Ice-making and ice-storing control method and ice-making equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses an ice-making and ice-storing control method and ice-making equipment, and relates to the technical field of refrigeration, and the ice-making and ice-storing control method comprises the steps that time-phased ice-making is carried out based on the amount of stored ice in an ice storage chamber, and at least one ice-making time period is a power utilization valley period; and under the condition that the stored ice amount in the ice storage chamber is not zero, time-phased refrigeration is conducted on the basis of the temperature of the ice storage chamber, and at least one refrigeration time period is the electricity utilization valley period. By adopting the scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, time-phased ice making and time-phased ice storage can be carried out in an ice making link and an ice storage link, so that ice making and refrigeration can be carried out in a power utilization valley period under the condition of not influencing normal ice utilization, namely, the power utilization cost is reduced as much as possible while the user demand is met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of refrigeration, and particularly to a control method for ice making and ice storage and an ice making device. Background Art

[0002] In ice making devices, ice making and ice storage are the main power-consuming parts. Ice making and ice storage during peak ice usage periods will cause tension in power supply and increase the electricity cost for users.

[0003] In related technologies, usually, users need to set the time for reserved ice usage, so as to start ice making before reaching the time of reserved ice usage by users, thereby reducing the electricity cost for ice storage.

[0004] However, only making ice before the user's reserved time cannot meet the user's demand for using ice at any time, and cannot achieve off-peak ice making, with a relatively low degree of intelligence. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a control method for ice making and ice storage and an ice making device, which perform ice making and refrigeration in time periods and combine with the off-peak electricity consumption periods for control, so as to solve the problems that the existing ice making devices cause large grid pressure and high user costs when making ice / refrigerating during peak electricity consumption periods.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned invention purpose, on the one hand, this solution provides a control method for ice making and ice storage, and the method includes:

[0007] Performing ice making in time periods based on the ice storage amount in the ice storage chamber, wherein there is at least one ice making period as the off-peak electricity consumption period;

[0008] When the ice storage amount in the ice storage chamber is not zero, performing refrigeration in time periods based on the temperature of the ice storage chamber, wherein there is at least one refrigeration period as the off-peak electricity consumption period.

[0009] As a further improvement of this application, the performing ice making in time periods based on the ice storage amount in the ice storage chamber includes:

[0010] When the ice storage amount meets the first ice making condition, performing ice making in the first period, wherein after the ice making in the first period is completed, the ice storage amount does not meet the first ice making condition;

[0011] When the ice storage amount does not meet the first ice making condition and meets the second ice making condition, determining whether the current time is the off-peak electricity consumption period;

[0012] If so, performing ice making in the second period; if not, delaying ice making and performing ice making in the second period when reaching the off-peak electricity consumption period.

[0013] As a further improvement of the present application, when the stored ice amount does not meet the first ice-making condition and meets the second ice-making condition,

[0014] the ice-making in time periods based on the stored ice amount in the ice storage chamber further includes:

[0015] when the stored ice amount does not meet the first ice-making condition and meets the second ice-making condition, determine whether the current time is the optimal off-peak power consumption period;

[0016] if so, perform ice-making in the second time period; if not, delay ice-making, and when the optimal off-peak power consumption period is reached, perform ice-making in the second time period.

[0017] As a further improvement of the present application, the method further includes:

[0018] Obtain the off-peak power consumption period of the location, where the power consumption at the location in the off-peak power consumption period is lower than the preset power consumption threshold;

[0019] When there is only one off-peak power consumption period in one power consumption cycle, determine the off-peak power consumption period as the optimal off-peak power consumption period;

[0020] When there are at least two off-peak power consumption periods in one power consumption cycle, determine the optimal off-peak power consumption period based on preset conditions.

[0021] As a further improvement of the present application, the preset condition is the historical ice-taking record;

[0022] The determining the optimal off-peak power consumption period based on the preset conditions includes:

[0023] The target ice-taking period determined based on the historical ice-taking record, where the frequency of ice-taking in the target ice-taking period is the highest;

[0024] Determine a first time period from at least two off-peak power consumption periods and determine the first time period as the optimal off-peak power consumption period, where the first time period is before the target ice-using period and is the closest to the target ice-using period.

[0025] As a further improvement of the present application, the preset conditions are the single ice-making amount and the single ice-making duration;

[0026] The determining the optimal off-peak power consumption period based on the preset conditions includes:

[0027] Based on the single ice-making amount and the stored ice amount, determine the estimated number of ice-making times, where the stored ice amount after ice-making is completed according to the estimated number of ice-making times does not meet the second ice-making condition;

[0028] Determine an estimated ice-making duration based on the estimated number of ice-making times and the single ice-making duration.

[0029] Determine a second time period from at least two of the off-peak power consumption time periods, and determine the second time period as the optimal off-peak power consumption time period, wherein the length of the second time period is greater than the estimated ice-making duration.

[0030] As a further improvement of the present application, the method further includes:

[0031] When the stored ice volume is less than the first ice volume threshold, determine that the first ice-making condition is satisfied;

[0032] When the stored ice volume is not less than the first ice volume threshold and less than the second ice volume threshold, determine that the second ice-making condition is satisfied.

[0033] As a further improvement of the present application, the time-period-based refrigeration based on the temperature of the ice storage chamber includes:

[0034] When the temperature of the ice storage chamber is higher than the first temperature start point, start the first time period of refrigeration;

[0035] When the temperature of the ice storage chamber is not higher than the first temperature start point and higher than the second temperature start point, determine whether the current time is in an off-peak power consumption time period;

[0036] If so, perform the second time period of refrigeration; if not, delay the refrigeration, and when the off-peak power consumption time period is reached, perform the second time period of refrigeration.

[0037] As a further improvement of the present application, the method further includes:

[0038] When the first time period of refrigeration has started and the temperature of the ice storage chamber reaches the first temperature stop point, complete the first time period of refrigeration;

[0039] When the second time period of refrigeration has started and the temperature of the ice storage chamber reaches the second temperature stop point, or when the off-peak power consumption time period ends, complete the second time period of refrigeration.

[0040] On the other hand, the present application provides a storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, it executes the ice-making and ice-storing control method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0041] On the other hand, an ice-making device, characterized in that it includes an ice storage chamber, a refrigeration component, an ice-making component, a memory, and a processor, and the processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory to implement the ice-making and ice-storing control method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0042] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: In the embodiments of the present application, time-sharing ice making is performed according to the stored ice amount in the ice storage chamber, and time-division refrigeration is performed based on the temperature of the ice storage chamber. Moreover, there is at least one ice-making period that is a valley period of electricity consumption, and at least one refrigeration period is a valley period of electricity consumption. It can reduce the electricity cost as much as possible while ensuring the user's ice demand, and relieve the operating pressure on the power grid. And through the refined and time-division control of ice making and ice storage, it is beneficial to cope with different ice-using environments and has a high degree of intelligence. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] Figure 1 FIG. shows a flowchart of a control method for ice making and ice storage provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 2 FIG. shows a flowchart of a time-sharing ice-making process provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 3 FIG. shows a flowchart of a process for determining the optimal valley period of electricity consumption provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 4 FIG. shows a flowchart of an ice-making process provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 5 FIG. shows a flowchart of a time-division refrigeration process provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 6 FIG. shows a flowchart of an ice storage process provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 7 FIG. shows a structural block diagram of an ice-making device provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0050] The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the specific embodiments shown in the drawings. However, these embodiments do not limit the present invention, and any structural, method, or functional transformation made by those of ordinary skill in the art based on these embodiments is included in the protection scope of the present invention.

[0051] It should be noted that the term "comprising" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements that are not explicitly listed, or elements that are inherent to such a process, method, article, or device. In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0052] Please refer to Figure 1 , which shows a flowchart of a control method for ice making and ice storage provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The process includes the following steps.

[0053] Step 101, perform ice making in time periods based on the amount of stored ice in the ice storage chamber.

[0054] Among them, there is at least one ice-making time period that is an off-peak electricity consumption period.

[0055] The ice-making equipment will monitor the amount of stored ice in the ice storage chamber in real time to determine whether ice-making operations are required.

[0056] According to the situation of the stored ice amount, the ice-making equipment will formulate an ice-making plan in time periods. If the stored ice amount is lower than a certain set minimum value, the equipment may immediately start ice making to quickly replenish the ice amount. If the stored ice amount is within a relatively reasonable range, the equipment will make ice according to the preset ice-making time periods, and at least one ice-making time period is arranged during the off-peak electricity consumption period. The purpose of doing this is to use the low electricity price during the off-peak period to reduce the ice-making cost while ensuring a stable supply of ice.

[0057] Step 102, perform time-period cooling based on the temperature of the ice storage chamber when the amount of stored ice in the ice storage chamber is not zero.

[0058] Among them, there is at least one cooling time period that is an off-peak electricity consumption period.

[0059] When the amount of stored ice in the ice storage chamber is not zero, it indicates that there are ice cubes in the ice storage chamber that need to be stored, and the ice-making equipment will further monitor the temperature of the ice storage chamber. This is because even if there is ice, if the temperature is too high, the ice cubes may melt, affecting the quality and quantity of the stored ice amount.

[0060] According to the situation of the temperature of the ice storage chamber, the ice-making equipment will formulate a time-period cooling plan. If the temperature of the ice storage chamber is higher than a certain set temperature threshold, the equipment will immediately start cooling to lower the temperature and prevent the ice cubes from melting. If the temperature is within a relatively reasonable range, the equipment will perform cooling according to the preset cooling time periods, and at least one cooling time period is arranged during the off-peak electricity consumption period. This can reduce the cooling cost using the low electricity price during the off-peak period while ensuring the quality of the ice cubes.

[0061] In summary, in the embodiment of the present application, time-sharing ice making is performed according to the amount of stored ice in the ice storage chamber, time-period cooling is performed based on the temperature of the ice storage chamber, and there is at least one ice-making time period that is an off-peak electricity consumption period and at least one cooling time period that is an off-peak electricity consumption period. It can reduce the electricity consumption cost as much as possible while ensuring the user's ice usage demand, and relieve the operating pressure on the power grid. And through the refined and time-period control of ice making and ice storage, it is beneficial to cope with different ice usage environments and has a relatively high degree of intelligence.

[0062] In a possible implementation, in order to ensure the user's ice usage requirements and enable the user to have ice available at any time, it is necessary to make a judgment based on the current ice volume in the ice storage chamber. If the current stored ice volume is small and cannot meet the user's ice usage requirements for one time, ice making needs to be carried out as soon as possible. If the current stored ice volume is large, ice making is not required.

[0063] At the same time, in order to minimize the electricity cost of ice making as much as possible, different ice making conditions need to be set according to the stored ice volume, so as to carry out ice making in different time periods, reducing the ice making cost while meeting the ice usage requirements.

[0064] In a possible implementation, the first ice making condition and the second ice making condition can be determined according to the stored ice volume. Optionally, when the stored ice volume is less than the first ice volume threshold, it is determined that the first ice making condition is met; when the stored ice volume is not less than the first ice volume threshold and less than the second ice volume threshold, it is determined that the second ice making condition is met.

[0065] Among them, the first ice volume threshold should at least meet the required ice volume for the user's one-time ice usage, that is, the lower limit of the ice storage volume set to ensure the user's basic ice usage requirements. This first ice volume threshold can be preset based on general ice usage habits or determined based on the user's historical ice usage habits. When the current stored ice volume is less than the first ice usage threshold, it is not sufficient to provide the user with the ice volume for one time. Therefore, ice making needs to be carried out immediately to meet the user's ice usage requirements.

[0066] The second ice volume threshold should be relatively close to the maximum ice storage volume of the ice storage chamber. That is, if the current stored ice volume is greater than the second ice volume threshold, it indicates that the stored ice volume in the current ice storage chamber is large and ice making is not required. For example, the second ice volume threshold is the total ice volume, which refers to the maximum capacity of ice cubes that the ice storage chamber can store.

[0067] Schematically, the first ice volume threshold can be set to 40% - 90% of the total storage capacity of the ice storage chamber, and the specific value can be adjusted according to the actual application scenario.

[0068] Optionally, one or more sensor devices such as an ice making probe, a radar sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, etc. can be used for detection and identification to obtain the real-time stored ice volume in the ice storage chamber.

[0069] The process of ice making in different time periods will be described below through a schematic embodiment.

[0070] Please refer to Figure 2 , which shows a flowchart of the ice making process in different time periods provided by a schematic embodiment of the present application. This process includes the following steps:

[0071] Step 201, when the stored ice amount meets the first ice-making condition, perform ice-making in the first time period.

[0072] Optionally, meeting the first ice-making condition means that the current stored ice amount is less than the first ice amount threshold and does not meet the user's one-time ice usage requirement, then ice-making needs to be performed immediately.

[0073] Since for an ice-making device, the ice amount made at one time is limited, in the case of performing ice-making in the first time period, ice-making can be performed multiple times until the stored ice amount is greater than the first ice amount threshold, that is, after the ice-making in the first time period is completed, the stored ice amount does not meet the first ice-making condition.

[0074] Step 202, when the stored ice amount does not meet the first ice-making condition and meets the second ice-making condition, determine whether the current time is the off-peak electricity consumption period.

[0075] When the stored ice amount does not meet the first ice-making condition and meets the second ice threshold, the current stored ice amount is greater than the first ice amount threshold and less than the second ice amount threshold, that is, the ice amount in the current ice storage chamber can meet the lower limit of the user's basic ice usage requirement, but the ice storage chamber is not in a full-ice state. Then at this time, it is not necessary to perform ice-making immediately. The ice-making device can determine whether the current time is the off-peak electricity consumption period to select the off-peak electricity consumption period for ice-making, thereby reducing the electricity cost.

[0076] The off-peak electricity consumption period refers to the period when the power supply is relatively sufficient and the electricity price is low, usually at night or during a specific off-peak electricity demand period. For example, in some areas, the off-peak electricity consumption period may be divided from 23:00 to 7:00 the next day.

[0077] The ice-making device can obtain the current electricity consumption period information by means of a built-in clock module or communicating with an external power system.

[0078] Step 203, if so, perform ice-making in the second time period.

[0079] When the current time is the off-peak electricity consumption period, perform ice-making in the second time period until the stored ice amount reaches the second ice amount threshold.

[0080] Optionally, during the ice-making in the second time period, the ice-making device may operate at an appropriate power according to the specific situation of the stored ice amount to make full use of the low electricity price during the off-peak period while ensuring the ice-making efficiency. For example, if the stored ice amount is between 30% and 50%, the ice-making device may operate at medium power; if the stored ice amount is between 50% and 70%, it may operate at low power.

[0081] Step 204, if not, delay ice-making and perform ice-making in the second time period when the off-peak electricity consumption period is reached.

[0082] If it is determined that the current is not the off-peak electricity consumption period, the ice-making equipment delays ice-making. During this period, the ice-making equipment may enter the standby mode to reduce energy consumption. At the same time, the ice-making equipment detects the amount of stored ice in the ice storage chamber to ensure that the amount of stored ice does not fall below the first ice amount threshold during the delay period.

[0083] After reaching the off-peak electricity consumption period, the ice-making equipment will make ice according to the current amount of stored ice and the ice-making strategy for the second period, so as to supplement as much ice as possible during the low electricity price period.

[0084] In a possible implementation manner, since there may be one or more off-peak electricity consumption periods in one electricity consumption cycle, and the times and lengths of different off-peak electricity consumption periods are different, an optimal off-peak electricity consumption period can be selected for ice-making in the second period.

[0085] When the amount of stored ice does not meet the first ice-making condition and meets the second ice-making condition, it is judged whether the current is in the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period.

[0086] If so, ice-making in the second period is carried out; if not, ice-making is delayed, and when the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period is reached, ice-making in the second period is carried out.

[0087] In some embodiments, the ice-making equipment obtains the off-peak electricity consumption period of the location, where the electricity consumption at the location during the off-peak electricity consumption period is lower than the preset electricity consumption threshold. Optionally, the off-peak electricity consumption period is usually released by the power company, including the specific time and range of the off-peak electricity consumption period, etc.

[0088] Optionally, in the area where the ice-making equipment is located, when there is only one off-peak electricity consumption period in one electricity consumption cycle, the off-peak electricity consumption period is determined as the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period. Because there are no other off-peak periods to choose from at this time, the power supply during this period is relatively sufficient and the electricity price is low. Using this period for ice-making helps to reduce the electricity cost.

[0089] When there are at least two off-peak electricity consumption periods in one electricity consumption cycle, the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period is determined based on preset conditions.

[0090] Among them, the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period can be comprehensively determined based on factors such as the single ice-making time, the user's historical ice-taking habits, or the electricity price level, etc. That is, the preset conditions can be one or more of the above factors. The method for determining the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period is described below.

[0091] Method 1: The preset condition is the historical ice-taking record.

[0092] The historical ice-taking record may include the historical ice-taking time and the historical ice-taking amount, etc. When determining the off-peak electricity consumption period, the historical ice-taking time usually needs to be considered.

[0093] First, the ice-making device determines the target ice-taking period based on historical ice-taking records. The target ice-taking period is the period when users take ice most frequently, that is, the frequency of users taking ice during the target ice-taking period is the highest. For example, if users usually take ice between 8:00 and 9:00, then ice-taking is more frequent during this period in the historical ice-taking records. Therefore, 8:00 - 9:00 can be determined as the target ice-taking period.

[0094] After determining the target ice-taking period, the determined optimal off-peak power consumption period should be before the target ice-taking period, that is, ice-making should be completed before the target ice-taking period. And, in order to reduce the power consumption loss of ice storage after ice-making, the off-peak power consumption period closest to before the target ice-taking period can be used for ice-making, so as to reduce the duration of ice storage.

[0095] Then, the ice-making device determines the first period from at least two off-peak power consumption periods and determines the first period as the optimal off-peak power consumption period, where the first period is before the target ice-using period and is the closest to the target ice-using period.

[0096] Method 2: The preset conditions are the single ice-making amount and the single ice-making duration.

[0097] First, based on the single ice-making amount and the stored ice amount, the estimated number of ice-making times is determined, where the stored ice amount after ice-making according to the estimated number of ice-making times does not meet the second ice-making condition.

[0098] According to the single ice-making amount and the current stored ice amount, calculate how many times of ice-making are needed to make the stored ice amount no longer meet the second ice-making condition (that is, when the stored ice amount reaches the second ice amount threshold, frequent ice-making is no longer needed). For example, if the single ice-making amount is 1 kg, the current stored ice amount is 5 kg, and the second ice-making condition requires the stored ice amount to be no less than 9 kg, then at least 4 times of ice-making are needed (1 kg / time × 4 times = 4 kg, plus the current stored 5 kg, a total of 9 kg, reaching the second ice amount threshold).

[0099] Subsequently, based on the estimated number of ice-making times and the single ice-making duration, the estimated ice-making duration is determined.

[0100] Multiply the estimated number of ice-making times by the single ice-making duration to obtain the total estimated ice-making duration. For example, if the single ice-making duration is half an hour and the estimated number of ice-making times is 4 times, then the estimated ice-making duration is 2 hours.

[0101] Finally, determine the second period from at least two off-peak power consumption periods and determine the second period as the optimal off-peak power consumption period, where the length of the second period is greater than the estimated ice-making duration.

[0102] In the case of multiple off-peak electricity consumption periods, find the off-peak electricity consumption periods with a duration longer than the estimated ice-making duration from these off-peak periods, and determine them as the optimal off-peak electricity consumption periods. This can ensure that there is enough time to complete the required ice-making task during the off-peak period, avoid the interruption of the ice-making process due to the end of the off-peak period, and ensure the reliability and efficiency of ice-making.

[0103] Method 3: Determine the off-peak electricity consumption period based on the unit electricity price.

[0104] The electricity prices of different off-peak electricity consumption periods may vary. The ice-making equipment determines the off-peak electricity consumption period with the lowest electricity price as the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period, so as to save the electricity cost to the greatest extent on the premise of meeting the electricity demand.

[0105] Schematically, please refer to Figure 3 , which shows a flowchart of the process of determining the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. First, according to the peak-valley periods of electricity consumption in the area where the ice-making equipment is located, determine the off-peak electricity consumption periods for time-sharing ice-making of the ice-making equipment. If there is only one off-peak electricity consumption period, then this off-peak period is the optimal off-peak period. If there are multiple off-peak ice-making periods, that is, there are multiple off-peak electricity consumption periods, then determine the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period based on preset conditions. The preset conditions can be comprehensively determined according to factors such as the single ice-making time, the user's historical ice-taking habits, and the local electricity price policy.

[0106] Schematically, please refer to Figure 4 , which shows a flowchart of the ice-making process provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The ice-making equipment enters the time-sharing ice-making mode through manual setting or automatic determination.

[0107] During the time-sharing ice-making process, first judge whether the ice storage amount meets the first ice-making condition, that is, judge whether the ice storage amount is less than the target ice amount. If the first ice-making condition is not met, then further judge whether the second ice-making condition is met, that is, judge whether the ice storage amount is between the target ice amount and the total ice amount.

[0108] If neither the first ice-making condition nor the second ice-making condition is met, it means that the ice storage chamber is full of ice at this time, and the ice-making equipment does not make ice.

[0109] If the first ice-making condition is met, it indicates that the ice storage amount is lower than the target ice amount, and ice needs to be made immediately to ensure the user's ice demand. At this time, the ice-making equipment completes one ice-making, and then judges again whether the first ice-making condition is met.

[0110] If the second ice-making condition is satisfied, it indicates that although the ice storage amount is higher than the target ice amount, there is still ice-making space. At this time, it is judged whether the current is in the optimal off-peak power consumption period. If it is not in the optimal off-peak power consumption period, the ice-making equipment delays ice-making and re-judges whether the first ice-making condition is satisfied. If it is in the optimal off-peak power consumption period, the ice-making equipment makes ice once, and then re-judges whether the first ice-making condition is satisfied.

[0111] By setting the first ice-making condition and the second ice-making condition, and combining with the off-peak period for judgment, time-sharing ice-making can be realized, which not only ensures the basic ice-using needs of users, but also makes full use of the off-peak period with lower electricity charges, thereby optimizing the ice-making strategy, reducing energy consumption, alleviating the operation pressure of the power grid, and saving the electricity cost of users.

[0112] In the embodiment of the present application, the ice-making equipment makes ice in time-sharing by judging whether the stored ice amount meets the first preset condition and the second preset condition, so as to be able to reduce the electricity cost while meeting the basic ice-using needs of users. Moreover, in the case of multiple off-peak power consumption periods, determining the optimal off-peak power consumption period for second-period ice-making is beneficial to further reducing the electricity cost and alleviating the electricity pressure.

[0113] After ice-making is completed, the ice-making equipment needs to store the ice. During the storage process, in order to prevent the ice cubes from melting, it is necessary to refrigerate through the refrigeration component to maintain the temperature in the ice storage chamber. Moreover, in order to reduce the electricity cost during the ice storage stage, the ice-making equipment controls the refrigeration component based on the real-time temperature of the ice storage chamber, so as to realize time-sharing refrigeration and minimize the electricity cost of ice storage while meeting the ice storage requirements.

[0114] The time-sharing refrigeration process will be described below through a schematic embodiment.

[0115] Schematically, please refer to Figure 5 , which shows a flowchart of the time-sharing refrigeration process provided by a schematic embodiment of the present application. The process includes the following steps:

[0116] Step 501, when the temperature in the ice storage chamber is higher than the first temperature start point, start the first-period refrigeration.

[0117] Step 502, when the temperature in the ice storage chamber is not higher than the first temperature start point and is higher than the second temperature start point, judge whether the current is in the off-peak power consumption period.

[0118] Optionally, a first ice storage temperature and a second ice storage temperature are preset, and the first ice storage temperature is higher than the second ice storage temperature. For example, the first ice storage temperature can be set to -18°C, and its corresponding start point and stop point can be -17°C and -19°C respectively; the second ice storage temperature can be set to -24°C, and its corresponding start point and stop point can be -23°C and -25°C respectively. The specific ice storage temperature and its corresponding start point temperature can be adjusted according to the specific application scenario and the performance of the ice making equipment.

[0119] Optionally, the detection of the ice storage chamber temperature can be achieved through temperature sensor devices such as thermocouple temperature sensors, resistive temperature sensors, and infrared temperature sensors.

[0120] The ice making equipment monitors the temperature in the ice storage chamber in real time to determine whether refrigeration operation is required. When the temperature in the ice storage chamber is higher than the first temperature start point, it indicates that the ambient temperature in the ice storage chamber has exceeded a relatively high threshold set by the equipment. At this time, the refrigeration system needs to be started immediately to lower the temperature in the ice storage chamber, prevent the ice from melting too quickly, and ensure the normal progress of the ice making process and the quality of the stored ice.

[0121] When the first temperature start point is met, the ice making equipment will immediately enter the first-stage refrigeration mode. During this period, the refrigeration system will operate at a high power to quickly lower the temperature in the ice storage chamber and make it reach the temperature range suitable for ice making and ice storage as soon as possible. This process may last for some time until the temperature in the ice storage chamber drops to the set safe range.

[0122] Optionally, when the first-stage refrigeration has started and the temperature in the ice storage chamber reaches the first temperature stop point, the first-stage refrigeration is completed. After the start of the first-stage refrigeration, the temperature continues to drop. When the temperature drops to the first temperature stop point, it indicates the highest temperature standard that can maintain the first ice storage temperature and ensure that the ice does not melt. At this time, the refrigeration system stops refrigerating and the first-stage refrigeration is completed.

[0123] When the temperature in the ice storage chamber does not exceed the first temperature start point but is still higher than the second temperature start point, it means that the temperature in the ice storage chamber is in an intermediate state. This state indicates that although the temperature in the ice storage chamber is not particularly high, refrigeration is still required to maintain the quality and quantity of the ice.

[0124] Under such temperature conditions, the ice can be maintained without melting and refrigeration does not need to be carried out immediately. The ice making equipment will further determine whether the current is in the off-peak electricity period. The equipment obtains the current electricity period information by means of the built-in clock module or communicating with the external power system to decide whether to carry out refrigeration.

[0125] Step 503, if so, perform the second-stage refrigeration.

[0126] Step 504: If not, delay the refrigeration. When it reaches the off-peak electricity consumption period, perform the second-stage refrigeration.

[0127] If it is determined that the current is the ice off-peak period, the second-stage refrigeration can be carried out.

[0128] Optionally, during the second-stage refrigeration process, the refrigeration component may operate at an appropriate power according to the specific temperature of the ice storage chamber, so as to make full use of the low electricity price during the off-peak period while ensuring the refrigeration effect. For example, if the temperature of the ice storage chamber is close to the second temperature start point, the refrigeration component may operate at a lower power; if the temperature is higher, it may operate at a higher power.

[0129] If the current is not the off-peak electricity consumption period, the ice-making equipment will delay the refrigeration operation until it reaches the off-peak electricity consumption period. During this period, the equipment may enter the standby mode to reduce energy consumption. At the same time, the equipment will continuously monitor the temperature change of the ice storage chamber to ensure that the temperature will not be too high during the delay period, affecting the quality of the ice cubes.

[0130] When it reaches the off-peak electricity consumption period, the ice-making equipment will perform refrigeration according to the current temperature of the ice storage chamber according to the second-stage refrigeration strategy, so as to effectively reduce the temperature of the ice storage chamber during the low electricity price period and save the electricity cost.

[0131] In a possible implementation manner, when the temperature of the ice storage chamber is not higher than the first temperature start point and is higher than the second temperature start point, the ice-making equipment determines whether the current is the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period. The optimal off-peak electricity consumption period can be determined based on factors such as the user's ice usage habits and the unit electricity price in the area where the user is located. The implementation manner in step 204 above can be referred to, and this embodiment will not elaborate on it. Perform the second-stage ice-making during the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period to achieve the best energy-saving effect and ice supply.

[0132] Optionally, when the second-stage refrigeration has started and the temperature of the ice storage chamber reaches the second temperature shutdown point, or when the off-peak electricity consumption period ends, the second-stage refrigeration is completed.

[0133] Please refer to Figure 6 , which shows the flowchart of the ice storage process provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. First, the ice-making equipment enters the time-sharing ice-making mode through manual setting or automatic determination. In the time-sharing ice-making mode, it is judged whether the temperature of the ice storage chamber is greater than the first temperature start point. If the temperature of the ice storage chamber is greater than the first temperature start point, the ice storage chamber starts to refrigerate until the temperature drops to the first temperature shutdown point.

[0134] When shutting down at the first temperature shutdown point during refrigeration, or when the temperature of the ice storage chamber is not greater than the first temperature startup point, determine whether the temperature of the ice storage chamber reaches the second temperature startup point. If it reaches, determine whether it is during the off-peak electricity consumption period. If it does not reach, no refrigeration is performed. If it is during the off-peak electricity consumption period and the temperature of the ice storage chamber is greater than the second temperature startup point, the ice storage chamber starts to refrigerate until the end of the off-peak electricity consumption period, or until the ice storage chamber is refrigerated to the second refrigeration temperature shutdown point and stops refrigerating.

[0135] In the embodiments of the present application, through the above-mentioned time-sharing refrigeration control method, refrigeration can be preferentially performed during the off-peak electricity consumption period, reducing the refrigeration load during the peak electricity consumption period, thereby saving electric energy. At the same time, by setting a lower second ice storage temperature, the ice storage temperature can be further reduced during the off-peak electricity consumption period. In this way, during the peak electricity consumption period, even if the ice-making equipment does not refrigerate or reduces the refrigeration time, the low-temperature state in the ice storage chamber can be maintained, ensuring the quality of the ice cubes, and reducing the running time and power consumption of the ice-making equipment during the peak period.

[0136] Please refer to Figure 7 , which shows a structural block diagram of an ice-making device provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application, including a processor 71, a memory 72, an ice storage chamber (including a temperature detection component 73 therein), a refrigeration component 74, and an ice-making component 75. Optionally, the device may further include a communication interface and a bus. Among them, the temperature detection component 73, the refrigeration component 74, the ice-making component 75, the processor 71, and the memory 72 can complete mutual communication through the bus 74. The communication interface can be used for information transmission.

[0137] The processor 71 can call the logical instructions in the memory 72 to execute the ice-making and ice-storing control methods provided in the above embodiments.

[0138] The memory 72, as a computer-readable storage medium, can be used to store software programs and computer-executable programs, such as the program instructions / modules corresponding to the methods in the embodiments of the present disclosure. The processor 71 executes functional applications and data processing by running the program instructions / modules stored in the memory 72, that is, implements the ice-making and ice-storing control methods provided in the above embodiments.

[0139] The memory 72 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. Among them, the program storage area may store an operating system and application programs required for at least one function; the data storage area may store data created according to the use of the terminal device, etc. In addition, the memory 72 may include a high-speed random access memory and may also include a non-volatile memory.

[0140] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, it executes the ice-making and ice-storing control method as described in any one of the above. The storage medium may be any information propagation medium that contains or stores a program. For example, the storage medium may be a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, etc.

[0141] As described above, the above are only specific embodiments of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention can easily think of changes or substitutions, which should all be covered within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A control method for ice making and ice storage, characterized in that, The method includes: Performing ice making in time periods based on the stored ice amount in the ice storage chamber, where there is at least one ice making time period being the off-peak electricity consumption period; When the stored ice amount in the ice storage chamber is not zero, performing cooling in time periods based on the ice storage chamber temperature, where there is at least one cooling time period being the off-peak electricity consumption period.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The performing ice making in time periods based on the stored ice amount in the ice storage chamber includes: When the stored ice amount meets the first ice making condition, performing ice making in the first time period, where after the ice making in the first time period is completed, the stored ice amount does not meet the first ice making condition; When the stored ice amount does not meet the first ice making condition and meets the second ice making condition, determining whether the current time is in the off-peak electricity consumption period; If so, performing ice making in the second time period; if not, delaying ice making and performing ice making in the second time period when the off-peak electricity consumption period is reached.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein When the stored ice amount does not meet the first ice making condition and meets the second ice making condition, The performing ice making in time periods based on the stored ice amount in the ice storage chamber further includes: When the stored ice amount does not meet the first ice making condition and meets the second ice making condition, determining whether the current time is in the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period; If so, performing ice making in the second time period; if not, delaying ice making and performing ice making in the second time period when the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period is reached.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtaining the off-peak electricity consumption period of the location, where the electricity consumption at the location in the off-peak electricity consumption period is lower than the preset electricity consumption threshold; When there is only one off-peak electricity consumption period in one electricity consumption cycle, determining the off-peak electricity consumption period as the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period; When there are at least two off-peak electricity consumption periods in one electricity consumption cycle, determining the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period based on the preset condition.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The preset condition is the historical ice taking record; The determining the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period based on the preset condition includes: The target ice taking time period determined based on the historical ice taking record, where the frequency of taking ice in the target ice taking time period is the highest; Determining a first time period from at least two off-peak electricity consumption periods and determining the first time period as the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period, where the first time period is before the target ice using time period and is the closest to the target ice using time period.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein The preset condition is the single ice making amount and the single ice making duration; The determining the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period based on the preset condition includes: Based on the single ice making amount and the stored ice amount, determining the estimated ice making times, where the stored ice amount after completing ice making according to the estimated ice making times does not meet the second ice making condition; Based on the estimated ice making times and the single ice making duration, determining the estimated ice making duration; Determining a second time period from at least two off-peak electricity consumption periods and determining the second time period as the optimal off-peak electricity consumption period, where the length of the second time period is greater than the estimated ice making duration.

7. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the stored ice amount is less than the first ice amount threshold, determining that the first ice making condition is met; When the stored ice amount is not less than the first ice amount threshold and less than the second ice amount threshold, it is determined that the second ice-making condition is satisfied.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The time-division refrigeration based on the temperature of the ice storage chamber includes: When the temperature of the ice storage chamber is higher than the first temperature starting point, the first-stage refrigeration is started; When the temperature of the ice storage chamber is not higher than the first temperature starting point and is higher than the second temperature starting point, it is judged whether the current is in the off-peak power consumption period; If so, the second-stage refrigeration is carried out; if not, the refrigeration is delayed, and when the off-peak power consumption period is reached, the second-stage refrigeration is carried out.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein The method further includes: When the first-stage refrigeration has started and the temperature of the ice storage chamber reaches the first temperature shutdown point, the first-stage refrigeration is completed; When the second-stage refrigeration has started and the temperature of the ice storage chamber reaches the second temperature shutdown point, or when the off-peak power consumption period ends, the second-stage refrigeration is completed.

10. An ice-making device, characterized in that, It includes an ice storage chamber, a refrigeration component, an ice-making component, a memory, and a processor. The processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory to implement the ice-making and ice-storing control method for a locker as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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