EP4607115A1

EP4607115A1 - Refrigeration appliance

Info

Publication number: EP4607115A1
Application number: EP23909067.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Zhijie REN; Xin QUAN; Zhichao Zhu; Zhaowei LIN; Yuan SUN; Huailei Cui
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: 2022-12-29
Filing date: 2023-06-29
Publication date: 2025-08-27
Also published as: WO2024139123A1; CN118274549A; CN118274549B; EP4607115A4; US20250305746A1

Abstract

A refrigeration apparatus, the refrigeration apparatus comprising a cabinet body, a first refrigeration compartment, a second refrigeration compartment, an ice-making assembly, an ice-dispensing assembly, and an ice-moving assembly. The ice-making assembly is arranged in the first refrigeration compartment, and the ice-dispensing assembly is arranged on a second door body. An ice-moving device comprises an ice-moving channel, an ice-moving portion and the ice-moving assembly, the ice-moving portion being arranged on a first door body, and the ice-moving channel comprising a first sub-channel a second sub-channel which are communicated in sequence. The first sub-channel is arranged on the first door body, and the second sub-channel is arranged on the second door body and is communicated to the ice-dispensing assembly. The first sub-channel is further communicated with the ice-moving portion. The ice-moving assembly drives ice cubes to move from the ice-moving portion towards the ice-moving channel.

Description

The present application claims the priority of the Chinese patent application No. 202211741731.2, filed on December 29, 2022 , contents of which are incorporated herein by its entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the technical field of refrigeration devices, and more specifically, to a refrigeration device.

BACKGROUND

In the art, in order to take ice out of an ice box, the ice may be taken manually, or the ice may be automatically taken at a location below the ice box based on the gravity. In order to improve convenience, the ice may be taken at an appropriate height. For some refrigerators, the ice may be taken at a refrigerator door which is located at an upper part of the refrigerator. In order to take the ice at the refrigerator door, two ice machines may be arranged. Especially, one ice machine may be arranged in a freezer room. Making the ice and storing the ice in the freezer room has high energy consumption, and a large space is needed for heat preservation.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a refrigeration device to solve the technical problem of a large space being needed for making and storing the ice.
In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a refrigeration device, comprising: a device body; a first refrigeration compartment, arranged in the device body, wherein the first refrigeration compartment comprises a first door; a second refrigeration compartment, arranged in the device body and disposed above the first refrigeration compartment, wherein the second refrigeration compartment comprises a second door; an ice preparing assembly, arranged in the first refrigeration compartment; an ice extraction assembly, arranged in the second door; and an ice transfer system, comprising an ice transfer channel, an ice transfer portion and an ice transfer assembly. The ice transfer portion is arranged in the first refrigeration compartment; the ice transfer channel comprises a first sub-channel and a second sub-channel that are communicated to each other sequentially; the first sub-channel is communicated to an ice transfer outlet of the ice transfer portion, the second sub-channel is defined in the second door; the second sub-channel is communicated to the ice extraction assembly; the ice preparing assembly is communicated to an ice transfer inlet of the ice transfer portion; the ice transfer assembly is arranged in the ice transfer portion to drive ice blocks to move out from the ice transfer portion to the ice transfer channel.
According to the present disclosure, a refrigeration device is provided. The refrigeration device may be arranged in a first refrigeration compartment, an ice extraction assembly may be arranged in a second door body, and an ice transfer portion may be arranged in a first refrigeration compartment. An ice transfer assembly may drive ice blocks to move from the ice transfer portion to an ice transfer channel. The ice blocks may pass through a first sub-channel and a second sub-channel sequentially, and then enter the ice extraction assembly. In this way, the ice blocks may be prepared in a freezer room and may be extracted in a refrigeration room, preventing occupying any space of a second refrigeration compartment for preparing and storing the ice. By arranging the second sub-channel in the second door body, an internal space of the second refrigeration compartment may not be occupied, further improving a volume ratio of the refrigeration device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To more clearly illustrate technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure or the related art, the accompanying drawings needed for describing the embodiments of the present disclosure or the related art will be briefly introduced in the following. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and any ordinary skilled person in the art may obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative work.

FIG. 1 is an overall structural schematic view of an ice transfer system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a structural schematic view of a portion of the ice transfer system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 is a structural schematic view of the portion of the ice transfer system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 4 is a structural schematic view of the portion of the ice transfer system according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 5 is a structural schematic view of the portion of the ice transfer system according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 6 is a structural schematic view of the portion of the ice transfer system according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 7 is an overall structural schematic view of the ice transfer system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 8 is a structural schematic view of the portion of the ice transfer system according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an ice transfer portion of the ice transfer system according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 10 is an overall structural schematic view of a refrigeration device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 11 is another overall structural schematic view of the refrigeration device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 12 is a structural schematic view of the refrigeration device according to a first technical solution of another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 13 is another structural schematic view of the refrigeration device according to the first technical solution of another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 14 is a structural schematic view of the refrigeration device according to a second technical solution of another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a door body of the refrigeration device according to the second technical solution of another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 16 is a structural schematic view of the refrigeration device according to a third technical solution of another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of a portion A shown in FIG. 16.
FIG. 18 is another structural schematic view of the refrigeration device according to the third technical solution of another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 19 is a structural schematic view of the refrigeration device according to a fourth technical solution of another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a door body of the refrigeration device according to the fourth technical solution of another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of a sealing assembly of the refrigeration device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, where the sealing assembly is in a state of enabling the ice transfer channel to be communicated.
FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of the sealing assembly of the refrigeration device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, where the sealing assembly is in a state of closing the ice transfer channel.
FIG. 23 is a structural schematic view of a portion of the refrigeration device according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of a rotatable sealing member of the refrigeration device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, where the rotatable sealing member is in a state of enabling a first sub-channel to be communicated.
FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view of the rotatable sealing member of the refrigeration device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, where the rotatable sealing member is in a state of blocking the first sub-channel.
FIG. 26 is an exploded view of the rotatable sealing member of the refrigeration device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 27 is an exploded view of the rotatable sealing member of the refrigeration device, being viewed from another viewing angle, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 28 is a structural schematic view of a portion of the refrigeration device according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 29 is an exploded view of an ice preparing assembly of the refrigeration device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 30 is a structural schematic view of a portion of the refrigeration device according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 31 is a structural schematic view of an ice breaking assembly of the refrigeration device according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 32 is an exploded view of the ice breaking assembly of the refrigeration device according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 33 is a structural schematic view of a fixed blade assembly and a rotatable blade assembly of the refrigeration device according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS

Technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described by referring to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of, not all of, the embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments, which are obtained by any ordinary skilled person in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without creative work, shall fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
Reference to "embodiment" in the present disclosure means that specific features, structures, or characteristics described an embodiment may be comprised in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The term used in various sections in the specification does not necessarily refer to one same embodiment nor an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. Any ordinary skilled person in the art shall explicitly and implicitly understand that the embodiments described in the present disclosure can be combined with other embodiments.
The present disclosure provides an ice transfer system 100. As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is an overall structural schematic view of the ice transfer system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The ice transfer system 100 may comprise an ice transfer portion 110, an ice transfer channel 120, and a master rotation member 130. The ice transfer portion 110 defines an ice transfer inlet 111, an ice transfer cavity 112, and an ice transfer outlet 113 that are communicated with each other. The ice transfer channel 120 may be communicated with the ice transfer cavity 112 through the ice transfer outlet 113. The ice transfer channel 120 may further be communicated with an ice extraction assembly 300 (shown in FIG. 10). The master rotation member 130 may be rotatably arranged inside the ice transfer cavity 112. The ice transfer inlet 111 and the ice transfer outlet 113 may be disposed at an outer periphery of the master rotation member 130. The master rotation member 130 may be rotatable in a first direction X and drive ice blocks, which enter the ice transfer cavity 112 from the ice transfer inlet 111, to be ejected out, through the ice transfer outlet 113, towards the ice transfer channel 120.
The ice transfer portion 110 of the ice transfer system 100 in the present disclosure may be arranged in a first refrigeration compartment 12 (shown in FIG. 10), an ice extraction assembly 300 may be arranged in a second refrigeration compartment 13 (shown in FIG. 10) that is located above the first refrigeration compartment 12. The ice transfer channel 120 may extend from the first refrigeration compartment 12 to the second refrigeration compartment 13. The first refrigeration compartment 12 may be a chilling compartment, and the second refrigeration compartment 13 may be a freezer compartment. The ice transfer inlet 111 may be communicated to the ice preparing assembly 200 (shown in FIG. 10), and the ice blocks may enter the ice transfer cavity 112 from the ice transfer inlet 111. The master rotation member 130 may rotate the ice blocks in the first direction X and eject the ice blocks toward the ice transfer outlet 113. The ice blocks may have a certain initial speed and move from the ice transfer outlet 113 towards the ice transfer channel 120; and eventually the ice blocks may move along the ice transfer channel 120 to reach the ice extraction assembly 300 (shown in FIG. 10). Since the master rotation member 130 may constantly rotate at a certain speed, the ice blocks originated from the ice preparing assembly 200 may be continuously and quickly ejected to the ice extraction assembly 300, the ice blocks may move quickly, an ice extraction efficiency may be high, such that fast and continuous ice extraction may be achieved. A user may not need to wait for a long time to take the ice blocks, and the ice blocks may not be easily melted. The ice blocks may be in high quality, and the ice blocks may not be stick to each other due to melting.
According to the ice transfer system 100 the refrigeration device 10 of the present disclosure, the ice preparing assembly 200 may be disposed in the first refrigeration compartment 12, and the ice extraction assembly 300 may be disposed in the second refrigeration compartment 13. The ice transfer system 100 may transfer the ice blocks from the first refrigeration compartment 12 rapidly one by one to the ice extraction assembly 300 of the second refrigeration compartment 13. Since the ice transfer device 100 transfers the ice blocks to the ice extraction assembly 300 of the second refrigeration compartment 13 above the first refrigeration compartment 12, the user may take the ice blocks easily, improving the user experience. Furthermore, since the ice preparing assembly 200 is arranged in the first refrigeration compartment 12, the ice preparing assembly 200 and the first refrigeration compartment 12 may share one cold source, a case of arranging the independent evaporator for preparing the ice blocks, caused by the ice preparing assembly 200 being arranged in the second refrigeration compartment 13, may be avoided. In this way, component costs and energy consumption costs may be saved, a space of the second refrigeration compartment 13 may not be occupied, such that a volume ratio of the second refrigeration compartment 13 may be improved. Since the master rotation member 130 rotates to drive the ice blocks to obtain the initial speed, the ice blocks may move quickly to the ice extraction assembly 300 and may move directly from the first refrigeration compartment 12 to the ice extraction assembly 300 of the second refrigeration compartment 13. The ice blocks may move at a high speed, such that a high ice extraction efficiency may be achieved, and the evaporator for keeping coldness for the ice blocks may not be arranged in the second refrigeration compartment 13, further improving the volume ratio of the second refrigeration compartment 13.
By arranging the ice transfer system 100 of the present disclosure, the ice extraction efficiency may be improved, inconvenient ice taking by the user and space occupation of the second refrigeration compartment 13 may be solved.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the ice transfer system 100 may further comprise a conveying channel 150. The conveying channel 150 may be communicated to the ice transfer cavity 112 via the ice transfer inlet 111. The conveying channel 150 may be communicated to an ice outlet end of the ice preparing assembly 200 to convey the ice blocks to the ice transfer cavity 112. An ice inlet end of the conveying channel 150 may be positioned higher than the ice transfer inlet 111. The ice blocks may move, under the gravity, along the conveying channel 150 into the ice transfer portion 110. Alternatively, the ice inlet end of the conveying channel 150 may be positioned at the same height as or positioned lower than the ice transfer inlet 111. The ice blocks may be driven by a power mechanism to move along the conveying channel 150 into the ice transfer cavity 112. Therefore, the ice transfer inlet 111 may be located at an upper portion, a lower portion, or any other location of the ice transfer cavity 112, and the ice blocks may enter the ice transfer cavity 112 and may be snapped into the master rotation member 130 based on the gravity or the power mechanism.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the ice transfer channel 120 may comprise an ice transfer section 121 and a guiding section 122. The ice transfer section 121 may be communicated to the ice transfer cavity 112 through the ice transfer outlet 113. The guiding section 122 may be communicated to the ice transfer section 121 and may be curved towards one side, so as to guide to the ice extraction assembly 300. The ice transfer section 121 may be communicated to the ice transfer cavity 112. When the ice blocks are moving through the ice transfer section 121, the ice blocks may rise for a sufficient distance along the ice transfer section 121. The guiding section 122 may be turned to be connect to the ice extraction assembly 300. When the ice blocks move to reach the guiding section 122, the ice blocks have risen sufficiently far, and the guiding section 122 may change a moving direction of the ice blocks towards the ice extraction assembly 300. A smooth transition is formed between the ice transfer section 121 and the guiding section 122.
Specifically, the ice transfer section 121 may be extending along a vertical direction to shorten the distance that the ice blocks rise along the ice transfer section 121. Of course, the ice transfer section 121 may alternatively be extending along a direction having a smaller angle with respect to the vertical direction. Alternatively, the ice transfer channel 120 may be curved in overall. The ice transfer channel 120 may extend from the ice transfer outlet 113 to the ice extraction assembly 300, ensuring that the ice blocks can be stably ascended and simply communicated to the ice extraction assembly 300.
Specifically, at an intersection between the guiding section 122 and the ice transfer section 121, an angle between an extension direction of the guiding section 122 and an extension direction of the ice transfer section 121 may be greater than 90° and less than 180°, preventing the ice blocks from falling back into the ice transfer section 121 due to turning from the ice transfer section 121 to the guiding section 122 being excessively sharp, and ensuring the ice blocks to move smoothly through the ice transfer channel to the ice extraction assembly 300.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a structural schematic view of a portion of the ice transfer system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The master rotation member 130 may comprise a master shaft 131 and a flexible member 132 disposed around a periphery of the master shaft 131. The flexible member 132 may enable the ice blocks to be snapped therein easily and carry the ice blocks to rotate. The master shaft 131 may be made of a rigid material. The flexible member 132 may be fixed to the master shaft 131 and rotate synchronously with the master shaft 131. Specifically, the master rotation member 130 may be a roller brush, and the flexible member 132 may be a flexible bristle. Alternatively, the master rotation member 130 may be an impeller, and the flexible member 132 may be flexible blades. The ice transfer system 100 may further comprise a drive member (not shown in the drawings), the driver member may be arranged at an outside of the ice transfer cavity 112. An output end of the drive member may pass through a side wall of the ice transfer portion 110 to be coaxially fixed with the master shaft 131. The driver member may control rotation of the master rotation member 130. Specifically, the drive member may control the master rotation member 130 to start or stop rotating; control a rotation direction of the master rotation member 130; and control a rotation speed of the master rotation member 130.
Since the ice blocks may be in the form of blocks, when the master rotation member 130 rotates at a high speed, the ice blocks may not be brought in by the master rotation member 130, such that ice blockage may be caused at the ice transfer inlet 111, and the present disclosure provides various solutions to solve the above problem.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of notches 1322, which may be spaced apart from each other, may be formed around an outer periphery of the flexible member 132. A size of each of the plurality of notches 1322 may be 1-3 times, such as 1 time, 1.5 times, 2 times, 2.5 times, or 3 times, of a size of each ice block. By forming the notches 1322, which are spaced apart from each other, at the outer periphery of the flexible member 132, as the master rotation member 130 rotates, the ice blocks may be easily brought into the plurality of notches 1322 during entering the ice transfer cavity 112 through the ice transfer inlet 111. In this way, an ice transfer efficiency of the ice transfer system 100 may be improved, preventing the ice blocks from being blocked at the ice transfer inlet 111.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a structural schematic view of a portion of the ice transfer system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The flexible member 132 may comprise a first flexible member 1323 and a second flexible member 1324 that are spaced apart from each other and are arranged along the outer periphery of the master shaft 131. A rigidity of the second flexible member 1324 may be lower than that of the first flexible member 1323. Since the rigidity of the second flexible member 1324 is lower than that of the first flexible member 1323, as the master rotation member 130 rotates, the ice blocks, during entering the ice transfer cavity 112 through the ice transfer inlet 111, may squeeze the first flexible member 1323 to make the first flexible member 1323 deformed, such that the ice blocks may be easily brought into the master rotation member 130. The second flexible member 1324 having the larger rigidity may carry the ice blocks to rotate to enhance the ice transfer efficiency of the ice transfer system 100, preventing the ice blocks from blocking the ice transfer inlet 111.
In the above embodiment, a structure of the flexible member 132 may be optimized, enabling the ice blocks to be snapped into the master rotation member 130 easily. In some other embodiments, an auxiliary structure may be arranged to cooperate with the master rotation member 130 to facilitate the ice blocks to be snapped into the master rotation member 130, preventing the ice blocks from blocking the ice transfer inlet 111.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a structural schematic view of a portion of the ice transfer system according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. The ice transfer portion 110 may further comprise a pressure plate 116. The pressure plate 116 may be arranged inside the ice transfer portion 110. The pressure plate 116 may be disposed between the ice transfer inlet 111 and the ice transfer outlet 113. A shortest distance between an end portion of the pressure plate 116 facing towards the master rotation member 130 and a central axis of the master rotation member 130 may be less than a radius of the master rotation member 130. During rotation of the master rotation member 130, the flexible member 132 may contact the pressure plate 116 and may be deformed to form an opening 1321 at the ice transfer inlet 111. By pressing part of the flexible member 132 by the pressure plate 116, as the master rotation member 130 rotates, the ice blocks, during entering the ice transfer cavity 112 through the ice transfer inlet 111, may be easily brought into the master rotation member 130 at the opening 1321. In this way, the ice transfer efficiency of the ice transfer system 100 may be improved, and the ice blocks may be prevented from blocking the ice transfer inlet 111.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a structural schematic view of a portion of the ice transfer system according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. The ice transfer portion 110 may further comprise a guide cavity 117 and a secondary rotation member 140. The guide cavity 117 may be communicated with the ice transfer cavity 112. The ice transfer inlet 111 may be disposed between the guide cavity 117 and the ice transfer cavity 112. The secondary rotation member 140 may be rotatably disposed in the guide cavity 117. The secondary rotation member 140 may rotate in a second direction Y. The second direction Y may be opposite to the first direction X. A shortest distance between the secondary rotation member 140 and the master rotation member 130 may be less than the size of the ice block. Since the rotation direction of the secondary rotation member 140 is opposite to the rotation direction of the master rotation member 130, and the ice transfer inlet 111 is disposed between the master rotation member 130 and the secondary rotation member 140, the ice blocks may be easily brought into the master rotation member 130 due to reverse movements of the two rotation members. In this way, the ice transfer efficiency of the ice transfer system 100 may be improved, and the ice blocks may be prevented from blocking the ice transfer inlet 111. A radius of the secondary rotation member 140 may be less than the radius of the master rotation member 130, reducing a size the ice transfer system 100 and enabling the ice blocks to be snapped into the master rotation member 130 more easily. An outer wall of the secondary rotation member 140 may extend along with a cavity wall of the guide cavity 117, and a rigidity of the secondary rotation member 140 may be higher than that of the flexible member 132, driving the ice blocks to be snapped into the master rotation member 130. The secondary rotation member 140 may be configured as a rotation structure, such as a roller brush or an impeller.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a structural schematic view of a portion of the ice transfer system according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. The ice transfer system 100 may further comprise a transmission rotation member 151, the transmission rotation member 151 may be rotatably disposed in the conveying channel 150. A rotation speed of the transmission rotation member 151 may be lower than the rotation speed of the master rotation member 130. Therefore, the ice blocks may obtain a certain speed after being driven by the transmission rotation member 151 in the conveying channel 150, and the ice blocks having the certain speed may be snapped into the master rotation member 130 rotating at the high rotation speed, such that the ice blocks may be prevented from blocking the ice transfer inlet 111.
It is to be noted that, in order to improve the ice transfer efficiency of the ice transfer system 100 and prevent the ice blocks from blocking the ice transfer inlet 111, the above-described structural optimization of the flexible member 132 may be applied, or the secondary structure for cooperating with the master rotation member 130 may be arranged, or combination of the above technical features may be applied, such that the ice blocks may be prevented from blocking the ice transfer inlet 111
The ice transfer system 100 of the present disclosure may be arranged. The size of the ice block may be within a predetermined size range. The master rotation member 130 may rotate at a predetermined speed in the first direction X. Generally, the ice blocks may be carried smoothly from the ice transfer outlet 113 to enter the ice transfer channel 120, and the ice blocks may eventually move smoothly along the ice transfer channel 120 to reach the ice extraction assembly 300. However, in some cases, for example, sizes of the ice blocks vary greatly, or the ice blocks and the master rotation member 130 displace with respect to each other during the master rotation member 130 rotating and carrying the ice blocks, the ice blocks, when being ejected towards the ice transfer channel 120, do not obtain a desired initial speed from the master rotation member 130. In these cases, the ice blocks may not move smoothly along the ice transfer channel 120 to reach the ice extraction assembly 300. The ice blocks that do not reach the ice extraction assembly 300 may fall back into the ice transfer portion 110 along the ice transfer channel 120. Therefore, in order to prevent the ice transfer efficiency of the ice transfer system 100 from being affected due to the ice blocks blocking the ice transfer inlet 111, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 7 is an overall structural schematic view of the ice transfer system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The ice transfer cavity 112 may further comprise an ice transfer return port 119, and the ice transfer system 100 may further comprise an ice return channel 160. The ice return channel 160 may be communicated to the ice transfer return port 119. An ice outlet end of the ice return channel 160 may be lower than the ice outlet end of the ice transfer channel 120. The master rotation member 130 may rotate in the second direction Y and drive the ice blocks disposed in the ice transfer cavity 112 to move out from the ice transfer return port 119 to the ice return channel 160. The second direction Y may be opposite to the first direction X. By arranging the ice return channel 160, when the ice blocks which do not reach the ice extraction assembly 300 fall back along the ice transfer channel 120 to block the ice transfer portion 110, feeding of the ice blocks into the ice transfer portion 110 through the ice transfer inlet 111 may be stopped. The master rotation member 130 may rotate along the second direction Y to eject the ice blocks toward the ice return channel 160. Since the ice outlet end of the ice return channel 160 is lower than the ice outlet end of the ice transfer channel 120, the ice blocks may be discharged through the ice return channel 160 at a relatively low speed. The ice blocks are prevented from accumulating and blocking the ice transfer portion 110, ensuring the ice transfer system 100 to operate properly.
An ice inlet end of the conveying channel 150 may be communicated to the ice preparing assembly 200, and an ice outlet end of a conveying assembly may be communicated to the ice transfer portion 110. The ice blocks at the ice preparing assembly 200 may move to the ice transfer portion 110 through the conveying channel 150. The ice outlet end of the ice return channel 160 may be communicated to the conveying channel 150. The master rotation member 130 may rotate in the second direction Y to return the ice blocks that block the ice transfer portion 110 to the conveying channel 150, enabling the ice blocks to fall to the ice transfer portion 110 again. Alternatively, the ice outlet end of the ice return channel 160 may be communicated to the ice preparing assembly 200, and the master rotation member 130 may rotate in the second direction Y to move the ice blocks that block inside the ice transfer portion 110 back to the ice preparing assembly 200. Specifically, the ice return channel 160 may be communicated to an ice storage box of the ice preparing assembly 200.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, the ice transfer portion 110 may comprise an accumulating region 114. An inner wall of the accumulating region 114 may surround the outer periphery of the master rotation member 130. The master rotation member 130 may rotate in the first direction X to drive the ice blocks to move sequentially through the ice transfer inlet 111, the accumulating region 114, and the ice transfer outlet 113 to eventually enter the ice transfer channel 120. After the ice blocks enter the ice transfer inlet 111, since the inner wall of the accumulating region 114 surrounds the outer periphery of the master rotation member 130, the master rotation member 130 may grasp the ice blocks securely and carry the ice blocks to rotate along the first direction X by a sufficient angle. In this way, the ice blocks may be sufficiently accelerated. When the ice blocks continue rotating out of the accumulating region 114 and reaching a position corresponding to the ice transfer outlet 113, the ice blocks may lose constraints applied from an outer peripheral of the ice blocks and may have a sufficient speed to move toward the ice transfer channel 120. The ice blocks may move along the ice transfer channel 120 to the ice extraction assembly 300. By arranging the accumulating region 114, the ice blocks may be accelerated sufficiently to obtain the sufficient initial speed, such that the ice blocks may move to pass through the ice transfer channel 120. It should be noted that the initial speed obtained by the ice blocks after passing through the accumulating region 114 can be changed by adjusting a range of the accumulating region 114 and the size and the rotation speed of the master rotation member 130. The ice block may pass through the ice transfer channel 120 at a suitable speed by adjusting various parameters, ensuring that the ice blocks may have the certain speed to move through the ice transfer channel 120 into the ice extraction assembly 300 and that the moving speed of the ice blocks may not be excessively large to cause collision noise. Similarly, when the ice blocks that do not reach the ice extraction assembly 300 fall back into the ice transfer portion 110 along the ice transfer channel 120, the master rotation member 130 may rotate in the second direction Y to drive the ice blocks to move from the accumulating region 114 through the ice transfer return port 119 to enter the ice return channel 160. By arranging the accumulating region 114, when the master rotation member 130 is rotating in the second direction Y, the ice blocks may obtain the certain initial speed to move through the ice transfer return port 119 toward the ice return channel 160.
The ice transfer inlet 111, the ice transfer return port 119, and the ice transfer outlet 113 are all located at the outer periphery of the master rotation member 130. Therefore, in order to enable the master rotation member 130 to rotate to eject the ice blocks toward the ice transfer outlet 113, instead of along the ice transfer return port 119, during the master rotation member 130 rotating in the first direction X; and in order to in order to enable the master rotation member 130 to rotate to eject the ice blocks toward the ice transfer return port 119, instead of along the ice transfer inlet 111, during the master rotation member 130 rotating in the second direction Y, in some embodiments, a vertical plane in which a rotation axis of the master rotation member 130 is located is a first plane Z, the ice transfer outlet 113 may be located on a side of the first plane Z, the ice transfer return port 119 may be located on the other side of the first plane Z, the ice transfer inlet 111 may be located between the first plane Z and the ice transfer return port 119 or between the first plane Z and the ice transfer outlet 113. The ice transfer outlet 113 and the ice transfer return port 119 are respectively located on two sides of the first plane Z. Therefore, when the master rotation member 130 rotates in the first direction X, the master rotation member 130 may rotate to eject the ice blocks to the ice transfer outlet 113 after the ice blocks obtaining the certain speed. When the master rotation member 130 rotates in the second direction Y, the master rotation member 130 may rotate to eject the ice blocks to the ice transfer return port 119 after the ice blocks obtaining the certain speed.
It should be noted that, during the master rotation member 130 carrying the ice blocks to rotate in the first direction X, the ice blocks entering the ice transfer cavity 112 from the ice transfer inlet 111 may firstly pass through the ice transfer return port 119. However, at this moment, the ice blocks may rotate at a small angle as the master rotation member 130 rotate and may obtain a low speed, and therefore, the ice blocks may not be detached from the master rotation member 130 to be ejected toward the ice transfer return port 119. When the ice blocks continue rotating with the master rotation member 130 to correspond to the ice transfer outlet 119, the ice blocks may obtain the sufficient speed to be detached from the master rotation member 130 to be ejected toward the ice transfer outlet 113. Similarly, during the master rotation member 130 carrying the ice blocks to rotate in the second direction Y, the ice blocks may firstly pass through the ice transfer inlet 111. However, at this moment, the ice blocks may rotate at a small angle as the master rotation member 130 rotate and may obtain a low speed, and therefore, the ice blocks may not be detached from the master rotation member 130 to be ejected toward the ice transfer inlet 111. When the ice blocks continue rotating with the master rotation member 130 to correspond to the ice transfer outlet 119, the ice blocks may obtain the sufficient speed to be detached from the master rotation member 130 to be ejected toward the ice transfer outlet 119.
In order to enable the ice blocks to pass through the ice transfer channel 120 smoothly and to improve a rate of successfully transferring the ice blocks, in some embodiments, when the master rotation member 130 rotates in the first direction X, the outer periphery of the master rotation member 130 may be configured to define a first trajectory of the ice blocks. A tangent direction of an intersection between the accumulating region 114 and the ice transfer outlet 113 corresponding to the first trajectory may be located inside the ice transfer channel 120. Therefore, when the master rotation member 130 carrying the ice blocks rotates to the intersection between the accumulating region 114 and the ice transfer outlet 113, the ice blocks may be about to move out of the accumulating region 114 to move towards the ice transfer outlet 113. At this moment, a movement direction of the ice blocks may be located inside the ice transfer channel 120, and the ice blocks may smoothly move to the ice transfer channel 120 and smoothly move to the ice extraction assembly 300 through the ice transfer channel 120. In this way, the rate of successfully transferring the ice blocks may be high. Specifically, the tangent direction of the intersection between the accumulating region 114 and the ice transfer outlet 113 corresponding to the first trajectory may coincide with an extension direction of the ice transfer section 121 of the ice transfer channel 120. The ice blocks may be subjected to a reduced movement resistance when moving along the ice transfer section 121, and the master rotation member 130 may need to provide a reduced power to drive the ice blocks to pass through the ice transfer channel 120.
In order to enable the ice blocks to smoothly pass through the ice return channel 160 and to enhance the rate of successfully transferring the ice blocks, in some embodiments, when the master rotation member 130 rotates along the second direction Y, the outer periphery of the master rotation member 130 may be configured to define a second trajectory of the ice blocks. A tangent direction of an intersection between the accumulating region 114 and the ice transfer return port 119 corresponding to the second trajectory may be located inside the ice return channel 160. Therefore, when the master rotation member 130 carrying the ice blocks rotates to the intersection between the accumulating region 114 and the ice transfer return port 119, the ice blocks may be about to move out of the accumulating region 114 to move towards the ice transfer return port 119. At this moment, a movement direction of the ice blocks may be located inside the ice return channel 160, and the ice blocks may smoothly move to the ice return channel 160 and smoothly move to the ice preparing assembly 200 through the ice return channel 160. In this way, the ice transfer portion 110 may not be blocked. Specifically, the tangent direction of the intersection between the accumulating region 114 and the ice transfer return port 119 corresponding to the second trajectory may coincide with an extension direction of the ice return channel 160. The ice blocks may be subjected to a reduced movement resistance when moving along the ice return channel 160, and the master rotation member 130 may need to provide a reduced power to drive the ice blocks to pass through the ice return channel 160.
In some embodiments, the ice transfer system 100 may further comprise a first sensing member 171 and a second sensing member 172. The first sensing member 171 may be disposed at the ice transfer inlet 111 or the conveying channel 150. The first sensing member 171 may be configured to sense the ice blocks passing by, indicating that the ice blocks are entering the ice transfer cavity 112. The second sensing member 172 may be disposed at the ice outlet end of the ice transfer channel 120. The second sensing member 172 may be configured to sense the ice blocks passing by, indicating that the ice blocks are moving smoothly through the ice transfer channel 120 to the ice extraction assembly 300.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 8 is a structural schematic view of a portion of the ice transfer system according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. The ice transfer portion 110 may further comprise a linking region 115 and a third sensing member 173. An inner wall of the linking region 115 may surround the outer periphery of the master rotation member 130. The linking region 115 may be connected to a side of the ice transfer inlet 111 and the ice transfer outlet 113 away from the accumulating region 114. The third sensing member 173 may be disposed in the linking region 115. The third sensing member 173 may be configured to sense the ice blocks passing by. When the third sensing member 173 senses that the ice blocks are passing by, it is indicated that the master rotation member 130 does not eject the ice blocks towards the ice transfer outlet 113, and the ice blocks have to pass through the linking region 115. In this case, blocking may occur. When the third sensing member 173 senses that the ice blocks are passing by, the third sensing member 173 may control the ice preparing assembly 200 to stop feeding ice and at the same time control the master rotation member 130 to rotate in the second direction Y so as to eject the ice blocks trapped in the ice transfer cavity 112 toward the ice return channel 160, preventing the blocking.
Since the ice blocks are moving at a high speed when being thrown, friction and collision may occur. Therefore, broken ice may be generated in the cavity and may not be ejected easily. As the broken ice accumulates, rotation of the master rotation member 130 may be affected. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the ice transfer portion of the ice transfer system according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. A bottom of the ice transfer portion 110 defines a via hole 118 communicating with the ice transfer cavity 112. The ice transfer system 100 may comprise a collection member 175 disposed below the ice transfer portion 110. The via hole 118 may allow the broken ice to pass through and may not allow any unbroken ice block to pass through. The collection member 175 may receive the broken ice falling through the via hole 118. The collection member 175 and the ice transfer portion 110 may be located in the first refrigeration compartment 12, and the user can remove and clean the collection member 175 by opening the first refrigeration compartment 12.
As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, FIG. 10 is an overall structural schematic view of the refrigeration device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 11 is another overall structural schematic view of the refrigeration device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
The present disclosure further provides a refrigeration device 10, comprising a device body 11, the first refrigeration compartment 12, the second refrigeration compartment 13, the ice preparing assembly 200, the ice extraction assembly 300, and the ice transfer system 100. The first refrigeration compartment 12 may be disposed in the device body 11, and the first refrigeration compartment 12 may comprise a first door 14. The second refrigeration compartment 13 may be disposed in the device body 11, and the second refrigeration compartment 13 may be located above the first refrigeration compartment 12. The second refrigeration compartment 13 may comprise a second door 15. The ice preparing assembly 200 may be disposed in the first refrigeration compartment 12. The ice extraction assembly 300 may be disposed on the second door 15. The ice transfer system 100 may comprise the ice transfer channel 120, the ice transfer portion 110, and the ice transfer assembly 101. The ice transfer portion 110 may be disposed in the first refrigeration compartment 12. The ice transfer channel 120 may extend from the first refrigeration compartment 12 to the second refrigeration compartment 13. The ice transfer portion 110 may be communicated with the ice preparing assembly 200, and the ice transfer assembly 101 may be disposed in the ice transfer portion 110 to drive the ice blocks to be transferred from the ice transfer portion 110 towards the ice transfer channel 120. The first refrigeration compartment 12 may be a freezer room, and the second refrigeration compartment 13 may be a chilling room. The ice transfer system 100 may transfer the ice blocks from the first refrigeration compartment 12 to the ice extraction assembly 300 of the second refrigeration compartment 13 located above the first refrigeration compartment 12. In this way, the user may easily take the ice blocks, improving the user experience. Since the ice preparing assembly 200 is arranged in the first refrigeration compartment 12, the ice preparing assembly 200 and the first refrigeration compartment 12 may share one cold source, a case of arranging the independent evaporator for preparing the ice blocks, caused by the ice preparing assembly 200 being arranged in the second refrigeration compartment 13, may be avoided. In this way, costs may be saved, a space of the second refrigeration compartment 13 may not be occupied, such that a volume ratio of the second refrigeration compartment 13 may be improved. The refrigeration device 10 of the present embodiment may have an improved ice extraction efficiency, and space occupation of the second refrigeration compartment 13 may be avoided.
The ice transfer system 100 may be configured as the ice transfer system 100 in any of the above embodiments, and an ice transfer assembly 101 may comprise the master rotation member 130 in any of the above embodiments or any other driver member that enables ice ejecting.
Docking between various mechanisms of the ice transfer system 100 may all be configured in a form of flared ports. An inner diameter of the ice transfer channel 120 may be larger than the size of the ice block, such that the ice blocks may be prevented from being stuck during being transferred.
The first door 14 and the second door 15 may be rotatably, slidably or the like, arranged with the device body 11 according to actual needs.
The ice transfer channel 120 in the refrigeration device 10 of the present disclosure may be disposed inside the first refrigeration compartment 12 and/or the second refrigeration compartment 13, or disposed on a side wall of the first refrigeration compartment 12 and/or a side wall of the second refrigeration compartment 13, or disposed on the door of the first refrigeration compartment 12 and/or the door of the second refrigeration compartment 13, or disposed on a rotation shaft of the first refrigeration compartment 12 and/or a rotation shaft of the second refrigeration compartment 13, or disposed at any other location in which the ice transfer channel 120 may be arranged. Various technical solutions showing a location of the refrigeration device 10 at which the ice transfer channel 120 may be arranged will be described in detail below.

<First technical solution>:

As shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, FIG. 12 is a structural schematic view of the refrigeration device according to a first technical solution of another embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 13 is another structural schematic view of the refrigeration device according to the first technical solution of another embodiment of the present disclosure.
The second door 15 may be rotatably arranged with the device body 11. The ice transfer channel 120 may comprise a first portion 125, a second portion 126, and a third portion 127 that are connected with each other sequentially. The second portion 126 may be rotatably connected to the first portion 125 and/or the third portion 127. The first portion 125 may be disposed in the first refrigeration compartment 12 or the first door 14. The first portion 125 may be communicated to the ice transfer outlet 113 of the ice transfer portion 110. The second portion 126 may be disposed between the first door 14 and the second door 15. The third portion 127 may be disposed in the second door 15. The third portion 127 may be communicated to the ice extraction assembly 300. A rotation axis of the second door 15 may be disposed inside the second portion 126. The ice transfer assembly 101 may drive the ice blocks to move out from the ice transfer portion 110 towards the ice transfer channel 120, and the ice blocks may pass through the first portion 125, the second portion 126, and the third portion 127 sequentially and then enter the ice extraction assembly 300.
The second portion 126 is disposed between the first door 14 and the second door 15, and the rotation axis of the second door 15 is located inside the second portion 126. Therefore, during the second door 15 rotating to be opened and closed with respect to the device body, the third portion 127 and the second portion 126 may remain docked to each other at all times, and sealing performance of the third portion 127 and the second portion 126 may be proper, such that condensation due to poor docking may be avoided.
It is to be noted that the rotation axis of the second door 15 may coincide with a central axis of the second portion 126, ensuring that the third portion 127 always maintains proper docking with the second portion 126 during the second door 15 rotating. In practice, due to a cross sectional shape of pipes and any manufacturing and installation deviation, the rotation axis of the second door 15 may be deviated from the central axis of the second portion 126, however, the rotation axis of the second door 15 only needs to be located inside the second portion 126, and it is only required that rotation of the second door 15 does not affect the docking between the second portion 126 and the third portion 127 and does not affect the ice blocks passing through the second portion 126.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 13, the first refrigeration compartment 12 may comprise a top wall 19, a bottom wall, a rear wall 18, and a first side wall 16 and a second side wall 17 that connect the top wall 19 with the bottom wall. The first side wall 16 may be disposed near the second portion 126. The ice transfer portion 110 may be disposed in the top wall 19 or the first side wall 16 of the first refrigeration compartment 12. Specifically, the top wall 19 and the first side wall 16 of the first refrigeration compartment 12 may enclose to form a receiving space. The ice transfer portion 110 may be received in the receiving space and may be fixedly disposed on the top wall 19 or the first side wall 16. Similarly, the ice preparing assembly 200 may be received in the receiving space and may be fixedly disposed on the top wall 19 or the first side wall 16. By disposing the ice preparing assembly 200 near the top wall 19, the ice preparing assembly may be closer to the second refrigeration compartment 13, such that a height at which the ice blocks need to rise along the ice transfer channel 120 may be shortened, a power needs to be provided by the ice transfer assembly 101 may be reduced, improving the rate of successively transfer the ice blocks.
The first portion 125 needs to extend to be connected with the second portion 126, and the second portion 126 is disposed between the first door 14 and the second door 15. Therefore, when the ice transfer portion 110 is disposed in the first refrigeration compartment 12, the first door 14 defines an avoidance groove matching the first portion 125, providing space to allow the first portion 125 to extend outwardly from an inside of the first refrigeration compartment 12 to be connected with the second portion 126. At this moment, the ice transfer portion 110 may be fixed to the first refrigeration compartment 12, the first portion 125 may be communicated to the ice transfer portion 110 and the second portion 126. A position of the first portion 125 may be kept fixed. The first portion 125 may be relatively independent of the first door 14. The first door 14 may be rotatably arranged with the device body 11. Alternatively, the first refrigeration compartment 12 may further comprise a first drawer, and the first door 14 may be arranged with the first drawer, the first drawer may be pushable and pullable with respect to the device body 11.
Of course, as shown in FIG. 12, the ice transfer portion 110 may alternatively be arranged in the first door 14. When the first door 14 is rotatably arranged with the device body 11, a rotation axis of the first door 14 may be disposed inside the second portion 126. The second portion 126 is disposed between the first door 14 and the second door 15, and the rotation axis of the first door 14 is disposed inside the second portion 126. Therefore, during the first door 14 rotating to be opened and closed with respect to the device body, the first portion 125 and the second portion 126 may also remain docked to each other at all times. Sealing performance of the pipes of the first portion 125 and the second portion 126 may be proper, and condensation due to poor docking or poor sealing may be avoided. It should be noted that at this moment, the ice transfer inlet 111 of the ice transfer portion 110 may be detached from the ice preparing assembly 200 as the first door 14 being opened. After the first door 14 is closed, the ice transfer inlet 111 and the ice outlet of the ice preparing assembly 200 may be communicated and docked to each other. Therefore, the ice preparing assembly 200 smoothly transferring the ice blocks to the ice transfer portion 110 may not be affected. The ice outlet of the ice preparing assembly 200 may comprise an ice outlet of the ice storage box of the ice preparing assembly 200 or the ice outlet of the conveying channel 150.
In order to realize relative rotation of the second door 15 and the device body 11 and achieve docking of various portions of the ice transfer channel 120, in some embodiments, the second refrigeration compartment 13 may comprise a first rotation shaft member (not shown in the drawings) and a second rotation shaft member that are coaxially arranged to each other. A side of the second door 15 away from the first door 14 may be rotatably connected to the device body 11 via the first rotation shaft member. The second rotation shaft member may be disposed on a side of the second door 15 near the first door 14. The second rotation shaft member may be the second portion 126. The first portion 125 and the second portion 126 may be fixedly connected or integrally formed with each other. The second portion 126 and the third portion 127 may be rotatably connected to each other. In this way, the first portion 125 and the second portion 126 always remain docked to each other. The second door 15 may rotate to drive the third portion 127 and the second portion 126 to synchronously rotate. Alternatively, the first portion 125 and the second portion 126 may be rotatably connected to each other. The second portion 126 and the third portion 127 may be fixedly connected or integrally formed with each other. In this way, the first portion 125 and the second portion 126 always remain docked to each other. The second door 15 may rotate to drive the third portion 127 to rotate.
In some embodiments, the second refrigeration compartment 13 may comprise the first rotation shaft member and the second rotation shaft member that are coaxially arranged with each other. The side of the second door 15 away from the first door 14 may be rotatably connected to the device body 11 via the first rotation shaft member. The second rotation shaft member may be disposed on the side of the second door 15 near the first door 14. The second rotation shaft member may be the second portion 126. Two ends of the second portion 126 may respectively sleeve outside of or may be inserted into the third portion 127 and the first portion 125. Since the two ends of the second portion 126 may be rotatable with respect to the first portion 125 and the third portion 127 respectively, the second portion 126 may be stably docked with the first portion 125 and the third portion 127. Furthermore, by arranging the two ends of the second portion 126 to sleeve the outside of or to be inserted inside the third portion 127 and the first portion 125 respectively, it is ensured that the ice blocks can move smoothly through the first portion 125, the second portion 126, and the third portion 127 sequentially and then reach the ice extraction assembly 300. Specifically, the second portion 126 may be fixed with the device body 11, or the second portion 126 may be rotatably connected with the device body 11, which will not be limited herein.
Further, the third portion 127 may comprise an ice transfer section 121 and the guiding section 122. The ice transfer section 121 may be communicated to the second portion 126. The guiding section 122 may be communicated to the ice transfer section 121 and may be bent toward the ice extraction assembly 300. A smooth transition is formed from the ice transfer section 121 to the guiding section 122. Specifically, the ice transfer section 121 may extend along the vertical direction to shorten the distance that the ice blocks rise along the ice transfer section 121. Of course, the ice transfer section 121 may alternatively be extending in a direction having a small angle with respect to the vertical direction. Alternatively, the third portion 127 may be curved in overall to ensure that the ice blocks may rise stably and ensure that the third portion 127 is communicated to the ice extraction assembly 300.
Specifically, the angle of the intersection between the guiding section 122 and the ice transfer section 121 may be greater than 90° and less than 180°, so as to prevent the ice blocks from falling back into the ice transfer section 121 due to a turning angle from the ice transfer section 121 to the guiding section 122 being excessively sharp, ensuring the ice blocks to smoothly pass through the ice transfer channel 120 to move to the ice extraction assembly 300.

<Second technical solution>:

As shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, FIG. 14 is a structural schematic view of the refrigeration device according to a second technical solution of another embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a door body of the refrigeration device according to the second technical solution of another embodiment of the present disclosure.
The ice transfer channel 120 may comprise a first sub-channel 123 and a second sub-channel 124 that are sequentially communicated to each other. The second sub-channel 124 may be defined in the second door 15 and may be partially defined in a handle 1501. The second sub-channel 124 may be communicated to the ice extraction assembly 300, and the first sub-channel 123 may be communicated to the ice transfer outlet 113 of the ice transfer portion 110. The ice transfer assembly 101 may drive the ice blocks to move out from the ice transfer portion 110 to the ice transfer channel 120. The ice blocks may pass through the first sub-channel 123 and the second sub-channel 124 sequentially and then enter the ice extraction assembly 300. By combining the handle 1501 with the second sub-channel 124, the handle 1501 may be configured as a hollow structure having a channel therein, and the second sub-channel 124 may be defined in the second door 15 and partially defined in the handle 1501. In this way, when opening and closing the second door 15, the handle 1501 may bear a load for opening the door 15; and when the ice blocks need to be taken, the ice blocks may be moved to the ice extraction assembly 300 through the second sub-channel 124. In this way, a volume in the second refrigeration compartment 13 to be occupied by the second sub-channel 124 may be reduced, and the volume ratio of the second refrigeration compartment 13 may be improved.
In some embodiments, the first refrigeration compartment 12 may comprise the top wall 19, the bottom wall, the rear wall 18, and the first side wall 16 and the second side wall 17 that connect the top wall 19 with the bottom wall. The first side wall 16 may be disposed near the second portion 126. The top wall 19 and the first side wall 16 of the first refrigeration compartment 12 may enclose to form the receiving space. The ice preparing assembly 200 may be disposed in the receiving space, and the ice preparing assembly 200 may be fixedly disposed on the top wall 19 or the first side wall 16. By arranging the ice preparing assembly 200 near the top wall 19, the ice preparing assembly 200 may be closer to the second refrigeration compartment 13, such that the height at which the ice blocks need to rise along the ice transfer channel 120 may be reduced, and the power that the ice transfer assembly 101 needs to provide may be reduced, and the rate of successfully transferring the ice blocks may be improved.
The second sub-channel 124 may comprise the ice transfer section 121, a linking section 128, and the guiding section 122. The ice transfer section 121 may be defined in the handle 1501. The linking section 128 may communicate the first sub-channel 123 with the ice transfer section 121. The guiding section 122 may be communicated to the ice transfer section 121 and may be bent toward the ice extraction assembly 300. The guiding section 122 may be disposed higher than the ice extraction assembly 300 to facilitate the ice blocks to fall from the guiding section 122 into the ice extraction assembly 300 based on the gravity. A smooth transition is formed between inner walls of the ice transfer section 121, the linking section 128, and the guiding section 122.
In order to ensure that the ice blocks can smoothly pass through the first sub-channel 123 and the second sub-channel 124 to enter the ice extraction assembly 300, the ice blocks form a moving trajectory during moving in the ice transfer channel 120. A tangent direction of each position of the moving trajectory has an angle of greater than 90° and less than or equal to 180° with respect to the direction of gravity. In this way, the ice blocks may rise smoothly along the first sub-channel 123 and the second sub-channel 124 and may be prevented from falling due to having an excessively sharp turning angle. Further, the angle between the tangent direction of each position of the moving trajectory and the direction of gravity may be greater than 135° and less than or equal to 180°. In this way, a path in which the ice blocks rise along the ice transfer channel 120 may be smoother, the power required for driving the ice blocks may be smaller, fewer collisions may be caused, and noise during moving may be smaller, and therefore, the user experience may be improved.
It should be noted that the height of the guiding section 122 may be higher than that of the ice extraction assembly 300, and the guiding section 122 may be bent downwardly to be connected to the ice extraction assembly 300. When the ice blocks are falling along the guiding section 122, an angle between the moving direction of the ice blocks and the direction of gravity may be less than 90°. Therefore, the above moving trajectory may refer to an upwardly moving trajectory of the ice blocks in the ice transfer channel 120, and a moving trajectory in which the ice blocks fall towards the ice extraction assembly 300 after entering the guiding section 122 may be excluded.
Due to the ice transfer assembly 101, the ice blocks may quickly pass through the ice transfer channel 120, and the ice blocks may pass through the ice transfer section 121 defined in the handle 1501 in a short period of time, and an ambient temperature outside the refrigeration device 10 may have almost no effect on the ice blocks. However, in some embodiments, an outside of the handle 1501 may be wrapped by a temperature insulating layer. The temperature insulating layer may reduce a heat exchange between an interior of the handle 1501 and the ambient. In this way, quality of the ice blocks may not be affected due to the ambient temperature being excessively high, and condensation may be prevented from being formed on the handle 1501 due to the interior of the handle 1501 having an excessively low temperature, such that the user experience may be improved.
Since the ice transfer system 100 may usually be arranged in a refrigeration device 10 having double doors, the handle 1501 may usually be located far away from the rotation axis of the second door 15. In order to facilitate docking of the ice transfer portion 110 with the second sub-channel 124, the ice transfer portion 110 may be arranged in the first door 14, and the first sub-channel 123 may be defined in the first door 14. The ice transfer portion 110 may synchronously move as the first door 14 being opened or closed. When the first door 14 is closed on the device body 11, the first sub-channel 123 and the second sub-channel 124 may be docked to each other. Since the first sub-channel 123 is defined in the first door 14 and the second sub-channel 124 is defined in the second door 15, a certain gap may be formed between the first door 14 and the second door 15. In most cases, the gap may be small, the ice blocks may directly pass through the gap between the first door 14 and the second door 15. In some embodiments, an end of the linking section 128 near the first door 14 may protrude out of the second door 15, and the end of the linking section 128 near the first door 14 may be arranged directly opposite to the first sub-channel 123. The linking section 128 protruding out of the second door 15 may further reduce the gap between the linking section 128 and the first sub-channel 123, reducing dissipation of coldness.
Of course, in some single door refrigeration devices, the ice transfer portion 110 may be arranged in the first refrigeration compartment 12, and the ice transfer portion 110 may be arranged on the second sidewall 17 of the first refrigeration compartment 12 near the handle 1501. The first sub-channel 123 may be defined the first compartment. A spacer layer 102 may be disposed between the first refrigeration compartment 12 and the second refrigeration compartment 13. An intermediate channel 129 may be defined in the spacer layer 102 for connecting the first sub-channel 123 with the second sub-channel 124. In this case, the second door 15 may protrude toward the second refrigeration compartment 13 to facilitate the second sub-channel 124 to directly face and to be connected to the intermediate channel 129.
Further, the ice transfer portion 110 may have a reference plane. The reference plane of the ice transfer portion 110 may be parallel to the rear wall 18 of the first refrigeration compartment 12. An extended thickness of the ice transfer portion 110 perpendicular to the reference plane may be less than an extended thickness of the ice transfer portion 110 parallel to the reference plane. In this way, the ice transfer portion 110 may be embedded in the first door 14 in overall, and a volume of the first refrigeration compartment 12 occupied by the ice transfer portion 110 may be reduced.
In some embodiments, the first door 14 may be rotatably arranged with the device body 11. In other embodiments, the first refrigeration compartment 12 may comprise the first drawer, the first drawer may be slidably arranged with the device body 11, and the first door 14 may be fixed to the first drawer. When the ice transfer portion 110 is arranged in the first door 14, as the first door 14 is rotated or pushed and pulled to be opened or closed, the ice transfer portion 110 and the first sub-channel 123 may move accordingly. In this case, the first sub-channel 123 may be staggered with the second sub-channel 124 when the first door 14 is opened; and after the first door 14 is closed, the first sub-channel 123 and the second sub-channel 124 may directly face each other without affecting transfer of the ice blocks.
In addition, the ice transfer inlet 111 of the ice transfer portion 110 may be detached from the ice preparing assembly 200 as the first door 14 being opened. After the first door 14 is closed, the ice transfer inlet 111 and the ice outlet of the ice preparing assembly 200 may be communicated and docked to each other, without affecting proper operation of the ice transfer portion 110. In order to facilitate docking of the ice transfer inlet 111 with the ice preparing assembly 200, an opening diameter of the ice transfer inlet 111 may be larger than an opening diameter of the ice outlet of the ice preparing assembly 200. When the first door 14 is closed to the device body 11, the ice transfer inlet 111 may be docked to an outside of the ice outlet of the ice preparing assembly 200, enabling the ice blocks to enter the ice transfer inlet 111 from the ice outlet of the ice preparing assembly 200. The ice outlet of the ice preparing assembly 200 may comprise the ice outlet of the ice storage box of the ice preparing assembly 200 or the ice outlet of the conveying channel 150.

<Third technical solution>:

As shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17, FIG. 16 is a structural schematic view of the refrigeration device according to a third technical solution of another embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of a portion A shown in FIG. 16.
The ice transfer portion 110 may be disposed in the first refrigeration compartment 12. The ice transfer channel 120 may comprise the first sub-channel 123 and the second sub-channel 124 that are communicated with each other sequentially. The second sub-channel 124 may be defined in the second door 15. The first sub-channel 123 may be defined in the first refrigeration compartment 12. The second sub-channel 124 may be communicated to the ice extraction assembly 300, and the first sub-channel 123 may be communicated to the ice transfer outlet 113 of the ice transfer portion 110.The ice transfer assembly 101 may drive the ice blocks to move from the ice transfer portion 110 to the ice transfer channel 120. The ice blocks may pass through the first sub-channel 123 and the second sub-channel 124 sequentially and then enter the ice extraction assembly 300.
By defining the second sub-channel 124 in the second door 15, the internal space of the second refrigeration compartment 13 may not occupied. The volume ratio of the refrigeration device 10 may be improved, and no additional bump may be arranged to an outer appearance of the refrigeration device 10, such that aesthetic of the outer appearance may be improved.
In some embodiments, the first refrigeration compartment 12 may comprise the top wall 19, the bottom wall, the rear wall 18, and the first side wall 16 and the second side wall 17 that connect the top wall 19 with the bottom wall. The top wall 19 and the first side wall 16 of the first refrigeration compartment 12 may enclose to form the receiving space. The ice preparing assembly 200 may be received in the receiving space, and the ice preparing assembly 200 may be fixedly disposed on the top wall 19 or the first side wall 16. By arranging the ice preparing assembly 200 near the top wall 19, the ice preparing assembly 200 may be closer to the second refrigeration compartment 13, the height in which the ice blocks may rise along the ice transfer channel 120 may be reduced, and the power that needs to be provided by the ice transfer assembly 101 may be reduced, such that the rate of successfully transferring the ice blocks may be improved.
Since the ice transfer portion 110 is located in the first refrigeration compartment 12, in order to facilitate docking between the first sub-channel 123 and the second sub-channel 124, the device body 11 may further comprise the spacer layer 102. The spacer layer 102 may be disposed between the first refrigeration compartment 12 and the second refrigeration compartment 13. The spacer layer 102 may define the intermediate channel 129, and the intermediate channel 129 may be communicated between the first sub-channel 123 and the second sub-channel 124. In this case, the second door 15 may protrude towards the second refrigeration compartment 13, and the inlet end of the second sub-channel 124 may be directly opposite to the outlet end of the intermediate channel 129, facilitating the second sub-channel 124 to directly face and to be docked with the intermediate channel 129. During opening the second door 15, the second sub-channel 124 may be staggered with the intermediate channel 129; and when the second door 15 is closed on the device body 11, the second sub-channel 124 may be docked with the intermediate channel 129. By defining the first sub-channel 123 in the first refrigeration compartment 12 and docking the intermediate channel 129 with the second sub-channel 124, the entire ice transfer channel 120 may be arranged inside the first refrigeration compartment 12 and the second refrigeration compartment 13, and the docking may be achieved more easily.
Specifically, the ice transfer portion 110 may be arranged on the top wall 19 or the first side wall 16 of the first refrigeration compartment 12.
Since the ice transfer portion 110 is arranged inside the first refrigeration compartment 12, in order not to affect a user in using the first refrigeration compartment 12, the ice transfer portion 110 may comprise a reference plane, the reference plane of the ice transfer portion 110 may be perpendicular to the rear wall 18 of the first refrigeration compartment 12. The extension thickness of the ice transfer portion 110 perpendicular to the reference plane may be less than the extension thickness of the ice transfer portion 110 parallel to the reference plane. In this way, the entire ice transfer portion 110 may be attached to the first side wall 16, such that the ice transfer portion 110 may not affect the user in using the first refrigeration compartment 12.
Specifically, the ice preparing assembly 200 may be disposed near the rear wall 18 with respect to the ice transfer port 110. The ice transfer inlet 111 and the ice transfer outlet 113 are oriented in a direction parallel to the reference plane. The ice transfer inlet 111 may face toward the ice preparing assembly 200, the ice transfer outlet 113 may face toward the second refrigeration compartment 13, and the first sub-channel 123 may be vertically extending to be communicated to the ice transfer outlet 113.
In order to facilitate docking between the ice transfer channel 120 and the ice transfer portion 110 to enable the ice blocks ejected from the ice transfer portion 110 into the ice transfer channel 120 to rise along the ice transfer channel 120 more easily, the second sub-channel 124 of the ice transfer channel 120 may be disposed at a side of the ice extraction assembly 300 near the rotation axis of the second door 15. In this case, by considering a position of the ice transfer portion 110, the second sub-channel 124 and the first sub-channel 123 may be communicated to each other linearly, such that the ice blocks may move through the ice transfer channel 120 more easily to reach the ice extraction assembly 300.
Further, as shown in FIG. 18, FIG. 18 is another structural schematic view of the refrigeration device according to the third technical solution of another embodiment of the present disclosure. The second sub-channel 124 may comprise the ice transfer section 121 and the guiding section 122. The ice transfer section 121 may be communicated to the first sub-channel 123. The guiding section 122 may be communicated to the ice transfer section 121 and bent towards the ice extraction assembly 300. The smooth transition is formed from the ice transfer section 121 and the guiding section 122. Specifically, the ice transfer section 121 may be extending in the vertical direction to shorten the distance that the ice blocks rise along the ice transfer section 121. Of course, the ice transfer section 121 may alternatively be extending along the direction having a small angle with respect to the vertical direction. Alternatively, the second sub-channel 124 in overall may be curved to ensure that the ice blocks can stably rise to enter the ice extraction assembly 300.
Specifically, the angle between the guiding section 122 and the ice transfer section 121 may be greater than 90° and less than 180°, such that the ice blocks may be prevented from falling back into the ice transfer section 121, which may be caused by the ice blocks moving from the ice transfer section 121 to the guiding section 122 at an excessively sharp angle. In this way, it is ensured that the ice blocks can smoothly pass through the ice transfer channel 120 to reach the ice extraction assembly 300.

<Fourth technical solution>:

As shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, FIG. 19 is a structural schematic view of the refrigeration device according to a fourth technical solution of another embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a door body of the refrigeration device according to the fourth technical solution of another embodiment of the present disclosure.
The ice transfer portion 110 may be arranged in the first door 14. The ice transfer channel 120 may comprise the first sub-channel 123 and the second sub-channel 124 that are communicated to each other sequentially. The first sub-channel 123 may be defined in the first door 14, and the second sub-channel 124 may be defined in the second door 15. The second sub-channel 124 may be communicated to the ice extraction assembly 300, and the first sub-channel 123 may further be communicated to the ice transfer outlet 113 of the ice transfer portion 110. The ice transfer assembly 101 may drive the ice blocks to move out of the ice transfer portion 110 to the ice transfer channel 120, and the ice blocks may pass through the first sub-channel 123 and the second sub-channel 124 sequentially and then enter the ice extraction assembly 300.
By defining the first sub-channel 123 in the first door 14 and defining the second sub-channel 124 in the second door 15, the inner space of the first refrigeration compartment 12 and the second refrigeration compartment 13 may not be occupied, such that the volume ratio of the refrigeration device 10 may be improved, and no additional protrusion is formed at the outer appearance of the refrigeration device 10. Therefore, aesthetics of the outer appearance of the refrigeration device 10 may be improved.
In some embodiments, the first refrigeration compartment 12 may comprise the top wall 19, the bottom wall, the rear wall 18, and the first side wall 16 and the second side wall 17 that connect the top wall 19 with the bottom wall. The top wall 19 and the first side wall 16 of the first refrigeration compartment 12 may enclose to form the receiving space. The ice preparing assembly 200 may be received in the receiving space, and the ice preparing assembly 200 may be fixedly disposed on the top wall 19 or the first side wall 16. By arranging the ice preparing assembly 200 near the top wall 19, the ice preparing assembly 200 may be closer to the second refrigeration compartment 13, the height in which the ice blocks may rise along the ice transfer channel 120 may be reduced, and the power that needs to be provided by the ice transfer assembly 101 may be reduced, such that the rate of successfully transferring the ice blocks may be improved.
The ice transfer channel 120 may further comprise the intermediate channel 129. The intermediate channel 129 may be defined in the first door 14. The intermediate channel 129 may be communicated between the first sub-channel 123 and the second sub-channel 124. Since the intermediate channel 129 is defined in the first door 14 and the second sub-channel 124 is defined in the second door 15, the gap may be defined between the first door 14 and the second door 15. The gap may be small, and the ice blocks may directly pass through the gap between the first door 14 and the second door 15. In some embodiments, an end of the second sub-channel 124 near the first door 14 may protrude out of the second door 15, and the end of the second sub-channel 124 near the first door 14 may face directly opposite to the intermediate channel 129. Since the second sub-channel 124 protrudes from the second door 15, the gap between the second sub-channel 124 and the intermediate channel 129 may be reduced, and dissipation of coldness may be reduced. During opening the first door 14 and/or the second door 15, the second sub-channel 124 may be staggered with the intermediate channel 129; and when the first door 14 and the second door 15 are closed on the device body 11, the second sub-channel 124 may be docked with the intermediate channel 129.
In addition, the ice transfer inlet 111 of the ice transfer portion 110 may be dis-communicated from the ice preparing assembly 200 when the first door 14 is opened. After the first door 14 is closed, the ice transfer inlet 111 may be docked and communicated with the ice outlet of the ice preparing assembly 200. In this way, proper operation of the ice transfer portion 110 may not be affected. In order to facilitate docking between the ice transfer inlet 111 and the ice preparing assembly 200, the opening diameter of the ice transfer inlet 111 may be larger than the opening diameter of the ice outlet of the ice preparing assembly 200. When the first door 14 is closed on the device body 11, the ice transfer inlet 111 may be docked to the outside of the ice outlet of the ice preparing assembly 200, facilitating the ice blocks to enter the ice transfer inlet 111 through the ice outlet of the ice preparing assembly 200. The ice outlet of the ice preparing assembly 200 may comprise the ice outlet of the ice storage box of the ice preparing assembly 200 or the ice outlet of the conveying channel 150.
In some embodiments, the first door 14 may be rotatably arranged with the device body 11. In other embodiments, the first refrigeration compartment 12 may comprise the first drawer, the first drawer may be pullably arranged with the device body 11, and the first door 14 may be fixed to the first drawer. When the ice transfer portion 110 is arranged in the first door 14, the ice transfer portion 110 and the ice transfer channel 120 defined in the first door 14 may move as the first door 14 is rotated or pushed and pulled to be opened or closed. At this moment, the first sub-channel 123 or the intermediate channel 129 may be staggered with the second sub-channel 124 as the first door 14 is opened. After the first door 14 is closed, the first sub-channel 123 or the intermediate channel 129 may be arranged opposite to the second sub-channel 124, such that passage of the ice blocks may not be affected.
Since the ice transfer portion 110 is arranged in the first door 14, in order not to affect the user in using the first refrigeration compartment 12, the ice transfer portion 110 may comprise the reference plane, and the reference plane of the ice transfer portion 110 may be parallel to the rear wall 18 of the first refrigeration compartment 12. The extended thickness of the ice transfer portion 110 perpendicular to the reference plane may be less than the extended thickness of the ice transfer portion 110 parallel to the reference plane. In this way, the ice transfer portion 110 in overall may be embedded in the first door 14, reducing a volume of the first refrigeration compartment 12 occupied by the ice transfer portion 110. Specifically, the ice preparing assembly 200 may be disposed near the rear wall 18 with respect to the ice transfer port 110. The ice transfer inlet 111 may be oriented perpendicular to the reference plane, and the ice transfer outlet 113 may be oriented parallel to the reference plane. The ice transfer inlet 111 may face towards the ice preparing assembly 200, the ice transfer outlet 113 may face towards the second refrigeration compartment 13, and the first sub-channel 123 may be vertically communicated to the ice transfer outlet 113.
When the refrigeration device 10 is arranged with double doors, the second door 15 may comprise two second sub-doors. Each of the two second sub-door may be relatively narrow, the second sub-door may provide a limited location for arranging the ice extraction assembly 300. Since the ice preparing assembly 200 is arranged close to the first side wall 16 and the ice transfer portion 110 is arranged in the first door 14, in order to facilitate docking of the ice transfer channel 120 to enable the ice blocks ejected from the ice transfer portion 110 to the ice transfer channel 120 to rise along the ice transfer channel 120 more easily, the second sub-channel 124 of the ice transfer channel 120 may be disposed on a side of the ice extraction assembly 300 near the rotation axis of the second door 15. In this case, by considering the position of the ice transfer portion 110, the second sub-channel 124 may be linearly communicated to the first sub-channel 123, facilitating the ice blocks to move through the ice transfer channel 120 to reach the ice extraction assembly 300.
Of course, in the refrigeration device having a single-door, the second door 15 may be one integral door. A width of the second door 15 may be large, and the second door 15 may have more space for arranging the ice extraction assembly 300. The second sub-channel 124 of the ice transfer channel 120 may be selectively arranged on a side of the ice extraction assembly 300 away from or near the rotation axis of the second door 15. In this case, by considering the position of the ice transfer portion 110, the second sub-channel 124 may be linearly communicated to the first sub-channel 123, facilitating the ice blocks to move through the ice transfer channel 120 to reach the ice extraction assembly 300.
Further, the second sub-channel 124 may comprise the ice transfer section 121 and the guiding section 122. The ice transfer section 121 may be communicated to the first sub-channel 123. The guiding section 122 may be communicated to the ice transfer section 121 and bent towards the ice extraction assembly 300. The smooth transition is formed from the ice transfer section 121 to the guiding section 122. Specifically, the ice transfer section 121 may be extending in the vertical direction to reduce the distance that the ice blocks rise along the ice transfer section 121. Of course, the ice transfer section 121 may alternatively be extending in a direction having a small angle with respect to the vertical direction. Alternatively, the second sub-channel 124 in overall may be curved to ensure that the ice blocks may rise stably to move to reach the ice extraction assembly 300.
Specifically, the angle between the guiding section 122 and the ice transfer section 121 may be greater than 90° and less than 180°, preventing the ice blocks from falling back into the ice transfer section 121 due to turning from the ice transfer section 121 to the guiding section 122 at an excessively sharp angle, and ensuring the ice blocks to move smoothly through the ice transfer channel 120 to reach the ice extraction assembly 300.
In the above embodiments, four technical solutions in which the ice transfer channel 120 is arranged at different positions of the refrigeration equipment 10. Of course, according to the structure of the device body 11 or positions of other components such as the ice transfer portion 110, the ice transfer channel 120 may be arranged at other positions of the refrigeration device 10, which will not be limited herein.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 17, in order to maintain a temperature of the first refrigeration compartment 12 and to avoid dissipation of coldness, the refrigeration device 10 may further comprise a sealing assembly 500. The sealing assembly 500 may be movably arranged on the first door 14 for closing or opening the ice transfer channel 120 defined in the first refrigeration compartment 12, i.e., for closing or opening the first portion 125, the intermediate channel 129 or the first sub-channel 123. The sealing assembly 500 may be moved to open the ice transfer channel 120 defined in the first refrigeration compartment 12 when the ice transfer channel 120 is to be used for ice transfer. The sealing assembly 500 may be moved to close the ice transfer channel 120 defined in the first refrigeration compartment 12 when the ice transfer channel 120 is not used for ice transfer. The temperature of the first refrigeration compartment 12 may be relatively low, and the sealing assembly 500 may be arranged to prevent coldness loss of the first refrigeration compartment 12 and prevent the second refrigeration compartment 13 from being affected by the coldness, such that quality of stored articles in the second refrigeration compartment 13 may not be affected by the excessively low temperature.
A technical solution in which the sealing assembly 500 is movable to close or open the intermediate channel 129 will be described in the following.
As shown in FIG. 21 and FIG. 22, FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the sealing assembly of the refrigeration device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, where the sealing assembly is in a state of enabling the ice transfer channel to be communicated; and FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of the sealing assembly of the refrigeration device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, where the sealing assembly is in a state of closing the ice transfer channel. The ice transfer channel 120 may comprise the first sub-channel 123, the intermediate channel 129, and the second sub-channel 124 that are sequentially communicated to each other. The second sub-channel 124 may be defined in the second door 15, and the second sub-channel 124 may be communicated to the ice extraction assembly 300. The first sub-channel 123 may be communicated to the ice transfer outlet 113 of the ice transfer portion 110. The first sub-channel 123 may be defined in the first door 14 or the first refrigeration compartment 12, and correspondingly, the intermediate channel 129 may be defined in the first door 14 or the device body 11. The sealing assembly 500 may be configured to close or open the intermediate channel 129, and the sealing assembly 500 may seal the ice transfer channel 120 or enable the ice transfer channel 120 to be communicable according to usage demands, ensuring ice transfer performance of the ice transfer channel 120 and avoiding loss of the coldness of the first refrigeration compartment 12.
Specifically, the device body 11 may further comprise the spacer layer 102, disposed between the first refrigeration compartment 12 and the second refrigeration compartment 13. The intermediate channel 129 may be defined in the spacer layer 102, and the sealing assembly 500 may be movably arranged in the spacer layer 102. Alternatively, the intermediate channel 129 may be defined in the first door 14, and the sealing assembly 500 may be movably arranged in the first door 14.
The sealing assembly 500 may comprise a fixing frame 510, a pipe seat 520, and a sealing drive member 530. The fixing frame 510 may be arranged in the spacer layer 102 or the first door 14. The intermediate channel 129 may be defined in and penetrate the fixing frame 510. The pipe seat 520 may be movably arranged inside the fixing frame 510. The pipe seat 520 may be arranged with a movable channel 540 and a sealing block 521 adapted with the intermediate channel 129. The sealing drive member 530 may be configured to drive the pipe seat 520 to move to allow the movable channel 540 to align with the intermediate channel 129; or configured to drive the pipe seat 520 to move to allow the sealing block 521 to align with the intermediate channel 129. When the ice transfer system 100 needs to transfer the ice blocks to the ice extraction assembly 300, the sealing drive member 530 may drive the pipe seat 520 to move to allow the movable channel 540 to align with the intermediate channel 129. An interior of the ice transfer channel 120 may be clear, enabling the ice blocks to pass through smoothly. When the ice transfer system 100 stops transferring the ice blocks to the ice extraction assembly 300, the sealing drive member 530 may drive the pipe seat 520 to move to allow the sealing block 521 to align with the intermediate channel 129, and the sealing block 521 dis-communicates the first sub-channel 123 from the second sub-channel 124, preventing dissipation of coldness from the first refrigeration compartment 12, and preventing condensation from being formed due to the second sub-channel 124 being excessively cold, and preventing the second refrigeration compartment 13 from being excessively cold due to the dissipated coldness, such that the quality of the stored articles may not be affected by the excessively cold second refrigeration compartment 13.
In some embodiments, the sealing drive member 530 may comprise a lead rod 531 and a first motor 532. The lead rod 531 may be threadedly connected to the pipe seat 520, and the lead rod 531 may extend in a direction perpendicularly to a central axis of the intermediate channel 129. The first motor 532 may be connected to the lead rod 531 and drive the lead rod 531 to rotate. A position of the lead rod 531 along a length direction remains fixed, the lead rod 531 may self-rotate only, and the pipe seat 520 threadedly connected to the lead rod 531 may move along the length direction of the lead rod 531. Therefore, the first motor 532 driving the lead rod 531 to rotate may drive the pipe seat 520 to move along a first target direction M perpendicular to the central axis of the intermediate channel 129, such that the movable pipe may translate to align with the intermediate channel 129, and the ice transfer channel 120 may be communicated. Alternatively, the first motor 532 may drive the lead rod 531 to rotate reversely to drive the pipe seat 520 to move along a second target direction N, which is opposite to the first target direction M, such that the sealing block 521 may translate to align with the intermediate channel 129, and the ice transfer channel 120 may be closed. In other embodiments, the sealing drive member 530 may be configured as a linear cylinder, and an output end of the sealing drive member 530 may be connected to the pipe seat 520. The sealing drive member 530 may drive the pipe seat 520 to move along the first target direction M or the second target direction N to close or open the intermediate channel 129.
An insulating material may be filled into the sealing block 521, so as to insulating heat transfer.
In order to improve sealing performance of the sealing block 521, a side of the sealing block 521 facing toward the ice transfer outlet 113 may be arranged with a flexible layer 5211. When the pipe seat 520 drives the sealing block 521 to move to align with the intermediate channel 129, the flexible layer 5211 is compressed to and is interference fit with the fixing frame 510 to seal a channel opening of the first sub-channel 123. In this way, sealing performance of alignment between the sealing block 521 and the intermediate channel 129 may be improved, and a sealing effect of the sealing block 521 applied on the first sub-channel 123 may be improved, further improving temperature isolation performance between the first refrigeration compartment 12 and the second refrigeration compartment 13.
In order to ensure the sealing performance, when the sealing block 521 aligns with the intermediate channel 129, the side of the sealing block 521 facing toward the ice transfer outlet 113 needs to be in the interference fit with the fixing frame 510. However, as the sealing block 521 moves along with the pipe seat 520, a moving friction between the sealing block 521 and the fixing frame 510 may be large, such that the sealing block 521 may be worn and torn. In some embodiments, the sealing assembly 500 may further comprise a swing rod 522, an elastic member 523, and a stopper 524. An end of the swing rod 522 may be rotatably connected to the pipe seat 520; the other end of the swing rod 522 may be rotatably connected to the sealing block 521. An end of the elastic member 523 may be connected to the pipe seat 520, and the other end of the elastic member 523 may be connected to the sealing block 521. An elastic force of the elastic member 523 may push the sealing block 521 to move in the second target direction N to enable a bottom surface of the sealing block 521 to move away from the fixing frame 510. The stopper 524 may be arranged on the fixing frame 510, and the stopper 524 may be disposed on a side of the intermediate channel 129 facing the second target direction N. When the pipe seat 520 is moving in the second target direction N to enable the sealing block 521 to abut against the stopper 524, the stopper 524 may push the sealing block 521 to compress the elastic member 523 to enable the bottom surface of the sealing block 521 to be close to the fixing frame 510.
Since the sealing block 521 is rotatably connected to the pipe seat 520 via the swing rod 522, the side of the sealing block 521 facing the ice transfer outlet 113 may move towards or away from the fixing frame 510 as the swing rod 522 rotates. In a process of the pipe seat 520 moving in the first target direction M from a state where the sealing block 521 aligns with the intermediate channel 129 to a state where the movable pipe aligns with the intermediate channel 129, the sealing block 521 may be detached from the stopper 524, the elastic force of the elastic member 523 may push the sealing block 521 to move in the second target direction N. Since the pipe seat 520 and the sealing block 521 move in two opposite directions, a bottom of the sealing block 521 may rise and may be detached from the fixing frame 510, such that the friction between the sealing block 521 and the fixing frame 510 may be eliminated, the pipe seat 520 may move smoothly. In a process of the pipe seat 520 moving in the second target direction N from the state where the movable pipe aligns with the intermediate channel 129 to the state where the sealing block 521 aligns with the intermediate channel 129, the elastic member 523 initially pushes the bottom surface of the sealing block 521 to be detached from the fixing frame 510. When the sealing block 521 moves to abut against the stopper 524, the stopper 524 may push the sealing block 521 to compress the elastic member 523 to enable the bottom surface of the sealing block 521 to move to approach the fixing frame 510. When the sealing block 521 continues moving to align with the intermediate channel 129, the bottom surface of the sealing block 521 tightly abuts against the fixing frame 510. When the flexible layer 5211 is arranged at the bottom of the sealing block 521, the flexible layer 5211 may be deformed to block the pipe opening to ensure sealing performance.
Further, the pipe seat 520 may define a swing groove 525. The swing rod 522 may swing in the swing groove 525. When the elastic member 523 pushes the sealing block 521 to rotate to enable the swing rod 522 to abut against a side of a groove wall of the swing groove 525, an orthographic projection of the sealing block 521 in the second target direction N at least partially falls on the stopper 524. Therefore, due to limitation in a rotation angle of the swing rod 522 by the groove wall, even when the elastic member 523 pushes the sealing block 521 up to a highest point, the sealing block 521 may still abut against the stopper block 524 when moving along the second target direction N, ensuring that the stopper 524 can push the sealing block 521 downwardly to abut against the fixing frame 510.
In order to ensure that the movable channel 540 to be accurately docked with the intermediate channel 129 to prevent failure in passage of the ice blocks caused by misalignment, the sealing assembly 500 may further comprise an in-position sensing member 511. The in-position sensing member 511 may be arranged in the fixing frame 510. When the pipe seat 520 moves in the first target direction M to enable the movable channel 540 to be aligned with the intermediate channel 129, the in-position sensing member 511 may sense presence of the pipe seat 520 and may control the first motor 532 to stop driving the lead rod 531 to rotate, ensuring that the movable channel 540 to be seamlessly aligned with the intermediate channel 129.
Specifically, the in-position sensing member 511 may be a sensing structure, such as a microswitch, a distance sensor, or the like that may detect a position of the pipe seat 520.
The above embodiments provide technical solutions in which the pipe seat 520 translates to enable the movable channel 540 or the sealing block 521 to be aligned with the intermediate channel 129. In other embodiments, the sealing drive member 530 may comprise a connecting rod and a second motor. The connecting rod may be connected to the pipe seat 520. The second motor may be connected to the lead rod 531 and may drive the pipe seat 520 to rotate to enable the movable channel 540 to rotate to be aligned with the intermediate channel 129 or to enable the sealing block 521 to rotate to be aligned with the intermediate channel 129. The sealing drive member 530 may drive the pipe seat 520 to translate or rotate to close or open the intermediate channel 129.
The present disclosure further provides an embodiment of closing or opening the ice transfer channel 120 defined in the first refrigeration compartment 12.
As shown in FIGS. 23 to 25, FIG. 23 is a structural schematic view of a portion of the refrigeration device according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of a rotatable sealing member of the refrigeration device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, where the rotatable sealing member is in a state of enabling a first sub-channel to be communicated; and FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view of the rotatable sealing member of the refrigeration device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, where the rotatable sealing member is in a state of blocking the first sub-channel.
In some embodiments, the ice transfer channel 120 may comprise the first sub-channel 123 and the second sub-channel 124 that are sequentially communicated to each other. The second sub-channel 124 may be defined in the second door 15, and the second sub-channel 124 may be communicated to the ice extraction assembly 300. The first sub-channel 123 may be communicated to the ice transfer outlet 113 of the ice transfer portion 110. The first sub-channel 123 may be defined in the first door 14 or in the first refrigeration compartment 12. The refrigeration device 10 may further comprise the sealing assembly 500. The sealing assembly 500 may be a rotatable sealing member 550 comprising a movable channel 540 and a sealing drive member 530. The sealing drive member 530 may drive the movable channel 540 to rotate to be docked to or detached off from the first sub-channel 123, such that the first sub-channel 123 may be opened or closed.
The rotatable sealing member 550 further comprises a housing 551 and a rotating seat 552. The housing 551 may be fixed to the first sub-channel 123. The housing 551 may be hollow. A portion of the first sub-channel 123 may be formed inside the housing 551. Specifically, the first sub-channel 123 may extend through the housing 551, and the portion of the first sub-channel 123 inside the housing 551 may be formed by a hollow cavity inside the housing 551. The rotating seat 552 may be rotatably disposed inside the housing 551. The rotating seat 552 comprises the movable channel 540 and a heat preservation block 553 staggered with the movable channel 540. The sealing drive member 530 may be configured to drive the rotating seat 552 to rotate to enable the movable channel 540 to be docked to the first sub-channel 123 or to enable the heat preservation block 553 to seal off the first sub-channel 123. When the ice transfer device 100 needs to transfer the ice blocks to the ice extraction assembly 300, the sealing drive member 530 may be configured to drive the rotating seat 552 to rotate to enable the movable channel 540 to be docked with the first sub-channel 123. The interior of the ice transfer channel 120 may be clear to enable the ice blocks to pass through smoothly. When the ice transfer system 100 stops transferring the ice blocks to the ice extraction assembly 300, the sealing drive member 530 may drive the rotating seat 552 to rotate to enable the heat preservation block 553 to seal the first sub-channel 123, and the heat preservation block 553 may isolate the first sub-channel 123 from the second sub-channel 124. In this way, coldness may be prevented from being dissipated from the first refrigeration compartment 12, and condensation may be prevented from being formed due to the second sub-channel 124 being excessively cold, and a temperature of the second refrigeration compartment 13 may be prevented from being excessively low due to the coldness, such that the quality of the stored articles may not be affected.
It is to be noted that the heat preservation block 553 may be configured to seal an end of the portion of the first sub-channel 123 defined in the housing 551 near the second sub-channel 124, such that the coldness in the first refrigeration compartment 12 may be prevented from leaking into the second sub-channel 124.
As shown in FIG. 26 and FIG. 27, FIG. 26 is an exploded view of the rotatable sealing member of the refrigeration device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 27 is an exploded view of the rotatable sealing member of the refrigeration device, being viewed from another viewing angle, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
In order to provide an effective sealing performance and isolate heat transfer, in some embodiments, the heat preservation block 553 may be filled with an insulation material to isolate heat transfer. An outer surface of the heat preservation block 553 for blocking the first sub-channel 123 may be arranged with a soft rubber layer 5531. Specifically, when the rotating seat 552 drives the heat preservation block 553 to move to block the first sub-channel 123, the soft rubber layer 5531 may tightly compress and may be in interference fit with the end of the first sub-channel 123 defined inside the housing 551 near the second sub-channel 124. In this way, the blocking performance of the heat preservation block 553 applied on the first sub-channel 123 may be improved, and the heat insulation performance between the first refrigeration compartment 12 and the second refrigeration compartment 13 may be improved.
In order to ensure that the movable channel 540 can be effectively docked with the first sub-channel 123 when the rotating seat 552 being rotating and to ensure that the heat preservation block 553 effectively seals the first sub-channel 123, in some embodiments, the housing 551 may be arranged with a limit block 5511, and the rotating seat 552 may define a limit slot 5521 corresponding to the limit block 5511. When the rotating seat 552 rotates in a first rotation direction E to enable the limit block 5511 to move to reach an end of the limit slot 5521, the movable channel 540 may be accurately aligned with the first sub-channel 123. When the rotating seat 552 rotates in a second rotation direction F to enable the limit block 5511 to move to reach the other end of the limit slot 5521, the heat preservation block 553 completely seals the first sub-channel 123. By arranging the limit block 5511 and the limit slot 5521, which are mated to each other, on the housing 551 and the rotating seat 552 respectively, physical restriction may be provided to ensure that the rotating seat 552 is rotated in place, ensuring that the movable channel 540 may be accurately docked with or seal the first sub-channel 123, and preventing the heat preservation block 553 from excessively sealing the first sub-channel 123.
Specifically, one or two limit slots 5521 may be defined. The one or two limit slots 5521 may be defined on one side of the rotating seat 552 or may be respectively defined in two sides of the rotating seat 552, and one or two limit blocks 5511 may be arranged corresponding to the one or two limit slots 5521.
For better sealing performance, a certain compression needs to be maintained between an outer periphery of the heat preservation block 553 and a channel opening of the first sub-channel 123. When the outer periphery of the heat preservation block 553 is arranged with the soft rubber layer 5531, the soft rubber layer 5531 may be compressed and deformed to effectively seal the first sub-channel 123. In order to enhance the blocking effect of the heat preservation block 553 on the first sub-channel 123, in some embodiments, during the rotating seat 552 rotating in the second rotation direction F to enable the limit block 5511 to move to reach the other end of the limit slot 5521, the limit block 5511 abuts against the heat preservation block 553 to drive the heat preservation block 553 to rotate in a direction away from the rotating seat 552. In this way, during the heat preservation block 553 gradually rotating to a position directly facing the channel opening of the first sub-channel 123, the heat preservation block 553 gradually moves approaching the channel opening of the first sub-channel 123 and eventually tightly abuts against the channel opening of the first sub-channel 123 under an action of the limit block 5511, ensuring that the heat preservation block 553 effectively seals the first sub-channel 123.
However, in order to facilitate rotation of the rotating seat 552, a certain gap needs to be defined between the outer periphery of the heat preservation block 553 and an inner wall of the housing 551. In some embodiments, the heat preservation block 553 may comprise a first end 5532 and a second end 5533. The first end 5532 may be rotatably connected to the rotating seat 552. The rotatable sealing member 550 may further comprise a torsion spring 554. The torsion spring 554 acts on the rotating seat 552 and the heat preservation block 553 to allow the heat preservation block 553 to attach to the rotating seat 552. During the rotating seat 552 rotating in the first direction of rotation E to enable the movable channel 540 to be gradually docked with the first sub-channel 123, the second end 5533 of the heat preservation block 553 is gradually detached from the limit block 5511, the elastic force of the torsion spring 554 may drive the heat preservation block 553 to rotate to fit with the rotating seat 552. In this way, the gap between the heat preservation block 553 and the housing 551 may be gradually increased, a rotational resistance between the heat preservation block 553 and the housing 551 may be reduced, preventing the heat preservation block 553 from being worn out, such that the insulation effect may not be affected.
In some embodiments, the rotating seat 552 may be arranged with a toothed rack 5522 at the outer periphery of the rotating seat 552. The sealing drive member 530 may comprise the toothed rack 5522 and a gear motor 534. A gear 533 may be rotatably arranged on the housing 551 and may be meshed with the toothed rack 5522. The gear motor 534 may be arranged on the housing 551, and an output end of the gear motor 534 may be connected to the gear 533 to drive the gear 533 to rotate forwardly and reversely to drive the rotating seat 552 to rotate the first rotation direction E or in the second rotation direction F.
In order to enable the heat preservation block 553 to seal the first sub-channel 123 for a long time, when the heat preservation block 553 seals the first sub-channel 123, the rotating seat 552 may not automatically rotate along the first rotation direction E. The gear motor 534 may be a self-locking motor, a brake motor, or any motor with a positioning function. When the rotating seat 552 is rotated in position, the gear motor 534 may automatically lock the gear 533, and the gear 533 may not spontaneously rotate to cause the heat preservation block 553 or the movable channel 540 to shift.
The housing 551 may comprise an outer housing 5512 and a cover plate 5513 arranged on the outer housing 5512. The outer housing 5512 and the cover plate 5513 may enclose to form a rotation chamber. The rotating seat 552 may be rotatably received in the rotation chamber between the outer housing 5512 and the cover plate 5513. By arranging the outer housing 5512 and the cover plate 5513 to form the housing 551, when the outer housing 5512 and the cover plate 5513 are detached from each other, the rotating seat 552 may be mounted between the outer housing 5512 and the cover plate 5513.
As shown in FIG. 28 and FIG. 29, FIG. 28 is a structural schematic view of a portion of the refrigeration device according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 29 is an exploded view of an ice preparing assembly of the refrigeration device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
In some embodiments, the ice preparing assembly 200 further comprises an ice storage box 210, an ice ejecting mechanism 220 arranged inside the ice storage box 210. The ice ejecting mechanism 220 may push the ice blocks to move from the ice storage box 210 through an ice outlet 261 of the ice preparing assembly 200 to the ice transfer inlet 111, such that the ice blocks are transferred to the ice transfer portion 110. When the user needs to take the ice blocks, under an action of the ice ejecting mechanism 220, the ice blocks in the ice storage box 210 may be transferred one by one to the ice transfer portion 110, and the ice blocks may be transferred to the ice extraction assembly 300 by the ice transfer portion 110. When taking the ice blocks needs to be stopped, the ice ejecting mechanism 220 may stop pushing the ice blocks in the ice storage box 210 and stops transferring the ice blocks to the ice transfer portion 110.
Further, the ice preparing assembly 200 may further comprise an ice preparing member (not shown in the drawings). The ice preparing member may be disposed above the ice storage box 210. The ice preparing member prepares the ice blocks and then transfers the ice blocks to the ice storage box 210, such that the ice blocks are automatically supplied to the ice storage box 210. The ice preparing member may be an ice preparing lattice, an ice preparing screw, or any other ice preparing structure that can prepare ice, which is not limited herein. Of course, in some embodiments, the user may manually add ice blocks to the ice storage box 210.
The ice ejecting mechanism 220 may comprise an ejecting rod 221 and an ejection driver member 222. The ejecting rod 221 may be rotatably arranged inside the ice storage box 210. The ejection driver member 222 may be configured to drive the ejecting rod 221 to rotate. Rotation of the ejecting rod 221 inside the ice storage box 210 may push the ice blocks to move toward the ice outlet 261 of the ice preparing assembly 200 and may stir the ice blocks inside the ice storage box 210. In this way, the ice blocks may be uniformly distributed inside the ice storage box 210, and the ice blocks are prevented from sticking to each other. Therefore, the ice outlet 261 may be arranged with a switch member for controlling the ice outlet 261 to be opened or closed. When the ice preparing assembly 200 needs to transfer ice blocks to the ice storage box 210, the switch member may be controlled to open the ice outlet 261 to transfer the ice blocks to the ice storage box 210. When the ice preparing assembly 200 does not need to transfer the ice blocks to the ice storage box 210, the switch member may be controlled to close the ice outlet 261. The ejecting rod 221 may intermittently rotate to stir the ice blocks in the ice storage box 210 to prevent the ice blocks from sticking to each other.
Further, the ejecting rod 221 may comprise a master rod 2211 and a plurality of guide members 2222. The master rod 2211 may be rotatably arranged in the ice storage box 210. An output end of the ejection driver member 222 may be connected to the master rod 2211. The plurality of guide members 2222 may be helically arranged around a periphery of the master rod 2211. The ejecting rod 221 drives the plurality of guide members 2222 to rotate synchronously, and the plurality of guide members 2222 drive the ice blocks to move towards the ice outlet 261.
Specifically, each of the plurality of guide members 2222 has a guiding surface 2223 inclined towards the ice outlet 261. As the guide member 2222 rotates, the guiding surface 2223 may push the ice blocks towards the ice outlet 261. The guide member 2222 may be in a bar shape, and the plurality of guide members 2222 may be spirally disposed around the periphery of the ejecting rod 221. Alternatively, the guide member 2222 may be in an L shape, and a corner of the L shaped guide member 2222 may be oriented towards the ice outlet 261, and the guiding surface 2223 may be inclined towards the ice outlet 261.
In some embodiments, the ice storage box 210 may have an ice storage outlet 211. The ice preparing assembly 200 further comprises an ice split wheel 240 and a split wheel driver member. The ice split wheel 240 may be rotatably disposed on a side of the ice storage box 210 having the ice storage outlet 211. The ice split wheel 240 may comprise a plurality of ice split blades 241 that are spaced apart from each other. An ice split opening 2411 may be formed between two adjacent ice split blades 241 of the plurality of ice split blades 241. A size of the ice split opening 2411 may be larger than the size of the ice block. When the ice split wheel 240 rotates, ice split openings 2411 may be alternately rotated to a position directly opposite the ice storage outlet 211. Since the ice blocks can pass between only the two adjacent ice split blades 241, and the ice splitting wheel 240 drives the ice split blades 241 to rotate to be disposed at the ice storage outlet 211, the ice blocks can only pass through the ice storage outlet 211one by one, and any sticked ice blocks may be separated from each other. In this way, the ice blocks may be pushed out from the ice storage box 210 one by one and move towards the ice transfer system 100 one by one, preventing blockage caused by a plurality of ice blocks moving towards the ice transfer system 100 at the same time.
In some embodiments, the ice ejecting mechanism 220 further comprises a cover plate 260. The cover plate 260 covers an outside of the ice split wheel 240. The ice outlet 261 may be defined in the cover plate 260. The ice outlet 261 may be located in correspondence with the ice storage outlet 211. Since the cover plate 260 covers the outside of the ice split wheel 240 and is arranged on the ice storage box 210, a position of the cover plate 260 may be fixed. Defining the ice outlet 261 in the cover plate 260 allows the ice outlet 261 to be stably docked with the ice transfer system 100. The ice outlet 261 may be communicated to the ice transfer inlet 111 through an ice transfer channel. In order to facilitate the ice blocks to pass through the ice outlet 261, the size of the ice outlet 261 may be larger than the size of the ice block.
The ice preparing assembly 200 may be received in the receiving space formed by the first side wall 16 and the top wall 19, and an extension direction of the ice storage box 210 may be perpendicular to a rear of the device body 11. In this way, the ice storage box 210 may be attached to the first side wall 16 and the rear wall 18, avoiding affecting the user in using the first refrigeration compartment 12.
In some embodiments, when the ice transfer portion 110 is arranged in the first door 14, a relative movement between the ice transfer portion 110 and the ice preparing assembly 200 may be caused as the first door 14 is opened and closed. In order to ensure that when the first door 14 is closed, the ice transfer inlet 111 of the ice transfer portion 110 can be stably docked with the ice outlet 261 of the ice preparing assembly 200, an opening diameter of the ice transfer inlet 111 may be larger than an opening diameter of the ice outlet 261. When the first door 14 is closed on the device body 11, the ice transfer inlet 111 may be docked to an exterior of the ice outlet 261. The larger opening diameter of the ice transfer inlet 111 improves a success rate of accurately docking the ice transfer inlet 111 with the ice outlet 261, such that the ice blocks may move through smoothly. Of course, when the ice transfer system100 further comprises the conveying channel 150 and the conveying channel 150 remains relatively fixed to the ice preparing assembly 200, the opening diameter of the ice transfer inlet 111 may be larger than the opening diameter of the ice outlet end of the conveying channel 150. When the ice transfer system 100 further comprises the conveying channel 150 and the conveying channel 150 remains relatively fixed to the ice transfer portion 110, an opening diameter of the ice inlet end of the conveying channel 150 may be greater than the opening diameter of the ice outlet 261 of the ice preparing assembly.
In some embodiments, the ice transfer portion 110 may comprise the ice transfer return port 119, and the ice storage box 210 has an ice storage return port 212. The ice transfer system 100 may further comprise an ice return channel 160. The ice return channel 160 may be communicated with the ice transfer return port 119 and the ice storage return port 212. The ice transfer assembly 101 may eject the ice blocks that are blocked inside the ice transfer portion 110 through the ice transfer return port 119 toward the ice return channel 160. The ice blocks may return to the ice storage box 210 through the ice storage return port 212.
As shown in FIGS. 30 to 32, FIG. 30 is a structural schematic view of a portion of the refrigeration device according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 31 is a structural schematic view of an ice breaking assembly of the refrigeration device according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 32 is an exploded view of the ice breaking assembly of the refrigeration device according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.
In order to meet various demands of the user, the refrigeration device 10 may further comprise an ice breaking assembly 400. The ice breaking assembly 400 may be disposed above the ice extraction assembly 300 for breaking the ice. The ice transfer channel 120 may be communicated to the ice extraction assembly 300 through the ice breaking assembly 400. The ice breaking assembly 400 may transfer crushed ice to the ice extraction assembly 300 after breaking the ice into the crushed ice to satisfy user demands.
The ice breaking assembly 400 may comprise an ice breaking box 410, a fixed blade assembly 420, a rotatable blade assembly 430, and a blade assembly driver member 440. The ice breaking box 410 may be arranged in the second door 15. The ice breaking box 410 may define a breaking box ice inlet 411 and a breaking box ice outlet 412. The fixed blade assembly 420 may be fixedly arranged in the ice breaking box 410. The rotatable blade assembly 430 may be rotatably, with relative to the fixed blade assembly 420, arranged in the ice breaking box 410 to break the ice blocks disposed between the fixed blade assembly 420 and the rotatable blade assembly 430. The blade assembly driver member 440 may be arranged in the ice breaking box 410 and connected to the rotatable blade assembly 430 to drive the rotatable blade assembly 430 to rotate. The ice blocks that enter the ice breaking box 410 may fall onto the fixed blade assembly 420, and as the rotatable blade assembly 430 rotates in a direction towards the fixed blade assembly 420, the ice blocks between the fixed blade assembly 420 and the rotatable blade assembly 430 may be broken. The broken ice may pass through the fixed blade assembly 420 to be dropped out of the ice breaking box 420 through the breaking box ice outlet 412. Ultimately, the broken ice may fall into the ice extraction assembly 300, to be taken by the user.
In some embodiments, the ice breaking box 410 may comprise a first cavity wall 413, a second cavity wall 414, and a third cavity wall 415, which are connected to each other sequentially. The breaking box ice inlet 411 may be defined in the first cavity wall 413, and the fixed blade assembly 420 and the rotatable blade assembly 430 may be disposed between the first cavity wall 413 and the third cavity wall 415. The breaking box ice outlet 412 may be disposed below the fixed blade assembly 420, and the third cavity wall 415 may be inclined toward the fixed blade assembly 420. The ice blocks may enter the ice breaking box 410 from the breaking box ice inlet 411. The ice blocks may still have a certain initial speed when entering the breaking box ice inlet 411. Therefore, the ice blocks may directly fall onto the fixed blade assembly 420 during moving toward the third cavity wall 415, or the ice blocks may contact the third cavity wall 415 and slide along the third cavity wall 415 to reach the fixed blade assembly 420. Moreover, a distance between the fixed blade assembly 420 and the third cavity wall 415 may be less than the size of the ice block, and the ice block may not fall through a gap between the fixed blade assembly 420 and the third cavity wall 415.
The ice breaking box 410 may further comprise a first housing 416 and a second housing 417. The first housing 416 may be connected to a side of the first cavity wall 413, the second cavity wall 414, and the third cavity wall 415. The second housing 417 may be connected to the other side of the first cavity wall 413, the second cavity wall 414, and the third cavity wall 415. The first housing 416, the second housing 417, the first cavity wall 413, the second cavity wall 414, and the third cavity wall 415 cooperatively define the ice breaking box 410.
The ice blocks may be pressed down on the third cavity wall 415 by the rotatable blade assembly 430 during a process of the rotatable blade assembly 430 carrying the ice blocks to rotate in the direction towards the third cavity wall 415. Therefore, a reinforcing rib may be arranged on an outer side of the ice breaking box 410 in a region corresponding to the third cavity wall 415. The reinforcing rib may improve structural strength of the third cavity wall 415 to avoid damage to the third cavity wall 415 caused by the ice breaking process.
The rotatable blade assembly 430 may rotate in a first rotation direction H to break the ice blocks falling on the fixed blade assembly 420. The first rotation direction H may be a direction of circulation from the first cavity wall 413 through the second cavity wall 414 to the third cavity wall 415. The rotatable blade assembly 430 may rotate in the first rotation direction H to drive the ice blocks to move to be disposed between the rotatable blade assembly 430 and the fixed blade assembly 420. The rotatable blade assembly 430 may continue rotating in the first rotation direction H to squeeze and crush the ice blocks between the rotatable blade assembly 430 and the fixed blade assembly 420. The crushed ice may fall to the breaking box ice outlet 412 located below the fixed blade assembly 420 and then fall down through the breaking box ice outlet 412 to the ice extraction assembly 300.
In some embodiments, the distance between the fixed blade assembly 420 and the first cavity wall 413 may be greater than the size of the ice block. The ice blocks may completely fall from the gap between the fixed blade assembly 420 and the first cavity wall 413 to the breaking box ice outlet 412, such that user demands for taking unbroken and complete ice blocks may be satisfied. The rotatable blade assembly 430 may rotate in a second rotation direction G that is opposite to the first rotation direction H, such that the rotatable blade assembly 430 may carry the ice blocks, which enter the ice breaking box 410 from the breaking box ice inlet 411 and fall onto the fixed blade assembly 420, to rotate to be disposed between the fixed blade assembly 420 and the first cavity wall 413, such that users demands for taking the unbroken and complete ice blocks can be satisfied.
By arranging the distance between the fixed blade assembly 420 and the third cavity wall 415 to be less than the size of the ice block, the rotatable blade assembly 430 may rotate along the first rotation direction H to break the ice blocks to meet the user demands for taking the crushed ice. By arranging the distance between the fixed blade assembly 420 and the first cavity wall 413 to be greater than the size of the ice block, the fixed blade assembly 420 may rotate along the second rotation direction G to drive the unbroken ice blocks to pass through the gap between the fixed blade assembly 420 and the first cavity wall 413, satisfying the user demands for taking the unbroken and complete ice blocks. The ice breaking assembly 400 may switch between an ice-block unbroken mode or an ice breaking mode to satisfy the user demands for taking the crushed ice or taking the unbroken and complete ice blocks.
As shown in FIG. 33, FIG. 33 is a structural schematic view of the fixed blade assembly and the rotatable blade assembly of the refrigeration device according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.
The fixed blade assembly 420 may comprise a plurality of fixed blades 421. The plurality of fixed blades 421 may be spaced apart from each other and may be arranged in an extending direction of a rotation axis of the rotatable blade assembly 430. The plurality of fixed blades 421 and the rotatable blade assembly 430 may cooperate with each other to improve an ice breaking efficiency and break the ice blocks into smaller ice pieces. A distance between two adjacent fixed blades 421 of the plurality of fixed blades 421 may be greater than one-third of the size of the ice block and may be less than the size of the ice block. The distance between the two adjacent fixed blades 421 may be properly arranged to facilitate cooperation between the plurality of fixed blades 421 and the rotatable blade assembly 430 to break the ice block into a suitable size. The ice blocks may be prevented from falling directly due to the distance between the two adjacent fixed blades 421 being excessively large; and too much resistance against breaking the ice blocks, due to the distance between the two adjacent fixed blades 421 being excessively small, may be avoided.
Specifically, each fixed blade assembly 420 may comprise two, three, or more fixed blades 421. The number of the plurality of fixed blades 421 may be determined according to practical situations.
In order to improve the efficiency of breaking the ice blocks, each of the plurality of fixed blades 421 may be toothed on a side facing toward the second cavity wall 414. The toothed fixed blade 421 may have a small contact area contacting the ice blocks. When the rotatable blade assembly 430 rotates along the first rotation direction H to press on the ice blocks, as a pressure applied to the ice blocks being constant, the ice blocks may locally receive a greater compressive force and may be broken up, such that the efficiency of breaking the ice blocks may be improved.
The rotatable blade assembly 430 may comprise at least one rotatable blade 431. The at least one rotatable blade 431 and the plurality of fixed blades 421 may be alternately arranged and may be spaced apart from each other. The ice block may be subjected to a breaking force uniformly, facilitating the ice blocks to be broken into the crushed ice. A distance between two adjacent rotatable blades 431 of the at least one rotatable blade 431 may be less than the size of the ice block, such that the rotatable blade assembly 430, when rotating in the second rotation direction G, may carry the ice blocks to move in the second rotation direction G and may drive the ice blocks to pass through the gap between the fixed blade assembly 420 and the first cavity wall 413.
The at least one rotatable blade 431 comprises a plurality of rotatable sub-blades 4311 that are fixed to each other, and a distance between two adjacent rotatable sub-blades 4311 of the plurality of rotatable sub-blades 4311 may be greater than the size of the ice block. When the ice blocks are rotated along the first rotation direction H, the plurality of rotatable sub-blades are alternately rotated to reach a position of the fixed blade assembly 420, such that the plurality of rotatable sub-blades may alternately break the ice blocks, improving the efficiency of breaking the ice blocks. When the ice blocks are rotated along the second rotation direction G, the ice blocks may be stuck between two adjacent rotatable sub-blades and may subsequently be rotated in the second rotational direction G, such that the ice blocks may fall, as being unbroken, from the gap between the fixed blade assembly 420 and the first cavity wall 413.
Specifically, the number of the at least one rotatable blade 431 comprised in each rotatable blade assembly 430 may be two, three, four, or more. Each of the at least one rotatable blade 431 may comprise two, three, or more rotatable sub-blades 4311. The number of the at least one rotatable blade 431 and the number of the plurality of rotatable sub-blades 4311 may be determined according to practical situations.
In order to improve the efficiency of breaking the ice blocks, a side of the rotatable blade 431 facing toward a bearing surface of the fixed blade assembly 420 may be toothed, and the toothed rotatable blade 431 may have a smaller contact area contacting the ice blocks. In this way, when the rotatable blade assembly 430 is rotated along the first rotation direction H to press on the ice blocks, as the pressure applied on the ice blocks being constant, the ice blocks may locally receive a greater compressive force and may be broken up, and the efficiency of breaking the ice blocks may be improved.
Specifically, the rotatable blade assembly 430 may comprise a blade rotation shaft 432 and a plurality of rotatable blades 431 that are spaced apart from each other and are arranged outside the blade rotation shaft 432. The blade rotation shaft 432 may be rotatably arranged in the ice breaking box 410. An end of the blade rotation shaft 432 may extend to an outside the ice breaking box 410 to be connected with the blade assembly driver member 440. An end of the fixed blade assembly 420 may sleeve on the blade rotation shaft 432, and the other end of the fixed blade assembly 420 may be fixed to the third cavity wall 415. The fixed blade assembly 420 may be rotatably connected to the blade rotation shaft 432.
It is to be understood that "a plurality of" herein means at least two, such as two, three, and so on, unless a specific limitation is stated. In addition, the terms "comprise", "have", and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, a method, a system, a product or an apparatus comprising a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may further comprise steps or units that are not listed, or comprise other steps or units that are inherently comprised in the process, the method, the system, the product or the apparatus. The term "and/or" is merely a description of an association relationship of objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and/or B may mean that, the A is present alone, both A and B are present, and the B is present alone. In addition, the character "/" herein generally indicates that an object before the character "or" an object after the character.
The above provides only the embodiments of the present disclosure and does not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation performed based on the specification and the accompanying drawings of the present disclosure, applied directly or indirectly in other related technical fields, shall be comprised in the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

A refrigeration device, comprising:
a device body;

a first refrigeration compartment, arranged in the device body, wherein the first refrigeration compartment comprises a first door;

a second refrigeration compartment, arranged in the device body and disposed above the first refrigeration compartment, wherein the second refrigeration compartment comprises a second door;

an ice preparing assembly, arranged in the first refrigeration compartment;

an ice extraction assembly, arranged in the second door;

an ice transfer system, comprising an ice transfer channel, an ice transfer portion and an ice transfer assembly, wherein the ice transfer portion is arranged in the first refrigeration compartment; the ice transfer channel comprises a first sub-channel and a second sub-channel that are communicated to each other sequentially; the first sub-channel is communicated to an ice transfer outlet of the ice transfer portion, the second sub-channel is defined in the second door; the second sub-channel is communicated to the ice extraction assembly; the ice preparing assembly is communicated to an ice transfer inlet of the ice transfer portion; the ice transfer assembly is arranged in the ice transfer portion to drive an ice block to move out from the ice transfer portion to the ice transfer channel.
The refrigeration device according to claim 1, wherein a top wall and a first side wall of the first refrigeration compartment enclose to form a receiving space, the ice preparing assembly being received in the receiving space, and the ice preparing assembly being secured to the top wall or the first side wall of the first refrigeration compartment.
The refrigeration device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ice transfer portion is arranged in the top wall or the first side wall of the first refrigeration compartment, wherein the device body further comprises a spacer layer, the spacer layer being disposed between the first refrigeration compartment and the second refrigeration compartment; the first sub-channel is defined in the first refrigeration compartment; the ice transfer channel further comprises an intermediate channel, the intermediate channel being defined in the spacer layer, the intermediate channel being communicated between the first sub-channel and the second sub-channel
The refrigeration device according to claim 3, wherein the refrigeration device (10) further comprises a sealing assembly, movably arranged in the spacer layer to seal or open the intermediate channel.
The refrigeration device according to claim 2, wherein the ice transfer portion has a reference plane, the reference plane of the ice transfer portion being perpendicular to a rear wall of the first refrigeration compartment; an extended thickness of the ice transfer portion perpendicular to the reference plane is less than an extended thickness of the ice transfer portion parallel to the reference plane.
The refrigeration device according to claim 5, wherein a facing direction of the ice transfer inlet and a facing direction of the ice transfer outlet are both parallel to the reference plane.
The refrigeration device according to 5 or 6, wherein the second sub-channel is located on a side of the ice extraction assembly near a rotation axis of the second door.
The refrigeration device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first door is rotatably arranged on the device body; or the first refrigeration compartment comprises a first drawer, the first drawer being pullably arranged with the device body; and the first door is fixed to the first drawer.
The refrigeration device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the second sub-channel comprises:
an ice transfer section, communicated to the first sub-channel;

a guiding section, communicated to the ice transfer section, wherein the guiding section is bent toward the ice extraction assembly, wherein a bending angle of the guiding section is greater than 90° and less than 180°.
The refrigeration device according to claim 9, wherein the refrigeration device further comprises:
an ice breaking assembly, disposed above the ice extraction assembly and configured to break an ice block, wherein the guiding section is communicated to the ice extraction assembly through the ice breaking assembly.