Ice discharge device control method, door assembly, and storage medium

Abstract

The application provides an ice outlet device control method, a refrigerator door body assembly and a computer readable storage medium. The ice outlet device control method comprises the following steps: after receiving an ice outlet opening signal, a motor is controlled to run in a first direction at a first pulse frequency to drive a cover plate assembly to rotate from a closed position for closing the ice outlet to an open position; when the motor runs a first preset number of revolutions, the motor is controlled to be turned off; wherein the motor is a self-locking motor, a rotation angle corresponding to the first preset number of revolutions is greater than an angle of the cover plate assembly rotating from the closed position to a limit open position, and the first pulse frequency is greater than a rated pulse frequency of the motor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of home appliances, and in particular to a control method for an ice dispensing device, a door assembly, and a storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] Some refrigerators are equipped with an ice-making unit. The refrigerator also has an ice storage tank and an ice dispensing device connected to the ice storage tank. The ice storage tank receives and stores the ice produced by the ice-making unit, and users can remove the ice from the ice storage tank through the ice dispensing device. The ice dispensing device is equipped with a cover assembly and a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism can drive the cover assembly to open or close the ice dispensing port of the ice dispensing device.

[0003] The drive unit can be a motor with a self-locking function, but errors may occur during motor operation, causing the cover plate assembly to fail to completely seal the ice outlet. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention proposes a control method for an ice-discharging device, a door assembly, and a storage medium, wherein the motor-driven cover assembly operates at a frequency higher than the motor's rated pulse frequency during the opening process and stalls in the fully open position.

[0005] To achieve one of the above-mentioned objectives, one embodiment of the present invention provides a method for controlling an ice-discharging device, comprising:

[0006] Upon receiving the signal to open the ice outlet, the control motor runs along the first direction at the first pulse frequency, driving the cover plate assembly to rotate from the closed position to the open position.

[0007] When the motor reaches a first preset number of revolutions, the motor is controlled to shut down.

[0008] The motor is a self-locking motor, the rotation angle corresponding to the first preset number of revolutions is greater than the angle at which the cover plate assembly rotates from the closed position to the limit open position, and the first pulse frequency is greater than the rated pulse frequency of the motor.

[0009] As a further improvement to one embodiment of the present invention, the ice-discharging device control method further includes:

[0010] Upon receiving a signal to close the ice outlet, the motor is controlled to run in the second direction, causing the cover plate assembly to rotate from the open position to the closed position;

[0011] When the motor reaches a second preset number of revolutions, the motor is controlled to shut down.

[0012] Wherein, the second direction is opposite to the first direction, and the rotation angle corresponding to the second preset number of revolutions is greater than the angle at which the cover plate assembly rotates from the extreme open position to the closed position.

[0013] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the motor operates along a second direction at a second pulse frequency, the second pulse frequency being less than the first pulse frequency.

[0014] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the second pulse frequency is greater than or equal to the rated pulse frequency of the motor.

[0015] One embodiment of the present invention provides an ice-discharging device, comprising: the difference between the second pulse frequency and the rated pulse frequency of the motor is less than or equal to 10.

[0016] As a further improvement to one embodiment of the present invention, the motor is a stepper motor, and the method specifically includes:

[0017] Upon receiving a signal to open the ice outlet, when the motor is controlled to run in the first direction for a first preset number of steps, the motor is controlled to close. The rotation angle corresponding to the first preset number of steps is greater than the angle at which the cover plate assembly rotates from the closed position to the limit open position.

[0018] When a signal to close the ice outlet is received, the motor is controlled to run in the second direction for a second preset number of steps, and then the motor is controlled to close. The rotation angle corresponding to the second preset number of steps is greater than the angle by which the cover plate assembly rotates from the extreme open position to the closed position.

[0019] As a further improvement to one embodiment of the present invention, "when controlling the motor to run a first preset number of steps in a first direction, controlling the motor to turn off" also includes:

[0020] When the motor completes a preset number of opening steps, the motor is controlled to continue running in the first direction;

[0021] When the motor continues to run for the first preset number of stall steps, the motor is controlled to shut down;

[0022] Wherein, the first preset number of steps is the sum of the preset number of opening steps and the first preset number of stalling steps, the rotation angle corresponding to the preset number of opening steps is equal to the angle at which the cover plate assembly rotates from the closed position to the limit opening position, and the first preset number of stalling steps is less than 100.

[0023] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the second preset rotation number is less than the first preset rotation number. To achieve one of the above-mentioned objectives, one embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator door assembly, including a door body and a distributor disposed on the door body. The door body includes a door shell and a door liner, with heat insulation material filling the space between the door shell and the door liner. An ice outlet channel is provided on the door body, the ice outlet channel penetrating the door body, the ice outlet channel including an ice inlet located on one side of the door liner and an ice outlet located on one side of the door shell. A cover plate assembly for opening and closing the ice outlet and a motor for driving the cover plate assembly to rotate are also installed on the door body. The refrigerator door assembly further includes a limiting structure for limiting the extreme opening position of the cover plate assembly; a memory and a processor, the memory storing a computer program that can run on the processor, and when the processor executes the computer program, it implements the steps in the ice outlet device control method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0024] To achieve one of the above-mentioned objectives, one embodiment of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the steps in the ice-discharging device control method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0025] The ice-discharging device control method provided by this invention uses a self-locking motor-driven cover plate assembly. During the opening process of the cover plate assembly, the motor is controlled to run a first preset number of revolutions so that the theoretical rotation angle of the cover plate assembly is greater than the actual rotation angle. This causes the motor to stall when the cover plate assembly is opened to its limit position. At the same time, when the motor drives the cover plate to open, it runs at a first pulse frequency greater than the motor's operating pulse frequency, which can prevent the motor from rebounding when stalled. This ensures that the number of steps the motor takes when closing the cover plate is constant, thus ensuring that the cover plate seals the ice-discharging channel. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a refrigerator door assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The disassembly diagram of the refrigerator door assembly is shown below;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an ice-discharging device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 for Figure 2 The diagram shows an explosion of the ice-removing device.

[0030] Figure 5 for Figure 3 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of the ice-discharging device;

[0031] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of an ice-discharging device control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 7 This is a detailed flowchart of the ice-discharging device control method according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of an ice-discharging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specific Implementation

[0034] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of this invention, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0035] See Figures 1 to 3 One embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator, which includes a cabinet and a refrigerator door assembly 100 for opening and closing the cabinet. Storage compartments formed within the cabinet include a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment. The refrigerator door assembly 100 may include a door 110 for opening and closing the cabinet. The door 110 may include a door shell and a door liner, and an insulating material, which may be a foamed material, may be filled between the door shell and the door liner. The door 110 may include a refrigerator door for opening and closing the refrigerator compartment and a freezer door for opening and closing the freezer compartment.

[0036] The refrigerator may be equipped with an ice-making device, and an ice-making compartment may be provided on the refrigerator door. The ice-making device may be installed in the ice-making compartment. An ice storage tank and a dispenser 300 may also be provided on the refrigerator door. The ice storage tank may be installed inside the ice-making compartment and positioned below the ice-making device to receive and store ice from the ice-making device. The dispenser 300 may include an ice dispensing device 200, which includes an ice dispensing channel 210 penetrating the door 110. The ice dispensing channel 210 may communicate with the ice storage tank, allowing the user to directly remove ice from the ice storage tank without opening the refrigerator door 110 using the dispenser 300.

[0037] Alternatively, an ice-making compartment can be set up inside the refrigerator compartment for installing the ice-making device, while an ice storage tank and distributor 300 are installed on the refrigerator door. The ice from the ice-making device is directly discharged into the ice storage tank on the refrigerator door and then discharged through the distributor 300. Of course, the ice-making device can also be installed in the freezer compartment or on the freezer door, with the distributor 300 installed on the freezer door.

[0038] In one embodiment of the present invention, the ice dispensing device 200 includes an ice dispensing channel 210 that extends through the door body 110 and has an ice inlet 211 located on one side of the door liner and an ice outlet 212 located on one side of the door shell opposite to the ice inlet 211. The ice inlet 211 can communicate with an ice storage tank. A cover assembly 220 and a drive device 230 are provided at the ice outlet 212. The cover assembly 220 can open and close the ice outlet 212, and the drive device 230 is connected to the drive shaft 223 of the cover assembly 220 to drive the cover assembly 220 to rotate. The drive device 230 may include a motor and a transmission assembly, and the drive device 230 can be mounted on the side wall of the distributor housing 310 of the distributor 300.

[0039] The refrigerator door 110 may be equipped with a control panel or buttons for controlling the drive device 230. Users can control the ice dispensing through the control panel or buttons, and select the amount of ice to be dispensed through the control panel or actively control the end of ice dispensing when the required amount of ice is reached.

[0040] When the user issues an ice removal command, the control device inside the refrigerator will start the motor of the drive unit 230 to run along the first direction A to drive the cover assembly 220 to rotate and open the ice outlet 212. After the ice removal is completed, the motor will rotate along the second direction opposite to the first direction A to drive the cover assembly 220 to close the ice outlet 212.

[0041] The ice-discharging device 200 may also include a limiting structure, which can limit the extreme opening position of the cover assembly 220. When the motor rotates along the first direction A and drives the cover assembly 220 to rotate to the position that interferes with the limiting structure, it is in the extreme opening position.

[0042] The ice dispensing device 200 may include an ice guide channel 250, which may be located on the side of the ice outlet. A distributor recess 320 may be provided on the outer side of the refrigerator door 110, and the ice guide channel 250 may be located within the distributor recess 320. A cover assembly 220 may be placed inside the ice guide channel 250. Ice from the ice storage tank is discharged from the ice outlet through the ice dispensing channel and enters the ice guide channel 250, and is discharged through the outlet of the ice guide channel 250. The wall of the ice guide channel 250 forms a limiting structure; when the cover assembly 200 is rotated to its maximum open position, the cover assembly 220 interferes with the wall of the ice guide channel 250.

[0043] See Figures 3 to 5The cover assembly 220 includes a bracket 221 and a sealing cover 222, which are connected by a connecting shaft 224. A drive device 230 can be connected to the drive shaft 223 of the bracket 221, and the drive device 230 can drive the bracket 221 to rotate, thereby causing the sealing cover 222 to rotate. The connecting shaft 224 can be mounted on the bracket 221, and the sealing cover 222 can be provided with a connecting hole 225 that mates with the connecting shaft 224. The connecting shaft 224 and the connecting hole 225 can be clearance-fitted, so that the sealing cover 222 can swing around the axis of the connecting shaft 224. When the drive assembly drives the cover plate assembly 220 to rotate and close the ice outlet 212, if the sealing cover 222 and the ice outlet 212 are not fully fitted due to tolerance or other reasons, or if the sealing cover 222 is tilted relative to the ice outlet 212, causing the upper or lower side of the sealing cover 222 to contact the ice outlet 212 first, the drive device 230 drives the cover plate assembly 220 to rotate further. Under the action of external force, the sealing cover 222 can automatically swing slightly around the connecting shaft 224, pressing the side that contacts first into the ice outlet 212, so that the sealing cover 222 moves to the optimal position to seal the ice outlet 212.

[0044] In this embodiment, the sealing cover 222 includes a sealing cover plate 2221, which is connected to the bracket 221. A silicone sealant 2222 is also installed on the sealing cover plate 2221. The space formed between the sealing cover plate 2221 and the silicone sealant 2222 is filled with PE closed-cell foam, which can block the transmission of cold air. When the sealing cover 222 closes the ice outlet 212, the edge of the ice outlet 212 presses against the surface of the silicone sealant 2222. The surface of the silicone sealant 2222 that contacts the ice outlet 212 can be a spherical surface, thereby improving the sealing effect.

[0045] An elastic support 240 is provided between the sealing cover 222 and the bracket 221. The contact position 241 between the elastic support 240 and the sealing cover 222 is located on the side of the sealing cover 222 away from the drive shaft 223. The connecting shaft 224 is located between the drive shaft 223 and the contact position 241.

[0046] In this embodiment, the elastic support 240 can be fixed at one end to the bracket 221 and the other end is a free end supported on the sealing cover 222, or it can be fixed at one end to the sealing cover 222 and the other end is a free end supported on the bracket 221, or both ends can be connected to the sealing cover 222 and the bracket 221 respectively. Of course, other structures for mounting the elastic support 240 can also be provided between the bracket 221 and the sealing cover 222. The elastic support 240 can have multiple contact points with the sealing cover 222, but it is sufficient to have a contact position 241 located on the side of the connecting shaft 224 away from the drive shaft 223.

[0047] In this embodiment, since the sealing cover 222 can swing around the connecting shaft 224 of the bracket 221, during the rotation of the cover assembly 220 driven by the drive device 230, especially when the cover assembly 220 is in the position of opening the ice outlet 212 or in the process of opening the ice outlet 212, the sealing cover 222 tends to tilt on the side away from the drive shaft 223 due to gravity. Thus, by using the elastic support member 240 to support the seal, and the contact position 241 between the elastic support member 240 and the sealing cover 222 is set on the side of the sealing cover 222 away from the drive shaft 223, and the connecting shaft 224 is set between the drive shaft 223 and the contact position 241, it is possible to prevent the sealing cover 222 from swinging around the connecting shaft 224 under the action of gravity, which would cause the side of the sealing cover 222 away from the drive shaft 223 to tilt, and thus cause a gap to appear between the side of the sealing cover 222 away from the drive shaft 223 and the ice outlet 212 during the closing of the cover assembly 220.

[0048] Meanwhile, the elastic support 240 is elastic, supporting the sealing cover 222 without affecting its degree of freedom. Therefore, the sealing cover 222 can achieve a good sealing effect.

[0049] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the center of gravity of the sealing cover 222 is located between the contact position 241 and the drive shaft 223.

[0050] In this embodiment, the connecting shaft 224 can be positioned corresponding to the center of gravity of the sealing cover 222, or it can be positioned between the center of gravity of the sealing cover 222 and the drive shaft 223. When the connecting shaft 224 is positioned between the center of gravity of the sealing cover 222 and the drive shaft 223, the contact position 241 between the elastic support 240 and the sealing cover 222 can be positioned on the side of the sealing cover 222 away from the drive shaft 223. That is, the center of gravity of the sealing cover 222 is positioned between the drive shaft 223 and the contact position 241. In this way, the elastic support 240 can better prevent the sealing cover 222 from tilting and balance the weight of the sealing cover 222.

[0051] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the elastic support member 240 includes an elastic support rib 226 disposed on one side of the free end of the bracket 221. The elastic support rib 226 can be integrally formed with the bracket 221, and the free end of the elastic support rib 226 is supported on the sealing cover 222. In this embodiment, the elastic support rib 226 extends from the free end of the bracket 221 toward the side closer to the drive shaft 223. Thus, during the installation and manufacturing process, only the drive device 230, the bracket 221, and the sealing cover 222 need to be assembled, and the elastic support member 240 can be automatically supported in a suitable position without the need for manual adjustment of the position of the elastic support member 240.

[0052] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the connecting shaft 224 can be disposed on the bracket 221, and the sealing cover 222 can be provided with a connecting hole 225 that mates with the connecting shaft 224. The connecting shaft 224 can be clearance-fitted with the connecting hole 225, and the connecting shaft 224 can be in point contact with the sealing cover 222. Specifically, in this embodiment, the sealing cover 222 can be provided with a support rib 226, the support rib 226 being angled to the connecting shaft 224, the connecting shaft 224 being supported on the support rib 226, and the connecting shaft 224 and the support rib 226 being in point contact. Of course, the connecting shaft 224 can also be disposed on the sealing cover 222, and the connecting hole 225 and the support rib 226 can be disposed on the bracket 221.

[0053] In this embodiment, the support rib 226 is stepped, including a first support rib 2261 and a second support rib 2262 that is higher than the first support rib 2261. The connecting surface between the first support rib 2261 and the second support rib 2262 is an inclined surface. The connection point between the first support rib 2261 and the second support rib 2262 is located at the center of the sealing cover 222. The connecting shaft 224 is supported on the first support rib 2261 and is close to the connection point between the first support rib 2261 and the second support rib 2262.

[0054] Thus, the sealing cover 222 can swing in any direction around the support point of the connecting shaft 224. When the driving device 230 drives the cover assembly 220 to close the ice outlet 212, regardless of which side of the sealing cover 222 contacts the side wall of the ice outlet 212 first, the sealing cover 222 can be squeezed to swing around the support rib 226 in other directions under the action of external force. For example, the sealing cover 222 can move along the axis of the connecting shaft 224 or swing around the support rib 226. Therefore, when the cover assembly 220 is closed, the sealing cover 222 can completely seal the ice outlet 212.

[0055] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the connecting shaft 224 is perpendicular to the support rib 226, and the contact point between the connecting shaft 224 and the support rib 226 is located on the central axis of the sealing cover 222. This allows the sealing cover 222 to be in a more balanced position, resulting in a better sealing effect.

[0056] The ice dispensing device 200 provided in this application has a sealing cover 222 with a certain degree of freedom. During the process of the sealing cover 222 closing the ice outlet 212, the position of the sealing cover 222 can be automatically adjusted to match the ice outlet 212. At the same time, an elastic support member 240 is provided to support the sealing cover 222, which can prevent the sealing cover 222 from tilting under the action of gravity. The ice dispensing device 200 has a good overall sealing effect.

[0057] See Figure 3 and Figure 6An embodiment of the present invention also provides a control method for an ice-discharging device 200, comprising:

[0058] Upon receiving the signal to open the ice outlet 212, the control motor runs along the first direction A at the first pulse frequency, driving the cover plate assembly 220 to rotate from the closed position of the closed ice outlet 212 to the open position of the open ice outlet 212.

[0059] When the motor reaches the first preset number of revolutions, control the motor to shut off;

[0060] The motor is a self-locking motor, the rotation angle corresponding to the first preset number of revolutions is greater than the angle at which the cover plate assembly 220 rotates from the closed position to the limit open position, and the first pulse frequency is greater than the rated pulse frequency of the motor.

[0061] In this embodiment, when the user issues an ice-removing command through the control panel or buttons on the refrigerator door 110, it sends a signal to the control module inside the refrigerator corresponding to the ice-dispensing device 200 to open the ice outlet 212. At this time, the motor rotates and drives the cover assembly 220 to open the ice outlet 212, and the ice can slide out from the ice outlet channel 210.

[0062] In this embodiment, the motor in the drive device 230 corresponding to the cover plate assembly 220 is a self-locking motor. When the motor is not powered, it has a self-locking torque that can lock the cover plate assembly 220 in the closed position of closing the ice outlet 212 or the open position of opening the ice outlet 212. There is no need to install an elastic element on the rotating shaft of the cover plate assembly 220 to assist the cover plate assembly 220 in closing and provide a locking force for closing the cover plate assembly 220. At the same time, the cover plate assembly 220 can also be fixed in the open position.

[0063] When the motor runs according to the predetermined program, errors may occur. The actual angle of rotation of the cover plate assembly 220 driven by the motor may be less than the theoretical angle. However, since the self-locking motor also has a critical locking torque, when the motor is powered on, the motor can drive the cover plate assembly 220 to rotate. If the cover plate assembly 220 is interfered with, causing the motor to stall, and the stall time is long enough to cause the torque on the motor to be greater than the critical locking torque, then the cover plate assembly 220 will rebound in the opposite direction.

[0064] Thus, if an error occurs during the process of the motor opening the cover assembly 220, such as turning 5 revolutions less, but no error occurs during the process of driving the cover assembly 220 to return, the cover assembly 220 may experience an excessively long stall time when closing, causing the torque on the motor to exceed the critical locking torque. This would cause the cover assembly 220 to spring back along the first direction A, resulting in a gap between the cover assembly 220 and the ice outlet 212. Even a small gap between the cover assembly 220 and the ice outlet 212 can lead to condensation, cold leakage, and other phenomena.

[0065] In this embodiment, when the motor rotates along the first direction A to drive the cover assembly 220 to open the ice outlet 212, the motor is controlled to run a first preset number of revolutions. The rotation angle corresponding to the first preset number of revolutions can be the angle at which the cover assembly 220 rotates when the motor rotates the first preset number of revolutions, assuming no error occurs during motor rotation. The rotation angle corresponding to the first preset number of revolutions is greater than the angle at which the cover assembly 220 rotates from the closed position to the limit open position. This can be understood as follows: if no error occurs during motor rotation, when the motor rotates along the first direction A to drive the cover assembly 220 to open, the motor will continue to rotate even when the cover assembly 220 has reached its limit open position.

[0066] When the motor rotates in the first direction A, it can operate at a first pulse frequency higher than the motor's rated pulse frequency. In this way, when the motor runs the first preset number of revolutions, the torque on the motor is less than the critical locking torque. As a result, the motor will not rebound during the process of driving the cover assembly to open. Especially after the cover assembly leaves the factory, when the cover assembly is used for the first time, due to the error in the distance from the closed position to the open position, it may cause a long stall time when opening. Operating at a first pulse frequency higher than the motor's rated pulse frequency can prevent the cover assembly from rebounding, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the distance of the cover assembly from the open position to the closed position, and ensuring that the cover assembly can seal the ice outlet after closing.

[0067] In this embodiment, the closing position of the cover assembly 220 when closing the ice outlet 212 can be the position where the cover assembly 220 contacts the ice outlet 212. However, since the contact position between the sealing cap 222 of the cover assembly 220 and the ice outlet 212 can be elastically compressed, the closing position of the cover assembly 220 when closing the ice outlet 212 can also be the position where the cover assembly 220 continues to move towards the ice outlet 212 after closing the ice outlet 212 until it undergoes a certain amount of elastic deformation.

[0068] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the control method for the ice-discharging device 200 further includes:

[0069] Upon receiving the signal to close the ice outlet 212, the control motor runs in the second direction to drive the cover plate assembly 220 to rotate from the open position to the closed position;

[0070] When the motor reaches the second preset number of revolutions, the motor is shut off.

[0071] The second direction is opposite to the first direction A, and the rotation angle corresponding to the second preset number of revolutions is greater than the angle at which the cover plate assembly 220 rotates from the limit open position to the closed position.

[0072] In this embodiment, the second preset rotation speed can be less than the first preset rotation speed. When the motor rotates and drives the cover assembly 220 to open the ice outlet 212, if the motor does not have any errors, it will continue to rotate when the motor drives the cover assembly 220 to the closed position. This is to avoid errors in the motor during the closing process, which could cause the cover assembly 220 to not close completely. Furthermore, when the motor drives the cover assembly 220 to rotate from the extreme open position to the closed position, the torque received by the motor when it runs at the second preset rotation speed is less than the critical locking torque, and the cover assembly 220 will not rebound.

[0073] Meanwhile, since the motor operates for the first preset number of steps to eliminate errors during the opening and closing of the cover assembly 220, the actual rotatable angle of the cover assembly 220 when it is closed can be prevented from shrinking. Therefore, even if the rotation angle corresponding to the motor rotation is greater than the angle from the limit open position to the closed position during the closing of the cover assembly 220, the stall time of the motor will not be too long within the preset range, thus preventing the cover assembly 220 from rebounding and achieving a better sealing effect.

[0074] In this embodiment, when the ice outlet 212 is opened, the number of times the ice outlet 212 is opened and / or the duration of the ice outlet 212 being opened within a preset time period can be recorded, and the refrigeration start-up temperature and refrigeration shutdown temperature of the ice-making room can be controlled according to the number of times the ice outlet 212 is opened and / or the duration of the ice outlet 212 being opened within the preset time period.

[0075] When the temperature inside the ice-making chamber is higher than the refrigeration start-up temperature, the refrigeration system is controlled to cool the ice-making chamber until the temperature drops to the refrigeration shutdown temperature. Therefore, if the number of times the ice outlet 212 opens within a preset time period is greater than the preset number and / or the opening duration of the ice outlet 212 is greater than the preset duration, it can be determined that the user's demand for ice is high. In this case, a lower refrigeration start-up temperature and a lower refrigeration shutdown temperature can be matched to the ice-making chamber to keep its temperature below the preset temperature range, or the number of ice-making cycles can be increased. Conversely, if the number of times the ice outlet 212 opens and / or the opening duration of the ice outlet 212 are both low within the preset time period, a higher refrigeration start-up temperature and a higher refrigeration shutdown temperature can be matched to the ice-making chamber, or the number of ice-making cycles of the ice-making device can be reduced. In this way, user habits can be determined based on the opening data of the ice outlet 212, and the operation of the ice-making system can be controlled.

[0076] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the motor operates along a second direction at a second pulse frequency, the second pulse frequency being less than the first pulse frequency. In this embodiment, the second pulse frequency may be greater than or equal to the rated pulse frequency of the motor.

[0077] In this embodiment, during the process of the motor driving the cover plate assembly to close, in order to ensure the reliability of the cover plate assembly in closing the ice outlet, the motor needs a large torque. In order to avoid the cover plate rebounding when closing the ice outlet, the torque received by the motor can be less than or equal to the rated torque of the motor. At this time, the second pulse frequency of the motor can be less than the first pulse frequency and greater than or equal to the rated pulse frequency of the motor.

[0078] In this embodiment, the difference between the second pulse frequency and the rated pulse frequency of the motor is less than or equal to 10. The second pulse frequency can be as close as possible to the rated pulse frequency of the motor, thereby ensuring that the motor drives the cover plate assembly to have the largest possible torque during the closing process, and that even if a stall occurs after the cover plate assembly has completely closed the ice outlet, no rebound will occur, thus ensuring the sealing effect of the cover plate assembly.

[0079] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the motor is a stepper motor, and the motor's rotation speed can be controlled by controlling the number of steps. The control method for the ice-discharging device 200 specifically includes:

[0080] After receiving the signal to open the ice outlet 212, when the control motor runs in the first direction A for a first preset number of steps, the control motor is turned off. The rotation angle corresponding to the first preset number of steps is greater than the angle at which the cover plate assembly 220 rotates from the closed position of the ice outlet 212 to the extreme open position.

[0081] When the signal to close the ice outlet 212 is received, the control motor is turned off when it runs in the second direction for the second preset number of steps. The rotation angle corresponding to the second preset number of steps is greater than the angle of the cover plate assembly 220 rotating from the limit open position to the closed position.

[0082] In this embodiment, the stepper motor may experience step loss during operation, meaning that the actual number of steps the motor takes is less than the theoretical number of steps. Consequently, the number of motor rotations and the actual rotation angle of the drive cover assembly 220 will both be less than the theoretical values.

[0083] The rotation angle corresponding to the first preset number of steps can be the angle at which the cover plate assembly 220 can be driven to rotate by the motor after running the first preset number of steps, under the theoretical condition that the motor does not experience errors such as step loss during operation. Similarly, the rotation angle corresponding to the second preset number of steps can be the angle at which the cover plate assembly 220 can be driven to rotate by the motor after running the second preset number of steps, under the theoretical condition that the motor does not experience errors such as step loss during operation.

[0084] In this way, by controlling the number of steps the motor takes, the motor can move to the limit opening position during the process of driving the cover assembly 220 to open. This prevents the cover assembly 220 from shrinking the angle it can move when closing. It also avoids the cover assembly 220 interfering with the ice outlet 212 when closing, which could cause the motor to stall for a long time, resulting in the torque on the motor exceeding the critical locking torque and causing the cover assembly 220 to spring back and fail to seal the ice outlet 212.

[0085] Further, see Figure 7 In one embodiment of the present invention, the control method for the ice-discharging device 200, the step "controlling the motor to run a first preset number of steps in the first direction A, and then controlling the motor to shut down" further includes:

[0086] When the motor has completed the preset number of opening steps, control the motor to continue running in the first direction A;

[0087] When the motor continues to run for the first preset number of stall steps, control the motor to shut down;

[0088] The first preset number of steps is the sum of the preset number of opening steps and the first preset number of stalling steps. The rotation angle corresponding to the preset number of opening steps is equal to the angle at which the cover plate assembly 220 rotates from the closed position of the closed ice outlet 212 to the extreme open position. The first preset number of stalling steps is less than 100.

[0089] In this embodiment, the rotation angle corresponding to the preset number of opening steps can be the angle at which the cover assembly can rotate when the motor runs the preset number of opening steps, under the theoretical condition that the motor does not experience errors such as step loss during operation. The rotation angle corresponding to the preset number of opening steps is equal to the angle at which the cover assembly 220 rotates from the closed position of the closed ice outlet 212 to the extreme open position. Under the theoretical condition that the motor does not experience errors such as step loss, the motor can drive the cover assembly 220 from the closed position to the extreme open position when it runs the preset number of opening steps. At this time, if the motor continues to run the first preset number of stall steps, the cover assembly 220 will stall due to the limitation of the limiting structure at the extreme open position. However, in the actual operation of the motor, the motor may experience step loss. Running the preset number of opening steps and then running the first preset number of stall steps can avoid the impact of step loss.

[0090] When the cover plate assembly 220 is in the extreme position, the control motor continues to run along the first direction A for a first preset number of steps. The torque on the motor can be less than the critical locking torque, and the first preset stall step can be less than 100. Furthermore, the wall cover plate assembly 220 generates a rebound to avoid damage to the motor.

[0091] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the second preset number of steps can be the sum of the preset closing number and the second preset stall number. The preset closing number can be equal to the sum of the preset opening number, and the second preset stall number can be different from the first preset stall number. The rotation angle corresponding to the preset closing number can be equal to the angle by which the cover plate assembly 220 rotates from the extreme open position to the closed position. That is, theoretically, under the condition that the motor does not experience errors such as step loss, when the motor runs the preset closing number of steps, it drives the cover plate assembly 220 from the extreme open position to the closed position exactly.

[0092] In a specific example of the present invention, if the rotation angle of the cover plate assembly 220 from the closed position of the closed ice outlet 212 to the extreme open position is 45°, the second preset number of steps can be 990 steps, the preset number of opening steps and the preset number of closing steps can be 950 steps, and the second preset number of stall steps can be 40 steps. Theoretically, under the condition that the motor does not experience errors such as step loss, the motor can drive the cover plate assembly 220 to rotate 45° in 950 steps.

[0093] If no first preset stall step is set during the opening process, the motor will only run 950 steps in the first direction A. If a stall step is set only during the closing process, the motor will run 990 steps in the second direction. If the motor loses steps during the opening process but not during the closing process, such as losing 30 steps during the opening process, the actual stall step of the motor during the closing process of the cover assembly 220 will be 70 steps, which may cause the cover assembly 220 to spring back and the ice outlet 212 to not seal properly.

[0094] In one embodiment of the present invention, a first stall step number is set when the motor runs along the first direction A. For example, if the first stall step number is 50 steps, the motor needs to run along the first direction A for 950 steps and then continue to run along the first direction A for another 50 steps. In this way, even if the motor loses steps during the opening of the cover assembly 220, such as losing 30 steps, the motor can still drive the cover assembly 220 to open to the limit opening position. The closing process of the cover assembly 220 will not be affected by the loss of steps by the motor during the opening process.

[0095] See Figure 8 An embodiment of the present invention also provides an ice dispensing device 200, including a memory 202 and a processor 201, which are communicatively connected via a communication bus 204. The memory 202 stores a computer program that can run on the processor 201. When the processor 201 executes the computer program, it implements the steps in the refrigerator control method described in the above embodiment. The ice dispensing device also includes a communication interface 203 connected to the communication bus 204 for communicating with other devices of the ice dispensing device 200.

[0096] One embodiment of the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps in the ice-discharging device control method of the above embodiments.

[0097] It should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This way of describing the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0098] The detailed descriptions listed above are merely specific illustrations of feasible embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All equivalent embodiments or modifications made without departing from the spirit of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an ice-discharging device, characterized in that, include: Upon receiving the signal to open the ice outlet, the control motor runs along the first direction at the first pulse frequency, driving the cover plate assembly to rotate from the closed position to the open position. When the motor reaches a first preset number of revolutions, the motor is controlled to shut down. The motor is a self-locking motor, the rotation angle corresponding to the first preset number of revolutions is greater than the angle at which the cover plate assembly rotates from the closed position to the limit open position, and the first pulse frequency is greater than the rated pulse frequency of the motor. When the signal to open the ice outlet is received, the number of times the ice outlet is opened and / or the duration of the ice outlet opening within a preset time period is also recorded, and the refrigeration start-up temperature and refrigeration shutdown temperature of the ice-making room are controlled according to the number of times the ice outlet is opened and / or the duration of the ice outlet opening within the preset time period.

2. The ice-discharging device control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Upon receiving a signal to close the ice outlet, the motor is controlled to run in the second direction, causing the cover plate assembly to rotate from the open position to the closed position; When the motor reaches a second preset number of revolutions, the motor is controlled to shut down. Wherein, the second direction is opposite to the first direction, and the rotation angle corresponding to the second preset number of revolutions is greater than the angle at which the cover plate assembly rotates from the extreme open position to the closed position.

3. The ice-discharging device control method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The motor operates in a second direction at a second pulse frequency, which is less than the first pulse frequency.

4. The ice-discharging device control method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The second pulse frequency is greater than or equal to the rated pulse frequency of the motor.

5. The ice-discharging device control method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The difference between the second pulse frequency and the rated pulse frequency of the motor is less than or equal to 10.

6. The ice-discharging device control method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The motor is a stepper motor, and the method specifically includes: Upon receiving a signal to open the ice outlet, when the motor is controlled to run in the first direction for a first preset number of steps, the motor is controlled to close. The rotation angle corresponding to the first preset number of steps is greater than the angle at which the cover plate assembly rotates from the closed position to the limit open position. When a signal to close the ice outlet is received, the motor is controlled to run in the second direction for a second preset number of steps, and then the motor is controlled to close. The rotation angle corresponding to the second preset number of steps is greater than the angle by which the cover plate assembly rotates from the extreme open position to the closed position.

7. The ice-discharging device control method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, "When controlling the motor to run a first preset number of steps in a first direction, the motor is controlled to turn off," also includes: When the motor completes a preset number of opening steps, the motor is controlled to continue running in the first direction; When the motor continues to run for the first preset number of stall steps, the motor is controlled to shut down; Wherein, the first preset number of steps is the sum of the preset number of opening steps and the first preset number of stalling steps, the rotation angle corresponding to the preset number of opening steps is equal to the angle at which the cover plate assembly rotates from the closed position to the limit opening position, and the first preset number of stalling steps is less than 100.

8. The ice-discharging device control method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The second preset number of revolutions is less than the first preset number of revolutions.

9. A refrigerator door assembly, comprising a door body and a distributor disposed on the door body, the door body comprising a door shell and a door liner, wherein a heat-insulating material is filled between the door shell and the door liner, an ice outlet channel is provided on the door body, the ice outlet channel extending through the door body, the ice outlet channel comprising an ice inlet located on one side of the door liner and an ice outlet located on one side of the door shell; the door body is further equipped with a cover plate assembly for opening and closing the ice outlet and a motor for driving the cover plate assembly to rotate; characterized in that, The refrigerator door assembly further includes a limiting structure for limiting the extreme opening position of the cover assembly; a memory and a processor, the memory storing a computer program that can run on the processor, and the processor executing the computer program to implement the steps in the ice dispensing device control method according to any one of claims 1-8.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the steps in the ice-discharging device control method according to any one of claims 1-8.

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