JPH11201607A - Method and apparatus for controlling electric refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To avoid overcooling and temperature rise by appropriately controlling opening and closing of a damper irrespectively of abnormality in a refrigerator interior temperature detection section in an electric refrigerator. SOLUTION: A control section 4 of an electric refrigerator controls drive of a damper motor 2 by detecting temperature in a refrigerator interior according to a detection signal from a refrigerator interior temperature detecting section 1 so as to control opening and closing of the damper according to specifications and abnormality of the refrigerator interior temperature detecting section 1 is judged by a self-diagnosing function. When a judgment that the refrigerator interior temperature detecting section is abnormal is made, the damper is opened for a specified time 11 and then is closed for a specified time t2, and while the refrigerator interior temperature detecting section is in the abnormal state, opening and closing of the damper is repeated so as to prevent the damper from being kept in an opened or closed state.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a damper control technique for maintaining a temperature in a refrigerator at a set temperature, and more particularly, to an electric refrigerator capable of opening and closing the damper properly regardless of abnormal temperature in the refrigerator. And a control method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an electric refrigerator of this type, when cool air obtained by a heat exchanger is circulated through a duct through a duct into a predetermined storage by a fan, the temperature in the storage is monitored by temperature detecting means (thermistor). Setting and controlling the opening and closing of the damper according to the detected temperature,
The food and the like are maintained at an appropriate temperature by controlling the circulation of cold air into the refrigerator. Therefore, the food and the like in the refrigerator do not freeze and do not rot. In the case of an electric refrigerator having a self-diagnosis function, for example, an abnormality or failure (short circuit,
The disconnection is diagnosed, the overcurrent of the compressor is detected, the self-diagnosis results (data) are stored in the storage unit, and the details of the failure based on the self-diagnosis results are displayed.

[0003]

However, in the electric refrigerator, when the thermistor for detecting the temperature in the refrigerator becomes abnormal (short circuit (00H), disconnection (FFH)), the damper is opened or closed. As a result, there is a problem that the inside of the refrigerator is not maintained at an appropriate temperature. For example, when the thermistor is short-circuited, the temperature detected by the thermistor becomes a digital value of 00 (H). Therefore, the control means (microcomputer) determines that the internal temperature is higher than the set value and opens the damper. , And as a result, the temperature in the refrigerator becomes too cold. Further, when the thermistor is disconnected, the detected temperature becomes a digital value of FF (H), so that the control means determines that the internal temperature is lower than the set value and maintains the damper in the closed state, As a result, the temperature in the refrigerator increases, and the function as a refrigerator cannot be performed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to control opening and closing of a damper irrespective of an abnormality of a thermistor for detecting the temperature in a refrigerator, and to prevent excessive cooling and temperature rise in the refrigerator. An object of the present invention is to provide a control method of an electric refrigerator and a device therefor, which prevent the occurrence of a malfunction by notifying the user of the problem.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to an electric refrigerator in which the temperature inside the refrigerator of the electric refrigerator is detected by temperature detecting means, and the opening and closing of a damper is controlled in accordance with the detected temperature. The control method according to the above, characterized in that when the temperature detecting means becomes abnormal, the opening and closing of the damper is switched to time-based control.

In this case, when the damper is controlled by time, if the current damper is open, the damper is closed after a lapse of a predetermined time t1, and is opened after a lapse of a predetermined time t2 from the closed state. And opening and closing are repeated. In addition, during the operation of the electric refrigerator, the abnormality of the temperature detecting means may be displayed on a display means.

[0007] The present invention is a control device for an electric refrigerator, which detects the internal temperature of the electric refrigerator with temperature detecting means and controls opening and closing of a damper in accordance with the detected temperature.
Storage means for storing the abnormality when the abnormality detection of the temperature detection means is detected by the detection signal from the temperature detection means, display means for displaying the stored abnormality,
A damper motor for opening and closing the damper, and determining and storing the abnormality in the storage means and controlling the display on the display means, while closing the damper for a predetermined time t1 and opening the predetermined time t2 after the occurrence of the abnormality. Control means for controlling with time as described above, and when an abnormality occurs in the temperature detecting means, the opening and closing of the damper is switched from the control based on the internal temperature to the control based on time, and the occurrence of the abnormality is reported by the display means. It is characterized by doing so.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS. According to the electric refrigerator control method and apparatus of the present invention, when the means (thermistor) for detecting the temperature inside the refrigerator becomes abnormal, if the opening and closing of the damper is switched to time control regardless of the detected temperature, the inside of the refrigerator can be controlled. Focusing on the fact that the temperature does not become too cold or the temperature does not rise, the damper is opened for a predetermined time, closed for a predetermined time, and this is repeated, and the abnormality of the thermistor is displayed on the display means.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, a control device to which the control method of the electric refrigerator is applied includes a refrigerator temperature detecting section (thermistor) 1 for detecting a refrigerator temperature, and a damper motor 2 for opening and closing a damper. The storage unit 3 for storing the self-diagnosis result and a temperature inside the refrigerator are calculated based on a detection signal from the thermistor 1, and the damper motor 2 is turned on and off in accordance with the calculated temperature. A control unit (microcomputer) 4 for judging a short circuit or disconnection and storing it in the storage unit 3 and turning on and off the damper motor 2 at predetermined time intervals to control opening and closing of the damper with time. The control unit 4 is a control unit of the electric refrigerator. The control unit 4 performs self-diagnosis such as overcurrent of the compressor as well as the abnormality of the thermistor 1 as in the related art. Display control.

Next, the operation of the control device having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2. The control unit 4 operates the electric refrigerator by driving, for example, the compressor and the damper motor 2, and sets the interior of the refrigerator. While maintaining the value, the self-diagnosis function is activated during this operation to monitor the abnormality of each part. At this time, the detection signal from thermistor 1 is 00
When the state becomes (H) or FF (H), the thermistor 1 determines that the thermistor 1 is in an abnormal state (short circuit, disconnection), stores the data of the abnormal state in the storage unit 3, and executes the routine of FIG.

First, the control unit 4 reads out abnormal data from the storage unit 3 and displays it on the display unit 5 (step ST).
1) detecting the current open / closed state of the damper (step S)
T2). In this case, since the damper is opened and closed by turning on and off the damper motor 2, it is possible to determine whether the current damper is open based on the control status of the damper motor 2.

Subsequently, when the current damper is in the open state, the process proceeds from step ST3 to ST4, and a time t1 from when the damper is opened is counted. This time measurement time is a predetermined value t.
1 or not, that is, whether or not a predetermined time t1 has elapsed since the opening of the damper (step ST5). If the predetermined time t1 has not elapsed, the routine of FIG. 2 is repeated, and if the predetermined time t1 has elapsed while the damper remains open, the process proceeds from step ST5 to step ST6 to drive the damper motor 2 to close the damper. To

While the thermistor 1 is in an abnormal state, the routine shown in FIG. 2 is repeatedly executed.
Returning to step 1, the display of the abnormal state is continued, and the current open / closed state of the damper is detected again (step ST2). Then, since the current damper is in the closed state, the process proceeds from step ST3 to ST7, and the time t after the damper is closed is t.
Time 2 It is determined whether or not the measured time has reached a predetermined value t2, that is, the predetermined time t has elapsed since the damper was opened.
It is determined whether or not 2 has elapsed (step ST8). If the predetermined time t2 has not elapsed, the routine of FIG. 2 is repeated, and if the predetermined time t2 has elapsed while the damper remains closed, the process proceeds from step ST8 to ST9, where the damper motor 2 is driven to open the damper. To

As described above, when the thermistor 1 is in an abnormal state, the opening and closing of the damper is not controlled by the temperature detected by the thermistor 1, but by time, that is, for a predetermined time t.
After opening the damper for one, the damper is closed for a predetermined time t2, and this repetition is performed until the abnormality is eliminated. Therefore, the damper does not remain in the open state or the closed state, the temperature in the refrigerator is kept at a predetermined value, and the temperature in the refrigerator does not become too cold and the temperature does not rise too much. In addition, the food and the like in the refrigerator will not be damaged until a service person or the like comes.

Further, since the abnormal state of the thermistor 1 is displayed on the display unit 5, the user can be made aware of it, and the occurrence of serious troubles associated therewith can be prevented in advance. It is possible to prevent improper usage due to the environment not being as desired by the user. When the damper is opened for a predetermined time t1, it may be closed for a predetermined time t2. For example, when the damper is provided with a damper opening / closing detecting means, a timer is operated based on a signal from the damper opening / closing detecting means, Predetermined time t1 or t
It is also possible to count 2 and open and close the damper according to the count value.

[0016]

As described above, according to the control method of the electric refrigerator and the apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the temperature inside the refrigerator of the electric refrigerator is detected by the temperature detecting means, and the detected temperature is detected. A method for controlling an electric refrigerator that controls opening and closing of a damper in accordance with the temperature, wherein when the temperature detecting means becomes abnormal, the opening and closing of the damper is switched to time-based control. Irrespective of the abnormality of the detection means (thermistor), the damper can be controlled to open and close appropriately, and as a result, the inside of the refrigerator can be prevented from being too cold and the temperature from rising.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when controlling the damper with time according to the first aspect, if the state of the current damper is open, the damper is closed after a predetermined time t1, and the damper is closed. The state is opened after a predetermined time t2 elapses from the state, and the opening and closing are repeated. Therefore, in addition to the effect of claim 1, the predetermined time t is utilized by using a timer function of the control means (microcomputer) of the electric refrigerator.
Since it suffices to measure 1, t2, it is not necessary to add a new component, and there is an effect that the cost does not increase.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, during the operation of the electric refrigerator according to the first aspect, the abnormality of the temperature detecting means is displayed on the display means. In the case of having a function of displaying the self-diagnosis result, the user can be made to recognize the occurrence of the abnormality without providing a display means, and the occurrence of a serious problem accompanying this can be made in advance. It is possible to prevent improper use, for example, when the environment inside the refrigerator is not as desired by the user.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control device for an electric refrigerator, wherein the temperature inside the refrigerator of the electric refrigerator is detected by a temperature detecting means, and the opening and closing of a damper is controlled in accordance with the detected temperature. Storage means for storing the abnormality when the abnormality detection of the temperature detection means is detected by a detection signal from the temperature detection means, display means for displaying the stored abnormality, and opening and closing of the damper The damper motor, the abnormality is determined and stored in the storage means, and display control is performed on the display means.
Control means for controlling the temperature of the temperature detecting means so that the damper opens and closes when the temperature of the temperature detecting means is changed from the control based on the internal temperature to the control based on the time. , So that the damper can be controlled to open and close properly irrespective of the abnormality of the temperature detection means (thermistor) for detecting the temperature inside the refrigerator, and thus prevent the refrigerator from getting too cold and the temperature rising. Can be. Further, it is sufficient to measure the predetermined times t1 and t2 using the timer function of the control means (microcomputer), so that the cost is not increased and
The display means (when the function of displaying the self-diagnosis result is used, the function is used) allows the user to recognize the abnormality, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a serious trouble accompanying the abnormality in advance. There is an effect that improper usage can be prevented because the internal environment is not as desired by the user.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a control device to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied, to which an electric refrigerator control method is applied;

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart for explaining the operation of the control device shown in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 In-chamber temperature detection part (temperature detection means; thermistor) 2 Damper motor 3 Storage part 4 Control part (microcomputer) 5 Display part

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A method for controlling an electric refrigerator in which the temperature inside a refrigerator of the electric refrigerator is detected by temperature detecting means and the opening and closing of a damper is controlled in accordance with the detected temperature, wherein the temperature detecting means becomes abnormal. And controlling the opening and closing of the damper to control by time. 2. When controlling the damper with time, if the current damper is open, the damper is closed after a predetermined time t1 has elapsed, and is opened after a predetermined time t2 has elapsed since the closed state. 2. The control method for an electric refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the electric refrigerator is repeatedly opened and closed. 3. The control method for an electric refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein an abnormality of said temperature detecting means is displayed on a display means during operation of said electric refrigerator. 4. A control device for an electric refrigerator, wherein the temperature inside the refrigerator of the electric refrigerator is detected by a temperature detecting means, and the opening and closing of a damper is controlled in accordance with the detected temperature, wherein a detection signal from the temperature detecting means is provided. Storage means for storing the abnormality when the occurrence of abnormality in the temperature detection means is detected by
Display means for displaying the stored abnormality; a damper motor for opening and closing the damper; and determining the abnormality and storing the abnormality in the storage means, and performing display control on the display means. Control means for controlling the damper by time so that the damper is closed for a predetermined time t1 and then opened for a predetermined time t2, and when an abnormality occurs in the temperature detecting means, the opening and closing of the damper is switched from control based on the internal temperature to control based on time. On the other hand, the control device for an electric refrigerator, wherein the occurrence of the abnormality is notified by the display means.