information for each operation pattern stored in the storage unit to determine whether there is an abnormality; And when the abnormal situation is judged, displaying it as an output device.

The control unit is further provided with a communication unit, and the reference data is received from a remote server through the communication unit.

And the communication unit transmits the power information data associated with the operation pattern confirmed by the control unit to the server when the control unit determines the normal state.

The server processes the reference data using power information data associated with an operation pattern received from a plurality of refrigerators, and transmits processed reference data to the storage unit through the communication unit.

And when the control unit determines the normal state, stores the confirmed power information in the storage unit.

And the reference data is updated by power information associated with a current operation pattern stored in the storage unit.

And the control unit performs a self-repair operation to reset the refrigerator operation so that the electric power matches the reference data.

And the control unit outputs through the output device that the software needs to be updated after self-repair.

The control unit counts the number of times that the abnormal situation is confirmed through the counter.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the following effects can be expected.

First, it is possible to judge an abnormal situation more effectively than to check and determine an abnormal pattern simply by linking the power information confirmed during the operation of the refrigerator and the driving or usage pattern.

Second, based on power information and operation or usage pattern, it is possible to effectively transmit idealization to customers, and at the same time, software can be self-repaired and service reliability can be improved.

Third, the data generated during the operation of the refrigerator can be stored in a cumulative manner, and can be self-repaired using the accumulated data in the abnormal situation, thereby preventing chronic occurrence of defects in a specific situation. There is an advantage that the operation can be maintained.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the refrigerator.
3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an abnormal pattern analysis step of the refrigerator.
FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating power changes of the refrigerator with time.
5 is a flowchart showing another example of the abnormal pattern analysis step of the refrigerator.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in the drawings, and that other embodiments falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention may be easily devised by adding, .

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the refrigerator 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention controls the operation of the compressor 11 constituting the refrigeration cycle by the control unit 10 that controls the operation of the refrigerator. The controller 10 is connected to the temperature sensor 12 to control the operation of the compressor 11 according to the temperature inside and outside of the room. By the operation of the compressor 11, the refrigeration cycle is circulated and cool air is supplied to the storage space, and the storage space can maintain the set temperature.

The storage space is opened and closed by a door, and it is possible to detect whether the door is opened or closed by a door switch (13) connected to the controller (10). When the opening signal of the door switch 13 is inputted, the control unit 10 turns on the lighting device 14 to illuminate the storage space. .

Software for checking power information generated during operation of the refrigerator 1 is installed in the control unit 10, and it is possible to check a change in power when the refrigerator 1 is driven through software. Of course, such software may not be installed in the control unit 10 but may be connected to the control unit 10 after being installed in a storage medium such as a USB or memory card connected to the control unit 10 from the outside.

The control unit 10 may be connected to the storage unit 15. The storage unit 15 stores operation information of the refrigerator 1 and is configured to store operating states of the components as well as power information of the refrigerator 1. [ For example, it is possible to store various information such as a temperature change of the temperature sensor 12, on / off of the door switch 13, the compressor 11, a power supply device, and the like.

The data stored in the storage unit 15 may be stored in the storage unit 15 such as a power change depending on the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 12, a power change due to the opening and closing of the door, And can be stored in the storage unit 15. The storage unit 15 can be modeled in an associated patterned state. The patterned data can be accumulated in the form of big data accumulating during the operation of the refrigerator 1, and it is judged whether or not the refrigerator 1 is abnormally redeemed through the change of the power state and the usage pattern .

The control unit 10 may also store data input by the manufacturer in the production of the product. To this end, the manufacturer stores various operation data including load information and power information for the normal operation of the refrigerator 1, and the operation data is stored in the memory of the refrigerator 1, Can be used as data. That is, the abnormal condition of the refrigerator 1 currently in operation can be determined using the reference data of the controller 10 already stored at the time of manufacturing the refrigerator 1.

The control unit 10 may be provided with a communication unit 16 capable of communicating with a remote server. The communication unit 16 can receive the information that can be the reference data, and the received data can be updated with the new reference data and can be collected together with the existing operation data to generate new reference data have.

Also, the communication unit 16 may transmit operation data of the refrigerator 1 currently stored in the control unit 10 to the server. Therefore, in the server, the operation data transmitted from each refrigerator 1 in the remote place can be classified and processed, and the reference data can be subdivided according to each model of the situation. The processed operation data is again transmitted to each refrigerator 1, As shown in FIG. Since the exchange and processing of data between the server and each of the refrigerators 1 are repeated, the operation data can be stored in the form of big data and can be transmitted to the refrigerator 1 at a remote location to generate reference data .

If there is no separate communication unit 16 in the refrigerator 1, the user can receive the reference data through another device capable of communicating with the PC or the server, and the update input unit 19 connected to the control unit 10, And may update the reference data in the storage unit 15 by connection. The update input unit 19 may include various other devices capable of inputting data generally such as a USB port or an SD card slot. The update input unit 19 may also be used for updating the software or the microcomputer for operating the refrigerator 1. [

The controller 10 may be connected to the timer 17. The timer (17) may be configured to count the operation time or the period of each electric component during operation of the refrigerator (1). For example, the timer 17 can measure various times during operation of the refrigerator, such as the opening and closing time of the door, the driving time of the compressor 11, the arrival or the holding time of the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 12, Information can be generated.

The control unit 10 may be connected to the output device 18. The output device 18 displays operation information such as an operating state and a set state of the refrigerator 1 and may be provided in the refrigerator 1 so that the user can view the operation information. The output device 18 may be configured to allow the user to input an operation for operating the refrigerator 1 by touch operation as well as display of information. In addition, it can display the abnormal state of the refrigerator 1 through the output device 18, and may output information for performing a specific operation such as self-repair or software update.

2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the refrigerator.

As shown in the figure, when the operation of the refrigerator 1 is started, the controller 10 checks the power information according to the operation of the refrigerator 1 through the program of the controller 10, Information is stored.

The operation pattern of the refrigerator 1 or the usage pattern related to the user's operation of the refrigerator 1 is stored in the storage unit 15. At this time, the power information and usage pattern information stored in the storage unit 15 may be stored in association with each other. The power information and the usage pattern information can be continuously stored in the storage unit 15. Therefore, the refrigerator 1 may calculate the average power information in a specific usage pattern situation by using accumulated operation data, and can check the operation state of the refrigerator 1 by using the average power information.

The storage unit 15 stores power information and usage pattern information as a reference for determining the operation state of the refrigerator 1. [ Such reference data may be generated during operation of the refrigerator as described above. That is, the reference data can be adjusted by calculating the power information and the usage pattern information, which are accumulated and stored continuously during the operation of the refrigerator 1, together with the stored data.

The reference data stored in the storage unit 15 may be configured to receive the reference data from the server through the communication unit 16 in real time. That is, the communication with the server makes it possible to adjust the appropriate reference data according to the current state change. [S100]

Meanwhile, the control unit 10 performs an abnormal pattern analysis using the reference data stored in the storage unit 15, the current power information, and the pattern of the usage state. Such analysis can be performed through various processes depending on the operation or use state of the refrigerator 1, and will be described in more detail below. [S200]

That is, the current usage state pattern and power information are checked and compared with the reference data stored in the storage unit 15 to determine whether the current operation state of the refrigerator 1 is abnormal. [S300]

When the current state is not abnormal, the power information and the usage pattern data are stored in the storage unit 15, and the power information and the usage pattern of the refrigerator 1 are checked continuously.

This process is repeated until an abnormal situation is confirmed. In the storage unit 15, the power information and the usage pattern are accumulated and stored during the operation of the refrigerator 1, . [S310]

3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an abnormal pattern analysis step of the refrigerator. FIG. 4 is a graph showing changes in power with time of the refrigerator.

Referring to the drawings, the abnormal pattern analysis step will be described in more detail. The power value when the compressor 11 is operated during the operation of the refrigerator is calculated through the software of the control unit 10, and the time is calculated by the timer 17 ). [S211]

Then, when the compressor 11 is stopped, the power value at this time is calculated through the software of the controller 10, and the time at this time is measured by the timer 17. [S212]

The control unit 10 checks the change of the power value during the time when the compressor 11 stops operating. At this time, the power value change during the set time can be known through the slope of the power curve, and it is confirmed whether the slope of the power curve corresponds to the slope of the normal operation state. [S213]

At this time, when the slope of the power curve is within the set range, it can be confirmed as a normal situation. However, if the slope of the power curve is larger than the steady state, the temperature in the hearth becomes the supercooled state. If the slope of the power curve is smaller than the steady state, the state of the power curve can be confirmed as the abnormal state.

On the other hand, when the slope of the power curve is out of the range of the normal operation state, the controller 10 confirms whether the compressor 11 is in the variable power operation state. In the case where the compressor 11 is in the cold power variable operating state, the slope of the power curve is out of the set range. However, since this is not an ideal situation due to the intended operation, the controller 10 determines that the normal state is established. [S214]

If the slope of the power curve deviates from the set range and the compressor 11 is not in the variable power operation state, the control unit 10 determines whether the door is open. In the state where the door is opened, the compressor 11 must be driven further, and therefore, the electric power value must be high. Accordingly, the controller 10 determines that the controller 10 is in a normal state. [S215]

On the other hand, in the control unit 10, if the slope of the power curve is out of the set range, the compressor 11 is not in the cold power variable operating state, and the door is not opened, do. [S217]

If the current operation state is determined to be a normal state through the abnormal pattern analysis step described above, the current usage power and usage pattern are stored in the storage unit 15 and analyzed and stored continuously. On the other hand, when it is determined that the current operation state is abnormal, the output device 18 can indicate that the current operation state is not normal. [S320]

In the abnormal situation, the control unit 10 determines whether self-repair is possible so that the abnormal situation can be solved by the self-stored program. The self-repair at this time corresponds to the automatic adjustment of the operation of the refrigerator 1 through the setting change in the controller 10 according to the setting. On the other hand, when mechanical maintenance other than self-repair is required, the control unit 10 outputs it through the output device 18. [S400]

In detail, when it is judged that the power curve is in a supercooled state due to a large slope of the power curve, the supply of electric power during the operation of the pattern is reduced to reduce the inclination of the power curve to reach a steady state. To be able to continue.

On the other hand, when the slope of the power curve is small and it is judged to be in a weakly cooled state, the slope of the power curve is increased so as to reach the steady state by increasing the power supply at the time of operation of the pattern for solving the weak cooling. Allow driving to continue.

Such adjustment of the power curve may be implemented by compensating the set temperature in the furnace, changing the set time, adjusting the stroke of the compressor, and the like. [S500]

After the self-repair through the setting change of the controller 10 is completed, the software may be updated so that the changed settings are continuously applied. That is, if the usage pattern of the user is continuously determined to be abnormal, the control unit 10 changes the setting for the operation and the reference data to update the software so as to be determined as a normal situation.

The update of the software may be performed by itself in the control unit 10 or by providing external data through the update input unit 19. [ Of course, the software on the control unit 10 may be updated through communication with the server through the communication unit 16. [ [S600]

Meanwhile, in the control method of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, the abnormal pattern analysis process can be applied to various patterns. Hereinafter, a control method of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In the control method of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention, only the abnormal pattern analysis step is different, but the other components are the same, and thus the same reference numerals are used for the same components, and a duplicate description will be omitted.

5 is a flowchart showing another example of the abnormal pattern analysis step of the refrigerator.

As shown in the figure, the lighting device 14 may be turned on by the operation of the door switch 13 when the door is opened after entering the abnormal pattern analysis step during the operation of the refrigerator 1 And the power value at this time is measured. [0221] Then, when the door is closed, the lighting device 14 can be turned off by the operation of the door switch 13, and the power value at this time is measured. [S222]

Then, the control unit 10 compares the value obtained by subtracting the electric power value of the door from the power value in a state in which the door is open, to determine whether the value obtained by subtracting the electric power value of the door from the closed state is out of the setting range. At this time, the setting range may be a value based on the reference data stored in the storage unit 15. [ [S223]

If the value obtained by subtracting the power value of the door from the power value in the opened state of the door does not deviate from the set range, it is stored in the storage unit 15, the power value is measured at the next door opening and closing, . [S224]

When the value obtained by subtracting the electric power value of the door from the power value in the open state of the door is out of the setting range, the counter 19 counts the number of times of occurrence once. [S225]

Then, it is determined whether the number of occurrences counted by the counter 19 is equal to or greater than the preset number. [S226] At this time, if the integration count of the counter 19 is not equal to or greater than the preset number, it is confirmed as a normal situation. [S227] On the other hand, when the number of integrations of the counter 19 becomes equal to or greater than the preset number, the control unit 10 confirms that an abnormal situation has occurred. [S228]

At this time, when the difference of the power is simply deviated from the set range one time, but is repeated at least twice, it is determined as an abnormal situation. That is, in the case of one-time abnormality confirmation by various factors, it is not fixed as above, but when the abnormality situation is repeated continuously, the abnormal situation is fixed.

Then, the controller 10 outputs an abnormal situation through the output device 18, and performs self-repair and software update when self-repair is possible. If the self-repair is impossible, And outputs it to the device 18 so that the user can solve it.

Claims (9)

Checking power information in a specific operation pattern at the time of refrigerator operation by a control unit for controlling the operation of the refrigerator;
Comparing the identified power information with reference data made up of power information for each operation pattern stored in the storage unit to determine whether there is an abnormality;
And displaying it as an output device upon determination of an abnormal situation
The method according to claim 1,
The control unit may further include a communication unit,
Wherein the reference data is received from a remote server through the communication unit.
3. The method of claim 2,
If it is determined that the controller is in a normal state,
Wherein the communication unit transmits power information data associated with an operation pattern confirmed by the controller to the server.
The method of claim 3,
The server processes the reference data using power information data associated with an operation pattern received from a plurality of refrigerators,
And transmitting the reference data processed through the communication unit to the storage unit.
3. The method of claim 2,
And storing the confirmed power information in the storage unit when it is determined that the controller is in the normal state.
The method according to claim 3 or 5,
Wherein the reference data is updated by power information associated with a current operation pattern stored in the storage unit.
The method according to claim 1,
Upon determining an abnormal situation in the control unit,
Wherein the controller performs a self-repair operation to reset the refrigerator operation so that the power matches the reference data.
The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the control unit outputs through the output device that the software needs to be updated after self-repair.
The method according to claim 1,
The control unit counts the number of times that the abnormal situation is confirmed through the counter.
KR1020150085672A 2015-06-17 2015-06-17 Control method for refrigerator KR20160148897A (en)

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2018169313A1 (en) * 2017-03-15 2018-09-20 엘지전자 주식회사 Method for generating schedule information on basis of operation information, and server and refrigerator for implementing same

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2018169313A1 (en) * 2017-03-15 2018-09-20 엘지전자 주식회사 Method for generating schedule information on basis of operation information, and server and refrigerator for implementing same
US11293689B2 (en) 2017-03-15 2022-04-05 Lg Electronics Inc. Method for generating schedule data using artificial intelligence based on action data, and server and refrigerator for implementing the same

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