Ice maker and refrigerator

Abstract

The application provides an ice maker and a refrigerator, the ice maker comprising a lifting pipe arranged in a gravity direction, a lifting channel being arranged in the lifting pipe, and an ice outlet being arranged in the lifting pipe and communicating with the lifting channel; a lifting mechanism being arranged in the lifting channel and located below the ice outlet in the gravity direction, the lifting mechanism comprising at least one lifting arm, each lifting arm being rotatably connected with an inner wall of the lifting channel to lift the ice in the lifting pipe to the ice outlet. The ice maker provided by the application lifts the ice in the lifting pipe to the ice outlet through the lifting arm, thereby reducing the broken ice generated in the transportation process of the ice cubes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of refrigeration technology, and in particular relates to an ice maker and a refrigerator. Background Technology

[0002] To enhance a refrigerator's functionality, an ice maker is often installed inside. This ice maker utilizes the refrigerator's built-in evaporator to produce ice. The evaporator is typically located near the bottom of the refrigerator for two reasons: firstly, cold air tends to accumulate at the bottom, making it easier to distribute cold air to the freezer compartment (which is often the coldest compartment in the refrigerator), thus improving cooling efficiency; secondly, the evaporator's surface temperature is extremely low. If it were located at the top, heat conduction could directly lower the temperature of the refrigerator compartment (which needs to be above freezing), potentially freezing the contents. Since the ice maker uses the refrigerator's evaporator to produce ice, its ice-making system is usually located near the bottom of the refrigerator, close to the evaporator. However, in addition to the ice-making system, an ice maker also needs an ice storage system and an ice-crushing system to complete the ice supply process. If the entire ice maker were located near the evaporator, it would undoubtedly encroach significantly on the space near the bottom of the refrigerator, greatly impacting the freezer's storage space. Therefore, we want the various systems of the ice maker to be distributed across different locations within the refrigerator (i.e., at different heights along the direction of gravity), thus avoiding simultaneous encroachment on the space of any single storage compartment. Since the different systems of the ice maker need to be positioned at different heights, an ice-lifting mechanism is necessary to transport ice from one system to another. Traditional lifting mechanisms use a spiral mechanism, where ice blocks slide relative to or roll on the spiral surface during lifting. This results in continuous collisions between ice blocks and between the ice blocks and the spiral lifting mechanism itself, causing the ice blocks to break. However, when using ice, the less ice breakage, the better, as small ice fragments melt quickly in beverages, diluting the drink and affecting its taste. To improve the user's ice-using experience, an ice maker that minimizes ice breakage during ice transport is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides an ice maker and a refrigerator to solve the problem that existing ice makers easily produce broken ice during the transportation of ice blocks.

[0004] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide an ice maker, applied to a refrigerator, comprising:

[0005] A lifting pipe is provided, extending along the direction of gravity. The lifting pipe has a lifting channel inside and an ice outlet communicating with the lifting channel.

[0006] A lifting mechanism is disposed within the lifting channel and located below the ice outlet along the direction of gravity. The lifting mechanism includes at least one lifting arm, each of which is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the lifting channel to lift the ice in the lifting pipe to the ice outlet.

[0007] In some embodiments, there are multiple lifting arms, which are spaced apart along the direction of gravity, and the multiple lifting arms cooperate to transport ice upward along the direction of gravity.

[0008] In some embodiments, two adjacent lifting arms include a first lifting arm and a second lifting arm, wherein the first lifting arm is located below the second lifting arm along the direction of gravity; the first lifting arm rotates to transport the ice in the lifting pipe upward along the direction of gravity to the lifting channel corresponding to the second lifting arm; the second lifting arm rotates to transport the ice transported by the rotation of the first lifting arm upward along the direction of gravity.

[0009] In some embodiments, a fixed arm is further provided inside the lifting pipe, and the inner wall of the lifting channel includes a mating wall. The fixed arm is connected to the mating wall and extends from the mating wall into the lifting channel to form an ice storage platform. The ice storage platform is used to store the ice after being lifted by the first lifting arm, and the second lifting arm lifts the ice on the ice storage platform toward the ice outlet.

[0010] In some embodiments, the lifting arm is rotatably connected to the end of the fixed arm away from the mating wall, and the fixed arm is provided with a first through hole through which the lifting arm passes.

[0011] In some embodiments, the lifting arm includes a rotating shaft and multiple rotating plates connected to the rotating shaft. The multiple rotating plates are spaced apart along the axial direction of the rotating shaft. The first through hole includes multiple avoidance holes, each of which allows one of the rotating plates to pass through.

[0012] In some embodiments, each of the rotating plates includes a first arm and a second arm connected to opposite sides of the rotating shaft; the normal to the surface of the rotating plate is in the same direction as the axial direction of the rotating shaft of the lifting arm; the first arm and the second arm can pass through the avoidance hole during rotation.

[0013] In some embodiments, the first lifting arm rotates along a first direction to lift the ice along the direction of gravity onto the ice storage platform corresponding to the first lifting arm; the second lifting arm rotates in the opposite direction of the first direction to lift the ice on the ice storage platform corresponding to the first lifting arm along the direction of gravity onto the ice storage platform corresponding to the second lifting arm.

[0014] The first lifting arm and the second lifting arm are offset from each other during rotation.

[0015] In some embodiments, the projections of the pivots of the first lifting arm and the second lifting arm in the extension direction of the lifting pipe are spaced apart from each other, and the mating wall includes a first mating wall and a second mating wall disposed opposite to each other; the fixed arm connected to the first lifting arm and the fixed arm connected to the second lifting arm are also respectively connected to the first mating wall and the second mating wall.

[0016] In some embodiments, the first mating wall is arc-shaped to adapt to the rotation trajectory of the second lifting arm; and / or

[0017] The second mating wall is arc-shaped to match the rotation trajectory of the first lifting arm.

[0018] In some embodiments, the side of the fixed arm facing upward along the direction of gravity is arc-shaped to match the rotation trajectory of the lifting arm located on the side of the fixed arm facing upward along the direction of gravity.

[0019] In some embodiments, the lifting mechanism further includes a plurality of gears, each gear being coaxially connected to the shaft of one of the lifting arms, and the gears corresponding to adjacent lifting arms meshing with each other.

[0020] In some embodiments, the inner wall of the lifting channel includes a bottom wall in the direction of gravity, and the bottom wall is provided with a second through hole penetrating the bottom wall in the direction of gravity; the lifting mechanism also includes an ice storage box, which is disposed on the side of the bottom wall away from the ice outlet, and the opening of the ice storage box is opposite to the second through hole to accommodate ice fragments falling from the second through hole.

[0021] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide a refrigerator, the refrigerator including an ice maker as described in any of the preceding claims.

[0022] In some embodiments, the ice maker further includes an ice-making and ice-storage mechanism and an ice-discharging mechanism; the ice-discharging mechanism is disposed above the ice-making and ice-storage mechanism along the direction of gravity, and the lifting pipe is provided with an ice inlet communicating with the lifting channel, the ice inlet being located below the lifting mechanism along the direction of gravity; the ice-making and ice-storage mechanism is used to convey ice blocks to the ice inlet; the ice-discharging mechanism is used to receive the ice blocks output from the ice outlet.

[0023] The ice maker provided in this application uses a lifting scheme different from existing technologies, namely, lifting the ice block by rotating the lifting arm. During rotation, lifting the ice block is equivalent to pushing it forward, allowing the ice block to remain relatively stationary with respect to the lifting arm. This prevents rolling or sliding friction between the ice block and the lifting arm, ensuring that the ice block does not collide with the lifting arm or with other ice blocks during transport. Therefore, the ice block remains intact during transport, avoiding the formation of broken ice. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0025] To gain a more complete understanding of this application and its beneficial effects, the following description will be provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals denote the same parts.

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a refrigerator provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of an ice maker provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0028] Figure 3 for Figure 2 The diagram shows a first-view structural schematic of the lifting pipe of the ice maker.

[0029] Figure 4 for Figure 2 The diagram shown is a first-view structural diagram of the ice maker with one side of the pipe wall removed, exposing the lifting mechanism.

[0030] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A magnified view of part A in the middle.

[0031] Figure 6 for Figure 2 The diagram shows a second-view structural diagram of the lifting pipe of the ice maker with one side of the pipe wall removed, exposing the lifting mechanism.

[0032] Figure 7 for Figure 2 The diagram shows a third-view structural diagram of the lifting pipe of the ice maker.

[0033] Explanation of icon numbers:

[0034]

[0035] Detailed Implementation

[0036] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0037] This application provides an ice maker and a refrigerator to solve the problem of ice breakage that easily occurs during the transportation of ice blocks in existing ice makers. The following description is in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0038] refer to Figure 1 The ice maker proposed in this application embodiment can be applied to, for example... Figure 1 The refrigerator shown Figure 1 The refrigerator has a 100°C refrigerator compartment, a 200°C variable temperature compartment, and a 300°C freezer compartment. The 100°C refrigerator compartment has the highest temperature, generally above 0°C, for example, between 4-6°C. The 200°C variable temperature compartment may be near 0°C depending on the user's needs, while the 300°C freezer compartment is often below -10°C, for example, -18°C. It is evident that... Figure 1 The refrigerator's different compartments, as shown, exhibit a temperature pattern that approximates the direction of gravity, decreasing towards the bottom. This is related to the refrigerator's refrigeration characteristics. The refrigerator contains air ducts, with airflow driven by a fan. An evaporator is also installed within these ducts to lower the air temperature. The fan delivers the cooled air to the various compartments. Although the air is propelled by the fan, there's still a tendency for cold air to descend and hot air to rise, resulting in cooler air at lower levels within the ducts, thus lowering the temperature in the lower compartments (e.g., lower-lying compartments). Figure 1In the illustrated refrigerator embodiment, the freezer compartment 300 is positioned lower, allowing the coldest air in the air duct to be more easily introduced into this compartment, facilitating cooling. Additionally, because the evaporator itself has an extremely low surface temperature, it is typically positioned lower to prevent the evaporator from directly transferring cold air through the air duct and the insulation material between the compartments. This is because, according to thermal principles, the rate of heat transfer is related to the temperature gradient; the smaller the temperature difference, the slower the heat transfer. Since the freezer compartment 300 has the lowest temperature, the temperature difference with the evaporator surface is minimal, resulting in the slowest heat transfer. Positioning the evaporator lower, closer to the freezer compartment 300, minimizes the efficiency of cold air transfer, which is beneficial for temperature control in each compartment of the refrigerator. For ice makers, refer to... Figure 2 The ice-making system 60 also requires extremely low temperatures, so it is usually located near the bottom of the refrigerator. This allows the ice-making system 60 to directly utilize the refrigerator's evaporator for ice production. Furthermore, even if the ice-making system 60 doesn't utilize the evaporator but has its own refrigeration mechanism, such as a semiconductor refrigerator or a built-in evaporator, the required low temperature for rapid ice production is often far below 0°C, reaching as low as -18°C or even lower. Therefore, placing the ice-making system 60 near the bottom of the refrigerator also prevents its cold energy from being directly transferred to the warmer storage compartments, facilitating temperature control in each compartment. However, installing other systems of the ice maker near the bottom would excessively encroach on the freezer compartment 300, reducing the refrigerator's freezing capacity and making it inconvenient for users. Therefore, the other systems of the ice maker need to be placed at different heights along the refrigerator's height, distributing the ice maker's space to the corresponding heights of different storage compartments. This necessitates transporting the ice blocks between ice-making systems at different heights, employing a lifting mechanism to move the ice blocks from a lower to a higher position. Traditional lifting mechanisms are spiral-type, inevitably causing sliding friction between the ice blocks and the spiral surface of the mechanism during transport. This sliding friction causes the ice blocks to tumble and collide with each other, resulting in a large amount of broken ice during the lifting process. However, the ice maker (and refrigerator) provided in this application uses a lifting arm to push the ice blocks, keeping them relatively stationary. This prevents the lifting arm from directly impacting the ice blocks and also avoids tumbling and collisions, significantly reducing ice breakage during transport and improving the user's ice-using experience. Furthermore, the ice maker provided in this application can also be applied to other types of refrigerators, such as double-door refrigerators, refrigerators with only a refrigerator compartment 100 and a freezer compartment 300 (i.e., no...). Figure 1 The refrigerator shown is either a variable temperature compartment 200 or a single storage compartment refrigerator. This application does not limit the type of refrigerator used for ice making.

[0039] refer to Figure 2 as well as Figure 4 This application provides an ice maker for refrigerators, comprising: a lifting pipe 10 and a lifting mechanism, wherein the lifting mechanism is disposed within a lifting channel 13 and includes at least one lifting arm. The lifting pipe 10 extends along the direction of gravity and contains the lifting channel 13. While both the lifting pipe 10 and the lifting channel 13 extend along the direction of gravity, they are not necessarily completely parallel; they can be at an angle. This allows the inner wall of the lifting channel 13 to act as a force-saving inclined surface, reducing the rotational torque required for the lifting arm. (Reference) Figure 3 The lifting pipe 10 is equipped with an ice outlet 11 that communicates with the lifting channel 13. The lifting mechanism is located below the ice outlet 11 along the direction of gravity, and each lifting arm is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the lifting channel 13. Thus, by rotating, the lifting arms can lift the ice in the lifting pipe 10 to the ice outlet 11, from which the ice can be discharged and fall into other systems of the ice maker. For example... Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, ice blocks are lifted by the ice storage system 70 through the lifting channel 13 and enter the ice crushing system 80. Of course, this does not limit the other possible locations of the lifting channel 10. For example, the ice maker may not have an ice storage system 70; the ice blocks, after being made by the ice-making system 60, may fall directly to the bottom of the lifting channel 10. Alternatively, the ice blocks may first enter the ice crushing system 80, be broken to a suitable size, and then enter the lifting channel 10, finally entering the distribution system 90 through the ice outlet 11. Those skilled in the art can reasonably configure the presence and location of different systems in the ice maker according to actual needs, and use the lifting channel 10 to connect any two systems; all these embodiments are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0040] refer to Figure 3 In some embodiments, an ice inlet 12 may be provided on the lifting pipe 10. The ice inlet 12 is beneficial for limiting the ice entry position and preventing ice from interfering with the rotation of the lifting arm. However, an open ice entry method can also be adopted, that is, without providing an ice inlet 12, the end of the lifting channel 13 away from the ice outlet 11 is inserted into the ice storage cavity of the ice storage system 70, and the end of the lifting pipe 10 inserted into the ice storage cavity is not closed. In this way, the lifting arm can directly lift the ice block located in the ice storage cavity.

[0041] refer to Figure 4In some embodiments, multiple lifting arms are used, spaced apart along the direction of gravity. These multiple lifting arms work together to transport the ice upwards along the direction of gravity. Of course, embodiments of this application also include cases using only a single lifting arm. This simplifies control of the lifting arm, increases reliability, and is suitable for situations where the required lifting height is not large. However, when a larger lifting height is required, using only a single lifting arm means that when the lifting arm rotates to a horizontal position, it occupies a large amount of space, making the horizontal dimension of the lifting pipe 10 too large, which is not conducive to installation. Multiple lifting arms working together can lift the ice block to the required height without requiring excessive horizontal volume. As the required lifting height increases, the number of lifting arms can be increased; conversely, the number of lifting arms can be decreased.

[0042] refer to Figure 5 In some embodiments, two adjacent lifting arms include a first lifting arm and a second lifting arm. The first lifting arm is located below the second lifting arm along the direction of gravity. The first lifting arm rotates to transport the ice in the lifting pipe 10 upwards along the direction of gravity to the corresponding lifting channel 13 of the second lifting arm. The second lifting arm rotates to transport the ice transported by the first lifting arm upwards along the direction of gravity. In this way, the first lifting arm lifts the ice block to a position where the second lifting arm can directly operate, without the need for other mechanisms, simplifying the system configuration and improving reliability.

[0043] refer to Figure 4 In some embodiments, a fixing arm 30 is also provided inside the lifting pipe 10. The inner wall of the lifting channel 13 includes a mating wall. The fixing arm 30 is connected to the mating wall and extends from the mating wall into the lifting channel 13 to form an ice storage platform. The ice storage platform is used to store the ice lifted by the first lifting arm. The second lifting arm lifts the ice on the ice storage platform towards the ice outlet 11. When the fixing arm 30 is not provided, the inner wall of the lifting channel 13 can be extended into the lifting channel 13 to form an ice storage platform. The ice storage platform formed by the lifting arm can improve the strength of the ice storage platform.

[0044] refer to Figure 5In some embodiments, the lifting arm is rotatably connected to the end of the fixed arm 30 away from the mating wall, and the fixed arm 30 is provided with a first through hole 31 through which the lifting arm passes. The rotatable connection between the lifting arm and the fixed arm 30 allows the fixed arm 30 to be supported from the pivot 21 of the lifting arm. Because the pivot 21 of the lifting arm can rotatably engage with the inner wall of the lifting channel 13, the fixed arm 30 can obtain support from the inner wall of the lifting channel 13 through the pivot 21 of the lifting arm, thereby improving the stability of the fixed arm 30. However, the fixed arm 30 can also be spaced apart from the lifting arm, thus avoiding pressure on the pivot 21 of the fixed arm 30 and making the rotation of the fixed arm 30 more stable. Since the fixed arm 30 forms an ice storage platform and the fixed arm 30 is provided with a first through hole 31, the first through hole 31 allows ice fragments mixed with ice (although the embodiment of this application can reduce the generation of ice fragments, it does not mean that no ice fragments are generated at all) to fall down along the direction of gravity through the first through hole 31, instead of accumulating in the lifting channel 13, so that the lifting arm can rotate more smoothly.

[0045] refer to Figure 5 In some embodiments, the lifting arm includes a rotating shaft 21 and multiple rotating plates 22 connected to the rotating shaft 21. The multiple rotating plates 22 are spaced apart along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 21. The first through hole 31 includes multiple avoidance holes, each of which allows one rotating plate 22 to pass through. The spacing between the rotating plates 22 also provides space for ice fragments to fall, further preventing ice fragments from accumulating in the lifting channel 13. The avoidance holes in the first through hole 31 allow the rotating plates 22 to rotate in one direction without reciprocating, simplifying the movement of the lifting arm. Figure 5 As shown, the lifting arm near the bottom wall 13c can rotate clockwise continuously. It can be seen that as long as it rotates clockwise continuously, the ice blocks accumulated at the bottom wall 13c can be continuously lifted to their corresponding ice storage platforms for the adjacent lifting arms to lift.

[0046] refer to Figure 5 In some embodiments, each rotating plate 22 includes a first arm 22a and a second arm 22b connected to opposite sides of the rotating shaft 21; the normal to the surface of the rotating plate 22 is in the same direction as the axial direction of the rotating shaft 21 of the lifting arm; the first arm 22a and the second arm 22b can pass through avoidance holes during rotation. This allows the lifting arm to lift the ice block to its corresponding ice storage platform position twice with one rotation. That is, Figure 5 As shown, it can be seen that the lifting arm near the bottom wall 13c can sweep across the bottom wall 13c twice in one revolution (once by the first arm 22a and once by the second arm 22b), thus lifting the ice block twice and improving lifting efficiency.

[0047] refer to Figure 6In some embodiments, the first lifting arm rotates along a first direction to lift the ice along the direction of gravity onto the ice storage platform corresponding to the first lifting arm; the second lifting arm rotates in the opposite direction of the first direction to lift the ice stored on the ice storage platform corresponding to the first lifting arm along the direction of gravity onto the ice storage platform corresponding to the second lifting arm.

[0048] The first and second lifting arms are offset from each other during rotation.

[0049] Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, it can be seen that the lifting arms from bottom (closest to the ice storage box 50) to top need to rotate clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise and counterclockwise in sequence to lift the ice blocks. This makes the rotation directions of all adjacent lifting arms opposite, so each lifting arm can rotate continuously and can maintain mutual misalignment during the rotation process, without colliding with each other and causing interference, thus improving lifting efficiency and operational reliability.

[0050] refer to Figure 6 In some embodiments, the projections of the pivot 21 of the first lifting arm and the pivot 21 of the second lifting arm in the lifting direction are spaced apart from each other, and the mating walls include a first mating wall 13a and a second mating wall 13b disposed opposite to each other; the fixed arm 30 connected to the first lifting arm and the fixed arm 30 connected to the second lifting arm are also respectively connected to the first mating wall 13a and the second mating wall 13b. That is, as Figure 6 As shown in the embodiment, the pivots 21 of adjacent lifting arms are staggered to the left and right, and since the two adjacent fixed arms 30 are respectively engaged with the first mating wall 13a and the second mating wall 13b, the two adjacent ice storage platforms are also opposite each other to the left and right; this increases the distance between the lifting arms, avoids collisions between the lifting arms, and improves the reliability of the lifting mechanism operation.

[0051] refer to Figure 4 In some embodiments, the first mating wall 13a is arc-shaped to adapt to the rotation trajectory of the second lifting arm; and / or

[0052] The second mating wall 13b is arc-shaped to match the rotation trajectory of the first lifting arm.

[0053] The mating of the wall and the lifting arm does not mean that they will come into contact. Rather, when the tip of the lifting arm sweeps across the wall, the distance between the tip and the wall remains constant. This distance can be zero, in which case there will be relative friction between the lifting arm and the wall. However, using a highly wear-resistant material can prevent them from wearing each other, thus improving the stability of the lifting arm. This distance can also be greater than zero, but keeping the distance constant ensures the stability of the system. This prevents small ice cubes from falling into the gap and jamming the lifting arm if the distance between the tip and the wall suddenly increases in certain positions.

[0054] refer to Figure 5 In some embodiments, the side of the fixed arm 30 facing upwards along the direction of gravity is arc-shaped to match the rotation trajectory of the lifting arm located on the same side of the fixed arm 30 facing upwards along the direction of gravity. Since the lifting arm also needs to sweep across one side of the fixed arm 30 during rotation, i.e., the side of the fixed arm 30 facing upwards along the direction of gravity, which can actually be considered as the surface of the ice storage platform, this side is arc-shaped, which can achieve the same technical effect as setting the mating wall to be arc-shaped to match the rotation trajectory of the lifting arm.

[0055] refer to Figure 7 In some embodiments, the lifting mechanism further includes a plurality of gears 40, each gear 40 being coaxially connected to the shaft 21 of a lifting arm, and the gears 40 corresponding to adjacent lifting arms meshing with each other. Figure 7 The perspective shown is Figure 6 The back view shown. Figure 6 Therefore, each lifting arm should rotate at the same angular velocity. This ensures that the second lifting arm can remove the ice block just as the first lifting arm reaches the corresponding ice storage platform, preventing the ice block from obstructing the rotation of the first lifting arm. Thus, a configuration such as... Figure 7 The gear mechanism shown has gears 40 with the same number and size of teeth, fixedly connected to the shaft 21 of the lifting arm. Since each gear 40 rotates at a fixed angular velocity (when meshed and without skipping teeth), each lifting arm rotates at the same angular velocity. Simultaneously, because adjacent gears 40 rotate in opposite directions, adjacent lifting arms also rotate in opposite directions. It is evident that the gears 40 control the rotation phase of each lifting arm, improving the stability of the engagement between the lifting arms and preventing interference. Furthermore, the gears 40 can also serve as a torque transmitter; rotating the corresponding gear 40 in any lifting arm will cause all the other lifting arms to rotate, simplifying the supply of torque to the lifting arms.

[0056] refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 In some embodiments, the inner wall of the lifting channel 13 includes a bottom wall 13c in the direction of gravity, and the bottom wall 13c is provided with a second through hole 14 penetrating through the bottom wall 13c in the direction of gravity; the lifting mechanism also includes an ice storage box 50, which is disposed on the side of the bottom wall 13c opposite to the ice outlet 11, and the opening of the ice storage box 50 is opposite to the second through hole 14 to accommodate ice fragments falling from the second through hole 14. In this way, ice fragments during transportation can fall into the ice storage box 50 through the second through hole 14, avoiding the accumulation of ice fragments in the lifting channel 13 and improving the operational reliability of the lifting mechanism.

[0057] This application also provides a refrigerator, which includes an ice maker as described in any of the above embodiments. In some embodiments, the ice maker further includes an ice-making and ice-storing mechanism and an ice-dispensing mechanism, for example... Figure 2 In the embodiment, the ice-making and ice-storage mechanisms are the ice-making system 60 and the ice-storage system 70, and the ice-discharging mechanisms are the ice-crushing system 80 and the distribution system 90. Along the direction of gravity, the ice-discharging mechanism is positioned above the ice-making and ice-storage mechanisms, as shown below. Figure 3 As shown, the lifting pipe 10 may be equipped with an ice inlet 12 connected to the lifting channel 13, and the ice inlet 12 is located below the lifting mechanism along the direction of gravity; the ice-making and ice-storing mechanism is used to convey ice blocks to the ice inlet 12; the ice-discharging mechanism is used to receive the ice blocks output from the ice outlet 11. This ensures that the storage space of each storage compartment of the refrigerator is sufficient, and at the same time, the ice storage space of the ice maker can be appropriately increased, thereby increasing the ice storage capacity.

[0058] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0059] In the description of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features.

[0060] The ice maker and refrigerator provided in the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The description of the above embodiments is only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this application. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope based on the ideas of this application. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

Claims

1. An ice maker, used in a refrigerator, characterized in that, include: A lifting pipe is provided, extending along the direction of gravity. The lifting pipe has a lifting channel inside and an ice outlet communicating with the lifting channel. A lifting mechanism is disposed within the lifting channel and located below the ice outlet along the direction of gravity. The lifting mechanism includes at least one lifting arm, each of which is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the lifting channel to lift the ice in the lifting pipe to the ice outlet. There are multiple lifting arms, which are spaced apart along the direction of gravity. The multiple lifting arms work together to transport the ice upward along the direction of gravity. Two adjacent lifting arms include a first lifting arm and a second lifting arm. The first lifting arm is located below the second lifting arm along the direction of gravity. The first lifting arm rotates to transport the ice in the lifting pipe upward along the direction of gravity to the lifting channel corresponding to the second lifting arm. The second lifting arm rotates to transport the ice transported by the rotation of the first lifting arm upward along the direction of gravity. The lifting channel is equipped with an ice storage platform, which is used to store the ice after being lifted by the first lifting arm. The second lifting arm lifts the ice on the ice storage platform toward the ice outlet.

2. The ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting pipe is also equipped with a fixed arm, and the inner wall of the lifting channel includes a mating wall. The fixed arm is connected to the mating wall and extends from the mating wall into the lifting channel to form the ice storage platform.

3. The ice maker according to claim 2, characterized in that, The lifting arm is rotatably connected to the end of the fixed arm away from the mating wall, and the fixed arm is provided with a first through hole for the lifting arm to pass through.

4. The ice maker according to claim 3, characterized in that, The lifting arm includes a rotating shaft and multiple rotating plates connected to the rotating shaft. The multiple rotating plates are spaced apart along the axial direction of the rotating shaft. The first through hole includes multiple avoidance holes, each of which allows one of the rotating plates to pass through.

5. The ice maker according to claim 4, characterized in that, Each of the rotating plates includes a first arm and a second arm connected to opposite sides of the rotating shaft; the normal to the surface of the rotating plate is in the same direction as the axial direction of the rotating shaft of the lifting arm; the first arm and the second arm can pass through the avoidance hole during rotation.

6. The ice maker according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first lifting arm rotates along a first direction to lift the ice along the direction of gravity onto the ice storage platform corresponding to the first lifting arm; the second lifting arm rotates in the opposite direction of the first direction to lift the ice stored on the ice storage platform corresponding to the first lifting arm along the direction of gravity onto the ice storage platform corresponding to the second lifting arm. The first lifting arm and the second lifting arm are offset from each other during rotation.

7. The ice maker according to claim 2, characterized in that, The projections of the pivots of the first lifting arm and the second lifting arm in the extension direction of the lifting pipe are spaced apart from each other. The mating wall includes a first mating wall and a second mating wall that are disposed opposite to each other. The fixed arm connected to the first lifting arm and the fixed arm connected to the second lifting arm are also respectively connected to the first mating wall and the second mating wall.

8. The ice maker according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first mating wall is arc-shaped to adapt to the rotation trajectory of the second lifting arm; and / or The second mating wall is arc-shaped to match the rotation trajectory of the first lifting arm.

9. The ice maker according to claim 7, characterized in that, The fixed arm is arc-shaped on the side facing upward along the direction of gravity, so as to match the rotation trajectory of the lifting arm located on the side of the fixed arm facing upward along the direction of gravity.

10. The ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting mechanism also includes multiple gears, each gear being coaxially connected to the shaft of one of the lifting arms, and the gears corresponding to adjacent lifting arms meshing with each other.

11. The ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner wall of the lifting channel includes a bottom wall in the direction of gravity, and the bottom wall is provided with a second through hole penetrating the bottom wall in the direction of gravity; the lifting mechanism also includes an ice storage box, which is disposed on the side of the bottom wall away from the ice outlet, and the opening of the ice storage box is opposite to the second through hole to accommodate ice fragments falling from the second through hole.

12. A refrigerator, characterized in that, The refrigerator includes an ice maker as described in any one of claims 1-11.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12, characterized in that, The ice maker further includes an ice-making and ice-storage mechanism and an ice-discharging mechanism; the ice-discharging mechanism is located above the ice-making and ice-storage mechanism along the direction of gravity, and the lifting pipe has an ice inlet communicating with the lifting channel, the ice inlet being located below the lifting mechanism along the direction of gravity; the ice-making and ice-storage mechanism is used to convey ice blocks to the ice inlet; the ice-discharging mechanism is used to receive the ice blocks output from the ice outlet.

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