Ice maker

Abstract

An ice maker, including an ice-making box (20), a refrigeration device (30) and a liquid supply assembly (40). The ice-making box (20) has an ice-making chamber (21) and an ice-making opening (22) exposing the ice-making chamber. The refrigeration device (30) includes an ice-making column (31) at least partially extending into the ice-making chamber (21). The liquid supply assembly (40) includes a liquid supply pipe (41) communicating with the ice-making chamber (21). The liquid supply pipe (41) has a surge flow section (41a) disposed in the ice-making chamber (21) and opposite to the ice-making opening (22). The surge flow section (41a) has a plurality of surge flow outlets (41b) communicating with the ice-making chamber (21), and the plurality of surge flow outlets (41b) are uniformly distributed in the ice-making chamber (21). Through the plurality of surge flow outlets (41b) on the surge flow section (41a) forming water surge flow in the ice-making box (20), the transparency of ice cubes formed on the ice-making column (31) at different locations in the ice-making box (20) remains consistent, thereby improving ice-making effect.

Description

[0001] The application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202320727616.3 filed on April 04, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of refrigeration devices, and particularly relates to an ice maker.BACKGROUND

[0003] In traditional refrigerators with ice makers, the ice maker is typically installed in a freezer compartment and makes ice through air cooling or direct cooling methods. In the ice-making method, ice forms gradually from outside to inside, and air remaining in the air cannot be expelled, resulting in bubbles inside the ice cubes, poor ice quality, and lack of transparency. To address this, a method of keeping water circulating in an ice-making box has been proposed. This method drives water to maintain flow in the ice-making box by setting up a circulation pump inside the ice-making box, which leads to inconsistent water flow speeds in different parts of the ice-making box, causing variations in the transparency of ice cubes formed on ice-making columns at different locations in the ice-making box, resulting in poor ice-making performance.

[0004] Any prior art mentioned in the specification does not constitute an acknowledgment or suggestion that such prior art forms part of a common general knowledge in any jurisdiction, or that such prior art could reasonably be expected to be understood, regarded as relevant and / or combined with other prior art by persons skilled in the art.SUMMARY

[0005] The object of the present application is to provide an ice maker with good ice-making effect.

[0006] To achieve one of the aforementioned objectives, an embodiment of the present application provides an ice maker, including: an ice-making box having an ice-making chamber and an ice-making opening exposing the ice-making chamber; a refrigeration device including an ice-making column at least partially extending into the ice-making chamber; a liquid supply assembly including a liquid supply pipe communicating with the ice-making chamber; the liquid supply pipe has a surge flow section disposed in the ice-making chamber and opposite to the ice-making opening, the surge flow section has a plurality of surge flow outlets communicating with the ice-making chamber, and the plurality of surge flow outlets are uniformly distributed in the ice-making chamber.

[0007] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present application, the plurality of surge flow outlets are uniformly arranged on the surge flow section, and a center line of each surge flow outlet extends along a vertical direction.

[0008] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present application, the refrigeration device includes a plurality of ice-making columns equal in number to the surge flow outlets, and each surge flow outlet is oppositely arranged to a corresponding ice-making column.

[0009] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present application, the ice-making box has a bottom wall and a side wall connected to a periphery of the bottom wall and jointly surrounding to form the ice-making opening, and the surge flow section is fixedly connected to the bottom wall.

[0010] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present application, the ice-making box further has a positioning groove arranged on the bottom wall and matching with the surge flow section, the ice maker further includes a fixing member connected to the ice-making box, and the surge flow section is disposed in the positioning groove and abuts against the fixing member.

[0011] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present application, the ice maker further includes a water storage box, the water storage box has a mounting cavity and a water storage cavity communicating with the mounting cavity, the ice-making box is disposed above the water storage cavity, and the ice-making opening is exposed in the mounting cavity.

[0012] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present application, the liquid supply assembly further includes a liquid supply pump disposed on the liquid supply pipe, and the liquid supply pump conducts between the water storage box and the ice-making box.

[0013] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present application, the ice-making box is pivotally connected to the water storage box to switch between an ice-making position and a discharge position, the discharge position has a water draining state and an ice releasing state based on different orientations of the ice-making opening, the ice maker further includes an ice storage box connected to the water storage box, the ice storage box has an ice storage opening exposed in the mounting cavity, and in the ice releasing state, the ice-making column is exposed in the mounting cavity and located directly above the ice storage opening.

[0014] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present application, the ice maker further includes a water blocking member connected to the ice-making box, the water blocking member has a water blocking plate and connecting plates connected to both sides of the water blocking plate, the water blocking member switches between a water guiding state and an avoiding state based on rotation of the ice-making box, and in the water guiding state, the water blocking plate is located between the ice-making box and the ice storage box and covers above at least a portion of the ice storage opening.

[0015] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present application, the ice maker further includes a first stopper member and a second stopper member connected to the ice-making box and cooperating with the water blocking member, in the ice-making position, the connecting plate abuts against the first stopper member, and in the discharge position, the connecting plate abuts against the second stopper member.

[0016] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present application, the ice maker further includes a supporting member connected to the water storage box and cooperating with the water blocking member, in the water guiding state, the supporting member abuts against the water blocking member, and in the avoiding state, the supporting member is disengaged from abutting against the water blocking member.

[0017] Compared with related technology, in embodiments of the present application, when the ice maker uses the liquid supply pipe to supply water to the ice-making box, water surge flow is formed in the ice-making box through multiple surge flow outlets on the surge flow section, and the multiple surge flow outlets are uniformly distributed in the ice-making chamber, ensuring consistent transparency of ice cubes formed on the ice-making columns at different locations in the ice-making box, thereby improving ice-making effect.

[0018] The terms "comprise", and variations thereof such as "comprises", "comprised", "comprising", "including", "containing" used herein do not exclude other features, components, elements or steps unless the context clearly requires otherwise.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ice maker according to a preferred embodiment of the present application; FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the ice maker in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of section A-A in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of section B-B in FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is a planar view of section B-B in FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 5a shows an ice-making position, FIG. 5b shows a water draining state, and FIG. 5c shows an ice releasing state; FIG. 6 is a structural view showing a cooperation between the ice-making box and a water blocking member in FIG. 1, wherein a water storage box is omitted, and FIG. 6a shows the ice-making position, FIG. 6b shows the water draining state, and FIG. 6c shows the ice releasing state; FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of area C in FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0020] The following detailed description of the present application will be made in conjunction with specific embodiments shown in the drawings. However, these embodiments do not limit the present application, and any structural, methodological, or functional modifications made by those skilled in the art based on these embodiments are included within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0021] It should be understood that spatial relative position terms such as "upper", "lower", "outer", "inner" used herein are for the purpose of convenient description to describe the relationship between one unit or feature relative to another unit or feature as shown in the drawings. The spatial relative position terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientations depicted in the figures.

[0022] In the description of the present application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "coupled" should be broadly understood. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through intermediate media. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present application according to specific situations.

[0023] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 7, a preferred embodiment of the present application provides an ice maker, which is preferably used for making transparent bullet ice.

[0024] Specifically, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the ice maker includes an ice-making box 20, a refrigeration device 30 and a liquid supply assembly 40. In this embodiment, the ice maker uses external water source for water supply, which is provided to the ice-making box 20 through the liquid supply assembly 40, and the refrigeration device 30 is used to provide a cooling capacity required for ice making.

[0025] Specifically, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the ice-making box 10 has an ice-making chamber 21 and an ice-making opening 22 exposing the ice-making chamber 21. In this embodiment, the ice-making box 20 is in an open state, and the ice-making chamber 21 is used to contain water for ice making.

[0026] Specifically, the refrigeration device 30 includes an ice-making column 31 at least partially extending into the ice-making chamber 21. In this embodiment, the ice-making column 31 extends into the ice-making chamber 21 and contacts with water in the ice-making chamber 21. After the cooling capacity generated by the refrigeration device 30 is transferred to the ice-making column 31, it is continuously transferred through the ice-making column 31 to the water in the ice-making chamber 21, causing the water in the ice-making box 20 to freeze due to cooling and finally solidify on the ice-making column 31. Since the ice-making column 31 has a columnar structure, the ice formed on the ice-making column 31 is bullet-shaped.

[0027] Specifically, the liquid supply assembly 40 includes a liquid supply pipe 41 communicating with the ice-making chamber 21. In this embodiment, the liquid supply assembly 40 uses the liquid supply pipe 41 to conduct between an external water source and the ice-making box 20, thereby delivering the external water source to the ice-making box 20 for ice making.

[0028] Furthermore, the liquid supply pipe 41 has a surge flow section 41a disposed in the ice-making chamber 21. In this embodiment, the surge flow section 41a is fixedly connected to the ice-making box 20 and located in the ice-making chamber 21.

[0029] Furthermore, the surge flow section 41a has a plurality of surge flow outlets 41b communicating with the ice-making chamber 21. In this embodiment, water in the surge flow section 41a continuously flows into the ice-making chamber 21 through the surge flow outlets 41b. During the continuous surging process of the surge flow outlets 41b, the water in the ice-making chamber 21 is disturbed, creating water surge flow in the ice-making chamber 21, accelerating the release of bubbles in the water, making the ice formed on the ice-making column 31 bubble-free and more transparent.

[0030] Furthermore, the surge flow section 41a is arranged opposite to the ice-making opening 22. In this embodiment, the surge flow outlets 41b create water surge flow around the surge flow section 41a, disturbing the water around the surge flow section 41a and accelerating the release of bubbles in the water around the surge flow section 41a. Since the surge flow section 41a is opposite to the ice-making opening 22, bubbles released from the water around the surge flow section 41a directly discharge through the ice-making opening 22, thereby accelerating the discharge of bubbles in the ice-making chamber 21, reducing bubbles in the formed ice cubes, making the ice cubes more transparent.

[0031] Furthermore, the plurality of surge flow outlets 41b are uniformly distributed in the ice-making chamber 21. In this embodiment, water in the surge flow section 41a flows into the ice-making chamber 21 through multiple surge flow outlets 41b, accelerating the water supply speed in the ice-making chamber 21, thereby accelerating the water flow speed in the ice-making chamber 21.

[0032] Moreover, the multiple surge flow outlets 41 are uniformly distributed throughout the ice-making chamber 21, creating water flow disturbance throughout the ice-making chamber 21, allowing bubbles to be released from water throughout the entire ice-making box 20.

[0033] When the ice maker uses the liquid supply pipe 41 to supply water to the ice-making box 20, water surge flow is formed in the ice-making box 20 through multiple surge flow outlets 41b on the surge flow section 41a, and the multiple surge flow outlets 41b are uniformly distributed in the ice-making chamber 21, ensuring consistent transparency of ice cubes formed on the ice-making columns 31 at different locations in the ice-making box 20, thereby improving ice-making effect.

[0034] Specifically, the plurality of surge flow outlets 41b are uniformly arranged on the surge flow section 41a. In this embodiment, the multiple surge flow outlets 41b are uniformly arranged on the surge flow section 41a, ensuring equal water output speed at each surge flow outlet 41b, thereby making the water surge flow uniform throughout the ice chamber, reducing mutual interference between surges at different locations in the ice-making chamber 21.

[0035] Specifically, the center line of each surge flow outlet 41b extends along a vertical direction. In this embodiment, the surge flow outlets 41b spray water vertically upward, accelerating the release of bubbles in water to the water surface.

[0036] Furthermore, each surge flow outlet 41b is arranged to open toward the ice-making opening 22. In this embodiment, all surge flow outlets 41b surge directly toward the direction of the ice-making opening 22, thereby accelerating the release of bubbles in the surging water flow through the ice-making opening 22, reducing energy loss of the surging water flow.

[0037] Furthermore, the refrigeration device 30 includes a plurality of ice-making columns 31 equal in number to the surge flow outlets 41b. In this embodiment, the number of surge flow outlets 41b equals a number of ice-making columns 31, ensuring complete release of bubbles from water in the ice-making box 20 when multiple ice-making columns 31 make ice simultaneously. Axial lines between each ice-making column 31 are parallel to each other.

[0038] Furthermore, each surge flow outlet 41b is oppositely arranged to a corresponding ice-making column 31. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each surge flow outlet 41b is arranged opposite to each ice-making column 31, meaning the surge flow outlets 41b correspond one-to-one with the ice-making columns 31, and each surge flow outlet 41b directly faces each ice-making column 31. Therefore, water flow from each surge flow outlet 41b surges toward each corresponding ice-making column 31, disturbing the water around each ice-making column 31, accelerating the release of bubbles in the water around the ice-making column 31, making the ice formed on the ice-making column 31 bubble-free and more transparent.

[0039] Specifically, the ice-making box 20 has a bottom wall 23 and a side wall 24 connected to a periphery of the bottom wall 23 and jointly surrounding to form the ice-making opening 22, and the surge flow section 41a is fixedly connected to the bottom wall 23. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the bottom wall 23 is located at a bottom of the ice-making box 20, and the ice-making opening 22 is located at a top of the ice-making box 20. Since the surge flow section 41a is fixed on the bottom wall 23, the ice-making opening 22 and the surge flow section 41a are vertically opposite. Therefore, during the process of water supply to the ice-making box 20 through the surge flow section 41a of the liquid supply pipe 41, water flows in from the bottom of the ice-making box 20, and after gradually filling the entire ice-making chamber 21, water overflows from the ice-making opening 22 at the top of the ice-making box 20, creating flowing water in the ice-making box 20, thereby making the formed ice cubes more transparent and bubble-free.

[0040] Moreover, since the surge flow section 41a and the ice-making opening 22 are vertically opposite, a water inlet and an overflow outlet of the ice-making box 20 are also vertically opposite, making the flowing water in the ice-making box 20 pass through the entire ice-making chamber 21 vertically, with the flowing water covering the entire ice-making chamber 21, accelerating the release of bubbles in the ice-making box 20, making the formed ice cubes bubble-free and more transparent.

[0041] Specifically, continuing to refer to FIG. 4, the ice-making box 20 further has a positioning groove 25 arranged on the bottom wall 23 and matching with the surge flow section 41a. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the refrigeration device 30 further includes a refrigerant pipe 32 connected to the ice-making column 31. The refrigerant pipe 32 connects to an evaporator, a condenser, and a compressor to jointly form a refrigeration circuit. The refrigerant pipe 32 communicates with the ice-making column 31, allowing refrigerant in the refrigeration circuit to flow into the ice-making column 31 for cooling. Since the ice-making columns 31 are uniformly distributed in an array, the refrigerant pipe 32 is preferably set in a "U" shape. And since the surge flow outlets 41b are opposite to the ice-making columns 31, the surge flow section 41a is preferably set in a "U" shape matching the refrigerant pipe 32, and the positioning groove 25 is set in a "U" shape matching the surge flow section 41a.

[0042] The "U" shaped structure of the surge flow section 41a allows it to cover the entire bottom of the ice-making chamber 21, with multiple surge flow outlets 41b evenly spaced along the water flow path inside the surge flow section 41a, making the surging water flow from the surge flow outlets 41b uniformly distributed throughout the ice-making chamber 21.

[0043] Furthermore, the ice maker further includes a fixing member 50 connected to the ice-making box 20. In this embodiment, the fixing member 50 is fixed on the ice-making box 20 and located on an edge of the positioning groove 25.

[0044] Specifically, the surge flow section 41a is disposed in the positioning groove 25 and abuts against the fixing member 50. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, when at least a portion of the surge flow section 41a extends into the positioning groove 25, it restricts horizontal displacement of the surge flow section 41a; using the fixing member 50 to support a top of the surge flow section 41a restricts vertical displacement of the surge flow section 41a, thus facilitating installation and disassembly.

[0045] Furthermore, the ice maker further includes a water storage box 10. In this embodiment, the water storage box 10 is used to store water needed for ice making, and the liquid supply assembly 40 uses the liquid supply pipe 41 to conduct between the water storage box 10 and the ice-making box 20, thereby delivering water from the water storage box 10 to the ice-making box 20, which can pre-cool the water entering the ice-making box 20 compared to external water source supply method.

[0046] Specifically, the water storage box 10 has a mounting cavity 11 and a water storage cavity 12 communicating with the mounting cavity 11. In this embodiment, the mounting cavity 11 and water storage cavity 12 are arranged vertically and penetrate each other.

[0047] Specifically, the ice-making box 20 is disposed above the water storage cavity 12, and the ice-making opening 22 is exposed in the mounting cavity 11. In this embodiment, the liquid supply pipe 41 continuously draws water from the water storage cavity 12 and supplies it to the ice-making chamber 21, liquid in the ice-making box 20 overflows through the ice-making opening 22, and since the ice-making opening 22 is exposed in the mounting cavity 11, the overflowing liquid from the ice-making box 20 flows to the mounting cavity 11 and finally falls into the water storage cavity 12 below the ice-making box 20 for continuous drawing by the liquid supply pipe 41, thus achieving water circulation between the ice-making chamber 21 and water storage cavity 12.

[0048] Furthermore, the liquid supply assembly 40 further includes a liquid supply pump 42 disposed on the liquid supply pipe 41, and the liquid supply pump 42 conducts between the water storage box 10 and the ice-making box 20. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the liquid supply pump 42 draws water from the water storage cavity 12 into the ice-making chamber 21, achieving one-way conduction between the water storage box 10 and ice-making box 20, meeting the water needs for ice making.

[0049] In some embodiments, the liquid supply pump 42 can also simultaneously draw water from the ice-making chamber 21 to the water storage cavity 12, facilitating drainage of the ice-making chamber 21, meaning the liquid supply pump 42 can both draw water from the water storage cavity 12 into the ice-making chamber 21 and draw water from the ice-making chamber 21 into the water storage cavity 12, achieving two-way conduction between the water storage box 10 and ice-making box 20.

[0050] Specifically, the ice-making box 20 is pivotally connected to the water storage box 10 to switch between an ice-making position and a discharge position. In this embodiment, the ice-making box 20 is pivotally mounted on the water storage box 10 using axial protrusions at both ends, allowing a box body portion of the ice-making box 20 to rotate in the mounting cavity 11. The liquid supply pipe 41 also includes a connecting section connecting the liquid supply pump 42 and the surge flow section 41a, with the connecting section preferably being a flexible tube to facilitate rotation of the surge flow section 41a together with the ice-making box 20.

[0051] Specifically, referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the discharge position has a water draining state and an ice releasing state based on different orientations of the ice-making opening 22. In this embodiment, during the rotation of the ice-making box 20 relative to the water storage box 10, the ice-making box 20 is in different positions. Among them, the ice-making box 20 in FIGS. 5a and 6a is in the ice-making position, while the ice-making box 20 in FIGS. 5b, 5c, 6b, and 6c is in the discharge position. When the ice-making box 20 is in the discharge position, it is in different states based on different orientations of the ice-making opening 22. Specifically, the ice-making box 20 in FIGS. 5b and 6b is in the water draining state, while the ice-making box 20 in FIGS. 5c and 6c is in the ice releasing state.

[0052] Furthermore, the ice maker further includes an ice storage box 60 connected to the water storage box 10, and the ice storage box 60 has an ice storage opening 61 exposed in the mounting cavity 11. In this embodiment, referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the ice storage box 60 has an open top and is slidably connected to the water storage box 10, movably arranged on the water storage box 10 through pushing and pulling, facilitating user access to ice cubes.

[0053] Specifically, continuing to refer to FIG. 5, in the ice releasing state, the ice-making column 31 is exposed in the mounting cavity 11 and located directly above the ice storage opening 61. In this embodiment, when the ice-making box 20 is in the ice releasing state, by heating the ice-making column 31, ice cubes formed on the ice-making column 31 fall into the ice storage box 60 below for user use.

[0054] Specifically, the ice maker further includes a first heating member 140 arranged on a side of the refrigerant pipe 32 away from the ice-making column 31 and a second heating member 150 arranged in the water storage cavity 12 and located below the ice storage box 60. The refrigeration device 30 is fixedly connected to the water storage box 10, with the ice-making column 31 located in the mounting cavity 11. When the ice-making box 20 is in the ice-making position, the ice-making column 31 is exposed in the ice-making chamber 21. After ice making is complete, rotating the ice-making box 20 to the ice releasing state exposes the ice-making column 31 in the mounting cavity 11, at which time the first heating member 140 heats the ice-making column 31, causing ice cubes on the ice-making column 31 to detach and fall directly into the ice storage box 60. During the ice-making process, the second heating member 150 heats the water in the water storage cavity 12, preventing the water in the water storage cavity 12 from freezing and ensuring normal water drawing and supply by the liquid supply pump 42.

[0055] In some embodiments, semiconductor refrigeration can be used to replace the refrigerant pipe 32 or the entire refrigeration device 30, thus eliminating the need for the first heating member 140.

[0056] Furthermore, the ice maker further includes a water blocking member 70 connected to the ice-making box 20. In this embodiment, the installation of the water blocking member 70 can block liquid discharged from the ice-making opening 22 when the ice-making box 20 is in the ice-making position or water draining state, preventing liquid from flowing into the ice storage box 60.

[0057] Specifically, the water blocking member 70 has a water blocking plate 71 and connecting plates 72 connected to both sides of the water blocking plate 71. In this embodiment, referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the water blocking plate 71 has a flat plate structure, and the water blocking member 70 is pivotally connected to the axial protrusions at both ends of the ice-making box 20 through the connecting plates 72, enabling relative rotation or joint rotation between the water blocking plate 70 and the ice-making box 20.

[0058] Specifically, the water blocking member 70 switches between a water guiding state and an avoiding state based on rotation of the ice-making box 20. In this embodiment, when the ice-making box 20 rotates and drives the water blocking member 70 to rotate, the water blocking member 70 can be in different states. Among them, the water blocking member 70 in FIGS. 5a, 5b, 6a, and 6b is in the water guiding state, while the water blocking member 70 in FIGS. 5c and 6c is in the avoiding state.

[0059] Specifically, in the water guiding state, the water blocking plate 72 is located between the ice-making box 20 and the ice storage box 60, and covers above at least a portion of the ice storage opening 61. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b, when the water blocking member 70 is in the water guiding state, the ice-making box 20 is in the ice-making position or the water draining state. After water flows out from the ice-making opening 22 of the ice-making box 20, it falls onto the water blocking plate 71 and is guided into the water storage cavity 12, preventing liquid from directly falling into the ice storage box 60 and ensuring normal storage of ice cubes in the ice storage box 60. As shown in FIG. 5c, when the water blocking member 70 is in the avoiding state, the ice-making box 20 is in the ice releasing state, the ice-making column 31 is directly exposed above the ice storage opening 61, and after heating, ice cubes detach from the ice-making column 31 and fall into the ice storage box 60, during which process the water blocking member 70 does not interfere with the falling ice cubes.

[0060] Furthermore, the ice-making box 20 is provided with an overflow spout 26, and in the water guiding state, the overflow spout 26 is located directly above the water blocking plate 71. In this embodiment, the installation of the overflow spout 26 allows water in the ice-making box 20 to overflow from the overflow spout 26 when the ice-making box 20 is in the ice-making position, ensuring stable and uniform water flow from the ice-making box 20 onto the water blocking plate 71, reducing water splashing on the water blocking plate 71, and preventing overflow water from the ice-making box 20 from falling into the ice storage box 60.

[0061] The ice-making box 20 preferably has one overflow spout 26 located in the middle position of the ice-making box 20. The overflow spout 26 has an overflow plate with a flat plate structure, and the overflow plate is recessed at an edge of the ice-making opening 22. When the ice-making box 20 is in the ice-making position, the overflow plate 26 and water blocking plate 71 are inclined toward a same side, smoothly and quickly guiding overflow water from the ice-making box 20 into the water storage cavity 12, accelerating the water circulation speed between the ice-making chamber 21 and water storage cavity 12.

[0062] Specifically, continuing to refer to FIGS. 2 and 6, the ice maker further includes a first stopper member 80 and a second stopper member 90 connected to the ice-making box 20 and cooperating with the water blocking member 70. In this embodiment, the connecting plate 72 is located between the first stopper member 80 and the second stopper member 90. During rotation of the ice-making box 20, it drives the first stopper member 80 and second stopper member 90 to rotate, and when either the first stopper member 80 or the second stopper member 90 abuts against the connecting plate 72, the water blocking member 70 rotates together with the ice-making box 20. Taking FIG. 6 as an example, when the ice-making box 20 rotates counterclockwise, the first stopper member 80 abuts against the connecting plate 72 and drives the water blocking member 70 to rotate in a same direction as the ice-making box 20, i.e., counterclockwise; when the ice-making box 20 rotates clockwise, the second stopper member 90 abuts against the connecting plate 72 and drives the water blocking member 70 to rotate in a same direction as the ice-making box 20, i.e., clockwise.

[0063] Specifically, in the ice-making position, the connecting plate 72 abuts against the first stopper member 80. In this embodiment, the ice-making box 20 is driven to rotate by a drive motor, so after the ice-making box 20 stops rotating, it can maintain its position using a self-locking function of the drive motor. Therefore, when the ice-making box 20 is in the ice-making position, the water blocking member 70 is in the water guiding state, and the ice-making box 20 uses the first stopper member 80 to abut against the side of the connecting plate 72. Since the ice-making box 20 remains stationary, it also keeps the water blocking member 70 stationary, preventing deflection of the water blocking member 70 due to water flow impact.

[0064] Specifically, in the discharge position, the connecting plate 72 abuts against the second stopper member 90. In this embodiment, when the ice-making box 20 is in the discharge position, the ice-making box 20 uses the second stopper member 90 to abut against the connecting plate 72 and drives the water blocking member 70 to rotate together, thereby switching the ice-making box 20 from the water draining state to the ice releasing state, allowing smooth ice release from the ice-making column 31.

[0065] Similarly, when the ice-making box 20 is in the ice releasing state, the water blocking member 70 is in the avoiding state, and the ice-making box 20 uses the second stopper member 90 to abut against a side of the connecting plate 72. Since the ice-making box 20 remains stationary, it also keeps the water blocking member 70 stationary, preventing interference from the water blocking member 70 during ice release from the ice-making column 31.

[0066] Furthermore, referring to FIGS. 3 and 6, the ice maker further includes a supporting member 100 connected to the water storage box 10 and cooperating with the water blocking member 70. In the water guiding state, the supporting member 100 abuts against the water blocking member 70, and in the avoiding state, the supporting member 100 is disengaged from abutting against the water blocking member 70. In this embodiment, the supporting member 100 is fixed on the water storage box 10, and when the water blocking member 70 is in the water guiding state, the supporting member 100 provides certain limiting force to the water blocking member 70, preventing its deflection due to water flow impact. When the water blocking member 70 switches from the water guiding state to the avoiding state, the ice-making box 20 can drive the water blocking member 70 to disengage from abutting against the supporting member 100, during which process the supporting member 100 does not affect the rotation of the water blocking member 70 with the ice-making box 20.

[0067] Specifically, referring to FIGS. 3 and 7, the supporting member 100 includes a supporting ball 101 and a spring member 102 abutting against the supporting ball 101. When the water blocking member 70 is in the water guiding state, the spring member 102 abuts against a side of the supporting ball 101 away from the water blocking member 70, thereby providing certain spring force to the supporting ball 101, making the supporting ball 101 elastically support the water blocking member 70, providing limiting force to the water blocking member 70 while not affecting its rotation with the ice-making box 20.

[0068] Specifically, a mounting groove 13 is set on the water storage box 10 to accommodate the spring member 102 and at least part of the supporting ball 101, and an inner diameter of the mounting groove 13's opening end is smaller than a maximum outer diameter of the supporting ball 101, thus preventing the supporting ball 101 from escaping the mounting groove 13. The mounting groove 13 can be integrally formed with the water storage box 10, or a separate mounting member 170 can be used to form the mounting groove 13. When using a separate mounting member 170 to form the mounting groove 13, the mounting member 170 needs to be fixedly connected to the water storage box 10, which facilitates the installation and removal of the supporting member 100.

[0069] Furthermore, continuing to refer to FIGS. 3 and 6, the ice maker further includes a supporting groove 160 arranged on the water blocking member 70 and matching with the supporting ball 101. The supporting groove 160 is used to limit the movement range of the supporting ball 101, allowing the supporting member 100 to provide more stable limiting force to the water blocking member 70 while facilitating rotational disengagement between the water blocking member 70 and the supporting member 100.

[0070] Furthermore, continuing to refer to FIGS. 2 and 6, the ice maker further includes a moving member 110 connected to the ice-making box 20 and a first limiting member 120 and a second limiting member 130 connected to the water storage box 10 and cooperating with the moving member 110. In this embodiment, an internal spline is set on the moving member 110, and an external spline is set on the axial protrusion at the ends of the ice-making box 20, achieving transmission connection between the moving member 110 and the ice-making box 20, meaning the moving member 110 can rotate together with the ice-making box 20.

[0071] The first limiting member 120 and second limiting member 130 are fixedly connected to the water storage box 10, and the moving member 110 is located between the first limiting member 120 and the second limiting member 130. Taking FIG. 6 as an example, during counterclockwise rotation of the ice-making box 20, the moving member 110 rotates counterclockwise together with the ice-making box 20, and when the moving member 110 contacts the first limiting member 120, the first limiting member 120 can control the drive motor to stop working, at which point the ice-making box 20 also stops rotating. Similarly, during clockwise rotation of the ice-making box 20, the moving member 110 rotates clockwise together with the ice-making box 20, and when the moving member 110 contacts the second limiting member 130, the second limiting member 130 can control the drive motor to stop working, at which point the ice-making box 20 also stops rotating.

[0072] Therefore, the arrangement of the moving member 110, first limiting member 120, and second limiting member 130 can prevent excessive rotation of the ice-making box 20 during its rotation driven by the drive motor, thereby avoiding interference between the ice-making box 20 and the refrigeration device 30, as well as interference between the water blocking member 70 and the water storage box 10.

[0073] Specifically, in the ice-making position, the moving member 110 abuts against the first limiting member 120, and in the ice releasing state, the moving member 110 abuts against the second limiting member 130. In this embodiment, the arrangement of the first limiting member 120 and second limiting member 130 limits the rotation range of the ice-making box 20, meaning the ice-making box can only rotate between the ice-making position and ice releasing state.

[0074] Furthermore, in the ice-making position, a start time of the refrigeration device 30 is not earlier than a liquid output time of the surge flow outlets 41b. In this embodiment, the start time of the refrigeration device 30 is later than or equal to the liquid output time of the surge flow outlets 41b. The start time of the refrigeration device 30 refers to a start time of the compressor, and the liquid output time of the surge flow outlets 41b refers to a time when the surge flow outlets 41b supply water to the ice-making chamber 21.

[0075] In the ice-making method where the start time of the refrigeration device 30 equals the liquid output time of the surge flow outlets 41b, when liquid from the liquid supply pipe 41 enters the ice-making chamber 21 through the surge flow outlets 41b, or when the surge flow outlets 41b spray onto the ice-making column 31, the refrigeration device 30 simultaneously starts cooling until the ice-making chamber 21 is filled with water and overflows. The water flow formed by the surge flow outlets 41b continues to surge in the ice-making chamber 21, disturbing the water around the ice-making column 31, accelerating the release of bubbles in the water, thereby forming bubble-free and more transparent ice cubes on the ice-making column 31. This ice-making method shortens the time required for ice making, saving users' waiting time for ice collection.

[0076] In the ice-making method where the start time of the refrigeration device 30 is later than the liquid output time of the surge flow outlets 41b, after the liquid supply pipe 41 supplies water to the ice-making chamber 21 through the surge flow outlets 41b for a period of time, then the refrigeration device 30 starts cooling. Until the ice-making chamber 21 is filled with water and overflows, the water flow formed by the surge flow outlets 41b continues to surge in the ice-making chamber 21, disturbing the water around the ice-making column 31, accelerating the release of bubbles in the water, thereby forming bubble-free and more transparent ice cubes on the ice-making column 31. This ice-making method ensures that the ice cubes formed on the ice-making column 31 are more even and meet requirements, guaranteeing the ice formation effect.

[0077] Specifically, in the ice-making position, the refrigeration device 30 starts when the ice-making chamber 21 is filled with liquid. In this embodiment, in the ice-making method where the start time of the refrigeration device 30 is later than the liquid output time of the surge flow outlets 41b, it is preferred to start the refrigeration device 30 for cooling when the ice-making chamber 21 is filled with water and begins to overflow. That is, after liquid from the liquid supply pipe 41 enters the ice-making chamber 21 through the surge flow outlets 41b, until the ice-making chamber 21 is filled with water and overflows, the refrigeration device 30 immediately starts cooling at this time.

[0078] Taking FIGS. 5 and 6 as examples, when the ice maker starts making ice, first the drive motor controls the ice-making box 20 to be in the ice-making position, and the liquid supply pump 42 draws water from the water storage cavity 12 through the liquid supply pipe 41 and continuously delivers it to the ice-making chamber 21. At this time, the ice-making column 31 is located in the ice-making chamber 21, and after the ice-making column 31 contacts with water in the ice-making chamber 21, ice cubes gradually form on the ice-making column 31. After the ice-making chamber 21 is filled with water, the liquid supply pump 42 continues to supply water to the ice-making chamber 21, and water in the ice-making chamber 21 flows through the overflow spout 26 on the ice-making opening 22 to the water blocking plate 71 below, then falls into the water storage cavity 12 after being guided by the water blocking plate 71, and is continuously pumped back into the ice-making chamber 21 by the liquid supply pump 42, forming water circulation between the ice-making chamber 21 and water storage cavity 12.

[0079] After ice making is complete, the liquid supply pump 42 is turned off, and the drive motor is controlled to drive the ice-making box 20 to rotate clockwise, switching the ice-making box 20 from the ice-making position to the water draining state. During this process, water in the ice-making chamber 21 continuously flows from the ice-making opening 22 or overflow spout 26 to the water blocking plate 71 below, then falls into the water storage cavity 12 after being guided by the water blocking plate 71. During this process, since the water blocking member 70 abuts against the supporting member 100, the water blocking member 70 will not deflect during water guiding.

[0080] After the ice-making box 20 completes water drainage, the drive motor continues to drive the ice-making box 20 to rotate. At this time, the second stopper member 90 on the ice-making box 20 drives the water blocking member 70 to rotate clockwise and causes the water blocking member 70 to disengage from the supporting member 100. During this process, the drive motor drives the ice-making box 20 to switch from the water draining state to the ice releasing state, and the ice-making box 20 drives the water blocking member 70 to switch from the water guiding state to the avoiding state. When the ice-making box 20 is in the ice releasing state, the water blocking member 70 is in the avoiding state, and at this time the moving member 110 contacts the second limiting member 130, which controls the drive motor to stop rotating. Then the first heating member 140 starts working and causes ice cubes on the ice-making column 31 to fall into the ice storage box 60.

[0081] After ice release is complete, the drive motor is controlled to drive the ice-making box 20 to rotate counterclockwise, switching the ice-making box 20 from the ice releasing state to the ice-making state. During this process, when the first stopper member 80 abuts against the water blocking member 70, it drives the water blocking member 70 to rotate counterclockwise and causes the water blocking member 70 to abut against the supporting member 100. During the rotation of the ice-making box 20 driven by the drive motor, until the moving member 110 contacts the first limiting member 120, the first limiting member 120 controls the drive motor to stop rotating. At this time, the ice-making box 20 returns to the ice-making position, and the supporting member 100 also abuts against the water blocking member 70, thus beginning the next round of ice making, and so on.

[0082] It should be understood that although this specification describes according to embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative method in the specification is only for clarity. Technical personnel in the field should take the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in various embodiments can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that technical personnel in the field can understand.

[0083] The series of detailed descriptions listed above are only specific explanations for feasible embodiments of the present application, and they are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. All equivalent implementations or modifications made without departing from the technical spirit of the present application should be included within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. An ice maker, comprising: an ice-making box having an ice-making chamber and an ice-making opening exposing the ice-making chamber; a refrigeration device comprising an ice-making column at least partially extending into the ice-making chamber; a liquid supply assembly comprising a liquid supply pipe communicating with the ice-making chamber; characterized in that the liquid supply pipe has a surge flow section disposed in the ice-making chamber and opposite to the ice-making opening, the surge flow section has a plurality of surge flow outlets communicating with the ice-making chamber, and the plurality of surge flow outlets are uniformly distributed in the ice-making chamber.

2. The ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of surge flow outlets are uniformly arranged on the surge flow section, and a center line of each surge flow outlet extends along a vertical direction.

3. The ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that the refrigeration device comprises a plurality of ice-making columns equal in number to the surge flow outlets, and each surge flow outlet is oppositely arranged to a corresponding ice-making column.

4. The ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that the ice-making box has a bottom wall and a side wall connected to a periphery of the bottom wall and jointly surrounding to form the ice-making opening, and the surge flow section is fixedly connected to the bottom wall.

5. The ice maker according to claim 4, characterized in that the ice-making box further has a positioning groove arranged on the bottom wall and matching with the surge flow section, the ice maker further comprises a fixing member connected to the ice-making box, and the surge flow section is disposed in the positioning groove and abuts against the fixing member.

6. The ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that the ice maker further comprises a water storage box, the water storage box has a mounting cavity and a water storage cavity communicating with the mounting cavity, the ice-making box is disposed above the water storage cavity, and the ice-making opening is exposed in the mounting cavity.

7. The ice maker according to claim 2, 3, 4 or 6, characterized in that the liquid supply assembly further comprises a liquid supply pump disposed on the liquid supply pipe, and the liquid supply pump conducts between the water storage box and the ice-making box.

8. The ice maker according to claim 2, 3, 4 or 6, characterized in that the ice-making box is pivotally connected to the water storage box to switch between an ice-making position and a discharge position, the discharge position has a water draining state and an ice releasing state based on different orientations of the ice-making opening, the ice maker further comprises an ice storage box connected to the water storage box, the ice storage box has an ice storage opening exposed in the mounting cavity, and in the ice releasing state, the ice-making column is exposed in the mounting cavity and located directly above the ice storage opening.

9. The ice maker according to claim 8, characterized in that the ice maker further comprises a water blocking member connected to the ice-making box, the water blocking member has a water blocking plate and connecting plates connected to both sides of the water blocking plate, the water blocking member switches between a water guiding state and an avoiding state based on rotation of the ice-making box, and in the water guiding state, the water blocking plate is located between the ice-making box and the ice storage box and covers above at least a portion of the ice storage opening.

10. The ice maker according to claim 9, characterized in that the ice maker further comprises a first stopper member and a second stopper member connected to the ice-making box and cooperating with the water blocking member, in the ice-making position, the connecting plate abuts against the first stopper member, and in the discharge position, the connecting plate abuts against the second stopper member.

11. The ice maker according to claim 9, characterized in that the ice maker further comprises a supporting member connected to the water storage box and cooperating with the water blocking member, in the water guiding state, the supporting member abuts against the water blocking member, and in the avoiding state, the supporting member is disengaged from abutting against the water blocking member.

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