AIR CONDITIONER, CONTROL METHOD, CONTROL DEVICE, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411571149.5, filed with China National Intellectual Property Administration on Nov. 5, 2024 and entitled “AIR CONDITIONER, CONTROL METHOD, CONTROL DEVICE, AND STORAGE MEDIUM”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. No new matter has been introduced.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of air conditioner technologies, and more particularly, to an air conditioner, a control method, a control device, and a computer-readable storage medium.

BACKGROUND

In the related art, an air conditioner is charged with a flammable refrigerant. However, according to safety requirements for an air conditioner, when refrigerant leaks occur on an indoor side of the air conditioner, an electric auxiliary heating temperature of the air conditioner may not exceed 700° C., and a concentration of the flammable refrigerant surrounding a potential ignition electrical component needs to be guaranteed to be below 75% of a lower flammability limit.

Currently, when the air conditioner is in normal use, since an indoor fan is turned on, enough air flow can pass through an air duct to take away heat of an electric auxiliary heater, enabling a surface temperature of the air conditioner to be continuously lower than 700° C. Also, the refrigerant can be carried away to make the concentration of the refrigerant surrounding the potential ignition electrical component be continuously below a desired concentration value. However, when the indoor fan malfunctions, the leaked refrigerant cannot be taken away, failing to meet the safety requirements for the air conditioner, which may lead to fire or explosion of the air conditioner.

SUMMARY

An air conditioner, a control method, a control device, and a computer-readable storage medium according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are capable of solving the problem that, when an indoor fan of the air conditioner malfunctions, an electric arc generated by an energized component may ignite a leaked refrigerant, leading to an explosion.

The air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an indoor fan; a live component, wherein the indoor fan is in airflow communication with the live component via a first air duct; and an air pressure detection assembly configured to acquire a first air pressure of the indoor fan and a second air pressure of the first air duct, and to control energization and de-energization of the live component based on a difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure.

In this way, by disposing the air pressure switch between the air pressure detection assembly and the live component, the air pressure switch can detect a pressure difference in the first air duct. Therefore, when the pressure difference drops, it indicates that the indoor fan malfunctions, and an airflow blown out by the indoor fan cannot cool the live component and take away the leaked refrigerant. In this case, the live component is controlled to be de-energized by the air pressure switch, thereby preventing the live component from igniting the refrigerant due to energization and sparking, which would result in an explosion.

In some embodiments, the live component is controlled to be energized when the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure is greater than a predetermined value. The live component is controlled to be de-energized when the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure is smaller than or equal to the predetermined value.

In this way, by comparing the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure with the predetermined value, based on a comparison result, whether the indoor fan malfunctions can be determined, and the live component can be quickly controlled to be de-energized in the event of malfunction. Compared with the related art, in which the live component is controlled to be de-energized by a refrigerant sensor and a corresponding supporting hardware, this approach can reduce a cost and improve a de-energization speed.

In some embodiments, the predetermined value ranges from 25 Pa to 60 Pa.

Therefore, by setting the predetermined value to range from 25 Pa to 60 Pa, whether the indoor fan malfunctions can be promptly and accurately reflected. When setting the predetermined value to be smaller than 25 Pa, the predetermined value is too small to detect a fault of the indoor fan in time, resulting in a risk of explosion due to a failure to promptly de-energize the live component. When setting the predetermined value to greater than 60 Pa, the predetermined value is too large, which is prone to cause misjudgment during normal operation of the indoor fan, leading to de-energization of the live component. Therefore, normal use of the air conditioner can be affected.

In some embodiments, the air pressure detection assembly includes an air pressure switch disposed in the first air duct and electrically connected to the live component, the air pressure switch being configured to control the energization and de-energization of the live component based on the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure.

Therefore, by using the air pressure switch as the air pressure detection assembly to detect the air pressure and control the energization and de-energization of the live component, a mechanical air pressure switch does not need an additional controller, saving time needed to send and receive a control signal, which can improve the speed of energization or de-energization of the live component and thus reduce a cost.

In some embodiments, the live component includes at least one of an electric heating element and an alternating current contactor, the at least one of the electric heating element and the alternating current contactor being connected in series to the air pressure switch.

Therefore, by connecting the at least one of the electric heating element and the alternating current contactor in series to the air pressure switch, the air pressure switch can control the at least one of the electric heating element and the alternating current contactor, thereby preventing an explosion caused by an electric arc generated by at least one of the heating element and the alternating current contactor during refrigerant leakage.

In some embodiments, the air conditioner includes at least one gear controller. The air pressure switch, the at least one gear controller, and the electric heating element are connected in series in sequence.

Therefore, by connecting the air pressure switch, the at least one gear controller, and the electric heating element in series in sequence, the air pressure switch can control energization and de-energization of the gear controller and the electric heating element, which can avoid an explosion caused by energization of the gear controller and the electric heating element during refrigerant leakage.

In some embodiments, the at least one gear controller is connected to the alternating current contactor to jointly form a connection terminal. The air pressure switch has an end connected to the connection terminal and another end connected to a power supply.

Therefore, by connecting the at least one gear controller to the alternating current contactor to jointly form the connection terminal connected in series to the air pressure switch, the air pressure switch can control energization and de-energization of the connection terminal to improve a de-energization speed of the gear controller and the alternating current contactor.

In some embodiments, the air conditioner further includes: a housing, the first air duct and a second air duct spaced apart from the first air duct being formed in the housing; and an outdoor fan disposed in the housing and in airflow communication with the second air duct.

Therefore, by disposing the outdoor fan in the air conditioner, the air conditioner can exchange air with the room through the second air duct and the outdoor fan. In addition, the outdoor fan and the indoor fan are integrated in the same housing, which can save an occupied space.

A control method for an air conditioner is provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. The air conditioner includes an indoor fan, a live component, and an air pressure detection assembly. The indoor fan is in airflow communication with the live component via a first air duct. An air pressure switch is disposed in the first air duct and electrically connected to the live component. The control method includes: controlling, based on a start command, the live component to be energized; controlling the air pressure detection assembly to acquire a first air pressure of the indoor fan and a second air pressure of the first air duct; and controlling, based on a difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure, the air pressure detection assembly to be turned on or off, to energize or de-energize the live component.

In some embodiments, the controlling, based on the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure, the air pressure detection assembly to be turned on or off, to energize or de-energize the live component includes: controlling, when the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure is smaller than or equal to a predetermined value, the air pressure detection assembly to be turned off to de-energize the live component; and controlling, when the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure is greater than the predetermined value, the air pressure detection assembly to be turned on to energize the live component.

In this way, by comparing the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure with the predetermined value, whether the indoor fan malfunctions can be determined based on the comparison result, and the live component can be quickly controlled to be de-energized in the event of malfunction. Compared with the related art, in which the live component is controlled to be de-energized by the refrigerant sensor and the corresponding supporting hardware, this approach can reduce the cost and improve the de-energization speed.

A control device is provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The control device includes a processor and a memory having a computer program stored therein. The computer program, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to implement the steps of the control method according to any one of the above embodiments.

An air conditioner is provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The air conditioner includes the control device according to the above embodiments.

A computer-readable storage medium is provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The computer-readable storage medium has a computer program stored thereon. The computer program, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement the steps of the control method according to any one of the above embodiments.

Additional aspects and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be provided at least in part in the following description, or will become apparent at least in part from the following description, or can be learned from practicing of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent and more understandable from the following description of embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of an air conditioner according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating connection between an air pressure detection assembly and a connection terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is another schematic diagram illustrating connection between an air pressure detection assembly and a connection terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is yet another schematic diagram illustrating connection between an air pressure detection assembly and a connection terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is another schematic structural view of an air conditioner according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart illustrating a control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a control device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic flowchart illustrating a control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a connection state of a computer-readable storage medium and a processor according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

• • 100 air conditioner; 10 indoor fan; 20 live component; 21 electric heating element; 22 alternating current contactor; 30 air pressure detection assembly; 31 air pressure switch; 40 first air duct; 50 gear controller; 60 connection terminal; 70 power supply; 80 housing; 90 outdoor fan; 91 second air duct; 200 control device; 210 processor; 220 memory; 221 computer program; 300 computer-readable storage medium.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to examples thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which same or similar elements, or elements having same or similar functions, are denoted by same or similar reference numerals. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are illustrative, and are only intended to explain, rather than limit, the embodiments of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, an air conditioner 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an indoor fan 10, a live component 20, and an air pressure detection assembly 30. The indoor fan 10 is in airflow communication with the live component 20 via a first air duct 40. The air pressure detection assembly 30 is configured to acquire a first air pressure of the indoor fan 10 and a second air pressure of the first air duct 40, and to control energization and de-energization of the live component 20 based on a difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure.

Therefore, by disposing an air pressure switch 31 between the air pressure detection assembly 30 and the live component 20, the air pressure switch 31 can detect a pressure difference in the first air duct 40. Therefore, when a drop in the pressure difference is detected, it indicates a fault of the indoor fan 10, meaning that an airflow generated by the indoor fan 10 fails to cool an electric device and remove a leaked refrigerant. In this case, the live component 20 is controlled to be de-energized by the air pressure switch 31, thereby preventing the live component 20 from igniting the refrigerant due to energization and sparking, which would result in an explosion.

The air conditioner 100 is a device configured to provide conditioned air directly to an enclosed room, space or area. The air conditioner 100 can provide cooling, heating, dehumidification, and air purification for the room. The air conditioner 100 completes cooling and heating by utilizing changes in a phase state, a temperature, and a pressure of the refrigerant in the air conditioner 100.

However, during operation of the air conditioner 100, there is a refrigerant leakage. When the leaked refrigerant reaches a predetermined concentration and comes into contact with the live component 20 in the air conditioner 100, the refrigerant is likely to be ignited by an electric arc generated by the live component 20, causing the explosion, or ignited by a high temperature of the live component 20, causing the explosion. Therefore, a fan in the air conditioner 100 is usually designed to blow air towards the live component 20, in such a manner that an airflow generated by the fan can carry away the leaked refrigerant and cool down a high-temperature live component 20. However, when the fan malfunctions, the leaked refrigerant cannot be taken away in time, which is likely to cause the explosion. Therefore, when the fan malfunctions, the live component 20 needs to be de-energized to prevent the live component 20 from igniting the refrigerant and thus exploding.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the air conditioner 100 includes the indoor fan 10, the live component 20, and the air pressure detection assembly 30. The indoor fan 10 includes a motor and an impeller. The motor may control rotation of the impeller to generate the airflow, enabling the indoor fan 10 to realize heat exchange in the indoor room. For example, when the air conditioner 100 performs cooling, the indoor fan 10 is responsible for blowing cold air around an evaporator in the air conditioner 100 into the indoor room, achieving forced convection and reducing an indoor temperature. When the air conditioner 100 performs heating, hot air in the indoor room is discharged outdoors through a pipe, and hot air around a condenser in the air conditioner 100 is blown into the indoor room, increasing a temperature of the indoor room.

The live component 20 is a component in the air conditioner 100 that needs to be electrically connected to a power supply 70 to operate. Through coordinated operation of the live component 20, normal operation and efficient performance of the air conditioner 100 can be ensured. For example, the live component 20 may be a component such as a compressor, a sensor, or a controller. The compressor may compress a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant, providing power for cooling of the air conditioner. The sensor is configured to measure a temperature and humidity of air, and transmit data to the controller. The controller is configured to control cooling, heating, dehumidification, and other functions of the air conditioner according to the sensor data, to realize intelligent control of the indoor temperature. In addition, the indoor fan 10 may be in airflow communication with the live component 20 via the first air duct 40. In this way, the airflow generated by the indoor fan 10 can blow onto the live component 20 via the first air duct 40.

The air pressure detection assembly 30 may be configured to detect an airflow pressure generated by the indoor fan 10, and control the energization and de-energization of the live component 20 based on the pressure difference. For example, by disposing the air pressure detection assembly 30 in the first air duct 40, when the indoor fan 10 operates, the air pressure detection assembly 30 can acquire a first air pressure at the impeller of the indoor fan 10 and a second air pressure in the air duct. In addition, an operating state of the indoor fan 10 can be determined by calculating a difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure and comparing the difference with a predetermined value. In this way, the energization and de-energization of the live component 20 is controlled based on the operating state of the indoor fan 10.

In some embodiments, the live component 20 is controlled to be energized when the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure is greater than a predetermined value. The live component 20 is controlled to be de-energized when the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure is smaller than or equal to the predetermined value.

In this way, by comparing the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure with the predetermined value, whether the indoor fan 10 malfunctions can be determined according to the comparison result, and the live component 20 can be quickly controlled to be de-energized in the event of malfunction. Compared with the related art, in which the live component 20 is controlled to be de-energized by a refrigerant sensor and a corresponding supporting hardware, this approach can reduce a cost and improve a de-energization speed.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, when the air pressure detection assembly 30 acquires the first air pressure of the indoor fan 10 and the second air pressure of the first air duct 40, the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure can be obtained through calculation. Then, compare the difference with a predetermined value previously set in the air pressure detection assembly 30, the air pressure detection assembly 30 can determine a magnitude relationship of the difference and the predetermined value, and control the energization and de-energization of the live component 20 based on the magnitude relationship between the difference and the predetermined value.

In some embodiments, the predetermined value ranges from 25 Pa to 60 Pa. For example, the predetermined value may be 25 Pa, 30 Pa, 35 Pa, 40 Pa, 45 Pa, 50 Pa, 55 Pa, and 60 Pa, or any value between 25 Pa to 60 Pa. Therefore, by setting the predetermined value to range from 25 Pa to 60 Pa, whether the indoor fan 10 malfunctions can be timely and accurately reflected. When the predetermined value is set to smaller than 25 Pa, the predetermined value is too small to detect the fault of the indoor fan 10 in a timely manner. As a result, the energization of the live component 20 cannot be cut off promptly, which may easily cause the explosion. When the predetermined value is set to be greater than 60 Pa, the predetermined value is too large, which may easily lead to misjudgment during normal operation of the indoor fan 10, resulting in the de-energization of the live component 20 and thus affecting normal use of the air conditioner 100.

When the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure is greater than the predetermined value, it indicates that the indoor fan 10 is in a normal operating state. The indoor fan 10 can normally supply air to the live component 20 to take away the leaked refrigerant. Therefore, the air pressure detection assembly 30 can control the live component 20 to be energized, enabling the air conditioner 100 to operate normally.

When the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure is smaller than or equal to the predetermined value, it indicates that the indoor fan 10 is in an abnormal operating state, such as the indoor fan 10 malfunctions and stops generating airflow, or the first air duct 40 is blocked. The indoor fan 10 fails to supply air to the live component 20 to take away the leaked refrigerant. Therefore, the air pressure detection assembly 30 can control the live component 20 to be de-energized, preventing the live component 20 from generating the electric arc and a high temperature, and thus avoiding the live component 20 from igniting the leaked refrigerant.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the air pressure detection assembly 30 includes an air pressure switch 31 disposed in the first air duct 40 and electrically connected to the live component 20. The air pressure switch 31 is configured to control the energization and de-energization of the live component 20 based on the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure.

Therefore, by using the air pressure switch 31 as the air pressure detection assembly 30 to detect the air pressure and control the energization and de-energization of the live component 20, a mechanical air pressure switch 31 does not need an additional controller, saving time needed to send and receive a control signal, which can improve the speed of energization or de-energization of the live component 20 and thus reduce the cost.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the air pressure detection assembly 30 includes the air pressure switch 31. The air pressure switch 31 is a mechanical detection component used for detecting the air pressure. The air pressure switch 31 includes a detection port, a pressure difference, a diaphragm, a micro switch, a positive pressure chamber, and a negative pressure chamber. The air pressure switch 31 may use a static pressure of a gas to push the micro switch, to realize the on-off of a current. The air pressure switch 31 has two detection ports, namely a positive pressure detection port and a negative pressure detection port. The air pressure switch 31 has a chamber accordingly divided into the positive pressure chamber and the negative pressure chamber. The diaphragm isolates the above two chambers. A negative pressure region of the indoor fan 10 is in airflow communication with the negative pressure detection port of the air pressure switch 31. When the indoor fan 10 rotates, a negative pressure is created in the negative pressure chamber through an air pressure duct, causing the diaphragm to move and actuate the micro switch, achieving on/off control.

The air pressure switch 31 is disposed in the first air duct 40. In addition, the micro switch in the air pressure switch 31 is electrically connected to the live component 20. Therefore, the air pressure switch 31 can push the micro switch to move to control the energization and de-energization of the live component 20 based on the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the live component 20 includes at least one of an electric heating element 21 and an alternating current contactor 22. The at least one of the electric heating element 21 and the alternating current contactor 22 is connected in series to the air pressure switch 31.

Therefore, by connecting the at least one of the electric heating element 21 and the alternating current contactor 22 in series to the air pressure switch 31, the air pressure switch 31 can control the at least one of the electric heating element 21 and the alternating current contactor 22, thereby preventing an explosion caused by an electric arc generated by at least one of the heating element 21 and the alternating current contactor 22 during refrigerant leakage.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, in one embodiment, the live component 20 includes the electric heating element 21 and the alternating current contactors 22. In another embodiment, the live component 20 includes the alternating current contactor 22. In other embodiments, the live component 20 may include, but is not limited to, the electric heating element 21 and the alternating current contactor 22. The electric heating element 21 may be an electric auxiliary heater. When the air conditioner 100 is in a heating mode, the electric heating element 21 may heat an airflow delivered into the indoor room, raising the temperature of the indoor room.

The alternating current contactor 22 may connect or disconnect a circuit as desired, to achieve control of the air conditioning device. The alternating current contactor 22 is mainly composed of contacts, a coil, and a spring. When the coil is energized, a magnetic field generated may attract the spring, causing the contacts to close and thus connecting the circuit. When the coil is de-energized, the magnetic field disappears, the spring returns to an original state, and the contacts open, disconnecting the circuit.

In one embodiment, the electric heating element 21 and the alternating current contactor 22 may be connected to the air pressure switch 31 in series. The air pressure switch 31 is configured to control energization and de-energization of the electric heating element 21 and the alternating current contactor 22.

In another embodiment, the alternating current contactor 22 may be connected in series to the air pressure switch 31. The air pressure switch 31 is configured to control energization and de-energization of the alternating current contactor 22.

In other embodiments, the live component 20, including but not limited to the electric heating element 21 and the alternating current contactor 22, may be connected in series to the air pressure switch 31. The air pressure switch 31 is configured to control energization and de-energization of the live component 20, including but not limited to the electric heating element 21 and the alternating current contactor 22.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the air conditioner 100 includes at least one gear controller 50. The air pressure switch 31, the at least one gear controller 50, and the electric heating element 21 are connected in series in sequence.

In this way, by connecting in series the air pressure switch 31, the at least one gear controller 50, and the electric heating element 21 in sequence, the air pressure switch 31 can control energization and de-energization of the gear controller 50 and the electric heating element 21, which can avoid an explosion caused by energization of the gear controller 50 and the electric heating element 21 in the event of refrigerant leakage.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the air conditioner 100 needs to adjust an outlet air temperature according to the temperature of the indoor room. Therefore, the power of the electric heating element 21 needs to be adjusted based on the temperature gear. The air conditioner 100 includes the at least one gear controller 50. The gear controller 50 is configured to adjust the heating power of the electric heating element 21 based on the gear. For example, the air conditioner 100 includes a first-level gear controller and a second-level gear controller. Compared with the first-level gear controller, the second-level gear controller may realize the higher heating power of the electric heating element 21.

The air pressure switch 31 may connect the gear controller 50 and the electric heating element 21 in series in sequence. In addition, a plurality of gear controllers 50 are connected in parallel. Therefore, the air pressure switch 31 can control energization and de-energization of the gear controller 50 and the electric heating element 21.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the at least one gear controller 50 is connected to the alternating current contactor 22 to jointly form a connection terminal 60. The air pressure switch 31 has an end connected to the connection terminal 60 and another end connected to a power supply 70.

Therefore, by connecting the at least one gear controller 50 and the alternating current contactor 22 to jointly form the connection terminal 60, which is connected to the air pressure switch 31 in series, the air pressure switch 31 can control energization and de-energization of the connection terminal 60, improving a de-energization efficiency of the gear controller 50 and the alternating current contactor 22.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, to facilitate control by the air pressure switch 31 over the gear controller 50 and the alternating current contactor 22, the at least one gear controller 50 is connected to the alternating current contactor 22 to jointly form the connection terminal 60. The connection terminal 60 may be a pin, a terminal block, or the like. The air pressure switch 31 has the end connected to the connection terminal 60 and the other end connected to the power supply 70. Therefore, a current supplied by the power supply 70 can flow to the connection terminal 60 via the air pressure switch 31. In addition, the air pressure switch 31 can disconnect the current supplied by the power supply 70 to the connection terminal 60.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, in some embodiments, the air conditioner 100 includes a housing 80, the first air duct 40 and a second air duct 91 spaced apart from the first air duct 40 being formed in the housing 80; and an outdoor fan 90 disposed in the housing 80 and in airflow communication with the second air duct 91.

In this way, by disposing the outdoor fan 90 in the air conditioner 100, the air conditioner 100 can exchange air with an indoor environment through the second air duct 91 and the outdoor fan 90. Moreover, since the outdoor fan 90 and the indoor fan 10 are integrated in the same housing 80, an occupied space can be saved.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the air conditioner 100 may be an integrated-type air conditioner 100 or a split-type air conditioner 100. The air conditioner 100 includes the housing 80 and the outdoor fan 90. The outdoor fan 90 may help the air conditioner 100 dissipate heat. In a process of cooling a high-temperature and high-pressure gas after being compressed by the compressor into liquid, the outdoor fan 90 removes heat by blowing an airflow through the condenser, enabling the refrigerant in the condenser to liquefy smoothly.

The housing 80 has the first air duct 40 and the second air duct 91 spaced apart from each other therein. The outdoor fan 90 is disposed in the housing 80 and in airflow communication with the second air duct 91. The air pressure detection assembly 30 is disposed in the second air duct 91. In addition, the air pressure detection assembly 30 is configured to acquire a third air pressure of the outdoor fan 90 and a fourth air pressure of the second air duct 91 and to control energization and de-energization of the live component 20 based on a difference between the third air pressure and the fourth air pressure.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7, the control method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is used for the air conditioner 100. The air conditioner 100 includes an indoor fan 10, a live component 20, and an air pressure detection assembly 30. The indoor fan 10 is in airflow communication with the live component 20 via a first air duct 40. An air pressure switch 31 is disposed in the first air duct 40 and electrically connected to the live component 20. The control method includes: block 011: controlling, based on a start command, the live component 20 to be energized; block 012: controlling the air pressure detection assembly 30 to acquire a first air pressure of the indoor fan 10 and a second air pressure of the first air duct 40; and block 013: controlling, based on a difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure, the air pressure detection assembly 30 to be turned on or off, to energize or de-energize the live component 20.

The air conditioner 100 includes the indoor fan 10, the live component 20, and the air pressure detection assembly 30. The indoor fan 10 is in airflow communication with the live component 20 via the first air duct 40. The air pressure switch 31 is disposed in the first air duct 40 and electrically connected to the live component 20. The air conditioner 100 further includes a control device 200. The control device 200 includes a processor 210, a memory 220, and a computer program 221. The processor 210 may be configured to execute a computer program 221 containing an instruction of a detection method. The memory 220 may be configured to store the computer program 221 containing the instruction of the detection method.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, when the air conditioner receives the start command, the processor 210 controls the live component 20 to be energized. The start command may be pressing a power supply 70 of the air conditioner 100 in a conventional key-type air conditioner 100, or may be turning on the air conditioner by speaking a voice command such as “turn on the air conditioner” or “start the air conditioner” in a smart air conditioner 100, or may be remotely turning on the air conditioner 100 by clicking a corresponding button in a mobile APP, or may be turning on the air conditioner 100 via an ON button on a remote control of the air conditioner 100 equipped with the remote control.

The processor 210 is configured to control the air pressure detection assembly 30 to acquire the first air pressure of the indoor fan 10 and the second air pressure of the first air duct 40. For example, the air pressure detection assembly 30 may be a pressure sensor. By disposing the pressure sensor at the impeller of the indoor fan 10 to detect the first air pressure, and disposing the pressure sensor in the first air duct 40 to detect the second air pressure, the first air pressure and the second air pressure are transmitted to the processor 210, enabling the processor 210 to calculate the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure.

After the processor 210 calculates the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure, the difference is compared with a predetermined value stored in the memory 220. Based on the comparison result, the processor 210 can control the air pressure detection assembly 30 to be turned off, causing the live component 20 to be de-energized.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, in some embodiments, the block 013 of controlling, based on the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure, the air pressure detection assembly 30 to be turned on or off, to energize or de-energize the live component 20, includes: block 0131, controlling, when the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure is smaller than or equal to a predetermined value, the air pressure detection assembly 30 to be turned off to de-energize the live component 20; and block 0132, controlling, when the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure is greater than the predetermined value, the air pressure detection assembly 30 to be turned on to energize the live component 20.

In this way, by comparing the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure with the predetermined value, whether the indoor fan 10 malfunctions can be determined based on the comparison result, and at least one of the electric heating element 21 and the alternating current contactor 22 can be quickly controlled to be de-energized in the event of malfunction. Compared with the related art, in which the live component 20 is controlled to be de-energized by the refrigerant sensor and the corresponding supporting hardware, this approach can reduce the cost and improve the de-energization speed.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, in one embodiment, the live component 20 includes the electric heating element 21 and the alternating current contactor 22. When the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure is smaller than or equal to the predetermined value, meaning that the indoor fan 10 malfunctions and thus the air pressure decreases, the processor 210 controls the air pressure detection assembly 30 to be turned off to enable the electric heating element 21 and the alternating current contactor 22 to be de-energized. When the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure is greater than the predetermined value, meaning that the indoor fan 10 operates normally, the processor 210 controls the air pressure detection assembly 30 to be turned on to enable the electric heating element 21 and the alternating current contactor 22 to be energized.

In one embodiment, the live component 20 includes the alternating current contactor 22. When the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure is smaller than or equal to the predetermined value, meaning that the indoor fan 10 malfunctions and thus the air pressure decreases, the processor 210 controls the air pressure detection assembly 30 to be turned off to enable the alternating current contactor 22 to be de-energized. When the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure is greater than the predetermined value, meaning that the indoor fan 10 operates normally, the processor 210 controls the air pressure detection assembly 30 to be turned on to enable the alternating current contactor 22 to be energized.

In other embodiments, the live component 20 may include, but is not limited to, the electric heating element 21 and the alternating current contactor 22.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium 300 having a computer program 221 stored thereon. The computer program 221, when executed by the processor 210, causes the processor 210 to implement the steps of the control method according to any one of the above embodiments, and thus details thereof will be omitted here for the sake of brevity.

In the description of the present disclosure, reference throughout this specification to terms such as “some embodiments,” “in an example,” and “exemplarily” means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. In the present disclosure, any illustrative reference of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment(s) or example(s). Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics as described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples as appropriate. In addition, different embodiments or examples and features of different embodiments or examples described in the specification may be combined by those skilled in the art without mutual contradiction.

Any process or method described in the flowchart or otherwise depicted herein may be construed as representing modules, segments, or portions of code which include one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logic functions or processes. In addition, a scope of preferred embodiments of the present disclosure includes alternative implementations in which functions may be executed in an order different from that shown or discussed, instead in a substantially concurrently order or in a reverse order, which should be appreciated by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments of the present disclosure pertain.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described above, it should be understood that the above-mentioned embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions, and alternations to the above-mentioned embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure.