Ice maker and refrigerator

Abstract

The present application provides an ice maker and a refrigerator, the ice maker comprising: a shell, the shell being U-shaped, the bottom of the shell being provided with an opening, the top of the shell being provided with a water inlet; an upper mold, the upper mold being connected to the shell and being provided in the opening; a motor assembly, the motor assembly being connected to the shell and being provided in the opening; a lower mold, the lower mold being connected to the motor assembly; the lower mold being provided with a first state position and a second state position, when the lower mold is in the first state position, the upper mold and the lower mold are brought close to each other to form a spherical mold cavity; when the lower mold is in the second state position, the upper mold and the lower mold are separated from each other, so as to solve the problem that the ice maker equipped in the current refrigerator can only make cube ice or crescent ice.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] With the formation of ice drink culture, in order to meet users' daily ice needs, an ice-making room for making and storing ice cubes is set in the refrigerator. The ice makers equipped in existing refrigerators can only make cube ice or crescent ice.

[0003] Compared with cube ice or crescent ice, spherical ice has the advantages of crystal clear appearance, high transparency, ability to maintain the temperature and taste of drinks, good thermal insulation effect, slow melting speed, and no dilution of wine, etc., and is deeply loved by users.

[0004] However, due to the special shape of spherical ice, the existing cube ice and crescent ice ice making methods cannot achieve the production of spherical ice. In order to remove ice and retain water, the spherical ice making machine needs two half molds to form a core cavity to complete ice making, which brings many technical problems, such as: mold opening and closing structure design, ice removal structure design, water adding structure design and sealing problem when the two half molds of the core cavity are closed. Utility Model Content

[0005] The present application provides an ice maker and a refrigerator to solve the technical problem that the ice maker equipped in the existing refrigerator can only make cube ice or crescent ice.

[0006] The first aspect of the present application provides an ice making machine, comprising:

[0007] A shell, wherein the shell is U-shaped, an opening is provided at the bottom of the shell, and a water inlet is provided at the top of the shell;

[0008] An upper half mold, the upper half mold is connected to the shell and is arranged in the opening;

[0009] A motor assembly, the motor assembly is connected to the housing and is disposed in the opening;

[0010] The lower half mold is connected to the motor assembly; the lower half mold is provided with a first state position and a second state position, when the lower half mold is in the first state position, the upper half mold and the lower half mold are close to each other to form a spherical mold cavity; when the lower half mold is in the second state position, the upper half mold and the lower half mold are separated from each other.

[0011] In some embodiments, the upper mold half comprises:

[0012] A first outer formwork, wherein fixing feet are arranged on the top of the first outer formwork in a length direction, and the fixing feet are arranged on both sides of the first outer formwork respectively; the first outer formwork is connected to the shell through the fixing feet;

[0013] The first inner mold shell is connected to the first outer mold shell, the first inner mold shell is provided with a plurality of hemispherical mold cavities, the top of the hemispherical mold cavity is provided with a water injection port, and the water injection port and the water adding port are located in the same vertical direction.

[0014] In some embodiments, the motor assembly comprises:

[0015] A motor, the motor is connected to the housing and is provided with a rotating part;

[0016] a first gear, the first gear being rotatably connected to the rotating part;

[0017] a transmission rod, one end of which is rotatably connected to the first gear;

[0018] A second gear is rotatably connected to the other end of the transmission rod.

[0019] In some embodiments, the lower mold half comprises:

[0020] A second outer mold shell, wherein a plurality of first through holes are arranged on the second outer mold shell; a fixing ring is arranged on one side of the second outer mold shell along the length direction, and the lower half mold is sleeved on the transmission rod and connected to the motor assembly through the fixing ring;

[0021] The second inner mold shell is provided with a plurality of second through holes; the second inner mold shell is connected with the second outer mold shell to form a plurality of hemispherical mold cavities.

[0022] In some embodiments, the lower mold half further comprises:

[0023] A soft inner shell is arranged between the second outer shell and the second inner shell, and a heating wire is arranged at the through hole of the soft inner shell.

[0024] In some embodiments, the ice making machine further comprises:

[0025] A water adding tank, the water adding tank is slidably connected to the motor assembly and the upper half mold; a water storage tank is arranged on the top of the water adding tank, and a plurality of water outlets are arranged in the water storage tank; a plurality of water adding conduits are arranged at the bottom of the water storage tank, and the water adding conduits are connected to the water outlets; the water adding conduits and the water injection port are located in the same vertical direction.

[0026] In some embodiments, gear rods and strip-shaped holes are arranged on both sides of the water adding tank in a length direction; the gear rods are respectively meshed with the first gear and the second gear;

[0027] Limiting rods are arranged on both sides of the first outer mold shell, and the limiting rods are relatively arranged on both sides of the first outer mold shell along the width direction; the limiting rods are slidably connected to the strip-shaped holes;

[0028] The water adding tank is provided with a third state position and a fourth state position; when the water adding tank is in the third state position, the water adding conduit passes through the water injection port and is located in the hemispherical mold cavity; when the water adding tank is in the fourth state position, the water adding conduit is located outside the hemispherical mold cavity.

[0029] In some embodiments, the ice making machine further comprises:

[0030] The stripping plate is connected to the shell, arranged in the opening, and arranged on the side close to the water adding tank; a plurality of stripping ejector rods are arranged on the side of the stripping plate close to the water adding tank; when the lower half mold is in the second state position, the lower half mold abuts against the stripping ejector rods.

[0031] A second aspect of the present application provides a refrigerator, comprising:

[0032] An ice maker as described in any one of the first aspects above, arranged in a freezing compartment;

[0033] The ice maker is arranged in the refrigeration room;

[0034] The refrigeration compartment is also provided with an ice drawer, and the ice drawer is arranged at the bottom of the ice maker.

[0035] In some embodiments, the refrigeration room is further provided with a cube ice maker;

[0036] The freezing drawer is provided with a partition so as to separate the freezing drawer into a first chamber and a second chamber; the first chamber is used for storing spherical ice, and the second chamber is used for storing cube ice.

[0037] The present application provides an ice maker and a refrigerator, the ice maker comprising: a shell, the shell being U-shaped, the bottom of the shell being provided with an opening, the top of the shell being provided with a water inlet; an upper mold, the upper mold being connected to the shell and being provided in the opening; a motor assembly, the motor assembly being connected to the shell and being provided in the opening; a lower mold, the lower mold being connected to the motor assembly; the lower mold being provided with a first state position and a second state position, when the lower mold is in the first state position, the upper mold and the lower mold are brought close to each other to form a spherical mold cavity; when the lower mold is in the second state position, the upper mold and the lower mold are separated from each other, so that the ice maker equipped with the refrigerator can make spherical ice. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments are briefly introduced below. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0039] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure inside the ice maker in this application;

[0040] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the ice making machine in this application;

[0041] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the upper half mold in this application;

[0042] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the motor assembly in this application;

[0043] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the lower half mold in this application;

[0044] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure after the motor assembly is connected to the lower half mold in this application;

[0045] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of adding a water tank in this application;

[0046] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the stripping plate in this application;

[0047] Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure after the upper half mold and the lower half mold are molded together in this application;

[0048] Fig.10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure after the upper and lower molds are separated in this application;

[0049] Fig.11 It is a structural schematic diagram of the refrigerator in this application.

[0050] Description of reference numerals:

[0051] 1-shell; 2-upper mold; 21-first outer mold shell; 211-fixed foot; 22-first inner mold shell; 221-hemispherical mold cavity; 222-water inlet; 3-motor assembly; 31-motor; 32-first gear; 33-transmission rod; 34-second gear; 4-lower mold; 41-second outer mold shell; 411-first through hole; 412-fixed ring; 42-second inner mold shell; 421-second through hole; 43-soft inner shell; 431-heating wire; 5-water adding tank; 51-water storage tank; 52-water adding conduit; 53-tooth rod; 54-strip hole; 6-stripping plate; 61-stripping ejector rod; 7-icing drawer; 71-partition; 8-spherical ice maker; 9-square ice maker. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described 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, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0053] Since in some technologies, the ice maker equipped with the refrigerator can only make ice cubes or crescent ice, in order to solve this technical problem, the present application provides an ice maker and a refrigerator. The structures of the various parts of the ice maker and the refrigerator are described below:

[0054] Depend on Figure 1 and Figure 2 It can be seen that the first aspect of the present application provides an ice making machine, including: a shell 1, the shell 1 is U-shaped, the bottom of the shell 1 is provided with an opening, and the top of the shell 1 is provided with a water inlet; the shell 1 is used to fix an upper mold 2, a motor assembly 3, and a stripper plate 6; an upper mold 2, the upper mold 2 is connected to the shell 1 and is arranged in the opening; a motor assembly 3, the motor assembly 3 is connected to the shell 1 and is arranged in the opening; the motor assembly 3 is used to drive the lower mold 4 to rotate to achieve mold closing and mold separation between the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 4; a lower mold 4, the lower mold 4 is connected to the motor assembly 3; the lower mold 4 is provided with a first state position and a second state position, when the lower mold 4 is in the first state position, the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 4 are close to each other to form a spherical mold cavity; when the lower mold 4 is in the second state position, the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 4 are separated from each other.

[0055] The present application provides an ice making machine, which adds water into the spherical mold cavity formed by the upper half mold 2 and the lower half mold 4 through the water inlet, and forms spherical ice after the water in the spherical mold cavity freezes. Fig. 9As shown, the upper half mold 2 and the lower half mold 4 are separated from each other by the motor assembly 3, as shown in FIG. Fig.10 As shown, the spherical ice is separated from the upper mold 2 or the lower mold 4, so that the ice maker can make spherical ice. Compared with the left and right half mold structures, the upper and lower half mold structures provided by the present application can prevent the water injected into the spherical mold cavity from overflowing from the spherical mold cavity, thereby ensuring that the shape of the spherical ice is fuller.

[0056] Depend on Figure 3 It can be known that the upper mold 2 includes: a first outer mold shell 21, the top of the first outer mold shell 21 is relatively provided with fixed feet 211 along the length direction, and the fixed feet 211 are respectively provided on both sides of the first outer mold shell 21; the first outer mold shell 21 is connected to the shell 1 through the fixed feet 211; the first inner mold shell 22, the first inner mold shell 22 is connected to the first outer mold shell 21, and the first inner mold shell 22 is provided with a plurality of hemispherical mold cavities 221, and the top of the hemispherical mold cavity 221 is provided with a water injection port 222, and the water injection port 222 and the water inlet are located in the same vertical direction. The first inner mold shell 22 is sleeved and clamped in the first outer mold shell 21, and water is injected into the water injection port 222 provided on the upper mold shell 2, thereby filling the spherical mold cavity formed by the upper mold shell 2 and the lower mold shell 4, thereby producing spherical ice.

[0057] Depend on Figure 4 It can be seen that the motor assembly 3 includes: a motor 31, which is connected to the housing 1 and is provided with a rotating part; a first gear 32, which is rotatably connected to the rotating part; a transmission rod 33, one end of which is rotatably connected to the first gear 32; and a second gear 34, which is rotatably connected to the other end of the transmission rod 33. The motor 31 drives the first gear 32 to rotate, the first gear 32 drives the transmission rod 33 to rotate, and the transmission rod 33 drives the second gear 34 to rotate, and the second gear 34 drives the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 4 to move closer to and separate from each other through the rotation of the second gear 34, thereby realizing the opening and closing of the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 4.

[0058] Depend on Figure 5 It can be seen that the lower half mold 4 includes: a second outer mold shell 41, and a plurality of first through holes 411 are provided on the second outer mold shell 41; a fixing ring 412 is relatively provided on one side of the second outer mold shell 41 along the length direction, and the lower half mold 4 is sleeved on the transmission rod 33 and connected to the motor assembly 3 through the fixing ring 412, as shown in FIG. Figure 6As shown; a second inner mold shell 42, on which a plurality of second through holes 421 are arranged; the second inner mold shell 42 is connected with the second outer mold shell 41 to form a plurality of hemispherical mold cavities. The lower mold half 4 is fixed to the transmission rod 33 through the fixing ring 412, and the lower mold half 4 is driven to rotate by the motor 31. When the upper mold half 2 and the lower mold half 4 are molded together, a complete spherical mold cavity is formed to generate spherical ice.

[0059] Depend on Figure 5 It can be seen that the lower mold 4 further includes: a soft inner shell 43, the soft inner shell 43 is arranged between the second outer mold shell 41 and the second inner mold shell 42, and a heating wire 431 is arranged at the through hole of the soft inner shell 43. The soft inner shell 43 makes the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 4 connected more closely, so that when water is injected into the spherical mold cavity formed between the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 4, the injected water will not overflow from the spherical mold cavity. Through the arrangement of the heating wire 431, the heating wire 431 is automatically turned on when demolding, thereby further preventing the spherical ice from adhering to the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 4, making the spherical ice easier to demold.

[0060] Depend on Figure 7 It can be known that the ice making machine described above further includes: a water adding tank 5, the water adding tank 5 is slidably connected with the motor assembly 3 and the upper half mold 2; a water storage tank 51 is arranged on the top of the water adding tank 5, and a plurality of water outlets are arranged in the water storage tank 51; a plurality of water adding pipes 52 are arranged on the bottom of the water storage tank 51, and the water adding pipes 52 are connected with the water outlets; the water adding pipes 52 and the water injection port 222 are located in the same vertical direction. The water storage tank 51 corresponds to the water adding port position of the shell, and the user injects water into the water adding port position, and the injected water falls into the water storage tank 51, passes through the water outlet and the water adding pipes 52 and slides into the spherical mold cavity formed between the upper half mold 2 and the lower half mold 4, completing the water injection into the spherical mold cavity. The setting of the water adding tank 5 prevents water from overflowing to the outside of the spherical mold cavity when injecting water into the water adding port.

[0061] Depend on Figure 7It can be seen that the two sides of the water adding groove 5 are relatively provided with gear rods 53 and strip holes 54 along the length direction; the gear rods 53 are meshed with the first gear 32 and the second gear 34 respectively; the two sides of the first outer mold shell 21 are provided with limit rods 212, and the limit rods 212 are relatively provided at the two sides of the first outer mold shell 21 along the width direction; the limit rods 212 are slidably connected to the strip holes 54; the water adding groove 5 is provided with a third state position and a fourth state position; when the water adding groove 5 is in the third state position, the water adding conduit 52 passes through the water injection port 222 and is located in the hemispherical mold cavity 221; when the water adding groove 5 is in the fourth state position, the water adding conduit 52 is located outside the hemispherical mold cavity 221. When the water adding groove 5 is in the third state position, the lower half mold 4 is in the second state position; when the water adding groove 5 is in the fourth state position, the lower half mold 4 is in the first state position. When the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 4 are separated, the water adding trough 5 moves downward under the limit of the limit rod 212 with the cooperation of the first gear 32, the second gear 34 and the gear rod 53. At this time, the water adding conduit 52 penetrates into the spherical mold cavity through the water injection port 222, that is, the water adding trough 5 is in the third state position, and the spherical ice adhered to the upper mold 2 is ejected; when the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 4 are closed, the water adding trough 5 moves upward under the limit of the limit rod 212 with the cooperation of the first gear 32, the second gear 34 and the gear rod 53, and the water adding trough 5 is pulled out of the hemispherical mold cavity 221, that is, the water adding trough 5 is in the fourth state position. At this time, water can be added to the spherical mold cavity formed between the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 4 through the water adding conduit 52.

[0062] Depend on Figure 8 It can be known that the ice making machine further includes: a stripper plate 6, the stripper plate 6 is connected to the housing 1, arranged in the opening, and arranged on a side close to the water tank 5; a plurality of stripper pins 61 are arranged on the side of the stripper plate 6 close to the water tank 5; when the lower mold 4 is in the second state, the lower mold 4 abuts against the stripper pins 61. When the water tank 5 is in the third state, that is, when the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 4 are separated, the lower mold 4 abuts against the stripper pins 61, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, the material of the lower mold 4 is a soft material. Through the action of the demoulding push rod 61, the demoulding push rod 61 and the lower mold 4 are squeezed so that the spherical ice adhering to the lower mold 4 is separated from the lower mold 4.

[0063] Depend on Fig.11It can be seen that the second aspect of the present application provides a refrigerator, comprising: an ice maker as described in any of the above embodiments arranged in a freezer compartment; the ice maker is arranged in a refrigeration compartment; the refrigeration compartment is also provided with an ice drawer 7, and the ice drawer 7 is arranged at the bottom of the ice maker. The ice drawer 7 is used to receive the spherical ice made by the ice maker. The effects of the above refrigerator embodiments can refer to the effects of the above ice maker embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0064] Depend on Fig.11 It can be seen that the refrigeration room is also provided with a cube ice maker 9; the icing drawer 7 is provided with a partition 71 to separate the icing drawer 7 into a first chamber and a second chamber; the first chamber is used to store spherical ice, and the second chamber is used to store cube ice. The refrigerator provided in the present application is not only provided with the ice maker provided in the present application, i.e., the spherical ice maker 8, but also provided with a cube ice maker 9, and the cube ice and spherical ice made by the ice maker are received by the icing drawer 7 provided below the above-mentioned ice maker, wherein the icing drawer 7 is provided with a first chamber and a second chamber, the first chamber corresponds to the spherical ice generation port of the spherical ice maker 8 provided in the present application for storing spherical ice, and the second chamber corresponds to the cube ice generation port of the cube ice maker 9 for storing cube ice, so that the refrigerator can not only make cube ice but also make spherical ice. Among them, although cube ice melts faster, it can achieve the effect of rapid cooling. Spherical ice has a crystal clear appearance, high transparency, good thermal insulation effect, and a slow melting speed. It can be used on beverages, can maintain the temperature and taste of the beverage, and will not dilute the taste of the beverage. Users can choose according to their needs.

[0065] The above specific implementation methods further explain in detail the purpose, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the above are only specific implementation methods of the embodiments of the present application and are not used to limit the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made on the basis of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. An ice making machine, characterized in that: include: A shell (1), the shell (1) is U-shaped, an opening is provided at the bottom of the shell (1), and a water inlet is provided at the top of the shell (1); An upper half mold (2), the upper half mold (2) is connected to the shell (1) and is arranged in the opening; A motor assembly (3), the motor assembly (3) being connected to the housing (1) and arranged in the opening; A lower mold (4), wherein the lower mold (4) is connected to the motor assembly (3); the lower mold (4) is provided with a first state position and a second state position, and when the lower mold (4) is in the first state position, the upper mold (2) and the lower mold (4) are brought close to each other to form a spherical mold cavity; when the lower mold (4) is in the second state position, the upper mold (2) and the lower mold (4) are separated from each other.

2. An ice making machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper half mold (2) comprises: A first outer formwork (21), wherein fixing feet (211) are arranged opposite to each other at the top of the first outer formwork (21) along the length direction, and the fixing feet (211) are respectively arranged on both sides of the first outer formwork (21); the first outer formwork (21) is connected to the housing (1) via the fixing feet (211); A first inner mold shell (22), wherein the first inner mold shell (22) is connected to the first outer mold shell (21), and the first inner mold shell (22) is provided with a plurality of hemispherical mold cavities (221), and a water injection port (222) is provided at the top of the hemispherical mold cavity (221), and the water injection port (222) and the water inlet are located in the same vertical direction.

3. An ice making machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The motor assembly (3) comprises: A motor (31), the motor (31) being connected to the housing (1), and the motor (31) being provided with a rotating part; a first gear (32), the first gear (32) being rotatably connected to the rotating part; a transmission rod (33), one end of which is rotatably connected to the first gear (32); A second gear (34), the second gear (34) is rotatably connected to the other end of the transmission rod (33).

4. An ice making machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The lower half mold (4) comprises: A second outer mold shell (41), wherein a plurality of first through holes (411) are provided on the second outer mold shell (41); a fixing ring (412) is relatively provided on one side of the second outer mold shell (41) along the length direction, and the lower half mold (4) is sleeved on the transmission rod (33) through the fixing ring (412) and connected to the motor assembly (3); A second inner mold shell (42), wherein a plurality of second through holes (421) are arranged on the second inner mold shell (42); the second inner mold shell (42) is connected to the second outer mold shell (41) to form a plurality of hemispherical mold cavities.

5. An ice making machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The lower half mold (4) also includes: A soft inner shell (43), wherein the soft inner shell (43) is arranged between the second outer shell (41) and the second inner shell (42), and a heating wire (431) is arranged at a through hole of the soft inner shell (43).

6. The ice making machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also includes: A water adding tank (5), wherein the water adding tank (5) is slidably connected to the motor assembly (3) and the upper half mold (2); a water storage tank (51) is arranged on the top of the water adding tank (5), and a plurality of water outlets are arranged in the water storage tank (51); a plurality of water adding conduits (52) are arranged on the bottom of the water storage tank (51), and the water adding conduits (52) are connected to the water outlets; the water adding conduits (52) and the water injection port (222) are located in the same vertical direction.

7. An ice making machine according to claim 6, characterized in that: Gear rods (53) and strip-shaped holes (54) are arranged opposite to each other along the length direction on both sides of the water adding groove (5); the gear rods (53) are respectively meshed with the first gear (32) and the second gear (34); Limiting rods (212) are arranged on both sides of the first outer mold shell (21), and the limiting rods (212) are arranged relatively on both sides of the first outer mold shell (21) along the width direction; the limiting rods (212) are slidably connected to the strip-shaped holes (54); The water adding trough (5) is provided with a third state position and a fourth state position; when the water adding trough (5) is in the third state position, the water adding conduit (52) passes through the water injection port (222) and is located inside the hemispherical mold cavity (221); when the water adding trough (5) is in the fourth state position, the water adding conduit (52) is located outside the hemispherical mold cavity (221).

8. The ice making machine according to claim 6, characterized in that: Also includes: A stripping plate (6), the stripping plate (6) being connected to the shell (1), being arranged in the opening, and being arranged on a side close to the water adding tank (5); a plurality of stripping push rods (61) are arranged on a side of the stripping plate (6) close to the water adding tank (5); when the lower half mold (4) is in the second state position, the lower half mold (4) abuts against the stripping push rods (61).

9. A refrigerator, characterized in that: include: An ice maker as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 disposed in a freezing compartment; The ice maker is arranged in the refrigeration room; The refrigeration compartment is also provided with an ice drawer (7), and the ice drawer (7) is arranged at the bottom of the ice maker.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 9, characterized in that: The refrigeration room is also provided with a cube ice maker; A partition (71) is arranged in the freezing drawer (7) so as to separate the freezing drawer (7) into a first chamber and a second chamber; the first chamber is used for storing spherical ice, and the second chamber is used for storing cube ice.

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