CN111854249B

CN111854249B - Ice maker and refrigerator using same

Info

Publication number: CN111854249B
Application number: CN201910292793.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 薛建军; 朱小兵; 张延庆; 赵振雨
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-04-12
Filing date: 2019-04-12
Publication date: 2022-04-29
Anticipated expiration: 2039-04-12
Also published as: CN111854249A

Abstract

The present invention provides an ice making machine comprising: a frame; the ice-making tray is provided with an ice-making grid, the ice-making grid is provided with an opening for receiving ice-making water, and the ice-making tray is rotationally connected with the rack; the driving assembly is fixedly connected with the rack and used for driving the ice making disc to rotate; the ice making tray is characterized by also comprising a water receiving part, wherein the water receiving part is fixedly connected with the ice making tray; the water receiving part is provided with a semi-closed shell, at least part of the ice making tray is accommodated in the shell, the shell comprises a water retaining side wall positioned on the outer side of the ice making tray and a bottom wall extending downwards along the water retaining side wall, a gap is reserved between the water retaining side wall and the edge of the ice making tray to form a water passing channel, a water containing space is arranged on the bottom wall, and ice making water splashed from the ice making tray flows into the water containing space through the water passing channel. The invention also provides a refrigerator using the ice machine.

Description

Ice maker and refrigerator using same

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a household appliance, and more particularly, to an ice maker and a refrigerator using the same.

Background

Currently, in order to meet diversified demands of users, an ice maker is installed in a refrigerator for making ice. The ice maker has an ice-making tray for receiving ice-making water and making ice. When water is supplied to an ice-making tray within an ice-making machine or a refrigerator door is opened/closed, the ice-making tray may be subjected to vibration to cause water in the ice-making tray to be splashed. The splashed ice making water falls into an ice bank below the ice making tray, easily causing the dispersed ice pieces stored in the ice bank to be adhered.

In the conventional ice making machine, a splash-proof member is generally installed at the edge of an ice making tray, the edge of the splash-proof member is in close contact with the edge of the ice making tray, and water splashed from the ice making tray falls on the inner surface of the splash-proof member and then falls back into the ice making tray along the splash-proof member. The splash-proof structure has higher requirement on the contact tightness of the splash-proof piece and the edge of the ice-making tray, but the relative movement between the splash-proof piece and the ice-making tray can cause the abrasion of the contact part of the ice-making tray and the splash-proof piece to cause the untight contact between the ice-making tray and the splash-proof piece, thereby influencing the splash-proof effect.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide an ice maker having a water receiving part for receiving water splashed from an ice tray, preventing ice making water from splashing into an ice bank to cause ice cubes to be stuck, which is simple in structure, less worn, and long in life.

The invention provides an ice maker, which comprises a frame; the ice-making tray is provided with an ice-making grid, the ice-making grid is provided with an opening for receiving ice-making water, and the ice-making tray is rotationally connected with the rack; the driving assembly is arranged on the frame and used for driving the ice-making tray to rotate; the ice making tray is characterized by also comprising a water receiving part, wherein the water receiving part is fixedly connected with the ice making tray; the water receiving part is provided with a semi-closed shell, at least part of the ice making tray is accommodated in the shell, the shell comprises a water retaining side wall positioned on the outer side of the ice making tray and a bottom wall extending downwards along the water retaining side wall, a gap is reserved between the water retaining side wall and the edge of the ice making tray to form a water passing channel, a water containing space is arranged on the bottom wall, and ice making water splashed from the ice making tray flows into the water containing space through the water passing channel.

Preferably, the water retaining side wall includes a first side wall and a second side wall respectively located at two sides of the ice making tray, and the first side wall and the second side wall are both connected to the bottom wall.

Preferably, the cross section of the housing includes a cambered surface, and an axis of the cambered surface is coaxial with the rotation axis of the ice-making tray.

Preferably, the ice maker further includes water flood prevention ribs disposed at both sides of the ice making tray, the water flood prevention ribs upwardly protruding along an upper edge of the ice making tray, and gaps are left between the water flood prevention ribs and the first and second sidewalls.

Preferably, the water flood prevention rib is stepped, and includes a first water flood prevention rib and a second water flood prevention rib, and the first water flood prevention rib is higher than the second water flood prevention rib; and a clamping jaw is arranged on the shell and matched with the first water overflow preventing rib to limit the relative movement of the ice making tray and the shell.

Preferably, the housing is provided with a support rib, the housing is connected with the ice making tray through the support rib, the support rib comprises two rib plates arranged in parallel up and down, and a part of the ice making tray is clamped between the two rib plates.

Preferably, the inner surface of the water retaining side wall is provided with at least two ice guiding ribs, and an ice guiding channel is formed between the at least two ice guiding ribs.

Preferably, the ice guide passage corresponds to a position of the ice making housing.

Preferably, the rack includes a limiting piece, and when the ice making tray rotates to an extreme position relative to the rack, the water receiving part abuts against the limiting piece. .

The invention also provides a refrigerator, which comprises a refrigerator body and a door body, wherein a storage space is limited in the refrigerator body, and the door body is used for opening/closing the refrigerator body.

The ice maker provided by the invention can prevent the ice making water from splashing by fixedly installing the water mounting part on the ice making tray to receive the ice making water splashed from the ice making tray, and has the advantages of simple structure and small abrasion.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment ice maker according to the present invention from one perspective;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another perspective of the preferred embodiment ice maker of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of an ice-making tray of the ice-making machine of fig. 1;

fig. 4 is a perspective view of a water receiving part of the ice maker in fig. 1.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, the ice maker 100 includes a frame 110 and an ice tray 120, the ice tray 120 is rotatably mounted on the frame 110, the ice tray 120 has a plurality of ice making cells 121, and the ice making cells 121 are used for receiving ice making water and freezing the water in the ice making cells into ice under the action of a refrigeration system of the refrigerator. Specifically, the ice making cells 121 are arranged in an array, two adjacent ice making cells 121 are communicated with each other, ice making water is injected into any one of the ice making cells 121, and the ice making water can flow into other ice making cells. The ice maker 100 further includes a driving unit 130, and the driving unit 130 is mounted on the frame 110 to drive the ice making tray 120 to rotate. Specifically, the driving unit 130 is a motor and is mounted on the frame 110 to drive the ice-making tray 120 to rotate.

The ice maker 100 further includes a water receiving part 140 for receiving ice making water splashed from the ice making tray 120. The water receiving part 140 is fixedly connected with the ice making tray 120 to be rotatable together with the ice making tray 120. The water receiving part 140 has a semi-closed housing, an opening direction of which is the same as that of the ice cube tray 121, and the ice making tray 120 is at least partially accommodated in the housing. The housing comprises a water retaining side wall 141 positioned on the outer side of the ice making tray 120 and a bottom wall 142 extending downwards along the water retaining side wall 141, the top of the water retaining side wall 141 is higher than the edge of the ice making tray 120, a gap is reserved between the water retaining side wall 141 and the edge of the ice making tray 120 to form a water passing channel 143, a water containing space is arranged on the bottom wall 142, and water splashed from the ice making tray 120 falls onto the water retaining side wall 141 and then flows into the water containing space on the bottom wall 142 through the water passing channel 143.

The water receiving part 140 is used for receiving water splashed from the ice making tray 120, and a gap is left between the water retaining side wall 141 and the edge of the ice making tray 120, so that the abrasion is avoided, and the service life of the ice making tray 120 or the water receiving part 140 is not influenced; even if an installation error occurs when the water receiving part 140 is installed or a small displacement occurs between the water receiving part 140 and the ice making tray 120 when the ice maker 100 is used, the water receiving effect is not affected.

Further, a semi-closed shell is fixedly connected to the ice-making tray 120, the water-retaining side wall 141 includes a first side wall and a second side wall respectively located at two sides of the ice-making tray 120, the first side wall and the second side wall are both connected with the bottom wall 142, and a water containing space is arranged on the bottom wall 142. In another embodiment, the ice tray 120 may be provided with two separate semi-closed housings fixedly connected to the ice tray 120, respectively. The semi-closed housing of this embodiment facilitates installation and manufacture.

Further, the cross-section of the housing includes a curved surface, and an axis of the curved surface is coaxial with the rotation axis of the ice making tray 120, so as to improve stability when the water receiving part 140 rotates together with the ice making tray 120. Specifically, the cross section of the housing is circular, the top of the water retaining sidewall 141 is higher than the upper edge of the ice cube tray 121, and the top of the water retaining sidewall 141 extends toward the center of the ice making tray 120 to enhance the water retaining effect. The shell further comprises two end plates 144 which are respectively arranged at two ends of the bottom wall 142 and connected with the bottom wall 142 and the water retaining side wall 141, and a water containing space is formed in the space between the bottom wall and the two end plates 144.

Further, referring to fig. 3 and 4, the ice maker 100 further includes water flood prevention ribs 150 disposed at both sides of the ice making tray 120, the water flood prevention ribs 150 protruding upward along the edge of the ice making compartment 121 to prevent water in the ice making compartment 121 from flooding. Specifically, the water flood prevention ribs 150 are disposed on both long sides of the ice making tray 120, and the water flood prevention ribs 150 may be integrally formed with the ice making tray 120 or may be separately manufactured and then fixedly connected to the ice making tray 120. The water flood prevention rib 150 has a stepped shape including a first water flood prevention rib 151 and a second water flood prevention rib 152, wherein the first water flood prevention rib 151 is higher than the second water flood prevention rib 152. The inner surface of the housing is provided with a claw 160 protruding toward the center of the ice-making tray 120 at a position corresponding to the first water flood prevention rib 151, the claw 160 is matched with the first water flood prevention rib 151 to limit the relative movement of the ice-making tray 120 and the housing, and the second water flood prevention rib 152 is matched with the housing, so that the structure is simple, the occupied volume is small, and the relative fixation between the ice-making tray and the housing is more reliable.

Further, a support rib 170 is arranged on the housing, the support rib 170 is connected with the ice-making tray 120, the support rib 170 includes at least two rib plates arranged in parallel up and down, and a part of the ice-making tray 120 is clamped between the two rib plates. Specifically, four pairs of support ribs 170 are disposed on the inner surface of the housing, and the end of the ice tray 120 is clamped between each pair of rib plates to ensure the reliability of support. The ice making tray 120 is supported by the rib plates, so that the structure is simple, and the disassembly and the assembly are convenient.

Further, the water retaining sidewall 141 is further provided with an ice guiding rib 180, specifically, the ice guiding rib 180 extends in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the ice making tray 120, an ice guiding channel is formed between two adjacent ice guiding ribs 180, the width of the ice guiding channel is smaller than or equal to the width of the ice making cell, the ice guiding channel corresponds to the ice making cell 121, that is, the ice guiding channel is disposed at a position on one side of the ice making cell 121 corresponding to the ice making cell 122, ice separated from the ice making cell 121 can fall into the corresponding ice guiding channel, when the ice making tray 120 is de-iced, ice cubes can slide along the ice guiding rib 180, and the ice receiving part 140 is prevented from being stuck.

Further, the ice maker 100 is a twist type ice maker 100, the frame 110 includes a limiting member 111, when the ice tray 120 makes ice and removes ice, the ice tray 120 and the water receiving member 140 rotate, when the water receiving member 140 abuts against the limiting member 111, the driving assembly 130 continues to drive the ice tray 120 to rotate, the ice tray 120 and the water receiving member 140 are twisted and deformed, the ice tray 120 removes ice, and after ice removal is completed, the ice tray 120 and the water receiving member 140 recover to their original shapes. When ice is removed, the water receiving part 140 is abutted against the limiting part 111 to be twisted and deformed, so that only the ice making tray 120 can be prevented from being twisted and deformed, the ice making tray 120 and the water receiving part 140 are prevented from moving relatively, abrasion between the ice making tray 120 and the water receiving part 140 is reduced, the service lives of the ice making tray 120 and the water receiving part 140 are prolonged, and the reliability of water splashing prevention is improved. The ice tray 120 and the water receiving member 140 are made of soft materials.

The present invention also provides a refrigerator (not shown), which includes a refrigerator body and a door body, wherein a storage space is defined in the refrigerator body, the door body is used for opening/closing the refrigerator body, and the ice maker 100 is further installed on the refrigerator door body or the refrigerator body.

Although the description is given in terms of embodiments, not every embodiment includes only a single embodiment, and such description is for clarity only, and those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments described herein may be combined as a whole to form other embodiments as would be understood by those skilled in the art.

The above-listed detailed description is only a specific description of a possible embodiment of the present invention, and they are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and equivalent embodiments or modifications made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention should be included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ice making machine comprising:

a frame;

the ice making tray is provided with an ice making grid, the ice making grid is provided with an opening for receiving ice making water, the ice making tray is rotationally connected with the rack, and the ice making machine is a torsional ice machine;

the driving assembly is arranged on the frame and used for driving the ice-making tray to rotate;

the ice making machine is characterized by further comprising a water receiving part, wherein the water receiving part is fixedly connected with the ice making tray, and when ice is removed, the driving assembly drives the ice making tray and the water receiving part to rotate to be twisted and deformed; the water receiving part is provided with a semi-closed shell, at least part of the ice-making tray is accommodated in the shell, the shell comprises a water retaining side wall positioned on the outer side of the ice-making tray and a bottom wall extending downwards along the water retaining side wall, the top of the water retaining side wall is higher than the upper edge of the ice-making grid, a gap is reserved between the water retaining side wall and the edge of the ice-making tray to form a water passing channel, a water accommodating space is arranged on the bottom wall, and ice-making water splashed out of the ice-making tray flows into the water accommodating space through the water passing channel.

2. The ice-making machine of claim 1, wherein said water-retaining side walls comprise a first side wall and a second side wall on either side of said ice-making tray, said first side wall and said second side wall both being connected to said bottom wall.

3. The ice-making machine of claim 2, wherein a cross-section of the housing comprises an arcuate surface having an axis that is coaxial with a rotational axis of the ice-making tray.

4. The ice-making machine of claim 2, further comprising water flood prevention ribs provided at both sides of the ice-making tray, the water flood prevention ribs protruding upward along an upper edge of the ice-making housing, the water flood prevention ribs leaving gaps with the first and second sidewalls.

5. The ice-making machine of claim 4, wherein said water flood prevention rib is stepped, comprising a first water flood prevention rib and a second water flood prevention rib, said first water flood prevention rib being higher than said second water flood prevention rib; and a clamping jaw is arranged on the shell and matched with the first water overflow preventing rib to limit the relative movement of the ice making tray and the shell.

6. The ice-making machine according to claim 5, wherein a support rib is arranged on the housing, the housing is connected with the ice-making tray through the support rib, the support rib comprises two rib plates arranged in parallel up and down, and a part of the ice-making tray is clamped between the two rib plates.

7. The ice-making machine of claim 6, wherein said water-retaining sidewall has at least two ice-guiding ribs disposed on an inner surface thereof, said at least two ice-guiding ribs forming ice-guiding channels therebetween.

8. The ice-making machine of claim 7, wherein said ice guide channel corresponds to a location of said ice cube tray.

9. The ice-making machine of claim 1, wherein said housing includes a stop, said ice-making tray rotating to an extreme position relative to said housing, said water engaging member abutting said stop.

10. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet defining a storage space therein and a door for opening/closing the cabinet, characterized by further comprising the ice maker according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the ice maker being mounted on the cabinet or the door.