Control method of ice-making electric appliance, storage medium and ice-making electric appliance

Abstract

The invention provides a control method of an ice-making electric appliance, a storage medium and the ice-making electric appliance. The control method comprises the following steps: acquiring daily ice consumption of the ice-making electric appliance; judging whether the daily ice consumption is greater than a threshold value or not; if yes, acquiring an ice use date corresponding to the daily ice use amount; predicting an ice demand date according to the ice use date; outputting to-be-confirmed information of ice making of the ice demand day at a preset time before the ice demand day; and if input response information of the to-be-confirmed information is received, controlling an ice maker of the ice-making electric appliance to make ice on the ice demand day according to the response information. By means of the arrangement, active ice making can be achieved according to the ice using habit of a user, and ice block supply of the ice making electric appliance better meets the requirement of the user.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of household appliances, and in particular to a control method for an ice-making appliance, a storage medium and an ice-making appliance. Background Art

[0002] Ice-making appliances, such as smart refrigerators equipped with ice-making functions, generally include an ice-making machine that can make ice cubes. An ice storage box for storing ice cubes is generally provided below the ice-making machine. When users need to use ice cubes, they can take ice from the ice storage box or from an ice outlet connected to the ice storage box. Existing ice-making appliances often start making ice after detecting that the ice cubes in the ice storage box are used up. However, this design has the following defects: it is easy to cause insufficient supply of ice cubes and cannot meet the ice demand of users. Summary of the invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a control method, storage medium and ice-making appliance for an ice-making appliance, which can realize active ice making according to the ice-using habits of the user, by predicting the ice-required day according to the ice-using date of the user, and controlling the ice-making machine of the ice-making appliance to make ice on the ice-required day according to the user's response information, so as to make ice cubes supplied by the ice-making appliance more in line with the user's needs.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned object of the invention, an embodiment of the present invention provides a control method of an ice-making appliance, which includes:

[0005] Obtaining the daily ice consumption of the ice-making appliance;

[0006] Determining whether the daily ice amount is greater than a threshold;

[0007] If yes, then obtaining the ice usage date corresponding to the daily ice usage;

[0008] predicting ice-required days based on the ice-required dates;

[0009] Outputting the pending confirmation information of ice making on the ice-required day at a preset time before the ice-required day;

[0010] If response information of the input information to be confirmed is received, the ice-making machine of the ice-making appliance is controlled to make ice on the ice-required day according to the response information.

[0011] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, in the control method of the ice-making appliance, the information to be confirmed includes the required ice quantity.

[0012] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the control method of the ice-making appliance, wherein, when the response information includes modifying the ice demand to a set ice demand, the ice-making machine is controlled to make ice to the set ice demand on the ice-demanding day according to the response information.

[0013] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, in the control method of the ice-making appliance, the required ice quantity is equal to the daily ice quantity on the ice usage date.

[0014] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, in the control method of the ice-making appliance, the information to be confirmed includes ice-required time.

[0015] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the control method of the ice-making appliance, wherein, when the response information includes modifying the ice-required time to a set ice-required time, the ice-maker is controlled to complete ice-making before the set ice-required time on the ice-required day.

[0016] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, in the control method of the ice-making appliance, the ice-required time is the first ice-use time corresponding to the ice-use date.

[0017] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, in the control method of the ice-making appliance, "predicting the ice-required day according to the ice-use date" includes:

[0018] Determine whether the ice use date is a festival, holiday or solar term;

[0019] If so, the next identical festival or holiday or solar term is determined as the ice-requiring day.

[0020] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, in the control method of the ice-making appliance, "predicting the ice-required day according to the ice-use date" includes:

[0021] Obtain the day of the week corresponding to the ice usage date;

[0022] Determine whether the daily ice usage on the days corresponding to the days of the week N weeks before the ice usage date is greater than the threshold, N≥1;

[0023] If so, the corresponding day of the week in the next week is determined as the ice-requiring day.

[0024] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, in the control method of the ice-making appliance, the preset time is not less than 24 hours and not more than 48 hours.

[0025] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the control method of the ice-making appliance, wherein "outputting the pending confirmation information of ice-making on the ice-required day at a preset time before the ice-required day" includes:

[0026] Outputting the pending confirmation information of ice making on the ice-required day to the mobile terminal at the preset time before the ice-required day.

[0027] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the control method of the ice-making appliance, wherein "outputting the pending confirmation information of ice-making on the ice-required day at a preset time before the ice-required day" includes:

[0028] When it is detected that a user passes by or operates the ice-making appliance at the preset time before the ice-needing day, the display screen of the ice-making appliance is controlled to display the to-be-confirmed information.

[0029] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose of the invention, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps in the control method of the ice-making appliance described in any of the above-mentioned embodiments are implemented.

[0030] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose of the invention, one embodiment of the present invention provides an ice-making appliance, comprising an ice-making compartment, an ice-making machine arranged in the ice-making compartment, and an ice storage box arranged below the ice-making machine, wherein the ice-making appliance also includes a memory and a processor, the memory stores a computer program that can be run on the processor, and when the processor executes the computer program, the steps in the control method of the ice-making appliance described in any of the above-mentioned embodiments are implemented.

[0031] Compared with the prior art, the present invention predicts the ice-required day according to the user's ice-usage date, and controls the ice-making machine of the ice-making appliance to make ice on the ice-required day according to the user's response information. The beneficial effect is that it can actively make ice according to the user's ice-usage habits, so that the ice supply of the ice-making appliance is more in line with the user's needs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The specific implementation of the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0033] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 1 is a flowchart of a refrigerator control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the specific embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, these embodiments do not limit the present invention, and any structural, methodological, or functional changes made by a person skilled in the art based on these embodiments are all within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] In one embodiment of the present invention, an ice-making appliance is provided. Preferably, the ice-making appliance is a refrigerator equipped with an ice-making function. Of course, in other embodiments of the present invention, the ice-making appliance may also be other refrigeration devices equipped with an ice-making function, or an ice-making device specifically used for making ice. Below, the specific implementation of the ice-making appliance and the control method of the ice-making appliance of the present invention will be described by taking a refrigerator as an example.

[0037] Reference Figure 1 The refrigerator 10 includes an ice-making compartment 4, an ice-making machine 6 disposed in the ice-making compartment 4, and an ice storage box 7 disposed below the ice-making machine 6. The refrigerator 10 may include a housing 1, a storage compartment 2 disposed in the housing 1, and a door 3 for opening and closing the storage compartment 2. The storage compartment 2 may be a refrigerator compartment, a freezer compartment, etc. The ice-making compartment 4 may be disposed in the housing 1, the door 3, or the storage compartment 2 of the refrigerator 10, etc.

[0038] The refrigerator 10 may be provided with an ice-making door 5 for opening and closing the ice-making compartment 4. The ice storage box 7 may be drawable and arranged in the ice-making compartment 4. After the user opens the ice-making door 5, the user can take ice cubes from the ice storage box 7 by pulling the ice storage box 7 outward.

[0039] Reference Figure 2 In this embodiment, a control method of the refrigerator 10 is also provided, which includes:

[0040] Obtaining the daily ice consumption of the refrigerator 10;

[0041] Determining whether the daily ice amount is greater than a threshold;

[0042] If yes, then obtaining the ice usage date corresponding to the daily ice usage;

[0043] Predicting ice-required days based on the ice-required dates;

[0044] Outputting the pending confirmation information of ice making on the ice-required day at a preset time before the ice-required day;

[0045] If the response information of the input information to be confirmed is received, the ice maker 6 of the refrigerator 10 is controlled to make ice on the ice-required day according to the response information.

[0046] The daily ice usage is the total amount of ice cubes taken out from the ice storage box 7 by the user in one day. The daily ice usage can be obtained by recording the single ice usage of the user when taking ice from the ice storage box 7 each time, and accumulating all single ice usage in one day to obtain the daily ice usage.

[0047] Further, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 10 may be provided with an ice quantity detection module for detecting the amount of ice in the ice storage box 7. The refrigerator 10 is also provided with a door switch detection module for detecting the opening and closing of the ice making door 5. The ice quantity detection module may be a weighing sensor, which detects the amount of ice in the ice storage box 7 by detecting the weight of ice cubes stored in the ice storage box 7. The ice quantity detection module may also be a detection rod, which obtains the amount of ice in the ice storage box 7 by detecting the height of ice cubes in the ice storage box. The door switch detection module may be a Hall sensor and a magnet that cooperate with each other and are respectively provided in the ice making chamber and the ice making door 5.

[0048] The method for obtaining the amount of ice used by the user at a single time can be: when it is detected that the ice-making door 5 is opened, the amount of ice g1 in the ice storage box 7 is recorded; when it is detected that the ice-making door 5 is closed, the amount of ice g2 in the ice storage box 7 is recorded; the amount of ice used by the user each time the door is opened and closed is g1-g2.

[0049] The ice use date may be a date including year, month and day, such as June 22, 2023.

[0050] The ice-need day is the date when the user may need ice cubes, which is inferred based on the ice-use date. The ice-need day is later than the ice-use date.

[0051] The threshold value may be a value preset before the refrigerator 10 leaves the factory. The staff may determine the threshold value based on the statistical common ice usage habits of users. By setting the threshold value, it is possible to avoid predicting ice-needed days due to users taking a small amount of ice occasionally, resulting in too frequent push of confirmation information to users.

[0052] When the daily ice usage is greater than the threshold, it indicates that the user has used a lot of ice on that ice usage date. The ice usage date is quite special and may be a date when the user is accustomed to taking ice. Therefore, based on the ice usage date, it can be inferred that the user may need a large amount of ice on the subsequent ice-demanding day, to ensure that the user has sufficient ice on the ice-demanding day and avoid the phenomenon of insufficient ice supply. It can realize active ice making according to the user's ice usage habits, so that the ice supply of the ice-making appliance is more in line with the user's needs.

[0053] The preset time may be a time preset before the refrigerator 10 leaves the factory. In this embodiment, the preset time is not less than 24 hours and not more than 48 hours. Preferably, the preset time is 48 or 24 hours. This ensures that the user's needs can be confirmed in due time before the ice is needed.

[0054] The information to be confirmed is information sent to the user and needs to be confirmed by the user. The user can confirm through a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, or manually confirm or voice confirm through a user interaction module of the refrigerator 10.

[0055] The response information is information sent by the user to the refrigerator 10 in response to the information to be confirmed.

[0056] In this embodiment, the response information may be confirmation of the information to be confirmed, or may be ignoring the information to be confirmed, or may be modifying part of the information to be confirmed, etc. If the user's response information is to confirm the information to be confirmed, the refrigerator 10 will control the ice maker 6 to make ice according to the content in the information to be confirmed on the ice-needed day. If the user's response information is not received or the user's response information is to ignore the information to be confirmed, the refrigerator 10 will control the ice maker 6 to operate in a conventional manner. If the user's response information is to modify part of the information to be confirmed, the refrigerator 10 will control the ice maker 6 to make ice according to the modified content on the ice-needed day.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the information to be confirmed includes the required ice quantity, which is the predicted amount of ice that the user needs to use on the ice-needed day, that is, the predicted total amount of ice that the user will take out from the ice storage box 7 on the ice-needed day.

[0058] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the ice demand is equal to the daily ice demand on the ice demand date. For example, if the daily ice demand on the ice demand date is 5 kg, then the predicted ice demand on the ice demand date is also 5 kg. Of course, in other embodiments, the ice demand may also be a preset specific value.

[0059] Further, in this embodiment, when the response information includes modifying the ice demand to the set ice demand, the ice maker 6 is controlled to produce 7kg of ice cubes on the ice demand day according to the response information. For example, if the ice demand in the to-be-confirmed information is 5kg, and the response information is to change the ice demand to 7kg, the ice maker 6 is controlled to produce 7kg of ice cubes on the ice demand day according to the response information.

[0060] Such an arrangement can provide the user with an appropriate amount of ice cubes, while ensuring that the user is supplied with sufficient ice cubes, avoiding the accumulation of excessive ice cubes in the ice storage box 7, which can reduce the waste of energy and resources and ensure the freshness of the ice cubes provided.

[0061] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the information to be confirmed includes ice-required time, which is the predicted time when the user takes ice from the ice storage box 7 for the first time on the ice-required day.

[0062] Further, in this embodiment, the ice-required time is the first ice-required time corresponding to the ice-required date. For example, if the first ice-required time on the ice-required date is 8:00 a.m., then the predicted ice-required time on the ice-required day is also 8:00 a.m.

[0063] In this embodiment, the control method may further include: recording the ice usage time each time the user takes ice from the ice storage box 7. Comparing the ice usage time of each user in a day, and determining the earliest ice usage time as the first ice usage time.

[0064] In this embodiment, the ice usage time may be recorded in a method of: when it is detected that the ice-making door 5 is opened, the opening time of the ice-making door 5 is recorded as the ice usage time.

[0065] Reference Figure 1 Of course, in other embodiments of the present invention, the refrigerator 10 may be provided with an ice outlet, and the ice outlet is connected to the ice storage box 7, so that the user can take ice through the ice outlet without opening the ice-making door 5. The refrigerator may be provided with a control panel, a button or an operating member for controlling the opening and closing of the ice outlet, so that the user can take ice from the ice outlet by operating the control panel or pressing the button or operating member. Preferably, the door body 3 of the refrigerator 10 is provided with a dispenser chamber 8 opening outward, and the ice outlet is arranged in the dispenser chamber 8. The single ice usage of the user can be obtained by detecting the change in the amount of ice in the ice storage box 7 each time the ice outlet is opened and closed, and the time each time the ice outlet is opened can be recorded as the ice usage time of the user, or the time each time the user operates the control panel, button or operating member for taking ice can also be recorded as the ice usage time of the user.

[0066] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the response information includes changing the ice-required time to the set ice-required time, the ice-maker 6 is controlled to complete ice-making before the set ice-required time on the ice-required day. For example, if the ice-required time in the to-be-confirmed information is 8 a.m., and the response information is to change the ice-required time to 9 a.m., the ice-maker 6 is controlled to complete ice-making before 9 a.m. on the ice-required day. This arrangement can ensure

[0067] Such an arrangement can provide the user with an appropriate amount of ice cubes at an appropriate time, while ensuring sufficient supply of ice cubes to the user, avoiding the accumulation of excessive ice cubes in the ice storage box 7, which can reduce the waste of energy and resources and ensure the freshness of the ice cubes provided.

[0068] Further, in this embodiment, “predicting the ice-required day according to the ice-required date” includes:

[0069] Determine whether the ice use date is a festival, holiday or solar term;

[0070] If so, the next identical festival or holiday or solar term is determined as the ice-requiring day.

[0071] Festivals or holidays can be legal, set by users, or set according to traditional customs. Festivals are the twenty-four festivals. For example, the Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, summer vacation, Grain Full, End of Heat, etc. Festivals, holidays, and solar terms are special dates in a year. If the user's ice consumption is large on these dates, it indicates that the user may have the habit of celebrating on this day every year, resulting in a large amount of ice consumption. Therefore, the next same festival, holiday, or solar term can be determined as the ice-requiring day to ensure that sufficient fresh ice is supplied to the user.

[0072] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control method of the refrigerator 10, wherein:

[0073] “Ice-required days predicted based on the ice-required dates” include:

[0074] Obtain the day of the week corresponding to the ice usage date;

[0075] Determine whether the daily ice usage on the days corresponding to the days of the week N weeks before the ice usage date is greater than the threshold, N≥1;

[0076] If so, the corresponding day of the week in the next week is determined as the ice-requiring day.

[0077] The day of the week is the number of the current week. The user may be accustomed to using ice on a specific day of the week. Therefore, the day corresponding to the day of the week in the next week can be determined as the ice-requiring day to ensure that sufficient fresh ice is supplied to the user.

[0078] Preferably, N is 5. When the daily ice consumption of the user exceeds the threshold value on the same days of the week for several consecutive weeks, the confirmation information is output to the user, which can avoid predicting the ice-needed day due to the user's accidental large-scale ice consumption, resulting in the confirmation information being pushed to the user too frequently.

[0079] For example, if the day of the week corresponding to the ice usage date is 7, and the daily ice usage on the 7th day of the week in the 5 weeks before the ice usage date is greater than the threshold, it means that the user is accustomed to using ice on Sundays. Then, the Sunday of the following week of the ice usage date can be determined as the ice-required day, and ice-making related pending confirmation information can be sent to the user.

[0080] Further, in this embodiment, the control method of the refrigerator 10, wherein "outputting the pending confirmation information of ice making on the ice-required day at a preset time before the ice-required day" may include:

[0081] The mobile terminal may be a user's mobile phone, which can facilitate the user to receive and respond to information sent by the refrigerator 10.

[0082] Further, in this embodiment, the control method of the refrigerator 10, wherein "outputting the pending confirmation information of ice making on the ice-required day at a preset time before the ice-required day" may include:

[0083] When the user passes by or operates the refrigerator 10 at the preset time before the ice-needed day, the display screen of the refrigerator 10 is controlled to display the to-be-confirmed information. This arrangement makes it easy for the user to receive and respond to the information sent by the refrigerator 10.

[0084] In this embodiment, the refrigerator 10 may include a memory and a processor, the memory stores a computer program that can be run on the processor, and when the processor executes the computer program, the steps in the control method of the refrigerator 10 described in any embodiment of the present invention are implemented.

[0085] 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, the steps in the control method of the refrigerator 10 described in any of the above embodiments are implemented.

[0086] In summary, the control method, storage medium and ice-making appliance of the present invention can solve the technical problem that the existing ice-making appliances do not supply enough ice cubes and cannot meet the ice demand of users by predicting the ice-required day according to the ice-required date of the user and controlling the ice-making machine 6 of the ice-making appliance to make ice on the ice-required day according to the user's response information. The technical solution of the present invention can realize active ice making according to the ice-required habits of the user, so that the ice supply of the ice-making appliance is more in line with the user's needs, and the user is provided with an appropriate amount of ice cubes at an appropriate time. While ensuring that the user is supplied with sufficient ice cubes, it is avoided that the ice cubes are accumulated in the ice storage box 7 due to excessive ice cubes, which can reduce the waste of energy and resources and ensure the freshness of the ice cubes provided.

[0087] It should be understood that although this specification is described according to implementation modes, not every implementation mode contains only one independent technical solution. This description of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each implementation mode may also be appropriately combined to form other implementation modes that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0088] The series of detailed descriptions listed above are only specific descriptions of feasible implementation methods of the present invention. They are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any equivalent implementation methods or changes that do not deviate from the technical spirit of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control method for an ice-making appliance, characterized in that: include: Obtaining the daily ice consumption of the ice-making appliance; Determining whether the daily ice amount is greater than a threshold; If yes, then obtaining the ice usage date corresponding to the daily ice usage; predicting ice-required days based on the ice-required dates; Outputting the pending confirmation information of ice making on the ice-required day at a preset time before the ice-required day; If response information of the input information to be confirmed is received, the ice-making machine of the ice-making appliance is controlled to make ice on the ice-required day according to the response information.

2. The control method of the ice-making appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that: The information to be confirmed includes the required ice quantity.

3. The control method of the ice-making appliance according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the response information includes modifying the ice demand to a set ice demand, the ice maker is controlled to make ice to the set ice demand on the ice demand day according to the response information.

4. The control method of the ice-making appliance according to claim 2, characterized in that: The required ice quantity is equal to the daily ice quantity on the ice usage date.

5. The control method of the ice-making appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that: The information to be confirmed includes ice-required time.

6. The control method of the ice-making appliance according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the response information includes modifying the ice-required time to a set ice-required time, the ice-making machine is controlled to complete ice-making before the set ice-required time on the ice-required day.

7. The control method of the ice-making appliance according to claim 5, characterized in that: The ice-required time is the first ice-use time corresponding to the ice-use date.

8. The control method of the ice-making appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that: "Prediction of ice-required days based on said ice-required dates" includes: Determine whether the ice use date is a festival, holiday or solar term; If so, the next identical festival or holiday or solar term is determined as the ice-requiring day.

9. The control method of the ice-making appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that: "Prediction of ice-required days based on said ice-required dates" includes: Obtain the day of the week corresponding to the ice usage date; Determine whether the daily ice usage on the days corresponding to the days of the week N weeks before the ice usage date is greater than the threshold, N≥1; If so, the corresponding day of the week in the next week is determined as the ice-requiring day.

10. The control method of the ice-making appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that: The preset time is not less than 24 hours and not more than 48 hours.

11. The control method of the ice-making appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that: “Outputting the pending confirmation information of ice making on the ice-required day at a preset time before the ice-required day” includes: Outputting the pending confirmation information of ice making on the ice-required day to the mobile terminal at the preset time before the ice-required day.

12. The control method of the ice-making appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that: “Outputting the pending confirmation information of ice making on the ice-required day at a preset time before the ice-required day” includes: When it is detected that a user passes by or operates the ice-making appliance at the preset time before the ice-needing day, the display screen of the ice-making appliance is controlled to display the to-be-confirmed information.

13. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps in the control method of the ice-making appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 12 are implemented.

14. An ice-making appliance, comprising an ice-making compartment, an ice-making machine disposed in the ice-making compartment, and an ice storage box disposed below the ice-making machine, characterized in that: The ice-making appliance further comprises a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program executable on the processor, and when the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the control method of the ice-making appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 13 are implemented.

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