Refrigerator and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a refrigerator and a control method thereof. The refrigerator comprises a refrigerator body, a plurality of chambers arranged in the refrigerator body and a refrigeration assembly used for cooling each chamber, the plurality of chambers comprise ice making chambers, and a first ice making evaporator used for cooling the ice making chambers is arranged in the refrigeration assembly. Precise refrigeration is achieved by arranging the special evaporator for the ice making chamber, the independent refrigeration path avoids the temperature interference problem caused by sharing the cooling capacity of other chambers, the stability of ice block making is guaranteed, and energy consumption fluctuation caused by frequent starting and stopping of the refrigeration system is also reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of refrigerators, and in particular to a refrigerator and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Ice-making functions are increasingly appearing in household refrigerators. To ensure the quality of ice produced by the refrigerator, such as high transparency, non-sticking ice cubes, and no odor, the ice-making system must be equipped with a refrigeration system independent of other compartments and equipped with an appropriate refrigeration control strategy. During the refrigerator's cooling process, the temperature in the ice-making compartment may rise as cold air is supplied to other compartments, causing slight melting of the stored ice cubes and causing ice cubes to stick together. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to solve the technical problem in the prior art that the ice-making chamber does not have a separate evaporator, resulting in difficulty in controlling the cooling capacity, the present invention provides a refrigerator and a control method thereof.

[0004] The technical solution adopted in the present invention is:

[0005] The present invention proposes a refrigerator, comprising a box body, a plurality of compartments arranged in the box body, and a refrigeration assembly for cooling the compartments, wherein the plurality of compartments include an ice-making compartment, and the refrigeration assembly is provided with a first ice-making evaporator for cooling the ice-making compartment.

[0006] The refrigeration assembly includes: a compressor, a condenser and a first switching valve connected in a circulation manner through a refrigerant pipeline, a capillary tube connected to each outlet of the first switching valve and corresponding to each compartment, and an evaporator corresponding to each compartment. When the compartment is turned on for cooling, the first switching valve is connected to the outlet corresponding to the evaporator of the compartment.

[0007] Furthermore, the plurality of compartments include a freezing compartment, and the refrigerant pipes on the outlet sides of the evaporators of the other compartments are connected to the refrigerant pipes on the inlet sides of the freezing evaporators corresponding to the freezing compartments.

[0008] Furthermore, the refrigeration component also includes: a second ice-making evaporator that uses the residual cold of the freezing evaporator to cool the ice-making chamber.

[0009] In the first embodiment, the refrigerant pipe on the outlet side of the refrigeration evaporator is connected to a gas-liquid separator, the gas outlet side of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the suction side of the compressor through the refrigerant pipe, and the liquid outlet side of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the second ice-making evaporator and the suction side of the compressor in sequence through the refrigerant pipe.

[0010] In the second embodiment, the refrigerant pipe on the outlet side of the freezing evaporator is connected to a second switching valve, the first outlet side of the second switching valve is connected to the suction side of the compressor through the refrigerant pipe, and the second outlet side is connected to the second ice-making evaporator and the suction side of the compressor in sequence through the refrigerant pipe. When the refrigerant temperature on the inlet side of the second switching valve is lower than the set temperature of the ice-making chamber and the difference between the two is greater than the preset difference, the second outlet side is switched to connect, otherwise the first outlet side is connected.

[0011] Furthermore, the second ice-making evaporator is a refrigeration coil, which is arranged at the bottom of the ice-making chamber. The bottom of the ice-making chamber is provided with a heat conduction plate covering the ice-making evaporator for carrying ice cubes.

[0012] In the first embodiment, a reversible ice-making mold and a water injection assembly for injecting water into the ice-making mold are provided in the ice-making chamber.

[0013] Preferably, the plurality of compartments include: a freezing chamber, an ice-making chamber, a temperature-changing chamber, and a refrigerated chamber.

[0014] The present invention also provides a refrigerator control method, using the above refrigerator, comprising the steps of:

[0015] The ice making function is turned on and enters the water filling waiting stage. When the temperature of the ice making chamber is detected to be lower than the set ice making temperature for the second time, water is poured into the ice making mold. The water filling time is the preset time t b1 ;

[0016] Entering the ice making waiting stage, when the ice making waiting time is longer than the preset time t b2， When it is detected that the temperature of the ice cubes in the ice making mold is lower than the preset temperature Tb and the ice making chamber is lowered to the set temperature, the ice making waiting stage is exited.

[0017] After exiting the ice making waiting stage, entering the ice-removing stage, flipping the ice-making mold and resetting it, re-entering the water injection waiting stage to circulate ice making until the ice making function is turned off, the water storage box of the water injection component is out of water, or the ice cubes in the ice making chamber reach a preset height, the cycle stops.

[0018] In a specific embodiment, during the normal start-stop refrigeration process of the refrigerator, the refrigeration priority of each compartment of the refrigerator is refrigeration refrigeration, variable temperature refrigeration and freezing refrigeration from high to low. When the ice making function is turned on, ice making refrigeration is inserted between refrigeration refrigeration and variable temperature refrigeration.

[0019] In a specific embodiment, when the ice-making function is turned on during the power-on phase, the power-on phase of the refrigerator sequentially includes:

[0020] During the timing phase, each compartment is turned on in turn according to the preset cooling priority, and each compartment is turned on for a corresponding length of time;

[0021] During the cycle phase, the refrigeration is turned on for a preset time of t1; then the ice making refrigeration is turned on for a preset time of t2; then the variable temperature refrigeration is turned on for a preset time of t3, and then the cycle is returned to the refrigeration for a preset time of t1 until the temperature of the refrigeration chamber reaches the corresponding stop point temperature, and the cycle stops when either the variable temperature chamber or the ice making chamber reaches the corresponding stop point temperature;

[0022] During the warming stage, the first switching valve is controlled to switch according to the priority of refrigeration > ice making refrigeration > variable temperature refrigeration > freezing refrigeration until each compartment reaches the corresponding shutdown point temperature.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0024] 1. Precision cooling is achieved by equipping the ice-making chamber with a dedicated evaporator. The independent cooling path avoids temperature interference caused by sharing the cooling capacity of other chambers. This not only ensures the stability of ice production, but also reduces energy consumption fluctuations caused by frequent starting and stopping of the refrigeration system.

[0025] 2. This ensures that even when the ice-making function is disabled and the system is no longer refrigerating the ice-making chamber, the produced ice can still be stored for a long period of high quality. Furthermore, when the refrigerator is defrosting and a large amount of high-temperature gaseous refrigerant is circulating in the system, the gas-liquid separator's diversion function reduces the impact of defrosting heat on the quality of the ice in the ice-making chamber. If the defrost process includes a pre-cooling phase, this device can also utilize the cooling energy from this pre-cooling phase to store ice. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 is a system diagram of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 is a structural diagram of an ice making chamber in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the coil in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 is a flow chart in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 is a flow chart in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] 1. Compressor; 2. Condenser; 3. Anti-condensation tube; 4. Dry filter; 5. First switching valve; 6. Refrigeration capillary tube; 7. Ice-making capillary tube; 8. Variable temperature capillary tube; 9. Freezing capillary tube; 10. Refrigeration evaporator; 11. First ice-making evaporator; 12. Variable temperature evaporator; 13. Freezing evaporator; 14. Liquid storage tank; 15. Gas-liquid separator; 16. Second ice-making evaporator; 17. Ice-making mold; 18. Infrared temperature sensor; 19. Heat conduction plate; 20. Insulation layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0034] The principle and structure of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0035] In the refrigeration and ice-making process of existing refrigerators, since the ice-making chamber shares an evaporator with other compartments, the temperature of the ice-making chamber rises when the cold air is supplied to other compartments, causing the stored ice cubes to melt slightly and causing ice cubes to stick together.

[0036] In this regard, Figure 1 As shown, the present invention proposes a refrigerator comprising: a cabinet, multiple compartments, and a refrigeration assembly. The inner wall of the cabinet is provided with an insulation layer 20, and doors are provided for the multiple compartments, which are divided into multiple compartments for storing different items or ingredients. The multiple compartments include at least one ice-making chamber, which is used for making and storing ice cubes (the ice-making chamber and the refrigeration chamber can be two compartments separated from the same compartment, or they can be separate compartments). The refrigeration assembly provides an independent cooling function for each compartment, wherein the refrigeration assembly includes a first ice-making evaporator 11 for the ice-making chamber. The first ice-making evaporator 11 directly provides refrigeration for the ice-making chamber, significantly improving its temperature control accuracy. Because the ice-making chamber is completely isolated from other compartments and has an independent refrigeration evaporator, it avoids odor contamination caused by temperature differences or odor cross-contamination between different compartments. At the same time, the independent temperature control of the ice-making chamber ensures that ice cubes are formed in a constant low-temperature environment, reducing the impact of temperature fluctuations on ice quality, making the ice cubes purer and more uniform in texture.

[0037] This structure achieves precise cooling by equipping the ice-making compartment with a dedicated evaporator, resolving the temperature interference problem in traditional refrigerators where the ice-making compartment and refrigerator compartment share the same cooling system. The independent cooling paths reduce heat exchange between the different compartments, ensuring consistent ice production while also reducing energy consumption fluctuations caused by frequent starts and stops of the cooling system.

[0038] In a specific embodiment, the refrigeration assembly of the refrigerator includes: a compressor 1, a condenser 2, a drying filter 4, a first switching valve 5, a capillary tube, and multiple evaporators (one evaporator may be provided for each compartment, one evaporator may be provided for each of the two compartments other than the ice making compartment, or one evaporator may be provided for each of the three compartments). For example, each compartment corresponds to one evaporator:

[0039] The compressor 1, the condenser 2, and the filter drier 4 are connected in sequence through the refrigerant pipeline to form a basic loop for refrigerant circulation;

[0040] The inlet of the first switching valve 5 is connected to the outlet of the drying filter 4, and multiple independent outlets correspond to the cooling needs of different compartments. One end of the capillary tube of each compartment is connected to the corresponding outlet of the first switching valve 5, and the other end is connected to the evaporator of the compartment, forming an independent refrigerant branch.

[0041] When a compartment requires cooling, first switching valve 5 opens only the corresponding outlet, allowing the refrigerant to be compressed by compressor 1, dissipate heat through condenser 2, and be purified by filter drier 4 before flowing directly into the capillary tube and evaporator of that compartment. After absorbing heat in the evaporator, the refrigerant returns to compressor 1, forming a closed loop. Other unopened outlets remain closed to prevent refrigerant diversion from affecting the cooling efficiency of the target compartment.

[0042] This multi-path switching design enables each compartment's evaporator to operate independently based on actual demand, precisely controlling the refrigerant flow to the target area. This solves the problem of dispersed cooling capacity caused by sharing evaporators across multiple compartments in traditional systems. The opening and closing operation of the first switching valve 5 ensures that only the necessary branches are activated, ensuring that the cooling of each compartment can be switched according to cooling priority during operation.

[0043] It should be noted that the above-mentioned drying filter 4 is a preferred configuration. In addition, a liquid storage tank 14 can be provided at the outlet side of the refrigeration evaporator 13 to store liquid for convenient refrigerant control. There are also various embodiments such as adding an anti-condensation pipe 3 at the outlet of the condenser 2.

[0044] Specifically, the freezer compartment is equipped with a dedicated refrigeration evaporator 13, and the outlets of all other compartment evaporators are connected to the refrigerant inlet of the dedicated refrigeration evaporator 13. The refrigeration evaporator 13 is also equipped with a refrigeration capillary tube 9. After the refrigerant has absorbed heat from the evaporators of the other compartments, it must flow through the refrigeration evaporator 13 to continue releasing cold air, and finally flow back to the compressor 1. This structure ensures that all refrigerant passes through the refrigeration evaporator 13, centrally strengthening the refrigeration capacity of the freezer compartment.

[0045] The refrigeration load of the freezer evaporator 13 is enhanced by the series connection, as it not only meets the cooling capacity requirements of its own evaporator but also incorporates the excess cooling capacity of the refrigerant in other compartments. This design enables the freezer compartment to operate efficiently and continuously in low-temperature environments, meeting its high cooling capacity requirements. Furthermore, after the evaporators in other compartments release some of their cooling capacity, the refrigerant can still use the remaining cooling energy to pass through the freezer evaporator 13, avoiding energy waste and improving the overall energy efficiency of the system.

[0046] The first switching valve 5 is a switch valve that switches to four capillaries (ie, one inlet can be switched to four different capillaries, but only one capillary can be switched at a time).

[0047] The system has four refrigeration circuits, namely:

[0048] Refrigeration capillary 6 → refrigeration evaporator 10 → freezing evaporator 13 → gas-liquid separator 15;

[0049] Ice-making capillary tube 7 → ice-making evaporator → freezing evaporator 13 → gas-liquid separator 15;

[0050] Temperature-variable capillary 8 → temperature-variable evaporator 12 → refrigeration evaporator 13 → gas-liquid separator 15;

[0051] Refrigeration capillary tube 9 → refrigeration evaporator 13 → gas-liquid separator 15.

[0052] In a preferred embodiment, the refrigerator's refrigeration assembly further includes a second ice-making evaporator 16. This second ice-making evaporator 16 can be connected to the refrigerant return path at the outlet of the freezer evaporator 13, forming a series connection. After the refrigerant completes the cooling process in the freezer evaporator 13, it carries some residual heat that enters the second ice-making evaporator 16. This residual heat is then used to precisely cool the ice-making compartment.

[0053] When the refrigerant flows through the freezing evaporator 13, it releases the main cooling capacity to meet the needs of the freezer compartment. The remaining cooling energy is directed to the second ice-making evaporator 16, which further absorbs heat from the ice-making compartment before finally returning to the compressor 1. This design allows the waste heat of the freezing evaporator 13 to be reused, avoiding unnecessary heat loss during the refrigerant return process.

[0054] In the first embodiment, the refrigeration assembly of the refrigerator further includes: a gas-liquid separator 15 and a second ice-making evaporator 16.

[0055] The refrigerant outlet of the freezing evaporator 13 is connected to the inlet of the gas-liquid separator 15 via a refrigerant pipeline. The gas-liquid separator 15 separates the refrigerant into gaseous and liquid phases. The gas outlet of the gas-liquid separator 15 is directly connected to the intake side of the compressor 1 via a refrigerant pipeline, ensuring rapid return of the gaseous refrigerant. The refrigerant pipeline on the liquid outlet side of the gas-liquid separator 15 is then connected to the second ice-making evaporator 16 and the intake side of the compressor 1, allowing the liquid refrigerant to flow through the second ice-making evaporator 16 to absorb heat before returning to the compressor 1 in a vaporized state.

[0056] This structure achieves refrigerant phase separation through a gas-liquid separator 15. The gaseous refrigerant directly returns to compressor 1, preventing the risk of liquid hammer caused by the ingress of liquid refrigerant. The liquid refrigerant is then directed to the second ice-making evaporator 16, where its latent heat is used to recover excess cooling, further lowering the temperature in the ice-making chamber. After absorbing heat, the liquid refrigerant in the second ice-making evaporator 16 gradually vaporizes and eventually flows back into the suction pipe of compressor 1 in gaseous form, forming a safe and efficient closed cycle.

[0057] It not only ensures the safe operation of the compressor 1, but also fully taps the potential for utilizing the residual cooling of the refrigerant. The liquid refrigerant completes phase change and absorbs heat in the second ice-making evaporator 16, which not only improves the cooling efficiency of the ice-making chamber, but also avoids the waste of heat of the refrigerant in the return path. Secondly, this method can ensure that when the ice-making function is exited and the system no longer refrigerates the ice-making chamber, it can still ensure that the ice produced can be stored for a long time with high quality. And when the refrigerator is defrosting, when there is a large amount of high-temperature gaseous refrigerant in the circulation system, the diversion effect of the gas-liquid separator 15 can reduce the impact of the heat of defrosting on the quality of ice cubes in the ice-making chamber.

[0058] In the second embodiment, the refrigeration assembly of the refrigerator further includes: a second switching valve, a refrigerant pipe, and a second ice-making evaporator.

[0059] The refrigerant outlet of the refrigeration evaporator is connected to the inlet of the second switching valve via a refrigerant pipeline. The two outlets of the second switching valve correspond to different operating conditions: the first outlet is directly connected to the suction side of the compressor, forming a rapid refrigerant return path; the second outlet is connected to the second ice-making evaporator and the suction side of the compressor via a refrigerant pipeline, forming a residual cold recovery path.

[0060] The refrigerator's control system uses a temperature monitoring module to compare the refrigerant temperature at the freezing evaporator outlet with the set temperature of the ice-making compartment in real time. When the refrigerant temperature at the inlet of the second switching valve is lower than the set temperature of the ice-making compartment, and the difference between the two is greater than a preset difference, the second switching valve automatically switches to the second outlet side, allowing the refrigerant to flow through the second ice-making evaporator 16, further reducing the ice-making compartment temperature by utilizing its excess cooling capacity. Conversely, if the temperature difference is larger or the ice-making compartment does not require additional cooling, the refrigerant flows directly back to the compressor through the first outlet, avoiding unnecessary phase change or heat exchange in the second ice-making evaporator.

[0061] This design utilizes the residual heat of the refrigeration evaporator to improve cooling efficiency; the control of the second switching valve ensures that the system can not only efficiently utilize the residual heat of the refrigerant, but also avoid affecting ice making and storage in the refrigeration room when there is no available cooling capacity.

[0062] In a specific embodiment, Figure 2 、 3 As shown, a cooling coil serves as a second ice-making evaporator 16 at the bottom of the ice-making chamber. Its serpentine coil closely adheres to the inner wall of the base, ensuring even cooling. A heat conducting plate 19 covers the cooling coil and forms a close contact structure with it. Made of a highly thermally conductive material such as aluminum, this plate has a smooth, flat surface to accommodate ice trays.

[0063] This structure utilizes the synergistic effect of the coil and the heat conducting plate 19. Once ice is made, the low temperature on the surface of the heat conducting plate 19 slows down ice melting, maintaining the efficient ice storage capacity of the ice making chamber. This integrated bottom-cooling and heat conducting structure optimizes ice making efficiency while meeting the dual needs of ice making and storage.

[0064] In a specific embodiment, a reversible ice mold 17 is installed at the top of the ice making chamber. The bottom of the ice mold 17 is connected to the side wall of the ice making chamber via a hinge. The reversal axis of the ice mold 17 is located on one of the short sides of the mold. Multiple independent ice trays are arranged inside the mold. After water is filled and frozen, the ice cubes can be separated from the mold by the reversing action and directly fall into the ice storage space at the bottom of the ice making chamber.

[0065] The water injection assembly consists of a water storage box, a water pump, a water injection line, and a solenoid valve. The water storage box is connected to the water injection line via the water pump. A multi-hole nozzle is located at the end of the water injection line, pointing vertically above the ice mold 17. The solenoid valve controls the timing of water injection. When the water pump starts and the solenoid valve opens, water from the water storage box is evenly injected into each ice cube tray.

[0066] The ice mold 17's tilting mechanism can utilize an electric push rod or a torsion spring structure, connected to the back of the mold. Once ice is made, the tilting mechanism triggers the mold to tilt 120-150 degrees around the hinge, allowing gravity to completely free the ice from the mold. Once the tilting action is complete, the mold automatically returns to the horizontal water level, ready for the next ice-making cycle.

[0067] This structure automatically releases ice cubes through mold flipping, eliminating the tedious manual operation of removing ice. The vertical spraying mechanism of the water injection assembly ensures even water filling of each ice tray, reducing air bubbles and ice shape defects. The automated coordination of mold flipping and water injection seamlessly integrates the ice making, removal, and storage processes, improving system efficiency. The hinged design of the flip mechanism effectively utilizes gravity, reducing drive energy consumption and ensuring complete ice removal.

[0068] In addition, an infrared temperature sensor 18 is provided in the ice making chamber for detecting the temperature of ice cubes, and each compartment is provided with a corresponding temperature sensor for compartment temperature detection.

[0069] In a specific embodiment, the multiple compartments specifically include: a freezing compartment, an ice making compartment, a temperature changing compartment, and a refrigeration compartment.

[0070] This multi-compartment collaborative design enables the refrigerator to simultaneously meet diverse storage needs, including freezing, ice making, variable temperature preservation, and refrigeration. The ice making and freezer compartments share a refrigerant circuit but have independent temperature control, avoiding the temperature interference caused by the shared evaporator for ice making and freezing in traditional refrigerators. The flexible adjustment capabilities of the variable temperature chamber expand food storage scenarios, while the independent temperature zone design of the refrigerator compartment optimizes the preservation of fruits and vegetables. The independent temperature control of multiple zones reduces interference in cooling capacity and, combined with the intelligent switching function of the refrigeration components, further improves the overall energy efficiency and ease of use.

[0071] like Figure 4 、 5 As shown, the present invention also proposes an ice making control method, using the above refrigerator, comprising the steps of:

[0072] After the ice making function is turned on, the system enters the water injection waiting phase, and continuously monitors the temperature changes in the ice making chamber. When it detects that the temperature in the ice making chamber has dropped to the set ice making temperature for the mth time, the control system starts the water injection program and injects water into the ice making mold for the preset time tb1.

[0073] The system then enters the ice-making waiting phase, during which it records the cumulative duration of this phase and continuously monitors the temperature of the ice cubes in the ice-making mold. If the cumulative waiting time exceeds a preset duration, tb2, and the ice cube temperature is detected to be below a preset temperature threshold, Tb, and the ice-making chamber has cooled to the set temperature, the control system determines that the ice cubes are fully formed, exits the current ice-making waiting phase, and enters the subsequent process.

[0074] m≥2, preferably 2.

[0075] This method uses a double temperature drop to trigger water injection, ensuring that water injection occurs only after the ice-making chamber reaches a stable low temperature. This effectively avoids timing errors caused by temperature fluctuations during the initial cooling phase. By combining the dual criteria of waiting time and temperature, this method ensures that the ice cubes are fully frozen while avoiding unnecessary energy consumption. The water injection time tb1 is designed based on the ice mold capacity. This ensures that the ice-water mixture can break the supercooled ice during the ice-making waiting period, preventing insufficient system cooling capacity that could prevent the ice cubes from breaking through the supercooled state and passing through the zone of maximum ice crystal formation. It also prevents excessively low room temperatures, which could result in only partial ice formation and a drop below Tb. The defrosting phase must occur during the ice-making chamber's cooling phase. This approach has the advantage that, during the ice-making cycle, the post-defrosting water injection phase occurs while the ice-making chamber is cooling, fully utilizing the cooling capacity and shortening the ice-making waiting time.

[0076] Through the above control logic, this method optimizes the problem of unstable ice quality caused by temperature fluctuations or improper waiting time control in the traditional ice-making process, while reducing energy waste and improving the overall operational reliability of the refrigerator.

[0077] In a further step, after exiting the ice-making waiting phase, the control system initiates the ice-stripping process. At this point, the ice-making mold is flipped by the drive mechanism, causing the formed ice cubes to separate from the mold and fall into the ice storage device. The mold then returns to its original position. The system then automatically returns to the water filling waiting phase and repeats the complete cycle of water filling, ice-making waiting, and ice-stripping, continuing to make ice until any of the following conditions are met:

[0078] The user turns off the ice-making function;

[0079] There is insufficient water in the water storage box connected to the water injection component (the water storage box is equipped with a water level sensor);

[0080] The height of ice cubes accumulated in the ice making chamber reaches a preset threshold (a position sensor is provided at the corresponding height for detection).

[0081] This circulation mechanism achieves continuous ice production by automatically resetting the mold after deicing, maintaining stable ice production efficiency without manual intervention. The flip deicing design utilizes gravity to achieve contactless separation of ice cubes from the mold, eliminating mechanical wear and reducing energy consumption. Multiple stop condition logic ensures user control of ice quantity demand while preventing overflows through real-time monitoring of the water storage tank status and ice layer height, ensuring safe and reliable system operation.

[0082] During normal refrigerator operation (i.e., after powering on), the refrigeration system prioritizes cooling resources for each compartment, prioritizing the refrigerator, variable temperature chamber, and freezer compartments in descending order. When the user activates the ice-making function, the system dynamically adjusts the priority sequence, adding the cooling demand for the ice-making module between the refrigerator and variable temperature chambers, creating a new priority order: refrigeration, ice-making, variable temperature chamber, and freezer.

[0083] This priority adjustment mechanism monitors the temperature and ice-making process of each compartment in real time through the central control system, ensuring that after the refrigeration needs of the cold storage room are met, the low-temperature environment required for the ice-making process is prioritized. When ice-making is completed or closed, the system automatically restores the original priority order.

[0084] Through this dynamic grading strategy, this method prioritizes the rigid low-temperature requirements of ice making while ensuring the freshness of refrigerated food, thus avoiding abnormal temperature fluctuations in other compartments caused by the activation of the ice-making function. The cooling requirements of the variable-temperature and freezer compartments are flexibly adjusted based on the remaining resources, maintaining an overall energy efficiency balance while ensuring an efficient and stable ice-making process. This design resolves the resource conflict between the ice-making function of traditional refrigerators and the refrigeration and freezing systems, achieving multi-functional collaborative optimization.

[0085] In a specific embodiment, when the ice making function is turned on during the power-on phase, refrigeration coordination is achieved through the following three stages:

[0086] Timing phase: The system starts the cooling function for each compartment in the order of priority: refrigeration > ice making > variable temperature cooling > freezing refrigeration, and assigns a preset start time to each compartment. This process ensures that each cooling module has a basic operating time in the initial phase, avoiding excessive concentration or idleness of resources.

[0087] Cycle stage: After entering the cycle mode, the system cycles in the order of refrigeration t1, ice making t2, and variable temperature refrigeration t3 (t1>t2>t3). The cold storage room is the priority protection object, and its refrigeration cycle is started first and repeated. The cycle continues until the temperature of the cold storage room reaches the preset shutdown point, and at least one compartment in the variable temperature room or ice making room reaches the corresponding shutdown temperature point at the same time. In this stage, cooling resources are allocated through dynamic circulation to balance the temperature control of ice making and other compartments while meeting the cooling needs of the core area;

[0088] Warming stage: After the cycle is completed, the system is regulated by the first switching valve with the priority of refrigeration > ice making > temperature change > freezing, adjusting the refrigeration flow until the temperature of all compartments is stabilized at their respective shutdown points, ensuring that the temperature in each area is uniform and meets the standard.

[0089] This phased control strategy prioritizes refrigeration and ice-making requirements by coordinating priorities with cycle duration, avoiding temperature fluctuations caused by competition for cooling resources during the initial power-up phase. Initial allocation during the timing phase provides basic operating data for the system, while dynamic adjustments during the cycle phase improve resource efficiency. Finally, fine-tuning during the warming phase achieves precise and stable temperature throughout the entire compartment. This approach resolves the energy efficiency conflicts caused by the simultaneous operation of multiple modules during the refrigerator's startup phase, balancing rapid response with long-term operational reliability.

[0090] In a specific embodiment, when the ice making function is not turned on during the power-on phase, refrigeration coordination is also achieved through the following three stages:

[0091] Timing stage: During the timing stage, the refrigerator compartment is cooled for 7 minutes, the ice making compartment is cooled for 5 minutes, the variable temperature room is cooled for 6 minutes, and the freezer compartment is cooled for 8 minutes. The purpose of this stage is to ensure that all refrigeration components can operate normally.

[0092] Cycle phase: After entering the cycle mode, the system cycles in the order of refrigeration (t1) and variable temperature cooling (t2). The refrigerator compartment is prioritized, and its refrigeration cycle starts first and repeats. The cycle continues until the refrigerator compartment temperature reaches the preset stop point.

[0093] Warming stage: After the cycle is completed, the system is regulated by the first switching valve with the priority of refrigeration > variable temperature > freezing, adjusting the refrigeration flow until the temperature of all compartments is stabilized at their respective shutdown points, ensuring that the temperature in each area is uniform and meets the standard.

[0094] This phased control strategy prioritizes refrigeration and ice-making requirements by coordinating priorities with cycle duration, avoiding temperature fluctuations caused by competition for cooling resources during the initial power-up phase. Initial allocation during the timing phase provides basic operating data for the system, while dynamic adjustments during the cycle phase improve resource efficiency. Finally, fine-tuning during the warming phase achieves precise and stable temperature throughout the entire compartment. This approach resolves the energy efficiency conflicts caused by the simultaneous operation of multiple modules during the refrigerator's startup phase, balancing rapid response with long-term operational reliability.

[0095] It should be noted that the terms used above are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present invention. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0096] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of the parts and steps, the numerical expressions and the numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention. At the same time, it should be understood that, for ease of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship. The techniques, methods and equipment known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the techniques, methods and equipment should be considered as part of the authorization specification. In all examples shown and discussed here, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as being merely exemplary and not as limiting. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar numbers and letters represent similar items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0097] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the directions or positional relationships indicated by directional words such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, perpendicular, horizontal" and "top, bottom" are usually based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise specified, these directional words do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction or be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention; the directional words "inside and outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0098] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature to other devices or features as shown in the figures. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figures. For example, if the device in the drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "below other devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used here are interpreted accordingly.

[0099] In addition, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to limit components is only for the convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components. Unless otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0100] The foregoing description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and variations of the present invention are possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention are intended to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, characterized in that: The invention comprises a box body, a plurality of compartments arranged in the box body, and a refrigeration assembly for cooling the compartments, wherein the plurality of compartments include an ice-making compartment, and the refrigeration assembly is provided with a first ice-making evaporator for cooling the ice-making compartment.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein The refrigeration assembly includes: a compressor, a condenser and a first switching valve circulated and connected through a refrigerant pipeline, a capillary tube connected to each outlet of the first switching valve and corresponding to each compartment, and a plurality of evaporators corresponding to the plurality of compartments. When the compartment is turned on for cooling, the first switching valve is connected to the outlet corresponding to the evaporator of the compartment.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein: The plurality of compartments include a freezing compartment, and the refrigerant pipes on the outlet side of the evaporators of the other compartments are connected to the refrigerant pipes on the inlet side of the freezing evaporator corresponding to the freezing compartment.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein The refrigeration assembly further includes a second ice-making evaporator that utilizes the residual cold of the freezing evaporator to cool the ice-making chamber.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein: The refrigerant pipe on the outlet side of the freezing evaporator is connected to a gas-liquid separator, the gas outlet side of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the suction side of the compressor through a refrigerant pipe, and the liquid outlet side of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the second ice-making evaporator and the suction side of the compressor in sequence through a refrigerant pipe.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein: The refrigerant pipe on the outlet side of the freezing evaporator is connected to a second switching valve, the first outlet side of the second switching valve is connected to the suction side of the compressor through a refrigerant pipe, and the second outlet side is connected to the second ice-making evaporator and the suction side of the compressor in sequence through a refrigerant pipe. When the refrigerant temperature on the inlet side of the second switching valve is lower than the set temperature of the ice-making chamber and the difference between the two is greater than the preset difference, the second outlet side is switched to be connected, otherwise the first outlet side is connected.

7. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that: The second ice-making evaporator is a refrigeration coil, which is arranged at the bottom of the ice-making chamber. The bottom of the ice-making chamber is provided with a heat conduction plate covering the ice-making evaporator and used for carrying ice cubes.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein The ice-making chamber is provided with a reversible ice-making mold and a water injection assembly for injecting water into the ice-making mold.

9. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The multiple compartments include: a freezing chamber, an ice making chamber, a temperature changing chamber, and a refrigeration chamber.

10. A refrigerator control method, characterized in that: Using the refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 9 comprises the steps of: The ice making function is turned on and enters the water filling waiting stage. When the temperature of the ice making chamber is detected to drop to the set ice making temperature for the mth time, water is poured into the ice making mold. The water filling time is the preset time t b1 ; Entering the ice making waiting stage, when the ice making waiting time is longer than the preset time t b2， When it is detected that the temperature of the ice cubes in the ice making mold is lower than the preset temperature Tb and the ice making chamber is lowered to the set temperature, the ice making waiting stage is exited; m≥2。 11. The control method according to claim 10, wherein: After exiting the ice making waiting stage, entering the ice-removing stage, flipping the ice-making mold and resetting it, re-entering the water injection waiting stage to circulate ice making until the ice making function is turned off, the water storage box of the water injection component is out of water, or the ice cubes in the ice making chamber reach a preset height, the cycle stops.

12. The control method according to claim 10, wherein: During the normal start-stop refrigeration process of the refrigerator, the refrigeration priorities of the various compartments of the refrigerator are refrigeration refrigeration, variable temperature refrigeration and freezing refrigeration from high to low. When the ice making function is turned on, ice making refrigeration is inserted between refrigeration refrigeration and variable temperature refrigeration.

13. The control method according to claim 10, wherein: When the ice making function is turned on during the power-on phase, the power-on phase of the refrigerator includes: During the timing phase, each compartment is turned on in turn according to the preset cooling priority, and each compartment is turned on for a corresponding length of time; During the cycle phase, the refrigeration is turned on for a preset time of t1; then the ice making refrigeration is turned on for a preset time of t2; then the variable temperature refrigeration is turned on for a preset time of t3, and then the cycle is returned to the refrigeration for a preset time of t1 until the temperature of the refrigeration chamber reaches the corresponding stop point temperature, and the cycle stops when either the variable temperature chamber or the ice making chamber reaches the corresponding stop point temperature; During the warming stage, the first switching valve is controlled to switch according to the priority of refrigeration > ice making refrigeration > variable temperature refrigeration > freezing refrigeration until each compartment reaches the corresponding shutdown point temperature.

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