CN113739465A

CN113739465A - Control method of ice machine and ice machine

Info

Publication number: CN113739465A
Application number: CN202111123262.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 郭建刚; 饶华春; 干凌峰
Original assignee: Chuzhou Donlim Electrical Appliance Co ltd
Current assignee: Chuzhou Donlim Electrical Appliance Co ltd
Priority date: 2021-09-24
Filing date: 2021-09-24
Publication date: 2021-12-03

Abstract

The invention discloses a control method of an ice machine and the ice machine, wherein the control method comprises the following steps: triggering a cleaning key on the ice maker to switch the ice maker into a cleaning mode; supplying water into an upper water tank of the ice maker until the liquid level in the upper water tank reaches a low water level; adding cleaning liquid into the upper water tank, and supplying water into the upper water tank until the liquid level reaches a cleaning liquid mark level; discharging a mixed liquid of cleaning liquid and water in the upper water tank into the ice-making assembly, and controlling the ice-making assembly to start working to enter an ice-making mode; stopping the ice making assembly after the preset working time is reached; and supplying water into the upper water tank to enable the liquid level of the water to exceed the middle water level, so that the water overflows from an upper notch of the upper water tank and an ice discharge port of the ice making assembly, and cleaning the upper water tank and the ice making assembly. The control method can realize automatic cleaning of the water feeding tank and the ice making assembly, does not need a user to disassemble the machine, and solves the problems of labor and time consumption of manual cleaning in the prior art.

Description

Control method of ice machine and ice machine

Technical Field

The invention belongs to the technical field of ice making, and particularly relates to a control method of an ice maker and the ice maker.

Background

At present, ice makers are widely applied to the fields of food, light industry, medical treatment and the like, for example, ice cubes are needed to keep a low-temperature environment in the transportation and production processes of seafood and meat, the cooling process in a chemical process and the like. However, the traditional ice maker has the problems that the cleaning is laborious, the operation of the ice maker needs to be repeatedly assembled and disassembled during the cleaning, the operation is very inconvenient for a user, the cleaning is incomplete, and no prompt is given to the cleaning. For example, chinese patent publication No. CN111964320A discloses an ice maker, a refrigerator, and a method for cleaning the ice maker, wherein the ice maker includes an ice tray, an ice-poking lever disposed in cooperation with the ice tray, and a rotating device for controlling the rotation of the ice-poking lever, and the ice maker further includes a cleaning device detachably disposed on the ice-poking lever, and the cleaning device is configured to be driven by the ice-poking lever to rotate to clean the ice tray when the cleaning device is mounted on the ice-poking lever. The ice maker has the problems of difficult cleaning and incomplete cleaning.

Disclosure of Invention

Aiming at the technical problems in the prior art, the invention provides an ice maker and a control method thereof, which can solve the problem that a user is labor-consuming to clean manually and optimize the use experience of the user.

The embodiment of the invention provides a control method of an ice making machine, which comprises the following steps:

step S101: triggering a cleaning key on the ice maker to switch the ice maker into a cleaning mode;

step S102: supplying water into an upper water tank of an ice maker until the liquid level in the upper water tank reaches a low water level;

step S103: adding cleaning liquid into the upper water tank, and supplying water into the upper water tank until the liquid level reaches a cleaning liquid mark level;

step S104: discharging a mixed liquid of the cleaning liquid and the water in the upper water tank into an ice-making assembly, and controlling the ice-making assembly to start working to enter an ice-making mode;

step S105: stopping the ice making assembly after the preset working time is reached;

step S106: and supplying water into the upper water tank to enable the liquid level of the water to exceed the middle water level, so that the water overflows from an upper notch of the upper water tank and an ice discharge port of the ice making assembly, and cleaning the upper water tank and the ice making assembly. The control method can realize automatic cleaning of the water feeding tank and the ice making assembly, does not need a user to disassemble the machine, and solves the problems of labor and time consumption of manual cleaning in the prior art.

In some embodiments, after step S106, the method further comprises:

step S107: draining water from the header tank and the ice-making assembly;

and repeating the step S106 and the step S107 for multiple times to wash away the water with the cleaning liquid remained in the upper water tank and the ice making assembly, so that the food safety of subsequent processing is ensured, and the cleaning effect of the ice making machine is further improved.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

and under the condition that the running time of the ice machine reaches the preset running time, a prompt signal is sent in a display mode through the cleaning key so as to automatically prompt a user that the ice machine needs to be cleaned without recording by the user, and the ice machine is convenient for the user to use.

In some embodiments, step S102 specifically includes:

opening a water inlet valve communicated with the upper water tank, and judging whether the water level in the upper water tank reaches a middle water level or not after the preset water inlet time is reached;

if yes, closing the water inlet valve, and opening a drain valve communicated with the upper water tank until the liquid level reaches a low water level. Therefore, whether the water supply system of the ice maker can normally supply water can be judged to prepare for the water quantity required by the subsequent cleaning work, and the condition of water shortage in the midway is avoided as much as possible.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

if not, sending out first prompt information of water shortage in the upper water tank. Therefore, when the upper water tank of the ice machine is in a water shortage state, a user is prompted to repair the water supply system in time, and the requirement of the ice machine on water quantity during cleaning is met.

In some embodiments, step S103 specifically includes:

sending out second prompt information that the water level in the upper water tank reaches the low water level;

and adding cleaning liquid into the upper water tank based on the second prompt message. Therefore, a user does not need to wait for the ice maker to operate in situ beside the ice maker, the ice maker can automatically prompt the user when the user is required to intervene, and the use experience of the user is improved.

In some embodiments, step S101 specifically includes:

pressing a washing key to enter a washing mode under the condition that the ice maker is in a standby mode;

and sending out a third prompt message of entering a cleaning mode in a display mode through the cleaning key. Therefore, a user can intuitively acquire the working mode of the ice machine through the display mode of the cleaning key, and the user can conveniently control the ice machine.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

and responding to the power-down operation of the ice machine, sending fourth prompt information related to the power-down operation, and storing the execution step corresponding to the power-down operation, so that the ice machine has a power-down memory function and can store the execution step corresponding to the power-down operation after the power is down.

The embodiment of the invention also provides an ice making machine, which comprises a fixed box and a control device, and further comprises:

the upper water tank comprises a tank body and a water tank cover for sealing the tank body, wherein a float switch electrically connected with the control device is arranged on the inner side of the water tank cover, the float switch is at least used for detecting the liquid level in the tank body, and a liquid inlet for injecting cleaning liquid is formed in one side of the upper water tank;

the lower part of the ice making assembly is communicated with the upper water tank, the upper end of the ice making assembly is provided with an ice discharging port, and the ice making assembly is configured to receive liquid from the upper water tank, and is discharged from the ice discharging port after being made into ice;

and the control panel is electrically connected with the control device and is configured to display the working mode of the ice maker in a display mode. The ice maker can provide intelligent prompts related to the working mode of the ice maker for a user, and has the advantages of convenience in cleaning and good cleaning effect.

In some embodiments, the ice maker further comprises a prompting unit electrically connected with the control device, and the prompting unit is configured to at least send out first prompting information of water shortage in the upper water tank; and/or second prompt information related to the liquid level in the upper water tank; and/or third prompt information related to the working mode; and/or fourth prompt information related to power-down operation; the prompting unit comprises a sound prompting unit and/or a display prompting unit. The prompt messages can inform the user of the working condition of the ice machine in time, and the user can use the ice machine conveniently.

Compared with the prior art, the embodiment of the invention has the beneficial effects that: according to the invention, water and cleaning liquid are supplied into the upper water tank, and the ice making assembly can make mixed liquid of the water and the cleaning liquid into ice, so that the automatic cleaning of the upper water tank and the ice making assembly is realized, the cleaning liquid can thoroughly clean the upper water tank and the ice making assembly without disassembling the user, the problem that manual cleaning is labor-consuming and time-consuming in the prior art is solved, water is overflowed from the upper notch by continuously supplying water to the upper water tank, and the ice generated by the ice making assembly is discharged from the ice discharging port, so that the upper water tank and the ice making assembly can be more thoroughly cleaned by flowing water and ice, and a better cleaning effect is achieved.

Drawings

In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like reference numerals may describe similar components in different views. Like reference numerals having letter suffixes or different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The drawings illustrate various embodiments generally by way of example and not by way of limitation, and together with the description and claims serve to explain the disclosed embodiments. The same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts, where appropriate. Such embodiments are illustrative, and are not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive embodiments of the present apparatus or method.

FIG. 1 is a first flowchart of a method of controlling an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a second flowchart of a method of controlling an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the upper water tank and the fixed tank of the ice making machine of the embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the upper water tank and the stationary tank of the ice-making machine of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an ice-making machine according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the upper water tank of the ice-making machine of the embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion a in fig. 7.

The members denoted by reference numerals in the drawings:

100-an ice maker; 1-a water feeding tank; 11-a box body; 12-tank lid; 13-a float switch; 14-a liquid inlet; 15-a boss; 16-a stopper; 17-a connecting shaft; 18-axle hole; 2-an ice making assembly; 21-ice discharge port; 22-an ice-squeezing motor; 23-ice bars; 24-an ice making barrel; 3-fixing the box; 31-notch.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical solutions of the present invention better understood, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The following detailed description of embodiments of the invention is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings and the detailed description of embodiments of the invention, but is not intended to limit the invention.

The use of "first," "second," and similar terms in the present application do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather the terms are used to distinguish one element from another. The word "comprising" or "comprises", and the like, means that the element preceding the word covers the element listed after the word, and does not exclude the possibility that other elements are also covered. "upper", "lower", "left", "right", and the like are used merely to indicate relative positional relationships, and when the absolute position of the object being described is changed, the relative positional relationships may also be changed accordingly.

In the present invention, when it is described that a specific device is located between a first device and a second device, there may or may not be an intervening device between the specific device and the first device or the second device. When a particular device is described as being coupled to other devices, that particular device may be directly coupled to the other devices without intervening devices or may be directly coupled to the other devices with intervening devices.

All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs unless specifically defined otherwise. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail but are intended to be part of the specification where appropriate.

Fig. 1 and 2 are flowcharts illustrating a method for controlling an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 3 to 8 are schematic structural diagrams illustrating an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention. The ice maker 100 to which the control method is applied may include a control device, an ice making assembly 2, and a header tank 1 for supplying water to the ice making assembly 2. A processor may be disposed on the control device to perform the control method of the ice maker 100, and the control device may be configured to control water inflow and drainage of the upper water tank 1 and supply of water to the ice making assembly 2, and also configured to control opening and closing of the ice making assembly 2.

Further, the ice making assembly 2 is a structure in which ice can be made after the ice maker 100 enters the ice making mode, and the structure of the ice making assembly 2 is not particularly limited in the present invention, and it is sufficient that water supplied from the upper water tank 1 can be made into ice.

The upper water tank 1 can be provided with a lower drainage port, a pipeline connected with the lower drainage port can be provided with a drainage valve electrically connected with a control device, and the control device can be used for sending an opening and closing control signal to the drainage valve.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a control method of an ice making machine 100, as shown in fig. 1, the control method includes:

step S101: and triggering a cleaning key on the ice maker 100 for switching the ice maker 100 into a cleaning mode.

Specifically, an operation panel may be disposed on an outer surface of the ice maker 100, and the operation panel at least includes a cleaning key, and may further include a power-on key, a power-off key, and the like, which is not particularly limited in the present invention. The operation panel is electrically connected to a control device of the ice maker 100, and when the washing key is activated, the operation panel responds to the operation and generates a signal related to the washing mode to transmit to the control device.

Step S102: water is supplied into the upper water tank 1 of the ice maker 100 until the liquid level in the upper water tank 1 reaches a low level.

Specifically, a sensor, such as a float switch 13, for detecting the liquid level in the upper tank 1 may be disposed in the upper tank 1, and the sensor is electrically connected to the control device and configured to detect at least a plurality of liquid levels, such as a low water level and a middle water level. And after the sensor detects the corresponding liquid level signal, the liquid level signal is sent to the control device in real time.

Step S103: and adding cleaning liquid into the upper water tank 1, and supplying water into the upper water tank 1 until the liquid level reaches a cleaning liquid mark level.

Specifically, the volume of water added to the low water level in the upper tank 1 in step S102 may be defined as a first volume, and the volume of the cleaning solution added to the upper tank 1 in step S103 may be defined as a second volume. The ratio of the first volume to the second volume, namely the volume ratio of the water to the cleaning liquid, is calculated in advance according to the size of the upper water tank 1, so that the cleaning effect of the mixed water and the cleaning liquid is optimal, and a user does not need to manually judge the volume of the water to be added and the volume of the cleaning liquid, thereby facilitating the operation of the user.

Specifically, a liquid inlet hole may be formed in a wall of the upper water tank 1, and a user may pour the cleaning liquid into the upper water tank 1 through the liquid inlet hole. This upper water tank 1 is last to be equipped with visual window, can mark low water level, washing liquid mark position etc. on this visual window for the user can know the liquid level condition in upper water tank 1 directly perceivedly.

Certainly, the ice making assembly 2 can also be provided with a prompting unit, after the user adds the cleaning liquid into the upper water tank 1 until the cleaning liquid mark is reached, the prompting unit can prompt the user in a sound or display mode, and the user can stop adding the cleaning liquid continuously in time, so that the operation of the user is facilitated. And when the liquid level in the upper water tank 1 reaches the middle water level and the low water level, prompt information is sent to prompt a user, so that an intelligent cleaning operation environment is provided for the user.

Step S104: and discharging the mixed liquid of the cleaning liquid and the water in the upper water tank 1 into the ice-making assembly 2, and controlling the ice-making assembly 2 to start working to enter an ice-making mode.

Step S105: the ice-making assembly 2 stops operating after the preset operating time is reached.

Specifically, the ice making assembly 2 may include an ice squeezing motor 22, an ice lever 23 connected to an output shaft of the ice squeezing motor 22, and an ice making barrel 24 sleeved outside the ice lever 23, an ice making gap is formed between the ice lever 23 and the ice making barrel 24, after a mixed liquid of a cleaning liquid and water enters the ice making assembly 2, the mixed liquid may be filled into the ice making gap, the ice lever 23 and the ice making barrel 24 of the ice making assembly 2 are preliminarily cleaned, and after the ice making assembly 2 enters an ice making mode, the made ice may further clean an inner wall of the ice barrel and the ice lever 23 of the ice making assembly 2, so that the ice making assembly 2 may be thoroughly cleaned.

Specifically, the preset time may range from 18 minutes to 22 minutes, and may also be set by a user according to a washing requirement, which is not specifically limited by the present invention.

Specifically, an electric control valve may be disposed on a pipe connecting the water outlet of the ice-making assembly 2. The electric control valve is in a normally closed state, and after ice making is finished, the control device can open the electric control valve to discharge the mixed liquid remained in the ice making bucket 24.

Step S106: and supplying water into the upper water tank 1 to enable the liquid level of the water to exceed the middle water level, so that the water overflows from an upper notch of the upper water tank 1 and an ice discharge port 21 of the ice making assembly 2, and cleaning the upper water tank 1 and the ice making assembly 2.

Above-mentioned water in the upper water tank 1 constantly overflows by last notch, and the ice that ice making component 2 made constantly overflows by row ice mouth 21, can reach better cleaning performance.

According to the invention, water and cleaning liquid are supplied into the upper water tank 1, and the ice making assembly 2 can make the mixed liquid of the water and the cleaning liquid into ice, so that the upper water tank 1 and the ice making assembly 2 can be automatically cleaned, the cleaning liquid can be thoroughly cleaned without disassembling a user, the problem that manual cleaning in the Western medicine technology is labor-consuming and time-consuming is solved, water is overflowed from the upper groove opening by continuously supplying water to the upper water tank 1, and the water generated by the ice making assembly 2 is discharged from the ice discharge opening 21, so that the upper water tank 1 and the ice making assembly 2 can be more thoroughly cleaned by flowing water and ice, namely, a better cleaning effect is achieved.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2, after step S106, the method further comprises:

step S107: draining water in the upper water tank 1 and the ice-making assembly 2;

the steps S106 and S107 are repeatedly performed a plurality of times.

Specifically, the control device of the ice maker 100 may control the drain valve provided on the lower drain port of the upper tank 1 to be opened to drain the water in the upper tank 1. The control device can also control the opening of an electric control valve arranged on the water outlet of the ice-making assembly 2, so as to drain the residual water in the ice-making assembly 2.

Specifically, after step S107 is performed, water with cleaning liquid still remains in the upper water tank 1 and the ice making assembly 2, and if ice is subsequently made directly through the ice maker 100, the edible safety of the made ice is affected, and a product quality problem occurs. Therefore, by repeatedly executing steps S106 and S107 a plurality of times, the water with the cleaning liquid remaining in the upper water tank 1 and the ice making assembly 2 can be cleaned, the cleaning effect of the ice maker 100 is further improved, and the safety of the subsequent ice making is ensured.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

and when the running time of the ice maker 100 reaches the preset running time, sending out a prompt signal in a display mode through the cleaning key.

Specifically, the preset operation time is related to a cleaning time interval of the ice maker 100, for example, the ice maker 100 is spaced 5 months to 6 months from the last cleaning, at this time, the control device sends a prompt signal to the cleaning key according to the preset operation time, for example, the color of a backlight of the cleaning key changes, or the backlight is displayed in a flashing manner, so as to achieve the purpose of prompting the user that the ice maker 100 needs to be cleaned.

Therefore, the user can be automatically prompted that the ice maker 100 needs to be cleaned, the user does not need to record the cleaning condition by himself, and the use by the user is convenient.

In some embodiments, step S102 specifically includes:

opening a water inlet valve communicated with the upper water tank 1, and judging whether the water level in the upper water tank 1 reaches a middle water level or not after the preset water inlet time is reached;

if yes, closing the water inlet valve, and opening a drain valve communicated with the upper water tank 1 until the liquid level reaches a low water level.

Specifically, the ice maker 100 may further include a water supply system, the water inlet valve is disposed on a pipeline connecting the water supply system and the upper water tank 1, the water inlet valve is electrically connected to the control device, and the control device is configured to control opening and closing of the water inlet valve, so as to control the amount of water supplied to the upper water tank 1.

Specifically, the preset water inlet time may be understood as a time when the liquid level should reach the middle water level after water is continuously supplied, and if the preset water inlet time is within a range of 3 minutes to 5 minutes, after the preset water inlet time is reached, if the water supply function of the water supply system is normal, the water level in the upper water tank 1 should reach the middle water level, and after the water supply function of the water supply system is determined to be normal, the water inlet valve is closed, and the drain valve communicated with the upper water tank 1 is opened until the liquid level is at the low water level.

In this way, it is possible to determine whether the water supply system of the ice maker 100 can normally supply water, to prepare for the amount of water required for the subsequent washing operation, and to avoid the occurrence of water shortage halfway as much as possible.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

if not, sending out first prompt information of water shortage in the upper water tank 1.

Specifically, if the water supply function of the water supply system is abnormal, and there is a case that the amount of supplied water is insufficient, it may be determined that the water supply system connected to the upper water tank 1 is out of order that the water level in the upper water tank 1 does not reach the middle water level after the preset water intake time is reached.

At this time, in case that it is judged that the water supply function of the water supply system is not normal, the first prompt information may be issued in a display and/or sound manner, and the user may repair the water supply system based on the first prompt information and continue supplying water into the upper water tank 1 through the water supply system after the repair.

Therefore, when the upper water tank 1 of the ice maker 100 is in a water shortage state, a user can be prompted to repair the water supply system in time so as to meet the requirement of the ice maker 100 on water quantity during cleaning.

In some embodiments, step S103 specifically includes:

sending out second prompt information that the water level in the upper water tank 1 reaches the low water level;

and adding cleaning liquid into the upper water tank 1 based on the second prompt message.

Specifically, the above-mentioned operation of adding the cleaning liquid is operated by the user, and after the water level in the upper water tank 1 reaches the low water level, the prompting unit of the control device can send out the second prompting message in a display and/or sound manner to prompt the user that the water in the upper water tank 1 is completely added, and the user can add the cleaning liquid into the upper water tank 1.

Thus, a user does not need to wait for the operation of the ice maker 100 in situ at the side of the ice maker 100, and the ice maker 100 can automatically prompt the user when the user intervention is needed, thereby improving the user experience.

In some embodiments, step S101 specifically includes:

pressing a washing key to enter a washing mode in a case the ice maker 100 is in a standby mode;

and sending out a third prompt message of entering a cleaning mode in a display mode through the cleaning key.

Specifically, when the ice maker 100 is in the non-cleaning mode, the cleaning button is in a very bright state, and after the user triggers the cleaning button to make the ice maker 100 enter the cleaning mode, the cleaning button is switched to the normally bright state to prompt the user that the ice maker 100 is in the cleaning mode.

Therefore, the user can intuitively obtain the working mode of the ice maker 100 through the display mode of the cleaning key, and the user can conveniently operate and control the ice maker 100.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

and responding to the power-down operation of the ice maker 100, sending out fourth prompt information related to the power-down operation, and storing an execution step corresponding to the power-down operation.

The above-described power-down operation can be understood as an operation in which the ice maker 100 is suddenly powered down so that the ice maker 100 cannot continue the washing operation.

Specifically, the fourth prompt message may be presented in a display and/or sound manner, so as to prompt the user that the ice maker 100 is powered off in time and the power supply system needs to be repaired by the intervention of the user.

Specifically, the control device may further include a memory, the memory stores an execution step corresponding to the power-down operation, and after the power supply system supplying power to the ice maker 100 is recovered to normal, the processor may continue to execute subsequent operations of the execution step according to the stored execution step corresponding to the power-down operation, and the ice maker 100 does not need to be cleaned again from step S101, that is, the ice maker 100 has a power-down memory function, and can store the execution step corresponding to the power-down operation after power failure.

The following is an exemplary explanation of the ice maker 100 in which a power-down operation occurs before the washing liquid is added into the upper water tank 1 in step S103 and in which a power-down operation occurs after the washing liquid is added into the upper water tank 1 in step S103, respectively.

Under the condition that power failure operation occurs before cleaning liquid is added into the upper water tank 1, after the power failure problem is solved, water is supplied in the step S102 until the liquid level reaches a low water level, and second prompt information capable of adding the cleaning liquid into the upper water tank 1 is sent to a user after the liquid level reaches the low water level; in the case of a power-down operation after adding cleaning liquid into the upper water tank 1, after the power-down problem is solved, the stored cleaning steps after the execution step are continuously executed until the cleaning is completed.

Specifically, in the case where the water supply system communicating with the upper water tank 1 is in a water shortage state, the memory may also store an execution step corresponding to the water shortage state, and after the water supply system is restored to normal, the processor may continue to execute the subsequent operation of the execution step according to the stored execution step corresponding to the power-down operation, without restarting to clean the ice maker 100 from step S101.

The embodiment of the invention also provides an ice maker 100, and as shown in fig. 3 to 6, the ice maker 100 comprises a fixed box 3, a control device, an upper water tank 1, an ice making assembly 2 and a control panel. The upper water tank 1 comprises a tank body 11 and a water tank cover 12 used for sealing the tank body 11, a float switch 13 electrically connected with the control device is arranged on the inner side of the water tank cover 12, the float switch 13 is at least used for detecting the liquid level in the tank body 11, and a liquid inlet 14 used for injecting cleaning liquid is formed in one side of the upper water tank 1. The lower part of the ice making assembly 2 is communicated with the upper water tank 1, the upper end of the ice making assembly 2 is provided with an ice discharging port 21, and the ice making assembly 2 is configured to receive liquid from the upper water tank 1 and discharge the liquid from the ice discharging port 21 after ice is made. A control panel is electrically connected to the control device, and the control panel is configured to display an operation mode of the ice maker 100.

Specifically, the control panel may be provided with a cleaning button, a power-on button, a power-off button, and the like, and may further be provided with a display panel for displaying the working process of the ice maker 100. After the control panel collects the information input by the user, the information can be sent to the control device, for example, the cleaning button is triggered on the control panel, and the cleaning information corresponding to the cleaning button is sent to the control device, and the control device can switch the ice maker 100 into the cleaning mode based on the cleaning information.

Specifically, the float switch 13 is configured to be able to detect at least a plurality of liquid levels such as a low water level, a medium water level, a washing liquid mark level, and the like.

Specifically, the upper water tank 1 may be provided with a lower drainage port, and a pipeline connected to the lower drainage port may be provided with a drainage valve electrically connected to a control device, and the control device may send a control signal for opening and closing the drainage valve.

Specifically, the ice maker 100 may further include a water supply system, wherein a water inlet valve is disposed on a pipeline connecting the water supply system and the upper water tank 1, the water inlet valve is electrically connected to the control device, and the control device is configured to control opening and closing of the water inlet valve, so as to control the amount of water supplied into the upper water tank 1.

Specifically, an electric control valve may be disposed on a pipe connecting the water outlet of the ice-making assembly 2. The electric control valve is electrically connected with the control device and is in a normally closed state, and after ice making is finished, the control device can open the electric control valve to discharge the mixed liquid remained in the ice making bucket 24.

According to the invention, the float switch 13 is arranged in the upper water tank 1, so that the liquid level in the upper water tank 1 can be monitored in real time, the control panel can display the working mode of the ice maker 100 for a user to provide an intelligent prompt related to the working mode of the ice maker 100 for the user, in the using process, the ice maker 100 can provide information of entering a cleaning mode for the user through the control panel, at the moment, cleaning liquid is added into the upper water tank 1, and the ice making assembly 2 makes the mixed liquid of the water and the cleaning liquid into ice, so that the automatic cleaning of the upper water tank 1 and the ice making assembly 2 can be realized, the user does not need to disassemble the machine, the machine can be thoroughly cleaned through the cleaning liquid, and the problems of labor and time consumption in the prior art due to manual cleaning are solved.

In some embodiments, the ice maker 100 further comprises a prompting unit electrically connected to the control device, and the prompting unit is configured to at least send out a first prompt message of water shortage in the upper water tank 1; and/or second prompt information related to the liquid level in the upper water tank 1; and/or third prompt information related to the working mode; and/or fourth prompt information related to power-down operation; the prompting unit comprises a sound prompting unit and/or a display prompting unit. The prompt messages can inform the user of the working condition of the ice machine in time, and the user can use the ice machine conveniently.

Specifically, if the water supply function of the water supply system is abnormal, and there is a case that the amount of supplied water is insufficient, it may be determined that the water supply function of the water supply system communicated with the upper water tank 1 is abnormal that the water level in the upper water tank 1 does not reach the middle water level after the preset water inlet time is reached. At this time, in case that it is judged that the water supply function of the water supply system is not normal, the first prompt information may be issued in a display and/or sound manner, and the user may repair the water supply system based on the first prompt information and continue supplying water into the upper water tank 1 through the water supply system after the repair. Therefore, when the upper water tank 1 of the ice maker 100 is in a water shortage state, a user can be prompted to repair the water supply system in time so as to meet the requirement of the ice maker 100 on water quantity during cleaning.

Specifically, the operation of adding the cleaning liquid is performed by a user, and after the water level in the upper water tank 1 reaches the low water level, the middle water level or the cleaning liquid mark level, the prompting unit of the control device can send out a second prompting message in a display and/or sound mode to prompt the user of the liquid level information in the upper water tank 1. Therefore, the ice maker 100 can prompt the user of the liquid level information in the upper water tank 1 in time, and the use experience of the user is optimized.

Specifically, the ice maker 100 may have a normal operation mode, an abnormal operation mode, a cleaning mode, and other operation modes, and each operation mode may correspond to different third prompt messages, so as to prompt a user of the operation mode of the ice maker 100, so as to operate and use the ice maker 100 more conveniently.

Specifically, the above-described power-down operation can be understood as an operation in which the ice maker 100 is suddenly powered off, resulting in the ice maker 100 being unable to perform a subsequent washing step. The fourth prompt message can be presented in a display and/or sound manner, so that the user can be reminded in time that the ice maker 100 is powered off and needs to be repaired by the user.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5, the wall of the fixed tank 3 is provided with a notch 31 penetrating to the upper end thereof, the upper water tank 1 is provided with a protrusion 15 extending into the notch 31, the protrusion 15 extends along the depth direction of the water in the upper water tank 1, and the liquid inlet 14 is arranged at the upper part of the protrusion 15. The structure is reasonable in design and convenient to assemble.

Specifically, the notch 31 has a rectangular shape, and the protrusion 15 has a shape adapted to the notch 31, so that the liquid level in the upper water tank 1 can be visually displayed to the user through the notch 31.

In some embodiments, the protrusion 15 is made of a transparent material. Above-mentioned structural design is reasonable, and does benefit to the liquid level in the user's definite upper water tank 1.

Specifically, the raised portion 15 may be provided with a plurality of liquid level marks such as a low water level, a medium water level, and a cleaning liquid mark level, so that a user can intuitively know the liquid level inside the upper water tank 1.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 6, the ice making assembly 2 includes an ice squeezing motor 22, an ice rod 23 connected to an output shaft of the ice squeezing motor 22, and an ice making bucket 24 sleeved outside the ice rod 23, an ice making gap is formed between the ice rod 23 and the ice making bucket 24, the ice discharging port 21 is formed on the ice making bucket 24, and a horizontal height of the ice discharging port 21 is higher than a horizontal height of a medium water level in the upper water tank 1, so as to prevent water flowing into the ice making bucket 24 from overflowing through the ice discharging port 21 before the ice is not condensed when the water level in the upper water tank 1 reaches the medium water level.

Specifically, the upper and lower ends of the ice making barrel 24 are open, the upper open end forms the ice discharge opening 21, and the ice squeezing motor 22 is disposed at the lower open end of the ice making barrel 24 and is hermetically connected to the ice making barrel 24 for driving the ice rod 23 to rotate. The ice lever 23 is provided with a spiral ice blade, and an ice making gap is formed between the spiral ice blade of the ice lever 23 and the ice making barrel 24, so that ice formed in the ice making barrel 24 is attached to the barrel wall, the ice on the barrel wall is scraped to the ice discharge port 21 after the ice lever 23 rotates, and the ice is discharged from the ice discharge port 21.

In some embodiments, the tank lid 12 is removably connected to the tank body 11 to facilitate removal of the tank lid 12 for inspection and maintenance of the interior of the tank body 11.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5 and 7, a stopper 16 is disposed on the tank cover 12, and when the tank cover 12 is covered on the tank body 11, the stopper 16 blocks the liquid inlet 14. The structure is simple in design and low in manufacturing cost.

Specifically, the stopper 16 may be made of an elastic material, and is capable of blocking the liquid inlet 14 when the cleaning liquid does not need to enter the liquid inlet 14; when the cleaning liquid needs to be poured into the header tank 1 through the liquid inlet 14, the cleaning liquid smoothly enters the header tank 1 by compressing the stopper 16. So can both be convenient for add the washing liquid in the upper water tank 1, still do benefit to and keep the leakproofness in making the upper water tank 1, avoid polluting the water in the upper water tank 1 by going into liquid mouth 14.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 7 and 8, the stopper 16 is provided at an upper portion thereof with a connecting shaft 17, and the tank cover 12 is provided at a lower portion thereof with a shaft hole 18 for fitting the connecting shaft 17. The connection mode is simple and convenient to detach.

Moreover, although exemplary embodiments have been described herein, the scope thereof includes any and all embodiments based on the present invention with equivalent elements, modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., of various embodiments across), adaptations or alterations. The elements of the claims are to be interpreted broadly based on the language employed in the claims and not limited to examples described in the present specification or during the practice of the invention, which examples are to be construed as non-exclusive. It is intended, therefore, that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims and their full scope of equivalents.

The above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the above-described examples (or one or more versions thereof) may be used in combination with each other. For example, other embodiments may be used by those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the above description. In addition, in the above-described embodiments, various features may be grouped together to streamline the disclosure. This should not be interpreted as an intention that a disclosed feature not claimed is essential to any claim. Rather, inventive subject matter may lie in less than all features of a particular disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description as examples or embodiments, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment, and it is contemplated that these embodiments may be combined with each other in various combinations or permutations. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

The above embodiments are only exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims. Various modifications and equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of the present invention, and such modifications and equivalents should also be considered as falling within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an ice making machine, the method comprising:

step S106: and supplying water into the upper water tank to enable the liquid level of the water to exceed the middle water level, so that the water overflows from an upper notch of the upper water tank and an ice discharge port of the ice making assembly, and cleaning the upper water tank and the ice making assembly.

2. The method of controlling an ice maker according to claim 1, wherein after step S106, the method further comprises:

step S107: draining water from the header tank and the ice-making assembly;

the steps S106 and S107 are repeatedly performed a plurality of times.

3. The method of controlling an ice maker according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

and sending out a prompt signal in a display mode through the cleaning key when the running time of the ice maker reaches a preset running time.

4. The method for controlling an ice maker according to claim 1, wherein step S102 specifically includes:

if yes, closing the water inlet valve, and opening a drain valve communicated with the upper water tank until the liquid level reaches a low water level.

5. The method of controlling an ice maker according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

if not, sending out first prompt information of water shortage in the upper water tank.

6. The method for controlling an ice maker according to claim 1, wherein step S103 specifically includes:

and adding cleaning liquid into the upper water tank based on the second prompt message.

7. The method for controlling an ice maker according to claim 1, wherein step S101 specifically includes:

8. The method of controlling an ice maker according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

and responding to the power-down operation of the ice machine, sending fourth prompt information related to the power-down operation, and storing an execution step corresponding to the power-down operation.

9. An ice making machine, comprising a stationary box and a control device, further comprising:

and the control panel is electrically connected with the control device and is configured to display the working mode of the ice maker in a display mode.

10. The ice-making machine of claim 9, further comprising a prompting unit electrically connected to said control device, said prompting unit configured to issue at least a first prompt for water shortage in said upper water tank; and/or second prompt information related to the liquid level in the upper water tank; and/or third prompt information related to the working mode; and/or fourth prompt information related to power-down operation; the prompting unit comprises a sound prompting unit and/or a display prompting unit.