Ice maker

Abstract

The utility model discloses an ice maker which comprises an ice-making liner with an ice-making chamber formed inside, an ice-making box rotatably mounted in the ice-making chamber, a motor for driving the ice-making box to turn over, a positioning assembly in transmission connection with the ice-making box and a controller, and the ice-making box rotates around an axial lead extending in the left-right direction. The ice maker is configured to be capable of overturning back and forth between an ice making position and an ice unloading position; the positioning assembly comprises a code disc synchronously rotating with the ice-making box, a three-axis sensor mounted on the code disc and a photoelectric switch arranged beside the code disc, a first notch and a second notch are formed in the edge of the code disc, and the three-axis sensor is used for detecting the rotating angle of the ice-making box; the controller is in signal connection with the motor, the photoelectric switch and the three-axis sensor; when the ice-making box is located at the ice-making position, the opening of the ice-making box faces upwards, and the first notch is located at the photoelectric switch; when the ice-making box is located at the ice unloading position, the opening of the ice-making box faces downwards, and the second notch is located at the photoelectric switch; according to the invention, the overturning position of the ice-making box can be accurately controlled.

Description

ice maker Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of ice-making equipment technology, and in particular to an ice maker. Background Technology

[0002] Most ice makers currently available have ice-making and ice-removal functions. Generally, the ice maker's ice tray flips up and down to make and remove ice. The flipping limit of the ice tray is detected by a microswitch. However, the travel of the microswitch's spring is limited. In addition, there are certain manufacturing errors during the injection molding of the ice tray's rotating shaft, and there are certain assembly errors during installation. The accumulation of these errors causes significant problems when the microswitch detects the position signal. It may fail to detect the signal or block the stop bar on the rotating shaft. These problems combined bring great trouble to the design and production. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the purpose of this application is to provide an ice maker that can precisely control the flipping position of the ice container.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides an ice maker, comprising:

[0005] The ice-making inner liner has an ice-making chamber inside.

[0006] An ice-making container is rotatably mounted in the ice-making chamber about a central axis extending in the left-right direction, and is configured to be able to flip back and forth between an ice-making position and an ice-removing position, wherein the opening of the ice-making container faces upward and the opening of the ice-removing container faces downward in the ice-removing position.

[0007] A motor is installed on the outside of the ice-making inner liner and is connected to one end of the ice-making box. The motor is used to drive the ice-making box to rotate back and forth between the ice-making position and the ice-removing position.

[0008] A positioning component is installed on the outside of the ice-making inner liner and is drive-connected to the other end of the ice-making box. The positioning component includes a code disk that rotates synchronously with the ice-making box, a triaxial sensor mounted on the code disk, and a photoelectric switch arranged beside the code disk. The edge of the code disk has a first notch and a second notch. The triaxial sensor is used to detect the rotation angle of the ice-making box.

[0009] The controller is connected to the motor, photoelectric switch, and triaxial sensor.

[0010] Specifically, when the ice maker is in the ice-making position, the first notch is located at the photoelectric switch; when the ice maker is in the ice-removing position, the second notch is located at the photoelectric switch.

[0011] In the above technical solution, a further preferred embodiment is that the photoelectric switch includes a transmitting end and a receiving end located on the inner and outer sides of the code disk. The transmitting end is used to emit light outward, and the receiving end is used to receive the light emitted by the transmitting end. When the ice-making box is in the ice-making position, the first notch is located between the transmitting end and the receiving end to allow the light emitted by the transmitting end to pass through. When the ice-making box is in the ice-removing position, the second notch is located between the transmitting end and the receiving end to allow the light emitted by the transmitting end to pass through.

[0012] In the above technical solution, a further preferred embodiment is that the interior of the ice-making inner liner also forms an ice storage chamber located below the rear side of the ice-making chamber. The ice storage chamber is provided with an ice storage box with its opening facing upward. The ice storage box is used to store ice blocks. A water storage space is formed between the ice storage box and the bottom of the ice storage chamber. The bottom of the ice storage box is provided with several drain outlets that communicate with the water storage space.

[0013] In the above technical solution, a further preferred embodiment includes a refrigeration system located outside the ice-making inner liner and an evaporator extending into the ice-making box. A refrigeration pipe is connected between the evaporator and the refrigeration system. The refrigeration pipe in the ice-making chamber extends backward from the evaporator and bends. A flipping space is formed between the refrigeration pipe and the inner wall of the refrigeration inner liner for the ice-making box to flip.

[0014] In the above technical solution, it is further preferred that the rear end of the flipping space has an anti-collision member installed on the inner side of the ice-making liner, and the anti-collision member is a protrusion that rotates from the ice-making position to the ice-removing position by a first included angle.

[0015] In the above technical solution, it is further preferred that a second included angle is formed between the first notch and the second notch, and the second included angle is less than or equal to the first included angle.

[0016] In the above technical solution, a further preferred embodiment is that the ice maker is rotatably supported on the ice maker liner by a pair of rotating shafts. The pair of rotating shafts both extend along the axis, and each of the rotating shafts passes through the side wall of the ice maker liner. One of the rotating shafts is driven between the motor and the ice maker, and the other rotating shaft is driven between the ice maker and the encoder.

[0017] In the above technical solution, a further preferred embodiment is that the positioning component also includes a fixed seat installed on the outer wall of the ice-making inner liner, the fixed seat having a through hole for the rotating shaft to pass through, the photoelectric switch being installed on the fixed seat, and the code disk being rotatably disposed on the outside of the fixed seat.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, this application achieves the following beneficial effects:

[0019] The addition of a triaxial sensor in this application enables the controller to determine the flip position of the ice maker by position coordinates, thereby eliminating the rotational error caused by the notch width on the encoder and mechanical assembly, and thus accurately controlling the flip position of the ice maker. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the ice maker's ice-making box in the ice-making position according to an embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the exploded three-dimensional structure of the ice maker in Figure 1;

[0022] Figure 3 is a magnified view of part A in Figure 2.

[0023] The components include: 1. Ice-making inner liner; 11. Ice-making chamber; 12. Ice storage chamber; 2. Ice box; 3. Motor; 4. Positioning assembly; 41. Encoder; 411. First notch; 412. Second notch; 42. Triaxial sensor; 43. Photoelectric switch; 431. Transmitter; 432. Receiver; 44. Fixing base; 441. Through hole; 5. Rotating shaft; 6. Evaporator; 61. Ice-making column; 7. Refrigeration piping; 8. Anti-collision parts. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To illustrate the technical content, structural features, achieved objectives, and effects of the application in detail, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be 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. In the following description, for illustrative purposes, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a detailed description of various exemplary embodiments or implementations of the invention. However, various exemplary embodiments may also be implemented without these specific details or in one or more equivalent arrangements. Furthermore, the various exemplary embodiments may differ, but are not necessarily exclusive. For example, the specific shape, structure, and characteristics of the exemplary embodiments may be used or implemented in another exemplary embodiment without departing from the inventive concept.

[0025] This application provides an ice maker, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The ice maker includes an ice-making inner liner 1 with an ice-making chamber 11 inside, an ice-making box 2 rotatably installed in the ice-making chamber 11, a motor 3 and a positioning component 4 that are drively connected to the ice-making box 2, and a controller (not shown in the figures) that is signal-connected to the motor 3 and the positioning component 4. The motor 3 and the positioning component 4 are both arranged on the outside of the ice-making inner liner 1. The motor 3 is used to drive the ice-making box 2 to rotate, and the controller controls the operation of the motor 3 and the positioning component 4, so that the ice-making box 2 can stably and smoothly perform operations such as water intake, ice making, and ice removal.

[0026] Ice container 2 is rotatably mounted inside ice chamber 11 about a central axis X1 extending in the left-right direction, and can be flipped back and forth between the ice-making position and the ice-removing position. In the ice-making position, the opening of ice container 2 faces upward to receive water from above and to hold water. In the ice-removing position, the opening of ice container 2 faces downward so that the ice blocks frozen inside ice container 2 can fall downward into ice chamber 11.

[0027] The ice maker 2 is rotatably supported on the ice maker liner 1 by a pair of left and right opposite rotating shafts 5. Both rotating shafts 5 extend in the left and right direction and are centered on the axis X1. Each rotating shaft 5 passes through the side wall of the ice maker liner 1. One end of the ice maker 2 is connected to the motor 3 on the outside of the ice maker liner 1 through a rotating shaft 5, and the other end is connected to the positioning component 4 on the outside of the ice maker liner 1 through another rotating shaft 5.

[0028] The motor 3 and the positioning component 4 are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the ice-making inner liner 1 to avoid mutual interference. The motor 3 drives the ice-making box 2 to rotate back and forth between the ice-making position and the ice-removing position through a rotating shaft 5 to facilitate the ice-removing operation of the ice-making box.

[0029] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the positioning component 4 includes a code disk 41 that rotates synchronously with the ice container 2, a triaxial sensor 42 mounted on the code disk 41, and a photoelectric switch 43 arranged beside the code disk 41. Both the photoelectric switch 43 and the triaxial sensor 42 are connected to the controller via signals. The edge of the code disk 41 has a first notch 411 and a second notch 412. The code disk 41 is coaxially mounted on a rotating shaft 5 on the corresponding side. When the ice container 2 rotates around its axis X1, the rotating shaft 5 drives the code disk 41 to rotate synchronously with the ice container 2. As the code disk 41 rotates, the first notch 411 and the second notch 412 rotate around the axis with the code disk 41. When either the first notch 411 or the second notch 412 rotates to the position of the photoelectric switch 43, the photoelectric switch 43 is triggered to transmit a signal to the controller. In this embodiment, when the ice maker 2 is in the ice-making position, the first notch 411 rotates to the photoelectric switch 43; when the ice maker 2 is in the ice-removing position, the second notch 412 rotates to the photoelectric switch 43.

[0030] The triaxial sensor 42 is used on the encoder 41 to detect the rotation angle of the encoder 41 in real time. Since the encoder 41 rotates synchronously with the ice box 2, the triaxial sensor 42 can detect the rotation angle of the ice box 2 in real time.

[0031] The photoelectric switch 43 includes a transmitter 431 and a receiver 432 located on the inner and outer sides of the code disk 41. The transmitter 431 emits light perpendicular to the code disk 41. The receiver 432 receives the light emitted by the transmitter 431 and is configured to be triggered when it receives the light emitted by the transmitter 431, thereby transmitting a signal to the controller. When the ice maker 2 is in the ice-making position, a first notch 411 is located between the transmitter 431 and the receiver 432 to allow the light emitted by the transmitter 431 to pass through. When the ice maker 2 is in the de-icing position, a second notch 412 is located between the transmitter 431 and the receiver 432 to allow the light emitted by the transmitter 431 to pass through.

[0032] The positioning component 4 also includes a fixed seat 44 installed on the outer wall of the ice-making inner liner 1. The fixed seat 44 has a through hole 441 for the rotating shaft 5 to pass through. The photoelectric switch 43 is fixedly installed on the fixed seat 44. The code disk 41 is rotatably arranged on the outside of the fixed seat 44.

[0033] The controller receives signals from the triaxial sensor 42 and the receiver 432. When the receiver 432 is triggered, the controller promptly acquires the coordinate information transmitted by the triaxial sensor 42, thereby obtaining the positioning information of the ice-making position and the ice-removing position corresponding to the first notch 411 and the second notch 412 when rotated to the photoelectric switch 43. This allows the controller to precisely control the rotation angle of the ice maker. The photoelectric switch and the triaxial sensor are highly responsive. The addition of the triaxial sensor enables the controller to confirm the flip position of the ice maker through position coordinates, thereby eliminating rotational errors caused by the notch width on the encoder and mechanical assembly. The controller can accurately flip the ice maker.

[0034] When the ice maker is first turned on, the motor 3 drives the ice-making box 2 to rotate around the axis X1 under the control of the controller. When the first notch 411 passes the photoelectric switch 43, the photoelectric switch 43 is triggered and sends a signal to the controller. The controller obtains the current rotation angle from the triaxial sensor 42 in real time to determine the positioning information of the ice-making position. When the second notch 412 passes the photoelectric switch 43, the photoelectric switch 43 is triggered and sends a signal to the controller. The controller obtains the current rotation angle from the triaxial sensor 42 in real time to determine the positioning information of the ice-removing position. The controller stores the positioning information of the ice-making position and the ice-removing position. During the subsequent normal ice-making process of the ice maker, it determines whether the ice-making box has rotated to the ice-making position or the ice-removing position based on the positioning information. If so, it controls the motor 3 to drive the ice-making box 2 to rotate in the opposite direction to precisely control the rotation of the ice-making box 2, so that the ice maker can smoothly carry out the cycle of water intake, ice making, and ice removal.

[0035] Inside the ice-making inner liner 1, there is also an ice storage chamber 12 located below the rear side of the ice-making chamber 11. An ice storage box (not shown in the figure) with its opening facing upward is provided in the ice storage chamber 12. The ice storage box is used to store ice blocks. A water storage space is formed between the ice storage box and the bottom of the ice storage chamber 12. Several drain holes communicating with the water storage space are opened at the bottom of the ice storage box to achieve water-ice separation.

[0036] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, an ice scraper 21 is provided at the rear end of the ice box 2. The ice scraper 21 scrapes the ice blocks that fall from the homemade ice box 2 into the ice making chamber 11 and into the ice storage box at the rear, so as to prevent the ice blocks from accumulating in the ice making chamber 11 and improve the ice making efficiency of the ice maker.

[0037] The ice maker also includes a refrigeration system located outside the ice-making inner liner 1 and an evaporator 6 extending into the ice box. A refrigeration pipe 7 is connected between the evaporator 6 and the refrigeration system. The refrigeration pipe 7 in the ice-making chamber 11 extends backward from the evaporator 6 and bends. A flipping space is formed between the refrigeration pipe 7 and the inner wall of the refrigeration inner liner 1, allowing the ice box 2 to be flipped to the ice-removing position.

[0038] When the ice maker 2 is in the ice-making position, it is located below the evaporator 6. The evaporator 6 has multiple ice-making columns 61 that can be inserted into the ice maker 2. After water enters the ice maker 2, the refrigeration system delivers refrigerant to the evaporator 6 through the refrigeration pipe 7. The evaporator 6 condenses the water in the ice maker 2 into ice. The controller controls the motor 3 to drive the ice maker 2 to flip from the ice-making position to the ice-removing position. At this time, the ice maker 2 flips to the top of the evaporator 6, and the condensed ice falls into the ice-making chamber 11. The controller controls the motor 3 to drive the ice maker 2 to reset from the ice-removing position to the ice-making position to continue making ice. During this process, the ice scraper 21 on the ice maker 2 scrapes the ice in the ice-making chamber 11 into the ice storage box at the rear.

[0039] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, to protect the ice maker 2 and the refrigeration pipes 7, a shock absorber 8 is installed on the inner side of the ice-making liner 1 at the rear end of the flipping space. The shock absorber is a protrusion at the first included angle when the ice-making position rotates from the ice-removing position to the ice-removing position, used to prevent the ice maker 2 from over-flipping and damaging the refrigeration pipes 7, or the ice maker 2 itself from being twisted and deformed due to obstruction by the refrigeration pipes. In the counterclockwise direction of rotation from the ice-making position to the ice-removing position, the shock absorber 8 prevents the ice maker 2 from over-flipping in the counterclockwise flipping path; in the clockwise direction of rotation from the ice-removing position to the ice-making position, the shock absorber 8 prevents the ice maker 2 from over-flipping in the clockwise flipping path.

[0040] In this embodiment, a second included angle α is formed between the first notch 411 and the second notch 412. This second included angle α corresponds to the rotation angle of the ice-making box 2 between the ice-making position and the ice-removing position, and the second included angle is less than or equal to the first included angle. The maximum value of the second included angle α is in the range of 130° to 150° to facilitate the smooth ice removal operation.

[0041] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that this application is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of this application. Various changes and modifications can be made to this application without departing from its spirit and scope. The scope of protection claimed by this application is defined by the appended claims, specification, and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An ice maker, characterized in that, include: An ice-making inner liner has an ice-making chamber inside; an ice-making box is rotatably mounted in the ice-making chamber about a central axis extending in the left-right direction, and is configured to be able to flip back and forth between an ice-making position and an ice-removing position, wherein the opening of the ice-making box faces upward in the ice-making position and the opening of the ice-removing position faces downward in the ice-removing position. A motor is installed on the outside of the ice-making inner liner and is driven to one end of the ice-making box. The motor is used to drive the ice-making box to rotate back and forth between the ice-making position and the ice-removing position. A positioning component is installed on the outside of the ice-making inner liner and is driven to the other end of the ice-making box. The positioning component includes a code disk that rotates synchronously with the ice-making box, a triaxial sensor installed on the code disk, and a photoelectric switch arranged next to the code disk. The edge of the code disk has a first notch and a second notch. The triaxial sensor is used to detect the rotation angle of the ice-making box. The controller is connected to the motor, photoelectric switch, and triaxial sensor; wherein, when the ice maker is in the ice-making position, the first notch is located at the photoelectric switch; and when the ice maker is in the de-icing position, the second notch is located at the photoelectric switch.

2. The ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that, The photoelectric switch includes a transmitter and a receiver located on the inner and outer sides of the code disk. The transmitter is used to emit light, and the receiver is used to receive the light emitted by the transmitter. When the ice maker is in the ice-making position, the first notch is located between the transmitter and the receiver to allow the light emitted by the transmitter to pass through. When the ice maker is in the de-icing position, the second notch is located between the transmitter and the receiver to allow the light emitted by the transmitter to pass through.

3. The ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ice-making inner liner also has an ice storage chamber located below the rear side of the ice-making chamber. The ice storage chamber is equipped with an ice storage box with its opening facing upward. The ice storage box is used to store ice blocks. A water storage space is formed between the ice storage box and the bottom of the ice storage chamber. The bottom of the ice storage box has several drain holes that communicate with the water storage space.

4. The ice maker according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes a refrigeration system located outside the ice-making inner liner and an evaporator extending into the ice-making box. A refrigeration pipe is connected between the evaporator and the refrigeration system. The refrigeration pipe in the ice-making chamber extends backward from the evaporator and bends. A turning space is formed between the refrigeration pipe and the inner wall of the ice-making inner liner for the ice-making box to turn over.

5. The ice maker according to claim 4, characterized in that, The rear end of the flipping space has a shock absorber installed on the inner side of the ice-making liner. The shock absorber is a protrusion that rotates by a first included angle from the ice-making position to the ice-removing position.

6. The ice maker according to claim 5, characterized in that, A second included angle is formed between the first notch and the second notch, and the second included angle is less than or equal to the first included angle.

7. The ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ice maker is rotatably supported on the ice maker liner by a pair of rotating shafts. The pair of rotating shafts extend along the axis and each rotating shaft passes through the side wall of the ice maker liner. One rotating shaft is driven between the motor and the ice maker, and the other rotating shaft is driven between the ice maker and the encoder.

8. The ice maker according to claim 7, characterized in that, The positioning component also includes a fixed base installed on the outer wall of the ice-making inner liner, the fixed base having a through hole for the rotating shaft to pass through, the photoelectric switch being installed on the fixed base; and the code disk being rotatably disposed on the outside of the fixed base.

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