CN219415334U - Ice maker and refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The application provides an ice maker and a refrigerator, comprising an ice making mechanism for making and outputting ice cubes; the ice storage box is provided with a first ice outlet and is used for storing ice cubes, and the ice storage box is arranged above the ice making mechanism; the ice conveying mechanism comprises a first driving assembly and a carrier, wherein the first driving assembly is used for driving the carrier to move between the ice making mechanism and the ice storage box so that the carrier can bear ice cubes output by the ice making mechanism and convey the ice cubes to the ice storage box; and the shell is provided with an ice making cavity, the ice making mechanism, the ice storage box and the ice transporting mechanism are contained in the ice making cavity, and the shell is provided with a second ice outlet communicated with the first ice outlet. By arranging the ice bank above the ice making mechanism, when the ice maker is installed at the bottom of the refrigerating chamber of the refrigerator, the ice outlet of the ice bank can still be in butt joint with the dispenser on the refrigerator door body due to the fact that the ice bank is arranged above the ice making mechanism. By providing the ice transporting mechanism, ice cubes made by the ice making mechanism can be transported to the ice bank located above the ice making mechanism.

Description

Ice maker and refrigerator

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of refrigeration equipment, in particular to an ice maker and a refrigerator.

Background

Refrigerators are household refrigerating devices which keep foods or other articles in a constant low-temperature cold state, and in order to meet more demands of users, some existing refrigerators are also provided with ice making and drinking functions.

Such as a refrigerator having an ice making function mounted therein, an ice maker is generally provided in a refrigerating chamber of the refrigerator, and in the related art, the ice maker is designed at the upper left portion of the refrigerating chamber, the ice maker includes an ice making mechanism and an ice bank, and the ice bank is provided under the ice making mechanism such that an ice outlet of the ice bank can be docked with a dispenser on a door. When the ice maker is designed at the lower part of the refrigerating chamber, the ice outlet of the ice storage box is lower, so that the ice storage box cannot be abutted with the distributor on the door, and the ice storage box cannot automatically convey ice cubes to the distributor.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides an ice machine and a refrigerator, which are used for solving the problem that the existing ice machine is inconvenient to dock with a dispenser of a refrigerator door body.

In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide an ice maker, comprising:

an ice making mechanism for making and outputting ice cubes;

the ice storage box is used for storing ice cubes and is arranged above the ice making mechanism and provided with a first ice outlet;

the ice conveying mechanism comprises a first driving assembly and a carrier, wherein the first driving assembly is used for driving the carrier to move between the ice making mechanism and the ice storage box so that the carrier can bear ice cubes output by the ice making mechanism and convey the ice cubes to the ice storage box; and

the shell is provided with an ice making cavity, the ice making mechanism, the ice storage box and the ice transporting mechanism are contained in the ice making cavity, and the shell is provided with a second ice outlet communicated with the first ice outlet.

Optionally, the ice maker further includes an ice bank bracket disposed in the ice making cavity, and the ice bank is detachably mounted to the ice bank bracket.

Optionally, the shell includes a first shell side wall, a second shell side wall, a shell front wall and a shell rear wall, the second ice outlet is disposed on the shell front wall, the shell front wall and the shell rear wall are disposed opposite to each other, and the first shell side wall and the second shell side wall are disposed opposite to each other and are respectively connected between the shell front wall and the shell rear wall;

the ice bank support includes oppositely disposed first and second ends, the first end being connected to the shell front wall and the second end being connected to the shell rear wall.

Optionally, the ice bank support includes a first bottom wall, a first side wall and a first rear wall, the first side wall with the first rear wall connect in the different sides of first bottom wall, first rear wall is located first bottom wall is kept away from one side of first ice outlet, first bottom wall first side wall with first rear wall together define the installation the chamber that holds of ice bank.

Optionally, the first shell side wall is provided with a boss, and the first bottom wall is supported on the boss.

Optionally, the ice maker further comprises an ice outlet assembly, the ice outlet assembly comprises an ice outlet motor, a motor cover and an ice outlet screw, the ice outlet screw is rotatably arranged in the ice storage box, the rotation axis of the ice outlet screw is parallel to the ice outlet direction, the motor cover is connected to the rear wall of the shell and covers the ice outlet motor, and the second end of the ice storage box bracket is connected to the motor cover; the driving end of the ice discharging motor is detachably connected with the ice discharging screw and used for driving the ice discharging screw to rotate.

Optionally, the motor cover is provided with a bearing part protruding towards one side where the ice bank support is located, and the first bottom wall is supported by the bearing part.

Optionally, the ice maker further comprises a cold air duct arranged in the ice making cavity, and the first back wall is provided with a cold air inlet communicated with the cold air duct.

Optionally, the ice making mechanism includes the system ice support, has the system ice tray of system ice groove, axis of rotation, stir piece and first motor, the system ice tray is fixed in the system ice support, the axis of rotation rotate connect in the system ice support, first motor is used for the drive the axis of rotation rotates, stir the piece be fixed in the axis of rotation and can follow the axis of rotation rotates in order to stir ice-cube in the system ice groove.

In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application also provide a refrigerator including the ice maker as described above.

The ice maker provided by the embodiment of the application sets up the ice storage box above the ice making mechanism, so, when the ice maker is installed at the bottom in the refrigerator refrigerating chamber or the bottom in the refrigerator refrigerating chamber, the ice outlet of the ice storage box can still be in butt joint with the dispenser on the refrigerator door body due to the fact that the ice storage box is arranged above the ice making mechanism. And, by providing the ice transporting mechanism, the ice cubes made by the ice making mechanism can be transported to the ice bank located above the ice making mechanism.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings that are required to be used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly described below. It is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and that other drawings may be obtained from these drawings without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art.

For a more complete understanding of the present application and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the following description.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the refrigerator shown in fig. 1 along A-A.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of part of the structure of the ice maker shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view illustrating a structure of an ice bank of the ice maker of fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the ice maker of fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of an ice making mechanism of the ice maker of fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a schematic view of the ice-transporting mechanism of the ice-making machine of fig. 3 moving to different positions on the housing.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view of a carrier of the ice maker of fig. 3.

Fig. 9 is an exploded view of an ice handling mechanism and a portion of a housing of the ice maker of fig. 2.

Reference numerals:

100. a refrigerator;

10. a case; 11. a refrigeration compartment; 111. a freezing chamber; 112. a refrigerating chamber;

20. a door;

30. an ice maker;

31. a housing; 311. a second ice outlet; 312. a first shell sidewall; 3121. a boss; 313. a second shell sidewall; 314. a shell front wall; 315. a shell back wall;

32. an ice making mechanism; 321. an ice-making bracket; 322. making ice trays; 3221. an ice making tank; 323. a rotating shaft; 324. a toggle member; 325. a first motor;

33. an ice bank; 331. a first ice outlet;

34. an ice transporting mechanism;

341. a first drive assembly; 3412. a guide rail; 34121. a rack; 3413. a driving unit; 34131. an ice transporting motor; 34132. a first gear;

342. a carrier; 3421. an ice discharging port; 3422. an ice transporting plate; 34221. a connection part; 34222. a strip-shaped part; 34223. a slot; 3423. a wing plate;

35. an ice bank bracket; 351. a first bottom wall; 352. a first sidewall; 353. a first rear wall; 3531. a cold air inlet; 354. a receiving chamber; 355. a first end; 356. a second end;

36. an ice discharging assembly; 361. an ice discharging motor; 362. a motor cover; 3621. a carrying part; 363. an ice discharging screw;

37. a cold air duct; 38. an ice pushing piece; 381. an ice pushing part; 382. a mounting body;

40. a dispenser.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. It will be apparent that the described embodiments are only some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments, which can be made by a person skilled in the art without any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the present application based on the embodiments herein.

The embodiment of the application provides an ice maker, which can be applied to a refrigerator, of course, can also be applied to other household appliances or industrial equipment, and can also be independently used, and the embodiment of the application is not limited to the above. The ice maker is applied to the refrigerator as an example, the refrigerator can be a double-door refrigerator, and the refrigerator can also be a single-door refrigerator or a triple-door refrigerator, and the embodiment of the application is not limited to the double-door refrigerator.

In the following, an example of an ice maker applied to a refrigerator is described and illustrated as a whole.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present application, and fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator shown in fig. 1 along A-A. The refrigerator 100 may include a cabinet 10 and a door 20. The cabinet 10 is provided with a refrigerating compartment 11 such as a freezing compartment 111, a refrigerating compartment 112, or a wide-width variable temperature compartment. A door 20 is rotatably installed at the cabinet 10 to open or close the refrigerating compartment 11. At this time, the ice maker 30 may be disposed in the refrigerating compartment 11, such as the ice maker 30 may be disposed in the refrigerating compartment 112. It will be appreciated that the door 20 is provided with a dispenser 40 for interfacing with the ice maker 30 such that ice made by the ice maker 30 can be circulated to the dispenser 40 for access by a user.

In order to more clearly explain the structure of the ice maker 30, the structure of the ice maker 30 will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to fig. 3 to 5, fig. 3 is a schematic view of part of the ice maker shown in fig. 2, fig. 4 is a schematic view of the ice bank of the ice maker shown in fig. 3, and fig. 5 is an exploded view of the ice maker shown in fig. 2. The ice maker 30 may include a housing 31, an ice making mechanism 32, an ice bank 33, and an ice transporting mechanism 34. The housing 31 has an ice making chamber in which the ice making mechanism 32, the ice bank 33, and the ice carrying mechanism 34 are accommodated. Wherein the ice making mechanism 32 is used to make and output ice cubes. The ice storage box 33 is used for storing ice cubes, the ice storage box 33 is arranged above the ice making mechanism 32, and the ice storage box 33 is provided with a first ice outlet 331, it is understood that the housing 31 is provided with a second ice outlet 311 communicated with the first ice outlet 331, and when the door 20 is closed, the dispenser 40 on the door 20 is communicated with the second ice outlet 311, so that ice cubes manufactured in the ice making machine 30 can be circulated to the dispenser 40 through the second ice outlet 311 for a user to take.

The ice transport mechanism 34 includes a first driving assembly 341 and a carrier 342. The first driving assembly 341 drives the carrier 342 to move between the ice making mechanism 32 and the ice bank 33 so that the carrier 342 can carry the ice cubes outputted from the ice making mechanism 32 and transport them to the ice bank 33, and it can be understood that the carrier 342 is provided with an ice discharging opening 3421 for discharging the carried ice cubes so that the ice cubes can fall into the ice bank 33.

It should be noted that, in order to facilitate the user to take ice, the height of the dispenser 40 of the refrigerator 100 is generally determined, and in the related art, the ice bank 33 of the ice maker 30 is disposed under the ice making mechanism 32, and in order to adapt the height of the dispenser 40, the ice maker 30 needs to be designed at the upper left portion of the refrigerating chamber 112 so that the ice outlet of the ice bank 33 can be docked with the dispenser 40 on the door. When the ice maker 30 is designed at the lower portion of the refrigerating chamber 112, since the ice bank 33 is positioned below the ice making mechanism 32, the ice outlet of the ice bank 33 is low, and the ice bank 33 cannot be docked with the on-door dispenser 40, so that the ice bank 33 cannot automatically deliver ice cubes to the dispenser 40.

Based on this, the ice maker 30 provided in the embodiment of the present application, the ice bank 33 is disposed above the ice making mechanism 32, so that when the ice maker 30 is installed at the bottom in the refrigerating chamber 112 or the bottom in the freezing chamber 111, since the ice bank 33 is disposed above the ice making mechanism 32, the ice outlet of the ice bank 33 can still be in abutting communication with the dispenser 40 on the door of the refrigerator 100. And, the ice maker 30 is installed at the bottom in the refrigerating chamber 112 or the bottom in the freezing chamber 111 more conveniently than the ice maker 30 is disposed at the top in the refrigerating chamber 112 or the top in the freezing chamber 111.

In order to facilitate the installation of the ice bank 33, the ice maker 30 may further include an ice bank bracket 35, the ice bank bracket 35 being disposed in the ice making cavity of the housing 31, the ice bank 33 being detachably installed to the Chu Binghe bracket 35. In this way, the ice bank 33 can be easily assembled and disassembled.

The ice bank support 35 may include a first bottom wall 351, a first side wall 352, and a first rear wall 353, the first side wall 352 and the first rear wall 353 being connected to different sides of the first bottom wall 351, the first rear wall 353 being located at a side of the first bottom wall 351 remote from the first ice outlet 331, the first bottom wall 351, the first side wall 352, and the first rear wall 353 together defining a receiving cavity 354 in which the ice bank 33 is mounted. It will be appreciated that the ice bank support 35 of such a structure may be formed in a semi-open structure in which the ice bank support 35 has an opening through which the ice bank 33 is drawn out of or pushed into the receiving cavity 354 to facilitate the installation of the ice bank support 35 in the receiving cavity 354.

It will be appreciated that the ice bank 33 may be detachably mounted to the Chu Binghe bracket 35 by means of a snap fit or screw connection, or the ice bank bracket 35 may be positioned within the accommodation chamber 354 by the wall of the housing 31 cooperating with the first bottom wall 351, the first side wall 352 and the first rear wall 353 of the ice bank bracket 35 when the ice bank bracket 35 is accommodated within the accommodation chamber 354.

The outer shell 31 includes a first shell sidewall 312, a second shell sidewall 313, a shell front wall 314 and a shell rear wall 315, the second ice outlet 311 is disposed on the shell front wall 314, the shell front wall 314 and the shell rear wall 315 are disposed opposite to each other, and the first shell sidewall 312 and the second shell sidewall 313 are disposed opposite to each other and are respectively connected between the shell front wall 314 and the shell rear wall 315.

The ice bank support 35 includes oppositely disposed first and second ends 355 and 356, the first end 355 being connected to the housing front wall 314 and the second end 356 being connected to the housing rear wall 315. It will be appreciated that the first end 355 of the ice bank support 35 may be coupled to the shell front wall 314 by a screw connection, and the second end 356 of the ice bank support 35 may be coupled to the shell rear wall 315 by a screw connection.

In some embodiments, in order to enable the ice bank support 35 to be installed more stably, a protrusion 3121 may be provided at the first case side wall 312 of the outer case 31, and the first bottom wall 351 of the ice bank support 35 is supported at the protrusion 3121. In this manner, the ice bank support 35 can be installed more stably under the supporting action of the protrusion 3121.

It will be appreciated that ice stored in the ice bin 33 needs to be pushed out of the first outlet 331 of the ice bin 33 and to flow to the second outlet 311 of the housing 31 so that it can flow from the second outlet 311 to the dispenser 40 on the door 20 for access by the user. Based on this, in order to facilitate pushing out ice cubes in the ice bank 33, the ice maker 30 may further include an ice discharging assembly 36, wherein the ice discharging assembly 36 may include an ice discharging motor 361, a motor cover 362 and an ice discharging screw 363, the ice discharging screw 363 being rotatably disposed in the ice bank 33, a rotation axis 323 of the ice discharging screw 363 being parallel to an ice discharging direction, the motor cover 362 being coupled to the case rear wall 315 of the case 31 and being covered with the ice discharging motor 361. The driving end of the ice discharging motor 361 is detachably connected with the ice discharging screw 363 and is used for driving the ice discharging screw 363 to rotate, and then the ice discharging screw 363 can drive ice cubes in the ice storage box 33 to move in the process of rotating the ice discharging screw 363. It will be appreciated that the driving end of the ice discharge motor 361 passes through the motor cover 362 and the first rear wall 353 of the ice bank support 35 to be detachably coupled with the ice discharge screw 363.

Wherein, in order to facilitate the installation of the ice bank support 35, the second end 356 of the ice bank support 35 is not directly connected to the case rear wall 315 of the outer case 31 at this time, but may be connected to the motor cover 362, since the motor cover 362 is connected to the case rear wall 315 of the outer case 31, it may be understood that the second end 356 of the ice bank support 35 is indirectly connected to the case rear wall 315 of the outer case 31 at this time.

In order to further enable the ice bank support 35 to be mounted more firmly, the motor cover 362 is provided with a bearing portion 3621 protruding toward the side where the ice bank support 35 is located, and the first bottom wall 351 is supported on the bearing portion 3621. In this way, the ice bank bracket 35 can be more stably installed under the supporting action of the bearing portion 3621.

The ice bank 33 is a structure for storing ice cubes, and in order to effectively prevent ice cubes from being melted due to an excessive time of storage in the ice bank 33, in some embodiments, a cool air inlet 3531 may be provided at the first rear wall 353 of the ice bank bracket 35, the cool air inlet 3531 being directed toward a side of the ice bank 33. The icemaker 30 may further include a cool air duct 37 provided in the ice making cavity of the case 31, the cool air duct 37 for delivering cool air, wherein the cool air duct 37 is communicated to the cool air inlet 3531, such that cool air may circulate from the cool air duct 37 into the ice bank 33 to prevent ice cubes in the ice bank 33 from melting. It will be appreciated that the cool air duct may communicate with the freezing chamber 111 of the refrigerator 100, and thus, the cool air duct 37 may draw cool air from the freezing chamber 111 of the refrigerator 100.

It will be appreciated that ice cubes of the ice bank 33 are provided by the ice making mechanism 32 and the ice cubes provided by the ice making mechanism 32 are transported to the ice bank 33 by the ice transporting mechanism 34, and the structures of the ice making mechanism 32 and the ice transporting mechanism 34 will be described with reference to the drawings for more clarity.

Referring to fig. 6, fig. 6 is a schematic view of an ice making mechanism of the ice maker shown in fig. 3. The ice making mechanism 32 may include an ice making stand 321, an ice making tray 322 having an ice making groove 3221, a rotation shaft 323, a striking member 324, and a first motor 325, the ice making groove 3221 for carrying water to freeze to form ice cubes. The ice making supporter 321 may be fixed to a wall of the case 31, such as the ice making supporter 321 may be fixed to the first case sidewall 312 of the case 31, the ice making tray 322 is fixed to the ice making supporter 321, the rotation shaft 323 is rotatably connected to the ice making supporter 321, the stirring member 324 is fixed to the rotation shaft 323, the stirring member 324 can rotate along with the rotation shaft 323 and can rotate into the ice making groove 3221, the first motor 325 may be fixed to the ice making supporter 321, and a motor shaft of the first motor 325 is in driving connection with the rotation shaft 323 for driving the rotation shaft 323 to rotate, so that when the first motor 325 drives the rotation shaft 323 to rotate, the stirring member 324 can rotate along with the rotation shaft 323 to stir out ice cubes in the ice making groove 3221.

Alternatively, the ice maker 32 may also pour ice cubes within the ice making trough 3221 in other manners, such as the ice making tray 322 being rotatably connected to the ice making bracket 321, and the ice maker 32 may include a torsion motor that drives the ice making tray 322 to rotate so that the ice making tray 322 can rotate to pour ice cubes formed within the ice making trough 3221. It is understood that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the way in which ice cubes within the ice making cells 322 are discharged.

It will also be appreciated that in order to facilitate the ice cubes within the ice making trough 3221 to disengage from the ice making trough 3221, a heating plate may be provided to the ice making grid 322 to heat the ice cubes by the heating plate so that the ice cubes do not adhere to the walls of the ice making trough 3221 to facilitate the ice cubes to disengage from the ice making trough 3221. Such as a heater chip may be provided at the bottom of the ice tray 322.

The ice cubes dropped by the ice making tray 322 can be received by the carrier 342 of the ice transporting mechanism 34, and after the ice cubes are received by the carrier 342, the first driving component 341 of the ice transporting mechanism 34 can drive the carrier 342 to move to the ice storage box 33, so that the ice cubes on the carrier 342 can be transported to the ice storage box 33. It will be appreciated that the ice carrying mechanism 34 is disposed on a side of the ice making mechanism 32 and the ice bank 33 facing away from the first housing sidewall 312.

Referring to fig. 7 to 9 in combination with fig. 3, fig. 7 is a schematic view of the ice transporting mechanism of the ice maker shown in fig. 3 moving to different positions on the housing, fig. 8 is a schematic view of the carrier of the ice maker shown in fig. 3, and fig. 9 is an exploded view of the ice transporting mechanism and a part of the housing of the ice maker shown in fig. 2. Carrier 342 may include ice carrying plate 3422 and wing plates 3423. The ice transport plate 3422 has a bearing surface for bearing ice cubes. Each end of the bearing surface is convexly provided with a wing plate 3423, and the wing plates 3423 and the bearing surface are surrounded to form an ice discharging opening 3421.

The ice transport plate 3422 may include a connection portion 34221 and a plurality of bar portions 34222. The plurality of strip parts 34222 are protruded at one side of the connection part 34221 facing away from the ice bank 33, and the plurality of strip parts 34222 are arranged in a horizontal direction such that a slot 34223 is formed between two adjacent strip parts 34222. Further, the contact area of the ice transport plate 3422 with the ice cubes can be reduced through the insertion groove 34223, so that the ice pushing member 38 can push the ice cubes on the ice transport plate 3422 more directionally.

Ice maker 30 may also include an ice pusher 38. An ice pushing member 38 may be coupled to the housing 31, the ice pushing member 38 being configured to push ice cubes carried by the carrier 342 into the ice bank 33.

Illustratively, the ice pushing member 38 is mounted to a side of the housing 31 adjacent to the ice bank 33 or the ice pushing member 38 is mounted to a top of the housing 31 in a gravitational direction. The ice pushing member 38 may include at least one ice pushing portion 381. Each of the ice pushing parts 381 is disposed opposite to one of the slots 34223 such that the ice pushing part 381 may be inserted into the corresponding slot 34223 during a movement of the carrier 342 from the ice making mechanism 32 toward the ice bank 33, and the ice pushing part 381 may be disengaged from the corresponding slot 34223 during a movement of the carrier 342 from the ice bank 33 toward the ice making mechanism 32. The ice pushing part 381 is inclined in a direction away from the ice bank 33 in a downward direction of gravity.

Then, the ice pushing part 381 may be regarded as a guide member for guiding ice cubes on the ice carrying plate 3422 during the upward movement of the ice carrying plate 3422. Further, after the ice transporting plate 3422 is moved up until the ice pushing portion 381 is inserted into the slot 34223, if the ice transporting plate 3422 is moved up, the ice pushing portion 381 pushes the ice cubes on the ice transporting plate 3422 toward the ice bank 33 to push the ice cubes from the ice transporting plate 3422 into the ice bank 33.

The ice pushing part 381 may be straight or arc-shaped, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

The ice pusher 38 may also include a mounting body 382. The installation body 382 is fixedly connected with the shell 31, and the ice pushing part 381 is fixedly connected with the installation body 382 so as to realize the installation and fixation of the ice pushing part 381.

The ice pushing portion 381 and the mounting body 382 may be integrally formed, such as the ice pushing portion 381 and the mounting body 382 being manufactured by injection molding, turn milling, die casting, stamping, or the like. Alternatively, the ice pushing portion 381 may be detachably mounted to the mounting body 382, such as the ice pushing portion 381 is mounted to the mounting body 382 by a snap-fit, screw-fit, or the like. Of course, in some other embodiments, the ice pushing portion 381 may be fixed to the mounting body 382 by welding, fusing, or the like, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

The connection manner between the mounting body 382 and the housing 31 may be various, such as a clamping manner, a screwing manner, etc., which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, in some other embodiments, an electric ice pushing assembly is further disposed on the housing 31 or the ice transporting mechanism 34, and the ice pushing assembly is used for pushing ice cubes on the carrier 342 out into the ice storage box 33 when the carrier 342 moves to the ice storage box 33, which is not limited in this embodiment.

In order to facilitate the driving of the carrier 342 to move up and down, the first driving component 341 may be a screw driving component, a rack and pinion driving component, a cylinder, an electric push rod of an oil cylinder, or the like, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

For example, as shown in fig. 7, the first driving assembly 341 may include a guide rail 3412 and a driving unit 3413. Guide rail 3412 is mounted to housing 31, and carrier 342 is slidably mounted to guide rail 3412. The driving unit 3413 is drivingly connected to the carrier 342 to move the carrier 342 between a first position and a second position between which the ice making mechanism 32 and the ice bank 33 are located.

Specifically, the lower end of the guide rail 3412 is at the first position and is located below the ice making mechanism 32. The upper end of the guide rail 3412 is at the second position and is located above the ice making mechanism 32. Then the ejected ice cubes of the ice making mechanism 32 may fall under their own weight onto the carrier 342 when the carrier 342 is moved to the first position, or when the carrier 342 is moved under the ice making mechanism 32. The carrier 342 may then transport the ice cubes to a second position to enable the ice pushing member 38 to push the ice cubes on the carrier 342 into the ice bank 33.

The mounting manner of the guide rail 3412 may be various. For example, the guide rail 3412 may be detachably connected to the housing 31 by a clamping, screwing, magnetic attraction or fixing method.

The driving unit 3413 may be disposed on the housing 31 of the ice maker 30 and in driving connection with the carrier 342, the driving unit 3413 may be disposed on the guide rail 3412 and in driving connection with the carrier 342, and the driving unit 3413 may be disposed on the carrier 342 and in driving connection with the guide rail 3412 or the housing 31 of the ice maker 30, which is not limited in this embodiment.

For example, the driving unit 3413 may be composed of a driving motor and a first rack and pinion assembly, a first screw assembly, or a first timing belt assembly driven by the driving motor, and the driving motor may drive the carrier 342 to slide through the first rack and pinion assembly, the first screw assembly, or the first timing belt assembly. Of course, the driving unit 3413 may also be a first electric push rod or the like, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 8, the driving unit 3413 may include an ice-carrying motor 34131 and a first gear 34132. The ice motor 34131 can be mounted and secured to the carrier 342. An output shaft of the ice-transporting motor 34131 is connected to the first gear 34132 to drive the first gear 34132 to rotate. The guide rail 3412 is formed with a rack 34121, and the first gear 34132 is engaged with the rack 34121. Further, when the ice-carrying motor 34131 drives the first gear 34132 to rotate, the carrier 342 can slide along the guide rail 3412.

In some embodiments, in order to make the movement of the carrier 342 more stable and smooth, the number of the guide rails 3412 may be multiple, such as two, three, four, etc., which is not limited in this embodiment.

The ice maker and the refrigerator provided by the embodiment of the present application are described in detail, and specific examples are applied to illustrate the principle and the implementation of the present application, and the description of the above embodiments is only used for helping to understand the method and the core idea of the present application; meanwhile, those skilled in the art will have variations in the specific embodiments and application scope in light of the ideas of the present application, and the present description should not be construed as limiting the present application in view of the above.

Claims (10)

1. An ice-making machine, comprising:

an ice making mechanism for making and outputting ice cubes;

the ice storage box is used for storing ice cubes and is arranged above the ice making mechanism and provided with a first ice outlet;

the ice conveying mechanism comprises a first driving assembly and a carrier, wherein the first driving assembly is used for driving the carrier to move between the ice making mechanism and the ice storage box so that the carrier can bear ice cubes output by the ice making mechanism and convey the ice cubes to the ice storage box; and

the shell is provided with an ice making cavity, the ice making mechanism, the ice storage box and the ice transporting mechanism are contained in the ice making cavity, and the shell is provided with a second ice outlet communicated with the first ice outlet.

2. The ice-making machine of claim 1, further comprising an ice-bin support disposed within said ice-making cavity, said ice-bin being removably mounted to said ice-bin support.

3. The ice-making machine of claim 2, wherein said housing includes a first housing side wall, a second housing side wall, a housing front wall and a housing rear wall, said second ice outlet being disposed in said housing front wall, said housing front wall and said housing rear wall being disposed opposite each other, said first housing side wall and said second housing side wall being disposed opposite each other and connected between said housing front wall and said housing rear wall, respectively;

the ice bank support includes oppositely disposed first and second ends, the first end being connected to the shell front wall and the second end being connected to the shell rear wall.

4. The ice-making machine of claim 3, wherein said ice-bin support includes a first bottom wall, a first side wall and a first rear wall, said first side wall and said first rear wall being connected to different sides of said first bottom wall, said first rear wall being located on a side of said first bottom wall remote from said first ice outlet, said first bottom wall, said first side wall and said first rear wall together defining a receiving cavity in which said ice bin is mounted.

5. The ice-making machine of claim 4, wherein said first shell side wall is provided with a boss, said first bottom wall being supported by said boss.

6. The ice maker of claim 5, further comprising an ice discharge assembly including an ice discharge motor, a motor housing and an ice discharge screw, the ice discharge screw being rotatably disposed within the ice bank with a rotational axis of the ice discharge screw parallel to an ice discharge direction, the motor housing being coupled to the housing rear wall and housing the ice discharge motor, the second end of the ice bank support being coupled to the motor housing; the driving end of the ice discharging motor is detachably connected with the ice discharging screw and used for driving the ice discharging screw to rotate.

7. The ice-making machine of claim 6, wherein said motor housing is provided with a bearing portion protruding toward a side where said ice bank support is located, said first bottom wall being supported on said bearing portion.

8. The ice-making machine of any one of claims 4-7, further comprising a cold air duct disposed within said ice-making cavity, said first rear wall being provided with a cold air inlet in communication with said cold air duct.

9. The ice maker of claim 1, wherein the ice making mechanism comprises an ice making bracket, an ice making grid with an ice making groove, a rotating shaft, a poking piece and a first motor, wherein the ice making grid is fixed on the ice making bracket, the rotating shaft is rotationally connected to the ice making bracket, the first motor is used for driving the rotating shaft to rotate, and the poking piece is fixed on the rotating shaft and can rotate along with the rotating shaft to poke ice cubes in the ice making groove.

10. A refrigerator comprising the ice maker according to any one of claims 1 to 9.