Method for detecting whether article with abnormal temperature is placed in refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11079174-B2
Application number	US-201716463839-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2017
Priority date	Nov 23, 2016
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

A method for detecting whether an article with an abnormal temperature is placed in a refrigerator. The method includes: controlling a plurality of infrared sensors to collect temperature values after a door body is opened; determining whether an abnormal storage space in which the article with the abnormal temperature is possibly placed exists in a plurality of storage spaces; acquiring a first temperature change value of the abnormal storage space between time points before and after the article with the abnormal temperature is possibly placed in the abnormal storage space and a second temperature change value of the abnormal storage space caused by heat exchange between an external environment and the abnormal storage space between said time points; and determining whether the article with the abnormal temperature is placed in the abnormal storage space according to the first temperature change value and the second temperature change value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for detecting whether an article with an abnormal temperature is placed in a refrigerator, wherein the refrigerator comprises a refrigerator body whose inner portion is divided into a plurality of storage spaces, a door body arranged at a front of the refrigerator body, a controller disposed on a main control board installed in the refrigerator body, and a plurality of infrared sensors configured to sense temperatures of the plurality of storage spaces and electrically connected to the controller respectively; and the method performed by the controller comprises:
controlling the plurality of infrared sensors to collect temperature values after the door body is opened;
determining whether an abnormal storage space in which the article with the abnormal temperature is placed exists in the plurality of storage spaces;
acquiring a first temperature change value of the abnormal storage space before and after the article with the abnormal temperature is placed in the abnormal storage space in response to a result that the abnormal storage space exists being determined;
calculating a second temperature change value of the abnormal storage space according to a temperature difference summation formula sum(n)=sum(n−1)+IR(n+1)−IR(n), wherein the second temperature change value is caused by heat exchange between an external environment and the abnormal storage space between time points before and after the article with the abnormal temperature is placed in the abnormal storage space, wherein at the start of the temperature difference summation calculation, sum(0)=0;
setting IR(n+1) and IR(n) respectively being temperature values collected by the infrared sensor corresponding to the abnormal storage space at an (n+1)-th time and an n-th time between time points before and after the article with the abnormal temperature is placed in the abnormal storage space in response to an absolute value of a difference of the temperature values collected by an infrared sensor corresponding to the abnormal storage space at the (n+1)-th time and the n-th time between time points before and after the article with the abnormal temperature is placed in the abnormal storage space being smaller than a first preset value;
setting IR(n+1) and IR(n) respectively being temperature values collected by an additional infrared sensor at the (n+1)-th time and the n-th time between time points before and after the article with the abnormal temperature is placed in the abnormal storage space in response to the absolute value of the difference of the temperature values collected by the infrared sensor corresponding to the abnormal storage space at the (n+1)-th time and the n-th time between time points before and after the article with the abnormal temperature is placed in the abnormal storage space being greater than or equal to the first preset value, and the additional infrared sensor by which an absolute value of a difference of temperature values collected at the (n+1)-th time and the n-th time between time points before and after the article with the abnormal temperature is placed in the abnormal storage space is smaller than the first preset value being identified;
setting IR(n+1) and IR(n) respectively being temperature values collected by any one of two or more additional infrared sensors at the (n+1)-th time and the n-th time between time points before and after the article with the abnormal temperature is placed in the abnormal storage space, or respectively being average values of temperature values collected by all of the two or more additional infrared sensors at the (n+1)-th time and the n-th time between time points before and after the article with the abnormal temperature is placed in the abnormal storage space in response to the absolute value of the difference of the temperature values collected by the infrared sensor corresponding to the abnormal storage space at the (n+1)-th time and the n-th time between time points before and after the article with the abnormal temperature is placed in the abnormal storage space being greater than or equal to the first preset value, and the two or more additional infrared sensors by each of which an absolute value of a difference of temperature values collected at the (n+1)-th time and the n-th time between time points before and after the article with the abnormal temperature is placed in the abnormal storage space is smaller than the first preset value being identified;
setting sum(n)=sum(n−1) in response to an absolute value of a difference of temperature values collected by each of the plurality of infrared sensors at the (n+1)-th time and the n-th time between time points before and after the article with the abnormal temperature is placed in the abnormal storage space being greater than or equal to the first preset value; and
determining whether the article with the abnormal temperature is placed in the abnormal storage space according to the first temperature change value and the second temperature change value.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the abnormal storage space exists in the plurality of storage spaces comprises:
determining that the abnormal storage space exists in the plurality of storage spaces, and determining that each storage space corresponding to any one of the plurality of infrared sensors by which an absolute value of a difference of temperature values collected at two adjacent times is greater than a preset sudden change value is the abnormal storage space during opening of the door body in response to the absolute value of the difference of the temperature values collected by the any one of the plurality of infrared sensors at two adjacent times being greater than the sudden change value; and
determining that the abnormal storage space does not exist in the plurality of storage spaces during opening of the door body in response to an absolute value of a difference of temperature values collected by each of the plurality of infrared sensors at two adjacent times being smaller than or equal to the sudden change value, wherein the sudden change value is greater than or equal to the first preset value.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein acquiring the first temperature change value comprises:
recording a first temperature value collected by the infrared sensor corresponding to the abnormal storage space for recent E times before the absolute value of the difference of the temperature values collected by the infrared sensor at two adjacent times is greater than the sudden change value, and using the first temperature value as a temperature value of the abnormal storage space before the article with the abnormal temperature is placed in the abnormal storage space, wherein E≥2;
recording a second temperature value collected by the infrared sensor corresponding to the abnormal storage space at any one of continuous M times after the absolute value of the difference of the temperature values collected by the infrared sensor corresponding to the abnormal temperature space at two adjacent times is greater than the sudden change value and the absolute value of the difference of the temperature values collected at any two adjacent times in the continuous M times is smaller than the first preset value, and using the second temperature value as a temperature value of the abnormal storage space after the article with the abnormal temperature is placed in the abnormal storage space, wherein M≥3; and
calculating a difference between the second temperature value and the first temperature value, and using the difference as the first temperature change value.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein:
recording the temperature value collected by the infrared sensor corresponding to the abnormal storage space at the first or last time in the continuous M times, and using the t

Assignees

• Qingdao Haier Joint Stock Co Ltd

Inventors

• Li Chunyang
• Wang Ming
• Miao Jianlin
• Mou Sen
• Zhao Bintang

Classifications

• G01J5/026

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• F25D29/008 Primary

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• G01J5/0003

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• F25D29/003 Primary

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