Refrigerator having ice cream making function and control method thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a refrigerator with ice cream making function and a control method thereof. The refrigerator comprises a cabinet, a refrigerating system and a control system. The cabinet comprises a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber. The refrigerating system is arranged in the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber respectively to perform refrigeration. The refrigerator further comprises an ice cream making device. The ice cream making device draws cold air from the freezing chamber through an air duct embedded in the cabinet and an electric fan connected with the air duct to supply cold air. The application relates to a refrigerator with ice cream making function and a control method thereof. The ice cream making device and the air supply and return ducts are arranged to introduce cold air from the freezing chamber to supply cold air to the ice cream making device. A temperature sensor is used to control the temperature of raw materials in a pre-cooling stage and a stirring stage. A gravity sensor is used to control the ice cream making device to stop working when the raw materials are used up, so that the ice cream making effect is achieved, and the user demand is further met.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of household appliances, in particular to a refrigerator with ice cream making function and a control method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the progress of society and the popularization of technology, consumers' requirements for additional functions of electrical appliances are also increasing, and accordingly, there are electronic device sterilization functions of washing machines, automatic ice machines of refrigerators, automatic identification of freshness of food, pesticide degradation, Internet of Things, etc.

[0003] In summer, consumers' demand for ice cream increases greatly, and they usually buy finished products from supermarkets or buy simple ice cream machines to make them. The production of ice cream requires a cold source, and the refrigerator itself is a commonly used refrigeration device at home. Based on this, the internal space structure of the refrigerator is developed and improved to have the function of making ice cream. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application aims to at least solve one of the technical problems in the related art. To this end, one object of the present application is to provide a refrigerator with ice cream making function and a control method thereof, which provides conditions for making ice cream by extracting cold air from the freezer room through the air supply duct by the electric fan, and further meets the needs of customers.

[0005] The present application discloses a refrigerator with ice cream making function and a control method thereof, comprising a cabinet, a refrigeration system and a control system, the cabinet comprising a refrigeration room and a freezer room, the refrigeration system being distributed in the two rooms of the refrigeration room and the freezer room for refrigeration, and further comprising an ice cream making device, the ice cream making device extracting cold air from the freezer room through the air duct embedded in the cabinet and the electric fan connected to the air duct to provide cooling.

[0006] Preferably, the refrigeration room is provided with a refrigeration door, and the cabinet and the refrigeration door are both combinations with a foaming layer, an inner container and an outer shell; the ice cream making device is installed on the refrigeration door.

[0007] Preferably, the air duct embedded in the cabinet comprises an air supply duct and an air return duct; the air supply outlet of the air supply duct and the air inlet of the air return duct are both arranged on the side of the refrigeration room, the other end of the air supply duct extends to the freezer room and is connected to the electric fan fixed on the back of the freezer room, and the other end of the air return duct is connected to the freezer room; when the ice cream making device needs to be cooled, the electric fan works to extract cold air from the freezer room through the air supply duct and the air inlet of the refrigeration door body into the ice cream making device, and then returns to the freezer room through the air return outlet of the refrigeration door body and the air return duct.

[0008] Preferably, the ice cream making device comprises a heat preservation door, a cavity, an air inlet and an air return; the heat preservation door is fixed on the refrigerator door by a door hinge to close the cavity in the refrigerator door, and is installed on the refrigerator door body by a hinge structure and has a simple locking buckle, which can separate the refrigerator chamber and the ice cream device cavity when closed, so as to prevent the temperature of the two chambers from interfering with each other, and the heat preservation door can be opened to add ice cream raw materials; the cavity is provided with a motor, a stirring scraper frame, a raw material cylinder, a discharge pipe, stirring blades and a spiral structure; the motor is arranged at the top of the cavity, the rotating mechanism of the motor is connected with the stirring scraper frame, the raw material cylinder is fixed at the bottom of the cavity, and the stirring scraper frame extends downward into the raw material cylinder, the stirring blades and the spiral structure are integrally connected at the bottom of the stirring scraper frame, and the spiral structure can push the raw materials to move towards the discharge pipe opening; one end of the discharge pipe is connected with the discharge port of the raw material cylinder, and the other end of the discharge pipe is connected with a discharge structure for controlling the discharge of ice cream; when the refrigerator door is closed, the air inlet is attached to the air outlet of the air supply duct, and the air return is attached to the air inlet of the air return duct.

[0009] Preferably, the discharge structure comprises a rubber sleeve, a sliding guide rail and a sliding switch; the rubber sleeve is sleeved on the discharge pipe opening, the sliding guide rail is arranged at the top of the discharge structure, and the sliding switch is nested on the sliding guide rail and is connected with the sliding guide rail in sliding fit; the sliding switch is connected with the rubber sleeve in sliding fit to seal the discharge pipe opening, and the sealing of the switch and the discharge pipe can be enhanced when the sliding switch is closed, so as to prevent raw material leakage.

[0010] Preferably, the air inlet is provided with an air inlet sealing ring, and the air return is provided with an air return sealing ring; when the refrigerator door is closed, the air inlet and the air outlet of the air supply duct, and the air return and the air inlet of the air return duct can be in close contact through the sealing rings to prevent air leakage.

[0011] Preferably, the control system comprises a main control panel installed at the top of the box body, a display control panel installed on the surface of the refrigerator door of the refrigerator chamber, a temperature sensor installed inside the refrigerator chamber and the freezer chamber, a temperature sensor installed in the ice cream device, an electric fan installed at the opening of the air supply duct, and a gravity sensor installed at the bottom of the raw material cylinder.

[0012] The output end of the temperature sensor in the ice cream device and the signal output end of the electric fan are connected with the input end signal of the main control panel, and the signal output end of the main control panel is connected with the input end of the display control panel.

[0013] The application also provides a control method for making ice cream by using the above refrigerator, and the method comprises the following steps:

[0014] S1, start ice cream making mode through the control panel, and set temperature range value and weight range value;

[0015] S2, when the gravity sensor detects that the weight in the raw material cylinder is greater than m, the electric fan is started to introduce cold air in the refrigeration chamber through the air supply duct into the ice cream device for precooling;

[0016] S3, when the temperature sensor detects that the temperature is cooled to T1, the motor is started to drive the stirring scraper holder and stirring blades to stir the ice cream raw material;

[0017] S4, when the temperature continues to cool to T2, the electric fan stops, the motor continues to work, the sliding switch is opened, and the ice cream is extruded by the spiral structure at the lower part of the stirring scraper holder, and the making is completed;

[0018] S5, the temperature sensor detects the temperature in the raw material cylinder, if the temperature is greater than T3, step 4 is executed, if the temperature is less than T3, step 6 is executed, wherein T2 < T3 < T1;

[0019] S6, when it is judged that the weight in the raw material cylinder is less than m, it is defaulted that the raw material cylinder is empty, and the electric fan and the motor are stopped.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the present application are:

[0021] The refrigerator with the ice cream making function of the present application comprises an ice cream making system composed of an electric fan, an air supply duct, an ice cream device and an air return duct. The cold air in the refrigeration chamber can be introduced into the ice cream device for cooling through the ice cream device and the air supply duct and the air return duct. The temperature of the raw material in the precooling stage and the stirring stage is controlled by the temperature sensor. The ice cream raw material is stirred and extruded by the motor, the stirring scraper holder, the stirring blades and the spiral structure. The device stops working when the raw material is used up, so that the ice cream making effect is achieved, and the user demand is further met. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present application, and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate the present application together with the embodiments thereof, and explain the present application, and do not constitute a limitation of the present application. In the drawings:

[0023] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the refrigerator with the ice cream making device proposed in the present application;

[0024] Figure 2 It is an internal schematic diagram of the compartment of the refrigerator with the ice cream making device proposed in the present application;

[0025] Figure 3 It is a pre-embedded air duct schematic diagram of the refrigerator with the ice cream making device proposed in the present application;

[0026] Figure 4 A door body schematic diagram of a refrigerator with ice cream making device is provided in the present application;

[0027] Figure 5 A door body cross-sectional schematic diagram of a refrigerator with ice cream making device is provided in the present application;

[0028] Figure 6 A door body cross-sectional schematic diagram of a refrigerator with ice cream making device is provided in the present application;

[0029] Figure 7 A control method schematic diagram of a refrigerator with ice cream making device is provided in the present application;

[0030] In the figure: 1, box body; 2, refrigeration chamber; 3, refrigeration door; 4, freezer chamber; 5, main control board; 6, ice cream device; 7, display control board; 8, refrigeration temperature sensor; 9, electric fan; 10, refrigeration evaporator; 11, air supply duct air outlet; 12, air return duct air inlet; 13, air supply duct; 14, air return duct; 15, condenser; 16, heat preservation door; 17, door hinge; 18, air inlet, 19, air inlet sealing ring; 20, air return; 21, air return sealing ring; 22, cavity; 23, motor; 24, stirring scraper holder; 25, raw material cylinder; 26, gravity sensor; 27, discharge pipe; 28, rubber sleeve; 29, sliding guide rail; 30, sliding switch; 31, stirring blade; 32, spiral structure; 33, temperature sensor; 34, foaming layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all embodiments.

[0032] Examples of embodiments are shown in the drawings, wherein the same or similar reference signs represent the same or similar elements or elements with the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below by reference to the drawings are exemplary and are intended to explain the present application, and cannot be understood as a limitation of the present application.

[0033] In the description of the present application, it needs to be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, which are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

[0034] In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited.

[0035] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "connection", "fixing" and the like should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixed connection, or detachable connection, or integral; it can be mechanical connection, or electrical connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through intermediate medium, it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0036] The embodiment of the present application is further described below in combination with the drawings.

[0037] As Figures 1-7 shown, the present application proposes a refrigerator with ice cream making function, which comprises a cabinet 1, a refrigeration system, a control system and an ice cream device 6, the cabinet 1 comprises a refrigeration chamber 2 and a freezer chamber 4, the freezer chamber 4 is arranged in the cabinet 1 and located at the bottom of the refrigeration chamber 2, the refrigeration chamber 2 is provided with a refrigeration door 3, the cabinet 1 and the refrigeration door 3 are both combinations with foaming layer 34, inner container and outer shell, the refrigeration system is respectively distributed in the refrigeration chamber 2 and the freezer chamber 4 to refrigerate the two chambers, so as to form a low temperature environment to store food, the ice cream device 6 is installed on the refrigeration door 3, the cold air in the freezer chamber 4 is introduced into the ice cream device 6 through the air supply duct 13 by the electric fan 9, and the circulation is completed by returning to the freezer chamber 4 through the air return duct 14.

[0038] Specifically, the refrigeration system comprises a refrigeration air duct, a refrigeration fan and a refrigeration evaporator installed at the back of the refrigeration chamber 2, a freezing evaporator 10, a freezing fan, a condenser and a compressor installed in the freezing chamber 4; the bottom of the refrigeration air duct is provided with an air inlet communicated with the refrigeration chamber 2, and the top and the side wall of the refrigeration air duct are provided with a plurality of air outlets communicated with the refrigeration chamber 2; the refrigeration evaporator is supplied with low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant liquid through capillary pipes, and the refrigeration evaporator is evaporated to form refrigeration saturated steam after absorbing the heat of the food in the absorption box, and the refrigeration saturated steam is introduced into the refrigeration chamber 2 by the refrigeration fan through the air outlets; the outlet of the freezing evaporator 10 is communicated with the inlet of the compressor, the outlet of the compressor is communicated with the inlet of the condenser, and the freezing fan is used to introduce the cold air generated by the freezing evaporator into the freezing chamber 4; the refrigeration principle in the freezing chamber 4 is the same as that of the prior art, and will not be described here.

[0039] As shown in Figure 2 , 3 , the freezing evaporator 10 in the refrigeration system is installed at the back of the freezing chamber 4, the air supply duct 13 and the air return duct 14 are pre-buried in the foaming layer 34 of the box body 1, the air supply duct outlet 11 of the air supply duct 13 and the air return duct inlet 12 of the air return duct 14 are both provided on the side of the refrigeration chamber 2, and the air supply duct outlet 11 is on the top and the air return duct inlet 12 is on the bottom, the other end of the air supply duct 13 extends to the back of the freezing chamber 4 and is connected with the electric fan 9 fixed at the back of the freezing chamber 4, when the electric fan 9 works, the cold air in the freezing chamber 4 is sucked into the air supply duct 13, and the air return is returned to the freezing chamber 4 through the air return duct 14.

[0040] As shown in Figure 4 , 5As shown in Figure 6, the refrigerator door 3 has a foamed structure. The ice cream device 6 is installed on the refrigerator door 3, including an insulated door 16, a cavity 22, an air inlet 18, and a return air inlet 20. The air inlet 18 is equipped with an air inlet sealing ring 19, and the return air inlet 20 is equipped with a return air inlet sealing ring 21. The insulated door 16 is fixed to the refrigerator door 3 by a door hinge 17, which seals the cavity 22 inside the refrigerator door 3. The cavity 22 is equipped with a motor 23, a stirring scraper holder 24, a raw material cylinder 25, a gravity sensor 26, a discharge pipe 27, a stirring blade 31, a spiral structure 32, and a temperature sensor 33. The motor 23 is fixed to the top of the cavity 22, and the rotation mechanism of the motor 23 is connected to the stirring scraper holder 24. The raw material cylinder 25 is fixed to the bottom of the cavity 22, and the stirring scraper holder 24 extends downward into the raw material cylinder 25. The stirring blade 31 and the spiral structure 32 are... The body is connected to the bottom of the stirring scraper holder 24. The stirring blade 31 faces upward to stir the ice cream, and the spiral structure 32 faces downward to push the ice cream. The motor 23 drives the stirring blade 31 and the spiral structure 32 at the bottom of the stirring scraper holder 24 to rotate together to process the ice cream inside the raw material cylinder 25. One end of the discharge pipe 27 is connected to the discharge port of the raw material cylinder 25, and the other end is connected to the discharge structure. The discharge structure includes a rubber sleeve 28, a sliding guide rail 29, and a sliding switch 30. The rubber sleeve 28 is installed at the opening of the discharge pipe 27 to seal it. The sliding guide rail 29 is mounted on the top of the discharge structure. The sliding switch 30 is nested on the sliding guide rail 29 and can slide on the sliding guide rail 29. The sliding switch 30 seals the opening of the discharge pipe 27 by sliding and cooperating with the rubber sleeve 28, thereby controlling the discharge amount of ice cream.

[0041] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown in Figure 6, the control system includes a main control board 5 installed on the top of the housing 1, a display control board 7 installed on the surface of the refrigerator door 3 of the refrigerator compartment 2, a refrigerator temperature sensor 8 installed in the refrigerator compartment 2 and a temperature sensor inside the freezer compartment 4, and a gravity sensor 26 and a temperature sensor 33 installed inside the ice cream unit 6. The output terminals of the gravity sensor 26 and the temperature sensor 33 are connected to the input terminals of the main control board 5, and the signal output terminal of the main control board 5 is connected to the input terminal of the display control board 7. The gravity sensor 26 and the temperature sensor 33 are used to collect the weight of the raw material cylinder 25 and the temperature inside the ice cream unit 6, and feed this data back to the main control board 5 to control whether the electric fan 9 and the motor 23 work.

[0042] This invention also proposes a control method for a refrigerator with an ice cream making device, such as... Figure 7As shown, first, the prepared ice cream raw materials are poured into the raw material cylinder 25, the heat preservation door 16 is closed, the ice cream mode is selected on the display control panel 7, at this time, the display screen displays a yellow "making" icon, the temperature range value and the weight range value are set for the ice cream device 6 by the main control panel 5, when the weight > m, the electric fan 9 works, the cold air in the freezing chamber 4 enters the cavity 22 of the ice cream device 6 through the air supply channel 13, the ice cream raw materials are pre-cooled, the electric fan 9 further cools the added ice cream raw materials to the temperature T1, at this time, the electric motor 23 works, the ice cream raw materials are stirred, the cooling continues to the temperature T2, and the display screen displays a green "complete" icon, when the temperature ≤ T2, the electric fan 9 stops working, at this time, the electric motor 23 continues to work to stir the ice cream, when the temperature ≥ T3, the electric fan 9 is restarted and the electric motor 23 continues to work, wherein T2 < T3 < T1, so as to circulate, the main control panel 5 controls the electric fan 9 to work according to the data acquisition of the temperature sensor 33, so as to stabilize the temperature at T2, at this time, the sliding switch 30 is opened, the ice cream is extruded by the spiral structure 32 at the bottom of the stirring scraper frame 24 driven by the electric motor 23, when the gravity sensor 26 collects the value < m, the display screen displays a "lack of materials" icon, at this time, it is defaulted that the raw material cylinder 25 is empty, the electric fan 9 and the electric motor 23 are stopped.

[0043] The above is only a preferred specific embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited to this, any skilled person in the art can make equivalent replacement or change according to the technical scheme and the inventive concept of the present application within the technical range disclosed by the present application, which should be covered in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A refrigerator having an ice cream making function, comprising a cabinet, a refrigerating system and a control system, the cabinet comprising a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber, the refrigerating system being distributed in the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber respectively to make refrigeration, characterized in that: It also includes an ice cream making device, which draws cold air from the freezer chamber to cool the ice cream through an air duct pre-embedded in the box and an electric fan connected to the air duct; The ice cream making device includes a cavity, in which a raw material cylinder and a discharge pipe are provided. The raw material cylinder is fixed to the bottom of the cavity, one end of the discharge pipe is connected to the discharge port of the raw material cylinder, and the other end of the discharge pipe is connected to a discharge structure for controlling the discharge of ice cream. The discharge structure includes a rubber sleeve, a sliding guide rail, and a sliding switch; the rubber sleeve is fitted onto the discharge pipe opening, the sliding guide rail is mounted on the top of the discharge structure, and the sliding switch is nested on the sliding guide rail and slidably connected to it; the sliding switch seals the discharge pipe opening by sliding and engaging with the rubber sleeve. The cold storage compartment is equipped with a cold storage door, and the ice cream making device is installed on the cold storage door; The freezer compartment is located inside the cabinet and below the refrigerator compartment.

2. The refrigerator having an ice cream making function according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both the cabinet and the refrigerator door are assemblies with a foam layer, an inner liner, and an outer shell.

3. The refrigerator having an ice cream making function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air ducts embedded in the cabinet include an air supply duct and a return air duct; the air supply outlet of the air supply duct and the air return inlet of the return air duct are both located on the side of the refrigerator compartment, the other end of the air supply duct extends to the freezer compartment and is connected to the electric fan fixed to the back of the freezer compartment, and the other end of the return air duct is connected to the freezer compartment.

4. The refrigerator having an ice cream making function according to claim 3, characterized in that: The ice cream making apparatus also includes an insulated door, an air inlet, and an air return outlet. The insulated door is fixed to the refrigerator door by a door hinge, enclosing the cavity inside the refrigerator door. The cavity is also equipped with a motor, a stirring scraper holder, a stirring blade, and a spiral structure. The motor is located at the top of the cavity, and the rotating mechanism of the motor is connected to the stirring scraper holder, which extends downward into the raw material cylinder. The stirring blade and the spiral structure are integrally formed and connected to the bottom of the stirring scraper holder. When the refrigerator door is closed, the air inlet is in contact with the air outlet of the air supply duct, and the air return outlet is in contact with the air inlet of the air return duct.

5. The refrigerator having an ice cream making function according to claim 4, characterized in that: The air inlet is equipped with an air inlet sealing ring, and the air return outlet is equipped with an air return outlet sealing ring.

6. The refrigerator having an ice cream making function according to claim 3, characterized in that: The control system includes a main control board installed on the top of the housing, a display control board installed on the surface of the refrigerator door of the refrigerator compartment, temperature sensors installed inside the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment, a temperature sensor installed in the ice cream making device, an electric fan installed at the air duct inlet, and a gravity sensor installed at the bottom of the raw material cylinder; the output terminals of the temperature sensors and the signal output terminals of the electric fan in the ice cream making device are connected to the input terminals of the main control board, and the signal output terminals of the main control board are connected to the input terminals of the display control board.

7. A control method for making ice cream using the refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by: The control method is as follows: S1. Start the ice cream making mode via the display control panel and set the temperature range and weight range values; S2. When the gravity sensor detects that the weight inside the raw material cylinder is greater than m, the electric fan starts to pre-cool the material. S3. When the temperature sensor detects that the temperature has cooled to T1, the motor starts stirring. S4, when the temperature continues to cool to T2, the electric fan stops, the ice cream is finished, and the motor continues to stir; S5, the temperature sensor detects the temperature inside the raw material cylinder. If the temperature > T3, step 4 is executed. If the temperature < T3, step 6 is executed; S6, when the weight inside the raw material cylinder < m, both the electric fan and the motor stop. 8.The control method of making ice cream of a refrigerator according to claim 7, characterized in that: In step 5, T2 < T3 < T1.

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