CN113237284B

CN113237284B - Refrigerator with a refrigerator body

Info

Publication number: CN113237284B
Application number: CN202110599218.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 姚惠民; 许锦潮; 龙晓芬
Original assignee: Hisense Ronshen Guangdong Refrigerator Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hisense Ronshen Guangdong Refrigerator Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-05-28
Filing date: 2021-05-28
Publication date: 2023-12-22
Anticipated expiration: 2041-05-28
Also published as: CN113237284A

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of refrigeration equipment, and discloses a refrigerator, which comprises a refrigerator body and an ice maker; the ice maker comprises a mould shell and a driving mechanism; the mould shell comprises a first mould shell and a second mould shell which are arranged left and right, can be opened and closed and form a mould cavity when being closed; a heating mechanism is arranged on the first mould shell; the second mould shell comprises a second shell part and a second mould part arranged in the second shell part; the back side of the second shell part is provided with a second ejector rod and a second through hole, and the second ejector rod is connected with the second shell part through an elastic component. When the first mould shell is closed, the elastic component is in a stretching state, and the second ejector rod is far away from the second shell part; when demoulding, the driving mechanism drives the first mould shell to move, and the elastic component drives the second ejector rod to eject towards the second mould part under the action of restoring force, so that ice cubes in the second mould part are ejected out. The ice-making machine is suitable for manufacturing special ice cubes which can be formed only by matching the die, and has the advantages of simple demolding structure, reliable demolding effect and small overall occupied space.

Description

Refrigerator with a refrigerator body

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of refrigeration equipment, in particular to a refrigerator.

Background

As consumers' demands for functions of refrigerators increase, refrigerators with ice making functions are becoming more popular with consumers.

The main structure of the refrigerator for realizing the ice making function is an ice maker, which is generally provided in an ice making chamber isolated from a refrigerating chamber or a freezing chamber. The basic principle of ice making is as follows: injecting water into the ice making grid in the ice making machine, providing cold energy into the ice making room to make the water in the ice making grid form ice blocks, and demolding the ice blocks from the ice making grid to the ice storage box for a user to take.

The existing ice maker cannot prepare special ice cubes which can be formed only by matching the ice cubes, such as spherical ice cubes or polyhedral ice cubes, due to the limitation of an ice making grid and an ice turning structure, and the ice cubes are difficult to demould.

Thus, improvements are needed in the art.

Disclosure of Invention

The purpose of the invention is that: the refrigerator solves the technical problems that ice blocks with special shapes which can be formed only by matching of mold closing and difficult demolding of the ice blocks cannot be manufactured due to the limitations of ice making grids and ice turning structures in the refrigerator in the prior art.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a refrigerator including:

a case defining an ice making chamber therein;

an ice maker disposed within the ice making chamber;

wherein the ice maker comprises a mould shell and a driving mechanism;

the mould shell comprises a first mould shell and a second mould shell which are arranged left and right, can be opened and closed and enclose a mould cavity when being closed;

the mould shell is provided with a water inlet communicated with the mould cavity;

a heating mechanism is arranged on the first mould shell;

the second mould shell comprises a second shell part and a second mould part arranged in the second shell part, and the second mould part is fixed along with the second shell part; a second ejector rod is arranged on the back side of the second shell part, and a second through hole is formed in the back of the second shell part;

the driving mechanism is used for driving the first mould shell to move so as to open and close with the second mould shell which is fixed; the second ejector rod is connected with the second shell part through an elastic component;

when the first mould shell and the second mould shell are in a closed state, the first mould shell enables the elastic component to be in a stretching state, and the second ejector rod is far away from the second shell part;

in the process that the first mould shell moves to a preset position, the elastic component drives the second ejector rod to penetrate through the second through hole to eject to the second mould part under the action of restoring force.

In some embodiments of the present application, the elastic assembly includes a link, a spring, and a blocking portion;

one end of the spring is connected with the connecting rod, and the other end of the spring is connected with the second shell part; one end of the connecting rod is connected with the second ejector rod, and the blocking part is arranged at the position of the first mould shell corresponding to the connecting rod and is used for propping against the other end of the connecting rod so as to enable the spring to be in a stretching state.

In some embodiments of the present application, the driving mechanism includes a motor and a rotating shaft; the first mould shell is connected with the rotating shaft, and the motor is connected with the rotating shaft, so that the first mould shell can rotate along a preset direction.

In some embodiments of the present application, the driving mechanism includes a main motor, a main rotating shaft, a gear set, a rack, and a slide bar;

the rack is arranged on the first mould shell, and the sliding rod penetrates through the first mould shell;

the main motor is connected with the main rotating shaft, and the rack is meshed and connected with the main rotating shaft through the gear set, so that the first mould shell can translate along the sliding rod.

In some embodiments of the present application, the sliding rod is provided with four sliding rods, and the sliding rods are respectively disposed at four corner positions of the first mold shell in a penetrating manner.

In some embodiments of the present application, an end surface of the second ejector pin is matched with a contour surface of the second mold portion.

In some embodiments of the present application, the mold shell includes a housing and a mold body;

the shell comprises a first shell part and a second shell part which are arranged left and right, can be opened and closed and enclose an inner cavity when being folded;

the die body is arranged in the inner cavity and comprises a first die part arranged in the first shell part and a second die part arranged in the second shell part, and the first die part and the second die part enclose the die cavity when being folded;

the water inlet is arranged on the die body, and the shell is provided with an avoidance opening which is enclosed at the periphery of the water inlet.

In some embodiments of the present application, the mold body has a plurality of mold cavities, and each mold cavity is provided with one water inlet;

a water tank is arranged above the shell, and is provided with water diversion openings corresponding to the water inlets.

In some embodiments of the present application, a plurality of the mold cavities are provided with water holes for communication.

In some embodiments of the present application, the water inlet is provided on the first mold portion or the second mold portion, and the water inlet is funnel-shaped.

In some embodiments of the present application, a first engaging portion is provided at a concave cavity edge of the first mold portion, and a second engaging portion adapted to the first engaging portion is provided at a concave cavity edge of the second mold portion;

one of the first combining part and the second combining part is a convex rib, and the other is a groove.

Compared with the prior art, the refrigerator has the beneficial effects that:

the ice-making grid of the ice-making machine arranged in the refrigerator provided by the embodiment of the invention comprises the first mould shell and the second mould shell which can be opened and closed, and is suitable for manufacturing special-shaped ice cubes which can be formed only by matching the mould. And the first mould shell is movable and provided with a heating mechanism, the second mould shell is fixed, and the back side of the second mould shell is provided with a second ejector rod connected with the second mould shell through an elastic component. When the first mould shell is closed, the elastic component is in a stretching state, and the second ejector rod is far away from the second mould shell; when demoulding, the heating mechanism makes ice cubes adhere to the second mould shell, and the elastic assembly drives the second ejector rod to eject the ice cubes in the second mould shell under the action of restoring force in the process of moving the first mould shell. The invention has simple demoulding structure and reliable demoulding effect. In addition, the driving part required by the mode of fixing the one-side mould shell and moving the one-side mould shell is simpler, and the second ejector rod is driven to move by the first mould shell and the elastic component, so that ejection and demoulding can be finished by only a shorter movement stroke, and the whole occupied space of the ice machine is smaller.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings that are needed in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and that other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the ice maker of FIG. 1 in a closed position;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the ice maker of FIG. 1 in a separated state;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a housing and a mold body of the ice maker of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the drive mechanism and housing of the ice-making machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an ice maker according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the ice maker of FIG. 6 in a closed position;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the structure of the ice maker of FIG. 6 in a separated state;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the drive mechanism and housing of the ice-making machine of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the water trough and mold body of the ice making machine of FIG. 1 or FIG. 6;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of an exploded construction of a mold body of the ice-making machine of FIG. 1 or FIG. 6;

100, a base; 101. an upper side plate; 102. a left side plate; 103. a right side plate; 104. a front side plate;

200. a housing; 210. a first shell portion; 211. a first slot; 220. a second shell portion; 221. a second slot; 222. a second through hole;

300. a die body; 301. a water inlet; 302. a water through hole; 310. a first mold section; 311. a first mouth; 320. a second mold section; 321. a second mouth; 322. a second combining part;

410. a heating mechanism; 420. a second ejector rod;

500. a driving mechanism; 510. a main motor; 520. a main rotating shaft; 530. a gear set; 540. a rack; 550. a slide bar; 501. a motor; 502. a rotating shaft; 503. a fixed shaft;

600. a water tank; 601. a water diversion port;

700. an elastic component; 710. a connecting rod; 7101. a first lever portion; 7102. a second lever portion; 720. a spring; 730. a blocking portion; 701. an annular hole; 702. a bump; 703. a bar-shaped hole; 704. and a limit convex part.

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments of the present application will be made clearly and fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which it is evident that the embodiments described are only some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments, which can be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without undue burden from the present disclosure, are within the scope of the present disclosure.

In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the drawings, merely to facilitate description of the present application and simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the present application.

In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "first," "second," and the like are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or an implicit indication of the number of technical features being indicated. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more such feature. In the description of the present application, unless otherwise indicated, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more.

In the description of the present application, it should be noted that, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, and may be either fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected, for example; can be mechanically or electrically connected; can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and can be communication between two elements. The specific meaning of the terms in this application will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art as the case may be.

The refrigerator of the preferred embodiment of the invention mainly comprises a refrigerator body and an ice maker.

Wherein the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment may be defined therein. When the ice maker is actually arranged, the ice maker can be directly arranged in the freezing chamber, and the freezing chamber is the ice making chamber. Alternatively, an independent ice making chamber may be defined within the refrigerating or freezing compartment by a thermally insulating sheet material, and the ice maker may be disposed within the ice making chamber.

Referring to fig. 1, the ice maker includes a base 100, a mold shell (a housing 200 and a mold body 300), and a driving mechanism 500.

Referring to fig. 2, the base 100 is for connection with an ice making chamber, and specifically includes an upper side plate 101, a left side plate 102, a right side plate 103, a front side plate 104, and a rear side plate. The front, rear, left and right directions mentioned in this application are defined for the sake of clarity of description of the structure, and in practice, are not limited to being provided in the ice making chamber in the front-rear direction shown in fig. 2.

The mould shell comprises a first mould shell and a second mould shell, wherein the first mould shell and the second mould shell can be opened and closed to form a mould cavity when being closed, the shape of the mould cavity is the shape of ice cubes, and the mould cavity can be designed according to the requirements of users and can be designed into a sphere, a diamond surface sphere or a polyhedron and the like. Specifically, the mold shell is comprised of a housing 200 and a mold body 300.

Referring to fig. 4, the housing 200 includes a first housing portion 210 and a second housing portion 220 disposed left and right. The inner wall of the first shell portion 210 is provided with a first inner cavity, the inner wall of the second shell portion 220 is provided with a second inner cavity, and the first shell portion 210 and the second shell portion 220 can be opened and closed and enclose an inner cavity when being closed.

Referring to fig. 4, a mold body 300 is disposed within the cavity, the mold body 300 including a first mold portion 310 and a second mold portion 320. The first mold portion 310 is attached to the first inner cavity of the first shell portion 210, has a first cavity, and can move along with the first shell portion 210. The second mold portion 320 is attached to the second cavity of the second shell portion 220, has a second cavity, and is fixed along with the second shell portion 220. The first mold portion 310 and the second mold portion 320, when closed, enclose a mold cavity. And, the first mold part 310 and the second mold part 320 are both made of food grade silicone materials which can be deformed by external force.

Referring to fig. 4 and 11, the mold 300 has a water inlet 301 communicating with a mold cavity, a first opening 311 is formed at the top of the first mold part 310, a second opening 321 is formed at the top of the second mold part 320, and the water inlet 301 is formed when the first opening 311 and the second opening 312 are closed. The upper side plate 101 is provided with an opening at a position corresponding to the water inlet 301, and an external water pipe is used for injecting water into the die cavity through the water inlet 301. Fig. 4 and 11 correspond to two forms of the water inlet 301, respectively, fig. 4 shows the water inlet 301 in a closed form, and the description of fig. 11 is developed below.

Referring to fig. 4, the first shell portion 210 is provided with a first pocket 211, and the second shell portion 220 is provided with a second pocket 221, and the first pocket 211 and the second pocket 221 form a relief opening surrounding the outer circumference of the water inlet 301 when being closed.

Referring to fig. 1-4, the first shell portion 210 is provided with a heating mechanism 410, and the heating mechanism 410 may be a U-shaped heating tube. The second push rod 420 is disposed on the back side of the second housing portion 220, and the second through hole 222 is disposed on the back of the second housing portion 220.

The driving mechanism 500 is used for driving the first casing 210 to move, and forming an opening and closing with the second casing 220 which is fixed, the first mold portion 310 moves along with the first casing 210, and the second mold portion 320 is fixed along with the second casing 220.

The second push rod 420 is connected to the second shell portion 220 through an elastic member 700, and the state of the elastic member 700 is affected by the position of the first shell portion 210. Fig. 2 and 3 are schematic structural views of the first and second shell portions 210 and 220 in the folded and unfolded states, respectively.

When the first and second shell portions 210 and 220 are in the closed state, the first shell portion 210 places the elastic assembly 700 in a stretched state, and the second push rod 420 is away from the second shell portion 220. In demolding, the heating mechanism 410 is first activated to melt the outer walls of the ice cubes, thereby demolding the ice cubes to adhere to the inside of the second mold 320. Meanwhile, in the process of moving the first shell portion 210, the elastic component 700 is gradually separated from the first shell portion, the acting force on the elastic component 700 is gradually weakened, the elastic component 700 drives the second ejector rod 420 to penetrate through the second through hole 222 to eject towards the second mold portion 320 under the action of restoring force, so that the second mold portion 320 is stressed and deformed, and ice cubes in the second mold portion 320 are ejected out, so that the ice cubes fall into the ice storage box for a user to take.

The present application provides a refrigerator, in which an ice-making tray of an ice maker provided therein includes a first mold case (a first case portion 210 and a first mold portion 310) and a second mold case (a second case portion 220 and a second mold portion 320) which are openable and closable, and is adapted to make ice cubes of a special shape, such as spherical ice cubes or polyhedral ice cubes, which are required to be formed by mold-closing engagement. And, the first mold shell is movable and provided with a heating mechanism 410, the second mold shell is fixed and the back side thereof is provided with a second ejector rod 420 connected with the second mold shell through an elastic component 700. When the first mould shell is closed, the elastic component 700 is in a stretching state, and the second ejector rod 420 is far away from the second mould shell; when the mold is released, the heating mechanism 410 makes the ice cubes adhere to the second mold shell, and the first mold shell moves to a preset position away from the elastic assembly 700, and the elastic assembly 700 drives the second ejector rod 420 to eject the ice cubes in the second mold shell under the action of restoring force. The demolding structure is simple, and the demolding effect is reliable. In addition, the driving part needed by the mode of fixing the one-side die shell and moving the one-side die shell is simpler, the first die shell and the elastic component 700 drive the second ejector rod 420 to move, and ejection and demolding can be completed only by a shorter movement stroke, so that the whole occupied space of the ice machine is smaller.

In some embodiments of the present application, since the demolding of the first mold shell side relies mainly on the heating mechanism 410 to melt the outer wall of the ice cubes, and the mold portion of the first mold shell is not required to deform and demold, the first mold shell may be simply a housing capable of forming a mold cavity with the second mold portion 320, and no mold portion is provided.

In some embodiments of the present application, the opening and closing movement of the first housing portion 210 and the second housing portion 220 may include at least translational movement or rotational movement, and the present application provides a preferred mating driving mechanism 500 for both of these modes, respectively.

Referring to fig. 1-5, when the first housing portion 210 adopts a translational opening and closing motion, the driving mechanism 500 may include a main motor 510, a main rotation shaft 520, a gear set 530, a rack 540, and a slide bar 550.

Referring to fig. 5, the rack 540 is provided in two pieces and is provided at both front and rear sides of the top of the first case portion 210, respectively. The sliding rod 570 is provided with four sliding rods and is respectively arranged at four corner positions of the first shell 210 and the second shell 220 in a penetrating way. The main motor 510 is coupled to the main shaft 520 and the rack 540 is coupled to the main shaft 520 by a gear set 530 such that the first housing portion 210 can translate along the slide bar 550.

Referring to fig. 1-5, when the first housing portion 210 adopts a translational opening and closing motion, the elastic assembly 700 includes a link 710, a spring 720, and a blocking portion 730. The shape of the link 710 is identical to the movement path of the first housing portion 210, i.e., linear. The springs 720 may be provided in two, upper and lower sides of the link 710, respectively, and one end of the springs 720 is connected to the ring hole 701 at the middle and rear portions of the link 710 and the other end thereof is connected to the bump 702 at the side of the second housing portion 220. One end of the connecting rod 710 is connected to the second push rod 420, and a bar hole 703 is formed in the connecting rod 710, and cooperates with two limit protrusions 704 formed on the side surface of the second shell portion 220 to limit the translation distance of the connecting rod 710. The blocking portion 730 is disposed at a position of the first housing portion 210 corresponding to the link 710, and is used to abut against the other end of the link 710, so that the spring 720 is in a stretched state.

Referring to fig. 6-9, when the first housing portion 210 adopts a rotary opening and closing motion, the driving mechanism 500 may include a motor 501 and a rotation shaft 502. The first housing part 210 is connected to the rotation shaft 502, and the motor 501 is connected to the rotation shaft 502 such that the first housing part 210 can rotate in a predetermined direction. The second housing portion 220 may be coupled to a fixed shaft 503 or directly and fixedly coupled to the base 100.

Referring to fig. 6 to 9, when the first housing portion 210 adopts a rotary opening and closing motion, the elastic assembly 700 includes a link 710, a spring 720, and a blocking portion 730. The link 710 includes a first bar portion 7101 having a curved shape adapted to the rotational arc of the first case portion 210 and a second bar portion 7102 having a linear shape for rotational connection with the fixed shaft 503. One end of the spring 720 is connected to the ring hole 701 at a position approximately in the middle of the second lever portion 7102, and the other end thereof is connected to the bump 702 at the middle of the side surface of the second case portion 220. One end of the first rod portion 7101 is connected to the second ejector rod 420, and the blocking portion 730 is disposed at a position of the first shell portion 210 corresponding to the first rod portion 7101, and is used to abut against the other end of the first rod portion 7101, so that the spring 720 is in a stretched state.

In some embodiments of the present application, referring to fig. 2 and 7, the end surface of the second ejector pin 420 is matched with the profile surface of the second mold portion 320, so that the ejector pin is more closely propped against the mold portion, and the mold portion is effectively deformed, thereby demolding the ice cubes in the mold portion.

In some embodiments of the present application, referring to fig. 10, the mold body may have a plurality of mold cavities, as illustrated by the example of three mold cavities, each mold cavity having a water inlet 301. A water tank 600 is arranged above the shell, the water tank 600 is provided with water diversion openings 601 corresponding to the water inlets 301, and water diversion pipes which are communicated with the water inlets 301 can be arranged at the water diversion openings 601 in an extending mode. Referring to fig. 1, the water tub 600 may be fixed to the base 100, and an opening is provided at a position of the upper side plate 101 corresponding to the water tub 600. The provision of multiple mold cavities increases the single ice making amount of the ice maker, and the provision of the water tank 600 with the water diversion port 601 can help to improve the water injection efficiency, thereby effectively improving the ice making efficiency.

In some embodiments of the present application, referring to fig. 11, water through holes 302 are provided between the plurality of mold cavities to enable water injected into the mold cavities to circulate in the mold cavities, so that the water amount in each mold cavity tends to be average, and the weight difference of the ice cubes is small.

In some embodiments of the present application, referring to fig. 11, the water inlet 301 is annular, preferably funnel-shaped, and is formed on the first mold part 310 or the second mold part 320. The mode of changing the water inlet 301 into the mode of independently forming on one of them mould portion from two halves compound die of this application, water can avoid water to spill outside the die cavity from the compound die line department of water injection port 301 when the water injection, causes the mould to adhere, and first mould portion 310 and second mould portion 320 separate when giving follow-up drawing of patterns and cause the difficulty, lead to the drawing of patterns process unsmooth. And, because the single water injection rate is invariable when making ice, if water leaks when the water injection, the water yield that gets into the die cavity reduces, and the ice-cube that makes is smaller than predetermineeing, and the ice-cube integrality reduces. By adopting the annular water inlet 301, water leakage can be avoided, so that the integrity of ice cubes can be better ensured.

In some embodiments of the present application, referring to fig. 11, a first engaging portion (not shown) is provided at an edge of a cavity (first cavity) of the first mold portion 310, and a second engaging portion 322 adapted to the first engaging portion is provided at an edge of a cavity (second cavity) of the second mold portion 320. One of the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion 322 is a rib, and the other is a groove. The above arrangement can improve the die assembly fit degree of the first die part 310 and the second die part 320, and effectively avoid the occurrence of flanges on the die assembly line of ice cubes, which results in irregular appearance and influences the aesthetic degree of the appearance of the ice cubes.

The foregoing is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and it should be noted that modifications and substitutions can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the technical principles of the present invention, and these modifications and substitutions should also be considered as being within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, comprising:

a case defining an ice making chamber therein;

an ice maker disposed within the ice making chamber;

the ice maker is characterized by comprising a mould shell and a driving mechanism;

a heating mechanism is arranged on the first mould shell;

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the elastic assembly comprises a link, a spring, and a blocking portion;

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the driving mechanism includes a motor and a rotation shaft; the first mould shell is connected with the rotating shaft, and the motor is connected with the rotating shaft, so that the first mould shell can rotate along a preset direction.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the driving mechanism includes a main motor, a main rotation shaft, a gear set, a rack, and a slide bar;

5. The refrigerator of claim 4, wherein the sliding bars are provided with four sliding bars and respectively penetrate through four corner positions of the first mold shell.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the mold shell comprises a housing and a mold body;

7. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein said mold body has a plurality of said mold cavities, each of said mold cavities being provided with one of said water inlets;

8. The refrigerator of claim 7, wherein a plurality of said cavities are in communication with each other through water holes.

9. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein the water inlet is provided on the first mold portion or the second mold portion, and the water inlet is funnel-shaped.

10. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein a first engaging portion is provided at a cavity edge of the first mold portion, and a second engaging portion adapted to the first engaging portion is provided at a cavity edge of the second mold portion; one of the first combining part and the second combining part is a convex rib, and the other is a groove.