Refrigerator with ice maker

Abstract

The application discloses a refrigerator with an ice maker. The refrigerator comprises a cabinet and an ice maker. The cabinet has a refrigeration chamber. The ice maker is arranged in the refrigeration chamber. The ice maker comprises a shell, the shell is formed with an ice making space, the ice maker comprises an ice making unit and a heat exchanger arranged correspondingly to the ice making unit, the ice making unit is arranged in the ice making space, the shell is formed with a communication port, the communication port communicates the ice making space and the refrigeration chamber, and the communication port allows ice blocks to enter the refrigeration chamber from the ice making space. In the above manner, a large amount of ice can be made.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In daily life, there is a need for ice, such as in beverage preparation or cooking. Ice-making mechanisms are used to produce ice. In related technologies, the ice-making structure can be installed in a refrigerator. However, the ice-making capacity of the refrigerator is limited by the capacity of the ice storage tank, making it impossible to produce large quantities of ice. Utility Model Content

[0003] Embodiments of this application provide a refrigerator with an ice maker, capable of producing large quantities of 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 a shell forming an ice-making space. The ice-making mechanism includes an ice-making unit and a heat exchanger corresponding to the ice-making unit. The ice-making unit is disposed within the ice-making space. The shell has a connecting opening connecting the ice-making space and the refrigerator compartment, allowing ice to enter the refrigerator compartment from the ice-making space.

[0005] Optionally, the ice-making mechanism also includes a first ice storage box, which is detachably installed in the ice-making space; when the first ice storage box is installed in the ice-making space, the first ice storage box blocks the connection port, and the first ice storage box is correspondingly set with the ice-making unit.

[0006] Optionally, the refrigerator compartment includes an ice outlet area corresponding to the connection port, and the ice outlet area is connected to the connection port.

[0007] Optionally, with the first ice storage box removed, the ice-making space is connected to the refrigerator compartment via a connecting port; the refrigerator also includes a removable second ice storage box, which is located in the ice dispensing area and is installed in accordance with the connecting port.

[0008] Optionally, a first sensing device is provided in the ice-making space. The first sensing device is installed in the housing and is used to detect whether the first ice storage box has been disassembled.

[0009] Optionally, the housing has an installation port communicating with the ice-making space, the first ice storage box is detachably connected to the ice-making space through the installation port, and the first ice storage box has an ice outlet located outside the ice-making space.

[0010] Optionally, an ice-pushing mechanism is provided inside the first ice storage box. The ice-pushing mechanism includes a spiral rod rotatably disposed inside the first ice storage box. The spiral rod is used to push ice blocks by rotation. The rotation axis of the spiral rod is along a first direction. The refrigerator has a front side and a rear side in the first direction. A driving device is also provided inside the ice-making space. The driving device is disposed on the side of the first ice storage box near the rear side. When the first ice storage box is installed, the rear end of the spiral rod is driven and connected to the driving device.

[0011] Optionally, the ice-making unit is an ice-making terminal, and 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. The multiple ice-making terminals are spaced apart in the first direction. The ice-making box has at least a first position and a second position. When the ice-making box is in the first position, the ice-making unit extends into the ice-making box. When the ice-making box is in the second position, ice cubes are allowed to fall. The ice-making box also has a third position. When the ice-making box is in the third position, liquid in the ice-making box is allowed to drain, and ice cubes are not allowed to fall over the ice-making box.

[0012] 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.

[0013] Optionally, the refrigerator has a front side and a rear side in the first direction, and multiple ice-making units are arranged in a row in the first direction. In the third direction or the second direction, at least two rows of ice-making units are arranged. The third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and the second direction is the direction of gravity. The number of ice-making units arranged in the first direction is greater than the number of rows of ice-making units arranged in the third direction or the second direction.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this application are as follows: Unlike existing technologies, by providing a connecting port to link the ice-making space and the cold storage compartment, ice produced by the ice-making mechanism can enter the cold storage compartment through the connecting port. When large-scale ice production is not required, a certain amount of ice can be stored within the internal space of the ice-making mechanism, and the space inside the cold storage compartment can be used for refrigeration. When large-scale ice production is required, ice can enter the cold storage compartment through the connecting port, and at least a portion of the space in the cold storage compartment can be used to accommodate the ice, thereby achieving large-scale ice production. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the refrigerator of this application;

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the refrigerator embodiment of this application;

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the first ice storage box in the installation state of the ice-making mechanism embodiment of this application;

[0018] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the first ice storage box in the disassembled state of the ice-making mechanism embodiment of this application:

[0019] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the second ice storage box in the embodiment of the ice-making mechanism of this application receiving ice blocks;

[0020] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the ice-making mechanism inside the refrigerator embodiment of this application, viewed from the front.

[0021] Figure 7 yes Figure 5 A schematic cross-sectional view of the refrigerator embodiment shown in the diagram, viewed from the side.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the heat exchange principle of an embodiment of the refrigerator in this application;

[0023] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the ice-making box in the ice-making mechanism embodiment of this application during ice making;

[0024] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the ice-making box draining water in an embodiment of the ice-making mechanism of this application;

[0025] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the ice-making box during ice removal in an embodiment of the ice-making mechanism of this application;

[0026] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the ice-making mechanism in the refrigerator embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the ice-making mechanism embodiment of this application, viewed from the front.

[0028] Figure 14 yes Figure 13 Side view of an embodiment of the ice-making mechanism shown;

[0029] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the ice-making mechanism of this application;

[0030] Figure 16 yes Figure 14 A schematic diagram of the ice grid, heat exchanger, and water outlet pipe in the ice-making mechanism shown. Detailed Implementation

[0031] 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.

[0032] In daily life, there is a need for ice, such as in beverage preparation or cooking. Ice-making mechanisms are used to produce ice. In related technologies, the ice-making structure can be installed in a refrigerator. The ice-making capacity of the refrigerator's ice-making mechanism is limited by the capacity of the ice storage compartment, making it impossible to produce large quantities of ice. When large quantities of ice are needed, once the ice storage compartment is full, after the user removes the ice or moves it elsewhere by disassembling the ice storage compartment, the ice-making mechanism needs to start making ice again, or the ice storage compartment needs to be reloaded to increase the ice quantity. This method requires the user to constantly monitor the ice level in the ice storage compartment, and ice must be removed after it is full to continue making ice. The large-scale ice-making methods in related technologies are inefficient and require constant user attention. To improve the above technical problems, this application can provide the following embodiments.

[0033] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 2 This 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. Figure 8 The refrigerator 1 includes a condenser 32, an evaporator 36, a throttling device 33, and a compressor 31. When the compressor 31 starts, it draws in low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant gas and compresses 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 via 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 rapid drop in pressure and temperature, becoming a low-temperature, low-pressure liquid. This 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 refrigerator, lowering the internal temperature. Finally, the low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant gas is drawn back into the compressor 31, repeating the above cycle.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] Combination Figure 8In 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.

[0040] Combination Figures 3 to 5 The ice-making mechanism 20 provided in this embodiment includes a housing 21. The housing 21 forms an ice-making space. The housing 21 can separate the interior of the ice-making mechanism 20 from the refrigerator compartment 11. After the components of the ice-making mechanism 20 are assembled inside the housing 21, it can be placed into the refrigerator compartment 11. The housing 21 can also be a component such as a heat insulation plate disposed in the refrigerator compartment 11. The heat insulation plate can separate the refrigerator compartment 11 into the ice-making space, and the components of the ice-making mechanism 20 can be disposed in the ice-making space. The ice-making mechanism 20 also includes an ice-making unit 22 and a heat exchanger 34 disposed corresponding to the ice-making unit 22. The ice-making unit 22 is disposed in the ice-making space. The housing 21 forms a connecting port 211, which connects the ice-making space and the refrigerator compartment 11. The connecting port 211 allows ice cubes to enter the refrigerator compartment 1 from the ice-making space. The ice cubes can be temporarily stored in the refrigerator compartment 11 or the freezer compartment 12, which is not specifically limited here. Because the ice-making mechanism 20 has a limited volume, the amount of ice it can hold is also limited. By providing a connecting port 211 to connect the ice-making space with the cold storage chamber 11, the ice produced by the ice-making mechanism 20 can enter the cold storage chamber 11 through the connecting port 211. When large-scale ice production is not required, a certain amount of ice can be stored in the internal space of the ice-making mechanism 20, and the space in the cold storage chamber 11 can be used for refrigeration. When large-scale ice production is required, ice can enter the cold storage chamber 11 through the connecting port, and at least a portion of the space in the cold storage chamber 11 can be used to hold the ice, thereby achieving large-scale ice production.

[0041] In some embodiments, the ice-making mechanism 20 further includes a first ice storage box 230, which is detachably installed within the ice-making space. When the first ice storage box 230 is installed within the ice-making space, it blocks the communication opening 211, and is correspondingly positioned with the ice-making unit 22. The first ice storage box 230 can be used to store ice cubes produced by the ice-making unit 22. Specifically, when large-scale ice production is not required, the first ice storage box 230 is installed within the ice-making space, blocking the communication opening 211. Ice cubes produced by the ice-making unit 22 can enter and be stored in the first ice storage box 230. The first ice storage box 230 can dispense and distribute ice cubes. When large-scale ice production is required, the user can detach the first ice storage box 230, and it will no longer block the communication opening 211. Ice blocks produced by the ice-making unit 22 can enter the refrigerator compartment 11 through the connection port 211. The space of the refrigerator compartment 11 can be used to store ice blocks. Users can collect ice blocks produced by the ice-making unit 20 by placing a container in the refrigerator compartment 11.

[0042] In some embodiments, an ice-pushing mechanism 232 is provided inside the first ice storage box 230, and the first ice storage box 230 also has an ice outlet 231. The ice-pushing mechanism 232 includes a spiral rod rotatably disposed inside the first ice storage box 230. The spiral rod is used to push ice blocks by rotation. The rotation axis of the spiral rod is along a first direction. The refrigerator 1 has a front side and a rear side in the first direction. A driving device is also provided in the ice-making space. The driving device is disposed on the side of the first ice storage box 230 near the rear side. When the first ice storage box 230 is installed, the rear end of the spiral rod is driven to connect with the driving device. When the user takes ice, the driving device can drive the spiral rod to push the ice blocks out of the ice outlet 231.

[0043] In some embodiments, a first sensing device 70 is provided within the ice-making space and is mounted on the housing 21. The first sensing device 70 is used to detect whether the first ice storage box 230 has been removed. When large-scale ice production is not required, if the first sensing device 70 detects that the first ice storage box 230 is installed, ice production can proceed normally. However, if the first sensing device 70 detects that the first ice storage box 230 has been removed, it can communicate with the control components of the ice-making mechanism 20 to control the ice-making terminal 222 to stop ice production, thereby reducing the impact of ice production on the storage of items in the refrigerator compartment 11. When large-scale ice production is required, the user can select the ice-making mode of the ice-making mechanism 20 to ensure continuous ice production even when the first sensing device 70 detects that the first ice storage box 230 has been removed, thus achieving large-scale ice production.

[0044] In some embodiments, the refrigerator compartment 11 includes an ice dispensing area corresponding to the communication port 211, and the ice dispensing area is connected to the communication port 211. When a large amount of ice is needed, the ice dispensing area can be used to dispense large quantities of ice from the ice-making mechanism 20. By separating the ice dispensing area from other areas within the refrigerator compartment 11, the refrigerator compartment 11 can be functionally divided. Areas outside the ice dispensing area of ​​the refrigerator compartment 11 can be used normally for storing and refrigerating items. Regarding the ice dispensing area, when a large amount of ice is not needed, the ice dispensing area can be used to store items in the refrigerator compartment 11. When a large amount of ice is needed, the ice dispensing area can be emptied and used to store ice blocks produced by the ice-making mechanism 20 in containers or the like.

[0045] Furthermore, in some embodiments, when the first ice storage box 230 is disassembled, the ice-making space is connected to the refrigerator compartment 11 via the connecting port 211. The refrigerator 1 also includes a removable second ice storage box 290, which is disposed in the ice dispensing area and is installed corresponding to the connecting port 211. When a large amount of ice is needed, the second ice storage box 290 can be placed in the ice dispensing area to hold the ice produced by the ice-making mechanism 20. Users can conveniently retrieve ice through the second ice storage box 290. When a large amount of ice is not needed, the second ice storage box 290 itself can also store items, or the ice dispensing area can be used for storing items by disassembling the second ice storage box 290.

[0046] In some embodiments, the housing 21 has an installation port 212 communicating with the ice-making space. The first ice storage box 230 is detachably fitted to the ice-making space through the installation port 212. The first ice storage box 230 has an ice outlet 231 located outside the ice-making space. The first ice storage box 230 can be detachably installed in the ice-making space through the installation port 212. The first ice storage box 230 itself has an ice outlet 231, so that when a large amount of ice is not needed, the user can take ice cubes through the ice outlet 231 on the first ice storage box 230.

[0047] In some embodiments, the refrigerator 1 has a front side and a rear side in a first direction, and multiple ice-making units 22 are arranged in a row in the first direction. At least two rows of ice-making units 22 are arranged in a third direction or a second direction, where the third direction is perpendicular to both the first and second directions, and the second direction is the direction of gravity. The number of ice-making units 22 arranged in the first direction is greater than the number of rows arranged in the third or second direction. Optionally, the first and third directions are horizontal. By arranging multiple ice-making units 22 in this way, ice-making efficiency can be increased. Furthermore, by selecting the arrangement direction, the amount of unusable space caused by the arrangement of the ice-making units 22 can be reduced, thus increasing space utilization. In some embodiments, 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. In other embodiments, the third direction is the front-rear direction of the refrigerator 1, and the first direction is the left-right direction from the user's perspective.

[0048] Combination Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 12 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.

[0049] Combination Figures 6 to 11In some embodiments, the ice-making unit 22 includes multiple ice-making terminals 222 connected to the heat exchanger 34, with multiple ice-making terminals 222 spaced apart in a first direction. Since the refrigerator 1 needs to be accessed from the front after opening the door, the impact on space occupancy is relatively small regardless of the number of ice trays 221 in the first direction when ice-making terminals 222 are provided inside the refrigerator 1. Even if only one ice-making terminal 222 is provided, it will still affect access in the first direction and will occupy space inside 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. Even with multiple ice-making terminals 222 in the first direction, the increase in space occupancy is very limited because of the aforementioned unusable space. However, the impact on space occupancy is significantly different when ice-making terminals 222 are provided in the second or third direction, noticeably affecting the effective usable space inside 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.

[0050] 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.

[0051] 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.

[0052] In some embodiments, the ice container 223 has at least a first position (e.g. Figure 9 ) and second position (e.g. Figure 11 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.

[0053] 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 (e.g., Figure 10When 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.

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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.

[0057] Combination Figures 12 to 16 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 via the heat exchanger 34 (described later). The ice-making mechanism 20 can also achieve a freezing temperature in the ice tray 221 by cooling its interior 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.

[0058] 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.

[0059] 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.

[0060] 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.

[0061] 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.

[0062] 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.

[0063] 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.

[0064] 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] 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.

[0067] 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.

[0068] 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.

[0069] 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 a housing with an ice-making space. The ice-making mechanism includes an ice-making unit and a heat exchanger corresponding to the ice-making unit. The ice-making unit is disposed within the ice-making space. The housing has a connecting port that connects the ice-making space and the refrigerator compartment. The connecting port allows ice to enter the interior of the refrigerator from the ice-making space.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ice-making mechanism further includes a first ice storage box, which is detachably installed in the ice-making space. When the first ice storage box is installed in the ice-making space, it blocks the communication opening. The first ice storage box is correspondingly arranged with the ice-making unit.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The refrigerator compartment includes an ice outlet area corresponding to the communication port, and the ice outlet area is connected to the communication port.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the first ice storage box is removed, the ice-making space is connected to the refrigerator compartment through the connecting port; the refrigerator also includes a removable second ice storage box, which is located in the ice dispensing area and is installed in accordance with the connecting port.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that: A first sensing device is installed in the ice-making space and is mounted on the housing. The first sensing device is used to detect whether the first ice storage box has been disassembled.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The housing has an installation port that communicates with the ice-making space. The first ice storage box is detachably connected to the ice-making space through the installation port. The first ice storage box has an ice outlet located outside the ice-making space.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first ice storage box is equipped with an ice-pushing mechanism, which includes a spiral rod rotatably disposed within the first ice storage box. The spiral rod is used to push ice blocks by rotation. The rotation axis of the spiral rod is along a first direction. The refrigerator has a front side and a rear side in the first direction. A driving device is also provided in the ice-making space. The driving device is disposed on the side of the first ice storage box near the rear side. When the first ice storage box is installed, the end of the spiral rod near the rear side is driven and connected to the driving device.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ice-making unit is an ice-making terminal, and a plurality of 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. The plurality of ice-making terminals are spaced apart in the first direction. The ice-making box has at least a first position and a second position. When the ice-making box is in the first position, the ice-making unit extends into the ice-making box. When the ice-making box is in the second position, ice cubes are allowed to fall. The ice-making box also has a third position. When the ice-making box is in the third position, liquid in the ice-making box is allowed to drain, and ice cubes are not allowed to fall over the ice-making box.

9. 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.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The refrigerator has a front side and a rear side in a first direction. Multiple ice-making units are arranged in a row in the first direction. At least two rows of ice-making units are arranged in a third direction or a second direction. The third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and the second direction is the direction of gravity. The number of ice-making units arranged in the first direction is greater than the number of rows of ice-making units arranged in the third direction or the second direction.

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