# US 12,222,151 B2 · Refrigerator and ice making method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,222,151 B2 - Document ID: US12222151B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/792,035 - Filed: 2021-11-15 - Published: 2024-02-29 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2021-06-15 - Assignees: Hisense Ronshen (Guangdong) Refrigerator Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Hisense Ronshen (Guangdong) Refrigerator Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Xiaofen Long; Huimin Yao; Yuhua Guo; Yubo Lu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12222151B2 ## CPC - F25C 5/22: {particularly adapted for household refrigerators} - F25C 1/04: by using stationary moulds - F25C 1/25: Filling devices for moulds - F25C 2400/10: Refrigerator units - F25C 2600/00: Control issues - F25C 2600/04: Control means - F25C 2700/02: Level of ice - F25C: PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE ## Abstract A refrigerator is provided and includes a refrigerator body, a door body, an ice making apparatus and a controller. The refrigerator body includes a storage compartment. The door body is pivotally connected to the refrigerator body to open or close the storage compartment. The ice making apparatus includes a plurality of ice makers. The controller is configured to control at least one of the plurality of ice makers to make ice according to an ice making request. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A refrigerator, comprising: a refrigerator body including a storage compartment; a door body pivotally connected with the refrigerator body to open or close the storage compartment; an ice making apparatus including a plurality of ice makers; and a controller configured to control at least one of the plurality of ice makers to make ice according to an ice making request; wherein the plurality of ice makers include a first ice maker and a second ice maker, and the ice making request includes: an ice making request for the first ice maker and the second ice maker to cause the controller to turn on the first ice maker and the second ice maker; and after the first ice maker and the second ice maker are turned on, the controller is further configured to: determine a first water injection amount of the first ice maker and a second water injection amount of the second ice maker according to a preset ice making amount; obtain a first water injection time of the first ice maker; calculate a second water injection time of the second ice maker based on the first water injection amount, the second water injection amount and the first water injection time; and control water injection of the second ice maker according to the second water injection time. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the ice making apparatus further includes a flow meter, and at least one of the plurality of ice makers includes the flow meter. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the first ice maker includes the flow meter, and the second ice maker does not include the flow meter. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein a distribution ratio of the first water injection amount to the second water injection amount is preset according to the preset ice making amount. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the distribution ratio of the first water injection amount to the second water injection amount includes 1:1 or 2:3. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein that obtaining the first water injection time of the first ice maker includes: controlling the first ice maker to start a water injection program, and controlling the first ice maker to stop the water injection program until a number of pulses of the flow meter in real time reaches a preset pulse threshold; and obtaining a time of the first ice maker from a start of the water injection program to a stop of the water injection program, and the time being the first water injection time of the first ice maker. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein that calculating the second water injection time of the second ice maker based on the first water injection amount, the second water injection amount and the first water injection time satisfies the following formula: ticeB=V2×ticeA/V1; wherein, ticeB is the second water injection time, V1 is the first water injection amount, V2 is the second water injection amount, and ticeA is the first water injection time. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the ice making apparatus further includes: a water inlet pipe; and a water valve, an end of the water valve being connected to the water inlet pipe, and another end of the water valve being connected to the plurality of ice makers. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the ice making apparatus further includes a water outlet pipe, and an end of the water outlet pipe being connected to the another end of the water valve. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The refrigerator according to claim 9, wherein the refrigerator further comprises: a water dispenser connected to another end of the water outlet pipe. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerator further comprises an ice storage box to store ice cubes, and the controller is further configured to: stop an ice making operation of the ice making apparatus when the controller obtains that an amount of ice cubes stored in the ice storage box reaches a preset storage threshold. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the refrigerator body includes a horizontal partition plate disposed at a middle position of the refrigerator body in a height direction, the storage compartment is partitioned into an upper storage compartment and a lower storage compartment by the horizontal partition plate, and the plurality of ice makers satisfies one of the following: the plurality of ice makers are disposed in the upper storage compartment; the plurality of ice makers are disposed in the lower storage compartment; or some of the plurality of ice makers are disposed in the upper storage compartment, and some of the plurality of ice makers are disposed in the lower storage compartment. ### Claim 13 An ice making method of a refrigerator, the refrigerator comprising an ice making apparatus and a controller, the ice making apparatus including a plurality of ice makers, and the ice making method of the refrigerator comprising: obtaining an ice making request; and controlling at least one of the plurality of ice makers to make ice according to the ice making request; wherein the plurality of ice makers include a first ice maker and a second ice maker, and the ice making request includes: an ice making request for the first ice maker and the second ice maker to cause the controller to turn on the first ice maker and the second ice maker; wherein after the first ice maker and the second ice maker are turned on, the ice making method of the refrigerator further comprises: determining a first water injection amount of the first ice maker and a second water injection amount of the second ice maker according to a preset ice making amount; obtaining a first water injection time of the first ice maker; calculating a second water injection time of the second ice maker based on the first water injection amount, the second water injection amount and the first water injection time; and controlling water injection of the second ice maker according to the second water injection time. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The ice making method of the refrigerator according to claim 13, wherein the ice making apparatus further includes a flow meter, and at least one of the plurality of ice makers includes the flow meter. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The ice making method of the refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein obtaining the first water injection time of the first ice maker includes: controlling the first ice maker to start a water injection program, and controlling the first ice maker to stop the water injection program until a number of pulses of the flow meter in real time reaches a preset pulse threshold; and obtaining a time of the first ice maker from a start of the water injection program to a stop of the water injection program, and the time being the first water injection time of the first ice maker. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The ice making method of the refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein that calculating the second water injection time of the second ice maker based on the first water injection amount, the second water injection amount and the first water injection time satisfies the following formula: ticeB=V2×ticeA/V1; wherein, ticeB is the second water injection time, V1 is the first water injection amount, V2 is the second water injection amount, and ticeA is the first water injection time. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The ice making method of the refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein a distribution ratio of the first water injection amount to the second water injection amount is preset according to the preset ice making amount. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The ice making method of the refrigerator according to claim 17, wherein the distribution ratio of the first water injection amount to the second water injection amount includes 1:1 or 2:3.