Refrigerator

Abstract

The application discloses a refrigerator. The refrigerator comprises a cabinet and an ice making mechanism. The cabinet has a refrigeration chamber. The ice making mechanism is arranged in the refrigeration chamber. The ice making mechanism comprises an ice making unit, an ice storage box and a water storage box. The ice storage box is used for storing ice blocks generated by the ice making unit. The ice storage box has an ice outlet. The ice outlet is located in the refrigeration chamber and communicates with the refrigeration chamber. In this way, the refrigerator can have both good usability and good ice taking convenience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of refrigerator technology, and in particular to refrigerators. Background Technology

[0002] In daily life, there is a need for ice in situations such as beverage preparation or cooking. Ice-making mechanisms can produce ice. In related technologies, the ice-making mechanism can be installed inside a refrigerator. However, for convenient ice dispensing, the ice-dispensing part of the ice-making mechanism is located outside the refrigerator, which disrupts the refrigerator's appearance and affects its aesthetics. Utility Model Content

[0003] The embodiments of this application provide a refrigerator that can balance the usability of the refrigerator and the convenience of taking out ice.

[0004] This application provides a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a cabinet and an ice-making mechanism. The cabinet has a refrigerator compartment. The ice-making mechanism is disposed in the refrigerator compartment. The ice-making mechanism includes an ice-making unit, an ice storage box, and a water storage box. The ice storage box is used to store ice blocks produced by the ice-making unit. The ice storage box has an ice outlet located inside the refrigerator compartment and communicating with the refrigerator compartment.

[0005] Optionally, the ice outlet is provided with a drive device and a movable sealing plate. The sealing plate is used to open or close the ice outlet. The drive device is driven and connected to the sealing plate. The ice-making mechanism also includes a sensing device. The sensing device is located below the ice outlet and is used to sense the approach of the container. The sensing device is communicatively connected to the drive device. The sensing device is located inside the refrigerator compartment.

[0006] Optionally, the ice-making unit is an ice-making terminal, and the ice-making unit is provided with a heat exchanger. Multiple ice-making terminals are spaced apart on the heat exchanger. The ice-making mechanism also includes a movable ice-making box for holding water. The ice-making terminals extend at least partially into the ice-making box. The refrigerator has a front side and a rear side spaced apart in a first direction, and the multiple ice-making terminals are spaced apart in the first direction.

[0007] Optionally, the ice maker has at least a first position and a second position. When the ice maker is in the first position, the ice-making unit extends into the ice maker. When the ice maker is in the second position, ice cubes are allowed to fall out. The ice maker also has a third position. When the ice maker is in the third position, liquid inside the ice maker is allowed to drain out, and ice cubes are not allowed to fall over the ice maker.

[0008] Optionally, the ice-making mechanism also includes a drain pipe, one end of which is correspondingly disposed to a water storage box, and the other end of which is correspondingly disposed to an ice-making box. When the ice-making box is in the third position, the ice-making box is connected to the drain pipe. The ice-making box includes a water outlet and an ice removal outlet. When the ice-making box is in the first and third positions, the water outlet is located below the ice removal outlet in the direction of gravity. When the ice-making box is in the third position, the water outlet is connected to the drain pipe. When the ice-making box is in the second position, the ice removal outlet has at least a component facing the ice storage box, allowing ice to fall.

[0009] Optionally, the ice maker is rotatable, and the ice maker switches between a first position, a second position, and a third position by rotating, with the rotation axis of the ice maker along a first direction.

[0010] Optionally, the ice-making unit is an ice tray with an ice-making trough and an opening for water to flow through and for ice cubes to be ejected. The ice tray has a lower side plate on the side facing downwards in the direction of gravity. The inner wall of the lower side plate near the opening is lower than the inner wall away from the opening. The edge of the lower side plate away from the bottom of the ice-making trough forms the edge of the opening. The ice-making mechanism also includes a water outlet pipe with a water outlet hole, which is correspondingly arranged with the ice tray. The water outlet pipe is located above the ice tray in the direction of gravity. The ice-making mechanism also includes a heat exchanger located on the side of the ice tray away from the opening.

[0011] Optionally, the ice tray includes an upper side plate, a lower side plate, a front end plate, a rear end plate, and a bottom plate. The upper side plate, lower side plate, front end plate, and rear end plate are arranged to form an ice-making trough. The upper side plate, lower side plate, front end plate, and rear end plate are arranged to form an opening on the side away from the bottom plate. At least the lower side plate is set at an angle to the horizontal direction.

[0012] Optionally, the upper surface of the upper side plate is flush with or lower than the end of the upper surface of the upper side plate away from the opening, and the water outlet pipe is located above the upper side plate in the direction of gravity.

[0013] Optionally, the ice-making mechanism also includes an ice storage box, which is positioned below the ice tray in the direction of gravity and on the side of the ice tray with an opening in the horizontal direction; the ice-making mechanism also includes a water storage box, which is positioned below the ice tray and the ice storage box; in the direction of gravity, the projections of the ice tray and the ice storage box fall on the water storage box; in the direction of gravity, the projections of the ice tray and the ice storage box do not coincide; in the horizontal direction, the ice tray and the ice storage box are spaced apart to form a water passage gap, which allows water to fall into the water storage box but does not allow ice cubes to fall into the water storage box.

[0014] Optionally, the refrigerator has a front side and a rear side in the first direction, the direction of gravity is the second direction, the drain pipe extends in the first direction, the ice storage box and ice trays are spaced apart in the third direction, the third direction is perpendicular to the first and second directions; multiple ice trays are provided, multiple ice trays are arranged in a row in the first direction, and multiple rows of ice trays are arranged in the second direction, wherein the number of ice trays arranged in the first direction is greater than the number of ice trays arranged in the second direction, and the drain pipe extends along the first direction.

[0015] Optionally, the refrigerator also includes a tray, which is configured to correspond to the ice outlet and is used to catch any items that fall from the ice outlet.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this application are as follows: Unlike existing technologies, in this application's embodiment, the ice-making mechanism and the ice outlet are both located inside the refrigerator compartment. In other words, ice is dispensed inside the refrigerator compartment, and the user needs to open the refrigerator door to retrieve it when needed. Compared to related technologies that dispense ice on the refrigerator door, the refrigerator door in this application's embodiment does not require a mechanism to cooperate with the ice-making mechanism, resulting in a more complete appearance for the refrigerator. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the refrigerator of this application;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the refrigerator embodiment of this application;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the refrigerator embodiment of this application as viewed from the side;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the refrigerator embodiment of this application when taking out ice;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the ice-making mechanism inside the refrigerator embodiment of this application, viewed from the front.

[0022] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A schematic cross-sectional view of the refrigerator embodiment shown in the diagram, viewed from the side.

[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the heat exchange principle of an embodiment of the refrigerator in this application;

[0024] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the ice-making box in the ice-making mechanism embodiment of this application during ice making;

[0025] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the ice-making box draining water in an embodiment of the ice-making mechanism of this application;

[0026] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the ice-making box during ice removal in an embodiment of the ice-making mechanism of this application;

[0027] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the ice-making mechanism in the refrigerator embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the ice-making mechanism embodiment of this application, viewed from the front.

[0029] Figure 13 yes Figure 12 Side view of an embodiment of the ice-making mechanism shown;

[0030] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the ice-making mechanism of this application;

[0031] Figure 15 yes Figure 13 A schematic diagram of the ice grid, heat exchanger, and water outlet pipe in the ice-making mechanism shown.

[0032] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the ice-making mechanism in an embodiment of this application when no ice is being collected;

[0033] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the ice-making mechanism taking ice in an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram showing the relative positional relationship between the ice-making mechanism and the refrigerator in the refrigerator embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0035] 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 the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0036] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 2This application provides a refrigerator 1. The refrigerator 1 includes a cabinet and an ice-making mechanism 20. The cabinet can be used to store various items that need to be refrigerated or frozen in the refrigerator 1. The refrigerator 1 includes a condenser 32, an evaporator 36, a throttling device 33, and a compressor 31. When the compressor 31 starts, it can draw in low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant gas and compress it into high-temperature, high-pressure gas. This high-temperature, high-pressure gas then enters the condenser 32, where it exchanges heat with the surrounding air through fins and a fan, releasing heat and liquefying into a high-temperature, high-pressure liquid. Next, the liquid refrigerant passes through the throttling device 33 (such as a capillary tube or expansion valve), causing a sharp drop in pressure and temperature, becoming a low-temperature, low-pressure liquid. The low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant liquid enters the evaporator 36, where it absorbs heat from inside the refrigerator 1 and vaporizes into a low-temperature, low-pressure gas. This vaporization process carries away heat from inside the cabinet, lowering the internal temperature of the refrigerator 1. Finally, the low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant gas is drawn back into the compressor 31, repeating the above cycle.

[0037] The ice-making mechanism 20 is located inside the refrigerator. The ice-making mechanism 20 can freeze liquids such as water or beverages into ice cubes by cooling them. This embodiment uses water as an example; the freezing of other liquids is similar. The ice-making mechanism 20 can make ice inside the refrigerator 1. The ice-making mechanism 20 can dispense ice cubes inside the refrigerator 1 or dispense ice cubes outside the refrigerator 1 by having its ice outlet 231 located outside the refrigerator 1.

[0038] In some embodiments, the cabinet has a refrigerator compartment 11, and an ice-making mechanism 20 is disposed in the refrigerator compartment 11. The temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 can be higher or lower than 0 degrees Celsius, and no specific limitation is made here.

[0039] In some embodiments, the refrigerator 1 has a refrigerator compartment 11 and a freezer compartment 12. The temperature of the freezer compartment 12 can be set below 0 degrees Celsius. The temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 can be set above 0 degrees Celsius. An ice-making mechanism 20 is disposed in the refrigerator compartment 11. Because the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 is set above 0 degrees Celsius, it facilitates the water supply and drainage of the ice-making mechanism 20, reducing the possibility of the ice-making mechanism 20 malfunctioning due to excessively low temperatures. Furthermore, for the convenience of use, the refrigerator compartment 11 is generally located above the freezer compartment 12, and placing the ice-making mechanism 20 in the refrigerator compartment 11 also facilitates the access to ice.

[0040] It should be noted that, for ease of description, the terms "first direction," "second direction," and "third direction" are introduced in the following description. The second direction is the direction of gravity, while the first and third directions are horizontal directions. For refrigerator 1, the first direction can be either the front-back or left-right direction facing the user, and the third direction can be either the front-back or left-right direction facing the user.

[0041] In some embodiments, the refrigerator 1 has a front side and a rear side in a first direction, the gravity direction is the second direction, the water outlet pipe 25 extends in the first direction, and the ice storage box 23 and the ice tray 221 are spaced apart in a third direction, which is perpendicular to the first and second directions.

[0042] Combination Figure 7 In some embodiments, the ice-making mechanism 20 includes a compressor 31, a condenser 32, a throttling device 33, and a heat exchanger 34 arranged in series. The compressor 31 and condenser 32 can be shared with the compressor 31 and condenser 32 of the refrigerator 1. During ice making, low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant liquid enters the heat exchanger 34, absorbs heat from the ice tray 221 within the heat exchanger 34, and vaporizes into a low-temperature, low-pressure gas. This vaporization process carries away heat from the ice tray 221, lowering its temperature. After ice making is complete, the ice in the ice tray 221 needs to be removed. Specifically, the condenser 32 and the throttling device 33 are connected in parallel with a switching pipe 35. During ice making, the on / off pipe 35 is closed, and the heat exchanger 34 removes heat from the ice tray 221. When ice removal is needed, the on / off pipe 35 is opened, and the high-temperature gas output from the compressor 31 enters the heat exchanger 34 through the on / off pipe 35. At this time, the high-temperature gas flowing in the heat exchanger 34 melts the edges of the ice in the ice tray 221. After the ice edges melt, they can fall out of the ice tray 221, thus completing the entire ice making and ice removal process.

[0043] Combination Figure 3 and Figure 4 The ice-making mechanism 20 provided in this embodiment includes an ice-making unit 22, an ice storage box 23, a water storage box 24, and a heat exchanger 34 corresponding to the ice-making unit 22. The ice storage box 23 is used to store ice produced by the ice-making unit 22. The ice storage box 23 has an ice outlet 231, which is located inside and communicates with the refrigerator compartment 11. In this embodiment, the ice-making mechanism 20 in the refrigerator 1 is located inside the refrigerator compartment 11, and the ice outlet 231 is also located inside the refrigerator compartment 11. In other words, the distribution of ice in this application is carried out inside the refrigerator compartment 11, and the user needs to open the refrigerator door 1 to retrieve ice from inside the refrigerator compartment 11 when needed. Compared to the related technologies that distribute ice on the refrigerator door, the refrigerator door of this embodiment does not require a mechanism to cooperate with the ice-making mechanism 20, resulting in a more complete appearance for the refrigerator 1.

[0044] In some embodiments, the ice outlet 231 is provided with a driving device and a movable sealing plate 61. The sealing plate 61 is used to open or close the ice outlet 231. The driving device is drivenly connected to the sealing plate 61. The ice-making mechanism 20 also includes a sensing device 28, which is disposed below the ice outlet 231 and is used to sense the approach of a container. The sensing device 28 is communicatively connected to the driving device, so that it opens the ice outlet 231 after sensing the approach of a container and closes the ice outlet 231 after detecting the departure of a container. The sensing device 28 is disposed inside the refrigerator compartment 11.

[0045] Combination Figures 5 to 7 The ice-making mechanism 20 provided in this application includes a heat exchanger 34, an ice storage box 23, and a water storage box 24. Multiple ice-making units 22 are installed on the heat exchanger 34. The heat exchanger 34, ice-making units 22, ice storage box 23, and water storage box 24 are arranged sequentially from top to bottom in the direction of gravity. The direction of gravity is the second direction, and the projections of the heat exchanger 34, ice-making units 22, ice storage box 23, and water storage box 24 in the direction of gravity coincide. In other words, the ice-making areas (heat exchanger 34 and ice-making units 22), ice storage box 23, and water storage box 24 in this application are arranged in a top-middle-bottom layered manner within the refrigerator 1. The arrangement of the heat exchanger 34, ice-making unit 22, ice storage box 23, and water storage box 24 allows for more efficient use of space in the first direction of the refrigerator 1. Their space occupancy in the first direction is relatively independent, enabling the heat exchanger 34 and ice-making unit 22 to extend sufficiently in the first direction, and the ice storage box 23 and water storage box 24 to have adequate length in the first direction. This arrangement reduces the space in the refrigerator 1 that is not effectively utilized due to the ice-making mechanism 20, improving ice-making efficiency and ice storage capacity while fully utilizing the internal space of the refrigerator 1, thus increasing space utilization.

[0046] In some embodiments, the ice-making unit 22 includes a plurality of ice-making terminals 222 connected to the heat exchanger 34, and the ice-making terminals 222 are arranged at intervals in a first direction. Since the refrigerator 1 needs to be accessed from the front after opening the door, the number of ice-making terminals 222 in the first direction has little difference in impact on space occupancy when the refrigerator 1 is equipped with ice-making terminals 222. Even if only one ice-making terminal 222 is provided, it will still affect access in the first direction and will occupy space in the refrigerator 1 as part of the ice-making mechanism 20, resulting in the space in front of and behind the ice-making terminal 222 not being effectively utilized in the first direction. When multiple ice-making terminals 222 are provided in the first direction, the increase in space occupancy is very limited because the aforementioned reasons have already created unusable space. However, the number of ice-making terminals 222 in the second or third direction has a significant difference in impact on space occupancy and will significantly affect the effective usable space in the refrigerator 1. For each additional terminal added in the second or third direction, the ice-making mechanism 20 needs to be increased in size in that direction, resulting in increased space occupancy. For these reasons, this application increases ice-making efficiency while reducing the space occupied by the ice-making terminals 222 in the refrigerator 1 by arranging multiple ice-making terminals 222 at intervals in the first direction.

[0047] Furthermore, in some embodiments, multiple ice-making terminals 222 are arranged in a row in a first direction, and at least two rows of ice-making units 22 are arranged in a third direction, which is perpendicular to the first and second directions. The number of ice-making units 22 arranged in the first direction is greater than the number of rows of ice-making units 22 arranged in the third direction. The first direction is the front-rear direction of the refrigerator 1, and the third direction is the left-right direction from the user's perspective. By setting the number of ice-making terminals 222 arranged in the first direction to be greater than the number arranged in the third direction, the ice-making terminals 222 can occupy more space in the first direction and less space in the third direction. Therefore, through the above method, the utilization rate of the space inside the refrigerator 1 can be effectively improved, increasing ice-making efficiency while reducing the encroachment on the usable space inside the refrigerator 1.

[0048] In some embodiments, the ice-making unit 22 includes an ice-making terminal 222 and an movably disposed ice-making box 223. The ice-making box 223 is used to hold water, and the ice-making terminal 222 extends at least partially into the ice-making box 223. Water can be supplied to the ice-making box 223 via a water inlet pipe, and the ice-making box 223 can store water for ice making. When ice is needed, the portion of the ice-making terminal 222 extending into the ice-making box 223 can be immersed in water. After the heat exchanger 34 removes heat from the ice-making terminal 222, ice can gradually form on the ice-making terminal 222. When ice removal is needed, the water in the ice-making box 223 can be drained, and then the ice-making terminal 222 can be heated by the heat exchanger 34, thereby removing the ice from the ice-making terminal 222.

[0049] Combination Figures 8 to 10 In some embodiments, the ice container 223 has at least a first position (e.g., Figure 8 ) and second position (e.g. Figure 10 The ice maker 223 can be switched between a first position and a second position by moving or rotating. In the first position, the ice-making unit 22 extends into the ice maker 223. At this time, the ice maker 223 can hold water, and after the heat exchanger 34 removes heat from the ice-making terminal 222, ice gradually forms on the ice-making terminal 222. In the second position, the ice maker 223 allows ice cubes to fall. In the second position, the ice cubes made by the above method can fall into the ice storage box 23. The heat exchanger 34 can optionally heat the ice-making terminal 222 when the ice maker 223 is in the second position, so that the ice cubes can be de-iced and directly enter the ice storage box 23. This de-icing method reduces the interaction between the ice cubes and the water in the ice maker 223, preventing ice cubes from sticking together or clumping. Optionally, the heat exchanger 34 can also heat the ice-making terminal 222 to de-ice when the ice-making box 223 is in the first position, so that the ice cubes first enter the ice-making box 223, and then fall into the ice storage box 23 when the ice-making box 223 is in the second position. When the ice-making box 223 is in the second position, or during the process of changing from the first position to the second position, the water in the ice-making box 223 can be drained, and after the ice-making box 223 is in the second position, the ice cubes can fall from the ice-making terminal 222 or from the ice-making box 223 into the ice storage box 23.

[0050] In some embodiments, during the process of switching the ice maker 223 from the first position to the second position, the ice maker 223 also has a third position (in conjunction with...). Figure 9When the ice maker 223 is in the third position, liquid inside the ice maker 223 is allowed to drain, but ice cubes are not allowed to fall over the ice maker 223. In other words, when the ice maker 223 is in the first position, it can cooperate with the ice-making terminal 222 to make ice; when the ice maker 223 is in the third position, water inside the ice maker 223 can be drained; and when the ice maker 223 is in the second position, detached ice cubes can be allowed to fall into the ice storage box 23. By setting the ice maker 223 to drain in the third position, the drainage process of the ice maker 223 and the process of ice cubes falling can be separated, thereby reducing the mutual influence between the detached ice cubes and water.

[0051] In some embodiments, the ice maker 223 is rotatably configured, and the ice maker 223 switches between a first position, a second position, and a third position by rotating. The rotation axis of the ice maker 223 is along a first direction, which is also the direction in which the ice-making terminals 222 are arranged in a larger number in this embodiment. This allows the rotation radius of the ice maker 223 to be smaller during the flipping process, thereby reducing the space occupied.

[0052] In some embodiments, the ice-making mechanism 20 further includes a drain pipe 40, one end of which is connected to a water storage box 24, and the other end of which is correspondingly connected to an ice-making box 223. When the ice-making box 223 is in the third position, it is connected to the drain pipe 40. Water in the ice-making box 223 can enter the water storage box 24 after passing through the drain pipe 40. Specifically, the water in the ice-making box 223 needs to be drained after ice making. Directly draining water by flipping the ice-making box 223 would cause water to splash, which could easily have an adverse effect on the ice-making mechanism 20. Furthermore, water falling directly from the ice-making box 223 would generate significant noise. In the embodiments of this application, the ice-making box 223 drains water in the third position. By providing the drain pipe 40, the water in the ice-making box 223 can be guided out, thereby reducing water splashing and noise during the drainage process.

[0053] In some embodiments, the ice maker 223 includes a water outlet and an ice-making outlet. The water outlet is used to drain water from the ice maker 223. The ice-making outlet is used for the ice-making terminal 222 to pass through and extend into the ice maker 223 to make ice. When the ice maker 223 is in the first and third positions, the water outlet is located below the ice-making outlet in the direction of gravity. The water outlet can be closed in the first position by means of a baffle or other component, or the water level during ice making can be set lower than the water outlet to prevent water leakage from the ice maker 223 in the first position. When the ice maker 223 is in the third position, the water outlet is connected to the drain pipe 40, allowing water from the ice maker 223 to be discharged into the drain pipe 40. When the ice maker 223 is in the second position, the projections of the ice maker 223 and the ice-making terminal 222 do not coincide, allowing ice cubes detached from the ice-making terminal 222 or ice cubes from the ice maker 223 to fall into the ice storage box 23.

[0054] Combination Figures 11 to 15 This application embodiment provides an ice-making mechanism 20. The ice-making mechanism 20 includes an ice tray 221 and a water outlet pipe 25. The ice tray 221 has an ice-making trough with an opening for water to flow through and for ice cubes to be ejected. The ice tray 221 includes at least one side plate 2210, with the inner wall of the side plate 2210 near the opening being lower than the inner wall of the side plate 2210 away from the opening, and the edge of the side plate 2210 away from the bottom of the ice-making trough forming the edge of the opening. The water outlet pipe 25 has a water outlet hole 251, which is correspondingly provided with the ice tray 221. Specifically, the water outlet pipe 25 can be connected to a water source. The water source can be an external water source or an internal water source of the refrigerator 1, which is not specifically limited here. The water outlet pipe 25 can supply water to the ice tray 221 through the water outlet hole 251. The water supply method of the water outlet hole 251 can be spraying water or flowing water, which is not specifically limited here. The ice-making mechanism 20 can obtain the temperature required to freeze the liquid through the heat exchanger 34. The ice-making mechanism 20 can also achieve a freezing temperature in the ice tray 221 by cooling its internal components to the freezing temperature. Specifically, the inner wall of the side plate 2210 of the ice tray 221 has a lower end near the opening than the end away from the opening, and the edge of the side plate 2210 away from the bottom of the ice-making tank forms the edge of the opening. In this way, after the water outlet pipe 25 supplies water to the ice tray 221, the water will not remain inside the ice tray 221 indefinitely, but will flow out through the opening. The ice tray 221 can be made of a material with high thermal conductivity. During the process of supplying water to the ice tray 221 by the water outlet pipe 25, some water can freeze inside the ice tray 221, while the rest flows out. In other words, the water in the ice tray 221 is flowing. In this way, the water freezing inside ice tray 221 contains very little air because of the small volume of water. The ice that gradually forms in this way has improved transparency and quality.

[0055] In some embodiments, the ice-making mechanism 20 further includes a heat exchanger 34, which is disposed on the side of the ice tray 221 away from the outlet. Specifically, the ice-making mechanism 20 includes a compressor 31, a condenser 32, a throttling device 33, and a heat exchanger 34 arranged in series. The compressor 31 and condenser 32 can be shared with the compressor 31 and condenser 32 of the refrigerator 1. During the ice-making process, low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant liquid enters the heat exchanger 34, absorbs heat from the ice tray 221 within the heat exchanger 34, and vaporizes into a low-temperature, low-pressure gas. This vaporization process carries away heat from the ice tray 221, lowering its temperature. After ice-making is complete, the ice in the ice tray 221 needs to be removed. Specifically, the condenser 32 and the throttling device 33 are connected in parallel with a switching pipe 35. During ice making, the on / off pipe 35 is closed, and the heat exchanger 34 removes heat from the ice tray 221. When ice removal is needed, the on / off pipe 35 is opened, and the high-temperature gas output from the compressor 31 enters the heat exchanger 34 through the on / off pipe 35. At this time, the high-temperature gas flowing in the heat exchanger 34 melts the edges of the ice in the ice tray 221. After the ice edges melt, they can fall out of the ice tray 221, thus completing the entire ice making and ice removal process.

[0056] In some embodiments, the side plate 2210 is a lower side plate 2211 disposed on the lower side in the direction of gravity, and the water outlet pipe 25 is disposed above the ice tray 221 in the direction of gravity. On the one hand, the lower side plate 2211 is inclined, and the end of the inner wall of the lower side plate 2211 near the opening is lower than the end of the inner wall of the lower side plate 2211 away from the opening. In this way, water can flow through the ice tray 221 after entering the ice tray 221, but will flow out of the ice tray 221 along the lower side plate 2211, thereby reducing the long-term retention of water in the ice tray 221, and thus reducing the air in the frozen part of the water, which is beneficial to improving the transparency of the ice. On the other hand, since the lower side plate 2211 is inclined, the ice can also slide off automatically under the action of gravity after it is thawed.

[0057] In some embodiments, the ice tray 221 includes an upper side plate 2212, a lower side plate 2211, a front end plate 2213, a rear end plate 2214, and a bottom plate 2215. The upper side plate 2212, the lower side plate 2211, the front end plate 2213, and the rear end plate 2214 are arranged to form an ice-making trough. The upper side plate 2212, the lower side plate 2211, the front end plate 2213, and the rear end plate 2214 are arranged to form an opening on the side away from the bottom plate 2215. At least the lower side plate 2211 is set at an angle to the horizontal direction.

[0058] In some embodiments, the upper surface of the upper side plate 2212 is flush with or lower than the end of the upper surface of the upper side plate 2212 away from the opening, and the water outlet pipe 25 is disposed above the upper side plate 2212 in the direction of gravity. Specifically, when the water outlet pipe 25 is disposed above the upper side plate 2212, by setting the upper surface of the upper side plate 2212 flush with or lower than the end of the upper surface of the upper side plate 2212 away from the opening, the water supplied by the water outlet pipe 25 can flow to the side of the ice tray 221 with the opening. The water flow can flow along the inner wall of the ice tray 221 under the effect of the wall adhesion effect through the opening of the ice tray 221, and finally flow out through the opening along the lower side plate 2211. In this way, the water used for ice making in the ice tray 221 is always in a flowing state, and the ice in the ice tray 221 will gradually grow. Since a large amount of water will not remain in the ice tray 221, the water in the ice-making part has less air, which is beneficial to improving the transparency of the ice.

[0059] In some embodiments, the ice-making mechanism 20 further includes an ice storage box 23, which is positioned below the ice tray 221 in the direction of gravity and on the side of the ice tray 221 with an opening in the horizontal direction. Specifically, since the opening of the ice tray 221 faces to the side and has at least a downward component, ice cubes are thrown out of the ice tray 221 during the de-icing process. In this manner, the position of the opening of the ice tray 221 corresponds to the position of the ice storage box 23, allowing the ice storage box 23 to catch the ice cubes falling from the ice tray 221. Furthermore, by placing the ice storage box 23 on one side of the ice tray 221, the possibility of water entering the ice storage box 23 during the fall from the ice tray 221 is reduced, thereby minimizing the impact of water on the prepared ice cubes.

[0060] In some embodiments, the ice-making mechanism 20 further includes a water storage box 24 disposed below the ice tray 221 and the ice storage box 23. In the direction of gravity, the projections of the ice tray 221 and the ice storage box 23 fall on the water storage box 24. In the direction of gravity, the projections of the ice tray 221 and the ice storage box 23 do not coincide. Specifically, the water storage box 24 can be used to store water for ice making. The water storage box 24 can be a separate component or a box formed by enclosing part of the outer shell of the ice-making mechanism 20; no specific limitation is made here. By arranging the projections of the ice tray 221 and the ice storage box 23 in the direction of gravity to fall on the water storage box 24, water flowing out of the ice tray 221 can enter the water storage box 24 for reuse. The ice storage box 23 may be provided with drainage holes, thereby allowing melted water or water entering the ice storage box 23 during the ice-making process to leak into the water storage box 24. Furthermore, by setting the projections of the ice tray 221 and the ice storage box 23 to not overlap, or more specifically, by setting the ice tray 221 and the ice storage box 23 to be spaced apart, the drainage from the ice tray 221 can directly enter the water storage box 24, while the detached ice blocks can be thrown into the ice storage box 23, thus achieving the separation of ice and water.

[0061] In some embodiments, in the horizontal direction, the ice tray 221 and the ice storage box 23 are spaced apart to form a water passage gap 50. The water passage gap 50 allows water that has flowed from the water outlet pipe 25 through the ice tray 221 but has not frozen to flow back into the water storage box 24. The water passage gap 50 allows water to fall into the water storage box 24 but does not allow ice cubes to fall into the water storage box 24. Optionally, the spacing of the water passage gap 50 can be smaller than the size of the ice cubes produced by the ice tray 221, thereby reducing the possibility of ice cubes falling through the water passage gap 50 during the de-icing process. On the other hand, since the ice cubes can generate speed and be thrown into the ice storage box 23 along the ice grid 221 after being de-iced, the height difference and horizontal distance between the edge of the ice storage box 23 and the ice grid 221 can be calculated. Specifically, the maximum height difference and maximum horizontal distance that can make the ice cubes be thrown into the ice storage box 23 can be calculated according to the law of parabolic motion. The height difference and horizontal distance between the edge of the ice storage box 23 and the ice grid 221 can be set to be less than the maximum height difference and maximum horizontal distance.

[0062] In some embodiments, the ice-making mechanism 20 includes a heat exchanger 34. The heat exchanger 34 is located on the side of the ice tray 221 away from the outlet. The ice-making mechanism 20 includes a compressor 31, a condenser 32, a throttling device 33, and the heat exchanger 34 arranged in series. The compressor 31 and condenser 32 can be shared with the compressor 31 and condenser 32 of the refrigerator 1. During ice making, low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant liquid enters the heat exchanger 34, absorbs heat from the ice tray 221 within the heat exchanger 34, and vaporizes into a low-temperature, low-pressure gas. This vaporization process carries away heat from the ice tray 221, lowering its temperature. After ice making is complete, the ice in the ice tray 221 needs to be removed. Specifically, the condenser 32 and the throttling device 33 are connected in parallel with a switching pipe 35. During ice making, the on / off pipe 35 is closed, and the heat exchanger 34 removes heat from the ice tray 221. When ice removal is needed, the on / off pipe 35 is opened, and the high-temperature gas output from the compressor 31 enters the heat exchanger 34 through the on / off pipe 35. At this time, the high-temperature gas flowing in the heat exchanger 34 melts the edges of the ice in the ice tray 221. After the ice edges melt, they can fall out of the ice tray 221, thus completing the entire ice making and ice removal process.

[0063] In this embodiment, the ice tray 221 also includes a base plate 2215, and multiple side plates 2210 and the base plate 2215 are arranged to form an ice-making trough. The opening of the ice-making trough faces downward in the direction of gravity, and the water outlet pipe 25 is located below the ice tray 221 in the direction of gravity. Specifically, the opening of the ice-making trough faces downward, and the water outlet pipe 25 is located below the ice tray 221. The water outlet pipe 25 can be provided with a water outlet corresponding to the ice tray 221, and the water flow in the water outlet pipe 25 can be sprayed onto the ice tray 221 by pressurization or other means. The water outlet pipe 25 can spray water onto the ice tray 221 directly, or it can spray water mist onto the ice tray 221 by adding an atomizing device. The water outlet pipe 25 can spray water intermittently or continuously, and no specific limitation is made here. After the water outlet pipe 25 sprays water onto the ice tray 221, some of the water can freeze under the effect of low temperature, and the rest of the water will flow down along the side plate 2210 of the ice tray 221 or flow directly down. Since ice tray 221 does not accumulate a large amount of water, the amount of water that can freeze is relatively small, and the amount of air inside is also limited. As the above process is repeated, ice will gradually form inside ice tray 221. Because the frozen part contains little water and air throughout the process, the transparency of the ice is increased, thus improving the quality of ice making.

[0064] Based on the above embodiments, multiple ice trays 221 are provided, allowing multiple ice cubes to be produced simultaneously using the aforementioned method. Furthermore, multiple ice trays 221 are arranged in a row in the first direction, and multiple rows are arranged in the second direction. This arrangement allows multiple ice trays 221 to occupy space in both the first and second directions within the refrigerator 1, thereby improving space utilization.

[0065] In this embodiment, the number of ice trays 221 arranged in the first direction is greater than the number arranged in the second direction. In some implementations, the first direction is the front-rear direction of the refrigerator 1, and the second direction is the direction of gravity. By setting the number of ice trays 221 arranged in the first direction to be greater than the number arranged in the second direction, the ice trays 221 can occupy more space in the first direction and less space in the second direction. Specifically, since the refrigerator 1 needs to be accessed from the front, the difference in space occupation between having a large or small number of ice trays 221 in the first direction is small. However, if a large number of ice trays 221 are arranged in the second direction, it will significantly affect the effective usable space inside the refrigerator 1. Therefore, the above method can effectively improve the utilization rate of the space inside the refrigerator 1, improving ice-making efficiency while reducing the encroachment on the space inside the refrigerator 1. In this embodiment, the multiple ice grids 221 arranged in the second direction can correspond to the same water outlet 251 of the water outlet pipe 25, that is, the water from the water outlet pipe 25 can flow through the multiple ice grids 221 from top to bottom.

[0066] In some embodiments, the ice storage box 23 is provided with an ice-pushing mechanism 232. The ice-making mechanism 20 also includes a sensing device 28, which is communicatively connected to the ice-pushing mechanism 232. The sensing device 28 is used to trigger the ice-pushing mechanism 232 when a container is brought near the ice-making mechanism 20. The ice-pushing mechanism 232 can be a retractable pusher plate or a rotating screw that moves ice blocks; no specific limitation is made here. The sensing device 28 can be a pressure switch or an infrared sensor, etc.; no specific limitation is made here.

[0067] In some embodiments, the refrigerator 1 further includes a tray 26, which is correspondingly disposed to the ice outlet 231 to catch any items falling from the ice outlet 231. Users can collect ice from the ice outlet 231; during this process, residual ice or water may fall from the ice outlet 231. By aligning the tray 26 with the ice outlet 231, the falling residual ice or water can be caught, thereby reducing contamination of the refrigerator. Optionally, the tray 26 can be positioned below the ice outlet 231 and spaced apart from it, allowing users to place containers between the tray 26 and the ice outlet 231 to collect ice.

[0068] In some embodiments, combined with Figures 16 to 18 The tray 26 is correspondingly arranged with the ice outlet 231. In this embodiment, the tray 26 can be triggered by the user to open the ice outlet 231, and can also be used to hold residual water and ice after ice is removed. Specifically, the tray 26 has a holding slot that can hold residual water and ice. The tray 26 is movably arranged relative to the ice storage box 23. The movability can be a moving or rotating arrangement, which is not specifically limited here. The tray 26 has an open position and a closed position, and the tray 26 can switch between the open and closed positions by movement. When the tray 26 is in the closed position, the projection of the tray 26 in the direction of gravity covers the ice outlet 231. When the tray 26 is in the open position, the tray 26 allows ice to be discharged from the ice outlet 231. Specifically, when the user pushes the tray 26 from the closed position to the open position, the ice outlet 231 can be opened, and ice can be discharged through the ice outlet 231. After ice removal, the tray 26 returns from the open position to the closed position, catching any remaining water or ice that falls during this process. Compared to the prior art where the tray 26 is placed below the container, the technical solution provided in this application embodiment places the tray 26 near the ice outlet 231, thereby reducing the unusable space in the refrigerator compartment 11 caused by the tray 26 and improving the utilization rate of the space inside the refrigerator 1.

[0069] In some embodiments, the ice outlet 231 is provided with an ice-pushing mechanism 232. The ice-making mechanism 20 also includes a sensor 28, which is communicatively connected to the ice-pushing mechanism 232. The tray 26 is configured to trigger the sensor 28 when it is in the open position to open the ice-pushing mechanism 232. When a user takes ice, pushing the tray 26 to the open position can be detected by the sensor 28, thus determining that the ice outlet 231 is open and that the user needs to take ice. After the sensor 28 is triggered, the ice-pushing mechanism 232 can push the ice blocks in the ice storage box 23 towards the ice outlet 231, thereby dispensing ice. When the user stops taking ice, the tray 26 no longer remains in the open position, the sensor 28 cannot be triggered, and the ice-pushing mechanism 232 stops working. During the process of the tray 26 moving to the closed position, residual ice and water falling from the ice outlet 231 can be collected.

[0070] In some embodiments, the ice-making mechanism 20 further includes a drive unit and a sealing plate 61 corresponding to the ice outlet 231. The drive unit is communicatively connected to the sensing device 28. After the user pushes the tray 26 to the open position and triggers the sensing device 28, the sensing device 28 can also send a corresponding signal, thereby enabling the drive unit to drive the sealing plate 61 to open, allowing ice to be dispensed from the ice outlet 231. When the user stops taking ice, the tray 26 no longer remains in the open position, the sensing device 28 cannot be triggered, and the drive unit can drive the sealing plate 61 to close the ice outlet 231, thereby reducing the generation of residual water and residual ice.

[0071] In some embodiments, the refrigerator 1 has a front side and a rear side in a first direction, the portion of the tray 26 near the front side is used to abut against a container, and the ice-making mechanism 20 is located in the upper part of the refrigerator compartment 11. The tray 26 is located at the lower end of the ice-making mechanism 20. In this manner, the ice-making mechanism 20 occupies the upper space within the refrigerator compartment 11, thereby freeing up the space below the ice-making mechanism 20 for storing items.

[0072] In some embodiments, the ice-making mechanism 20 further includes an elastic element 27, one end of which is connected to the tray 26. When the tray 26 is in the open position, the elastic element 27 is in an energy-storing state, and is used to drive the tray 26 to reset from the open position to the closed position. Specifically, when the user takes ice, the elastic element 27 is charged with energy as the user pushes the tray 26. After the user stops taking ice, the elastic element 27 can pull or push the tray 26 back to the closed position. Taking the user taking ice using a container as an example, as the user takes the container away, the tray 26 gradually resets to the closed position. Due to the setting of the elastic element 27, the tray 26 will come into contact with the container. Some of the residual water and ice after stopping ice taking will enter the container, and some will be collected by the tray 26.

[0073] In some embodiments, a receiving space is formed inside the tray 26, and an elastic member 27 is disposed within the receiving space. One end of the elastic member 27 abuts against the side wall of the receiving space, and the other end of the elastic member 27 abuts against the ice storage box 23. By providing the receiving space, the interior of the tray 26 can be used to accommodate the elastic member 27. This allows the cooperation between the tray 26 and the elastic member 27 to occupy less space, thereby improving space utilization.

[0074] In some embodiments, the ice-making mechanism 20 further includes an indicator light, a sensor 28 communicatively connected to the indicator light, and a tray 26 configured to trigger the sensor 28 to turn on the indicator light when in the open position. The indicator light can alert the user that the ice-making mechanism 20 is in the ice-dispensing state, thereby reducing the occurrence of residual water and ice falling due to user error. Optionally, after the tray 26 is removed from the open position and the sensor 28 is no longer triggered, the indicator light can be set to turn off with a delay, allowing the user to extend the ice-collecting time after ice dispensing is complete, based on the indicator light's indication, so that a portion of the residual water and ice can be collected through the container first. After the indicator light turns off, the tray 26 can further collect the residual water and ice in the manner described above.

[0075] In some embodiments, the bottom of the holding tank is provided with a drain outlet for draining water through a pipe. The drain outlet allows water in the holding tank to be discharged, thereby keeping the tray 26 close to the surface. The drain water can be discharged into the water storage box 24 or into the drainage system of the ice-making mechanism 20, which is not specifically limited here.

[0076] The above are merely embodiments of this application and do not limit the patent scope of this application. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made using the content of this application's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, characterized in that, include: The container has a refrigeration compartment; An ice-making mechanism is located inside the refrigeration chamber; The ice-making mechanism includes an ice-making unit, an ice storage box, and a water storage box. The ice storage box is used to store ice blocks produced by the ice-making unit. The ice storage box has an ice outlet located inside the refrigerator compartment and connected to the refrigerator compartment.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ice outlet is provided with a driving device and a movable sealing plate. The sealing plate is used to open or close the ice outlet. The driving device is driven and connected to the sealing plate. The ice-making mechanism also includes a sensing device. The sensing device is located below the ice outlet and is used to sense the approach of the container. The sensing device is communicatively connected to the driving device. The sensing device is located in the refrigerator compartment.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ice-making unit is an ice-making terminal, and the ice-making unit is correspondingly provided with a heat exchanger. Multiple ice-making terminals are spaced apart on the heat exchanger. The ice-making mechanism also includes a movable ice-making box for holding water. The ice-making terminals extend at least partially into the ice-making box. The refrigerator has a front side and a rear side spaced apart in a first direction, and multiple ice-making terminals are spaced apart in the first direction.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, characterized in that: The ice maker has at least a first position and a second position. When the ice maker is in the first position, the ice-making unit extends into the ice maker. When the ice maker is in the second position, ice cubes are allowed to fall out. The ice maker also has a third position. When the ice maker is in the third position, liquid inside the ice maker is allowed to drain out, and ice cubes are not allowed to fall out of the ice maker.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that: The ice-making mechanism also includes a drainage pipe, one end of which is correspondingly disposed to the water storage box, and the other end of which is correspondingly disposed to the ice-making box. When the ice-making box is in the third position, the ice-making box is connected to the drainage pipe. The ice-making box includes a water outlet and an ice removal outlet. When the ice-making box is in the first and third positions, the water outlet is located below the ice removal outlet in the direction of gravity. When the ice-making box is in the third position, the water outlet is connected to the drainage pipe. When the ice-making box is in the second position, the ice removal outlet has at least a component facing the ice storage box, allowing ice cubes to fall.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that: The ice maker is rotatably configured, and the ice maker can switch between the first position, the second position, and the third position by rotating, with the rotation axis of the ice maker along the first direction.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ice-making unit is an ice tray with an ice-making trough and an opening for water to flow through and for ice cubes to be ejected. The ice tray has a lower side plate on the side facing downwards in the direction of gravity. The inner wall of the lower side plate near the opening is lower than the inner wall away from the opening. The edge of the lower side plate away from the bottom of the ice-making trough forms the edge of the opening. The ice-making mechanism also includes a water outlet pipe with a water outlet hole, which is correspondingly arranged with the ice tray. The water outlet pipe is located above the ice tray in the direction of gravity. The ice-making mechanism also includes a heat exchanger located on the side of the ice tray away from the opening.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, characterized in that: The ice tray includes an upper side plate, a lower side plate, a front end plate, a rear end plate, and a bottom plate. The upper side plate, lower side plate, front end plate, and rear end plate are arranged to form the ice-making trough. The upper side plate, lower side plate, front end plate, and rear end plate are arranged to form the opening on the side away from the bottom plate. At least the lower side plate is set at an angle to the horizontal direction.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 8, characterized in that: The upper surface of the upper side plate is flush with or lower than the end of the upper surface of the upper side plate away from the opening, and the water outlet pipe is located above the upper side plate in the direction of gravity.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 7, characterized in that: The ice-making mechanism also includes an ice storage box, which is located below the ice tray in the direction of gravity and on the side of the ice tray with the opening in the horizontal direction; the ice-making mechanism also includes a water storage box, which is located below the ice tray and the ice storage box. In the direction of gravity, the projections of the ice tray and the ice storage box fall on the water storage box; In the direction of gravity, the projections of the ice tray and the ice storage box do not coincide; In the horizontal direction, the ice tray and the ice storage box are spaced apart to form a water passage gap, which allows water to fall into the water storage box but does not allow ice to fall into the water storage box.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10, characterized in that: The refrigerator has a front side and a rear side in a first direction, the direction of gravity is a second direction, the water outlet pipe extends in the first direction, the ice storage box and the ice tray are spaced apart in a third direction, the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction; multiple ice trays are provided, multiple ice trays are arranged in a row in the first direction, and multiple rows of ice trays are arranged in the second direction, wherein the number of ice trays arranged in the first direction is greater than the number of ice trays arranged in the second direction, and the water outlet pipe extends along the first direction.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The refrigerator also includes a tray, which is configured to correspond to the ice outlet and is used to catch any items that fall from the ice outlet.

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