Refrigerator and control method of ice maker of refrigerator

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention belongs to the technical field of household appliances, and provides a refrigerator and a control method of an ice maker of the refrigerator. A low-temperature storage chamber, the ice maker arranged in the low-temperature storage chamber and a controller are arranged in a refrigerator body of the refrigerator; the ice maker comprises an ice cube tray, an ice turning motor arranged at one end of the ice cube tray, an ice storage box arranged below the ice cube tray, and a photoelectric sensor arranged on the ice maker. The ice cube tray is provided with a light through hole, the light through hole and the photoelectric sensor are correspondingly arranged, so that when the ice cube tray is located at an ice making position, the photoelectric sensor senses a light beam passing through the light through hole, the photoelectric sensor is used for sensing the light beam of the light through hole to determine a level signal, and the controller is used for controlling the ice cube tray to rotate in the rotation process after ice turning is finished. And determining whether the ice cube tray rotates to an ice making position after ice turning according to the level signal. The light of the light through hole is sensed through the photoelectric sensor, and the situation that the ice cube tray rotates to the ice making position can be accurately sensed, so that it is guaranteed that the ice cube tray can accurately stop at the ice making position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of household appliances, and more specifically, to a refrigerator and a control method for an ice maker of the refrigerator. Background Art

[0002] At present, more and more refrigerators are equipped with ice makers to meet the users' demand for ice cubes in life. The ice maker on the refrigerator is provided with an ice tray. After ice making is completed, the ice tray will be turned over to turn the ice, so that the ice cubes on the ice tray fall into the ice storage box, which is convenient for users to take.

[0003] In the related art, according to the working characteristics of the ice maker, when the ice grid returns to the origin (also known as the ice making position, at this time the ice grid is in a horizontal state and the opening is facing upward, water can be poured into the ice grid, and the water will not flow to the outside of the ice grid due to the unevenness of the ice grid), the touch switch inside the ice-turning motor will be triggered first. At this time, the ice grid is still at a large angle from the origin, and the motor needs to delay rotation for a preset time, such as 0.5s, to return to the origin.

[0004] However, due to the influence of motor speed, gear accuracy, etc., the ice tray cannot be guaranteed to be exactly at the origin after the preset delay rotation period. There will be an angle error, which will affect the water filling and cause the ice cubes to be of different sizes due to the tilt of the ice tray. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiment of the present application provides a refrigerator and a control method for an ice maker of the refrigerator, which is used to solve the problem in the related art that the ice making tray cannot be accurately rotated back to the ice making position after the ice is turned over.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a refrigerator, comprising:

[0007] A box body, wherein the box body has a low-temperature storage chamber;

[0008] An ice maker is arranged in the low-temperature storage chamber; the ice maker comprises: an ice tray, an ice turning motor arranged at one end of the ice tray, and an ice storage box arranged below the ice tray, wherein the ice tray is provided with a light-through hole;

[0009] A photoelectric sensor is arranged on the ice maker; the light hole is arranged corresponding to the photoelectric sensor, so that when the ice making tray is located at the ice making position, the photoelectric sensor senses the light beam passing through the light hole; the photoelectric sensor is used to sense the light beam of the light hole to determine the level signal;

[0010] A controller connected to the photoelectric sensor and the ice turning motor respectively; the controller is used for:

[0011] When the ice making machine completes ice making, the ice turning motor is controlled to perform an ice turning operation, so that the ice cubes fall into the ice storage box after the ice making tray is turned over;

[0012] After ice turning is completed, the ice turning motor is controlled to perform a rotation operation so that the ice making tray is rotated toward the ice making position;

[0013] During the rotation of the ice making tray, the level signal is acquired, and according to the level signal, it is determined whether the ice making tray rotates to the ice making position after turning over the ice.

[0014] In this embodiment, the refrigerator has a low-temperature storage chamber, an ice maker and a controller arranged in the low-temperature storage chamber. The ice maker includes an ice tray, an ice turning motor arranged at one end of the ice tray, an ice storage box arranged below the ice tray, and a photoelectric sensor arranged on the ice maker. The controller is connected to the photoelectric sensor and the ice turning motor respectively. A light hole is arranged on the ice tray, and the light hole is arranged corresponding to the photoelectric sensor, so that when the ice tray is in the ice making position, the photoelectric sensor senses a light beam passing through the light hole. The photoelectric sensor is used to sense the light beam of the light hole to determine the level signal. The controller is used to control the ice turning motor to perform an ice turning operation when the ice maker completes ice making, so that ice cubes fall into the ice storage box after the ice tray is turned over. After the ice turning is completed, the ice turning motor is controlled to perform a rotation operation to rotate the ice tray to the ice making position. During the rotation of the ice tray, the level signal is obtained, and according to the level signal, it is determined whether the ice tray rotates to the ice making position after the ice tray is turned over. The present application uses a photoelectric sensor to sense the light from the light-through hole, and can accurately sense the rotation of the ice-making tray to the ice-making position, thereby ensuring that the ice-making tray can accurately stop at the ice-making position, and can avoid the situation where the ice-making tray is tilted and the water injection is affected, resulting in ice cubes of different sizes.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present application, the controller is specifically used for:

[0016] During the rotation of the ice making tray, a first signal is detected, wherein the first signal is used to indicate that the ice making tray rotates to a preset position, wherein the preset position is near the ice making position;

[0017] After the first signal is detected, it is determined whether the ice making tray rotates back to the ice making position after turning over the ice according to the level signal.

[0018] In this embodiment, it can be detected that the ice making tray returns to the vicinity of the ice making position, and then it can be determined whether the level signal is high or low, so as to accurately determine whether the ice making tray returns to the ice making position.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present application, the photoelectric sensor is specifically used for:

[0020] When the light beam of the light-through hole is sensed, determining that the level signal is a high level signal;

[0021] When the light beam of the light-through hole is not sensed, it is determined that the level signal is a low-level signal.

[0022] In this embodiment, when the light beam enters from the light hole, the photoelectric sensor senses the light beam and determines that the level signal is a high level signal. When the light beam is blocked, the photoelectric sensor cannot sense the light beam and determines that the level signal is a low level signal.

[0023] In some embodiments of the present application, the controller is specifically used for:

[0024] If the level signal is a high level signal, it is determined that the ice making tray turns over the ice and then rotates back to the ice making position;

[0025] If the level signal is a low level signal, it is determined that the ice making tray has not been rotated back to the ice making position after turning over the ice.

[0026] In this embodiment, it can be determined whether the photoelectric sensor can sense the light beam according to the level signal to determine whether the ice making tray is rotated back to the ice making position.

[0027] In some embodiments of the present application, if the level signal is a low level signal, the controller is further configured to:

[0028] The ice turning motor is controlled to continue the rotation operation of the ice making tray until the level signal is detected to be a high level signal, and then the rotation operation is stopped.

[0029] In this embodiment, if the ice-making tray has not rotated to the ice-making position, the ice-turning motor can continue to perform the rotation operation until the level signal is detected to be a high-level signal, which can determine that the ice-making tray has rotated to the ice-making position. The rotation operation can be stopped so that the ice-making tray stops accurately at the ice-making position.

[0030] In some embodiments of the present application, a groove is provided at one end of the ice-turning motor, a buckle is provided in the groove, and the photoelectric sensor is fixed in the groove by the buckle;

[0031] Correspondingly, the light-through hole is arranged at one end of the ice-making tray close to the groove.

[0032] In this embodiment, a groove is provided on the ice-turning motor so that the photoelectric sensor is fixed on the ice-turning motor to sense the light of the groove as the ice tray rotates.

[0033] In some embodiments of the present application, the refrigerator further comprises: an ice maker bracket, the ice tray being detachably mounted in the ice maker bracket;

[0034] One end of the ice maker bracket is provided with a groove, a buckle is provided in the groove, and the photoelectric sensor is fixed in the groove by the buckle;

[0035] Correspondingly, the light-through hole is arranged at one end of the ice-making tray close to the groove.

[0036] In this embodiment, a groove may be provided on the ice maker bracket, so that the photoelectric sensor is fixed on the ice maker bracket to sense the light of the groove as the ice tray rotates.

[0037] In some embodiments of the present application, a circuit terminal is provided in the groove, and the photoelectric sensor is electrically connected to the circuit terminal.

[0038] In this embodiment, the photoelectric sensor can communicate with the controller through line connection, so that the controller can determine whether the ice making tray is rotated to the ice making position through the level signal of the photoelectric sensor.

[0039] In a second aspect, the present application provides a refrigerator, comprising:

[0040] A box body, wherein the box body has a low-temperature storage chamber;

[0041] An ice maker is arranged in the low-temperature storage chamber; the ice maker comprises an ice tray, an ice turning motor arranged at one end of the ice tray, and an ice storage box arranged below the ice tray; a light hole is arranged on the ice tray;

[0042] A photoelectric sensor is arranged on the ice maker; the photoelectric sensor is used to sense the light beam of the light hole to determine the level signal;

[0043] Controller; the controller is used to determine whether the ice making tray is rotated back to the ice making position after turning over the ice according to the level signal.

[0044] In this embodiment, a low-temperature storage chamber, an ice maker arranged in the low-temperature storage chamber, a photoelectric sensor arranged on the ice maker, and a controller are arranged in the box of the refrigerator. The ice maker includes an ice tray, an ice turning motor arranged at one end of the ice tray, and an ice storage box arranged below the ice tray. The ice tray is provided with a light hole. The photoelectric sensor is used to sense the light beam of the light hole to determine the level signal. The controller is used to determine whether the ice tray is rotated to the ice making position after turning over the ice according to the level signal. The present application senses the light of the light hole through the photoelectric sensor, and can accurately sense the rotation of the ice tray to the ice making position, thereby ensuring that the ice tray can accurately stop at the ice making position, and can avoid the situation where the ice tray is tilted and affects the water injection, resulting in ice cubes of different sizes.

[0045] In a third aspect, the present application provides a control method for an ice maker of a refrigerator, the refrigerator comprising an ice maker and a controller, the ice maker comprising an ice tray, an ice turning motor, an ice storage box, and a photoelectric sensor, the ice tray being provided with a light-through hole, the method comprising:

[0046] When the ice making machine completes ice making, the controller controls the ice turning motor to perform an ice turning operation, so that the ice cubes fall into the ice storage box after the ice making tray is turned over;

[0047] After ice turning is completed, the controller controls the ice turning motor to perform a rotation operation, so that the ice making tray turns back to the ice making position;

[0048] During the rotation of the ice tray, the light beam of the light hole on the ice tray is sensed by a photoelectric sensor to determine a level signal, and the level signal is used to indicate whether the ice tray rotates back to the ice making position after turning over the ice;

[0049] The controller determines whether the ice making tray rotates back to the ice making position after turning over the ice according to the level signal.

[0050] In this embodiment, when the ice maker completes ice making, the controller controls the ice-turning motor to perform the ice-turning operation, so that the ice cubes fall into the ice storage box after the ice-making tray is turned over, and the controller controls the ice-turning motor to perform the rotation operation after the ice-turning is completed, so that the ice-making tray rotates to the ice-making position. During the rotation of the ice-making tray, the light beam of the light-through hole on the ice-making tray is sensed by the photoelectric sensor to determine the level signal, and the level signal is used to indicate whether the ice-making tray rotates to the ice-making position after the ice-making tray is turned over. The controller determines whether the ice-making tray rotates to the ice-making position after the ice-making tray is turned over according to the level signal. The present application senses the light of the light-through hole through the photoelectric sensor, and can accurately sense the rotation of the ice-making tray to the ice-making position, thereby ensuring that the ice-making tray can accurately stop at the ice-making position, and can avoid the situation where the ice-making tray is tilted and affects the water injection, resulting in ice cubes of different sizes.

[0051] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the method described in the third aspect is implemented.

[0052] The computer-readable storage medium provided in the embodiment of the present application can execute the technical solution in the above method embodiment, and its beneficial effects are similar, which will not be repeated here.

[0053] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which implements the method described in the third aspect when executed by a processor.

[0054] The computer program product provided in the embodiment of the present application can execute the technical solution in the above method embodiment, and its beneficial effects are similar, which will not be described in detail here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] In order to more clearly illustrate the implementation methods in the embodiments of the present application or the related technologies, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the related technology descriptions. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present application, and a person skilled in the art can also obtain other drawings based on these drawings.

[0056] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the position of the ice tray rotation process of the present application example;

[0057] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of a refrigerator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of another refrigerator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of an ice maker 102 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of another ice making machine 102 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary photoelectric sensor 1023 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 7 A structural schematic diagram of another ice maker 102 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figure 8 A structural schematic diagram of another ice maker 102 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Fig. 9 It is a front view of a light-through hole on one end of an exemplary ice tray 1021 of the present application close to the groove;

[0065] Fig.10 A schematic flow chart of a method for controlling an ice maker of a refrigerator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Fig.11 A flow chart of another method for controlling an ice maker of a refrigerator provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] In order to make the purpose, implementation mode and advantages of the present application clearer, the exemplary implementation mode of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the exemplary embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described exemplary embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments.

[0068] It should be noted that the brief description of terms in this application is only for the convenience of understanding the embodiments described below, and is not intended to limit the embodiments of this application. Unless otherwise specified, these terms should be understood according to their common and usual meanings.

[0069] In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover but not exclude inclusion, for example, a product or device comprising a list of components is not necessarily limited to those components expressly listed but may include other components not expressly listed or inherent to such products or devices.

[0070] After the ice making is completed, the ice maker on the refrigerator will trigger the ice turning operation, causing the ice tray to flip over to achieve ice turning. Due to the working characteristics of the ice maker, the ice tray needs to be rotated back to the ice making position after each ice turning is completed.

[0071] At present, after the ice making tray is turned over, the touch switch inside the ice turning motor will be triggered during the process of turning back to the ice making position. Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the position of the ice tray rotation process of the present application example is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, at this time, the ice tray rotates to position 1, and position 1 indicates that there is still a certain distance between the position of the ice tray and the ice making position (position 0). The ice-turning motor needs to control the ice tray to delay the rotation for a preset time so that the ice tray rotates to position 0.

[0072] However, due to the influence of motor speed, gear accuracy, etc., after the preset delay, the ice cube tray cannot be guaranteed to be exactly at the origin. There will be an angle error, such as an angle error of ±4°, which will cause the following problems:

[0073] Problem 1: It becomes the upper limit bottleneck of the water injection amount in the ice tray, because when designing the water injection amount, it is necessary to consider the position of the ice tray with the maximum error of ±4°.

[0074] Problem 2: When the ice tray is tilted, it is easy for some ice trays to have more water and some ice trays to have less water, which results in inconsistent ice cube sizes.

[0075] Question 3: The tilt of the ice tray will cause more water to accumulate at the connection points of the ice cubes, making it more likely that the ice cubes will stick together, thus increasing the difficulty of turning the ice.

[0076] Therefore, the present application provides a refrigerator, in which a photoelectric sensor is arranged on the ice maker, and a light hole is arranged on the ice tray, wherein the photoelectric sensor and the light hole are arranged relative to each other, so that when the ice tray is in the ice making position, the photoelectric sensor senses the light beam passing through the light hole. The light beam of the light hole is sensed by the photoelectric sensor to determine the level signal, so that the controller of the refrigerator can determine whether the ice tray is rotated to the ice making position through the level signal. The present application can accurately sense the ice tray returning to the original position through the photoelectric sensor, thereby ensuring that the ice tray can stop accurately at the original position, and can avoid the situation where the ice tray is tilted and the water injection is affected, the ice cubes are of different sizes, and the ice is difficult to turn over.

[0077] It can be understood that when the ice making grid is in the ice making position, the ice making grid is in a horizontal state and its opening is upward, that is, there is no tilt. At this time, water can be poured into the ice making grid to continue making ice. The water will not flow to the outside of the ice making grid due to the unevenness of the ice making grid. The ice cubes in the ice making grid can also be ensured to be of uniform size. At the same time, it can prevent each ice cube from sticking together due to excessive water, which makes it more difficult to turn the ice.

[0078] The technical solution of the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments. The following specific embodiments can be combined with each other or exist independently. The same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments. The embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0079] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of a refrigerator provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, the refrigerator 10 includes:

[0080] A box body 101 having a low-temperature storage chamber 1011, an ice maker 102 disposed in the low-temperature storage chamber 1011, a photoelectric sensor 1023 disposed on the ice maker 102, and a controller (not shown in the figure).

[0081] The ice maker 102 includes an ice tray 1021, an ice turning motor 1022 disposed at one end of the ice tray 1021, and an ice storage box (not shown in the figure) disposed below the ice tray 1021. The ice tray 1021 is provided with a light hole. Figure 2 Due to the angle of the figure, the ice tray 1021 is not shown. The ice tray 1021 can be referred to Figures 4 to 7 .

[0082] The light hole is arranged corresponding to the photoelectric sensor 1023, so that when the ice making tray 1021 is located at the ice making position, the photoelectric sensor 1023 senses the light beam passing through the light hole, wherein the photoelectric sensor 1023 is used to sense the light beam through the light hole to determine the level signal.

[0083] That is, when the ice making tray 1021 is located at the ice making position, a light beam may be emitted from the light through hole, so that the photoelectric sensor 1023 arranged corresponding to the light through hole may sense the light beam, thereby determining a level signal to send the level signal to the controller.

[0084] The controller is connected to the photoelectric sensor 1023 and the ice turning motor 1022 respectively, and the controller is used for:

[0085] When the ice maker 102 finishes making ice, the ice-turning motor 1022 is controlled to perform the ice-turning operation so that the ice cubes fall into the ice storage box after the ice-making grid 1021 is flipped over. After the ice-turning is completed, the ice-turning motor 1022 is controlled to perform the rotation operation so that the ice-making grid 1021 rotates to the ice-making position. During the rotation of the ice-making grid 1021, a level signal is obtained, and based on the level signal, it is determined whether the ice-making grid 1021 rotates to the ice-making position after flipping the ice.

[0086] In this embodiment, the body 101 of the refrigerator 10 has a low-temperature storage chamber 1011 and an ice maker 102 arranged in the low-temperature storage chamber 1011. The ice maker 102 includes an ice grid 1021, an ice-turning motor 1022 arranged at one end of the ice grid 1021, an ice storage box arranged below the ice grid 1021, a photoelectric sensor 1023 arranged on the ice maker 102, and a controller connected to the photoelectric sensor 1023 and the ice-turning motor 1022, respectively. A light hole is provided on the ice making grid 1021, and the light hole is provided corresponding to the photoelectric sensor 1023, so that when the ice making grid 1021 is located at the ice making position, the photoelectric sensor 1023 senses the light beam passing through the light hole, and the photoelectric sensor 1023 is used to sense the light beam through the light hole to determine the level signal. The controller is used to control the ice turning motor 1022 to perform an ice turning operation when the ice maker 102 completes ice making, so that the ice cubes fall into the ice storage box after the ice making grid 1021 is flipped over, and the ice turning motor 1022 is controlled to perform a rotation operation after the ice turning is completed, so that the ice making grid 1021 rotates to the ice making position. During the rotation of the ice making grid 1021, the level signal is obtained, and according to the level signal, it is determined whether the ice making grid 1021 rotates to the ice making position after the ice is turned over. The present application senses the light from the light-through hole through the photoelectric sensor 1023, and can accurately sense the rotation of the ice-making tray 1021 to the ice-making position, thereby ensuring that the ice-making tray 1021 can accurately stop at the ice-making position, and can avoid the situation where the ice-making tray 1021 is tilted and the water injection is affected, resulting in ice cubes of different sizes.

[0087] In a possible implementation, the ice maker 102 may further include an ice maker bracket 1024, and the ice cube tray 1021 may be detachably installed in the ice maker bracket 1024. When the ice maker 102 is installed in the refrigerator 10, the ice maker bracket 1024, the ice cube tray 1021, the ice turning motor 1022, the ice storage box, etc. are first assembled into the ice maker 102, and then the ice maker 102 is installed in the low-temperature storage chamber 1011.

[0088] It should be understood that the ice maker 102 may also include structures such as an ice tray holder, a magnet, a handle, a knob, and an ice detection rod, which are not described in detail in this application.

[0089] Specific:

[0090] In one possible implementation, Figure 2 As shown, the refrigerator further includes a partition 103 disposed on the inner liner of the box body, which is used to separate the low-temperature storage chamber and other compartments. The ice maker bracket 1024 can be installed at the bottom of the partition 103, and the ice maker bracket 1024 is connected to the partition 103 by a buckle, so that the ice maker 102 is installed at the bottom of the partition 103. Figure 3 The specific connection structure is not shown, and Figure 2 The position of the ice maker 102 on the partition 103 is only an example.

[0091] In one possible implementation, Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 The overall structure diagram of a refrigerator provided in an embodiment of the present application can be provided by installing an ice maker bracket 1024 on the door body liner corresponding to the low-temperature storage chamber 1011, and the ice maker bracket 1024 is connected to the door body liner by a buckle, so that the ice maker 102 is installed on the door body liner. Figure 3 The specific connection structure is not shown, and Figure 3 The location of ice machine 102 is merely an example.

[0092] Understandably, Figure 2 and Figure 3 The position of the ice maker 102 in the refrigerator 10 is shown, and the present application does not limit the shape of the refrigerator 10.

[0093] Next, how the controller controls the ice making tray 102 to rotate to the ice making position is described in detail.

[0094] In a possible implementation, during the rotation of the ice making tray 1021, the controller may detect the level signal and determine whether the ice making tray 1021 rotates back to the ice making position after turning over the ice according to the level signal.

[0095] In another possible implementation, the ice making tray 1021 detects a first signal during the rotation process, and the first signal is used to instruct the ice making tray 1021 to rotate to a preset position, which is near the ice making position. When the first signal is detected, it can be determined whether the ice making tray 1021 rotates to the ice making position after turning over the ice based on the level signal.

[0096] The first signal may be generated by triggering a touch switch inside the ice turning motor 1022 when the ice making tray 1021 reaches a preset position. Figure 1 For example, the preset position can be Figure 1 Position 1 in .

[0097] That is to say, after determining that the ice making tray 1021 rotates to the preset position, the controller determines whether the ice making tray 1021 rotates to the ice making position after turning over the ice according to the level signal, which can further improve the accuracy of the judgment.

[0098] In one possible implementation, when the photoelectric sensor 1023 senses the light beam from the light hole, that is, when the light beam enters from the light hole, the photoelectric sensor 1023 can determine that the level signal is a high-level signal; when the photoelectric sensor 1023 does not sense the light beam from the light hole, that is, the light beam is blocked, the photoelectric sensor 1023 does not sense the light beam, and it can be determined that the level signal is a low electrical signal.

[0099] Accordingly, the controller is specifically used for:

[0100] If the level signal is a high level signal, it is determined that the ice making tray 1021 rotates back to the ice making position after turning over the ice. If the level signal is a low level signal, it is determined that the ice making tray 1021 does not rotate back to the ice making position after turning over the ice.

[0101] In a possible implementation, during the rotation of the ice making tray 1021, if the level signal is a low level signal, it means that the ice making tray 1021 has not rotated to the ice making position. Figure 1 For example, the ice cube tray 1021 rotates to Figure 1 In position 2, the controller is also used to:

[0102] The ice turning motor 1022 is controlled to continue the rotation operation of the ice making tray 1021 until the level signal is detected to be a high level signal, and then the rotation operation is stopped.

[0103] That is, when the ice making tray 1021 has not rotated to the ice making position, the ice turning motor can continue to perform the rotation operation until it is determined that the ice making tray 1021 has rotated to the ice making position, and then stops the rotation operation, so that the ice making tray 1021 can accurately stop at the ice making position.

[0104] It should be noted that the photoelectric sensor 1023 can generate a continuous level signal to send a continuous level signal to the controller, so that the controller can determine whether the ice making tray 1021 rotates to the ice making position according to the level signal.

[0105] In the embodiment of the present application, the photoelectric sensor 1023 may be a through-beam photoelectric sensor, a diffuse reflection photoelectric sensor, etc. The specific structure of the ice maker 102 is described in detail below for different types of photoelectric sensors 1023 .

[0106] If the photoelectric sensor 1023 is a diffuse reflection type photoelectric sensor, there are two installation methods:

[0107] Method 1

[0108] In a possible implementation, a groove may be provided on the ice-turning motor 1022 so that the photoelectric sensor 1023 is fixed on the ice-turning motor 1022 .

[0109] For example, Figure 4 The present application provides a schematic diagram of the structure of an ice maker 102, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, a groove (not shown in the figure) is provided at one end of the ice turning motor 1022, a buckle (not shown in the figure) is provided in the groove, and the photoelectric sensor 1023 is fixed in the groove by the buckle. Correspondingly, a light hole is provided at one end of the ice making grid 1021 close to the groove. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the photoelectric sensor 1023 being fixed in the groove. In order to clearly show the photoelectric sensor 1023 and the light hole, Figure 4 Ice maker bracket 1024 is not shown.

[0110] Method 2

[0111] In a possible implementation, a groove may be provided on the ice maker bracket 1024 so that the photoelectric sensor 1023 is fixed on the ice maker bracket 1024 .

[0112] For example, Figure 5 A structural diagram of another ice making machine 102 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, a groove is provided at one end of the ice maker bracket 1024, a buckle (not shown in the figure) is provided in the groove, and the photoelectric sensor 1023 is fixed in the groove by the buckle. Correspondingly, a light hole is provided at one end of the ice making grid 1021 close to the groove.

[0113] If the photoelectric sensor 1023 is a through-beam photoelectric sensor, Figure 6 The photoelectric sensor 1023 can be installed in the following ways:

[0114] Method 3

[0115] Figure 7 The present application provides another structural diagram of an ice maker 102, in which a photoelectric sensor 1024 can be arranged on an end of the ice maker bracket 1024 close to the ice turning motor 1022. Specifically, Figure 6 It can be seen that the opposing photoelectric sensor includes sensing modules on both sides. The two sides of the optical end sensor 1024 are respectively arranged at two times of the light-through hole. One side of the sensing module is used to emit light, and the other side of the sensing module is used to receive light. It should be understood that any side of the sensing module can be used to emit light, and the other side of the sensing module can be used to receive light.

[0116] Method 4

[0117] Figure 8 In another structural diagram of an ice maker 102 provided in an embodiment of the present application, a photoelectric sensor 1023 can be arranged on an end of the ice maker bracket 1024 away from the ice turning motor 1022. Specifically, the arrangement of the photoelectric end sensor 1023 can refer to the above-mentioned method 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0118] For example, Fig. 9 This is a front view of the light-through hole on one end of the ice tray 1021 close to the groove. It should be understood that the light-through hole can be of any shape. The shape of the light-through hole illustrated in the embodiment of the present application is only an example, and the present application does not limit this.

[0119] It is understandable that when setting the light-through hole, it is necessary to consider the maximum height of the ice tray 1021 after filling with water to prevent water from flowing out of the light-through hole.

[0120] In one possible implementation, a circuit terminal (not shown in the figure) is provided in the groove, and the photoelectric sensor 1023 is electrically connected to the circuit terminal. The other end of the circuit is connected to the controller, so that the photoelectric sensor 1023 can communicate with the controller. The controller can determine whether the ice making grid 1021 is rotated to the ice making position through the level signal sent by the photoelectric sensor 1023, and can power the photoelectric sensor 1023 through the circuit terminal.

[0121] Fig.10 A flow chart of a control method for an ice maker of a refrigerator provided in an embodiment of the present application is provided. The refrigerator includes an ice maker and a controller. The ice maker includes an ice tray, an ice turning motor, an ice storage box, and a photoelectric sensor. A light hole is provided on the ice tray. The specific structure can be referred to the above embodiment and will not be described in detail here. Fig.10 As shown, the method includes:

[0122] S1001. When the ice maker completes ice making, the controller controls the ice turning motor to perform an ice turning operation, so that the ice cubes fall into the ice storage box after the ice making tray is turned over.

[0123] S1002: After the ice turning is completed, the controller controls the ice turning motor to perform a rotation operation so that the ice making tray turns back to the ice making position.

[0124] S1003. During the rotation of the ice tray, the light beam of the light hole on the ice tray is sensed by a photoelectric sensor to determine a level signal, and the level signal is used to indicate whether the ice tray rotates back to the ice making position after turning over the ice.

[0125] S1004: Determine, by the controller according to the level signal, whether the ice making tray is rotated back to the ice making position after the ice is turned over.

[0126] In this embodiment, when the ice maker completes ice making, the controller controls the ice-turning motor to perform the ice-turning operation, so that the ice cubes fall into the ice storage box after the ice-making tray is turned over, and the controller controls the ice-turning motor to perform the rotation operation after the ice-turning is completed, so that the ice-making tray rotates to the ice-making position. During the rotation of the ice-making tray, the light beam of the light-through hole on the ice-making tray is sensed by the photoelectric sensor to determine the level signal, and the level signal is used to indicate whether the ice-making tray rotates to the ice-making position after the ice-making tray is turned over. The controller determines whether the ice-making tray rotates to the ice-making position after the ice-making tray is turned over according to the level signal. The present application senses the light of the light-through hole through the photoelectric sensor, and can accurately sense the rotation of the ice-making tray to the ice-making position, thereby ensuring that the ice-making tray can accurately stop at the ice-making position, and can avoid the situation where the ice-making tray is tilted and affects the water injection, resulting in ice cubes of different sizes.

[0127] Fig.11 A flow chart of another control method of an ice maker of a refrigerator provided in an embodiment of the present application is provided. The refrigerator includes an ice maker and a controller. The ice maker includes an ice tray, an ice turning motor, an ice storage box, and a photoelectric sensor. A light hole is provided on the ice tray. The specific structure can be referred to the above embodiment and will not be described in detail here. Fig.11 As shown, the method includes:

[0128] S1101, when the ice maker completes ice making, the controller controls the ice turning motor to perform an ice turning operation, so that the ice cubes fall into the ice storage box after the ice making tray is turned over.

[0129] S1102: After the ice turning is completed, the controller controls the ice turning motor to perform a rotation operation so that the ice making tray turns back to the ice making position.

[0130] S1103. During the rotation of the ice tray, the light beam of the light hole on the ice tray is sensed by a photoelectric sensor to determine a level signal, and the level signal is used to indicate whether the ice tray rotates back to the ice making position after turning over the ice.

[0131] S1104. Determine, by the controller, whether the level signal is a high level signal.

[0132] If yes, execute S1105, if no, execute S1106.

[0133] S1105, after determining that the ice making tray is turned over, it rotates back to the ice making position and stops the rotation operation.

[0134] S1106, controlling the ice-turning motor to continue the rotation operation of the ice tray until the level signal is detected to be a high level signal, and then stopping the rotation operation.

[0135] In this embodiment, when the ice making machine completes ice making, the controller controls the ice turning motor to perform the ice turning operation, so that the ice cubes fall into the ice storage box after the ice making tray is turned over, and the controller controls the ice turning motor to perform the rotation operation after the ice turning is completed, so that the ice making tray rotates to the ice making position. During the rotation of the ice making tray, the light beam of the light hole on the ice making tray is sensed by the photoelectric sensor to determine the level signal, which is used to indicate whether the ice making tray rotates to the ice making position after turning over the ice. The controller determines whether the level signal is a high level signal. If so, it is determined that the ice making tray rotates to the ice making position after turning over the ice and stops the rotation operation. If not, the ice turning motor is controlled to continue to perform the rotation operation of the ice making tray until the level signal is detected to be a high level signal, and then the rotation operation is stopped. The present application senses the light of the light hole through the photoelectric sensor, which can accurately sense the rotation of the ice making tray to the ice making position, thereby ensuring that the ice making tray can accurately stop at the ice making position, and can avoid the situation where the ice making tray is tilted and affects the water injection, resulting in ice cubes of different sizes.

[0136] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which may include: a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a disk or an optical disk, and other media that can store program codes. Specifically, the computer-readable storage medium stores program instructions, and the program instructions are used for the methods in the above embodiments.

[0137] The present application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which implements the method in the above embodiment when the computer program is executed by a processor.

[0138] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit it. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0139] For ease of explanation, the above description has been made in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, the above exemplary discussion is not intended to be exhaustive or limit the embodiments to the specific forms disclosed above. Based on the above teachings, various modifications and variations can be obtained. The selection and description of the above embodiments are intended to better explain the principles and practical applications, so that those skilled in the art can better use the embodiments and various different variations of the embodiments suitable for specific use considerations.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, characterized in that: include: A box body, wherein the box body has a low-temperature storage chamber; An ice maker disposed in the low-temperature storage chamber; The ice maker comprises: an ice tray, an ice turning motor arranged at one end of the ice tray, and an ice storage box arranged below the ice tray, wherein a light-through hole is arranged on the ice tray; A photoelectric sensor is arranged on the ice maker; the light hole is arranged corresponding to the photoelectric sensor, so that when the ice making tray is located at the ice making position, the photoelectric sensor senses the light beam passing through the light hole; the photoelectric sensor is used to sense the light beam of the light hole to determine the level signal; A controller connected to the photoelectric sensor and the ice turning motor respectively; the controller is used for: When the ice making machine completes ice making, the ice turning motor is controlled to perform an ice turning operation, so that the ice cubes fall into the ice storage box after the ice making tray is turned over; After ice turning is completed, the ice turning motor is controlled to perform a rotation operation so that the ice making tray is rotated toward the ice making position; During the rotation of the ice making tray, the level signal is acquired, and according to the level signal, it is determined whether the ice making tray rotates to the ice making position after turning over the ice.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller is specifically used for: During the rotation of the ice making tray, a first signal is detected, wherein the first signal is used to indicate that the ice making tray rotates to a preset position, wherein the preset position is near the ice making position; After the first signal is detected, it is determined whether the ice making tray rotates back to the ice making position after turning over the ice according to the level signal.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The photoelectric sensor is specifically used for: When the light beam of the light-through hole is sensed, determining that the level signal is a high level signal; When the light beam of the light-through hole is not sensed, it is determined that the level signal is a low-level signal.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, characterized in that: The controller is specifically used for: If the level signal is a high level signal, it is determined that the ice making tray turns over the ice and then rotates back to the ice making position; If the level signal is a low level signal, it is determined that the ice making tray has not been rotated back to the ice making position after turning over the ice.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that: If the level signal is a low level signal, the controller is further configured to: The ice turning motor is controlled to continue the rotation operation of the ice making tray until the level signal is detected to be a high level signal, and then the rotation operation is stopped.

6. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: A groove is provided at one end of the ice-turning motor, a buckle is provided in the groove, and the photoelectric sensor is fixed in the groove by the buckle; Correspondingly, the light-through hole is arranged at one end of the ice-making tray close to the groove.

7. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The refrigerator further comprises: an ice maker bracket, wherein the ice tray is detachably mounted in the ice maker bracket; One end of the ice maker bracket is provided with a groove, a buckle is provided in the groove, and the photoelectric sensor is fixed in the groove by the buckle; Correspondingly, the light-through hole is arranged at one end of the ice-making tray close to the groove.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: A circuit terminal is arranged in the groove, and the photoelectric sensor is electrically connected to the circuit terminal.

9. A refrigerator, characterized in that: include: A box body, wherein the box body has a low-temperature storage chamber; An ice maker is arranged in the low-temperature storage chamber; the ice maker comprises an ice tray, an ice turning motor arranged at one end of the ice tray, and an ice storage box arranged below the ice tray; a light hole is arranged on the ice tray; A photoelectric sensor is arranged on the ice maker; the photoelectric sensor is used to sense the light beam of the light hole to determine the level signal; Controller; the controller is used to determine whether the ice making tray is rotated back to the ice making position after turning over the ice according to the level signal.

10. A method for controlling an ice maker of a refrigerator, characterized in that: The refrigerator comprises an ice maker and a controller, the ice maker comprises an ice tray, an ice turning motor, an ice storage box and a photoelectric sensor, the ice tray is provided with a light-through hole, and the method comprises: When the ice making machine completes ice making, the controller controls the ice turning motor to perform an ice turning operation, so that the ice cubes fall into the ice storage box after the ice making tray is turned over; After ice turning is completed, the controller controls the ice turning motor to perform a rotation operation, so that the ice making tray turns back to the ice making position; During the rotation of the ice making tray, the light beam of the light hole on the ice making tray is sensed by the photoelectric sensor to determine a level signal, and the level signal is used to indicate whether the ice making tray rotates back to the ice making position after turning over the ice; The controller determines whether the ice making tray rotates back to the ice making position after turning over the ice according to the level signal.

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