WO2021213528A1

WO2021213528A1 - Ice making device and refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2021213528A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/090383
Authority: WO
Inventors: 杜启海; 张延庆; 赵振雨; 阳军; 张方友
Original assignee: 青岛海尔电冰箱有限公司; 海尔智家股份有限公司
Priority date: 2020-07-16
Filing date: 2021-04-28
Publication date: 2021-10-28
Also published as: EP4184088A1; EP4184088A4; CN114017983B; CN114017983A

Abstract

Provided are an ice making device and a refrigerator. The ice making device comprises an ice making assembly and an ice storage box arranged below the ice making assembly, wherein the ice storage box comprises an outer box body and an inner box body arranged inside the outer box body; and the outer box body is provided with an ice receiving area located below the ice making assembly, and an ice storage area adjacent to the ice receiving area. The ice making device further comprises a driving assembly capable of driving the inner box body to move from the ice receiving area to the ice storage area.

Description

Ice making device and refrigerator

Technical field

The invention relates to the field of household appliances, in particular to an ice making device and a refrigerator.

Background technique

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes an ice making device and a refrigerator.

In order to achieve one of the objectives of the above-mentioned invention, an embodiment of the present invention provides an ice-making device, comprising: an ice-making assembly, and an ice storage box placed under the ice-making assembly;

The ice storage box includes an outer box body and an inner box body placed inside the outer box body. The outer box body has an ice receiving area under the ice making assembly and an ice receiving area adjacent to the ice receiving area. Ice storage area

The ice making device further includes a driving assembly that can drive the inner box to move from the ice receiving area to the ice storage area.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the ice making device further includes an ice quantity detection module for detecting the quantity of ice in the ice storage box; and

The control module is configured to control the drive assembly to drive the inner box when the inner box is in the ice receiving area and the ice quantity detection module detects that the ice quantity of the inner box reaches the upper limit of the inner box storage limit. The inner box is moved from the ice receiving area to the ice storage area.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the control module is further configured to: when the ice amount detection module detects that the ice amount in the outer box or the ice storage box reaches a preset ice storage amount, Control the ice making assembly to stop ice making.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the ice quantity detection module includes a motor assembly fixedly installed on one side of the ice making tray, and rotatably installed on one side of the ice making tray and can be driven by the motor assembly The ice detecting rod is used to detect the amount of ice in the ice receiving area.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the ice quantity detection module includes a weight sensor installed at the bottom of the outer box body.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the ice quantity detection module includes a first weight sensor installed at the bottom of the inner box body and a second weight sensor installed at the bottom of the outer box body.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the drive assembly includes a coil and a magnet, the coil is installed outside the ice storage box on a side close to the ice receiving area and facing the ice storage area, and the magnet is installed On the inner box body, when the inner box body is in the ice receiving area, the coil corresponds to the magnet.

In order to achieve one of the above-mentioned objects of the invention, an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator including a box body and a door body, and an ice making device installed in the box body or on the door body, the ice making device including an ice making device Component and an ice storage box placed under the ice making component;

The ice storage box includes an outer box body and an inner box body placed inside the outer box body. The outer box body has an ice receiving area below the ice making assembly and an ice receiving area adjacent to the ice receiving area. Ice storage area

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator further includes an ice quantity detection module for detecting the quantity of ice in the ice storage box; and

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the control module is further configured to: when the ice volume detection module detects that the ice volume in the outer box or the ice storage box reaches a preset ice storage volume, Control the ice making assembly to stop ice making.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the box body includes a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber, the ice making assembly is installed on one side of the rear wall of the freezing chamber, and the ice storage box is retractably installed on the In the freezer compartment, the outer box body forms the ice receiving area on a side close to the rear wall, and forms the ice storage area on a side far from the rear wall. The drive assembly includes a coil and a magnet, and the coil is installed in At the rear wall, the magnet is installed on the inner box body, and when the inner box body is in the ice receiving area, the coil corresponds to the magnet.

In the ice making device and refrigerator provided by the present invention, the ice storage box includes an outer box body and an inner box body located inside the outer box body, and the inner box body can be moved from the ice receiving area to the ice storage area, so that Both the ice receiving area and the ice storage area can store ice, preventing ice from only accumulating in the ice receiving area and causing the internal volume of the ice storage box to be wasted.

Description of the drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an ice making device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in the present invention, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described The embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator 100 including a box body 110 and a door for opening and closing the box body 110. A refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber may be arranged in the box body 110, and the ice making device is installed inside the freezing chamber. Of course, the ice making device can also be installed on the door of the freezer compartment, on the door of the refrigerating compartment, or inside the refrigerating compartment.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the ice making device includes an ice making assembly 210 and an ice storage box 220 placed under the ice making assembly 210. The ice making assembly 210 may include an ice making rack 211, an ice making tray 212, and a water supply assembly. The ice making rack 211 is fixedly installed on the cabinet 110 or the door of the refrigerator 100. The ice making tray 212 is connected to the ice making rack 211, and the water supply component is used to supply liquid water into the ice making tray 212. The ice making device can be used to de-icing by twisting or de-icing by the ice rake device.

The ice storage box 220 includes an outer box body 221 and an inner box body 222 placed inside the outer box body 221. The outer box body 221 has an ice receiving area 223 located below the ice making assembly 210 and an ice storage area adjacent to the ice receiving area 223.区224. The ice making device further includes a driving assembly 230 that can drive the inner box 222 to move from the ice receiving area 223 to the ice storage area 224.

In this embodiment, the bottom area of the outer box body 221 is larger than the area of the ice tray 212, and the projection of the ice tray 212 toward the bottom surface of the outer box body 221 completely falls inside the bottom surface of the outer box body 221. The ice receiving area 223 may be located below the ice making tray 212, and the ice discharged from the ice making tray 212 directly falls into the ice receiving area 223, and the ice storage area 224 is adjacent to the ice receiving area 223. When the inner box 222 is placed in the ice receiving area 223, the projection of the ice tray 212 toward the bottom surface of the outer box 221 completely falls inside the bottom surface of the inner box 222, and the bottom surface of the inner box 222 can completely cover the ice receiving area 223. When starting to start ice making, the inner box 222 can be placed in the ice receiving area 223, the ice made by the ice making assembly 210 is directly discharged into the inner box 222, when the amount of ice in the inner box 222 reaches the inner box 222 When the maximum amount of ice is stored, the driving assembly 230 drives the inner box 222 to move to the ice storage area 224. At this time, the ice made by the ice making assembly 210 directly falls to the ice receiving area 223 of the outer box 221. Specifically, the area of the ice storage area 224 may be equal to the area of the ice receiving area 223, and the bottom area of the inner box body 222 may be the same as the area of the ice receiving area 223.

The inner bottom surface of the outer box body 221 is provided with a guide rail 225 extending from the ice receiving area 223 to the ice storage area 224. The bottom of the inner box body 222 is equipped with a roller 226 that cooperates with the guide rail 225. The inner box body 222 can follow the guide rail 225. The ice area 223 moves to the ice storage area 224.

In this way, by arranging the inner box body 222 inside the outer box body 221 of the ice storage box 220 that can move from the ice receiving area 223 to the ice storage area 224, the internal volume of the ice storage box 220 can be fully utilized to prevent ice from only accumulating in the ice storage area 224. The ice receiving area 223 at the lower part of the ice tray 212 wastes the volume in the ice bank 220.

Further, in an embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator 100 further includes an ice volume detection module and a control module. The ice volume detection module is used to detect the ice volume in the ice storage box 220. When the inner box body 222 is in the ice receiving area 223 and When the ice quantity detection module detects that the ice quantity in the inner box 222 reaches the upper limit of storage of the inner box 222, the control module controls the driving assembly 230 to drive the inner box 222 to move from the ice receiving area 223 to the ice storage area 224.

In this embodiment, the ice quantity detection module can be used to detect the ice quantity of the inner box body 222 or the outer box body 221, or the total ice quantity in the outer box body 221 and the inner box body 222. The ice quantity detection module can be set in The ice detection rod 215 on the side of the ice tray 212 may also be a weight sensor or other sensors. There can be one ice quantity detection module, or multiple ice quantity detection modules for detecting the ice quantity in different areas. The multiple ice quantity detection modules can adopt the same ice quantity detection method or different ice quantity detection methods.

The control module may be a control module inside the refrigerator 100 system, or may be an independent module installed on the ice making device and independent of the refrigerator 100 system. The ice making device may further include a position detection module for detecting whether the inner box 222 is in the ice receiving area 223. The position detection module may be an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor or a proximity light sensor installed at the ice receiving area 223.

When the inner box 222 is in the ice receiving area 223, the ice discharged from the ice making assembly 210 is directly received by the inner box 222. At this time, if the ice quantity detection module detects that the amount of ice in the inner box 222 reaches the inner box 222 The control module can control the drive assembly 230 to drive the inner box 222 to move from the ice receiving area 223 to the ice storage area 224. After the inner box body 222 moves from the ice receiving area 223 to the ice storage area 224, the ice receiving area 223 is again in an ice-free state, and the ice made by the ice making assembly 210 can continue to be discharged to the ice receiving area 223.

In this way, the ice volume is detected by the ice volume sensor, and when the inner box 222 reaches the upper limit of ice volume storage, the inner box 222 is automatically controlled to move from the ice receiving area 223 to the ice storage area 224, so that the internal storage space of the ice storage box 220 is fully utilized. The ice bank 220 can store more ice.

Further, in an embodiment of the present invention, the control module is also used to: when the ice amount detection module detects that the ice amount in the outer box 221 or the ice storage box 220 reaches a preset ice storage amount, control the ice making assembly 210 Stop ice making.

In this embodiment, the preset stored ice amount may be the upper limit of ice amount storage, or other values less than the upper limit of ice amount storage. The refrigerator 100 may be provided with an ice volume input module. The user can input the preset ice storage volume desired to be stored in the ice storage box 220 through the ice volume input module according to his own needs. The control module controls the system according to the preset ice storage volume input by the user. Operation of ice assembly 210. If the user does not input the preset ice storage capacity, the preset ice storage capacity can be defaulted as the ice storage upper limit.

In this way, it is convenient and quick to automatically control the start and stop of the ice making assembly 210 according to the amount of ice.

Further, in an embodiment of the present invention, the ice quantity detection module includes a motor assembly 214 fixedly installed on the side of the ice making tray 212, and a detector rotatably installed on the side of the ice making tray 212 and driven by the motor assembly 214. The ice rod 215 is used for detecting the amount of ice in the ice receiving area 223.

In this embodiment, the motor assembly 214 can be started to drive the ice detection rod 215 to rotate after the ice making assembly 210 is de-icing to detect the amount of ice in the ice receiving area 223. When the inner box 222 is in the ice receiving area 223, the ice discharged by the ice making assembly 210 is directly discharged into the inner box 222. At this time, when the ice detection rod 215 detects that the ice volume in the ice receiving area 223 reaches the upper limit of storage, That is, if the amount of ice in the inner box 222 reaches the upper limit of storage, the drive assembly 230 is controlled to move the inner box 222 from the ice receiving area 223 to the ice storage area 224. After the inner box 222 moves to the ice storage area 224, the ice making assembly 210 continues to make ice. When the inner box 222 is in the ice storage area 224, if the ice detection rod 215 detects that the ice quantity in the ice receiving area 223 reaches the upper limit of ice storage, that is, the quantity of ice in the outer box 221 or the ice storage box 220 reaches the upper limit of storage, Then the control module controls the ice making assembly 210 to stop ice making.

In this way, detecting the amount of ice in the ice receiving area 223 by the ice detecting rod 215 can control the movement of the inner box body 222 and the start and stop of the ice maker, ensuring that the internal space of the ice storage box 220 is fully utilized, and the overall structure is simple and compact.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the ice quantity detection module further includes a weight sensor installed at the bottom of the outer box body 221. The weight sensor can detect the ice storage volume inside the ice storage box 220, that is, the total ice storage volume inside the outer box body 221 and the inner box body 222. The refrigerator 100 can be provided with an ice volume input module. The user can input the preset ice storage weight that he wants to store in the ice storage box 220 through the ice volume input module. When the weight sensor detects that the ice storage volume inside the ice storage box 220 reaches the preset When the ice storage weight or the ice storage upper limit of the ice storage box 220 is set, the control module controls the ice making assembly 210 to stop ice making.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the ice quantity in the ice receiving area 223 can be detected by the ice detecting rod 215 at the same time, and the motor assembly 214 is started after the ice making assembly 210 is deiced to drive the ice detecting rod 215 to detect the ice in the ice receiving area 223. quantity. When the inner box 222 is in the ice receiving area 223 and the ice detection rod 215 detects that the ice quantity in the ice receiving area 223 reaches the upper limit of storage, that is, the amount of ice in the inner box 222 reaches the upper limit of storage, at this time, the drive assembly 230 can be controlled to drive The inner box body 222 moves from the ice receiving area 223 to the ice storage area 224. If the weight sensor detects that the ice volume of the ice storage box 220 reaches a preset ice storage volume, the ice making assembly 210 can be controlled to stop making ice. When the inner box 222 is in the ice storage area 224, if the ice detection rod 215 detects that the ice volume in the ice receiving area 223 reaches the upper limit of storage or the weight sensor detects that the ice volume reaches the preset storage ice volume, the ice making assembly 210 is controlled to stop Ice making.

In this way, the amount of ice stored in the ice storage box 220 can be accurately obtained by setting the weight sensor. The weight sensor can be used in combination with the ice detection rod 215 to improve the accuracy of control and prevent excessive ice from overflowing the ice storage box 220.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the ice quantity detection module includes a first weight sensor installed at the bottom of the inner box body 222 and a second weight sensor installed at the bottom of the outer box body 221. Among them, the first weight sensor can detect the amount of ice stored inside the inner box 222, and the second weight sensor can detect the amount of ice stored inside the ice storage box 220, that is, the second weight sensor can detect the inner box 222 and the outer box 221 The total internal ice storage capacity.

In this embodiment, when the inner box 222 is in the ice receiving area 223, if the first weight sensor detects that the amount of ice in the inner box 222 reaches the upper limit of ice storage of the inner box 222, the drive assembly 230 is controlled to drive The inner box body 222 moves from the ice receiving area 223 to the ice storing area 224. If the second weight sensor detects that the amount of ice in the ice storage box 220 reaches the preset ice storage amount, the ice making assembly 210 is controlled to stop ice making, where the preset ice storage amount can be input by the user through the ice amount input module, or It may be the upper limit of the ice storage capacity of the ice bank 220 set at the factory.

In this way, two weight sensors are provided to detect the amount of ice in the inner box body 222 and the ice bank 220 respectively to ensure the accuracy of ice amount detection.

Further, in an embodiment of the present invention, the driving component 230 is an electromagnetic driving component 230, and the driving component 230 includes a coil 231 and a magnet 232. The coil 231 is installed on the outside of the ice storage box 220 near the ice receiving area 223 and facing the ice storage area 224. The magnet 232 is installed on the inner box 222. When the inner box 222 is in the ice receiving area 223, the coil 231 and the magnet 232 corresponds. Specifically, the inner box body 222 is provided with an accommodation space for accommodating the magnet 232 on the rear wall adjacent to the coil 231.

The coil 231 can be installed independently of the ice storage box 220, the coil 231 can be installed on the cabinet 110 or the door of the refrigerator 100, or an independent bracket mounting coil 231 can be provided on the side of the ice storage box 220. The magnet 232 is fixed on the inner box body 222 and can move together with the inner box body 222.

In this embodiment, when the inner box 222 is in the ice receiving area 223 and the ice quantity detection module detects that the amount of ice in the inner box 222 reaches the upper limit of storage, the control module controls the coil 231 to energize, and the magnet 232 drives the inner box. 222 moves toward the ice storage area 224. When the ice amount detection module detects that the amount of ice in the outer box 221 or the ice bank 220 reaches the upper limit of storage, the ice making assembly 210 is controlled to stop ice making.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the ice making assembly 210 is installed on the side of the rear wall of the freezer compartment, and the length direction of the ice making tray 212 may be parallel to the width direction of the rear wall of the freezer compartment, that is, the ice making tray 212 is placed horizontally inside the freezer compartment. , Thereby facilitating the installation of the ice making assembly 210. The ice bank 220 can be installed in the freezer compartment, and the rear wall surface of the ice bank 220 is adjacent to the rear wall of the freezer compartment. Specifically, the rear wall of the ice storage box 220 is adjacent to the air duct cover 113 on the rear wall of the freezer compartment. An ice receiving area 223 is formed in the ice storage box 220 on the side close to the rear wall of the freezer compartment, and formed on the side away from the rear wall of the freezer compartment. Ice storage area 224. The coil 231 is installed on the rear wall of the freezer compartment. Specifically, the coil 231 is installed on the air duct cover 113 on the rear side of the freezer compartment.

The driving component 230 is an electromagnetic driving component 230, and the coil 231 and the magnet 232 are separated from each other. The user can directly take out the ice storage box 220 to take out the ice, or only take out the inner box body 222 inside the outer box body 221 to take out the ice. After the ice extraction is completed, the inner box body 222 is returned to the ice receiving area 223, and the ice storage box 220 is returned to the original position, which is convenient for operation.

In summary, in the ice making device and refrigerator 100 provided in the present invention, the ice storage box 220 includes an outer box body 221 and an inner box body 222 placed in the outer box body 221, and the inner box body 222 can be located in the outer box body 221. The inside moves from the ice receiving area 223 to the ice storage area 224 to prevent ice accumulation in the ice receiving area 223 from affecting the utilization rate of the internal volume of the ice storage box 220.

It should be understood that although this specification is described in accordance with the embodiments, not each embodiment only contains an independent technical solution. This narration in the specification is only for clarity, and those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in the embodiments can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

The series of detailed descriptions listed above are only specific descriptions of feasible embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any equivalent embodiments or changes made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention All should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

An ice making device, including:

An ice making assembly, and an ice storage box placed under the ice making assembly;

The ice storage box includes an outer box body and an inner box body placed inside the outer box body, and the outer box body has an ice receiving area below the ice making assembly and an The ice storage area adjacent to the area;

The ice making device further includes a driving assembly that can drive the inner box to move from the ice receiving area to the ice storage area.
The ice making device of claim 1, wherein the ice making device further comprises an ice quantity detection module for detecting the quantity of ice in the ice storage box; and

The control module is configured to control the drive assembly to drive the inner box when the inner box is in the ice receiving area and the ice quantity detection module detects that the ice quantity of the inner box reaches the upper limit of the inner box storage limit. The inner box is moved from the ice receiving area to the ice storage area.
The ice making device of claim 2, wherein the control module is further configured to: when the ice amount detection module detects that the amount of ice in the outer box or the ice storage box reaches a preset value When the ice storage capacity is reached, the ice making assembly is controlled to stop ice making.
The ice making device of claim 2, wherein the ice quantity detection module comprises a motor assembly fixedly installed on one side of the ice making tray, and a motor assembly rotatably installed on one side of the ice making tray and can be The ice detecting rod is driven by the motor assembly, and the ice detecting rod is used to detect the amount of ice in the ice receiving area.
The ice making device of claim 2, wherein the ice quantity detection module includes a weight sensor installed at the bottom of the outer box.
The ice making device of claim 2, wherein the ice quantity detection module includes a first weight sensor installed at the bottom of the inner box body and a second weight sensor installed at the bottom of the outer box body.
The ice making device of claim 1, wherein the drive assembly includes a coil and a magnet, and the coil is installed outside the ice storage box on a side close to the ice receiving area and facing the ice storage area. The magnet is installed on the inner box body, and when the inner box body is in the ice receiving area, the coil corresponds to the magnet.
A refrigerator, comprising a box body and a door body, and an ice making device installed in the box body or on the door body, the ice making device comprising an ice making assembly and an ice storage box placed under the ice making assembly;

The ice storage box includes an outer box body and an inner box body placed inside the outer box body, and the outer box body has an ice receiving area below the ice making assembly and an The ice storage area adjacent to the area;

The ice making device further includes a driving assembly that can drive the inner box to move from the ice receiving area to the ice storage area.
8. The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the refrigerator further comprises an ice quantity detection module for detecting the quantity of ice in the ice storage box; and

The control module is configured to control the drive assembly to drive the inner box when the inner box is in the ice receiving area and the ice quantity detection module detects that the ice quantity of the inner box reaches the upper limit of the inner box storage limit. The inner box is moved from the ice receiving area to the ice storage area.
The refrigerator according to claim 9, wherein the control module is further configured to: when the ice quantity detection module detects that the ice quantity in the outer box or the ice storage box reaches a preset ice storage When measuring, control the ice making assembly to stop ice making.
The refrigerator according to claim 9, wherein the ice quantity detection module comprises a motor assembly fixedly installed on one side of the ice making tray, and a motor assembly rotatably installed on one side of the ice making tray and capable of being used by the ice making tray. An ice detecting rod driven by a motor assembly, the ice detecting rod is used to detect the amount of ice in the ice receiving area.
9. The refrigerator according to claim 9, wherein the ice quantity detection module includes a weight sensor installed at the bottom of the outer box.
9. The refrigerator according to claim 9, wherein the ice quantity detection module comprises a first weight sensor installed at the bottom of the inner box body and a second weight sensor installed at the bottom of the outer box body.
The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the box body includes a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber, the ice making assembly is installed on a side of the rear wall of the freezing chamber, and the ice storage box is retractable and installed In the freezer compartment, the side of the outer box body close to the rear wall of the freezer compartment forms the ice receiving area, and the side away from the rear wall forms the ice storage area, and the drive assembly includes a coil and a magnet The coil is installed at the rear wall, and the magnet is installed on the inner box body. When the inner box body is in the ice receiving area, the coil and the magnet correspond to each other.