CN111829233B

CN111829233B - Ice moving mechanism, ice maker and refrigeration equipment

Info

Publication number: CN111829233B
Application number: CN202010537442.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈兴; 邵阳; 刘赞喜; 孙明星; 刘寸宇; 司增强
Original assignee: Hefei Hualing Co Ltd; Midea Group Co Ltd; Hefei Midea Refrigerator Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hefei Hualing Co Ltd; Midea Group Co Ltd; Hefei Midea Refrigerator Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-06-12
Filing date: 2020-06-12
Publication date: 2021-12-17
Anticipated expiration: 2040-06-12
Also published as: CN111829233A

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of ice making, and provides an ice moving mechanism, an ice making machine and refrigeration equipment. The ice moving mechanism comprises an ice moving piece, a driving assembly and an ice pushing assembly, and the ice moving piece is used for bearing ice blocks; the driving assembly is connected with the ice moving piece and is used for driving the ice moving piece to convey ice blocks carried from the first position to the second position; the ice pushing assembly is used for pushing out the ice blocks in the ice moving piece at the second position. The ice maker comprises an ice making grid, an ice storage box and the ice moving mechanism, wherein the first position corresponds to an outlet of the ice making grid, and the second position corresponds to an inlet of the ice storage box. The invention provides an ice moving mechanism, an ice maker and refrigeration equipment, which can move ice blocks to an inlet of an ice storage box, so that the inlet of the ice storage box is flexibly arranged, and meanwhile, an ice pushing assembly can push out the ice blocks in an ice moving piece, thereby ensuring that the ice blocks completely and smoothly enter the ice storage box.

Description

Ice moving mechanism, ice maker and refrigeration equipment

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of ice making, in particular to an ice moving mechanism, an ice making machine and refrigeration equipment.

Background

In general, the ice making process is: the ice cube tray is filled with water, cold air is blown to the ice cube tray, the water in the ice cube tray is slowly condensed into ice, then the ice cube tray rotates, and ice cubes fall into the ice storage box. The ice cubes falling off from the ice cube tray fall into the ice storage box by means of the gravity of the ice cube tray, so that the ice cube tray needs to be arranged above the ice storage box, the installation position of the ice storage box is limited, and the ice storage space of the ice storage box is limited. In addition, the ice falling from the ice cube tray generally needs to pass through the ice-water separator before entering the ice storage box, and occasionally, the ice is stuck on the ice-water separator, so that the ice is difficult to enter the ice storage box completely.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to solving at least one of the problems of the prior art. Therefore, the invention provides an ice moving mechanism which can move ice cubes to an inlet of an ice storage box, so that the inlet of the ice storage box is flexibly arranged, and meanwhile, an ice pushing assembly can push out the ice cubes in an ice moving piece, and the ice cubes can be guaranteed to completely and smoothly enter the ice storage box.

The invention also provides an ice maker.

The invention also provides a refrigerating device.

According to the embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the ice moving mechanism comprises:

the ice moving piece is used for bearing ice blocks;

the driving assembly is connected with the ice moving piece and used for driving the ice moving piece to convey the ice blocks carried from the first position to the second position;

and the ice pushing assembly is used for pushing out the ice blocks in the ice moving piece at the second position.

The ice moving mechanism comprises an ice moving piece, a driving assembly and an ice pushing assembly, wherein the ice moving piece can directly receive ice blocks made by ice making cells, the ice moving piece moves the ice blocks from a first position to a second position, the ice blocks do not fall into an ice storage box under the action of gravity, and an inlet of the ice storage box is not limited to be arranged below an outlet of the ice making cells, so that the inlet of the ice storage box and the outlet of the ice making cells are more flexibly arranged; the ice pushing assembly pushes out the ice blocks in the ice moving piece through external force, so that the problem that the ice blocks on the ice moving piece cannot be discharged in time can be solved, and the ice blocks in the ice moving piece are guaranteed to fall into the ice storage box smoothly; and the ice moving piece directly receives the ice blocks at the first position, an ice-water separator is not needed, and the structure is simplified.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the ice pushing assembly comprises a fixing piece and an ice pushing piece, one of the fixing piece and the ice pushing piece is arranged at the second position, and the other one of the fixing piece and the ice pushing piece is connected to the driving assembly and moves synchronously with the ice moving piece, the ice pushing piece is provided with a driving part which can move relative to the fixing piece, and under the condition that the fixing piece is in a contact state with the driving part, the fixing piece drives the driving part to move, so that the ice pushing piece pushes out ice blocks in the ice moving piece. Under the driving action of the driving assembly, the ice pushing assembly moves in a driven mode at the second position, and additional ice pushing power does not need to be provided.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the drive part rotates or slides relative to the fixed part. The ice pushing piece rotates or slides to push out ice blocks in the ice moving piece, and the movement mode of the ice pushing piece is flexible.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the fixing piece is a rack, the driving part is a gear matched with the rack, and the fixing piece is in meshing transmission with the ice pushing piece, so that the structure is simple and the movement is stable.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a reset piece is connected between the ice pushing piece and the ice moving piece, so that the ice pushing position for pushing out ice blocks in the ice moving piece can be reset to the initial position. At the position that need not push away ice, the piece that resets makes and pushes away ice piece and stabilize in the one side that moves ice piece, avoids pushing away the ice-cube that ice piece pushed away in moving ice piece.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the ice pushing piece is rotationally connected with the ice moving piece, the resetting piece is a torsion spring, and the torsion spring is connected between the ice pushing piece and the ice moving piece, so that the structure is simple.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the ice removing device further comprises a guide rail, the guide rail is connected with the ice removing piece in a sliding mode, and the movement of the ice removing piece is more stable.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the end part of the ice moving piece is rotatably connected with a pulley, and the pulley is connected with the guide rail in a sliding manner, so that the movement resistance of the ice moving piece is reduced.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the driving assembly comprises a screw rod, a connecting piece and a motor, the connecting piece is rotatably connected with the screw rod, the motor is used for driving the screw rod to rotate, the screw rod extends from the first position to the second position, a thread matched with the screw rod is formed on the connecting piece, and the connecting piece is connected with the ice moving piece, so that the structure is simple and the performance is stable.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the guide rail and the driving assembly are respectively arranged at two ends of the ice moving piece.

The ice maker according to the second aspect of the embodiment of the invention comprises an ice making case, an ice storage box and the ice moving mechanism of the above embodiment, wherein the first position corresponds to an outlet of the ice making case, and the second position corresponds to an inlet of the ice storage box.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the outlet of the ice-making housing is located below the inlet of the ice bank.

According to the refrigeration equipment of the third aspect of the invention, the ice moving mechanism or the ice maker of the above embodiment is included.

One or more technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention have at least one of the following technical effects:

the ice moving mechanism comprises an ice moving piece, a driving assembly and an ice pushing assembly, wherein the ice moving piece can directly receive ice blocks made by ice making cells, the ice moving piece moves the ice blocks from a first position to a second position, the ice blocks do not fall into an ice storage box under the action of gravity, and an inlet of the ice storage box is not limited to be arranged below an outlet of the ice making cells, so that the inlet of the ice storage box and the outlet of the ice making cells are more flexibly arranged; the ice pushing assembly pushes out the ice blocks in the accommodating groove through external force, so that the problem that the ice blocks are clamped on the ice moving piece and cannot be discharged in time can be solved, and the ice blocks in the ice moving piece are guaranteed to fall into the ice storage box smoothly; and the ice moving piece directly receives the ice blocks at the first position, an ice-water separator is not needed, and the structure is simplified.

Furthermore, the ice maker according to another embodiment of the present invention includes the ice moving mechanism, and when the position relationship between the ice cube tray and the box body of the ice bank is not changed, the second position of the ice bank is raised, and the volume of the ice bank is increased accordingly, so that the ice storage space of the ice bank can be raised, and the space of the ice maker can be fully utilized.

Furthermore, the refrigeration device according to another embodiment of the present invention includes the above ice moving mechanism or ice maker, and the inlet of the ice storage box is flexibly arranged, and has a simple structure and a wide application range.

Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments are briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an ice moving mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged schematic view of the location B in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial schematic view of the C-position of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged schematic view of the position D in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of an ice moving mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic top view of an ice moving mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a relative position relationship between the ice moving mechanism and the ice cube tray and the ice bank according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numerals:

1: moving an ice piece; 2: a drive assembly; 21: a screw rod; 22: a connecting member; 23: a motor; 24: a motor base; 25: a transmission rod; 26: a support bearing;

3: an ice pushing assembly; 31: pushing the ice piece; 311: a gear; 312: a pulley; 313: a boss portion; 32: a fixing member;

4: a reset member; 5: a frame body; 51: a first side frame; 52: a second side frame; 53: a top frame; 54: a chassis;

6: an ice bank; 7: and (4) an ice cube tray.

Detailed Description

The embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the drawings and examples. The following examples are intended to illustrate the invention but are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on those shown in the drawings, and are only for convenience of describing the embodiments of the present invention and simplifying the description, but do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be configured in a specific orientation, and operate, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless explicitly stated or limited otherwise, the terms "connected" and "connected" are to be interpreted broadly, and may be, for example, fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected; can be mechanically or electrically connected; may be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate. Specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present invention can be understood in specific cases by those of ordinary skill in the art.

In embodiments of the invention, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, the first feature "on" or "under" the second feature may be directly contacting the first and second features or indirectly contacting the first and second features through intervening media. Also, a first feature "on," "over," and "above" a second feature may be directly or diagonally above the second feature, or may simply indicate that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "under," "below," and "beneath" a second feature may be directly under or obliquely under the first feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is at a lesser elevation than the second feature.

In the description herein, references to the description of the term "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "an example," "a specific example," or "some examples," etc., mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of an embodiment of the invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the terms used above are not necessarily intended to refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Furthermore, various embodiments or examples and features of different embodiments or examples described in this specification can be combined and combined by one skilled in the art without contradiction.

One embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 1 to 7, provides an ice moving mechanism, including: the ice moving component 1, the driving component 2 and the ice pushing component 3. Wherein, the ice moving piece 1 is used for bearing ice blocks; the ice moving piece 1 is used for receiving ice blocks made by the ice making grids 7 from a first position; the driving assembly 2 is connected with the ice moving piece 1, and the driving assembly 2 is used for driving the ice moving piece 1 to move between a first position and a second position; the ice pushing assembly 3 is used for pushing out the ice blocks in the ice moving member 1 at the second position.

Referring to fig. 8, when the ice making cells 7 finish making ice and the made ice pieces need to be transferred to the ice bank 6, the ice moving mechanism of the present embodiment feeds the ice pieces discharged from the outlet of the ice making cells 7 into the inlet of the ice bank 6, that is, the first position corresponds to the outlet of the ice making cells 7 and the second position corresponds to the inlet of the ice bank 6. Specifically, the ice making cell 7 completes making ice, the ice moving member 1 receives ice made by the ice making cell 7 at a first position (the solid line ice moving member 1 in fig. 8 indicates that the ice moving member 1 is located at the first position), the ice falls into a receiving slot formed by the ice moving member 1, the driving assembly 2 drives the ice moving member 1 to move to a second position, and at the second position (the dotted line ice moving member 1 in fig. 8 indicates that the ice moving member 1 is located at the second position), the ice pushing assembly 3 pushes the ice in the ice moving member 1 into the ice storage box 6 to complete one-time ice transfer, and at this time, the driving assembly 2 can drive the ice moving member 1 to return to the first position for next-time ice transfer, or the ice moving member 1 is kept at the second position, and when next-time ice transfer is required, the ice moving member 1 returns to the first position again. In combination with the above, the present embodiment has the advantages of simple overall structure, easy operation and low cost.

By adopting the ice moving mechanism of the embodiment, the ice moving piece 1 can directly receive ice blocks made by the ice making cells 7 without arranging an ice-water separator, so that the structure is simplified; the ice cubes are moved by the ice moving piece 1, the ice cubes do not fall into the ice storage box 6 by gravity any more, and the inlet of the ice storage box 6 is not limited to be arranged below the outlet of the ice making grid 7, so that the inlet of the ice storage box 6 and the outlet of the ice making grid 7 are more flexibly arranged. The ice moving mechanism of the embodiment can be used for multi-directional transfer of ice blocks, such as up-and-down transfer, left-and-right transfer, inclined transfer and the like. When the ice moving mechanism is used for moving the ice up and down, that is, the ice moving member 1 reciprocates up and down, the inlet of the ice bank 6 is higher than the outlet of the ice cube tray 7, so that under the condition that the relative positions of the ice bank 6 and the ice cube tray 7 are not changed, the space of the ice bank 6 is increased, and the space is fully utilized. When the capacity of the ice storage box 6 is the same, the ice moving mechanism of the embodiment is adopted, the height of the ice maker in the vertical direction can be reduced, and the installation of the whole ice maker in refrigeration equipment such as a refrigerator is more flexible.

In addition, the ice moving mechanism of the embodiment is further provided with an ice pushing assembly 3, the ice pushing assembly 3 pushes out ice cubes in the ice moving piece 1 through external force, the problem that the ice cubes are clamped on the ice moving piece 1 and cannot be discharged in time can be solved, and the ice cubes in the ice moving piece 1 can be guaranteed to fall into the ice storage box 6 smoothly. Simultaneously, for the mode that adopts the inclined plane to go out ice, the problem of ice-cube card on moving ice piece 1 is effectively avoided to this embodiment to move ice piece 1 and set up the stable transport that the holding tank more helped the ice-cube.

When the ice cubes do not need to be transferred, the ice transfer member 1 may be maintained at the first position, the second position, or another position, and in this case, the position of the ice transfer member 1 is not limited. Generally, the ice moving member 1 is kept at the first position, when ice blocks need to be transferred, the ice moving member 1 moves to the second position, and after the transfer is completed, the driving assembly 2 drives the ice moving member 1 to return to the first position. The first position and the second position are not limited to one position point, and may be a region range.

The movement mode of the ice moving piece 1 can be reciprocating linear movement or swinging movement, the movement mode of the ice moving piece 1 is not limited, and the selection can be carried out according to the installation space or the relative position relationship between the first position and the second position. The following embodiments will describe the reciprocating linear motion of the ice removing member 1 as an example, because the reciprocating linear motion is stable and easy to realize. The structural form of the driving assembly 2 is selected according to the movement mode of the ice moving piece 1. The motion mode of the ice pushing assembly 3 for pushing out the ice cubes can be rotary motion or linear motion, and can be selected according to requirements.

An embodiment of the ice pushing assembly 3 is provided below.

In another embodiment, referring to fig. 2 and 3, the ice pushing assembly 3 comprises an ice pushing member 31 and a fixing member 32, one of the fixing member 32 and the ice pushing member 31 is arranged at a fixed structure corresponding to the second position, and the other is connected to the driving assembly 2 and moves synchronously with the ice moving member 1; the ice pushing member 31 comprises a driving part which can move relative to the fixing member 32, and under the condition that the fixing member 32 is in a contact state with the driving part, the fixing member 32 drives the driving part to move, so that the ice pushing member 31 pushes out the ice blocks in the ice moving member 1.

On the basis of the driving acting force provided by the driving assembly 2, the ice pushing assembly 3 performs driven motion, and under the condition that no additional power is required, the ice pushing piece 31 can generate relative motion with the ice moving piece 1 at the second position, so that the ice pushing piece 31 pushes out ice blocks in the ice moving piece 1. Wherein, the driven movement of the ice pushing assembly 3 is realized by the contact and matching of the fixing piece 32 and the ice pushing piece 31.

One of the fixed member 32 and the ice pushing member 31 is connected to the driving assembly 2, and it can be understood that the fixed member 32 or the ice pushing member 31 is directly connected to the driving assembly 2 to move synchronously with the ice moving member 1 under the driving power of the driving assembly 2; of course, the fixing member 32 or the ice pushing member 31 may also be indirectly connected to the driving assembly 2 through the ice moving member 1.

In one embodiment, when the ice pushing member 31 is connected to the driving assembly 2 and moves synchronously with the ice moving member 1, the fixing member 32 maintains a relatively fixed relationship with the second position. Wherein the fixing member 32 can be fixed to the ice bank 6 or other fixing structure (such as a shelf 5 described below). When the ice pushing member 31 moves to the second position, the ice pushing member 31 continues to move along with the ice moving member 1, the driving part of the ice pushing member 31 is in contact with the fixing member 32 and generates relative movement, the relative movement between the ice pushing member 31 and the fixing member 32 enables the ice pushing member 31 and the ice moving member 1 to generate relative movement, that is, while the ice pushing member 31 moves up and down along with the ice moving member 1 synchronously, the ice pushing member 31 moves relative to the ice moving member 1 to push out ice cubes in the accommodating tank. At this time, the fixing member 32 extends along the moving path of the ice moving member 1 to ensure the contact transmission relationship between the ice pushing member 31 and the fixing member 32. The ice pushing piece 31 and the ice moving piece 1 move synchronously, so that the accuracy of the relative position relation between the ice pushing piece 31 and the ice moving piece 1 can be ensured, and the ice pushing piece 31 can accurately push out ice blocks in the accommodating groove.

In another embodiment, when the fixing member 32 is connected to the driving assembly 2 and moves synchronously with the ice moving member 1, the ice pushing member 31 is disposed at the second position, and when the ice pushing member 31 is not in contact with the fixing member 32, the ice pushing member 31 is kept fixed at the second position. When the driving part of the ice pushing member 31 contacts the fixing member 32 and moves relatively, the fixing member 32 still keeps moving synchronously with the ice moving member 1, and the ice pushing member 31 moves in the direction of pushing out the ice cubes in the accommodating groove. Wherein the ice pusher 31 may be connected to the ice bank 6 or other fixed structure. The fixing member 32 and the ice moving member 1 move synchronously, and the fixing member 32 has a simple structure and a flexible shape, so that the fixing member 32 is flexible in installation position on the driving assembly 2 and simple and convenient to operate. Also, the weight of the fixing member 32 is light, and the driving load of the driving assembly 2 can be reduced.

In the following embodiments, the description will be given by taking "the ice pushing member 31 is connected to the driving unit 2 and moves synchronously with the ice moving member 1, and the fixing member 32 is kept in a relatively fixed relationship with the second position" as an example.

In another embodiment, on the basis of the above-mentioned embodiments, the movement of the driving part of the ice pushing member 31 relative to the fixing member 32 is a rotational movement or a sliding movement. That is, the ice pushing member 31 pushes out the ice cubes in the ice moving member 1 in a rotating or sliding manner, which can be selected according to actual needs.

Example of the rotational movement of the ice pusher 31: referring to fig. 2 and 3, the ice pushing member 31 is rotatably coupled to the ice moving member 1 and rotates to push out the ice cubes in the ice moving member 1. The fixing member 32 is a rack, the driving part of the ice pushing member 31 is a gear 311 matched with the rack, and the fixing member 32 and the ice pushing member 31 are in meshing transmission in the area corresponding to the second position. The gear 311 is in a rack-engaging transmission mode, and the structure is simple and transmission is accurate.

Of course, the rotation of the ice pushing member 31 is not limited to the engagement of the gear 311 with the rack, and may be a roller and a support plate.

Embodiment of the sliding movement of the ice pusher 31 (not illustrated in the figures): the fixing piece is provided with a first inclined surface, the first inclined surface forms an included angle with the moving direction of the ice moving piece and extends along the moving direction of the ice moving piece, the ice pushing piece is provided with a second inclined surface which can be attached to the first inclined surface, and the ice pushing piece can slide relative to the fixing piece and the ice moving piece along the first inclined surface so as to push out ice blocks in the ice moving piece. At this time, the ice moving member may be provided with a guide groove extending in a sliding direction of the ice pushing member to guide movement of the ice pushing member. The ice pushing piece is simple in sliding pushing mode and structure, and ice blocks in the ice moving piece 1 can be stably pushed out.

In another embodiment, as shown in fig. 1 and 5, after the ice pushing member 31 finishes the action of pushing out the ice cubes in the ice moving member 1, the driving assembly 2 drives the ice pushing member 31 to move from the second position to the first position, the ice pushing member 31 is out of contact with the fixing member 32, and the ice pushing member 31 returns to the initial position before pushing out the ice cubes, at this time, the ice pushing member 31 lacks the limit of the fixing member 32, and because the ice pushing member 31 has the freedom of rotation or sliding, it is difficult to keep the ice pushing member 31 in a stable state, therefore, the reset member 4 is disposed between the ice pushing member 31 and the member rotationally or slidably connected thereto, and the reset member 4 keeps the ice pushing member 31 in the initial position to inhibit the ice pushing member 31 from moving in the direction of pushing out the ice cubes, so as to avoid the ice pushing member 31 from interfering with the ice cubes in the ice moving member 1.

In another embodiment, the ice pushing member 31 is connected to the ice moving member 1, the reset member 4 is arranged between the ice pushing member 31 and the ice moving member 1, and the reset member 4 provides a force to the ice pushing member 31 in a direction opposite to the direction of pushing out ice, so that the ice pushing member 31 can be returned to the initial position from the ice pushing position for pushing out ice cubes in the ice moving member 1, and the structure is simple.

When the ice pushing piece 31 is in a non-contact relation with the fixing piece 32, the ice pushing piece 31 is at an initial position, and the resetting piece 4 is in a balanced state; when the ice pushing piece 31 moves to the ice pushing position for pushing out the ice blocks in the ice moving piece 1, the ice pushing piece 31 needs to overcome the resistance of the resetting piece 4; when the ice pushing piece 31 finishes the action of pushing out the ice cubes, the restoring force of the resetting piece 4 drives the ice pushing piece 31 to move in the direction away from the direction of pushing out the ice cubes, the resetting piece 4 assists the driving assembly 2 to provide the restoring force, and when the ice pushing piece 31 is separated from the contact relation with the fixing piece 32, the resetting piece 4 keeps the ice pushing piece 31 at the initial position. The returning member 4 is an elastic member, and the elastic force of the elastic member provides a movement resistance or a restoring force to the ice pushing member 31.

In another embodiment, as shown in fig. 1 and 5, when the ice pushing member 31 is rotatably connected to the ice moving member 1, the restoring member 4 is a torsion spring, and the torsion spring restrains the ice pushing member 31 from rotating, so that the structure is simple and the cost is low.

Furthermore, the end of the ice moving part 1 is provided with a connecting plate extending upwards, the ice pushing part 31 is rotatably connected to the connecting plate, the ice pushing part 31 is provided with a protruding part 313 used for pushing ice out, and two torsion ends of the torsion spring are respectively connected to the connecting plate and the protruding part 313 close to the connecting plate.

It should be noted that, referring to fig. 1, a plurality of protrusions 313 are provided on the ice pushing member 31, a space is provided between adjacent protrusions 313, and the plurality of protrusions 313 are staggered, so that the structure of the ice pushing member 31 is flexible, and the ice pushing member is helpful for pushing out the ice cubes in the ice moving member 1 comprehensively and efficiently.

When the ice pushing piece is connected with the ice moving piece in a sliding mode, the reset piece is an expansion spring (not shown in the figure), the expansion spring is adjusted in an expansion mode along the sliding path of the ice pushing piece, and the structure is simple.

In another embodiment, the difference from the above embodiments is that a driver (not shown in the figures) is also connected to the ice pushing member, and at this time, the ice pushing assembly does not need to be provided with a fixing member matched with the ice pushing member, the driver directly drives the ice pushing member to move, and the driver can be a rotating motor, a linear motor, an air cylinder or the like, so that the structure can be simplified. And the motion mode of the ice pushing piece can be independently regulated and controlled, and the independence of the ice pushing piece is stronger.

When the ice pushing member 31 is connected to the frame body 5 or the ice storage box 6, the driver is connected to the ice pushing member 31, and the ice moving member 1 moves to the second position, the ice pushing member 31 corresponds to the ice moving member 1 and can push out the ice blocks in the ice moving member 1, the structure is simple, and the load of the driving assembly 2 is reduced.

In another embodiment, as shown in fig. 1 to 7, the ice moving mechanism further comprises a guide rail, and the ice moving member 1 is slidably connected to the guide rail. The guide rail slides and guides the ice moving piece 1, and the motion stability of the ice moving piece 1 is ensured.

The guide rail is constructed on the frame body 5, the ice moving piece 1 moves up and down relative to the frame body 5, and the frame body 5 of the driving assembly 2 is matched to ensure that the ice moving piece 1 stably goes up and down. Moreover, the frame body 5 provides sliding guide for the ice moving piece 1, and ensures that the ice moving piece 1 stably moves between a first position and a second position; meanwhile, the ice moving piece 1 is in sliding contact with the frame body 5, and frost on the ice moving piece 1 and the frame body 5 can be removed through sliding friction of the ice moving piece 1 and the frame body 5, so that the problem of frost formation caused by condensation is solved, and the movement resistance of the ice moving piece 1 is reduced.

Further, referring to fig. 1 and 6, the end of the ice moving member 1 is rotatably connected with a pulley 312, and the pulley 312 is slidably connected to the guide rail, that is, the pulley 312 slides in the sliding slot, so as to reduce the sliding resistance of the ice moving member 1.

In another embodiment, the driving assembly 2 and the guide rail are respectively located at two ends of the ice moving member 1, and the driving assembly 2 and the guide rail respectively support two ends of the ice moving member 1, so as to ensure the motion stability of the ice moving member 1.

Further, referring to fig. 1, the frame body 5 includes a first side frame 51, a second side frame 52 opposite to the first side frame 51, a top frame 53 connected to upper ends of the first side frame 51 and the second side frame 52, and a bottom frame 54 connected to lower ends of the first side frame 51 and the second side frame 52, and the frame body 5 forms a rectangular frame structure. The fixing member 32 or the ice pushing member 31 in the above embodiment is coupled to the frame body 5. Specifically, referring to fig. 1 to 4, the fixing member 32 (i.e., rack) is attached to the upper frame 53.

Further, as shown in fig. 1 and fig. 6, the pulley 312 is slidably connected to the second side frame 52, a sliding rail made of plastic is disposed on the second side frame 52, and a silica gel structure is disposed on the pulley 312, and the silica gel structure is in interference fit with the sliding rail to ensure that two sides of the ice moving member 1 rise synchronously. The driving assembly 2 is close to the first side frame 51, and the driving assembly 2 is matched with the pulley 312 to support two ends of the ice moving piece 1, so that the stable movement of the ice moving piece 1 is ensured.

In one embodiment, referring to fig. 1 to 5, in the ice moving process, after the ice moving member 1 receives ice cubes, the driving assembly 2 drives the ice moving member 1 to ascend, when the ice moving member 1 ascends until the gear 311 on the ice pushing member 31 is engaged with the rack, the driving assembly 2 continues to drive the ice moving member 1 to ascend, at this time, the gear 311 is in rack-and-pinion engagement transmission, the gear 311 rotates, that is, the ice pushing member 31 rotates relative to the ice moving member 1, the ice pushing member 31 starts to move in the direction of pushing out the ice cubes, until the ice cubes in the ice moving member 1 are pushed out, the driving assembly 2 stops driving the ice moving member 1 to ascend, and during the rotation of the gear 311, the torsion force of the torsion spring needs to be overcome; then, the driving assembly 2 drives the ice moving member 1 to descend, and in the descending process of the ice moving member 1, the ice pushing member 31 rotates reversely until the gear 311 and the rack are disengaged, the torsion of the torsion spring keeps the ice pushing member 31 at the initial position, and meanwhile, the driving assembly 2 drives the ice moving member 1 to descend to the first position and then stops, and one-time ice moving is completed. The pulley 312 performs sliding guiding and supporting during the lifting of the ice moving member 1.

In the above embodiment, the linear motion of the ice moving member 1 is achieved by the driving assembly 2 providing a linear driving force. An embodiment of the drive assembly 2 is provided below.

In another embodiment, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the driving assembly 2 includes a screw 21, a connecting member 22 rotatably connected to the screw 21, and a motor 23 for driving the screw 21 to rotate, the screw 21 extends from a first position to a second position, the connecting member 22 is formed with a thread engaged with the screw 21, and the connecting member 22 is connected to the ice-moving member 1. The connecting piece 22 moves linearly along the axial direction of the screw rod 21, and the connecting piece 22 drives the ice moving piece 1 to move linearly.

Furthermore, the connecting piece 22 is provided with a nut matched with the screw rod 21, the nut is sleeved on the screw rod 21, the connecting piece 22 is fixedly connected with the ice moving piece 1 through a fastening piece, so that the ice moving piece 1 is guaranteed to move stably and linearly, and the driving assembly 2 is simple in structure. Wherein, the ice pushing piece 31 is directly connected with the screw nut to move synchronously with the ice moving piece 1; or, the ice pushing piece 31 is indirectly connected with the screw through the ice moving piece 1; the ice pushing piece 31 and the ice moving piece 1 can move synchronously under the driving power of the driving assembly.

Wherein, the casing of the motor 23 is fixedly connected with the first side frame 51 and the base through the motor base 24, and the output shaft of the motor 23 is connected with the screw rod 21 through the transmission rod 25. In addition, as shown in fig. 1 and 7, the two axial ends of the screw rod 21 are respectively sleeved with a support bearing 26, and a housing of the support bearing 26 is fixedly connected to the first side frame 51 to ensure that the screw rod 21 stably rotates.

Of course, the driving assembly 2 is not limited to linear motion matched with a nut and a screw rod, the driving assembly 2 can also be an air cylinder, the driving assembly 2 can also be in gear-rack meshing transmission driven by a motor, and the gear rack can also realize linear motion. The driving manner of the driving assembly 2 is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and any structure capable of realizing the driving of the linear motion may be adopted, which is not described herein again.

In another embodiment, as shown in fig. 2 and 3, the accommodating groove formed on the ice moving member 1 is formed as an arc-shaped curved groove, which ensures that ice cubes are not easy to fall out, and also helps to ensure the volume of the accommodating groove, and the ice pushing member 31 can be rotated to push out the ice in the accommodating groove sufficiently.

In another embodiment of the present invention, an ice maker (not shown) is provided, which includes an ice cube tray 7, an ice bank 6, and the ice moving mechanism in the above embodiments, wherein the first position corresponds to an outlet of the ice cube tray 7, and the second position corresponds to an inlet of the ice bank 6. The ice maker of the present embodiment includes the ice moving mechanism of the above embodiment, and therefore, has all the advantages of the ice moving mechanism, and will not be described herein again.

Further, compared with a traditional ice cube falling mode by gravity, the outlet of the ice cube tray 7 is located above the inlet of the ice bank 6, in this embodiment, the outlet of the ice cube tray 7 may be located below the inlet of the ice bank 6, and under the condition that the positional relationship between the ice cube tray 7 and the box body of the ice bank 6 is not changed, the inlet of the ice bank 6 is raised, the volume of the ice bank 6 is increased accordingly, the ice storage space of the ice bank 6 can be raised, and the space of the ice maker is fully utilized.

In another embodiment, the ice moving mechanism comprises a frame body 5, the frame body 5 is connected to the ice making grid 7 or the ice storage box 6, and the ice moving mechanism is integrated on the ice making grid 7 or the ice storage box 6, so that the integrity of the ice making machine is improved, and the ice moving mechanism is also ensured to stably move ice between the ice making grid 7 and the ice storage box 6.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a refrigeration device (not shown) is provided, which includes the ice moving mechanism in the above embodiment or the ice maker in the above embodiment, so that the refrigeration device has all the advantages of the ice moving mechanism or the ice maker in the above embodiment, and the details are not repeated herein.

Wherein, the refrigeration equipment comprises equipment such as a refrigerator, an ice chest or a water dispenser and the like, but is not limited to the equipment.

The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various combinations, modifications or equivalents may be made to the technical solution of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solution of the present invention, and the technical solution of the present invention is covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ice moving mechanism, comprising:

the ice moving piece is used for bearing ice blocks;

the ice pushing assembly is used for pushing out the ice blocks in the ice moving piece at the second position;

the ice pushing assembly comprises a fixing piece and an ice pushing piece, one of the fixing piece and the ice pushing piece is arranged at the second position, the other one of the fixing piece and the ice pushing piece is connected to the driving assembly and moves synchronously with the ice moving piece, the ice pushing piece is provided with a driving part capable of moving relative to the fixing piece, and under the condition that the fixing piece and the driving part are in a contact state, the fixing piece drives the driving part to move, so that the ice pushing piece pushes out ice blocks in the ice moving piece.

2. The ice moving mechanism of claim 1, wherein the drive portion rotates or slides relative to the mount.

3. The ice moving mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixing member is a rack, and the driving portion is a gear adapted to the rack.

4. The ice moving mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein a reset member is connected between the ice pushing member and the ice moving member, so that the ice pushing member can be reset to an initial position from an ice pushing position for pushing out ice cubes in the ice moving member.

5. The ice moving mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the ice pushing member is rotatably connected to the ice moving member, and the reset member is a torsion spring connected between the ice pushing member and the ice moving member.

6. The ice moving mechanism of any one of claims 1-5, further comprising a rail slidably coupled to the ice moving member.

7. The ice moving mechanism of claim 6, wherein a pulley is rotatably connected to an end of the ice moving member, and the pulley is slidably connected to the guide rail.

8. The ice moving mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the driving assembly comprises a screw rod, a connecting member rotatably connected with the screw rod, and a motor for driving the screw rod to rotate, the screw rod extends from the first position to the second position, the connecting member is formed with a thread matched with the screw rod, and the connecting member is connected with the ice moving member.

9. The ice moving mechanism as claimed in claim 6, wherein the guide rail and the driving assembly are respectively disposed at both ends of the ice moving member.

10. An ice maker comprising an ice cube tray, an ice bank, and the ice moving mechanism of any of claims 1-9, wherein the first position corresponds to an outlet of the ice cube tray, and the second position corresponds to an inlet of the ice bank.

11. The ice-making machine of claim 10, wherein the outlet of the ice cube tray is located below the inlet of the ice bank.

12. A refrigeration appliance comprising the ice moving mechanism of any one of claims 1 to 9 or the ice maker of claim 10 or 11.