Ice maker and refrigerator

Abstract

The invention provides an ice maker and a refrigerator, the ice maker comprises an ice making assembly and a water storage box, and the ice making assembly is used for making ice blocks; the water storage box is connected with the ice making assembly and used for supplying water to the ice making assembly, the water storage box comprises a box body and a cover body, the box body forms a water storage cavity with a water injection opening, the water storage cavity is suitable for storing water, and the cover body is rotationally connected with the box body and used for rotating relative to the box body to open or close the water injection opening. According to the ice maker, the cover body of the water storage box is arranged to be the turnover cover body, when water adding operation is carried out, the water injection opening can be opened or closed by turning over the cover body, water can be directly added into the water storage cavity through the water injection opening, the water storage box does not need to be moved, the convenience degree of the water adding operation of the ice maker is improved, the water storage box is prevented from being abraded, and the service life of the ice maker is prolonged. And better use experience can be brought to the user.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of household appliances, and in particular, relates to an ice maker and a refrigerator. Background Art

[0002] As living standards improve, people's demand for multifunctional refrigerators is also increasing. At present, some refrigerators on the market are equipped with ice makers to make ice cubes to meet users' needs for making ice drinks in summer.

[0003] The ice maker is usually installed in the refrigeration space of the refrigerator, and is usually composed of a water system, an ice making system, an ice storage system, and an ice dispensing system. The water system includes a water storage box for storing water to be injected into the ice making system. When the water in the water storage box is insufficient, the user needs to manually inject water into the water storage box. However, the water storage box of the existing ice maker needs to be taken out before adding water, which is very inconvenient. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide an ice maker and a refrigerator, which can solve the technical problem of inconvenient operation when filling water into a water storage box of the ice maker.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solutions:

[0006] An ice making machine, comprising:

[0007] An ice-making component, used for making ice cubes;

[0008] A water storage box is connected to the ice-making assembly and is used to supply water to the ice-making assembly. The water storage box includes a box body and a cover body. The box body forms a water storage cavity with a water injection port, and the water storage cavity is suitable for storing water. The cover body is rotatably connected to the box body and is used to rotate relative to the box body to open or close the water injection port.

[0009] In some embodiments, the box body includes a box body and a first connection portion provided on the box body, the cover body includes a cover plate and a second connection portion provided on the cover plate, the box body forms a water storage cavity having the water injection port, and the cover plate is rotatably connected to the box body to rotatably open or close the water injection port;

[0010] The first connection portion is suitable for connecting with the second connection portion so that the cover plate is locked on the box body and the water injection port is closed.

[0011] In some embodiments, one of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion is a locking tongue, and the other is a push-to-lock slot. The locking tongue is locked in the push-to-lock slot so that the cover is locked on the box body and the water inlet is closed. When the locking tongue and the push-to-lock slot are unlocked, the push-to-lock slot pops out the locking tongue, thereby detaching the cover from the box body.

[0012] In some embodiments, the cover body also includes a water diversion plate, the cover plate includes an inner wall facing the water storage chamber, one end of the water diversion plate is connected to the inner wall of the cover plate facing the water storage chamber, and the other end extends toward the water storage chamber, and the water diversion plate is used to divert the injected water into the water storage chamber.

[0013] In some embodiments, the water diversion plate includes a water diversion surface, which is an arc-shaped surface and extends toward the bottom of the water storage cavity.

[0014] In some embodiments, the cover body further includes a water baffle plate, which is connected to the water guide plate and extends toward a side away from the cover plate, and the water baffle plate is used to baffle water.

[0015] In some embodiments, the cover body is rotatably connected to the box body through a hinge assembly, the hinge assembly includes a hinge seat connected to the box body and a hinge shaft connected to the cover body, the hinge seat is provided with a track groove, and the shaft portion of the hinge shaft is suitable for moving along the track in the track groove;

[0016] When the cover moves from a closed state to an open state, the shaft moves from a first position to a second position relative to the track groove; when the cover moves from an open state to a closed state, the shaft moves from the second position to the first position relative to the track groove.

[0017] In some embodiments, the box body includes a transparent plate body, and the water storage cavity is further provided with an installation port connected to the outside. The transparent plate body is connected to the water storage cavity and closes the installation port to form a transparent window.

[0018] In some embodiments, the ice maker further includes a projection device, the transparent plate includes a reflector, and the projection device is used to project an image on the reflector to display the water storage status of the water storage box.

[0019] A refrigerator comprises a storage compartment and the above-mentioned ice maker, wherein the ice maker is arranged in the storage compartment.

[0020] The ice maker and refrigerator provided in the embodiments of the present application configure the cover of the water storage box as a flip-up cover. When adding water, the water inlet can be opened or closed by flipping the cover, and water can be directly added to the water storage chamber through the water inlet without moving the water storage box. This improves the convenience of the water adding operation of the ice maker, avoids wear of the water storage box, and can provide users with a better usage experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative work.

[0022] In order to more completely understand the present application and its beneficial effects, the following description will be given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals represent the same parts.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an ice maker provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the water storage box provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0025] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the hinge assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of a transparent plate and a projection device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a refrigerator provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] Description of reference numerals:

[0029] 10. Refrigerator;

[0030] 100, ice machine; 200, storage room;

[0031] 110, ice making assembly; 120, water storage box; 130, hinge assembly; 140, projection device;

[0032] 121, box body; 122, cover body; 131, hinge seat; 132, hinge shaft;

[0033] 1211, water inlet; 1212, water storage chamber; 1213, box body; 1214, first connecting part; 1215, transparent plate; 1221, cover plate; 1222, second connecting part; 1223, water guide plate; 1224, water retaining plate; 1311, track groove; 1312, first position; 1313, second position; 1321, shaft; 1215a, reflecting plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0035] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, which are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the said features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0036] “A and / or B” includes the following three combinations: A only, B only, and a combination of A and B.

[0037] The use of "suitable for" or "configured to" in this application is meant to be open and inclusive language, which does not exclude devices that are suitable for or configured to perform additional tasks or steps. In addition, the use of "based on" is meant to be open and inclusive, because the process, step, calculation or other action "based on" one or more stated conditions or values ​​can be based on additional conditions or values ​​beyond the stated values ​​in practice.

[0038] In this application, the word "exemplary" is used to mean "used as an example, illustration, or description." Any embodiment described in this application as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The following description is given to enable any technician in the field to implement and use the present application. In the following description, details are listed for the purpose of explanation. It should be understood that a person of ordinary skill in the art can recognize that the present application can be implemented without using these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and processes will not be elaborated in detail to avoid obscuring the description of the present application with unnecessary details. Therefore, the present application is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is consistent with the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed in the present application.

[0039] The present application embodiment provides an ice making machine, for example, see Figure 1-Figure 2 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the ice maker provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 The ice maker 100 includes an ice making assembly 110 and a water storage box 120 .

[0040] Among them, the ice-making component 110 is used to make ice cubes; the water storage box 120 is connected to the ice-making component 110, and is used to supply water to the ice-making component 110. The water storage box 120 includes a box body 121 and a cover body 122. The box body 121 forms a water storage cavity 1212 with a water injection port 1211. The water storage cavity 1212 is suitable for storing water. The cover body 122 is rotatably connected to the box body 121, and is used to rotate relative to the box body 121 to open or close the water injection port 1211.

[0041] It should be noted that the ice making of the ice maker 100 needs to go through a water injection stage, a freezing stage and an ice separation stage. The ice making assembly 110, for example, includes a water injection module, an ice making module and an ice separation module. In the water injection stage, the ice making assembly 110 takes water from the water storage chamber 1212 through its water injection module and evenly distributes the water to the ice making module; in the freezing stage, the cold energy generated by the refrigeration system is transmitted to the ice making module so that the water in the ice making tray of the ice making module is gradually cooled down until it freezes to form ice cubes; in the ice separation stage, the ice making assembly 110 will separate the ice cubes from the ice making box through the ice separation module, and rotate the ice making tray so that the ice cubes fall into the ice storage box.

[0042] In actual application, when the amount of water stored in the water storage box 120 is insufficient, the user can flip the cover 122 to the open position to open the water injection port 1211, and then add water to the water storage chamber 1212 through the water injection port 1211. In this way, the user does not need to take out the water storage box 120 when filling water into the water storage box 120, which not only makes the water adding operation of the ice maker 100 more convenient, but also the water storage box 120 does not need to be moved, which can reduce wear and prevent water from spilling. After the user has finished adding water, the cover 122 can be flipped to the closed position to close the water injection port 1211. In this way, it can prevent dirt from entering the water storage chamber 1212 through the water injection port 1211 and causing water pollution, thereby ensuring the hygiene of ice making.

[0043] It should be noted that the ice maker 100 of the present application can also be configured in household appliances such as a refrigerator 10, a water dispenser, and a smart kitchen system.

[0044] The ice maker 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application sets the cover body 122 of the water storage box 120 as a flip-up cover body 122. When adding water, the water inlet 1211 can be opened or closed by flipping the cover body 122, and water can be directly added to the water storage chamber 1212 through the water inlet 1211 without moving the water storage box 120. This improves the convenience of the water adding operation of the ice maker 100, avoids wear and tear of the water storage box 120, and can bring a better user experience to the user.

[0045] Optionally, the box body 121 includes a box body 1213 and a first connection portion 1214 disposed on the box body 1213, the cover body 122 includes a cover plate 1221 and a second connection portion 1222 disposed on the cover plate 1221, the box body 1213 forms a water storage chamber 1212 having a water injection port 1211, the cover plate 1221 is rotatably connected to the box body 1213 to rotatably open or close the water injection port 1211; the first connection portion 1214 is suitable for connecting with the second connection portion 1222, so that the cover plate 1221 is locked on the box body 1213 and closes the water injection port 1211. In this way, by rotating the cover plate 1221 to the closed position and connecting the first connection portion 1214 to the second connection portion 1222, the cover body 122 can be locked on the box body 1213 and the water injection port 1211 can be tightly closed, so as to prevent the cover body 122 from being vibrated and flipped open, which affects the hygiene of ice making.

[0046] Preferably, a sealing ring is also provided on the outer wall of the box body 1213, and the sealing ring is arranged around the outer periphery of the water injection port 1211. When the first connection part 1214 is connected to the second connection part 1222, the cover plate 1221 is sealed and connected to the box body 1213 through the sealing ring; in this way, it is possible to prevent dirt from entering the water injection port 1211 through the gap between the cover plate 1221 and the box body 1213, thereby improving the hygiene of ice making. Exemplarily, an annular groove is recessed on the outer wall of the box body 1213, and the annular groove is arranged around the water injection port 1211; the sealing ring is conformably embedded in the annular groove; an annular rib is convexly provided on the inner wall of the cover plate 1221 facing the water storage chamber 1212; when the first connection part 1214 is connected to the second connection part 1222, the annular rib is inserted into the annular groove and has an interference fit with the sealing ring.

[0047] Optionally, one of the first connection portion 1214 and the second connection portion 1222 is a lock tongue, and the other is a push-open lock slot. The lock tongue is locked in the push-open lock slot, so that the cover 1221 is locked on the box body 1213 and the water inlet 1211 is closed. When the lock tongue is unlocked from the push-open lock slot, the push-open lock slot pops out the lock tongue, so that the cover 1221 is detached from the box body 1213. For example, Figure 2 As shown, the first connection portion 1214 is a push-up lock slot, and the second connection portion 1222 is a lock tongue. In actual application, when the user needs to lock the cover plate 1221 to the box body 1213, pressure toward the push-up lock slot can be applied to the lock tongue until the lock tongue is locked in the push-up lock slot, so as to fix the cover plate 1221 in the closed position. When the user needs to unlock the cover plate 1221, pressure toward the push-up lock slot can be applied to the lock tongue again until the lock tongue and the push-up lock slot are unlocked. When the push-up lock slot and the lock tongue are unlocked, a thrust is generated on the lock tongue based on the elastic deformation of the internal elastic member. After the user stops applying pressure to the lock tongue, the lock tongue pops out of the push-up lock slot under the action of the thrust, and drives the cover body 122 to rotate to open the water injection port 1211.

[0048] Optionally, the first connection part 1214 and the second connection part 1222 may also be magnetic parts, and the first connection part 1214 and the second connection part 1222 are attracted to each other, so that the cover plate 1221 is locked on the box body 1213 and the water inlet 1211 is closed.

[0049] In some embodiments, the cover body 122 further includes a water guide plate 1223, the cover plate 1221 includes an inner wall facing the water storage chamber 1212, one end of the water guide plate 1223 is connected to the inner wall of the cover plate 1221 facing the water storage chamber 1212, and the other end extends toward the water storage chamber 1212, and the water guide plate 1223 is used to guide the injected water into the water storage chamber 1212. It can be understood that when the cover plate 1221 is flipped to the open position, one end of the water guide plate 1223 is extended to the outside of the box body 1213 as the cover plate 1221 rotates, and the other end extends toward the water storage chamber 1212. When adding water, the user does not need to extend the water outlet of the external water source into the water storage chamber 1212 to add water. The user can pour water on the end of the water guide plate 1223 that extends out. After that, the water flows from the end of the water guide plate 1223 that extends out to the end of the water guide plate 1223 that is close to the water storage chamber 1212, and finally flows into the water storage chamber 1212. In this way, the convenience of the water adding operation of the ice maker 100 can be further improved. Optionally, the water guide plate 1223 includes a water guide surface, which is an arc-shaped surface and extends toward the bottom of the water storage chamber 1212. In this way, the drainage efficiency of the water guide plate 1223 can be improved.

[0050] In some embodiments, the cover body 122 further includes a water retaining plate 1224, which is connected to the water guide plate 1223 and extends toward a side away from the cover plate 1221, and the water retaining plate 1224 is used to retain water. Figure 2 As shown, both left and right ends of the water guide plate 1223 and one end connected to the cover plate 1221 are provided with water baffles 1224 , and the water baffles 1224 are used to prevent the injected water from splashing out of the water storage box 120 .

[0051] In some embodiments, see Figure 3 , Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the hinge assembly provided in the embodiment of the present application. The cover 122 is rotatably connected to the box body 121 through the hinge assembly 130. The hinge assembly 130 includes a hinge seat 131 fixed on the box body 121 and a hinge shaft 132 fixed on the cover 122. The hinge seat 131 is provided with a track groove 1311. The shaft portion 1321 of the hinge shaft 132 is suitable for moving along the track in the track groove 1311. When the cover 122 moves from the closed state to the open state, the shaft portion 1321 moves from the first position 1312 to the second position 1313 relative to the track groove 1311; when the cover 122 moves from the open state to the closed state, the shaft portion 1321 moves from the second position 1313 to the first position 1312 relative to the track groove 1311. In this way, the stability and smoothness of the cover 122 when it is opened and closed can be improved, and the feel and experience of the user when operating can be improved. Optionally, the track groove 1311 is an arc groove.

[0052] In some embodiments, the box body 121 includes a transparent plate body 1215, and the water storage chamber 1212 is also provided with an installation port connected to the outside. The transparent plate body 1215 is connected to the water storage chamber 1212 and closes the installation port to form a transparent window. In this way, the user can observe the remaining water storage in the water storage chamber 1212 through the transparent window to determine whether water addition operation is required. Preferably, the installation port extends from the top of the water storage chamber 1212 to the bottom of the water storage chamber 1212, so that the user can observe the water storage. The highest water level and the lowest water level can also be marked on the transparent plate body 1215, wherein the highest water level is used to remind the user that the water cannot exceed the highest water level when adding water, and the lowest water level is used to remind the user that the water addition operation is required when the water level is lower than the lowest water level, otherwise the ice cannot be made normally. Among them, the material of the transparent plate body 1215 can be glass, acrylic plate or other transparent materials.

[0053] Optionally, see Figure 4 , Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a transparent plate and a projection device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The ice maker 100 also includes a projection device 140, and the transparent plate 1215 includes a reflector. The projection device 140 is used to project an image on the reflector to display the water storage status of the water storage box 120. Among them, the reflector is usually made of transparent glass or plastic, and the surface is coated with a special reflective coating, which can reflect light of a specific wavelength, such as the light projected by the projection device 140, while allowing other light to pass through. The water storage status is used to prompt the user, for example, the amount of water and whether water needs to be added at present. It can be understood that compared to installing a display panel on the box body 121, using the projection device 140 to project on the reflector can not only improve the aesthetics, but also can achieve display without affecting the user's observation of the water level through the transparent plate 1215.

[0054] The ice maker 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application sets the cover body 122 of the water storage box 120 as a flip-up cover body 122. When adding water, the water inlet 1211 can be opened or closed by flipping the cover body 122, and water can be directly added to the water storage chamber 1212 through the water inlet 1211 without moving the water storage box 120. This improves the convenience of the water adding operation of the ice maker 100, avoids wear and tear of the water storage box 120, and can bring a better user experience to the user.

[0055] The present application also provides a refrigerator, for example, see Figure 5 , Figure 5 The refrigerator 10 includes a storage compartment 200 and an ice maker 100 in any of the above embodiments, and the ice maker 100 is disposed in the storage compartment 200. The storage compartment 200 may be a cold storage compartment of the refrigerator 10.

[0056] Preferably, the water inlet 1211 of the water storage box 120 is arranged toward the door of the storage compartment 200. In this way, after the user opens the door of the storage compartment 200, the cover 122 is flipped to the open position, and the water inlet 1211 can be directed toward the outside of the refrigerator 10, so that the user can add water to the water storage box 120 conveniently.

[0057] The refrigerator 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application, by setting the cover body 122 of the water storage box 120 of the ice maker 100 as a flip-up cover body 122, when the ice maker 100 is added with water, the water filling port 1211 can be opened or closed by flipping the cover body 122, and water can be directly added to the water storage chamber 1212 through the water filling port 1211 without moving the water storage box 120, thereby improving the convenience of the water adding operation of the ice maker 100, avoiding wear and tear of the water storage box 120, and being able to bring a better user experience to the user.

[0058] The ice maker and refrigerator provided in the embodiments of the present application are introduced in detail above. Specific examples are used herein to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and core idea of ​​the present application. At the same time, for technicians in this field, according to the idea of ​​the present application, there will be changes in the specific implementation method and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

Claims

1. An ice making machine, characterized in that: include: An ice-making component, used for making ice cubes; A water storage box is connected to the ice-making assembly and is used to supply water to the ice-making assembly. The water storage box includes a box body and a cover body. The box body forms a water storage cavity with a water injection port, and the water storage cavity is suitable for storing water. The cover body is rotatably connected to the box body and is used to rotate relative to the box body to open or close the water injection port.

2. The ice making machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The box body includes a box body and a first connecting portion arranged on the box body, the cover body includes a cover plate and a second connecting portion arranged on the cover plate, the box body forms a water storage cavity having the water injection port, and the cover plate is rotatably connected to the box body to rotatably open or close the water injection port; The first connection portion is suitable for connecting with the second connection portion so that the cover plate is locked on the box body and the water injection port is closed.

3. The ice making machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: One of the first connecting part and the second connecting part is a locking tongue, and the other is a push-to-lock groove. The locking tongue is locked in the push-to-lock groove so that the cover is locked on the box body and the water inlet is closed. When the locking tongue and the push-to-lock groove are unlocked, the push-to-lock groove pops out the locking tongue, so that the cover is detached from the box body.

4. The ice making machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cover body also includes a water diversion plate, which includes an inner wall facing the water storage cavity. One end of the water diversion plate is connected to the inner wall of the cover plate facing the water storage cavity, and the other end extends toward the water storage cavity. The water diversion plate is used to divert the injected water into the water storage cavity.

5. The ice making machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The water diversion plate comprises a water diversion surface, which is an arc-shaped surface and extends toward the bottom of the water storage cavity.

6. The ice making machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The cover body also includes a water baffle plate, which is connected to the water guide plate and extends toward a side away from the cover plate, and is used for blocking water.

7. The ice making machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The cover body is rotatably connected to the box body through a hinge assembly, the hinge assembly includes a hinge seat connected to the box body and a hinge shaft connected to the cover body, the hinge seat is provided with a track groove, and the shaft portion of the hinge shaft is suitable for moving along the track in the track groove; When the cover moves from a closed state to an open state, the shaft moves from a first position to a second position relative to the track groove; when the cover moves from an open state to a closed state, the shaft moves from the second position to the first position relative to the track groove.

8. The ice making machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The box body includes a transparent plate body, and the water storage cavity is also provided with an installation opening communicating with the outside. The transparent plate body is connected to the water storage cavity and closes the installation opening to form a transparent window.

9. The ice making machine according to claim 8, characterized in that: It also includes a projection device, the transparent plate includes a reflector, and the projection device is used to project an image on the reflector to display the water storage status of the water storage box.

10. A refrigerator, characterized in that: The invention comprises a storage compartment and an ice maker according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the ice maker is arranged in the storage compartment.

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