Lifting ice making box and ice maker

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of ice maker technology, specifically to a lifting ice maker and ice box, comprising an ice box assembly, wherein the ice box assembly includes an evaporator assembly and an ice box, the evaporator assembly includes an evaporator cover, an evaporator, and an ice mold, the evaporator cover and the ice mold are fixedly connected, the evaporator is disposed between the evaporator cover and the ice mold, and the ice-making column of the evaporator extends into the mold on the ice mold, the ice box is movable up and down below the ice mold by a lifting device; the first end of the ice box has an ice outlet, and the second end of the ice box has a horizontal ice-pushing device, which is used to horizontally push the ice particles on the ice box to the ice outlet for discharging. This invention, by employing a movable ice box and a horizontal ice-pushing device to horizontally push the ice particles on the ice box to the ice outlet for discharging, solves the problems of traditional bullet-type rotary ice makers being limited by rotation size and having a small number of ice particles per wheel, thus improving ice-making efficiency and ice and water storage capacity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ice maker technology, and specifically to a liftable ice maker and ice maker. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, most commercially available bullet-shaped ice makers use a tilting mechanism to dispensing and removing ice from their ice-making boxes. For example, Chinese invention patent CN202229494U discloses an ice-making device comprising a housing, an ice-making box and an ice storage frame within the housing, an ice-sliding plate connecting the ice-making box and the ice storage frame, a bullet-shaped evaporator within the ice-making box, a water inlet at the top of the ice-making box, and an ice outlet on the housing that communicates with the ice storage frame. The ice outlet has an ice-dispensing mechanism, which includes an ice-dispensing rotating plate that blocks the ice outlet, and an ice-dispensing motor that drives the rotating plate to open or close the ice outlet. The rotating plate is rotatably connected to the housing, and the ice-dispensing motor is mounted on the housing. The rotating plate is connected to the output end of the ice-dispensing motor. In this prior art, during ice dispensing, the ice-dispensing motor controls the rotating plate to open the ice outlet, allowing ice to flow out. After dispensing, the ice-dispensing motor controls the rotating plate to close the ice outlet. This method of dispensing ice using a rotating ice maker is limited by the size of the rotating ice maker, resulting in a relatively small amount of ice dispensed per batch.

[0003] Therefore, there is still room for improvement and development in existing technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a lifting ice maker and an ice maker. The lifting ice maker solves the problem of the limited ice production per wheel of traditional bullet-type rotating ice makers, as well as the problem of limited ice and water storage capacity of tilting ice makers, thereby improving ice-making efficiency and ice and water storage capacity.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution applied in this invention is as follows:

[0006] A lifting ice maker includes an ice maker assembly, comprising an evaporator assembly and an ice maker. The evaporator assembly includes an evaporator cover, an evaporator, and an ice mold. The evaporator cover and the ice mold are fixedly connected. The evaporator is positioned between the evaporator cover and the ice mold, with the ice-making column of the evaporator extending into the mold on the ice mold. The ice maker is driven by a lifting device to move vertically below the ice mold. The first end of the ice maker has an ice outlet, and the second end has a horizontal ice-pushing device for horizontally pushing ice particles from the ice maker to the ice outlet. This invention, by employing a vertically movable ice maker and a horizontal ice-pushing device to horizontally push ice particles from the ice maker to the ice outlet, solves the problems of traditional bullet-shaped rotating ice makers, which are limited by rotation size and have a small ice production capacity per cycle. It also addresses the shortcomings of tilting ice makers, such as limited ice and water storage capacity, thus improving ice-making efficiency and ice and water storage capacity. In practical applications, the ice-making column of the evaporator and the mold on the ice mold are set coaxially for better ice-making effect.

[0007] According to the above scheme, the second end of the ice-making box is provided with a rotatable drive shaft, which is driven to rotate by an ice-pushing motor. A second main synchronous wheel is fixed on the drive shaft, and a first rotatable driven synchronous wheel is provided at the first end of the ice-making box. An ice-pushing synchronous belt is wound around the second main synchronous wheel and the first driven synchronous wheel, and a drive block is fixed on the ice-pushing synchronous belt. The horizontal ice-pushing device includes an ice-pushing net, which is fixedly connected to the drive block. A groove and a slide rail are provided on the side wall between the first and second ends of the ice-making box. The ice-pushing net is slidably connected to the groove, and the drive block is slidably connected to the slide rail. In this invention, when pushing ice, the ice-pushing motor drives the drive shaft to rotate, which drives the second main synchronous wheel, the first driven synchronous wheel, and the ice-pushing synchronous belt to rotate synchronously. The ice-pushing synchronous belt drives the drive block to move along the slide rail, and the drive block drives the ice-pushing net to move along the groove, so that the ice-pushing net moves horizontally from the second end of the ice-making box to the ice outlet at the first end, thereby achieving horizontal ice pushing.

[0008] According to the above scheme, the ice-making box is provided with a motor mounting base, and an ice-pushing motor is mounted on the motor mounting base. The output end of the ice-pushing motor is provided with an output gear, and a drive gear is fixed on the drive shaft. The output gear and the drive gear are meshed together. With this configuration, when the ice-pushing motor is working, it drives the output gear to rotate, which in turn drives the drive gear to rotate, and the drive gear then drives the drive shaft to rotate, resulting in good transmission efficiency.

[0009] According to the above scheme, the ice-pushing net and the drive block are fixedly connected by a connecting rod. Both the ice-pushing net and the drive block are provided with fixing posts that are fixedly connected to the connecting rod. The fixing posts on the ice-pushing net are provided with pins for locking the connecting rod. The pins are slidably connected to the slide groove. The drive block is provided with a slot that is slidably connected to the slide rail. This invention, by fixing the ice-pushing net and the drive block together through the two ends of the connecting rod, facilitates assembly. The pins lock the connecting rod to the fixing posts on the ice-pushing net and pass through the slide groove, slidably connecting to it. The drive block is slidably connected to the slide rail through the slot.

[0010] According to the above scheme, a stroke sensor is fixed to the first and second ends of the ice-making container, corresponding to the drive block. This invention is configured such that the stroke sensor limits the travel distance of the drive block between the first and second ends of the ice-making container.

[0011] According to the above scheme, the lifting device includes a bracket, on which a lifting motor is fixed; a rotatable driving screw is provided on the first side of the bracket, and a rotatable driven screw is provided on the second side of the bracket; the upper end of the driving screw is movably connected to the upper limit frame on the bracket, and the lower end of the driving screw passes through a screw sleeve, a main synchronous pulley, and a bearing in sequence before being connected to the output end of the lifting motor; the screw sleeve is threadedly connected to the driving screw, the main synchronous pulley is fixedly connected to the driving screw, and the bearing is movably connected to the driving screw and is mounted on the bracket; the upper end of the driven screw is movably connected to the upper limit frame on the bracket, and the lower end of the driven screw passes through a screw sleeve and a driven synchronous pulley in sequence before being movably connected to the bracket; the screw sleeve is threadedly connected to the driven screw; a lifting synchronous belt is wound around the main synchronous pulley and the driven synchronous pulley; a lifting rod is hinged to the screw sleeve on the driving screw and the screw sleeve on the driven screw, respectively; the upper end of the lifting rod is hinged to the ice box, and the lower end of the lifting rod is hinged to the bracket. In this invention, during lifting and lowering, the lifting motor drives the active lead screw to rotate, which in turn drives the main synchronous pulley one to rotate. The main synchronous pulley one then drives the driven synchronous pulley two, the lifting synchronous belt, and the driven lead screw to rotate. Simultaneously, the lead screw sleeve moves relative to the active lead screw, causing the lead screw sleeve to lift and lower the lifting rod and the ice maker. In practical applications, the bracket is fixed inside the ice maker's body via a bracket, and the evaporator cover is fixed to the upper end of the bracket.

[0012] According to the above scheme, a gear cover is fixed on the bracket. Inside the gear cover are a second drive gear, a transmission wheel, and a second output gear, which are sequentially meshed. The second output gear is fixedly connected to the output end of the lifting motor, and the second drive gear is fixedly connected to the lower end of the drive screw. This design prevents the second drive gear, transmission wheel, and second output gear from falling off. Furthermore, it maintains the meshed connection. When the lifting motor is working, it drives the second output gear to rotate, which in turn drives the transmission wheel to rotate, which in turn drives the second drive gear and the drive screw to rotate, resulting in good transmission efficiency.

[0013] According to the above scheme, the lifting rod includes rod one and rod two. The middle parts of rod one and rod two are respectively hinged to a lead screw sleeve. The first end of rod one is hinged to the connecting bracket of the ice maker via a sliding shaft, and the second end of rod one is hinged to the bracket via a sliding shaft. The first end of rod two is hinged to the bracket via a sliding shaft, and the second end of rod two is hinged to the connecting bracket of the ice maker via a sliding shaft. Both the connecting bracket and the bracket are provided with sliding grooves that are slidably connected to the sliding shafts. In this invention, the lifting rod, composed of rod one and rod two connected in an X-shape, deforms when the lead screw sleeve moves the lifting rod, thereby driving the ice maker to rise and fall.

[0014] According to the above scheme, the support is equipped with a second stroke sensor corresponding to the lead screw sleeve. This invention is configured such that the second stroke sensor limits the travel of the lead screw sleeve as it moves up and down and back and forth on the support.

[0015] An ice maker includes a body, within which are a water tank assembly, a compressor assembly, a water pump assembly, an ice receiving assembly, a power board assembly, and the aforementioned lifting ice-making box. The water tank assembly includes a water tank and a water tank lid, which are fixedly connected. The water tank contains an ice-collecting chamber and a water-storage chamber arranged vertically. An ice inlet communicating with the ice-collecting chamber is located on the water tank. The compressor assembly includes a radiator and a compressor, which are correspondingly arranged. The compressor is correspondingly arranged with the evaporator of the evaporator assembly. The water pump assembly includes a water pump, whose inlet pipe is connected to the water tank. The water storage chamber and the water pump outlet pipe are connected to the water inlet of the evaporator assembly. The ice receiving device includes a drain rack and a funnel rack. The funnel rack has a receiving cavity and a funnel. The drain rack is installed in the receiving cavity. The receiving cavity has a return water port. The return water port is connected to the water storage chamber of the water tank through a return water pipe. One side of the drain rack is set to correspond to the ice outlet of the ice maker, and the other side of the drain rack is set to correspond to the funnel. The outlet of the funnel is set to correspond to the ice inlet of the water tank. The machine body is equipped with a control board. The control board is electrically connected to the power board assembly. The power board assembly is electrically connected to the ice pusher motor and the lifting motor respectively.

[0016] The working principle of the ice maker lifting mechanism described in this invention is as follows: The lifting motor rotates counterclockwise, and the output gear two drives the drive gear two to rotate counterclockwise through the transmission wheel. The drive gear two drives the active lead screw to rotate counterclockwise, and through the main synchronous pulley one, it drives the lifting synchronous belt to rotate counterclockwise. Under the action of the active lead screw and the driven lead screw, the lead screw sleeve moves from bottom to top until it closes the upper stroke sensor two (located on the upper part of the bracket). The control board detects the height position signal, and the lifting motor stops working. When the lead screw sleeve rotates counterclockwise and moves upward, the sliding shaft fixed to the end of the lifting rod slides from the outside to the inside in the sliding groove of the bracket and the connecting bracket. At the same time, the ice maker is lifted upward under the action of the lifting rod until the ice maker and the evaporator assembly reach the set engagement height. Similarly, when the lifting motor rotates clockwise, the ice maker moves downward until the lead screw sleeve closes the stroke sensor two (located on the lower part of the bracket).

[0017] The working principle of the horizontal ice pusher described in this invention is as follows: The ice pusher motor rotates clockwise, and the output gear one drives the drive shaft to rotate counterclockwise through the drive gear one. This rotation, via the main synchronous pulleys two at both ends of the drive shaft and the ice pusher timing belt, drives the auxiliary synchronous pulley one to rotate counterclockwise. The ice pusher timing belt moves counterclockwise, and the drive block, engaged with the ice pusher timing belt, moves along the slide rail. Under the action of the connecting rod, the ice pusher net moves along the slide groove under the guidance of the pin, that is, the ice pusher net moves horizontally from the second end of the ice-making box to the ice outlet at the first end, until the drive block closes the left side of the ice-making box. When the travel sensor 1 (located at the first end of the ice maker) is activated, the ice cubes inside the ice maker are pushed out from the ice outlet. After passing through the drain rack to filter the water that falls with the ice cubes, the ice cubes enter the ice collection chamber of the water tank through the funnel rack for storage. At the same time, the control board detects the signal from the travel sensor 1 on the left side of the ice maker and starts the ice pusher motor to rotate counterclockwise. The drive block drives the ice pusher net to move to the right side of the ice maker, that is, the ice pusher net moves horizontally from the first end to the second end of the ice maker until it closes the travel sensor 1 on the right side of the ice maker (located at the second end of the ice maker), thus completing one ice pusher cycle.

[0018] The ice-making working principle of this invention is as follows: The operation control board starts the ice-making program. The CPU detects the signal from the left-side travel sensor 1 of the ice maker to confirm the position of the ice pusher net, and simultaneously detects the signal from the upper travel sensor 2 to confirm the height position of the ice maker. If no corresponding sensor closure signal is detected, the ice pusher motor and lifting motor are started until the closure signals from both the left-side travel sensor 1 and the upper travel sensor 2 are detected. Then, the CPU starts the water pump to inject water into the ice maker through the outlet pipe and inlet nozzle until the set time is reached and then stops. Simultaneously, the CPU starts the radiator and compressor, and determines whether the water tank is low on water by detecting the water pump's operating current. If a water shortage is detected, an alarm is triggered and the radiator and compressor are shut down. Once the evaporator has made ice for the set time, the control... The CPU starts the lifting motor to rotate clockwise, causing the ice maker to move downwards until the CPU detects the closed signal of the lower stroke sensor 2. At this time, the CPU opens the compressor hot gas valve, and the evaporator heats up and enters the de-icing mode. After the evaporator has been heated for the set time, the CPU shuts off the radiator and compressor, and simultaneously starts the ice pusher motor to rotate clockwise, moving the ice pusher from the right side of the ice maker to the left side (i.e., moving the ice pusher from the second end to the first end of the ice maker). The left stroke sensor 1 closes. At this time, the CPU controls the ice pusher motor to rotate counterclockwise until the right stroke sensor 1 closes. Then, the CPU controls the lifting motor to rotate counterclockwise, moving the ice maker upwards until the upper stroke sensor 2 closes, thus completing one ice-making cycle.

[0019] Beneficial effects of this invention:

[0020] This invention addresses the limitations of traditional bullet-type rotating ice makers, such as the limited rotation size and small ice production per wheel, by employing an up-and-down movable ice maker and a horizontal ice-pushing device to push ice pellets horizontally from the ice maker to the ice outlet. It also solves the problems of small ice and water storage capacity of tilting ice makers, thereby improving ice-making efficiency and ice and water storage capacity. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is an overall structural diagram of the invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the ice box making device of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the lifting device of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 This is an assembly diagram of the drain rack and funnel frame of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6This is a diagram illustrating the ice-making process of this invention;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing the de-icing state of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing the ice-pushing state of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 9 This is a cross-sectional view of the ice-making device of the present invention.

[0030] In the picture:

[0031] 1. Evaporator cover; 2. Water inlet; 3. Evaporator; 301. Ice maker; 4. Ice mold; 401. Mold; 5. Ice pusher net; 6. Ice box; 602. Motor mounting bracket; 606. Slide rail; 607. Slide groove; 7. Drain rack; 8. Funnel rack; 801. Receiving cavity; 802. Water return port; 803. Funnel; 9. Pin; 10. Ice pusher motor; 11. Connecting rod; 12. Stroke sensor one; 13. Drive shaft; 14. Drive block; 142. Slot; 15. Drive gear one; 16. Output gear one; 17. Connecting bracket; 18. Upper limit bracket; 19. Drive screw; 20. Screw sleeve; 21. Lifting synchronous belt; 2 2. Lifting rod; 221. Rod 1; 222. Rod 2; 23. Main synchronous pulley 1; 231. Driven synchronous pulley 2; 24. Driven synchronous pulley 1; 25. Main synchronous pulley 2; 26. Drive gear 2; 27. Transmission wheel; 28. Output gear 2; 29. ​​Gear cover; 30. Bracket; 31. Radiator; 32. Compressor; 33. Power board assembly; 34. Control board; 35. Water tank; 36. Water pump; 37. Outlet pipe; 38. Return pipe; 39. Water tank cover; 40. Bracket; 41. Lifting motor; 42. Ice pushing synchronous belt; 43. Sliding shaft; 44. Stroke sensor 2; 45. Driven lead screw; 46. Bearing; 47. Machine body. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The technical solution of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0033] like Figures 1 to 9As shown, the present invention discloses a lifting ice maker, comprising an ice maker device, which includes an evaporator assembly and an ice maker 6. The evaporator assembly includes an evaporator cover 1, an evaporator 3, and an ice mold 4. The evaporator cover 1 and the ice mold 4 are fixedly connected. The evaporator 3 is disposed between the evaporator cover 1 and the ice mold 4, and the ice-making column 301 of the evaporator 3 extends into the mold 401 on the ice mold 4. The ice maker 6 is movable up and down below the ice mold 4 by a lifting device. The first end of the ice maker 6 is provided with an ice outlet, and the second end of the ice maker 6 is provided with a horizontal ice-pushing device, which is used to horizontally push the ice particles on the ice maker 6 to the ice outlet for ice discharge. This invention is designed to use an ice-making box 6 that moves vertically and horizontally, along with a horizontal ice-pushing device, to push the ice pellets on the ice-making box 6 horizontally to the ice outlet. This solves the problems of traditional bullet-type rotating ice-making boxes being limited by their rotation size and producing a small number of ice pellets per wheel. It also solves the problems of tilting ice-making boxes having limited ice and water storage capacity, thereby improving ice-making efficiency and ice and water storage capacity.

[0034] In practical applications, the ice-making column 301 of the evaporator 3 is coaxially set with the mold 401 on the ice mold 4, resulting in better ice-making effect.

[0035] In this embodiment, the second end of the ice-making box 6 is provided with a rotatable drive shaft 13, which is driven to rotate by the ice-pushing motor 10. A second main synchronous wheel 25 is fixed on the drive shaft 13. The first end of the ice-making box 6 is provided with a rotatable slave synchronous wheel 24. An ice-pushing synchronous belt 42 is wound around the second main synchronous wheel 25 and the slave synchronous wheel 24 and is meshed with it. A drive block 14 is fixed on the ice-pushing synchronous belt 42. The horizontal ice-pushing device includes an ice-pushing net 5, which is fixedly connected to the drive block 14. A groove 607 and a slide rail 606 are provided on the side wall between the first end and the second end of the ice-making box 6. The ice-pushing net 5 is slidably connected to the groove 607, and the drive block 14 is slidably connected to the slide rail 606. In this invention, when pushing ice, the ice-pushing motor 10 drives the drive shaft 13 to rotate. The drive shaft 13 drives the main synchronous wheel 25, the slave synchronous wheel 24, and the ice-pushing synchronous belt 42 to rotate synchronously. The ice-pushing synchronous belt 42 drives the drive block 14 to move along the slide rail 606. The drive block 14 drives the ice-pushing net 5 to move along the slide groove 607, so that the ice-pushing net 5 moves horizontally from the second end of the ice-making box 6 to the ice outlet at the first end, thereby realizing the horizontal pushing of ice.

[0036] In this embodiment, the ice-making box 6 is provided with a motor mounting base 602, on which an ice-pushing motor 10 is mounted. The output end of the ice-pushing motor 10 is provided with an output gear 16, and a drive gear 15 is fixed on the drive shaft 13. The output gear 16 and the drive gear 15 are meshed together. With this configuration, when the ice-pushing motor 10 is working, it drives the output gear 16 to rotate, which in turn drives the drive gear 15 to rotate, and the drive gear 15 in turn drives the drive shaft 13 to rotate, resulting in good transmission efficiency.

[0037] In this embodiment, the ice-pushing net 5 and the drive block 14 are fixedly connected by a connecting rod 11. Both the ice-pushing net 5 and the drive block 14 are provided with fixing posts that are fixedly connected to the connecting rod 11. The fixing posts on the ice-pushing net 5 are provided with pins 9 for locking the connecting rod 11. The pins 9 are slidably connected to the slide groove 607. The drive block 14 is provided with a slot 142 that is slidably connected to the slide rail 606. This arrangement of the present invention fixes the ice-pushing net 5 and the drive block 14 together through both ends of the connecting rod 11, which is convenient for assembly. The pins 9 can lock the connecting rod 11 to the fixing posts on the ice-pushing net 5, and at the same time pass through the slide groove 607 and are slidably connected to the slide groove 607. The drive block 14 is slidably connected to the slide rail 606 through the slot 142.

[0038] In this embodiment, stroke sensors 12, corresponding to the drive block 14, are fixed to the first and second ends of the ice-making container 6. This arrangement allows the stroke sensors 12 to limit the travel distance of the drive block 14 between the first and second ends of the ice-making container 6.

[0039] In this embodiment, the lifting device includes a bracket 40, on which a lifting motor 41 is fixed; a rotatable drive screw 19 is provided on the first side of the bracket 40, and a rotatable driven screw 45 is provided on the second side of the bracket 40; the upper end of the drive screw 19 is movably connected to the upper limit bracket 18 on the bracket 40, and the lower end of the drive screw 19 passes through a screw sleeve 20, a main synchronous pulley 23, and a bearing 46 in sequence before being connected to the output end of the lifting motor 41; the screw sleeve 20 is threadedly connected to the drive screw 19, the main synchronous pulley 23 is fixedly connected to the drive screw 19, and the bearing 46 is movably connected to the drive screw 19. Bearing 46 is mounted on bracket 40; the upper end of driven lead screw 45 is movably connected to upper limit bracket 18 on bracket 40, and the lower end of driven lead screw 45 passes through lead screw sleeve 20 and synchronous pulley 231 in sequence and is movably connected to bracket 40. Lead screw sleeve 20 is threadedly connected to driven lead screw 45; lifting synchronous belt 21 is wound around main synchronous pulley 23 and driven synchronous pulley 231; lifting rod 22 is hinged to lead screw sleeve 20 on driving lead screw 19 and lead screw sleeve 20 on driven lead screw 45 respectively. The upper end of lifting rod 22 is hinged to ice box 6 and the lower end of lifting rod 22 is hinged to bracket 40. In this invention, during lifting and lowering, the lifting motor 41 drives the active lead screw 19 to rotate, the active lead screw 19 drives the main synchronous pulley 23 to rotate, the main synchronous pulley 23 drives the driven synchronous belt pulley 231, the lifting synchronous belt 21 and the driven lead screw 45 to rotate, and at the same time, the lead screw sleeve 20 moves relative to the active lead screw 19, and the lead screw sleeve 20 drives the lifting rod 22 and the ice box 6 to lift and lower.

[0040] In practical applications, the bracket 40 is fixed inside the body 47 of the ice maker by the bracket 30, and the evaporator cover 1 is fixed to the upper end of the bracket 40.

[0041] In this embodiment, a gear cover 29 is fixed on the bracket 40. Inside the gear cover 29 are a second drive gear 26, a transmission wheel 27, and a second output gear 28, which are sequentially meshed. The second output gear 28 is fixedly connected to the output end of the lifting motor 41, and the second drive gear 26 is fixedly connected to the lower end of the drive screw 19. This design prevents the second drive gear 26, transmission wheel 27, and second output gear 28 from falling off. Furthermore, it maintains the meshed connection. When the lifting motor 41 operates, it drives the second output gear 28 to rotate, which in turn drives the transmission wheel 27 to rotate. The transmission wheel 27 then drives the second drive gear 26 and the drive screw 19 to rotate, resulting in good transmission efficiency.

[0042] In this embodiment, the lifting rod 22 includes rod one 221 and rod two 222. The middle portions of rod one 221 and rod two 222 are respectively hinged to the lead screw sleeve 20. The first end of rod one 221 is hinged to the connecting bracket 17 of the ice maker 6 via a sliding shaft 43, and the second end of rod one 221 is hinged to the bracket 40 via a sliding shaft 43. The first end of rod two 222 is hinged to the bracket 40 via a sliding shaft 43, and the second end of rod two 222 is hinged to the connecting bracket 17 of the ice maker 6 via a sliding shaft 43. Both the connecting bracket 17 and the bracket 40 are provided with sliding grooves that are slidably connected to the sliding shaft 43. With this configuration, the lifting rod 22, formed by the X-shaped cross-hinged rod one 221 and rod two 222, deforms when the lead screw sleeve 20 moves the lifting rod 22, thereby driving the ice maker 6 to rise and fall.

[0043] In this embodiment, the bracket 40 is equipped with a stroke sensor 44 corresponding to the lead screw sleeve 20. This arrangement allows the stroke sensor 44 to limit the travel of the lead screw sleeve 20 as it moves up and down on the bracket 40.

[0044] An ice maker includes a body 47, within which are a water tank assembly, a compressor assembly, a water pump assembly, an ice receiving assembly, a power board assembly 33, and the aforementioned lifting ice-making box. The water tank assembly includes a water tank 35 and a water tank cover 39, which are fixedly connected. The water tank 35 has an ice collecting chamber and a water storage chamber arranged vertically, and an ice inlet communicating with the ice collecting chamber. The compressor assembly includes a radiator 31 and a compressor 32, which are correspondingly arranged. The compressor 32 is correspondingly arranged with the evaporator 3 of the evaporator assembly. The water pump assembly includes a water pump 36, whose inlet pipe is connected to the water storage chamber of the water tank 35, and whose outlet pipe is connected to the water outlet of the water pump 36. Water pipe 37 is connected to the water inlet 2 of the evaporator assembly. The ice receiving device includes a drain rack 7 and a funnel rack 8. The funnel rack 8 has a receiving cavity 801 and a funnel 803. The drain rack 7 is installed in the receiving cavity 801. The receiving cavity 801 has a return water port 802. The return water port 802 is connected to the water storage cavity of the water tank 35 through a return water pipe 38. One side of the drain rack 7 is set to correspond to the ice outlet of the ice box 6, and the other side of the drain rack 7 is set to correspond to the funnel 803. The outlet of the funnel 803 is set to correspond to the ice inlet of the water tank 35. The body 47 is equipped with a control board 34. The control board 34 is electrically connected to the power board assembly 33. The power board assembly 33 is electrically connected to the ice pushing motor 10 and the lifting motor 41 respectively.

[0045] The working principle of the ice box lifting mechanism described in this invention is as follows: The lifting motor 41 rotates counterclockwise, and the output gear 28 drives the drive gear 26 to rotate counterclockwise through the transmission wheel 27. The drive gear 26 drives the active lead screw 19 to rotate counterclockwise, which in turn drives the lifting synchronous belt 21 through the main synchronous wheel 23 to rotate the driven lead screw 45 counterclockwise. Under the action of the active lead screw 19 and the driven lead screw 45, the lead screw sleeve 20 moves from bottom to top until it closes the upper stroke sensor 44 (located on the upper part of the bracket 40). The control board 3... 4. Upon detecting a height position signal, the lifting motor 41 stops working. When the lead screw sleeve 20 rotates counterclockwise and moves upward, the sliding shaft 43 fixed to the end of the lifting rod 22 slides from the outside to the inside in the sliding groove of the bracket 40 and the connecting bracket 17. At the same time, the ice maker 6 is lifted upward under the action of the lifting rod 22 until the ice maker 6 and the evaporator assembly reach the set engagement height. Similarly, when the lifting motor 41 rotates clockwise, the ice maker 6 moves downward until the lead screw sleeve 20 closes the stroke sensor 44 (located at the lower part of the bracket 40).

[0046] The working principle of the horizontal ice pushing mechanism described in this invention is as follows: The ice pushing motor 10 rotates clockwise, and the output gear 16 drives the drive shaft 13 to rotate counterclockwise through the drive gear 15. This rotation, via the main synchronous pulleys 25 at both ends of the drive shaft 13 and the ice pushing synchronous belt 42, drives the auxiliary synchronous pulley 24 to rotate counterclockwise, causing the ice pushing synchronous belt 42 to move counterclockwise. The drive block 14, engaged with the ice pushing synchronous belt 42, moves along the slide rail 606. Under the action of the connecting rod 11, the ice pushing net 5 moves along the slide groove 607 under the guidance of the pin 9, that is, the ice pushing net 5 moves horizontally from the second end of the ice-making box 6 to the ice outlet at the first end until the drive block 14 closes. Ice box 6 left side stroke sensor 12 (located at the first end of ice box 6); at this time, ice cubes in ice box 6 are pushed out from the ice outlet, filtered by the drain rack 7, and the water falling with the ice cubes enters the ice collection chamber of water tank 35 through the funnel rack 8 for storage; at the same time, the control board 34 detects the signal of the left side stroke sensor 12 of ice box 6, starts the ice pusher motor 10 to rotate counterclockwise, and the drive block 14 drives the ice pusher net 5 to move to the right side of ice box 6, that is, the ice pusher net 5 moves horizontally from the first end to the second end of ice box 6 until the right side stroke sensor 12 of ice box 6 (located at the second end of ice box 6) is closed, thus completing one ice pusher cycle.

[0047] The ice-making working principle of this invention is as follows: The operation control board 34 starts the ice-making program, controls the CPU to detect the signal of the left-side travel sensor 12 of the ice box 6 to confirm the position of the ice pusher 5, and simultaneously detects the signal of the upper travel sensor 44 to confirm the height position of the ice box 6. If no corresponding sensor closure signal is detected, the ice pusher motor 10 and the lifting motor 41 are started until the closure signals of the left-side travel sensor 12 and the upper travel sensor 44 of the ice box 6 are detected. Then, the CPU controls the water pump 36 to start water pumping into the ice box 6 through the water outlet pipe 37 and the water inlet 2 until the set time is reached and then stops. At the same time, the CPU controls the radiator 31 and the compressor 32 to start, and determines whether the water tank 35 is short of water by detecting the working current of the water pump 36. If water is short, an alarm is triggered and the radiator 31 and the compressor 32 are shut down. The evaporator 3 continues to make ice for the set time. The CPU starts the lifting motor 41 to rotate clockwise, causing the ice box 6 to move downwards until the CPU detects the closed signal of the lower stroke sensor 44. At this time, the CPU opens the hot gas valve of the compressor 32, and the evaporator 3 heats up and enters the de-icing mode. After the evaporator 3 heats up for the set time, the CPU shuts off the radiator 31 and the compressor 32, and simultaneously starts the ice pusher motor 10 to rotate clockwise. The ice pusher 5 moves from the right side of the ice box 6 to the left side of the ice box 6 (i.e., the ice pusher 5 moves from the second end of the ice box 6 to the first end), and the left stroke sensor 12 closes. At this time, the CPU controls the ice pusher motor 10 to rotate counterclockwise until the right stroke sensor 12 of the ice box 6 closes. Then, the CPU controls the lifting motor 41 to rotate counterclockwise, and the ice box 6 moves upwards until the upper stroke sensor 44 closes, thus completing one ice-making cycle.

[0048] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other modifications under the guidance of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these modifications are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A lifting-type ice maker, characterized in that, include: An ice-making device includes an evaporator assembly and an ice-making box. The evaporator assembly includes an evaporator cover, an evaporator, and an ice mold. The evaporator cover and the ice mold are fixedly connected. The evaporator is located between the evaporator cover and the ice mold, and the ice-making column of the evaporator extends into the mold on the ice mold. The ice-making box is movable up and down below the ice mold by a lifting device. The ice maker has an ice outlet at its first end and a horizontal ice-pushing device at its second end. The horizontal ice-pushing device is used to push the ice particles on the ice maker horizontally to the ice outlet for discharging.

2. The lifting ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ice-making box has a rotatable drive shaft at its second end, which is driven to rotate by an ice-pushing motor. A second main synchronous wheel is fixed on the drive shaft. The ice-making box has a rotatable first driven synchronous wheel at its first end. An ice-pushing synchronous belt is wound around the second main synchronous wheel and the first driven synchronous wheel, and a drive block is fixed on the ice-pushing synchronous belt. The horizontal ice-pushing device includes an ice-pushing net, which is fixedly connected to the drive block. A groove and a slide rail are provided on the side wall between the first and second ends of the ice-making box. The ice-pushing net is slidably connected to the groove, and the drive block is slidably connected to the slide rail.

3. The lifting ice maker according to claim 2, characterized in that: The ice-making box is provided with a motor mounting base, and an ice-pushing motor is mounted on the motor mounting base. The output end of the ice-pushing motor is provided with an output gear, and a drive gear is fixed on the drive shaft. The output gear and the drive gear are meshed and connected.

4. A lifting ice maker according to claim 2, characterized in that: The ice-pushing net and the drive block are fixedly connected by a connecting rod. Both the ice-pushing net and the drive block are provided with a fixing post that is fixedly connected to the connecting rod. The fixing post on the ice-pushing net is provided with a pin for locking the connecting rod. The pin is slidably connected to the slide groove. The drive block is provided with a slot, which is slidably connected to the slide rail.

5. A lifting ice maker according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first and second ends of the ice maker are respectively fixed with stroke sensors corresponding to the drive block.

6. A lifting ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting device includes a bracket, on which a lifting motor is fixed; a rotatable driving screw is provided on the first side of the bracket, and a rotatable driven screw is provided on the second side of the bracket; the upper end of the driving screw is movably connected to the upper limit frame on the bracket, and the lower end of the driving screw passes through a screw sleeve, a main synchronous pulley, and a bearing in sequence before being connected to the output end of the lifting motor; the screw sleeve is threadedly connected to the driving screw, the main synchronous pulley is fixedly connected to the driving screw, and the bearing is movably connected to the driving screw and is mounted on the bracket; the upper end of the driven screw is movably connected to the upper limit frame on the bracket, and the lower end of the driven screw passes through a screw sleeve and a driven synchronous pulley in sequence before being movably connected to the bracket; the screw sleeve is threadedly connected to the driven screw; a lifting synchronous belt is wound around the main synchronous pulley and the driven synchronous pulley; a lifting rod is hinged to the screw sleeve on the driving screw and the screw sleeve on the driven screw, respectively; the upper end of the lifting rod is hinged to the ice maker, and the lower end of the lifting rod is hinged to the bracket.

7. A lifting ice maker according to claim 6, characterized in that: A gear cover is fixed on the bracket. Inside the gear cover are a second drive gear, a transmission wheel, and a second output gear that are sequentially meshed. The second output gear is fixedly connected to the output end of the lifting motor, and the second drive gear is fixedly connected to the lower end of the drive screw.

8. A lifting ice maker according to claim 6, characterized in that: The lifting rod includes rod one and rod two. The middle parts of rod one and rod two are respectively hinged to a lead screw sleeve. The first end of rod one is hinged to the connecting bracket of the ice maker via a sliding shaft. The second end of rod one is hinged to the bracket via a sliding shaft. The first end of rod two is hinged to the bracket via a sliding shaft. The second end of rod two is hinged to the connecting bracket of the ice maker via a sliding shaft. Both the connecting bracket and the bracket are provided with sliding grooves that are slidably connected to the sliding shaft.

9. A lifting ice maker according to claim 6, characterized in that: The bracket is equipped with a second stroke sensor that corresponds to the lead screw sleeve.

10. An ice maker, characterized in that: The device includes a main body, within which are a water tank assembly, a compressor assembly, a water pump assembly, an ice-collecting assembly, a power board assembly, and a lifting ice-making box as described in any one of claims 1-9. The water tank assembly includes a water tank and a water tank cover, which are fixedly connected. The water tank contains an ice-collecting chamber and a water-storage chamber arranged vertically, and the water tank has an ice inlet communicating with the ice-collecting chamber. The compressor assembly includes a radiator and a compressor, which are correspondingly arranged, and the compressor is correspondingly arranged with the evaporator of the evaporator assembly. The water pump assembly includes a water pump, and the water pump's inlet pipe is connected to the water storage tank. The water pump's outlet pipe is connected to the inlet of the evaporator assembly. The ice-receiving device includes a drain rack and a funnel rack. The funnel rack has a receiving cavity and a funnel. The drain rack is installed inside the receiving cavity. The receiving cavity has a return water outlet, which is connected to the water storage cavity of the water tank through a return water pipe. One side of the drain rack is positioned corresponding to the ice outlet of the ice maker, and the other side of the drain rack is positioned corresponding to the funnel. The outlet of the funnel is positioned corresponding to the ice inlet of the water tank. The machine body is equipped with a control board, which is electrically connected to a power board assembly. The power board assembly is electrically connected to the ice pusher motor and the lifting motor, respectively.

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