Inverted ice-making and ice-discharging device, refrigerator

Abstract

The present invention provides a flip-type ice-making and ice-discharging device and a refrigerator. The flip-type ice-making and ice-discharging device includes a flip driving component, an ice-making box, and an ice-discharging component. The flip driving component is drivingly connected to the ice-making box so that the ice-making box has a first position adapted for ice-making and a second position adapted for ice-discharging. The ice-discharging component is arranged on one side of the bottom wall of the ice-making box, and the ice-discharging component can be driven to move towards or away from the bottom wall. The ice-making box has a plurality of ice-making grids. When the ice-making box is in the second position, the ice-discharging component can apply a force to the bottom of the ice-making grid to force the ice cubes in the ice-making grid corresponding to the ice-discharging component in the ice-making box to come out. According to the present invention, the structure is simple, compact, novel, and saves space inside the refrigerator.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of refrigerator manufacturing, and particularly relates to a flip - type ice - making and ice - discharging device and a refrigerator. Background Art

[0002] The ice - maker (i.e., ice - making and ice - discharging device) in the prior art mainly includes an ice - making tray. The ice - making tray has a planar structure. When ice needs to be discharged after ice - making, the rotating shaft blades in the ice - making cells separate the ice cubes in the ice cells from the ice - making tray. On the one hand, this structure requires the rotating shaft blades to be in the ice cells, occupying the position of the ice cells and also causing defects in the appearance of the ice cubes. On the other hand, the cantilever - type rotating shaft blades require greater strength when rotating to separate the ice cubes from the ice - making tray, and are extremely prone to damage such as breakage, and the structure is relatively complex and the equipment occupies a large space. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a flip - type ice - making and ice - discharging device and a refrigerator, which have a simple, compact and novel structure and save space inside the refrigerator.

[0004] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a flip - type ice - making and ice - discharging device, including a flip - driving component, an ice - making box, and an ice - discharging component. The flip - driving component is drivingly connected to the ice - making box so that the ice - making box has a first position adapted for ice - making and a second position adapted for ice - discharging. The ice - discharging component is arranged on one side of the bottom wall of the ice - making box, and the ice - discharging component can be driven to move towards or away from the bottom wall. The ice - making box has a plurality of ice - making cells. When the ice - making box is in the second position, the ice - discharging component can apply a force to the bottom of the ice - making cell to force the ice cubes in the ice - making cell corresponding to the ice - discharging component in the ice - making box to escape.

[0005] Preferably, a first rotating shaft is constructed on the box body of the ice - making box, and the flip - driving component includes a first rotary motor. The power output shaft of the first rotary motor is drivingly connected to the first rotating shaft.

[0006] Preferably, there are a plurality of vertically and horizontally interwoven vertical ribs on the bottom wall of the box. The plurality of vertically and horizontally interwoven vertical ribs form a plurality of ice - making cells, and the bottom wall of each ice - making cell is made of an elastic material.

[0007] Preferably, the vertical ribs are made of a hard material.

[0008] Preferably, a communication hole is provided at the bottom position of the vertical rib corresponding to each ice - making cell to communicate the accommodation cavities of two adjacent ice - making cells.

[0009] Preferably, the ice discharging component includes a pushing support plate, on which a plurality of top protrusions are provided. The plurality of top protrusions are respectively arranged corresponding to the bottoms of the plurality of ice making grids. When the top protrusions contact the bottoms of the ice making grids, the ice cubes in the corresponding ice making grids can be pushed out.

[0010] Preferably, hoisting devices are provided on the opposite side walls of the ice making box. The hoisting devices are connected to the opposite ends of the pushing support plate through ropes. When the hoisting devices operate, the ropes can be wound to drive the pushing support plate to move close to the ice making grids.

[0011] Preferably, a plurality of connecting and guiding columns are connected between the pushing support plate and the bottom wall of the box. The pushing support plate is sleeved on the connecting and guiding columns, and an elastic member is also sleeved on the connecting and guiding columns. The elastic member is located between the bottom wall of the box and the pushing support plate.

[0012] Preferably, the hoisting devices include a second rotary motor and a third rotary motor. The ropes are respectively wound on the power output shafts of the second rotary motor and the third rotary motor.

[0013] Preferably, the protruding heights of the top protrusions are different.

[0014] The present invention also provides a refrigerator, including the above-mentioned flip-type ice making and discharging device.

[0015] For the flip-type ice making and discharging device and the refrigerator provided by the present invention, when the ice making box is in the first position, it is in the ice making position, and when it is in the second position, it is in the ice discharging position. When the ice making in the ice making box is completed and ice discharging is required, the ice making box is controlled to flip from the first position to the second position, and the ice discharging component is synchronously controlled to operate, thereby applying a force to the bottom of the ice making grid. Under the action of the force applied by the ice discharging component and the self-weight of the ice cubes, the ice cubes fall out of the ice making grid and enter the ice storage box below, so as to realize ice making and ice discharging. The structure is simple, compact and novel, and can save space in the refrigerator. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a flip-type ice making and discharging device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 is Figure 1 the internal structural diagram of the ice making box in

[0018] The reference numerals are shown as:

[0019] 2. Ice-making box; 21. Bottom wall of the box; 22. Ice-making cells; 24. Vertical ribs; 241. Communication holes; 31. Push-up support plate; 32. Top convex; 33. Rope; 34. Connecting guide post; 35. Elastic member; 36. Second rotary motor; 37. Third rotary motor; 4. Evaporator; 41. Air outlet. Specific embodiments

[0020] With reference to Figures 1 to 2 As shown, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a flip-type ice-making and ice-discharging device is provided, including a flip driving component (not shown in the figure), an ice-making box 2, and an ice-discharging component. The flip driving component is drivingly connected to the ice-making box 2 so that the ice-making box 2 has a first position adapted for ice-making and a second position adapted for ice-discharging. Specifically, for example, the first position is that the opening of the ice-making box 2 faces upward, and the second position is that the opening of the ice-making box 2 faces downward. The ice-discharging component is arranged on one side of the bottom wall 21 of the ice-making box 2, and the ice-discharging component can be driven to move towards or away from the bottom wall 21. The ice-making box 2 is provided with a plurality of ice-making cells 22. When the ice-making box 2 is in the second position, the ice-discharging component can apply a force to the bottom of the ice-making cell 22 to force the ice cubes in the ice-making cell 22 corresponding to the ice-discharging component in the ice-making box 2 to come out. In this technical solution, when the ice-making box 2 is in the first position, it is in the ice-making position, and when it is in the second position, it is in the ice-discharging position. When the ice-making in the ice-making box 2 is completed and ice needs to be discharged, the ice-making box 2 is controlled to flip from the first position to the second position, and the ice-discharging component is synchronously controlled to operate, and then a force is applied to the bottom of the ice-making cell 22. Under the action of the force applied by the ice-discharging component and the self-weight of the ice cubes, the ice cubes come out of the ice-making cell 22 and enter the ice storage box below, thereby realizing ice-making and ice-discharging. The structure is simple, compact, and novel, and can save space in the refrigerator.

[0021] In some embodiments, a first rotating shaft (not shown in the figure) is constructed on the box body of the ice-making box 2. The flip driving component includes a first rotary motor (not shown in the figure). The power output shaft of the first rotary motor is drivingly connected to the first rotating shaft. When the first rotary motor operates, it drives the ice-making box 2 to rotate through the first rotating shaft, so that the ice-making box 2 switches between the first position and the second position. It can be understood that the first rotary motor is preferably a stepping motor to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the position switching.

[0022] As a specific embodiment of the ice-making box 2, preferably, the bottom wall 21 of the box has a plurality of vertical ribs 24 interlaced in a criss-cross pattern, and the plurality of vertical ribs 24 interlaced in a criss-cross pattern form a plurality of ice-making grids 22, and the bottom wall of each of the ice-making grids 22 is made of an elastic material. The bottom wall of the ice-making grid 22 is made of an elastic material, which can ensure that the ice-discharging component can exert a pushing effect on the ice cubes in the ice-making grid 22 on the one hand, and can restore the original state after the pushing force is released, thereby ensuring the integrity of the appearance of the ice body.

[0023] Preferably, the vertical ribs 24 are made of hard material such as hard rubber, so as to better shape the ice body.

[0024] Preferably, a connecting hole 241 is provided at the bottom position of the vertical rib 24 corresponding to each of the ice-making grids 22 to connect the accommodating cavities of two adjacent ice-making grids 22. This method can ensure that the water level in each ice-making grid 22 is consistent when water is poured into the ice box 2, thereby ensuring the consistency of the size of the formed ice cubes.

[0025] As a specific embodiment of the ice discharging component, preferably, the ice discharging component includes a push-up support plate 31, on which a plurality of top protrusions 32 are provided, and the plurality of top protrusions 32 are respectively provided corresponding to the bottoms of the plurality of ice-making grids 22, and when the top protrusions 32 contact the bottoms of the ice-making grids 22, the ice cubes in the ice-making grids 22 corresponding thereto can be pushed out. In this technical solution, the pushing of the ice-making grids 22 is achieved by providing a plurality of top protrusions 32 on a push-up support plate 31, and the control and structure are simpler. Specifically, a winch device is provided on the opposite side walls of the ice-making box 2, and the winch device is connected to the opposite ends of the push-up support plate 31 by a rope 33. When the winch device is in operation, the rope 33 can be wound to drive the push-up support plate 31 to move closer to the ice-making grid 22. The hoisting device can specifically adopt a rotary motor, the rope 33 is wound on the power output shaft of the rotary motor, and the rope 33 pulls the two ends of the push plate 31 through a pulley group structure, thereby realizing the linear movement of the push plate 31 toward the bottom wall 21 of the box.

[0026] Preferably, the hoisting device includes two rotary motors, specifically a second rotary motor 36 and a third rotary motor 37, and the rope 33 is wound around the power output shafts of the second rotary motor 36 and the third rotary motor 37, respectively. The two ropes 33 are respectively arranged at the opposite ends of the push-up support plate 31, so that there is no need to design the path of the rope 33 through a pulley block, thereby simplifying the structure of the ice-discharging component. It can be understood that the second rotary motor 36 and the third rotary motor 37 are respectively fixedly connected to the ice-making box 2, and can be turned over with the turning of the ice-making box 2. In addition, the second rotary motor 36 and the third rotary motor 37 should be kept synchronous in rotation (synchronous winding or synchronous hoisting) to ensure the smooth movement of the push-up support plate 31.

[0027] Furthermore, a plurality of connecting guide posts 34 are connected between the push-up support plate 31 and the bottom wall 21 of the box, and the push-up support plate 31 is mounted on the connecting guide posts 34, and an elastic member 35 is also mounted on the connecting guide posts 34, and the elastic member 35 is located between the bottom wall 21 of the box and the push-up support plate 31, so as to force the push-up support plate 31 to break away from the contact with the bottom wall 21 of the box when the second rotary motor 36 and the third rotary motor 37 rotate in the reverse direction (opposite to the winding mode). In this technical solution, the connecting guide posts 34 make the process of the push-up support plate 31 approaching or moving away from the bottom wall 21 of the box more stable and reliable, and the elastic member 35 can restore the ice making grid 22 to its original shape when the second rotary motor 36 and the third rotary motor 37 rotate in the reverse direction, thereby facilitating the complete shape of ice cubes after ice making.

[0028] In some embodiments, the protrusions 32 have different protrusion heights. For example, the protrusion heights of the plurality of protrusions 32 are different, or some are the same and some are different. Of course, the protrusion heights can also change (increase or decrease) according to a preset rule, so that the amount of ice cubes produced at a time can be controlled to meet different needs of users.

[0029] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator is also provided, including the above-mentioned flip-type ice-making and ice-dispensing device. It can be understood that the flip-type ice-making and ice-dispensing device is placed in a low-temperature space having an evaporator 4, and this low-temperature space provides an ice-making environment through the evaporator 4. The evaporator 4 is placed in a corresponding air duct shell, and the air duct shell has a corresponding air outlet 41, and the air outlet 41 corresponds to the low-temperature space.

[0030] It is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that, under the premise of no conflict, the above-mentioned advantageous methods can be freely combined and superimposed.

[0031] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention. The above is only the preferred implementation manner of the present invention. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the technical principle of the present invention, several improvements and variations can be made, and these improvements and variations should also be regarded as within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flip - type ice - making and ice - discharging device, characterized in that, It includes a flipping drive component, an ice-making box (2), and an ice discharging component. The flipping drive component is drivingly connected to the ice-making box (2) to enable the ice-making box (2) to have a first position adapted for ice-making and a second position adapted for ice discharging. The ice discharging component is arranged on one side of the bottom wall (21) of the ice-making box (2), and the ice discharging component can be driven to move towards or away from the bottom wall (21). The ice-making box (2) has a plurality of ice-making grids (22). When the ice-making box (2) is in the second position, the ice discharging component can apply a force to the bottom of the ice-making grid (22) to force the ice cubes in the ice-making grid (22) corresponding to the ice discharging component in the ice-making box (2) to come out. The ice discharging component includes a pushing support plate (31), and a plurality of top protrusions (32) are arranged on the pushing support plate (31). The plurality of top protrusions (32) are respectively arranged corresponding to the bottoms of the plurality of ice-making grids (22). When the top protrusion (32) contacts the bottom of the ice-making grid (22), it can push the ice cubes in the corresponding ice-making grid (22) out. The protruding heights of the top protrusions (32) are different.

2. The flip - type ice - making and ice - discharging device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A first rotating shaft is constructed on the box body of the ice-making box (2), and the flipping drive component includes a first rotating motor, and the power output shaft of the first rotating motor is drivingly connected to the first rotating shaft.

3. The flip - type ice - making and ice - discharging device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A plurality of vertically and horizontally interwoven vertical ribs (24) are provided on the bottom wall (21). The plurality of vertically and horizontally interwoven vertical ribs (24) form a plurality of ice-making grids (22), and the bottom wall of each ice-making grid (22) is made of an elastic material.

4. The flip - type ice - making and ice - discharging device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The vertical ribs (24) are made of a hard material.

5. The flip - type ice - making and ice - discharging device according to claim 4, characterized in that, A communication hole (241) is provided at the bottom position of the vertical rib (24) corresponding to each ice-making grid (22) to communicate the accommodating cavities of two adjacent ice-making grids (22).

6. The flip - type ice - making and ice - discharging device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Winching devices are provided on the opposite side walls of the ice-making box (2). The winching devices are connected to the opposite ends of the pushing support plate (31) through ropes (33). When the winching devices operate, the ropes (33) can be wound to drive the pushing support plate (31) to move close to the ice-making grids (22).

7. The flip - type ice - making and ice - discharging device according to claim 6, characterized in that, A plurality of connecting guide columns (34) are connected between the pushing support plate (31) and the bottom wall (21). The pushing support plate (31) is sleeved on the connecting guide columns (34), and an elastic member (35) is also sleeved on the connecting guide columns (34). The elastic member (35) is located between the bottom wall (21) and the pushing support plate (31).

8. The flip - type ice - making and ice - discharging device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The winching devices include a second rotating motor (36) and a third rotating motor (37), and the ropes (33) are respectively wound on the power output shafts of the second rotating motor (36) and the third rotating motor (37).

9. A refrigerator, comprising an ice - making and ice - discharging device, characterized in that, The ice-making and ice-discharging device is the flipping type ice-making and ice-discharging device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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