Water shortage detection method and apparatus, ice maker and product

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of smart home appliances. Disclosed are a water shortage detection method and apparatus, an ice maker and a product. The method comprises: acquiring a target duty ratio corresponding to a target ice maker, the target duty ratio referring to the maximum duty ratio of a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal for control of a water pump in the target ice maker when outflow water of the water pump fails to reach a target detection probe; after the target ice maker starts ice making, and by means of a target PWM signal the duty ratio of which gradually decreases and is not less than the target duty ratio, controlling the water pump to pump water to an ice making tank in the target ice maker, and collecting a voltage value between a reference conductive member and the target detection probe, the reference conductive member being arranged at a water outlet hole of the water pump; and if the voltage value is not less than a voltage threshold, determining that the target ice maker is short of water. The present application can effectively detect water shortage in the ice maker.

Description

Water shortage detection methods, devices, ice makers and products Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of smart home appliance technology, specifically to a water shortage detection method, device, ice maker, and product. Background Technology

[0002] Ice makers are becoming increasingly common in daily life. When the water level in an ice maker is low, the water pump may not draw enough water into the ice-making tank to fill it completely. This results in the ice not forming properly and having inconsistent shapes. Therefore, accurately detecting water shortages in ice makers is a crucial technical problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, embodiments of this application propose a water shortage detection method, device, ice maker, and product to solve the problem of accurately detecting water shortage in ice makers in related technologies.

[0004] The embodiments of this application are implemented using the following technical solutions:

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a water shortage detection method, comprising: acquiring a target duty cycle corresponding to a target ice maker; the target duty cycle refers to the maximum duty cycle of the pulse width modulation (PWM) signal used to control the water pump when the water outlet of the water pump in the target ice maker cannot reach the target detection probe; after the target ice maker starts making ice, controlling the water pump to pump water into the ice-making tank in the target ice maker through a target PWM signal with a gradually decreasing duty cycle and a duty cycle not less than the target duty cycle, and collecting the voltage value between a reference conductive element and the target detection probe; the reference conductive element is located at the water outlet of the water pump; if the voltage value is not less than a voltage threshold, it is determined that the target ice maker is short of water.

[0006] In some embodiments, after the target ice maker starts making ice, controlling the water pump to pump water into the ice-making tank of the target ice maker using a target PWM signal with a gradually decreasing duty cycle and a duty cycle not less than the target duty cycle, and collecting the voltage value between the reference conductive element and the target detection probe, includes:

[0007] In the i-th water pumping stage after the target ice maker starts making ice, the water pump is controlled to pump water to the ice-making tank by a target PWM signal with a duty cycle equal to the i-th duty cycle; the i-th duty cycle is not less than the target duty cycle; i is a positive integer and i∈[1,N], N is an integer greater than 1; when i is greater than 1, the i-th duty cycle is less than the (i-1)-th duty cycle used in the (i-1)-th water pumping stage; when i=N, the i-th duty cycle is equal to the target duty cycle;

[0008] During the i-th pumping stage, the voltage value between the reference conductive element and the target detection probe is detected;

[0009] If the voltage value detected in the i-th pumping stage is less than the voltage threshold and i is less than N, after the i-th pumping stage ends, i is incremented by 1, and the process returns to the step of controlling the water pump to pump water to the ice-making tank through the target PWM signal with a duty cycle equal to the i-th duty cycle in the i-th pumping stage after the target ice maker starts making ice.

[0010] In some embodiments, when i is greater than 1, the duration of the i-th pumping stage is less than or equal to the duration of the (i-1)-th pumping stage.

[0011] In some embodiments, when i is greater than 1, the i-th duty cycle is equal to the difference between the (i-1)-th duty cycle and a preset duty cycle reduction amount; the duty cycle reduction amount is β.

[0012] Where p1 is the maximum baseline duty cycle and p2 is the target duty cycle; when i = 1, the i-th duty cycle is equal to the maximum baseline duty cycle.

[0013] In some embodiments, when i is greater than 1, the i-th duty cycle is equal to the duty cycle obtained by attenuating the (i-1)-th duty cycle according to a preset attenuation ratio; the attenuation ratio is α.

[0014] Where p1 is the maximum baseline duty cycle and p2 is the target duty cycle; when i = 1, the i-th duty cycle is equal to the maximum baseline duty cycle.

[0015] In some embodiments, when i = 1, the i-th duty cycle is equal to 100%.

[0016] In some embodiments, the target duty cycle is read from the memory of the target ice maker; the method further includes:

[0017] A test PWM signal with a duty cycle that decays in a stepwise manner from its maximum value is used to control the water pump in the target ice maker to pump water, and the duty cycle of the test PWM signal at multiple time points is recorded to obtain duty cycle data.

[0018] During the process of controlling the water pump using the test PWM signal, the test voltage value between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe is periodically collected according to the preset acquisition interval to obtain voltage acquisition data;

[0019] Based on the voltage acquisition data, determine the first target acquisition time period in which all test voltage values ​​are lower than the voltage threshold;

[0020] Based on the duty cycle data, the target duty cycle of the test PWM signal at each time point in the target acquisition period is determined;

[0021] Write the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker into the memory of the target ice maker.

[0022] In some embodiments, determining the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker based on the duty cycle of the test PWM signal at each time point in the target acquisition period in the duty cycle data includes:

[0023] The maximum duty cycle of the test PWM signal at multiple time points during the target acquisition period is taken as the target duty cycle of the target ice maker.

[0024] Alternatively, the duty cycle of the test PWM signal at multiple time points during the target acquisition period can be averaged, and the calculated average can be used as the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker.

[0025] In some embodiments, where N = 3, the second duty cycle is read from the memory of the target ice maker; the method further includes:

[0026] Receive a write request; the write request includes a second duty cycle determined for the target ice maker; the second duty cycle is determined based on the average critical duty cycle; the average critical duty cycle is calculated by averaging the target duty cycles corresponding to multiple ice makers;

[0027] In response to the write request, the second duty cycle is written to the memory.

[0028] In some embodiments, obtaining the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker includes:

[0029] Obtain the target distance between the water outlet of the water pump in the target ice maker and the target detection probe;

[0030] Obtain the target duty cycle corresponding to the target distance, and use it as the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker.

[0031] In some embodiments, the method further includes: obtaining the water level in the water tank of the target ice maker;

[0032] The acquisition of the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker includes:

[0033] If the water level in the tank is lower than the reference water level, obtain the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker.

[0034] In some embodiments, after obtaining the water level in the water tank of the target ice maker, the method further includes:

[0035] If the water level in the water tank is not lower than the reference water level, after the target ice maker starts making ice, the water pump is controlled to pump water into the ice-making tank of the target ice maker according to the target PWM signal with a duty cycle equal to the maximum reference duty cycle; the maximum reference duty cycle is greater than the target duty cycle.

[0036] In some embodiments, after determining that the target ice maker is short of water if the voltage value is not less than a voltage threshold, the method further includes at least one of the following:

[0037] Provide water shortage alerts;

[0038] Open the channel between the target ice maker and the external water source, and let the external water source replenish the target ice maker with water.

[0039] Secondly, this application provides an ice maker, comprising: a processor; and a memory storing computer instructions, which, when executed by the processor, implement the aforementioned method.

[0040] Thirdly, this application provides a computer program product, including computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the above-described method.

[0041] In this application, a target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker is introduced. Since the target duty cycle refers to the maximum duty cycle of the pulse width modulation (PWM) signal used to control the water pump when the water pump in the target ice maker cannot reach the target detection probe, in other words, if the duty cycle of the PWM signal controlling the water pump in the target ice maker is greater than the target duty cycle, the pump head can ensure that the water pumped by the pump reaches the target detection probe. Therefore, after the target ice maker starts making ice, a target PWM signal with a gradually decreasing duty cycle and a duty cycle not less than the target duty cycle controls the water pump to pump water into the ice-making tank of the target ice maker. If the voltage value between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe is less than the voltage threshold, since the duty cycle of the target PWM signal is not less than the target duty cycle, it can be determined that the target ice maker is short of water, rather than the water pump's output not reaching the target detection probe due to a small pump head. This avoids misidentifying the situation where the water pump's output cannot reach the target detection probe due to a small pump head as a lack of water in the ice maker, thus improving the accuracy of water shortage detection in the ice maker and effectively detecting water shortage in the ice maker, effectively reducing the occurrence of incomplete ice formation.

[0042] Furthermore, in this application, a target PWM signal with a gradually decreasing duty cycle and a duty cycle not less than the target duty cycle is used to control the water pump to pump water into the ice-making tank of the target ice maker. In the early stage, a target PWM signal with a large duty cycle is used to control the water pump to pump water, which minimizes the time required to fill the ice-making tank with water and reduces the time required for ice making due to water shortage.

[0043] These or other aspects of this application will become more apparent in the following description of the embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0044] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0045] Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating a water shortage detection method according to an embodiment of this application.

[0046] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating step 120 in one embodiment of this application.

[0047] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the steps preceding step 110 in an embodiment of this application.

[0048] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the steps preceding step 120 in one embodiment of this application.

[0049] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a water shortage detection method according to another embodiment of this application.

[0050] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a water shortage detection method according to another embodiment of this application.

[0051] Figure 7 is a block diagram of a water shortage detection device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0052] Figure 8 is a block diagram of an ice maker provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0053] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0054] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments of the present application, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0055] In the following description, the terms "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish similar objects and do not represent a specific ordering of objects. It is understood that "first" and "second" may be interchanged in a specific order or sequence where permitted, so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein.

[0056] In this document, "multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following associated objects are in an "or" relationship. In the following description, references to "some embodiments or some embodiment methods" describe a subset of all possible embodiments. However, it is understood that "some embodiments" can be the same subset or different subsets of all possible embodiments and can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0057] Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating a water shortage detection method according to an embodiment of this application. The method of this application can be performed by a target ice maker. As shown in Figure 1, the method includes steps 110-130:

[0058] Step 110: Obtain the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker; the target duty cycle refers to the maximum duty cycle of the pulse width modulation (PWM) signal used to control the water pump when the water pump in the target ice maker cannot reach the target detection probe.

[0059] The target ice maker refers to the ice maker currently undergoing water shortage testing. Any ice maker requiring water shortage testing can be considered the target ice maker in this application.

[0060] The target ice-making system includes a water pump and an ice-making tank. The water pump draws water into the ice-making tank for ice making. The power of the water pump can be adjusted using a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal.

[0061] The duty cycle of a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal refers to the proportion of the high-level time of the PWM signal to the entire cycle time. In other words, the larger the duty cycle of the PWM signal, the higher the power of the water pump; conversely, the smaller the duty cycle of the PWM signal, the lower the power of the water pump.

[0062] The power of a water pump directly affects its head, which refers to the net increase in energy gained per unit weight of liquid passing through the pump. Simply put, the pump head reflects the height the pump can lift water. Specifically, a higher duty cycle in the PWM signal results in higher pump power and a greater head; conversely, a lower duty cycle in the PWM signal results in lower pump power and a smaller head.

[0063] The target detection probe can be positioned in the water passage between the water pump's outlet and the ice-making tank. This means that if the water pump has sufficient power, the water pumped out of the outlet will flow past the target detection probe; in other words, the water from the pump will reach the target detection probe. To more accurately detect water shortages, the target detection probe can be positioned closer to the water pump's outlet. For example, the distance between the target detection probe and the water pump's outlet can be set to be less than a first distance threshold. This avoids the accuracy of water shortage detection being affected by an excessively large distance between the target detection probe and the outlet.

[0064] As the analysis above shows, the higher the power of the water pump, the greater the pump head, the higher the energy (kinetic energy) of the water pumped out, and the higher the probability that the water pumped out will flow through the target detection probe; conversely, the lower the power of the water pump, the smaller the pump head, the lower the energy (kinetic energy) of the water pumped out, and the lower the probability that the water pumped out will flow through the target detection probe.

[0065] The target duty cycle refers to the maximum duty cycle of the pulse width modulation (PWM) signal used to control the water pump so that the water output from the pump in the target ice maker cannot reach the target detection probe. Therefore, it can be determined that if the duty cycle of the PWM signal controlling the water pump is less than the target duty cycle, the kinetic energy of the pumped water is less than that of the water pumped when the duty cycle is equal to the target duty cycle. Therefore, the water output from the pump (i.e., the water pumped out) will also not reach the target detection probe (i.e., it will not flow through the target detection probe). Conversely, if the duty cycle of the PWM signal controlling the water pump is greater than the target duty cycle, the kinetic energy of the pumped water exceeds that of the water pumped when the duty cycle is equal to the target duty cycle. Therefore, the water output from the pump may reach the target detection probe in this case.

[0066] In some embodiments, the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker can be read from the memory of the target ice maker. Correspondingly, the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker needs to be written into the memory of the target ice maker in advance.

[0067] In other embodiments, the target ice maker can communicate with other devices via wired or wireless networks, such as user terminal devices, cloud servers, or gateway devices. The target ice maker can send duty cycle requests to other devices, and the other devices can respond to the duty cycle requests by returning the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker.

[0068] Step 120: After the target ice maker starts making ice, the water pump is controlled to pump water into the ice-making tank of the target ice maker by a target PWM signal with a gradually decreasing duty cycle and a duty cycle not less than the target duty cycle, and the voltage value between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe is collected; the reference conductive component is located at the water outlet of the water pump.

[0069] For ease of distinction, the PWM signal used to control the water pump in the target ice maker during the ice-making process is called the target PWM signal. It can be understood that when the target ice maker first starts making ice, the duty cycle of the target PWM signal exceeds the target duty cycle; subsequently, as the ice-making process progresses, the duty cycle of the target PWM signal gradually decreases.

[0070] In some embodiments, a maximum reference duty cycle of the target PWM signal can be set. This maximum reference duty cycle refers to the duty cycle of the target PWM signal used when the target ice maker first starts making ice. This maximum reference duty cycle is greater than the target duty cycle. For example, the maximum reference duty cycle can be set to the maximum duty cycle value, i.e., 100%. Of course, it can be other values, such as 99%, 98%, 95%, 90%, etc.

[0071] In some embodiments, the total number of pumping stages involved in a single ice-making process can be set, and the total number of pumping stages is greater than one. In one pumping stage, a target PWM signal with a constant duty cycle is used to control the water pump. Different pumping stages use different duty cycles for the target PWM signal. The total number of pumping stages can be set according to actual needs, for example, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. For example, if the total number of pumping stages is 2, then in the first pumping stage, a target PWM signal with a duty cycle equal to the maximum reference duty cycle is used to control the water pump. In the second pumping stage, a target PWM signal with a duty cycle less than the maximum reference duty cycle but not less than the target duty cycle is used to control the water pump; for example, a target PWM signal with a duty cycle equal to the target duty cycle can be used to control the water pump.

[0072] Furthermore, in addition to setting the total number of pumping stages involved in a single ice-making process, the duration of each pumping stage can also be set. The duration of a pumping stage can be understood as the duration for which the water pump is controlled using the same duty cycle. The durations set for different pumping stages can be the same or different. In some embodiments, the duration of earlier pumping stages can be set to be longer, and the duration of later pumping stages to be shorter. This allows for a longer duration of water pump control using a larger duty cycle, thus avoiding a longer overall time required to fill the ice tank with water.

[0073] In some embodiments, a minimum reference duty cycle can be determined for the target ice maker based on the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker. The minimum reference duty cycle refers to the duty cycle of the target PWM signal used in the last pumping stage of an ice-making process. The minimum reference duty cycle is not less than the target duty cycle. For example, the target duty cycle can be used as the minimum reference duty cycle, or the sum of the target duty cycle and the set duty cycle increment can be used as the minimum reference duty cycle.

[0074] In some embodiments, the continuous operating time corresponding to a single duty cycle can be preset. That is, after the water pump is controlled by a target PWM signal with a duty cycle of A for the preset continuous operating time, A is reduced to obtain a duty cycle of B. Then, a target PWM signal with a duty cycle equal to B is used to control the water pump to operate, and so on. The continuous operating time set for different duty cycles can be the same or different. The sum of the continuous operating times corresponding to multiple duty cycles set does not exceed the total time of one ice-making cycle.

[0075] In some embodiments, the duty cycle of the target PWM signal can be gradually attenuated according to a preset attenuation ratio. This attenuation ratio can be set according to actual needs, such as 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, etc. Continuing the example above, after the water pump is controlled by a target PWM signal with a duty cycle of A for a set continuous operating time, A is reduced according to the attenuation ratio, resulting in a duty cycle of B. Then, a target PWM signal with a duty cycle equal to B is used to control the water pump, and so on. The attenuation ratio is the percentage reduction in the duty cycle used in the later pumping stage compared to the previous pumping stage.

[0076] In some embodiments, the attenuation ratio between two adjacent pumping stages can be determined based on the maximum reference duty cycle, the total number of pumping stages, and the minimum reference duty cycle determined above. For example, the attenuation ratio can be determined using the following formula: p1*(1-α) N-1 =p2; (Formula 1)

[0077] Where p1 is the maximum reference duty cycle; N is the total number of pumping stages, where N is an integer greater than 1; α is the attenuation ratio; and p2 is the minimum reference duty cycle.

[0078] In some embodiments, the duty cycle reduction between two adjacent pumping stages can be determined based on the maximum baseline duty cycle, the total number of pumping stages, and the minimum baseline duty cycle determined above. Then, after the previous pumping stage ends, the duty cycle used in the previous pumping stage is reduced by the duty cycle reduction amount to obtain the duty cycle for the next pumping stage. For example, the duty cycle reduction between two adjacent pumping stages can be determined using the following formula: p1-(N-1)β=p2; (Formula 2)

[0079] Where p1 is the maximum baseline duty cycle; N is the total number of pumping stages, where N is an integer greater than 1; β is the decrease in duty cycle between two adjacent pumping stages; and p2 is the minimum baseline duty cycle.

[0080] In some embodiments, the duty cycle corresponding to each pumping stage can be pre-stored, and then the target PWM signal with the corresponding duty cycle can be used to control the water pump in the corresponding pumping stage.

[0081] In this application, the reference conductive element is made of a conductive material, such as a metallic material. In addition, the target detection probe is also conductive, and the target detection probe is spaced apart from the reference conductive element.

[0082] Because water is conductive, if water flows from the pump's outlet through the target detection probe (i.e., the water first flows through the reference conductive element and then through the target detection probe), a conductive path is formed between the reference conductive element and the target detection probe, resulting in a relatively low voltage between them. Conversely, if the water from the pump cannot reach the target detection probe, a conductive path cannot be formed between the reference conductive element and the target detection probe, effectively creating an open circuit. In this case, a relatively high voltage is generated between them.

[0083] Therefore, based on this principle, this application detects whether there is a water shortage in the target ice maker by collecting the voltage value between the reference conductive element and the target detection probe during the operation of the water pump. In some embodiments, the reference conductive element may be a screw fixedly installed at the water outlet of the water pump.

[0084] In some embodiments, the voltage value between the reference conductive element and the target detection probe can be periodically collected during the operation of the water pump according to a set target acquisition interval. The target acquisition interval is less than the duration of one pumping phase; for example, if the duration of one pumping phase is 7 seconds, the target acquisition interval can be 100 ms. Of course, the specific target acquisition interval can be set according to actual needs and is not specifically limited here.

[0085] In some embodiments, the voltage value between the acquired reference conductive element and the target detection probe can be the value after being converted into a digital signal, also known as the voltage AD value.

[0086] In some embodiments, multiple voltage values ​​collected during the control of the water pump using the same duty cycle can be averaged using a floating average method to calculate the average value of the multiple voltage values ​​collected under the same duty cycle. The obtained average value is used as the voltage value corresponding to that duty cycle. In this way, it can be determined whether the target ice maker is short of water based on the voltage value under that duty cycle.

[0087] Step 130: If the voltage value is not less than the voltage threshold, it is determined that the target ice maker is short of water.

[0088] As described above, if the voltage between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe is not less than the voltage threshold, it is considered an open circuit between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe, indicating that the water pump's outlet water does not reach the target detection probe. Conversely, if the voltage between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe is less than the voltage threshold, it is considered that the reference conductive component and the target detection probe form a conductive path, and the water pump's outlet water reaches the target detection probe. The set voltage threshold is simply the critical voltage value corresponding to when the water pump's outlet water reaches or does not reach the target detection probe; no specific limitation is made here.

[0089] For example, if the voltage value between the reference conductive element and the target detection probe is represented by a 12-bit binary number, then the theoretical maximum value of this voltage is 4095. However, in practice, considering the influence of water quality, the critical voltage value between the reference conductive element and the target detection probe varies when water of different qualities flows through them. Based on this consideration, the voltage threshold can be set to a value less than 4095, such as 4000 or 3600.

[0090] For ice makers, there are two main reasons why the water pump cannot reach the target detection probe (i.e., the voltage between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe is less than the voltage threshold): First, there is a lack of water in the ice maker, such as a low water level in the water tank, resulting in the pump drawing out little water or almost no water. In this case, no matter how high the pump's head is, the water pump's output cannot reach the target detection probe. Second, there is enough water in the ice maker, but the pump's operating power is low, the pump's head is small, and the kinetic energy of the water pumped out is small, resulting in the water pump's output not reaching the target detection probe.

[0091] Obviously, it is inaccurate to identify a lack of water in the ice maker as a result of the voltage value between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe being less than the voltage threshold due to the second situation mentioned above.

[0092] In this application, a target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker is introduced. Since the target duty cycle refers to the maximum duty cycle of the pulse width modulation (PWM) signal used to control the water pump when the water pump in the target ice maker cannot reach the target detection probe, in other words, if the duty cycle of the PWM signal controlling the water pump in the target ice maker is greater than the target duty cycle, the pump head can ensure that the water pumped by the pump reaches the target detection probe. Therefore, after the target ice maker starts making ice, a target PWM signal with a gradually decreasing duty cycle and a duty cycle not less than the target duty cycle controls the water pump to pump water into the ice-making tank of the target ice maker. If the voltage value between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe is less than the voltage threshold, since the duty cycle of the target PWM signal is not less than the target duty cycle, it can be determined that the target ice maker is short of water, rather than the water pump's head being too small to reach the target detection probe. This avoids misidentifying the ice maker as short of water due to the water pump's head being too small, thus improving the accuracy of water shortage detection in the ice maker and effectively detecting water shortage in the ice maker, effectively reducing the occurrence of incomplete ice formation such as "fingernail ice".

[0093] Furthermore, in this application, a target PWM signal with a gradually decreasing duty cycle and a duty cycle not less than the target duty cycle is used to control the water pump to pump water into the ice-making tank of the target ice maker. In the early stage, a target PWM signal with a large duty cycle is used to control the water pump to pump water, which minimizes the time required to fill the ice-making tank with water and reduces the time required for ice making due to water shortage.

[0094] In some embodiments, after step 130, the method further includes at least one of the following: providing a water shortage warning; opening the channel between the target ice maker and an external water source, so that the external water source can replenish the target ice maker with water.

[0095] The water shortage alert can be provided via voice alarm, a display screen on the target ice maker, or by illuminating a water shortage indicator light. This alert prompts the user to add water to the ice maker's water tank promptly, reducing the formation of incomplete ice crystals like "nail-shaped ice" and minimizing wasted ice-making capacity.

[0096] After opening the channel between the target ice maker and the external water source, the external water source can replenish the target ice maker with water, enabling timely replenishment of water when the main water tank in the target ice maker is low. The external water source can be an auxiliary water tank installed in the target ice maker; in other embodiments, it can also be other water sources connected to the target ice maker externally, without specific limitations here.

[0097] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG2, step 120 includes the following steps 210-250:

[0098] Step 210: In the i-th water pumping stage after the target ice maker starts making ice, the water pump is controlled to pump water to the ice-making tank through the target PWM signal with a duty cycle equal to the i-th duty cycle; the i-th duty cycle is not less than the target duty cycle; i is a positive integer and i∈[1,N]; when i is greater than 1, the i-th duty cycle is less than the i-1-th duty cycle used in the (i-1)-th water pumping stage; when i=N, the i-th duty cycle is equal to the target duty cycle.

[0099] Where N is an integer greater than 1, and N can be set according to actual needs, such as N being 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. As described above, when i = 1, the first duty cycle can be the maximum base duty cycle. When i is greater than 1, the i-th duty cycle is less than the (i-1)-th duty cycle used in the (i-1)-th pumping stage, thus ensuring that the duty cycle used in the previous pumping stage is greater than the duty cycle used in the next pumping stage.

[0100] As described above, the duration of each pumping stage can be preset. Therefore, in the i-th pumping stage, the water pump is controlled to work continuously for the duration corresponding to the i-th pumping stage according to the target PWM signal with a duty cycle equal to the i-th duty cycle. In the i-th pumping stage, the duty cycle of the target PWM signal used is always the i-th duty cycle.

[0101] In some embodiments, the duty cycle corresponding to each pumping stage can be stored in the memory of the target ice maker. In this way, during the ice-making process of the target ice maker, the duty cycle corresponding to the current pumping stage can be read from the memory of the target ice maker according to the current pumping stage.

[0102] In addition, as described above, the required duty cycle for the current pumping stage can be calculated in real time based on the maximum baseline duty cycle, the target duty cycle, and the current pumping stage number (e.g., the number of the i-th pumping stage is i), according to the set attenuation ratio corresponding to the two adjacent pumping stages, or the duty cycle reduction amount corresponding to the two adjacent pumping stages.

[0103] Step 220: In the i-th pumping stage, the voltage value between the reference conductive element and the target detection probe is detected.

[0104] In the i-th pumping stage, the voltage value between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe can be periodically collected according to the set target collection interval, and each collected voltage value can be compared with the voltage threshold.

[0105] Step 230: Determine whether the voltage value detected in the i-th pumping stage is less than the voltage threshold; if yes, proceed to step 240; if no, determine that the target ice maker is short of water.

[0106] Step 240: Determine if i is less than N; if i is less than N, proceed to step 250; if i = N, after the i-th pumping stage, proceed to the refrigeration process, that is, turn the water in the ice-making tank into ice.

[0107] Step 250: After the i-th pumping stage ends, increment i by 1 and return to step 210.

[0108] If i is less than N, it means that the water pumping process for ice making has not yet ended. Therefore, i is incremented by 1 to enter the next water pumping stage.

[0109] In this embodiment, an ice-making process is pre-divided into multiple pumping stages. In each pumping stage, a duty cycle is used to control the water pump, ensuring that the duty cycle used in the previous pumping stage is greater than the duty cycle used in the next stage, and that neither is less than the target duty cycle. This achieves the orderly reduction of the duty cycle of the target PWM signal during an ice-making process.

[0110] In some embodiments, the target duty cycle is read from the memory of the target ice maker; as shown in FIG3, before step 110, the method further includes the following steps 310-350:

[0111] Step 310: Using a test PWM signal with a duty cycle that decays in a stepwise manner from its maximum value, control the water pump in the target ice maker to pump water, and record the duty cycle of the test PWM signal at multiple time points to obtain duty cycle data.

[0112] The water level in the target ice maker refers to the water level in the tank connected to the water pump. For ease of distinction, the PWM signal used to control the water pump in the target ice maker during the testing phase will be called the test PWM signal. The maximum duty cycle can be 100%. Since the main purpose of this embodiment is to find the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker, in this embodiment, when controlling the water pump using the test PWM signal, it is not necessary to turn on the refrigeration unit in the target ice maker to cool the water in the ice tank. Of course, when controlling the water pump using the test PWM signal, the refrigeration unit in the target ice maker can be turned on to cool the water in the ice tank to test the performance of the refrigeration unit or other structures in the target ice maker.

[0113] The step decay of the duty cycle of the test PWM signal can be similar to the gradual reduction process performed in step 110 above.

[0114] In some embodiments, the duration of each pumping stage can be set, and the duty cycle decay ratio for adjacent pumping stages can be set. Thus, when the end time of the previous pumping stage is reached, the duty cycle of the next pumping stage is obtained by decaying the duty cycle used in the previous stage according to the set duty cycle decay ratio. The duty cycle decay ratio for different adjacent pumping stages can be the same or different. For example, in earlier pumping stages, the duty cycle decay ratio for adjacent pumping stages can be set to be larger, while in later pumping stages, the duty cycle decay ratio for adjacent pumping stages can be set to be smaller.

[0115] In some embodiments, the duration of each pumping stage can be set, and the duty cycle reduction amount for adjacent pumping stages can be set. Thus, when the end time of the previous pumping stage is reached, the duty cycle can be reduced by the set reduction amount based on the duty cycle used in the previous pumping stage to obtain the duty cycle for the next pumping stage. The reduction amount for the duty cycle for different adjacent pumping stages can be the same or different. For example, in earlier pumping stages, the reduction amount for the duty cycle between adjacent pumping stages can be set to be larger, while in later pumping stages, the reduction amount can be set to be smaller.

[0116] Duty cycle data includes the duty cycle of the test PWM signal at multiple time points. In some embodiments, considering that one duty cycle is used for one pumping phase, the duty cycle of the test PWM signal can be recorded on a phase-by-phase basis, with multiple time points within the same pumping phase sharing the same duty cycle.

[0117] Step 320: During the process of controlling the water pump using the test PWM signal, the test voltage value between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe is periodically collected according to the preset acquisition interval to obtain voltage acquisition data.

[0118] For ease of distinction, the voltage value between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe, acquired during the process of controlling the water pump using the test PWM signal, is referred to as the test voltage value. The voltage acquisition data includes test voltage values ​​at multiple time points across multiple pumping stages. The acquisition interval can be set according to actual needs; for example, it can be the same as or different from the target acquisition interval mentioned above, and no specific limitation is made here.

[0119] It is understandable that, during the process of controlling the water pump in the target ice maker to pump water using a test PWM signal with a duty cycle that gradually decays from its maximum value, the conduction state between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe will theoretically sequentially experience three states: full conduction, probabilistic non-conductivity, and complete non-conductivity. The full conduction state means that a conductive path is essentially formed between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe (i.e., the water pump's output can completely reach the target detection probe); from the perspective of the acquired test voltage values, in the full conduction state, multiple consecutively acquired test voltage values ​​are all less than the voltage threshold.

[0120] The state of probabilistic non-conductivity refers to the situation where a conductive path is formed between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe at some time points and an open circuit is formed at other time points (that is, the water pump can reach the target detection probe at some time points and cannot reach the target detection probe at other time points). From the perspective of the collected test voltage values, in the state of probabilistic non-conductivity, among the multiple test voltage values ​​collected continuously, some test voltage values ​​are less than the voltage threshold and some test voltage values ​​are not less than the voltage threshold.

[0121] A completely non-conductive state means that there is a complete open circuit between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe (i.e., the water pump cannot reach the target detection probe at all). From the perspective of the collected test voltage values, the multiple test voltage values ​​collected in succession are not less than the voltage threshold.

[0122] In some embodiments, when controlling the water pump in the target ice maker to pump water using a test PWM signal with a duty cycle that gradually decreases from its maximum value, the duty cycle can be decreased according to a first attenuation ratio before reaching a state of probabilistic non-conduction; after reaching the state of probabilistic non-conduction, it can be decreased according to a second attenuation ratio, wherein the first attenuation ratio is greater than the second attenuation ratio, for example, the first attenuation ratio is 10% and the second attenuation ratio is 5%. This allows for the use of smaller attenuation ratios in later pumping stages, making it easier to determine the target duty cycle more accurately. In some embodiments, the continuous working time at a certain duty cycle can be set to 10 seconds, but it is not limited to this.

[0123] In some embodiments, to avoid the water pump's output failing to reach the target detection probe when the duty cycle of the test PWM signal is at its maximum value (100%), thus leading to inaccurate determination of the target duty cycle, the PWM signal's duty cycle can be pre-tested at its maximum value (100%). The voltage value between the reference conductive element and the target detection probe can be collected. If this voltage value is determined to be less than a voltage threshold, it can be determined that the target ice maker is working normally. Then, the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker can be tested and determined according to steps 310-340.

[0124] Step 330: Based on the voltage acquisition data, determine the first target acquisition time period in which all test voltage values ​​are below the voltage threshold.

[0125] The target acquisition time period refers to the sub-time period within the time period covered by voltage acquisition data where, for the first time, the test voltage values ​​acquired at multiple consecutive time points are all lower than the voltage threshold.

[0126] Since the voltage acquisition data includes test voltage values ​​collected at multiple time points, the first sub-time period where the test voltage values ​​at multiple consecutive time points are all below the voltage threshold can be determined based on these values. This sub-time period is then used as the target acquisition time period. The duration of the target acquisition time period can be set according to actual needs; for example, it can be 1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds, etc., and its duration exceeds the acquisition interval. It can be understood that this first target acquisition time period can be considered as a relatively short time period after the state transitions from a probabilistically non-conductive state to a completely non-conductive state, as described above.

[0127] Step 340: Determine the target duty cycle of the target ice maker based on the duty cycle of the PWM signal tested at each time point during the target acquisition period in the duty cycle data.

[0128] Based on the determined target acquisition time period, the duty cycle of the test PWM signal at each time point within the target acquisition time period can be obtained from the duty cycle data.

[0129] In some embodiments, the maximum duty cycle among multiple time points of the test PWM signal during the target acquisition period can be used as the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker.

[0130] In other embodiments, the duty cycle of the test PWM signal at multiple time points during the target acquisition period can be averaged, and the calculated average value can be used as the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker.

[0131] Step 350: Write the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker into the memory of the target ice maker.

[0132] After writing the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker into the target ice maker's memory, it is convenient for the target ice maker to read the target duty cycle from the memory when it needs to make ice, so as to detect whether the target ice maker is short of water during the ice-making process.

[0133] In some embodiments, the memory may be a flash memory, which allows for subsequent updates of the target duty cycle stored in the flash memory as needed.

[0134] In some embodiments, the process of testing the target duty cycle of the target ice maker as described in steps 310-350 above can be performed before the target ice maker leaves the factory, and the determined target duty cycle is written to the target ice maker's memory. In other embodiments, the process of steps 310-350 above can also be performed after the target ice maker is sold to a consumer, whereby the consumer initiates a test to determine the target duty cycle of the target ice maker and writes the target duty cycle to the target ice maker's memory.

[0135] In this embodiment, the target duty cycle is determined by testing the target ice maker. This ensures the compatibility between the determined target duty cycle and the target ice maker, that is, it ensures that the target duty cycle can be accurately applied to the subsequent water shortage detection of the target ice maker, thus ensuring the accuracy of the subsequent water shortage detection and avoiding the situation where the target duty cycle corresponding to other ice makers is used to detect the water shortage of the target ice maker, resulting in low accuracy of water shortage detection.

[0136] In some embodiments, N=3, and the second duty cycle is read from the memory of the target ice maker; as shown in Figure 4, before step 120, the method further includes the following steps 410-420:

[0137] Step 410, receive a write request; the write request includes a second duty cycle determined for the target ice maker; the second duty cycle is determined based on the average critical duty cycle; the average critical duty cycle is calculated by averaging the target duty cycles corresponding to multiple ice makers.

[0138] The target duty cycle for multiple ice makers can be determined through testing using a process similar to that shown in Figure 3, which will not be elaborated upon here. The multiple ice makers may or may not include the current target ice maker. It is understood that the second duty cycle determined for the target ice maker is greater than the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker, and the second duty cycle determined for the target ice maker is less than the maximum baseline duty cycle.

[0139] In some embodiments, considering that the average critical duty cycle may be greater than or not greater than the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker, if the average critical duty cycle is greater than the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker, the average critical duty cycle can be used as the second duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker; if the average critical duty cycle is not greater than the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker, the increment between the average critical duty cycle and the specified duty cycle can be used as the second duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker.

[0140] Step 420: In response to the write request, the second duty cycle is written to the memory.

[0141] After the second duty cycle is written into the memory of the target ice maker, the second duty cycle can be read from the memory during the first pumping stage.

[0142] In some embodiments, for the target ice maker, the first duty cycle for the first pumping stage can be 100%.

[0143] In some embodiments, when N=3, the second duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker can also be determined based on the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker. For example, the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker can be added to a specified value to obtain the second duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker.

[0144] In some embodiments, the target ice maker may be provided with a backend interface for writing duty cycles. Through this backend interface, the target duty cycle and the second duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker mentioned above can be written into the memory of the target ice maker.

[0145] In some embodiments, if it is necessary to update any one of the second to Nth duty cycles corresponding to the target ice maker in the future, the new duty cycle can also be written into the memory of the target ice maker through this backend interface.

[0146] In some embodiments, step 110 includes: obtaining the target distance between the water outlet of the water pump in the target ice maker and the target detection probe; obtaining the target duty cycle corresponding to the target distance as the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker.

[0147] The target distance refers to the distance between the water outlet of the water pump in the target ice maker and the target detection probe. In some embodiments, the distance between the reference conductive element set at the water outlet of the water pump in the target ice maker and the target detection probe can also be approximated as the distance between the water outlet of the water pump and the target detection probe in the target ice maker.

[0148] For an ice maker, the greater the distance between the water pump's outlet and the target detection probe, the greater the pump's head required for the water to reach the probe, meaning a higher duty cycle is needed for the PWM signal controlling the pump. Therefore, based on this principle, target duty cycles applicable to various distances (distances between the water pump's outlet and the target detection probe in the ice maker) can be stored. Then, based on the target distance, the corresponding target duty cycle can be obtained as the target duty cycle for the target ice maker. For example, the target duty cycles for various distances (distances between the water pump's outlet and the target detection probe in the ice maker) can be stored on the target ice maker itself, or on a cloud server. The target ice maker can then request the target duty cycle from the cloud server based on the target distance.

[0149] If the target duty cycle of the target ice maker is not specifically tested according to the process shown in Figure 3 before leaving the factory, the target duty cycle determined by testing other ice makers, as well as the distance between the water outlet of the water pump in other ice makers and the corresponding target detection probe, can be associated and stored in the memory of the target ice maker. This will allow the target duty cycle applicable to the target ice maker to be determined even if the target duty cycle of the target ice maker has not been specifically tested and determined, by using the target duty cycle applicable to various distances (i.e., the distance between the water outlet of various water pumps and the corresponding target detection probe, and the associated stored target duty cycle).

[0150] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG5, the method further includes the following steps 510-520:

[0151] Step 510: Obtain the water level in the water tank of the target ice maker.

[0152] Step 520: Determine whether the water level in the water tank of the target ice maker is lower than the reference water level.

[0153] If the water level in the target ice maker's tank is not lower than the reference water level, it indicates that the target ice maker currently has enough water and will not run out of water in the short term. If the water level in the target ice maker's tank is lower than the reference water level, it indicates that the target ice maker currently has less water and is prone to running out of water in the short term.

[0154] In some embodiments, a float ball can be placed in the water tank of the target ice maker to detect the water level in the tank.

[0155] In this embodiment, if it is determined that the water level in the water tank of the target ice maker is lower than the reference water level, the water pump in the target ice maker is controlled to work according to the process shown in steps 110-130, and the water pump is detected to be short of water in the target ice maker during the operation.

[0156] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 5, if the water level in the water tank of the target ice maker is not lower than the reference water level, step 530 can be executed. After the target ice maker starts making ice, the water pump is controlled to pump water into the ice-making tank of the target ice maker according to the target PWM signal with a duty cycle equal to the maximum reference duty cycle; the maximum reference duty cycle is greater than the target duty cycle.

[0157] The maximum reference duty cycle can be 100%. This means that if the target ice maker already has a large amount of water, it's unnecessary to gradually decrease the duty cycle to detect water shortage. In this case, the water pump is controlled to draw water into the ice-making tank according to the target PWM signal with the maximum reference duty cycle. This improves pumping efficiency, shortens pumping time, and reduces overall ice-making time. Furthermore, since water shortage is unlikely in this scenario, and the water level in the target ice maker's tank is not lower than the reference water level, it's not necessary to collect the voltage value between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe after ice making is started.

[0158] If the water level in the target ice maker's water tank is lower than the reference water level, proceed with steps 110-130, which involves detecting whether there is a water shortage in the ice maker while making ice. This can help identify the water shortage in the target ice maker in a timely manner and reduce the occurrence of ice not forming in the ice trough.

[0159] In some implementations, two water pumps can be installed in the target ice maker, with different fixed heads (i.e., heads when the duty cycle of the PWM signal is 100%). These two pumps are referred to as the first pump and the second pump, respectively. The fixed head of the first pump is greater than that of the second pump. Furthermore, a target detection probe can be installed on the pipeline between the outlet of the second pump and the ice-making tank of the target ice maker, and a reference conductive element can be installed at the outlet of the second pump. No target detection probe is installed on the pipeline between the outlet of the first pump and the ice-making tank of the target ice maker. Based on this, if it is determined that the water level in the target ice maker's water tank is not lower than the reference water level before ice making is started, the first water pump can be controlled by a PWM signal with a 100% duty cycle to pump water into the ice-making tank for subsequent ice making; if it is determined that the water level in the target ice maker's water tank is lower than the reference water level before ice making is started, the second water pump can be used to pump water into the ice-making tank according to the method of this application, and the voltage value between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe can be collected to detect whether there is a water shortage in the target ice maker in real time.

[0160] The solution of this application will now be described with reference to a specific embodiment.

[0161] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a water shortage detection method according to an embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to any ice maker. As shown in Figure 6, after ice making is started, a water pumping process is first initiated, in which water in the water tank of the ice maker is pumped into the ice-making tank by a water pump in the ice maker. In this embodiment, N is 3, and the water pumping process includes the following steps 610-660:

[0162] Step 610: Pump water for 7 seconds using the first duty cycle. That is, the duration of the first pumping phase is 7 seconds. During the first pumping phase, the duty cycle of the PWM signal controlling the water pump is equal to the first duty cycle. The first duty cycle can be 100%.

[0163] Step 620: Determine whether the voltage value collected in the first pumping stage is less than the voltage threshold; if not, determine that there is a water shortage in the ice maker; if yes, proceed to step 630.

[0164] The collected voltage value is the voltage between the reference conductive element set at the water outlet of the water pump and the target detection probe.

[0165] Step 630: Pump water for 7 seconds using the second duty cycle. That is, the duration of the second pumping phase is 7 seconds. During the second pumping phase, the duty cycle of the PWM signal controlling the water pump is equal to the second duty cycle. The second duty cycle is less than the first duty cycle.

[0166] Step 640: Determine whether the voltage value collected in the second pumping stage is less than the voltage threshold; if not, determine that there is a water shortage in the ice maker; if yes, proceed to step 650.

[0167] Step 650: Pump water for 8 seconds using the third duty cycle. That is, the duration of the third pumping phase is 8 seconds. During the third pumping phase, the duty cycle of the PWM signal controlling the water pump is equal to the third duty cycle. The third duty cycle is less than the second duty cycle, and the third duty cycle is equal to the target duty cycle corresponding to the ice maker.

[0168] Step 660: Determine whether the voltage value collected in the third pumping stage is less than the voltage threshold; if not, determine that there is a water shortage in the ice maker; if yes, proceed to the refrigeration process (i.e., refrigerate the water in the ice tank to form ice).

[0169] The solution proposed in this application uses a PWM signal with a gradually decreasing duty cycle to control the water pump as the pumping process progresses. This dynamically reduces the pump's head while ensuring that the PWM signal's duty cycle is not less than the maximum duty cycle that prevents the water pump's outlet from reaching the target detection probe. This avoids misidentifying insufficient pump head as a water shortage in the ice maker, thus accurately detecting water shortages during normal ice-making and pumping processes. This effectively reduces the occurrence of non-formed ice such as "fingernail ice" and minimizes the waste of refrigeration performance.

[0170] The following describes an apparatus embodiment of this application, which can be used to perform the methods described in the above embodiments of this application. For details not disclosed in the apparatus embodiments of this application, please refer to the method embodiments described in the above embodiments of this application.

[0171] Figure 7 is a block diagram of a water shortage detection device according to an embodiment of this application. The water shortage detection device can be configured in an ice maker. As shown in Figure 7, the water shortage detection device includes: an acquisition module 710, used to acquire the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker; the target duty cycle refers to the maximum duty cycle of the pulse width modulation (PWM) signal used to control the water pump when the water pump in the target ice maker cannot reach the target detection probe; a control module 720, used to control the water pump to pump water into the ice-making tank in the target ice maker by using a target PWM signal with a gradually decreasing duty cycle and a duty cycle not less than the target duty cycle after the target ice maker starts making ice, and to collect the voltage value between the reference conductive element and the target detection probe; the reference conductive element is located at the water outlet of the water pump; and a water shortage determination module 730, used to determine that there is a water shortage in the target ice maker if the voltage value is not less than a voltage threshold.

[0172] Figure 8 is a structural block diagram of an ice maker according to an embodiment of this application. The ice maker may include a processor 810 and a memory 820. The memory 820 stores computer-readable instructions, which, when executed by the processor 810, implement the methods described in any of the above-described method embodiments. Furthermore, the ice maker also includes a water pump, an ice-making tank, a water tank, and a refrigeration device (none shown in Figure 8). The water pump's inlet is connected to the water tank, and the ice-making tank is connected to the water pump's outlet. The water pump draws water from the water tank into the ice-making tank, and the refrigeration device refrigerates the water in the ice-making tank to form ice. Additionally, a reference conductive element (not shown in Figure 8) is provided at the water pump's outlet. A target detection probe (not shown in Figure 8) is provided near the water pump's outlet end in the connecting pipe between the ice-making tank and the water pump's outlet. The ice maker also includes a voltage detection device (not shown in Figure 8) for detecting the voltage between the target detection probe and the reference conductive element.

[0173] The processor 810 may include one or more processing cores. The processor 810 connects to various parts of the electronic device using various interfaces and lines, and performs various functions and processes data by running or executing instructions, programs, code sets, or instruction sets stored in the memory 820, and by calling data stored in the memory 820. Optionally, the processor 810 may be implemented using at least one hardware form of Digital Signal Processing (DSP), Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or Programmable Logic Array (PLA). The processor 810 may integrate one or more of the following: a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), and a modem. The CPU primarily handles the operating system, user interface, and applications; the GPU is responsible for rendering and drawing the displayed content; and the modem handles wireless communication. It is understood that the modem may also not be integrated into the processor 810 and may be implemented separately using a communication chip.

[0174] The memory 820 can be used to store instructions, programs, code, code sets, or instruction sets. The memory 820 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store instructions for implementing an operating system, instructions for implementing at least one function, instructions for implementing the various method embodiments described below, etc. The data storage area may also store data created during the use of the electronic device.

[0175] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implement the method in any of the above method embodiments.

[0176] Computer-readable storage media can be electronic storage devices such as flash memory, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), EPROM, hard disk, or ROM. Optionally, computer-readable storage media includes non-transitory computer-readable storage media. The computer-readable storage medium has storage space for computer-readable instructions that perform any of the method steps described above. These computer-readable instructions can be read from or written to one or more computer program products. The computer-readable instructions can be compressed, for example, in a suitable form.

[0177] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product including computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium, and executes the computer instructions, causing the computer device to perform the methods of any of the above embodiments.

[0178] It should be noted that although several modules or units for the device used to perform actions have been mentioned in the detailed description above, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to the embodiments of this application, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. Conversely, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided and embodied by multiple modules or units.

[0179] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the exemplary embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of this application can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, USB flash drive, external hard drive, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to cause a computing device (such as a personal computer, server, touch terminal, or network device, etc.) to execute the method according to the embodiments of this application.

[0180] Other embodiments of this application will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the embodiments disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this application that follow the general principles of this application and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for detecting water shortage, wherein, include: Obtain the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker; The target duty cycle refers to the maximum duty cycle of the pulse width modulation (PWM) signal used to control the water pump when the water output from the water pump in the target ice maker cannot reach the target detection probe. After the target ice maker starts making ice, the water pump is controlled to pump water into the ice-making tank in the target ice maker by a target PWM signal with a gradually decreasing duty cycle and a duty cycle not less than the target duty cycle, and the voltage value between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe is collected. The reference conductive element is located at the water outlet of the water pump; If the voltage value is not less than the voltage threshold, it is determined that the target ice maker is short of water.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, After the target ice maker starts making ice, the water pump is controlled to pump water into the ice-making tank of the target ice maker by a target PWM signal with a gradually decreasing duty cycle and a duty cycle not less than the target duty cycle, and the voltage value between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe is collected, including: In the i-th water pumping stage after the target ice maker starts making ice, the water pump is controlled to pump water to the ice-making tank by a target PWM signal with a duty cycle equal to the i-th duty cycle; the i-th duty cycle is not less than the target duty cycle; i is a positive integer and i∈[1,N], N is an integer greater than 1; when i is greater than 1, the i-th duty cycle is less than the (i-1)-th duty cycle used in the (i-1)-th water pumping stage; when i=N, the i-th duty cycle is equal to the target duty cycle; During the i-th pumping stage, the voltage value between the reference conductive element and the target detection probe is detected; If the voltage value detected in the i-th pumping stage is less than the voltage threshold and i is less than N, after the i-th pumping stage ends, i is incremented by 1, and the process returns to the step of controlling the water pump to pump water to the ice-making tank through the target PWM signal with a duty cycle equal to the i-th duty cycle in the i-th pumping stage after the target ice maker starts making ice.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, When i is greater than 1, the duration of the i-th pumping stage is less than or equal to the duration of the (i-1)-th pumping stage.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, When i is greater than 1, the i-th duty cycle is equal to the difference between the (i-1)-th duty cycle and the preset duty cycle reduction amount; The reduction in duty cycle is β. Where p1 is the maximum baseline duty cycle and p2 is the target duty cycle; When i = 1, the i-th duty cycle is equal to the maximum base duty cycle.

5. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, When i is greater than 1, the i-th duty cycle is equal to the duty cycle obtained by attenuating the (i-1)-th duty cycle according to the preset attenuation ratio; The attenuation ratio is α; Where p1 is the maximum baseline duty cycle and p2 is the target duty cycle; When i = 1, the i-th duty cycle is equal to the maximum base duty cycle.

6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, When i = 1, the duty cycle of the i-th element is 100%.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The target duty cycle is read from the memory of the target ice maker; the method further includes: A test PWM signal with a duty cycle that decays in a stepwise manner from its maximum value is used to control the water pump in the target ice maker to pump water, and the duty cycle of the test PWM signal at multiple time points is recorded to obtain duty cycle data. During the process of controlling the water pump using the test PWM signal, the test voltage value between the reference conductive component and the target detection probe is periodically collected according to the preset acquisition interval to obtain voltage acquisition data; Based on the voltage acquisition data, determine the first target acquisition time period in which all test voltage values ​​are lower than the voltage threshold; Based on the duty cycle data, the target duty cycle of the test PWM signal at each time point in the target acquisition period is determined; Write the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker into the memory of the target ice maker.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The step of determining the target duty cycle of the target ice maker based on the duty cycle of the test PWM signal at each time point in the target acquisition period, as described in the duty cycle data, includes: The maximum duty cycle among the duty cycles of the test PWM signal at multiple time points during the target acquisition period is taken as the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker; Alternatively, the duty cycle of the test PWM signal at multiple time points during the target acquisition period can be averaged, and the calculated average can be used as the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker.

9. The method according to any one of claims 2, 7-8, wherein, N=3, and the second duty cycle is read from the memory of the target ice maker; The method further includes: Receive a write request; the write request includes a second duty cycle determined for the target ice maker; the second duty cycle is determined based on the average critical duty cycle; the average critical duty cycle is calculated by averaging the target duty cycles corresponding to multiple ice makers; In response to the write request, the second duty cycle is written to the memory.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The acquisition of the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker includes: Obtain the target distance between the water outlet of the water pump in the target ice maker and the target detection probe; Obtain the target duty cycle corresponding to the target distance, and use it as the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-3 and 7-8, wherein, The method further includes: Obtain the water level in the water tank of the target ice maker; The acquisition of the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker includes: If the water level in the tank is lower than the reference water level, obtain the target duty cycle corresponding to the target ice maker.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, After obtaining the water level in the water tank of the target ice maker, the method further includes: If the water level in the water tank is not lower than the reference water level, after the target ice maker starts making ice, the water pump is controlled to pump water into the ice-making tank of the target ice maker according to the target PWM signal with a duty cycle equal to the maximum reference duty cycle; the maximum reference duty cycle is greater than the target duty cycle.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-3 and 7-8, wherein, If the voltage value is not less than a voltage threshold, and it is determined that the target ice maker is short of water, the method further includes at least one of the following: Provide water shortage alerts; Open the channel between the target ice maker and the external water source, and let the external water source replenish the target ice maker with water.

14. An ice maker, comprising: processor; A memory storing computer instructions that, when executed by the processor, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-13.

15. A computer program product comprising computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-13.

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