Ice-making apparatus and control method thereof

Abstract

The present application relates to ice-making equipment and a control method thereof, the ice-making equipment comprising an ice maker, a water storage box for providing ice-making water for the ice maker, a water delivery pipeline connected between the ice maker and the water storage box, and a water pump for driving water to flow along the water delivery pipeline. The control method comprises: receiving a water supply end signal, the water supply end signal being used to indicate that a water supply process of supplying water from the water storage box to the ice maker is ended; controlling the water pump to operate in a second operation mode to drive water in the water delivery pipeline to flow back to the water storage box; obtaining a power of the water pump; and when the power of the water pump is stabilized at a preset target power, controlling the water pump to stop operating. The preset target power is less than an initial power that the water pump has at the beginning of the second operation mode. The present application effectively avoids the ice-making equipment from producing gurgling bubble sound during the ice-making process, so as not to have any impact on the user, and improves the user's experience.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to ice-making technology, and in particular, to an ice-making apparatus and a control method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of technology and the increasing demand of users, some refrigerators now have an ice-making function. Specifically, some refrigerators with an ice-making function generally include a water storage box, a water pump, a water delivery pipeline, an ice maker, a driving device, and an ice storage box. The water storage box is used to store water. One end of the water delivery pipeline is in communication with the water storage box, and the other end of the water delivery pipeline is in communication with the ice maker. The water pump is used to pump the water in the water storage box into the water delivery pipeline and deliver the water in the water delivery pipeline to the ice maker. The ice maker is used to cool the water in it into ice. The ice storage box is located below the ice maker and is used to store ice cubes.

[0003] The above-mentioned ice-making refrigerator with a water storage box for water supply needs a water pump to connect the ice maker and the water storage box during the ice-making process, so as to supply water to the ice maker and discharge the water in the water delivery pipeline after the water supply is completed, so as to prevent the part of the water delivery pipeline in the freezing compartment from being frozen due to low temperature. In the existing control logic, the water pump will be reversed for a predetermined time after the water supply is completed, regardless of whether there is water in the water delivery pipeline. If the water in the water delivery pipeline is exhausted in a very short time, the continued reversal of the water pump will cause air to be sucked into the water storage box. Since the end of the water suction pipe in the water storage box is immersed in the bottom of the water storage box, the air sucked into the water storage box will produce bubbles, resulting in a "gurgling" bubble sound in the water storage box, which is not good for the user experience. Especially when the refrigerator adopts a peak-shaving ice-making control logic, most of the ice-making process will be controlled to be performed at night. If the bubble sound occurs from time to time at night, it will seriously affect the user's rest. SUMMARY

[0004] One object of the first aspect of the present application is to overcome at least one of the defects of the prior art and provide a control method for avoiding the generation of a bubble sound in an ice-making apparatus during an ice-making process.

[0005] A further object of the first aspect of the present application is to more completely discharge the water in the water delivery pipeline.

[0006] An object of the second aspect of the present application is to provide an ice-making apparatus capable of avoiding the generation of a bubble sound during an ice-making process.

[0007] An object of the second aspect of the present application is to provide a refrigerating-freezing appliance having the above-mentioned ice-making apparatus.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling an ice-making device is provided. The ice-making device includes an ice-making machine, a water storage box for providing water for making ice for the ice-making machine, a water pipeline connected between the ice-making machine and the water storage box, and a water pump for driving water to flow along the water pipeline. The method includes:

[0009] receiving a water supply end signal, wherein the water supply end signal is used to indicate that a water supply process from the water storage box to the ice maker is completed;

[0010] controlling the water pump to operate in a second operating mode to drive the water in the water delivery pipeline to flow back to the water storage box;

[0011] obtaining the power of the water pump; and

[0012] When the power of the water pump is stabilized at a preset target power, the water pump is controlled to stop running; wherein

[0013] The preset target power is less than an initial power of the water pump at the start of the second operation mode.

[0014] Optionally, before receiving the water supply end signal, the control method further includes:

[0015] receiving a water supply start signal, wherein the water supply start signal is used to indicate that ice-making water is supplied to the ice maker; and

[0016] The water pump is controlled to operate in a first operating mode to drive the water in the water storage box to flow to the ice maker through the water delivery pipeline.

[0017] Optionally, after controlling the water pump to operate in the first operating mode, the control method further includes:

[0018] When the water pump operates in the first operating mode for a period of time that reaches a first preset period of time, the water pump is controlled to stop operating.

[0019] Optionally, the water supply end signal is generated when the following conditions are met:

[0020] The water pump operates in the first operating mode for a first preset time and then stops operating for a second preset time.

[0021] Optionally, when the power of the water pump is stabilized at a preset target power, the step of controlling the water pump to stop running includes:

[0022] determining whether the duration for which the water pump operates at the preset target power reaches a third preset duration;

[0023] If so, it is determined that the power of the water pump is stable at the preset target power.

[0024] Optionally, the third preset time length is much less than the first preset time length.

[0025] Optionally, the water supply start signal is generated when the following condition is met:

[0026] the ice-making machine finishes the ice overturning operation; wherein

[0027] The ice overturning operation is used to pour the ice made in the ice-making machine into the ice storage box of the ice-making device for storage.

[0028] Optionally, the preset target power is 0.3-0.6 times of the initial power.

[0029] According to the second aspect of the present application, the present application further provides an ice-making device, comprising an ice-making machine, a water storage box for providing water for ice-making of the ice-making machine, a water delivery pipeline connected between the ice-making machine and the water storage box, and a water pump for driving water to flow along the water delivery pipeline, the ice-making device further comprising:

[0030] The control device comprises a processor and a memory, the memory stores a machine executable program, and the machine executable program is executed by the processor to implement the control method of any one of the above schemes.

[0031] Optionally, the ice-making device is a refrigerator with a refrigeration chamber and a freezing chamber; and

[0032] The ice-making machine is arranged in the freezing chamber, and the water storage box is arranged in the refrigeration chamber.

[0033] After receiving the water supply end signal, the ice-making device does not control the water pump to run in reverse according to the pre-set time length, but first controls the water pump to run in a second running mode that can make the water in the water delivery pipeline flow back to the water storage box, i.e. controls the water pump to reverse, and then judges whether there is still water in the water delivery pipeline by monitoring the power of the water pump. When the power of the water pump is stable at a preset target power which is less than the initial power when the water pump is reversed, it indicates that the water in the water delivery pipeline has been emptied, at this time, controlling the water pump to stop running can avoid the air in the water delivery pipeline being sucked into the water storage box, thereby effectively avoiding the production of gurgling bubble sound of the ice-making device during ice-making, so as to not affect the user, and improve the user's experience.

[0034] Furthermore, when bubbles are present in the water pipeline, the water pump's power may temporarily drop below the preset target power due to the presence of bubbles. Therefore, the present invention determines that the water pump's power has stabilized at the preset target power and stops the water pump only after the water pump has been running at the preset target power for a third preset time, rather than stopping the water pump as soon as it reaches the preset target power. This avoids detection errors or premature stopping of the water pump's reverse operation due to bubbles in the water pipeline, thereby completely draining the water from the water pipeline and preventing partial freezing of the water pipeline.

[0035] Based on the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will become more aware of the above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] Hereinafter, some specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail in an exemplary and non-limiting manner with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings indicate the same or similar components or parts. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the accompanying drawings:

[0037] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an ice-making device according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 is a schematic flow chart of a method for controlling an ice-making device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 3 is a schematic flow chart of a method for controlling an ice-making device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 4 is a schematic flow chart of a control method for an ice-making device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of a control method for an ice-making device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 6 FIG. 4 is a schematic structural block diagram of an ice-making device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described below are only some embodiments of the present invention, rather than all embodiments of the present invention, and that these embodiments are intended to explain the technical principles of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Based on the embodiments provided by the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should still fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0044] It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, terms such as "center," "upper," "lower," "top," "bottom," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer" indicating directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. These are merely for ease of description and do not indicate or imply that the device or element described must have a specific orientation, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0045] Furthermore, it should be noted that, in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; mechanical connections, electrical connections; direct connections, indirect connections through an intermediate medium, or internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on specific circumstances.

[0046] Furthermore, it should be noted that in the description of the present invention, each functional module can be a physical module composed of multiple structures, components or electronic components, or a virtual module composed of multiple programs; each functional module can be a module that exists independently of each other, or a module divided according to function from an integral module. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that, under the premise of being able to implement the technical solution described in the present invention, no matter how the composition, implementation, and positional relationship of each functional module are changed, they will not deviate from the technical principles of the present invention, and therefore should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0047] The present invention first provides a control method for ice making equipment. Figure 1 FIG is a schematic structural diagram of an ice making device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 The ice-making device 10 includes an ice-making machine 11, a water storage box 12 for providing ice-making water to the ice-making machine 11, a water pipeline 13 connected between the ice-making machine 11 and the water storage box 12, and a water pump 14 for driving water to flow along the water pipeline 13.

[0048] Figure 2 FIG is a schematic flow chart of a control method for an ice-making device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 , the control method of the present invention includes:

[0049] Step S40, receiving a water supply end signal, the water supply end signal being used to indicate that the water supply process from the water storage box 12 to the ice maker 11 is finished;

[0050] Step S50, controlling the water pump 14 to operate in the second operating mode to drive the water in the water delivery pipeline 13 to flow back to the water storage box 12;

[0051] Step S60, obtaining the power of the water pump 14; and

[0052] Step S70: When the power of the water pump 14 is stabilized at the preset target power, the water pump 14 is controlled to stop running;

[0053] The preset target power is smaller than the initial power of the water pump 14 at the beginning of the second operation mode.

[0054] The inventors recognized that the power of water pump 14 differs when there is water in water pipeline 13 and when there is no water. This is because when there is water in water pipeline 13, water pump 14 is driving water; when there is no water in water pipeline 13, water pump 14 is driving air. In comparison, water requires a stronger driving force than air. Therefore, this difference in the power of water pump 14 is reflected in the operating parameters of water pump 14. Therefore, the present invention uses the power of water pump 14 to determine whether there is water in water pipeline 13.

[0055] That is, after receiving the water supply end signal, the ice-making device 10 of the present invention does not control the water pump 14 to reverse and operate for a pre-set duration. Instead, it first controls the water pump 14 to operate in a second operating mode that allows the water in the water pipeline 13 to flow back to the water storage box 12. That is, it controls the water pump 14 to reverse and then monitors the power of the water pump 14 to determine whether there is still water in the water pipeline 13. When the power of the water pump 14 stabilizes at a preset target power that is less than the initial power when it reverses, it indicates that the water in the water pipeline 13 has been drained. At this time, controlling the water pump 14 to stop operation can prevent air in the water pipeline 13 from being drawn into the water storage box 12, thereby effectively preventing the ice-making device 10 from generating gurgling bubbles during the ice-making process. Therefore, it will not have any impact on the user and improve the user experience.

[0056] It can be understood that the preset target power is set to the power when the water pump 14 drives the air to flow.

[0057] In some embodiments, the preset target power may be 0.3 to 0.6 times the initial power. For example, the preset target power may be 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, or 0.6 times the initial power.

[0058] Figure 3is a schematic flow chart of a control method of an ice-making apparatus according to another embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 3 In some embodiments, before receiving the water supply end signal, the control method of the present application further comprises:

[0059] Step S10, receiving a water supply start signal, the water supply start signal being used to indicate that water for making ice is being delivered to the ice maker 11; and

[0060] Step S20, controlling the water pump 14 to operate in a first operating mode to drive the water in the water storage box 12 to flow to the ice maker 11 through the water delivery pipeline 13.

[0061] It can be understood that the first operating mode and the second operating mode of the water pump 14 are two operating modes with opposite rotating directions. Specifically, in the first operating mode, the water pump 14 rotates in a forward direction to drive the water in the water storage box 12 to flow to the water delivery pipeline 13 and then to the ice maker 11. In the second operating mode, the water pump 14 rotates in a reverse direction to drive the water in the water delivery pipeline 13 to flow back to the water storage box 12.

[0062] Figure 4 is a schematic flow chart of a control method of an ice-making apparatus according to another embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 4 In some embodiments, after controlling the water pump 14 to operate in the first operating mode, the control method of the present application further comprises:

[0063] Step S30, when the time length for which the water pump 14 operates in the first operating mode reaches a first preset time length, controlling the water pump 14 to stop operating.

[0064] That is, the water supply process of the water pump 14 can be controlled according to the preset operating time length, and the water supply ends when the water supply time of the water pump 14 reaches the first preset time length. This is because, when the water pump operates in the first operating mode, the water flows from the water storage box 12 to the water delivery pipeline 13, and the water amount in the water storage box 12 is sufficient, so the power of the water pump 14 is basically constant, and the water supply process of the water pump 14 can be accurately controlled according to the operating time length.

[0065] In some embodiments, the water supply end signal is generated when the following condition is met:

[0066] The time length for which the water pump 14 stops operating after operating in the first operating mode for the first preset time length reaches a second preset time length.

[0067] That is, after Step S30, if the time length for which the water pump 14 stops operating reaches the second preset time length, the water supply end signal is generated, that is, the water pump 14 is controlled to operate in the second operating mode.

[0068] Furthermore, the second preset time duration is much shorter than the first preset time duration and can be in the order of seconds, i.e., the water pump 14 is temporarily stopped to allow the water in the water delivery pipe 13 to flow as much as possible to the ice maker 11. Specifically, the second preset time duration can be, for example, 0.4s, 0.5s, or 0.6s.

[0069] Specifically, Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a schematic flow chart of a control method for an ice-making device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 , the control method of the present invention includes:

[0070] Step S10, receiving a water supply start signal, the water supply start signal being used to indicate supplying ice-making water to the ice maker 11; and

[0071] Step S20 , controlling the water pump 14 to operate in the first operating mode to drive the water in the water storage box 12 to flow to the ice maker 11 through the water delivery pipe 13 .

[0072] Step S30: When the duration of the water pump 14 operating in the first operating mode reaches a first preset duration, the water pump 14 is controlled to stop operating;

[0073] Step S40', determining whether the duration of the water pump 14 stopping operation reaches a second preset duration, if so, proceeding to step S50; if not, returning to continue determination;

[0074] Step S50, controlling the water pump 14 to operate in the second operating mode to drive the water in the water delivery pipeline 13 to flow back to the water storage box 12;

[0075] Step S60, obtaining the power of the water pump 14; and

[0076] Step S70 : When the power of the water pump 14 is stabilized at the preset target power, the water pump 14 is controlled to stop running.

[0077] The inventors have recognized that when bubbles are present in the water delivery pipeline 13, the power of the water pump 14 may temporarily drop below the preset target power due to the presence of the bubbles. Therefore, in some embodiments, when the power of the water pump 14 stabilizes at the preset target power, step S70 of controlling the water pump 14 to stop operating may specifically include:

[0078] Determining whether the time period for the water pump 14 to continuously operate at the preset target power reaches a third preset time period;

[0079] If so, it is determined that the power of the water pump 14 is stable at the preset target power.

[0080] That is, the present application determines that the power of the water pump 14 is stable at the preset target power and stops the water pump 14 from running only after the length of time during which the water pump 14 runs at the preset target power reaches the third preset length of time, rather than stopping the water pump 14 from running as soon as the power of the water pump 14 reaches the preset target power. In this way, the present application can avoid detection errors or the presence of air bubbles in the water delivery pipeline 13 causing the water pump 14 to stop running in reverse too early, so that the water in the water delivery pipeline 13 can be completely drained, effectively preventing the freezing of part of the water delivery pipeline 13.

[0081] In some embodiments, the third preset length of time is much shorter than the first preset length of time.

[0082] Specifically, the first preset length of time and the third preset length of time are both on the order of seconds, and the specific value of the first preset length of time can vary depending on the specific model or size of the ice maker. The third preset length of time can be a few tenths of a second, i.e., the power of the water pump is temporarily stable. Preferably, the third preset length of time can be, for example, 0.4S, 0.5S, or 0.6S, etc.

[0083] In some embodiments, the ice making device 10 further includes an ice storage box 15 for storing ice cubes. In these embodiments, the water supply start signal can be generated when the following conditions are met:

[0084] The ice turning operation of the ice maker 11 is completed; wherein

[0085] The ice turning operation is used to pour the ice produced in the ice maker 11 into the ice storage box 15 of the ice making device 10 for storage.

[0086] That is, the next ice making operation starts immediately after the last ice making operation of the ice maker 11 is completed.

[0087] The present application also provides an ice making device 10, Figure 6 is a schematic structural block diagram of an ice making device according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 6 The ice making device 10 includes an ice maker 11, a water storage box 12 for providing water for ice making to the ice maker 11, a water delivery pipeline 13 connected between the ice maker 11 and the water storage box 12, and a water pump 14 for driving water to flow along the water delivery pipeline 13.

[0088] In particular, the ice making device 10 further includes a control device 40, which includes a processor 41 and a memory 42, the memory 42 stores a machine executable program 43, and the machine executable program 43 is executed by the processor 41 to implement the control method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0089] Those skilled in the art can understand that the control method described above can be applied to a processor or implemented by means of a processor. The processor is an integrated circuit chip with the ability to process signals. In the process of the processor executing the control method described above, each step of the control method described above can be completed by integrated logic circuits in hardware form or instructions in software form in the processor. Further, the processor can be a general processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, microprocessors, and other any conventional processors.

[0090] In some embodiments, the ice-making apparatus 10 can be a refrigerator having a refrigerating chamber 21 and a freezing chamber 22. The ice maker 11 is provided in the freezing chamber 22, and the water storage box 12 is provided in the refrigerating chamber 21. Thus, ice can be made using the temperature environment of the freezing chamber 22, and the cooling water having a relatively low temperature can be stored using the temperature environment of the refrigerating chamber 21.

[0091] Specifically, the freezing chamber 22 is a storage compartment having a freezing storage environment, and the temperature in the freezing chamber 22 can generally reach -24℃ to -18℃. The refrigerating chamber 21 is a storage compartment having a refrigerating storage environment, and the temperature in the refrigerating chamber 21 can generally reach 0 to 8℃.

[0092] So far, the technical solutions of the present application have been described in combination with the foregoing embodiments. However, those skilled in the art can easily understand that the protection scope of the present application is not limited to these specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art can split and combine the technical solutions in the above-described embodiments, or make equivalent changes or replacements to the related technical features, without departing from the technical principles of the present application. Any changes, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the technical concept and / or technical principles of the present application will fall within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an ice-making device, the ice-making device comprising an ice-making machine, a water storage box for providing water for ice-making to the ice-making machine, a water pipeline connected between the ice-making machine and the water storage box, and a water pump for driving water to flow along the water pipeline, the method comprising: receiving a water supply end signal, wherein the water supply end signal is used to indicate that a water supply process from the water storage box to the ice maker is completed; controlling the water pump to operate in a second operating mode to drive the water in the water delivery pipeline to flow back to the water storage box; Obtaining the power of the water pump; as well as When the power of the water pump is stabilized at a preset target power, controlling the water pump to stop running; in The preset target power is less than the initial power of the water pump at the beginning of the second operation mode; and When bubbles exist in the water delivery pipeline, the power of the water pump will temporarily become the preset target power due to the presence of the bubbles.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: Before receiving the water supply end signal, the control method further includes: receiving a water supply start signal, wherein the water supply start signal is used to indicate that ice-making water is supplied to the ice maker; and The water pump is controlled to operate in a first operating mode to drive the water in the water storage box to flow to the ice maker through the water delivery pipeline.

3. The control method according to claim 2, wherein: After controlling the water pump to operate in the first operating mode, the control method further includes: When the water pump operates in the first operating mode for a period of time that reaches a first preset period of time, the water pump is controlled to stop operating.

4. The control method according to claim 3, wherein: The water supply end signal is generated when the following conditions are met: The water pump operates in the first operating mode for a first preset time and then stops operating for a second preset time.

5. The control method according to claim 3, wherein: When the power of the water pump is stabilized at a preset target power, the step of controlling the water pump to stop running includes: determining whether the duration for which the water pump operates at the preset target power reaches a third preset duration; If so, it is determined that the power of the water pump is stable at the preset target power.

6. The control method according to claim 5, wherein: The third preset duration is much shorter than the first preset duration.

7. The control method according to claim 2, wherein: The water supply start signal is generated when the following conditions are met: The ice turning operation of the ice maker is completed; wherein The ice turning operation is used to pour the ice made in the ice maker into the ice storage box of the ice making equipment for storage.

8. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The preset target power is 0.3 to 0.6 times the initial power.

9. An ice-making device comprising an ice-making machine, a water storage box for providing water for ice-making to the ice-making machine, a water pipeline connected between the ice-making machine and the water storage box, and a water pump for driving water to flow along the water pipeline, the ice-making device further comprising: A control device comprises a processor and a memory, wherein a machine executable program is stored in the memory, and when the machine executable program is executed by the processor, it is used to implement the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The ice making device according to claim 9, wherein The ice-making device is a refrigerator having a refrigeration compartment and a freezer compartment; and The ice maker is arranged in the freezing chamber, and the water storage box is arranged in the refrigerating chamber.

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