Ice storage box and refrigerator

Abstract

An ice storage box and a refrigerator are provided. The ice storage box includes: a bin body having a first accommodating cavity, the bin body including a bottom wall and a side wall, the side wall being provided with an ice outlet; an ice-pushing wheel being disposed in the first accommodating cavity and located on a side close to the ice outlet; an ice-discharging screw being disposed in the first accommodating cavity, the ice-discharging screw being connected to the ice-pushing wheel, and the ice-discharging screw driving the ice-pushing wheel to transport ice cubes from the bottom wall to the ice outlet when rotating.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Applications No. 202211725619.X, filed on Dec. 29, 2022 and entitled “ICE STORAGE BOX AND REFRIGERATOR”. The entire disclosures of the above application are incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of household appliances, and in particular to an ice storage box and a refrigerator.BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY

[0003] As people's living standards continue to improve, refrigerators with automatic ice-making functions are favored by more and more consumers. Usually, this refrigerator has an automatic ice maker consisting of an ice-making system, an ice-storage system, and an ice-discharging system. The ice-making system stores the made ice cubes in the ice-storage system. When consumers take ice cubes, the ice-discharging system discharges the ice cubes from the ice-storage system.

[0004] The ice cubes in the existing refrigerator are pushed out of the ice outlet by the stirring blade under an action of gravity. However, the discharged ice cubes are uneven, sometimes very few ice cubes come out, and sometimes a bunch of ice cubes come out suddenly, which makes user experience poor.Technical Problem

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide an ice storage box and a refrigerator, which can improve a problem of chaotic ice discharging in existing refrigerators.SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an ice storage box, which is applied to a refrigerator. The ice storage box includes:

[0007] A bin body, where the bin body includes a first accommodating cavity, the bin body includes a bottom wall and a side wall, the side wall is provided with an ice outlet, the ice outlet is higher than the bottom wall.

[0008] An ice-pushing wheel, where the ice-pushing wheel is disposed in the first accommodating cavity and is located on a side close to the ice outlet.

[0009] An ice-discharging screw, where the ice-discharging screw is disposed in the first accommodating cavity, the ice-discharging screw is connected to the ice-pushing wheel, the ice-discharging screw is configured to push ice toward the ice-pushing wheel, and the ice-discharging screw drives the ice-pushing wheel to transport ice cubes from the bottom wall to the ice outlet when rotating.

[0010] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a refrigerator, the refrigerator includes:

[0011] A box body.

[0012] An ice storage box, such as the above-mentioned ice storage box, the ice storage box being disposed in the box body.Beneficial Effects

[0013] Beneficial effects of the present application are that the ice storage box provided in the embodiments of the present application includes the bin body, the ice-discharging screw, and the ice-pushing wheel. The first accommodating cavity for accommodating ice cubes is disposed in the bin body. The bin body includes the bottom wall and the side wall. The ice outlet is disposed on the side wall. The ice outlet is higher than the bottom wall. The ice-pushing wheel is disposed in the first accommodating cavity and is disposed on a side close to the ice outlet. The ice-discharging screw is disposed in the first accommodating cavity. When the ice-discharging screw rotates, the ice-pushing wheel can be driven to move the ice cubes from a low place to a high place at the ice outlet. Since the ice cubes need to be transferred from the low place to the high place during an ice transportation process, the ice-pushing wheel will not transport a lot of ice cubes during each ice transportation process, and thus the amount of ice output each time can be controlled. Therefore, when users take ice, the amount of ice output can be better controlled, and a phenomenon of many ice cubes being output at one time will not occur, thereby better improving user experience.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a structure of an ice storage box provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a side view of an ice storage box provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0016] FIG. 3 is an exploded schematic diagram of the ice storage box shown in FIG. 1.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a side wall of the ice storage box shown in FIG. 1.

[0018] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a first structure of an ice-pushing wheel of the ice storage box shown in FIG. 1.

[0019] FIG. 6 is a front view of the ice-pushing wheel shown in FIG. 5.

[0020] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a second structure of an ice-pushing wheel of the ice storage box shown in FIG. 1.

[0021] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a refrigerator provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] FIG. 9 is a front view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 8 after removing a door body.

[0023] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 8 along an A-A direction.

[0024] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a structure of an ice-making chamber of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 8.

[0025] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 11 along a B-B direction.

[0026] FIG. 13 is an exploded schematic diagram of the ice-making chamber of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 11.

[0027] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a structure of an ice transport mechanism of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 8.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0028] Technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to accompanying drawings which show various embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the described embodiments are merely some of, rather than all of, the embodiments of the present application. All the other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments specified in the present application without involving any creative effort shall fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0029] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that directions or positional relationships indicated by terms “center”, “longitudinal”, “transverse”, “length”, “width”, “thickness”, “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “rear / back”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer”, “clockwise”, and “counterclockwise” are based on directions or positional relationships illustrated in the accompany drawings. The terms are merely for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or elements indicated must have a specific orientation and need to be constructed and operated in the specific orientation. Therefore, the terms cannot be understood as a restriction on this present application. In addition, terms “first”, “second”, and the like are merely used for describing purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with “first” and “second” may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, “multiple / a plurality of / a number of” means two or more than two, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0030] An existing ice-discharging system usually consists of an ice crushing device installed in an ice storage box. Ice cubes are pushed out of an ice outlet by a stirring blade under an action of gravity. However, the discharged ice cubes are disordered, sometimes more and sometimes less. Users have a poor experience when receiving ice.

[0031] Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the present application proposes an ice storage box and a refrigerator. The present application will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and implementation examples.

[0032] Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a structure of an ice storage box provided in an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 2 is a side view of an ice storage box provided in an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 3 is an exploded schematic diagram of the ice storage box shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a side wall of the ice storage box shown in FIG. 1. An embodiment of the present application provides an ice storage box 100, and the ice storage box 100 includes a bin body 110, an ice-discharging screw 130, and an ice-pushing wheel 120. A first accommodating cavity 111 for accommodating ice cubes is disposed in the bin body 110. The bin body 110 includes a bottom wall 1101 and a side wall 1102. The side wall 1102 is provided with an ice outlet 112. The ice outlet 112 is higher than the bottom wall 1101. The ice-pushing wheel 120 is disposed in the first accommodating cavity 111 and is located on a side close to the ice outlet 112. The ice-discharging screw 130 is disposed in the first accommodating cavity 111. When the ice-discharging screw 130 rotates, the ice-pushing wheel 120 can be driven to move the ice cubes from a low place to the ice outlet 112 at a high place. Since the ice cubes need to be transferred from the low place to the high place during an ice transportation process, the ice-pushing wheel 120 will not transport a lot of ice cubes during each ice transportation process, thereby controlling the amount of ice output. Therefore, when user takes ice, the amount of ice cubes output can be better controlled, and a phenomenon of many ice cubes being output at one time will not occur, thereby better improving user experience.

[0033] It should be noted that the ice outlet 112 being higher than the bottom wall 1101 means that a lower edge of the ice outlet 112 is higher than the bottom wall 1101, that is, a distance between the lower edge of the ice outlet 112 and the bottom wall 1101 is greater than zero. In other words, the lower edge of the ice outlet 112 and the bottom wall 1101 do not overlap. Compared with the prior art in which the lower edge of the ice outlet 112 of the ice storage box 100 is lower than the bottom wall 1101 or the lower edge of the ice outlet 112 overlaps with the bottom wall 1101, the ice needs to be pushed toward the ice outlet 112 during an ice discharge process, and the ice cubes are pushed out by gravity, which will cause a problem of uncontrollable ice quantity. However, in the embodiment of the present application, by setting the ice outlet 112 higher than the bottom wall 1101, the ice cubes can be transported from the low place to the high place before discharging ice, so that the amount of ice output can be controlled.

[0034] The bin body 110 further includes a baffle 1103, which is connected to the bottom wall 1101, and the baffle 1103 is disposed opposite to the side wall 1102 to form a second accommodating cavity. The ice-pushing wheel 120 is disposed in the second accommodating cavity. An ice inlet 113 is disposed on the baffle 1103. The ice inlet 113 is disposed adjacent to the bottom wall 1101. The ice outlet 112 is disposed away from the bottom wall 1101. During the ice discharging process, the ice-discharging screw 130 pushes the ice cubes from the ice inlet 113 into the ice-pushing wheel 120. The ice-pushing wheel 120 is driven by the ice-discharging screw 130 to transport the ice cubes from the low place to the ice outlet 112 at the high place, thereby achieving ice discharging.

[0035] In some embodiments, an ice-discharging screw fixing hole 1301 is provided on the baffle 1103. The ice-discharging screw 130 includes a rotating shaft. The rotating shaft of the ice-discharging screw 130 passes through a rotation center portion 122 and is then provided at the ice-discharging screw fixing hole 1301. A distance from the ice outlet 112 to the bottom wall 1101 is greater than a distance from the rotating shaft of the ice-discharging screw 130 to the bottom wall 1101. By arranging the ice outlet 112 above the rotating shaft, it can be ensured that the ice-discharging screw 130 pushes the ice cubes from the low-positioned ice inlet 113 instead of the ice-discharging screw 130 directly squeezing the ice cubes out of the ice outlet 112, thereby ensuring the control of the ice output amount. In some other embodiments, the ice outlet 112 is provided at a position adjacent to an upper edge of the side wall 1102. By arranging the ice outlet 112 near the upper edge, the ice-pushing wheel 120 can be transferred to the highest place to discharge ice, and the amount of ice discharged can be further controlled. It should be noted that the specific position of the ice outlet 112 on the side wall 1102 can be set according to actual needs, and no specific limitation is made here, as long as the lower edge of the ice outlet 112 is higher than the bottom wall 1101.

[0036] In some embodiments, a shape of the ice inlet 113 is adapted to a shape of the ice-discharging screw 130, so that the ice cubes can better enter the ice-pushing wheel 120 through the ice inlet 113, thereby improving the ice-intake efficiency. In some embodiments, a shape of the ice outlet 112 is adapted to a shape of the ice-pushing wheel 120, so that the ice-pushing wheel 120 can better push the ice cubes out of the ice outlet 112. In some other embodiments, the shape of the ice inlet 113 can be one of a rectangular, square, circular or irregular shape. The shape of the ice outlet 112 can be one of a rectangular, square, circular or irregular shape. It should be noted that the shape of the ice inlet 113 can be the same as or different from the shape of the ice outlet 112, and can be specifically set according to actual needs, and is not specifically limited here.

[0037] In some other embodiments, the bin body 110 further includes a plurality of side plates, which connect the baffle 1103 and the side wall 1102, and the plurality of side plates, the baffle 1103, and the side wall 1102 surround and form the second accommodating cavity.

[0038] Please refer to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a first structure of an ice-pushing wheel of the ice storage box shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a front view of the ice-pushing wheel shown in FIG. 5. The ice-pushing wheel 120 includes an annular wheel body 121, a rotation center portion 122, and a plurality of ice-pushing blades 124 arranged at intervals. The annular wheel body 121 has a hollow area. The rotation center portion 122 is located in the central control area, and the rotation center portion 122 is connected to the ice-discharging screw 130. An inner end of each ice-pushing blade 124 is connected to the rotation center portion 122. An outer end of the ice-pushing blade 124 is connected to an inner surface of the annular wheel body 121. Each ice-pushing blade 124 is configured to transport ice cubes from the bottom wall 1101 to the ice outlet 112.

[0039] The plurality of ice-pushing blades 124 arranged at intervals may be two ice-pushing blades 124, or three or more ice-pushing blades 124. The embodiment of the present application is described by taking the ice-pushing wheel 120 having two ice-pushing blades 124 as an example, which should not be understood as a limitation thereto, and the specific number can be set according to actual conditions, and no specific limitation is made here.

[0040] It is to be understood that an ice receiving space is formed between two spaced-apart and adjacent ice-pushing blades 124 for carrying ice cubes during ice transportation.

[0041] In some embodiments, the plurality of ice-pushing blades 124 are evenly arranged along a circumferential direction of the annular wheel body 121, so that each receiving space is the same, and thus the number of ice cubes in each ice transportation process is the same. In some embodiments, the plurality of ice-pushing blades 124 are unevenly arranged along the circumferential direction of the annular wheel body 121, so that each ice receiving space can carry a different number of ice cubes. The specific arrangement of the plurality of ice-pushing blades 124 needs to be arranged according to actual conditions, and no specific restrictions are made here.

[0042] Each ice-pushing blade 124 includes a first ice-pushing portion 1241 and a second ice-pushing portion 1242 which are connected to each other. The first ice-pushing portion 1241 is disposed on a side close to the ice-discharging screw 130. The second ice-pushing portion 1242 is disposed on a side away from the ice-discharging screw 130. When the ice-pushing blade 124 faces the ice outlet 112, the first ice-pushing portion 1241 bends in a direction away from the ice outlet 112, the second ice-pushing portion 1242 bends in a direction close to the ice outlet 112, and the lowest point of the second ice-pushing portion 1242 is lower than the lowest point of the first ice-pushing portion 1241. In this way, the ice cubes can be supported by the first ice-pushing portion 1241 to prevent the ice cubes from sliding to the bottom wall 1101, and the ice cubes can slide from a high position to a low position of the ice outlet 112 along the second ice-pushing portion 1242 under the action of gravity to achieve ice discharge.

[0043] One end of the first ice-pushing portion 1241 is connected to the rotation center portion 122, and the other end of the first ice-pushing portion 1241 is connected to the inner surface of the annular wheel body 121. One end of the second ice-pushing portion 1242 is connected to the rotation center portion 122, and the other end of the second ice-pushing portion 1242 is connected to the inner surface of the annular wheel body 121.

[0044] A width of the ice-pushing blade 124 gradually increases from an inner end to an outer end.

[0045] When the ice-pushing wheel 120 rotates in a first direction, the ice-pushing blade 124 bends toward the first direction. A portion where the second ice-pushing portion 1242 is connected to the inner surface of the annular wheel body 121 is lagging a portion where the first ice-pushing portion 1241 is connected to the inner surface of the annular wheel body 121. When the first ice-pushing portion 1241 is at a high point, the second ice-pushing portion 1242 is lower than the first ice-pushing portion 1241. Also, the second ice-pushing portion 1242 is tilted downward toward the ice outlet 112 so that the ice cubes slide into the ice outlet 112. Moreover, when the ice-pushing blade 124 is located at the ice inlet 113, the lowest point of the first ice-pushing portion 1241 is toward the ice inlet 113, so that the ice cubes can enter the ice receiving space more easily. Furthermore, because the portion where the second ice-pushing portion 1242 is connected to the inner surface of the annular wheel body 121 is lagging the lowest point of the first ice-pushing portion 1241, the receiving space for ice cubes is increased, so that the ice-pushing wheel 120 can transport more ice cubes during one rotation.

[0046] In some embodiments, a contact area between the first ice-pushing portion 1241 and the rotation center portion 122 is greater than a contact area between the second ice-pushing portion 1242 and the rotation center portion 122. Also, a width of the first ice-pushing portion 1241 gradually decreases from the inner end to the outer end of the ice-pushing blade 124. A width of the second ice-pushing portion 1242 gradually increases from the inner end to the outer end of the ice-pushing blade 124.

[0047] Please refer to FIG. 7, which is a schematic diagram of a second structure of an ice-pushing wheel of the ice storage box shown in FIG. 1. When the ice-pushing wheel 120 rotates in a second direction, the ice-pushing blade 124 bends toward the second direction. Also, a portion where the first ice-pushing portion 1241 is connected to the inner surface of the annular wheel body 121 is lagging a portion where the second ice-pushing portion 1242 is connected to the inner surface of the annular wheel body 121.

[0048] In some embodiments, the contact area between the first ice-pushing portion 1241 and the rotation center portion 122 is greater than the contact area between the second ice-pushing portion 1242 and the rotation center portion 122. In addition, the width of the first ice-pushing portion 1241 gradually decreases from the inner end to the outer end of the ice-pushing blade 124. The width of the second ice-pushing portion 1242 gradually increases from the inner end to the outer end of the ice-pushing blade 124.

[0049] It should be noted that the first direction and the second direction are opposite.

[0050] In some embodiments, the first ice-pushing portion 1241 or the second ice-pushing portion 1242 is an arc structure. In some other embodiments, the first ice-pushing portion 1241 and the second ice-pushing portion 1242 are both arc structures. In some embodiments, the first ice-pushing portion 1241 or the second ice-pushing portion 1242 is a curved surfaces structure. It is understood that the structures of the first ice-pushing portion 1241 and the second ice-pushing portion 1242 may be the same or different, and the specific structure may be set according to actual conditions, and no specific limitation is made here.

[0051] In some embodiments, a surface of the first ice-pushing portion 1241 for supporting ice cubes includes a plurality of curved surfaces smoothly connected to each other. In some embodiments, a surface of the second ice-pushing portion 1242 for supporting ice cubes includes a plurality of curved surfaces smoothly connected to each other.

[0052] The first ice-pushing portion 1241 and the second ice-pushing portion 1242 are connected by a smooth transition.

[0053] The ice-pushing wheel 120 also includes an ice-limiting block 123. The ice-limiting block 123 is connected to the rotation center portion 122. Moreover, the ice-limiting block 123 and the ice-pushing blade 124 are arranged relative to each other to form a groove to limit the ice cubes. It should be noted that in some embodiments, a relative angle between the ice-limiting block 123 and the ice-pushing blade 124 can be adjusted as needed to adjust a size of the groove, thereby adjusting the amount of ice transported during each rotation of the ice-pushing wheel 120. The larger the angle between the ice-limiting block 123 and the ice-pushing blade 124, the greater the amount of ice transported during each rotation of the ice-pushing wheel 120. In some other embodiments, a length of the ice-limiting portion can also be adjusted to adjust the amount of ice transported. The longer the ice-limiting portion, the greater the amount of ice transported during each rotation of the ice-pushing wheel 120.

[0054] The ice storage box 100 further includes a driving member 140, which is disposed in the first accommodating cavity 111 and is located on a side away from the ice outlet 112. The driving member 140 is connected to the other end of the ice-discharging screw 130. When the driving member 140 drives the ice-discharging screw 130 to rotate forward or reverse, the ice-discharging screw 130 pushes ice toward the ice outlet 112. The ice-pushing wheel 120 transports the ice cubes to the ice outlet 112. Furthermore, when the driving member 140 drives the ice-discharging screw 130 to rotate forward, the driving wheel rotates in the first direction. When the driving member 140 drives the ice-discharging screw 130 to rotate reversely, the driving wheel rotates in the second direction.

[0055] Please refer to FIG. 8 to FIG. 10. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a refrigerator provided in an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 9 is a front view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 8 after removing a door body. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 8 along an A-A direction. The embodiment of the present application also provides a refrigerator 1. The refrigerator 1 may include a box body 10 and a refrigerator door 20. The box body 10 is provided with a refrigeration compartment such as a freezing chamber 12, a refrigerating chamber 11, or a wide-width variable temperature chamber. The refrigerator door 20 is rotatably mounted on the box body 10 to open or close the refrigeration compartment. The refrigerator 1 also includes an ice-making chamber 13 and an ice-making device 133 disposed in the ice-making chamber 13. The ice-making device 133 includes an ice storage box 100 and an ice maker 200. The ice storage box 100 is any of the ice storage boxes 100 described above. The ice storage box 100 is disposed in the refrigerating chamber 11. The ice maker 200 is disposed in the refrigerating chamber 11 and adjacent to the freezing chamber 12. The ice storage box 100 is set above the ice maker 200. The ice maker 200 is placed below the ice storage box 100. Since cold air is deposited from top to bottom, a temperature below the ice storage box 100 will be lower, which is conducive to faster ice making. In addition, since the ice storage box 100 is set at a high position, the number of ice makers 200 can be increased in a space below the ice storage box 100 to obtain more ice cubes.

[0056] Please refer to FIG. 11 to FIG. 13. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a structure of an ice-making chamber of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 11 along a B-B direction. FIG. 13 is an exploded schematic diagram of the ice-making chamber of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 11. The ice-making chamber 13 may include a first shell body 131 and a second shell body 132, and is formed by splicing the first shell body 131 and the second shell body 132. The first shell body 131 and the second shell body 132 may be detachably connected by screw connection, clamping connection, or magnetic fixation.

[0057] The ice-making device 133 may further include a water supply device 300. The water supply device 300 is installed on the ice-making device 133. The water supply device 300 is configured to connect to an external water source. The water supply device 300 is connected to the ice-making device 133 to supply the ice-making device 133 with water required for making ice cubes.

[0058] The ice-making device 133 may further include an ice transport mechanism 400. The ice transport mechanism 400 is configured to transport at least a portion of the ice cubes discharged by the ice maker 200 to the ice storage box 100. The ice transport mechanism 400 may be configured to transport at least a portion of the ice cubes discharged by the ice maker 200 to a top of the ice-making device 133, so that parts inside the ice-making device 133 may be arranged more flexibly, or the ice-making device 133 may be flexibly installed at different positions on the refrigerator 1.

[0059] Please refer to FIG. 14, which is a schematic diagram of a structure of an ice transport mechanism of the ice-making device shown in FIG. 8. The ice transport mechanism 400 includes a lifting assembly 410, a carrier 420, and an ice-removing assembly (not shown in the figure for the time being). The lifting assembly 410 is installed on a housing (not shown in the figure for the time being), and the carrier 420 is in transmission connection with the lifting assembly 410, so that the lifting assembly 410 can drive the carrier 420 to move between the first position and the second position in the direction of gravity. Openings of the ice maker 200 and the ice storage box 100 are located between the first position and the second position, so that the carrier 420 can receive the ice cubes discharged by the ice maker 200 when it moves to the first position. The ice-removing assembly is arranged on the housing (not shown in the figure for the time being), the ice storage box 100, or the carrier 420, and is configured to push the ice cubes carried by the carrier 420 to the ice storage box 100 when the carrier 420 moves to the second position.

[0060] The lifting assembly 410 may be a screw transmission assembly, a gear rack transmission assembly, or a pneumatic cylinder, an oil cylinder electric push rod, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0061] For example, the lifting assembly 410 may include a guide rail 411 and a driving unit 412. The guide rail 411 is mounted on the housing, and the carrier 420 is slidably mounted on the guide rail 411. The driving unit 412 is in transmission connection with the carrier 420 to enable the carrier 420 to move between the first position and the second position.

[0062] Specifically, a lower end of the guide rail 411 is the first position, located on a lower side of the ice maker 200. An upper end of the guide rail 411 is the second position, located on an upper side of the ice maker 200. Then, when the carrier 420 moves to the first position, or when the carrier 420 moves to a bottom of the ice maker 200, the ice cubes discharged from the ice maker 200 can fall onto the carrier 420 due to their own gravity. Then, the carrier 420 can transport the ice cubes to the second position, so that the ice-removing assembly can push the ice cubes on the carrier 420 into the ice storage box 100.

[0063] A structure of the guide rail 411 can be various, for example, the guide rail 411 can be a straight guide rail 411 whose length direction is parallel to the gravity direction. The guide rail 411 can also be an arc-shaped guide rail 411 or a spiral guide rail 411 spiraling downward, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0064] The guide rail 411 can be installed in various ways. For example, the guide rail 411 can be detachably connected to the housing by means of snap connection, screw connection, magnetic fixation, etc.

[0065] For example, the guide rail 411 may be provided with a first pre-fixing structure and a first fastening structure. A second pre-fixing structure and a second fastening structure are provided on one side of the housing that cooperates with the guide rail 411. The first pre-fixing structure is connected to the second pre-fixing structure so that the guide rail 411 and the housing are pre-connected. The second fastening structure is configured such that when the first pre-fixing structure and the second pre-fixing structure are pre-fixed, the second fastening structure is adapted to a position of the first fastening structure so as to achieve a fixed connection between the guide rail 411 and the housing.

[0066] It can be understood that during the assembly of the guide rail 411, the cooperation of the first pre-fixing structure and the second pre-fixing structure can ensure that the guide rail 411 is not easily offset from the housing during the subsequent assembly process, so that the guide rail 411 can be accurately installed and fixed in the end.

[0067] The second pre-fixing structure may include a hook protruding from an inner surface of the housing. The first pre-fixing structure includes a hanging portion such as a hanging hole or a hanging beam formed on the guide rail 411, so that the guide rail 411 can be hung on the hook through the hanging portion to achieve pre-fixation.

[0068] In some other implementations, the first pre-fixing structure and the second pre-fixing structure may be a pair of magnetic members connected by magnetic force, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0069] The second fastening structure and the first fastening structure can both be screw holes, so that the guide rail 411 and the housing can be screwed and fixed by fastening screws.

[0070] The driving unit 412 may be disposed on the housing of the ice-making device 133 and be in transmission connection with the carrier 420. The driving unit 412 may also be disposed on the guide rail 411 and be in transmission connection with the carrier 420. The driving unit 412 may also be disposed on the carrier 420 and be in transmission connection with the guide rail 411 or the housing of the ice-making device 133, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0071] The driving unit 412 may be composed of a first motor and a first pinion and rack transmission assembly, a first screw transmission assembly, or a first synchronous belt transmission assembly driven by the first motor. Thus, the first motor may drive the carrier 420 to slide through the first pinion and rack transmission assembly, the first screw transmission assembly, or the first synchronous belt transmission assembly. The driving unit 412 may also be a first electric push rod, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0072] The carrier 420 may include an ice transport board 421 and a guardrail 422. The ice transport board 421 is slidably connected to the guide rail 411 and is configured to carry ice cubes. The guardrail 422 is slidably connected to the ice transport board 421 so that the guardrail 422 can slide relative to the ice transport board 421 along the gravity direction. Furthermore, when the carrier 420 is at the lower side of the second position, the guardrail 422 can slide to at least partially located on the upper side of the ice transport board 421 to prevent the ice cubes on the ice transport board 421 from accidentally falling. When the carrier 420 moves to the second position, the guardrail 422 can slide to the lower side of the ice transport board 421 so that the ice-removing assembly can push out the ice cubes on the ice transport board 421.

[0073] The carrier 420 is provided with an ice discharge port for discharging the carried ice cubes. The ice transport mechanism further includes an ice blocking member. A blocking member is protruding from a surface of the ice storage box 100. When the carrier 420 moves to the second position, the blocking member can abut against the ice blocking member to drive the ice blocking member to open the ice discharge port so that the ice cubes are pushed into the ice storage box 100.

[0074] The carrier 420 may further include an elastic member 423. The elastic member 423 is disposed on the ice transport board 421 and connected to the guardrail 422 to drive the guardrail 422 to move upward along the gravity direction relative to the ice transport board 421. The elastic member 423 may be a tension spring, a torsion spring, or a compression spring, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0075] Please refer to FIG. 8 again. In order to facilitate the user to take ice and / or water, the refrigerator 1 may further include a distributor 500. The distributor 500 is installed on the refrigerator door 20. The distributor 500 is connected to the water supply device 300 and can output the water supplied by the water supply device 300. The distributor 500 is also movably connected to the ice-making device 133 and can output the ice cubes supplied by the ice-making device 133. Then, the user can directly take water alone, ice alone, or ice and water at the same time through the distributor 500 on the refrigerator door 20 without opening the refrigeration compartment. It can also be understood that, since the water on the distributor 500 is supplied by the water supply device 300, and the water supply device 300 is arranged in the refrigeration compartment for pre-cooling, the user can directly get ice water (i.e. liquid water with a lower temperature but not yet frozen) through the distributor 500.

[0076] The distributor 500 may rotate along with the refrigerator door 20 to be connected with or separated from the ice outlet 112 of the housing, so that the ice cubes made by the ice-making device 133 can be discharged into the distributor 500 for users to obtain.

[0077] The ice storage box and the refrigerator provided in the embodiments of the present application are described in detail above. Specific examples are used herein to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only configured to help understand the present application. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of the present application, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present application.

Claims

1. An ice storage box, applied to a refrigerator, wherein the ice storage box comprises:a bin body, wherein the bin body comprises a first accommodating cavity, the bin body comprises a bottom wall and a side wall, the side wall is provided with an ice outlet, the ice outlet is higher than the bottom wall;an ice-pushing wheel, wherein the ice-pushing wheel is disposed in the first accommodating cavity and is located on a side close to the ice outlet;an ice-discharging screw, wherein the ice-discharging screw is disposed in the first accommodating cavity, the ice-discharging screw is connected to the ice-pushing wheel, the ice-discharging screw is configured to push ice toward the ice-pushing wheel, and the ice-discharging screw drives the ice-pushing wheel to transport ice cubes from the bottom wall to the ice outlet when rotating.

2. The ice storage box according to claim 1, wherein the ice-pushing wheel comprises:an annular wheel body having a hollow area;a rotation center portion located in the hollow area, the rotation center portion being connected to the ice-discharging screw;a plurality of ice-pushing blades arranged at intervals, wherein an inner end of each ice-pushing blade is connected to the rotation center portion, and an outer end of each ice-pushing blade is connected to an inner surface of the annular wheel body;wherein each of the ice-pushing blades is configured to transport the ice cubes from the bottom wall to the ice outlet.

3. The ice storage box according to claim 2, wherein each of the ice-pushing blades comprises a first ice-pushing portion and a second ice-pushing portion connected to each other, the first ice-pushing portion is disposed on a side close to the ice-discharging screw, and the second ice-pushing portion is disposed on a side away from the ice-discharging screw;when the ice-pushing blade faces the ice outlet, the first ice-pushing portion bends in a direction away from the ice outlet, the second ice-pushing portion bends in a direction close to the ice outlet, and a lowest point of the second ice-pushing portion is lower than a lowest point of the first ice-pushing portion.

4. The ice storage box according to claim 3, wherein when the ice-pushing wheel rotates in a first direction, the ice-pushing blade bends toward the first direction, and a portion where the second ice-pushing portion is connected to the inner surface of the annular wheel body is lagging a portion where the first ice-pushing portion is connected to the inner surface of the annular wheel body.

5. The ice storage box according to claim 3, wherein when the ice-pushing wheel rotates in a second direction, the ice-pushing blade bends toward the second direction, and a portion where the first ice-pushing portion is connected to the inner surface of the annular wheel body is lagging a portion where the second ice-pushing portion is connected to the inner surface of the annular wheel body.

6. The ice storage box according to claim 3, wherein a surface of the first ice-pushing portion for supporting the ice cubes comprises a plurality of curved surfaces smoothly connected to each other.

7. The ice storage box according to claim 3, wherein a surface of the second ice-pushing portion for supporting the ice cubes comprises a plurality of curved surfaces smoothly connected to each other.

8. The ice storage box according to claim 3, wherein the ice-pushing wheel further comprises:an ice-limiting block, wherein the ice-limiting block is connected to the rotation center portion, and the ice-limiting block and the ice-pushing blade are disposed opposite to each other to form a groove to limit the ice cubes.

9. The ice storage box according to claim 3, wherein the ice-discharging screw comprises a rotating shaft, the rotating shaft passes through the rotation center portion, and wherein a distance from the rotating shaft to the bottom wall is less than a distance from the ice outlet to the bottom wall.

10. The ice storage box according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of ice-pushing blades are evenly arranged along a circumferential direction of the annular wheel body.

11. The ice storage box according to claim 1, wherein the bin body further comprises a baffle, the baffle is connected to the bottom wall, the baffle is disposed opposite to the side wall to form a second accommodating cavity, and the ice-pushing wheel is disposed in the second accommodating cavity;wherein an ice inlet is disposed on the baffle, the ice inlet is disposed adjacent to the bottom wall, and the ice outlet is disposed away from the bottom wall.

12. The ice storage box according to claim 1, wherein the ice storage box further comprises:a driving member, wherein the driving member is disposed in the first accommodating cavity and is located on a side away from the ice outlet, the driving member is connected to an end of the ice-discharging screw away from the ice-pushing wheel, and when the driving member rotates, the ice-discharging screw is driven to rotate, thereby driving the ice-pushing wheel to rotate.

13. A refrigerator, wherein the refrigerator comprises:a box body;an ice storage box, wherein the ice storage box is disposed in the box body, and the ice storage box comprises:a bin body, wherein the bin body comprises a first accommodating cavity, the bin body comprises a bottom wall and a side wall, the side wall is provided with an ice outlet, the ice outlet is higher than the bottom wall;an ice-pushing wheel, wherein the ice-pushing wheel is disposed in the first accommodating cavity and is located on a side close to the ice outlet;an ice-discharging screw, wherein the ice-discharging screw is disposed in the first accommodating cavity, the ice-discharging screw is connected to the ice-pushing wheel, the ice-discharging screw is configured to push ice toward the ice-pushing wheel, and the ice-discharging screw drives the ice-pushing wheel to transport ice cubes from the bottom wall to the ice outlet when rotating.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 13, wherein the refrigerator further comprises an ice maker, wherein the ice maker is configured to make ice;a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber are disposed in the box body, and the refrigerating chamber is provided with the ice maker and the ice storage box;the ice maker is disposed in the refrigerating chamber adjacent to the freezing chamber, and the ice storage box is disposed above the ice maker.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein the refrigerator comprises:a refrigerator door, wherein the refrigerator door is rotatably connected to the box body;a distributor, wherein the distributor is installed on the refrigerator door, the distributor is movably connected to the ice storage box to output the ice cubes supplied by the ice storage box.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein the refrigerator further comprises:an ice transport mechanism comprising a first drive assembly, a carrier, and an ice-removing member, wherein the first drive assembly drives the carrier to move between a first position and a second position, and the ice-removing member is disposed at the second position;wherein when the carrier moves to the first position, the carrier receives the ice cubes output by the ice maker;when the carrier moves to the second position, the ice-removing member pushes the ice cubes carried by the carrier into the ice storage box.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 16, wherein the carrier is provided with an ice discharge port for discharging the carried ice cubes, and the ice transport mechanism further comprises an ice blocking member;a blocking member is protruding from a surface of the ice storage box, and when the carrier moves to the second position, the blocking member abuts against the ice blocking member to drive the ice blocking member to open the ice discharge port, so that the ice cubes are pushed into the ice storage box.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 16, wherein the carrier comprises an ice transport board and a guardrail, the ice transport board is configured to carry the ice cubes; and the guardrail is slidably connected to the ice transport board so that the guardrail slides relative to the ice transport board along a direction of gravity.

19. The refrigerator according to claim 18, wherein when the carrier is at a lower side of the second position, the guardrail slides to at least partially be located on an upper side of the ice transport board to prevent the ice cubes on the ice transport board from accidentally falling off;when the carrier moves to the second position, the guardrail slides to be located on a lower side of the ice transport board to facilitate the ice-removing assembly to push out the ice cubes on the ice transport board.

20. The refrigerator according to claim 18, wherein the carrier further comprises an elastic member, the elastic member is disposed on the ice transport board and connected to the guardrail to drive the guardrail to move upward along the direction of gravity relative to the ice transport board.

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