Ice making device control method, ice making device, and refrigerator

Abstract

This application provides an ice-making device control method, an ice-making device, and a refrigerator. The ice-making device includes an ice scraper with a reference position and a position sensor at that position. The ice-making device control method includes: controlling the ice scraper to rotate in a first direction in response to an initialization signal from the ice scraper; monitoring the state of the position sensor during the rotation of the ice scraper; and if the position sensor is detected to be triggered, controlling the ice scraper to stop rotating from the reference position for a set time, and marking the current position of the ice scraper as the initial position. The technical solution of this application can generate the initial position of the ice scraper, so as to accurately position the ice scraper after initializing the refrigeration device, thereby improving the reliability of the ice-making device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of refrigeration equipment technology, and more specifically, to a refrigeration device control method, a refrigeration device, and a refrigerator. Background Technology

[0002] With the improvement of living standards, people's demand for ice in daily life is also increasing. Although most existing refrigerators are equipped with ice makers, filling water and removing ice are all done manually, and the ice-making process is time-consuming, which cannot meet people's needs for convenient ice access. Therefore, adding an ice maker to the refrigerator is becoming a trend. An ice maker is a device that uses a refrigeration system to turn water into ice. When the ice maker is installed in the refrigerator, it can be cooled by the refrigerator's evaporator. The entire ice-making process is completed by the ice maker itself, requiring minimal manual operation and greatly facilitating people's access to ice.

[0003] An ice-making device typically consists of a controller, a motor, and an ice-making container. The ice-making container includes an ice scraper and an ice-making vessel. Specifically, the controller controls the motor, and the motor's output shaft is fixedly connected to the ice scraper. When the motor is powered on, the shaft drives the ice scraper to rotate, completing the ice scraping operation. Therefore, to ensure the ice-making device operates reliably, the position of the ice scraper must be clearly known.

[0004] However, the controllers of existing ice-making devices have difficulty accurately positioning the ice scraper. If the position of the ice scraper cannot be accurately determined, the reliability of the ice-making device will be affected. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of this application provide an ice-making device control method, an ice-making device, and a refrigerator to improve the reliability of the ice-making device operation.

[0006] Other features and advantages of this application will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part from practice of this application.

[0007] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, a control method for an ice-making device is provided. The ice-making device has an ice scraper rod with a reference position and a position sensor at the reference position. The method includes: controlling the ice scraper rod to rotate along a first direction in response to an initialization signal of the ice scraper rod; monitoring the state of the position sensor during the rotation of the ice scraper rod; if the position sensor is detected to be triggered, controlling the ice scraper rod to stop rotating from the reference position after a set time, and marking the current position of the ice scraper rod as the initial position.

[0008] In one embodiment, the ice-making device is disposed in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator, and the method further includes, before responding to the initialization signal of the ice scraper: monitoring the on / off state of the refrigerator, the on / off state including a power-on state and a power-off state; if the refrigerator enters the power-on state from the power-off state, generating the initialization signal of the ice scraper.

[0009] In one embodiment, controlling the ice scraper to rotate from the reference position for a set time and then stop includes: controlling the ice scraper to rotate from the reference position along a second direction for a set time and then stop, wherein the second direction is the opposite direction of the first direction.

[0010] In one embodiment, in response to the initialization signal of the ice scraper, controlling the ice scraper to rotate along a first direction includes: in response to the initialization signal of the ice scraper, controlling the ice scraper to rotate along the first direction for a first preset time, the first preset time being less than the time required for the ice scraper to rotate one revolution; during the rotation of the ice scraper for the first preset time, if no position sensor is detected to be triggered, controlling the ice scraper to continue rotating along the first direction until the position sensor is triggered.

[0011] In one embodiment, after controlling the ice scraper to continue rotating in the first direction, the method further includes: if no position sensor is detected to be triggered within a second preset time period during which the ice scraper continues to rotate in the first direction, heating the ice scraper until a preset heating stop condition is met, wherein the second preset time period is greater than or equal to the time required for the ice scraper to rotate one revolution; after heating is completed, controlling the ice scraper to continue rotating in the first direction.

[0012] In one embodiment, the method further includes: in response to an ice-making signal, controlling an ice-making device to make ice; after ice making is completed, in response to an ice-scraping signal, controlling an ice-scraping rod to rotate along a set ice-scraping direction for a third preset time to scrape ice, the third preset time being the time required for the ice-scraping rod to rotate one revolution; during the rotation, monitoring the status of a position sensor; if the position sensor is triggered, determining that the ice-scraping rod returns to its initial position.

[0013] In one embodiment, during rotation, after monitoring the state of the position sensor, the method further includes: if the position sensor is not triggered, controlling the ice scraper to continue rotating along the set ice scraping direction for a fourth preset time, the fourth preset time being longer than a third preset time; if the position sensor is still not triggered during the fourth preset time of rotation, heating the ice scraper until a preset heating stop condition is met; after heating is completed, controlling the ice scraper to continue rotating along the set ice scraping direction for a fourth preset time; if the position sensor is still not triggered during the fourth preset time of rotation again, heating the ice scraper again until the preset heating stop condition is met; after heating is completed, controlling the ice scraper to continue rotating along the set ice scraping direction; if the position sensor is still not triggered after a set number of heating cycles, issuing a fault notification for the ice scraper.

[0014] In one embodiment, the ice-making device is located in the refrigerator compartment; after issuing a fault notification for the ice scraper, the method further includes: monitoring the opening and closing status of the refrigerator compartment door, the opening and closing status including an open state and a closed state; recording the duration of each open state; if the duration of an open state is greater than a preset duration threshold, then generating an initialization signal for the ice scraper after transitioning from the open state to the closed state.

[0015] According to another aspect of this application, an ice-making apparatus is also provided, comprising: an ice-making container for holding water to be made into ice; an ice scraper disposed on the upper side of the ice-making container for scraping ice blocks out of the ice-making container; a heater for heating the ice scraper; a position sensor disposed at a reference position of the ice scraper; and a controller electrically connected to the ice scraper, the heater, and the position sensor, the controller being used to control the ice scraper to reach an initial position in response to an initialization signal from the ice scraper, based on the reference position indicated by the position sensor.

[0016] According to another aspect of this application, an ice-making apparatus is also provided, the refrigerator comprising: a refrigerator compartment; an ice-making apparatus as described above, the ice-making apparatus being disposed within the refrigerator compartment; and a refrigeration cycle system for generating a cold source to turn water in the ice-making container of the ice-making apparatus into ice cubes.

[0017] In some embodiments of this application, the initial position is calibrated by a reference position identified by a position sensor, and this initial position is set as the position that the ice scraper needs to return to each time it is initialized. This can accurately determine the specific position of the ice scraper, thereby ensuring reliable control of the ice-making device.

[0018] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and do not limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort. In the drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the ice-making principle of the ice-making device in the related technology of this application;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of an ice-making apparatus control method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of an ice-making apparatus control method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of an ice-making apparatus control method according to another embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of an ice-making apparatus control method according to another embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0025] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided to make this application more comprehensive and complete, and to fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art.

[0026] Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Numerous specific details are provided in the following description to give a thorough understanding of embodiments of this application. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical solutions of this application can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, apparatuses, steps, etc., can be employed. In other instances, well-known methods, apparatuses, implementations, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring various aspects of this application.

[0027] The block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are merely functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically independent entities. That is, these functional entities can be implemented in software, in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different network and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0028] The flowcharts shown in the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative and do not necessarily include all content and operations / steps, nor do they necessarily have to be performed in the described order. For example, some operations / steps can be broken down, while others can be combined or partially combined; therefore, the actual execution order may change depending on the specific circumstances.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the ice-making principle of the ice-making device in the related technology of this application. For example... Figure 1As shown, the output shaft of the ice scraper motor (not shown in the figure) rotates along the axis, driving the ice scraper rod 101 to rotate. The ice scraper rod 101 can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise. An arc-shaped ice-making container 103 is provided below the ice scraper motor. The ice-making container 103 is used to hold water to be made into ice. A position switch is provided on the rotation trajectory of the ice scraper output shaft. The position switch can be a copper plate. When the output shaft reaches the position of the copper plate, the circuit connected to the copper plate is triggered, generating a trigger signal. This trigger signal can be used to determine the start and end positions of the ice scraper motor.

[0030] However, due to the physical volume of the copper sheet, the position switch will always be in the triggered state within the rotation area of ​​the ice scraper. After multiple ice-making processes, it is difficult to accurately determine the specific position of the ice scraper based solely on the trigger signal of the position switch. Schematic, the rotation area 102 of the ice scraper can be divided into two regions, namely region A and region B. The position switch in region A is open, and the position switch in region B is closed, i.e., triggered. If the ice-making device only determines the position of the ice scraper through the position switch, it can only identify whether the ice scraper is in region A or region B, and cannot make further precise position determinations. If the ice scraper is located on the lower side of region B, that is, close to the ice-making container, it may come into contact with the water or water vapor to be made, and may freeze into the ice. When the ice scraper is frozen, it will be impossible to scrape the ice from the ice-making container, thus affecting the reliability of the ice-making device.

[0031] exist Figure 1 Based on the ice-making principle of the ice-making device shown, Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a control method for an ice-making device according to an embodiment of this application. The ice-making device has an ice scraper rod with a reference position, and a position sensor is provided at the reference position. The position sensor can also be... Figure 1 The position switch shown. (As shown in the image) Figure 2 As shown, the control method of the ice-making device includes at least the following steps S210 to S230.

[0032] Step S210: In response to the initialization signal of the ice scraper, control the ice scraper to rotate in the first direction.

[0033] The initialization signal of the ice scraper is used to instruct the ice scraper to return to its initial position in preparation for ice making. During the initialization process, the ice scraper is first controlled to rotate in a first direction. This first direction can be clockwise or counterclockwise. The purpose of this step is to initially determine the position of the ice scraper by combining its rotation with the trigger signal from the position sensor, thus facilitating subsequent operations.

[0034] In one embodiment, step S210 may specifically be: in response to the initialization signal of the ice scraper, controlling the ice scraper to rotate a first angle along a first direction; during the rotation of the ice scraper to the first angle, if the position sensor is not detected to be triggered, controlling the ice scraper to continue rotating along the first direction until the position sensor is triggered.

[0035] In another embodiment, step S210 may further involve controlling the ice scraper to rotate along a first direction for a first preset time, where the first preset time is less than the time required for the ice scraper to rotate one revolution. For ease of explanation, the product of the first preset time and the motor speed may be the aforementioned first angle.

[0036] The first angle is the expected maximum angle range at which the ice scraper will trigger the position sensor. For example, the first angle can be set as the angle between the two boundaries of area B. Normally, the position sensor will be triggered when the ice scraper rotates the first angle in the first direction. If the position sensor is not detected during the rotation of the ice scraper at the first angle, the ice scraper is controlled to continue rotating in the first direction until a signal indicating that the position sensor has been triggered is detected.

[0037] Furthermore, in another embodiment, if the position sensor is not detected to be triggered within the time required for the ice scraper to rotate one revolution in the first direction greater than or equal to the time required, it can be preliminarily determined that the ice scraper is frozen. At this time, the heater is turned on to heat the ice layer frozen on the ice scraper and melt it. After melting, the rotation of the ice scraper is controlled to eliminate the fault caused by the freezing of the ice scraper and improve the stability of the ice making device.

[0038] Step S220: Monitor the status of the position sensor during the rotation of the ice scraper.

[0039] During the rotation of the ice scraper along a first direction, the status of the position sensor is monitored. In one embodiment, if the first direction is counterclockwise, the reference position can be... Figure 1 The location of the upper boundary of area B. Specifically, if... Figure 1 If the upper boundary of zone B is set as the reference position, then the position can be determined by detecting the change signal of the position switch from open to closed, thereby determining whether the ice scraper has reached this reference position. In another embodiment, if the first direction is clockwise, then the reference position can be... Figure 1 Similarly, the position of the lower boundary of zone B can be determined by detecting the change signal of the position switch from open to closed, thereby determining whether the ice scraper has reached the reference position, which is the position of the lower boundary of zone B.

[0040] In another embodiment, when the ice maker is installed in the refrigerator compartment, the process of generating the ice maker initialization signal may include the following steps: monitoring the on / off state of the refrigerator, including the power-on state and the power-off state; if the refrigerator enters the power-on state from the power-off state, generating the initialization signal for the ice scraper.

[0041] Specifically, each time the refrigerator is powered on, an initialization signal is generated for the ice scraper to reposition itself. This increases the reliability and stability of the ice-making device within the refrigerator.

[0042] In step S230, if the position sensor is detected to be triggered, the ice scraper is controlled to rotate from the reference position for a set time and then stop, and the current position of the ice scraper is marked as the initial position.

[0043] The reference position is a known location, such as the lower boundary of area B, the upper boundary of area B, etc. The initial position of the ice scraper should be set in a location that facilitates scraping the ice and is not easily frozen. (Illustrative example; the initial position can be set at...) Figure 1 The ice scraper is positioned at a certain point in the upper half of section B, thus keeping the scraper away from moisture and allowing it to quickly reach the ice container during scraping. The scraper reaches this initial position after rotating from the reference position for a set time. It should be noted that the angle between the reference position and the initial position is known; this known angle is the product of the set time and the rotational speed of the ice scraper.

[0044] Therefore, by determining the initial position through the reference position calibrated by the position sensor, and setting this initial position as the position that the ice scraper needs to return to after each subsequent initialization, the specific position of the ice scraper can be accurately determined, thus ensuring reliable control of the ice-making device.

[0045] In one embodiment, step S230, controlling the ice scraper to rotate from the reference position for a set time and then stop, may specifically include the following steps: controlling the ice scraper to rotate from the reference position along a second direction for a set time and then stop, where the second direction is the opposite direction of the first direction, and the set time is the time it takes for the ice scraper to rotate from the reference position to the set initial position.

[0046] If the first direction is counterclockwise, when the position sensor is detected to be triggered, if the trigger signal changes from off to on, it can be determined that the ice scraper is located... Figure 1 The position is determined by the upper boundary of zone B. The ice scraper is then rotated clockwise from this position for a set duration before stopping, returning to its initial position. Thus, the ice scraper can reach its set initial position, or optimal stopping position, via the reference position indicated by the position sensor.

[0047] If the first direction is clockwise, when the position sensor is detected to be triggered, if the trigger signal changes from off to on, then the ice scraper is determined to be in the correct position. Figure 1 The position of the lower boundary of zone B is determined, and then the ice scraper is rotated counterclockwise for a set duration, which is the time required for the ice scraper to reach the set initial position from the lower boundary of zone B.

[0048] As mentioned earlier, the initial position is the optimal stopping position set when the ice scraper is idle. Therefore, after the position sensor is triggered, it can rotate in the opposite direction of the first direction to quickly reach the set initial position, reducing the probability of the ice scraper freezing and improving the working efficiency of the ice-making device.

[0049] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a control method for an ice-making apparatus according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 As shown, the ice-making device control method includes the following steps:

[0050] Step S301: If the refrigerator changes from a power-off state to a power-on state, an initialization signal is generated, and the process proceeds to step S210.

[0051] Step S210: In response to the initialization signal of the ice scraper, control the ice scraper to rotate in the first direction;

[0052] Step S303: During the execution of step S210, monitor whether the position sensor is triggered. If yes, proceed to step S230; otherwise, proceed to step S220.

[0053] Step S230: Control the ice scraper to rotate from the reference position for a set time and then stop, mark the current position of the ice scraper as the initial position, and proceed to step S304;

[0054] Step S220: Control the ice scraper to continue rotating in the first direction;

[0055] Step S305: During the execution of step S220, monitor whether the position sensor is triggered. If yes, execute step S230; otherwise, execute step S306.

[0056] Step S306: Does the ice scraper rod rotate in the first direction for a second preset time? If yes, proceed to step S307; otherwise, execute step S220.

[0057] Step S307: Heat the ice scraper until the preset heating stop condition is reached, then proceed to step S308;

[0058] Step S308: Determine whether the preset number of heating cycles has been reached. If yes, proceed to step S309; ​​otherwise, proceed to step S220.

[0059] Step S309, initialization failed;

[0060] Step S304, initialization successful.

[0061] It should be noted that the second preset duration and the preset number of heating cycles can be set according to specific circumstances. Figure 3 The control method of the refrigeration device shown is consistent with the inventive concept of the aforementioned embodiments, and will not be described again here.

[0062] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a control method for an ice-making apparatus according to another embodiment of this application. Figure 4 As shown, after the ice scraper reaches the initial position, if an ice-making signal is received, the ice-making device control method of this embodiment may further include the following steps S410 to S440.

[0063] Step S410: In response to the ice-making signal, control the ice-making device to make ice;

[0064] Step S420: After ice making is completed, in response to the ice scraping signal, the ice scraping rod is controlled to rotate along the set ice scraping direction for a third preset time to scrape the ice. The third preset time is the time required for the ice scraping rod to rotate one revolution.

[0065] Step S430: During the rotation process, monitor the status of the position sensor;

[0066] In step S440, if the position sensor is triggered, it is determined that the ice scraper has returned to its initial position.

[0067] Specifically, after the initialization process is completed, the ice scraper is in the set initial position. When the controller receives or generates an ice-making signal, the controller controls the ice-making device to make ice. The ice-making signal can be triggered manually or automatically by the system.

[0068] The completion of the ice-making process can be detected by a temperature sensor installed on the ice container. Specifically, if the temperature of the ice container detected by the temperature sensor is below zero degrees Celsius, the ice is considered complete. The completion of the ice-making process can also be indicated by the ice-making time; symbolically, if the ice-making time exceeds the expected time for a certain period, the ice-making process is considered complete. The completion of the ice-making process can also be determined by using an ice probe based on the difference in hardness between the ice and water.

[0069] After ice making is complete, the system awaits a scraping signal. This signal can be triggered manually or automatically by the system; no specific limitation is made here. Upon receiving or generating the scraping signal, the controller controls the scraping rod to rotate in the set scraping direction for a third preset time. This third preset time can be set to the time required for the scraping rod to complete one rotation. This completes the scraping operation and returns the scraping rod to the set initial position. During the return of the scraping rod to the initial position, the position sensor should normally be triggered. Therefore, the status of the position sensor can be monitored during rotation; if the position sensor is triggered, it confirms that the scraping rod has indeed returned to the initial position.

[0070] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a control method for an ice-making device according to another embodiment of this application. If the position sensor is not triggered during the rotation of the ice scraper rod along the set ice scraping direction for a third preset time, it indicates an abnormality. Due to the susceptibility of the ice scraper rod to freezing, the first situation to be ruled out is the possibility of the ice scraper rod being frozen. Therefore, as... Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, after step S430, the control method for the ice-making device may further include the following steps:

[0071] Step S505: If the position sensor is not triggered, control the ice scraper to continue rotating along the set ice scraping direction for a fourth preset time, the fourth preset time being longer than the third preset time.

[0072] Step S506: Monitor the status of the position sensor. If it is triggered, proceed to step S440 to confirm that the ice scraper has returned to its initial position. If it is not triggered, proceed to step S507.

[0073] Step S507: Determine whether the preset number of heating cycles has been reached; if yes, proceed to step S508; otherwise, proceed to step S509.

[0074] Step S508: Issue a fault notification for the ice-making device;

[0075] Step S509: Heat the ice scraper again until the preset heating stop condition is met. After heating is completed, repeat step S505.

[0076] Indicatively, the fourth preset duration can be set to an integer multiple of the third preset duration, for example, three times. Thus, after controlling the ice scraper to rotate for the fourth preset duration, if the ice scraper is not frozen, it will return to its initial position. The preset number of heating cycles can be set to three. After three heating cycles and rotations, if the position sensor is not triggered, a fault notification for the cooling device will be issued. Therefore, through the above steps, the possibility of the ice scraper being frozen can be eliminated, reducing the occurrence of fault notifications.

[0077] In one embodiment, after issuing a fault notification for the ice scraper, the control method of the ice-making device may further include the following steps: measuring the opening and closing state of the refrigerator door, including an open state and a closed state; recording the duration of each open state; if the duration of an open state is greater than a preset duration threshold, generating an initialization signal for the ice scraper after transitioning from the open state to the closed state.

[0078] Specifically, since the ice maker is located in the refrigerator's crisper compartment, when the ice maker issues a fault notification, the user or maintenance personnel will perform maintenance on it. Therefore, after the crisper compartment door has been open for a preset time threshold, an initialization signal for the ice scraper can be generated to retry the initialization, thereby ensuring the reliability of the ice maker's operation.

[0079] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this application, an ice-making apparatus is also provided, which includes at least an ice-making container, an ice scraper, a heater, a position sensor, and a controller. The ice-making container is used to hold water to be made into ice; the ice scraper is disposed on the upper side of the ice-making container and is used to scrape ice blocks from the ice container after receiving a scraping signal; the heater is used to heat the ice scraper; the position sensor is disposed at a reference position of the ice scraper; and the controller is used to control the ice scraper to reach an initial position in response to an initialization signal from the ice scraper, based on the reference position identified by the position sensor.

[0080] In one embodiment, when the ice-making device is powered on, the controller controls the ice scraper to return to its initial position. Specifically, the controller, using a reference position identified by a position sensor, controls the ice scraper to continue rotating by a preset angle and then stop, reaching the initial position. Once the initial position is reached, the ice scraper initialization is complete. In another embodiment, the control method for the ice-making container can be any of the ice-making device control methods described above.

[0081] Upon receiving or generating an ice-making signal, the controller controls the injection of water into the ice-making container and supplies cooling to the container to turn the water into ice.

[0082] The heater can be used to directly heat the ice scraper or to heat the ice-making container, thereby heating the ice scraper through the ice-making container. When the heater is positioned below the ice-making container, it can also heat the container, making it easier to separate the ice from the container. In one embodiment, the heater can be a heating wire attached to the bottom of the ice-making container.

[0083] Furthermore, the ice-making device can also include a temperature sensor, which can be installed at the bottom of the ice-making container. The temperature sensor controls the ice-making time and the heating time of the heater. In other words, the temperature sensor determines whether the ice-making process is complete, and also determines whether the heating process is complete, in order to generate an ice-making completion signal or to further determine whether there is ice on the ice scraper.

[0084] According to another aspect of this application, a refrigerator is also provided, which has a cold storage compartment, an ice-making device as described above, and a refrigeration cycle system. The refrigeration cycle system of the refrigerator is typically a closed refrigerant circulation system formed by a combination of components such as a compressor, condenser, dryer filter, capillary tube, and evaporator. A cold source can be generated through this refrigeration cycle system, thereby turning water in the ice-making container of the ice-making device into ice cubes.

[0085] Other embodiments of this application will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the embodiments disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this application that follow the general principles of this application and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein.

[0086] It should be understood that this application is not limited to the precise structure described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this application is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A control method for an ice-making device, the ice-making device having an ice scraper rod, the ice scraper rod having a reference position, and a position sensor being provided at the reference position, characterized in that, The method includes: In response to the initialization signal of the ice scraper, the ice scraper is controlled to rotate in the first direction; During the rotation of the ice scraper, the status of the position sensor is monitored; If the position sensor is detected to be triggered, the ice scraper is controlled to rotate from the reference position for a set time and then stop, and the current position of the ice scraper is marked as the initial position. The initial position is set in a location that facilitates ice scraping and is not easily frozen.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ice-making device is disposed in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator, and the method further includes, prior to the initialization signal in response to the ice scraper, the method being: Monitor the on / off status of the refrigerator, including the on-state and the off-state; If the refrigerator transitions from the power-off state to the power-on state, an initialization signal for the ice scraper is generated.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that, The control of stopping the ice scraper after rotating from the reference position for a set time includes: The ice scraper is controlled to rotate from the reference position along a second direction for a set time and then stop. The second direction is the opposite of the first direction.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that, The step of controlling the ice scraper to rotate in a first direction in response to the initialization signal of the ice scraper includes: In response to the initialization signal of the ice scraper, the ice scraper is controlled to rotate in a first direction for a first preset time, the first preset time being less than the time required for the ice scraper to rotate one revolution; If the position sensor is not detected to be triggered during the first preset time period of the ice scraper's rotation, the ice scraper is controlled to continue rotating in the first direction until the position sensor is triggered.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, After controlling the ice scraper to continue rotating in the first direction, the method further includes: If the position sensor is not detected to be triggered within a second preset time period from the time the ice scraper continues to rotate in the first direction, the ice scraper is heated until a preset heating stop condition is met. The second preset time period is greater than or equal to the time required for the ice scraper to rotate one revolution. After heating is complete, control the ice scraper to continue rotating in the first direction.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that, The method further includes: In response to an ice-making signal, the ice-making device is controlled to make ice; After ice making is completed, in response to the ice scraping signal, the ice scraping rod is controlled to rotate along the set ice scraping direction for a third preset time to scrape the ice. The third preset time is the time required for the ice scraping rod to rotate one revolution. During rotation, the status of the position sensor is monitored; If the position sensor is triggered, it is determined that the ice scraper returns to the initial position.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, During the rotation, after monitoring the state of the position sensor, the method further includes: If the position sensor is not triggered, the ice scraper stick is controlled to continue rotating along the set ice scraping direction for a fourth preset time, the fourth preset time being longer than the third preset time. If the position sensor is not triggered during the fourth preset time period of the ice scraper's rotation, the ice scraper is heated until the preset heating stop condition is met. After heating is complete, control the ice scraper to continue rotating along the set ice scraping direction for the fourth preset time. If the position sensor is not triggered during the fourth preset time period when the ice scraper is rotated again, the ice scraper is heated again until the preset heating stop condition is met. After heating is completed, the ice scraper is controlled to continue rotating along the set ice scraping direction. If the position sensor is not triggered after the set number of heating cycles, a fault notification for the ice scraper is issued.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The ice-making device is located in the refrigerator compartment; after issuing a fault notification regarding the ice scraper, the method further includes: Monitor the opening and closing status of the refrigerator door, including an open state and a closed state; Record the duration of each of the aforementioned open states; If the duration of an open state is greater than a preset duration threshold, an initialization signal for the ice scraper is generated after the open state transitions to the closed state.

9. An ice-making apparatus, characterized in that, The ice-making apparatus is used to implement the method as described in claim 1, and the ice-making apparatus includes: An ice-making container, wherein the ice-making container is used to hold water to be made into ice; An ice scraper, which is disposed on the upper side of the ice-making container, is used to scrape ice blocks out of the ice-making container; Heater, the heater being used to heat the ice scraper; A position sensor is located at a reference position of the ice scraper rod; A controller is electrically connected to the ice scraper, the heater, and the position sensor. The controller is used to control the ice scraper to reach an initial position in response to an initialization signal from the ice scraper, based on a reference position identified by the position sensor.

10. A refrigerator, characterized in that, The refrigerator includes: Refrigeration compartment; The ice-making apparatus as described in claim 9, wherein the ice-making apparatus is disposed in the cold storage chamber; A refrigeration cycle system for generating a cold source to turn water in the ice-making container of the ice-making device into ice cubes.

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