Ice maker control method and device and ice maker

Abstract

The invention discloses an ice maker control method and device and an ice maker, and the method comprises the steps: when a liquid level sensor of a water storage tank of the ice maker fails, obtaining liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor for the last time; judging whether the current water storage capacity of the water storage tank meets the current ice making requirement or not according to the liquid level data; and if yes, controlling the ice maker to continuously make ice, and otherwise, controlling a water inlet valve of the ice maker to feed water so as to complete the current ice making. The problems that ice making is stopped when a liquid level sensor of an ice maker in the prior art fails, and the stored ice blocks affect the next ice making process are solved, the next ice making time is saved, and the operation efficiency of the ice maker is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of ice making machines, and in particular to an ice making machine control method, an ice making machine control device and an ice making machine. Background Art

[0002] An ice maker is a refrigeration mechanical device that generates ice by cooling water through an evaporator with the refrigerant of the refrigeration system. It uses a refrigeration system and a water carrier to make ice by passing through a certain device under power-on state. In the specific ice-making process, water automatically enters a water storage tank through the water inlet valve, and then is sent to the diverter head through a water pump through a flow control valve, where the water is evenly sprayed on the surface of the ice maker and flows through the wall of the ice maker. The water is cooled to the freezing point, and the water that has not been evaporated and frozen will flow into the water storage tank through the porous groove and restart the circulation. When the ice reaches the required thickness, it enters the de-icing state, and the high-pressure hot air discharged from the compressor is diverted to the evaporator through the reversing valve to replace the low-temperature liquid refrigerant. In this way, a layer of water film is formed between the ice and the evaporator. This layer of water film causes the ice to separate from the evaporator, and the ice falls freely into the ice storage tank below by gravity.

[0003] In the prior art, the ice maker detects the height change of the liquid level in the water storage tank through a liquid level sensor and controls the water pump and the water inlet valve. When the liquid level sensor fails, the system will stop immediately, resulting in incomplete ice cubes being made at the moment, and ice cubes still remaining in the ice tray. When making the next plate of ice, the remaining ice cubes need to be processed, which wastes time and reduces ice making efficiency.

[0004] With regard to the problem in the related art that ice making stops when the liquid level sensor of the ice maker fails and the remaining ice cubes affect the next ice making process, no effective solution has been proposed yet. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention provides an ice maker control method, device and ice maker, so as to at least solve the problem in the prior art that ice making stops when a liquid level sensor of the ice maker fails and the stock ice affects the next ice making process.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, according to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an ice maker control method, comprising: when a liquid level sensor of a water tank of an ice maker fails, obtaining the liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor for the last time; judging whether the current water storage capacity of the water tank meets the current ice making demand according to the liquid level data; if so, controlling the ice maker to continue making ice, otherwise, controlling the water inlet valve of the ice maker to allow water to enter so as to complete the current ice making.

[0007] Furthermore, judging whether the current water storage capacity of the water tank meets the current ice-making demand based on the liquid level data includes: determining the current water storage capacity of the water tank based on the liquid level data; obtaining the remaining required water capacity for the current ice-making; judging whether the current water storage capacity is greater than the remaining required water capacity; if so, determining that the current water storage capacity of the water tank meets the current ice-making demand, otherwise, determining that the current water storage capacity of the water tank does not meet the current ice-making demand.

[0008] Furthermore, obtaining the remaining required water volume for the current ice-making includes: obtaining the ice-making process or ice-making time for the current ice-making; and determining the remaining required water volume according to the ice-making process or ice-making time.

[0009] Furthermore, controlling the water intake of the water inlet valve of the ice maker includes: calculating the water volume difference between the remaining required water volume and the current water storage volume; and controlling the water inlet valve to start intake of water until the water intake reaches the water volume difference.

[0010] Furthermore, after controlling the ice maker to continue making ice, or controlling the water inlet valve of the ice maker to let water in to complete the current ice making, it also includes: after completing the current ice making, controlling the ice maker to stop, and issuing a failure alarm for the liquid level sensor.

[0011] Furthermore, controlling water intake through the water inlet valve of the ice maker also includes: obtaining the ice-making mode of the current ice-making; determining whether the water demand of the ice-making mode of the current ice-making is the ice-making mode with the smallest water demand; if so, triggering the control of the water inlet valve of the ice maker to intake water; otherwise, determining whether there are other ice-making modes whose current water storage capacity of the water storage tank can meet the ice-making demand, and if so, switching the ice-making mode of the current ice-making to the other ice-making mode, and controlling the ice-making machine to continue making ice according to the other ice-making mode.

[0012] Furthermore, before the liquid level sensor of the ice maker water tank fails, it also includes: acquiring liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor; determining whether the liquid level data is valid; when the number of invalid times of the liquid level data reaches a preset number, determining that the liquid level sensor has failed, otherwise, determining that the liquid level sensor has not failed.

[0013] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, an ice maker control device is provided, comprising: an acquisition module, for acquiring the liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor for the last time when the liquid level sensor of the water tank of the ice maker fails; a judgment module, for judging whether the current water storage capacity of the water tank meets the current ice making demand according to the liquid level data; and a control module, for controlling the ice maker to continue making ice if so, and otherwise controlling the water inlet valve of the ice maker to let water in so as to complete the current ice making.

[0014] According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, an ice maker is provided, comprising the ice maker control device as described above.

[0015] According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a storage medium containing computer executable instructions is provided. When the computer executable instructions are executed by a computer processor, the computer executable instructions are used to perform the ice making machine control method as described above.

[0016] In the present invention, a control scheme is provided when the liquid level sensor of the ice maker fails. When the liquid level sensor of the water tank of the ice maker fails, the liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor for the last time is obtained, and it is judged whether the current water storage capacity of the water tank meets the ice making demand at the time according to the liquid level data. When it meets the demand, the ice maker operates normally to ensure that the ice making process continues. When it does not meet the demand, the flow rate is controlled by the water inlet valve, and the water amount required for ice making is input to complete the ice making at the time. Through the above control, after the liquid level sensor fails, the ice maker can continue to operate, avoiding the problem that ice cubes still remain in the ice tray after the ice maker stops after the liquid level sensor fails. When the next plate of ice is made, the remaining ice cubes need to be processed, which wastes time and reduces the ice making efficiency. The utilization rate of water is improved, the time for the next ice making is saved, and the operation efficiency of the ice maker is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 is an optional structural schematic diagram of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 is an optional flow chart of an ice making machine control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 is another optional flow chart of the ice making machine control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 4 1 is an optional structural block diagram of an ice making machine control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0022] The terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular forms "a", "said" and "the" used in the embodiments of the present invention and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates other meanings, and "multiple" generally includes at least two.

[0023] It should be understood that the term "and / or" used in this article is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0024] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe controllers in embodiments of the present invention, these controllers should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish controllers connected to different devices. For example, without departing from the scope of embodiments of the present invention, a first controller may also be referred to as a second controller, and similarly, a second controller may also be referred to as a first controller.

[0025] As used herein, the words "if" and "if" may be interpreted as "at the time of" or "when" or "in response to determining" or "in response to detecting", depending on the context. Similarly, the phrases "if it is determined" or "if (stated condition or event) is detected" may be interpreted as "when it is determined" or "in response to determining" or "when detecting (stated condition or event)" or "in response to detecting (stated condition or event)", depending on the context.

[0026] It should also be noted that the term "includes", "comprising" or any other variation thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a commodity or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such commodity or device. In the absence of more restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprising a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the commodity or device including the elements.

[0027] The optional embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] Example 1

[0029] In a preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention, an ice making machine control method is provided, and the control method can be directly applied to various ice making machines. Specifically, Figure 1 An optional structural schematic diagram of the ice maker is shown, such as Figure 1 As shown, the ice making machine comprises:

[0030] Water pump: responsible for pumping water from the water storage tank into the ice making tank, the flow rate is adjustable;

[0031] Liquid level sensor: monitors the water level in the water tank in real time and transmits the data to the control system;

[0032] Water inlet valve: controls the water inlet according to the feedback from the liquid level sensor to ensure the water level in the water storage tank is appropriate;

[0033] Control system: Receives data from the liquid level sensor, controls the water pump flow and the opening and closing of the water inlet valve, and ensures the stability and efficiency of the ice-making process.

[0034] Based on the above ice making machine, a preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention further provides an ice making machine control method. Specifically, Figure 2 An optional flow chart of the method is shown as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the method includes the following steps S202-S206:

[0035] S202: when the liquid level sensor of the ice maker water tank fails, obtaining the liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor for the last time;

[0036] S204: judging whether the current water storage capacity of the water storage tank meets the current ice making demand according to the liquid level data;

[0037] S206: If yes, control the ice maker to continue making ice; otherwise, control the water inlet valve of the ice maker to allow water to flow in, so as to complete the current ice making.

[0038] In the above embodiment, a control scheme is provided when the liquid level sensor of the ice maker fails. When the liquid level sensor of the water tank of the ice maker fails, the liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor for the last time is obtained, and it is determined whether the current water storage capacity of the water tank meets the ice making demand at the time according to the liquid level data. When it meets the demand, the ice maker operates normally to ensure that the ice making process continues. When it does not meet the demand, the flow rate is controlled by the water inlet valve, and the water amount required for ice making is input to complete the ice making process at the time. Through the above control, after the liquid level sensor fails, the ice maker can continue to operate, avoiding the problem that ice cubes still remain in the ice tray after the ice maker stops after the liquid level sensor fails. When the next plate of ice is made, the remaining ice cubes need to be processed, which wastes time and reduces the ice making efficiency. The utilization rate of water is improved, the time for the next ice making is saved, and the operation efficiency of the ice maker is improved.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, judging whether the current water storage capacity of the water storage tank meets the current ice making demand according to the liquid level data includes: determining the current water storage capacity of the water storage tank according to the liquid level data; obtaining the remaining water required for the current ice making; judging whether the current water storage capacity is greater than the remaining water required; if so, determining that the current water storage capacity of the water storage tank meets the current ice making demand, otherwise, determining that the current water storage capacity of the water storage tank does not meet the current ice making demand. Since the last liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor is obtained, the remaining water capacity of the water storage tank can be determined according to the data, and then the current water storage capacity of the water storage tank meets the current ice making demand according to the remaining water required for the current ice making. Preferably, considering that the time of the last liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor is earlier than the time of the current judgment step, the ice maker has been running, so the current water storage capacity of the water storage tank obtained according to the last liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor is greater than the current actual water storage capacity. Therefore, a threshold value can also be set. When the sum of the current water storage capacity of the water storage tank obtained according to the last liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor plus the threshold value is greater than the remaining required water capacity, it is determined that the current water storage capacity of the water storage tank meets the current ice making demand. Otherwise, it is determined that the current water storage capacity of the water storage tank does not meet the current ice making demand. By setting a threshold value, the accuracy of the judgment result can be improved, which is convenient for subsequent ice making control.

[0040] In the ice-making process, the remaining required water volume of the current ice-making is obtained, including: obtaining the ice-making process or ice-making time of the current ice-making; determining the remaining required water volume according to the ice-making process or ice-making time. Since the ice-making process or ice-making time is closely related to the water consumption and ice production, the remaining required water volume can be determined according to the ice-making process or ice-making time. For example, if the ice-making is in the de-icing stage, the remaining required water volume is 0. In addition, the remaining required water volume can also be determined by the ice-making time. For example, if the ice-making time is half of the required ice-making time, the remaining required water volume is half of the total required water volume. Therefore, by calculating the remaining required water volume through the ice-making process or ice-making time, the remaining required water volume is accurately obtained, and then an accurate judgment result is obtained to guide the ice-making process.

[0041] When it is determined based on the liquid level data that the current water storage volume of the water storage tank does not meet the current ice making demand, the water inlet valve of the ice maker is controlled to inlet water, including: calculating the water volume difference between the remaining required water volume and the current water storage volume; controlling the water inlet valve to start inletting water until the water volume reaches the water volume difference. That is, when the current water storage volume does not meet the current ice making demand, ice making is not stopped, but the remaining required water volume is calculated to continue to supply water, which does not affect the current ice making. The ice making control scheme of the present invention can complete the current ice making when the remaining water volume meets the ice making demand or does not meet the ice making demand, reducing the loss of ice cubes that have been made when ice making is stopped when the liquid level sensor fails in the prior art, completing the current ice making process, improving the utilization rate of water, and saving the next ice making time, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the ice maker.

[0042] In addition, after controlling the ice maker to continue making ice, or controlling the water inlet valve of the ice maker to inlet water to complete the current ice making, it also includes: after completing the current ice making, controlling the ice maker to stop, and alarming the failure of the liquid level sensor. After the ice making is completed, a fault alarm is issued, that is, when the de-icing is completed, the unit is stopped, and the liquid level sensor is reported to be failed, so that the user can perform maintenance in time.

[0043] When it is determined that the current water storage does not meet the current ice-making demand, the water inlet valve of the ice-making machine is controlled to inlet water. At this time, the ice-making mode of the current ice-making is obtained; it is determined whether the water demand of the ice-making mode of the current ice-making is the ice-making mode with the minimum water demand; if so, the water inlet valve of the ice-making machine is triggered to inlet water; otherwise, it is determined whether there are other ice-making modes whose current water storage in the water tank can meet the ice-making demand. If so, the ice-making mode of the current ice-making is switched to other ice-making modes, and the ice-making machine is controlled to continue to make ice according to other ice-making modes. That is, the ice-making machine has multiple ice-making modes, and each ice-making mode requires different amounts of water. If the current ice-making mode is not the ice-making mode with the minimum water consumption, the ice-making mode can be adjusted to reduce the water demand of the ice-making mode, so as to avoid adding water to complete ice-making. If it is adjusted or already the ice-making mode with the minimum water demand, but water replenishment is still needed, the water inlet valve of the ice-making machine is controlled to inlet water. By judging and adjusting the ice-making mode, the reliability of ice-making can be further improved, and the ice-making process can be ensured to be completed smoothly.

[0044] Optionally, whether the liquid level sensor is failed is determined in the following manner: obtaining the liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor; determining whether the liquid level data is valid; when the number of invalid liquid level data reaches a preset number of times, determining that the liquid level sensor is failed, otherwise, determining that the liquid level sensor is not failed. For example, when the liquid level sensor feeds back invalid liquid level information for five consecutive times, the liquid level sensor is determined to be failed. Through the above judgment process, not only can the state of the liquid level sensor be accurately determined, but also the control after the liquid level sensor fails can be carried out in time to avoid affecting the ice making process and user experience.

[0045] In another optional embodiment of the present invention, ice making can also be performed in the following manner: when the liquid level sensor fails, the system determines the current liquid level height, the current water storage volume meets the water volume required for the current ice making mode, the ice maker operates normally, and when defrosting is completed, the unit stops, and the liquid level sensor fails; when the current water storage volume does not meet the water volume required for the current ice making mode, the system selects a suitable current ice making mode based on the current liquid level information comparison, and when defrosting is completed, the unit stops, and the liquid level sensor fails. When the current water storage volume does not meet the water volume required for the current ice making mode, the system compares the current liquid level information, and none of the ice making modes pre-stored in the system can meet the requirement, the system selects the mode with the smallest water demand for ice making by default, and when defrosting is completed, the unit stops, and the liquid level sensor fails.

[0046] Another ice making machine control method is also provided in the preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention. Specifically, Figure 3 An optional flow chart of the method is shown as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the method includes the following steps S301-S311:

[0047] S301: Start;

[0048] S302: Liquid level sensor fails and the equipment is running;

[0049] S303: The liquid level is greater than the preset height. If so, proceed to step S308, otherwise proceed to step S304;

[0050] S304: water inlet valve control; that is, when the current water storage does not meet the current ice making demand, ice making is not stopped, but the remaining required water volume is calculated to continue water supply without affecting the current ice making;

[0051] S305: normal ice making;

[0052] S306: de-icing;

[0053] S307: warning prompt; controlling the water inlet valve of the ice maker to allow water to enter, so as to complete the ice making, control the ice maker to stop, and issue a liquid level sensor failure alarm so that the user can perform maintenance in time;

[0054] S308: normal ice making;

[0055] S309: de-icing;

[0056] S310: warning prompt; when the ice maker is controlled to continue making ice, after the current ice making is completed, the ice maker is controlled to stop and a liquid level sensor failure alarm is issued so that the user can perform maintenance in time;

[0057] S311: End.

[0058] In the above embodiment, when the liquid level sensor of the ice maker fails, the last data of the liquid level sensor is used to determine whether the current liquid meets the requirements for completing ice making. If not, the flow is controlled by the water inlet valve to input the amount of water required for ice making. If it meets the requirements, the ice maker operates normally to ensure that the ice making process continues.

[0059] Example 2

[0060] Based on the ice-making machine control method provided in the above-mentioned embodiment 1, an ice-making machine control device is further provided in a preferred embodiment 2 of the present invention. Specifically, Figure 4 An optional structural block diagram of the device is shown, such as Figure 4 As shown, the device comprises:

[0061] The acquisition module 402 is used to acquire the liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor for the last time when the liquid level sensor of the ice maker water storage tank fails;

[0062] The judging module 404 is connected to the acquiring module 402 and is used to judge whether the current water storage capacity of the water storage tank meets the current ice making demand according to the liquid level data;

[0063] The control module 406 is connected to the judgment module 404, and is used to control the ice maker to continue making ice if yes, and otherwise control the water inlet valve of the ice maker to let water in to complete the current ice making.

[0064] In the above embodiment, a control scheme is provided when the liquid level sensor of the ice maker fails. When the liquid level sensor of the water tank of the ice maker fails, the liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor for the last time is obtained, and it is determined whether the current water storage capacity of the water tank meets the ice making demand at the time according to the liquid level data. When it meets the demand, the ice maker operates normally to ensure that the ice making process continues. When it does not meet the demand, the flow rate is controlled by the water inlet valve, and the water amount required for ice making is input to complete the ice making process at the time. Through the above control, after the liquid level sensor fails, the ice maker can continue to operate, avoiding the problem that ice cubes still remain in the ice tray after the ice maker stops after the liquid level sensor fails. When the next plate of ice is made, the remaining ice cubes need to be processed, which wastes time and reduces the ice making efficiency. The utilization rate of water is improved, the time for the next ice making is saved, and the operation efficiency of the ice maker is improved.

[0065] The judgment module 404 includes: a determination unit, which is used to determine the current water storage capacity of the water tank according to the liquid level data; an acquisition unit, which is used to obtain the remaining required water volume for ice making at that time; a judgment unit, which is used to judge whether the current water storage capacity is greater than the remaining required water volume; and a determination unit, which is used to determine whether the current water storage capacity of the water tank meets the current ice making demand if so, and otherwise, determine whether the current water storage capacity of the water tank does not meet the current ice making demand.

[0066] The acquisition unit includes: an acquisition subunit, which is used to acquire the ice-making process or ice-making time of the current ice-making; and a determination subunit, which is used to determine the remaining required water volume according to the ice-making process or ice-making time.

[0067] The control module 406 includes: a first control unit, which is used to control the water inlet valve of the ice maker, including: calculating the water volume difference between the remaining required water volume and the current water storage volume; controlling the water inlet valve to start water inlet until the water inlet reaches the water volume difference.

[0068] The control module 406 also includes: an alarm unit, which is used to control the ice maker to continue making ice, or control the water inlet valve of the ice maker to inlet water to complete the current ice making. After the current ice making is completed, the ice maker is controlled to stop and an alarm of liquid level sensor failure is issued.

[0069] The control module 406 also includes: a second control unit, which is used to control the water inlet of the water inlet valve of the ice maker, including: obtaining the ice-making mode of the current ice-making; determining whether the water demand of the ice-making mode of the current ice-making is the ice-making mode with the smallest water demand; if so, triggering the control of the water inlet valve of the ice maker to allow water to enter; otherwise, determining whether there are other ice-making modes whose current water storage capacity in the water storage tank can meet the ice-making demand, and if so, switching the ice-making mode of the current ice-making to other ice-making modes, and controlling the ice-maker to continue making ice according to other ice-making modes.

[0070] The device also includes: a detection module, which is used to obtain liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor before the liquid level sensor of the ice maker water tank fails; determine whether the liquid level data is valid; when the number of invalid times of the liquid level data reaches a preset number, determine that the liquid level sensor has failed, otherwise, determine that the liquid level sensor has not failed.

[0071] Regarding the device in the above embodiment, the specific manner in which each unit and module performs operations has been described in detail in the embodiment of the method, and will not be elaborated here.

[0072] Example 3

[0073] Based on the ice-making machine control device provided in the above-mentioned embodiment 2, an ice-making machine is further provided in a preferred embodiment 3 of the present invention, including the above-mentioned ice-making machine control device. Figure 1 As shown, the ice making machine comprises:

[0074] Water pump: responsible for pumping water from the water storage tank into the ice making tank, the flow rate is adjustable;

[0075] Liquid level sensor: monitors the water level in the water tank in real time and transmits the data to the control system;

[0076] Water inlet valve: controls the water inlet according to the feedback from the liquid level sensor to ensure the water level in the water storage tank is appropriate;

[0077] Control system: receives data from the liquid level sensor, controls the water pump flow and the opening and closing of the water inlet valve, and ensures the stability and efficiency of the ice making process. The control system uses the control device in the above embodiment 2 to complete the ice making process.

[0078] In the above embodiment, a control scheme is provided when the liquid level sensor of the ice maker fails. When the liquid level sensor of the water tank of the ice maker fails, the liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor for the last time is obtained, and it is determined whether the current water storage capacity of the water tank meets the ice making demand at the time according to the liquid level data. When it meets the demand, the ice maker operates normally to ensure that the ice making process continues. When it does not meet the demand, the flow rate is controlled by the water inlet valve, and the water amount required for ice making is input to complete the ice making process at the time. Through the above control, after the liquid level sensor fails, the ice maker can continue to operate, avoiding the problem that ice cubes still remain in the ice tray after the ice maker stops after the liquid level sensor fails. When the next plate of ice is made, the remaining ice cubes need to be processed, which wastes time and reduces the ice making efficiency. The utilization rate of water is improved, the time for the next ice making is saved, and the operation efficiency of the ice maker is improved.

[0079] Example 4

[0080] Based on the ice maker control method provided in the above embodiment 1, a storage medium containing computer executable instructions is further provided in a preferred embodiment 4 of the present invention. When the computer executable instructions are executed by a computer processor, they are used to execute the ice maker control method as described above.

[0081] In the above embodiment, a control scheme is provided when the liquid level sensor of the ice maker fails. When the liquid level sensor of the water tank of the ice maker fails, the liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor for the last time is obtained, and it is determined whether the current water storage capacity of the water tank meets the ice making demand at the time according to the liquid level data. When it meets the demand, the ice maker operates normally to ensure that the ice making process continues. When it does not meet the demand, the flow rate is controlled by the water inlet valve, and the water amount required for ice making is input to complete the ice making process at the time. Through the above control, after the liquid level sensor fails, the ice maker can continue to operate, avoiding the problem that ice cubes still remain in the ice tray after the ice maker stops after the liquid level sensor fails. When the next plate of ice is made, the remaining ice cubes need to be processed, which wastes time and reduces the ice making efficiency. The utilization rate of water is improved, the time for the next ice making is saved, and the operation efficiency of the ice maker is improved.

[0082] The serial numbers of the above embodiments of the present invention are only for description and do not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.

[0083] In the above embodiments of the present invention, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0084] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed technical content can be implemented in other ways. Among them, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units can be a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of units or modules, which can be electrical or other forms.

[0085] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the present embodiment.

[0086] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present invention may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0087] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), mobile hard disk, magnetic disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes.

[0088] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present invention after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the present invention that follow the general principles of the present invention and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not invented by the present invention. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present invention are indicated by the following claims.

[0089] It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the exact construction that has been described above and shown in the drawings and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An ice making machine control method, characterized in that: include: When the liquid level sensor of the ice machine water storage tank fails, obtaining the liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor for the last time; Determining whether the current water storage capacity of the water storage tank meets the current ice making demand according to the liquid level data; If yes, the ice maker is controlled to continue making ice; otherwise, the water inlet valve of the ice maker is controlled to allow water to flow in, so as to complete the current ice making.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Judging whether the current water storage capacity of the water storage tank meets the current ice making demand according to the liquid level data includes: Determining a current water storage capacity of the water storage tank according to the liquid level data; Obtaining the remaining required water volume for ice making at that time; Determining whether the current water storage capacity is greater than the remaining required water capacity; If yes, it is determined that the current water storage capacity of the water storage tank meets the current ice-making demand; otherwise, it is determined that the current water storage capacity of the water storage tank does not meet the current ice-making demand.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Obtaining the remaining required water volume for ice making at that time, including: Obtaining the ice-making process or ice-making time of the current ice-making; The remaining required water volume is determined according to the ice making process or ice making time.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: Controlling water inlet of a water inlet valve of the ice maker, comprising: Calculating the water volume difference between the remaining required water volume and the current water storage volume; The water inlet valve is controlled to start water intake until the water intake volume reaches the water volume difference.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that After controlling the ice maker to continue making ice, or controlling the water inlet valve of the ice maker to inlet water to complete the current ice making, the method further includes: After the current ice making is completed, the ice making machine is controlled to stop, and a failure alarm of the liquid level sensor is issued.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Controlling water inlet of a water inlet valve of the ice maker, further comprising: Get the ice-making mode of the current ice-making; Determining whether the water demand of the ice-making mode of the current ice-making is the ice-making mode with the minimum water demand; If yes, triggering the water inlet valve controlling the ice maker to let water in; Otherwise, determine whether there are other ice-making modes in which the current water storage capacity of the water storage tank can meet the ice-making needs. If so, switch the ice-making mode of the current ice-making to the other ice-making mode, and control the ice-making machine to continue making ice according to the other ice-making mode.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before the ice machine water tank level sensor fails, it also includes: Acquiring liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor; Determining whether the liquid level data is valid; When the number of invalid times of the liquid level data reaches a preset number, it is determined that the liquid level sensor has failed; otherwise, it is determined that the liquid level sensor has not failed.

8. An ice making machine control device, characterized in that: include: An acquisition module, used for acquiring the liquid level data detected by the liquid level sensor for the last time when the liquid level sensor of the ice maker water storage tank fails; A judgment module, used for judging whether the current water storage capacity of the water storage tank meets the current ice making demand according to the liquid level data; The control module is used for controlling the ice maker to continue making ice if yes, and for controlling the water inlet valve of the ice maker to allow water to enter so as to complete the ice making.

9. An ice making machine, characterized in that: The invention comprises an ice making machine control device as claimed in claim 8.

10. A storage medium containing computer executable instructions, characterized in that: The computer executable instructions are used to perform the ice making machine control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 when executed by a computer processor.

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