CN111288178B - Ice dispenser and refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses an ice outlet and a refrigerator. The ice outlet comprises an ice outlet, a valve body and a driving part. An ice outlet is formed on the end face of the ice outlet, and a valve body is arranged below the ice outlet. The outer surface of the valve is spherical. The inside of the valve body is provided with an ice outlet channel running through it, the surface of the valve body forms a sealing part for sealing the ice outlet, the driving part is connected to the valve body and drives the valve body to rotate, so that the valve body has a first state and a second state, when the valve body has a first state and a second state. When the valve body is in the first state, the ice outlet channel is communicated with the ice outlet pipe, and when the valve body is in the second state, the sealing part is in contact with the ice outlet to seal it. The ice ejecting device occupies a small volume, and can realize the ice ejecting or sealing of the ice ejecting pipeline through the rotation of the valve body, and the sealing effect is good. The sealing position and the butt joint position between the ice outlet channel and the ice outlet pipe are accurate and reliable.

Description

Ice dispenser and refrigerator

technical field

The present invention relates to an ice ejecting device, in particular to a refrigerator including the ice ejecting device.

Background technique

Refrigerators with an ice making function are generally large in size, and an ice extraction port is generally provided on the front panel of the box door. Through the ice extraction port, ice can be taken without opening the door, which is convenient and energy-saving. However, in the existing refrigerators, the ice outlet and the ice outlet channel of the ice making device are mostly open design, and the cold air will leak through the ice outlet, resulting in the overflow of the cold air and the increase in energy consumption.

In response to this problem, the prior art proposes a solution. As shown in Figure 1, the device controls the opening and closing of the baffle by setting a baffle at the position of the ice outlet, so as to realize ice discharge and sealing, but in long-term use It was found that with the aging of the device and the displacement of the position, the sealing performance was compromised. When the sealing was not good, the hot air from the outside entered the inside of the ice-making device to melt the ice cubes inside, and the ice cubes were melted and then cooled by the ice-making device. After solidification, it causes the inside to clump together, which blocks the ice making.

In addition, on the one hand, the existing sealing device has the problem of the above-mentioned loose sealing, and on the other hand, it also has the problem of taking up a large volume of space. Since the volume of the refrigerator itself is certain, the sealing device occupies an excessively large space, resulting in a waste of usable space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve the problems of insufficient sealing and too large space in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an ice ejecting device and a refrigerator.

In order to achieve one of the above objectives of the invention, an embodiment of the present invention provides an ice ejecting device, the ice ejecting device includes an ice ejecting pipe, a valve body and a driving part, and an ice outlet is formed on the end face of the ice ejecting pipe, so A valve body is arranged below the ice outlet, the outer surface of the valve is a spherical surface, an ice outlet channel is arranged inside the valve body, and the surface of the valve body forms a sealing portion for sealing the ice outlet, the The driving part is connected to the valve body and drives the valve body to rotate, so that the valve body has a first state and a second state. When the valve body is in the first state, the ice outlet channel and the The ice outlet pipeline is communicated, and when the valve body is in the second state, the sealing portion abuts against the ice outlet port to seal it.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, an ice outlet guide is arranged below the valve body, and an ice outlet guide channel is arranged in the ice outlet guide. When the valve body is in the first state, the outlet The ice guide channel communicates with the ice outlet channel.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, a limit stop is arranged on the valve body, a first stop is arranged on the ice outlet, and a second stop is arranged on the ice outlet guide. When in the first state, the limit stop body abuts against the first stop block; when the valve body is in the second state, the limit stop body abuts against the second stop block .

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, a first insulating layer is filled in the valve body at a position other than the ice outlet channel.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, a rotating shaft is provided on the valve body at an axis position where the valve body rotates, and the rotating shaft is connected to the driving part.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the driving part includes a motor, and the motor is connected to the rotating shaft.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the ice ejecting device further includes a sealing member disposed between the ice ejecting pipe and the ice ejecting channel. When the valve body is in the first state, the The sealing member seals the gap between the ice outlet and the ice outlet channel; when the valve body is in the second state, the sealing member seals the ice outlet and the ice outlet The gap between the parts is sealed.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the sealing member is filled with a second heat insulating layer.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, an end portion of the ice outlet is provided with a clamping groove, and the sealing member is clamped in the clamping groove.

To achieve one of the above purposes of the invention, an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator including an ice storage unit, characterized in that, the refrigerator includes the above-mentioned ice ejecting device, and the ice ejecting device communicates with the ice storage unit .

Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: the ice ejection device occupies a small volume, and the ice ejection pipeline can be released or sealed through the rotation of the valve body, and the sealing effect is good, and the valve body is always in a fixed position. When rotating on the axis, the sealing position between the valve body and the ice-making pipeline and the butt joint position between the ice-discharging passage and the ice-discharging pipeline are accurate and reliable.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is the structural representation of the ice ejecting device in the prior art;

2 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic structural diagram of an ice ejecting device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a cross-sectional view of the ice ejecting device in a first state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a cross-sectional view of the ice ejecting device in a second state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a schematic structural diagram of a valve body according to an embodiment of the present invention;

7 is a cross-sectional view of a valve body according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Among them, 1. valve body; 11. ice outlet channel; 12, sealing part; 13, rotating shaft; 14, first heat insulation layer; 15, limit stop body; 2, ice outlet pipe; 21, ice outlet; 221 4. Ice ejection guide; 41. Ice ejection guide channel; 5. Seal; 51. Second heat insulation layer; S1, first state; S2, second state.

Detailed ways

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the specific embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, these embodiments do not limit the present invention, and structural, method, or functional changes made by those skilled in the art according to these embodiments are all included in the protection scope of the present invention.

An embodiment of the present invention provides an ice ejecting device. As shown in FIG. 2 , the ice ejecting device is connected to an ice making unit or an ice storage unit. Isolate the ice-making unit or ice-storage unit from the outside to ensure that the cold air does not leak.

In this embodiment, in order to clearly express the positions and directions described in this application, the ice making unit or ice storage unit connected to the ice ejecting device is arranged above the ice ejecting device, and the ice cubes fall down by the gravity of the ice cubes themselves. fall into the ice ejecting device;

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 , the ice ejecting device includes an ice ejecting pipeline 2 , a valve body 1 and a driving part 3 . The ice ejecting pipeline 2 is used to receive the ice dropped from the ice making unit or the ice storage unit. The ice ejecting pipeline 2 An ice outlet 21 is formed on the end face of the ice outlet, and a valve body 1 is arranged below the ice outlet 21, so that ice cubes can fall into the valve body 1 from the ice outlet pipe 2;

The outer surface of the valve body 1 is a spherical surface, and the inside of the valve body 1 is provided with an ice outlet channel 11 penetrating it. The surface of the valve body 1 forms a sealing portion 12 for sealing the ice outlet 21. In this embodiment, the ice outlet channel 11 is provided. , so that the spherical surface formed on the surface of the valve body 1 is not complete. The spherical surface is a fitting spherical surface. The ice outlet channel 11 inside the valve body 1 can be a straight through hole through the valve body 1, or can be bent at a certain angle, as shown in the figure 4 or FIG. 7 , the sealing portion 12 is a spherical surface, and the corresponding ice outlet 21 is also set as a corresponding arc surface, or other shapes that can fit with the spherical surface of the sealing portion 12 .

The driving part 3 is connected to the valve body 1 and drives the valve body 1 to rotate, so that the valve body 1 has the first state S1 and the second state S2. When the valve body 1 is in the first state S1, the ice outlet channel 11 communicates with the ice outlet pipeline 2 , when the valve body 1 is in the second state S2, the sealing part 12 is in contact with the ice outlet 21 to seal it. Through the rotation of the spherical valve body 1, the contact between different parts of the valve body 1 and the ice outlet pipe 2 is realized. .

Further, an ice ejection guide 4 is provided below the valve body 1, and an ice ejection guide channel 41 is arranged in the ice ejection guide 4. When the valve body 1 is in the first state S1, the ice ejection guide channel 41 communicates with the ice ejection channel 11. When the ice falls from the ice outlet channel 11 in the valve body 1, by adjusting the length and angle of the ice outlet guide 4, the direction of the ice outlet can be controlled, the splash of broken ice can be reduced, and the ice cubes can fall in a certain direction , In addition, the ice ejection guide 4 can also be set as a component whose direction can be adjusted, so that the direction of ice ejection can be adjusted according to actual needs.

Further, the valve body 1 is provided with a limit stop body 15. As shown in FIG. 6, the ice outlet 21 is provided with a first stopper, and the ice outlet guide 4 is provided with a second stopper. When the valve body 1 is in the first state When S1, the limit stop body 15 is in contact with the first stop; when the valve body 1 is in the second state S2, the limit stop body 15 is in contact with the second stop block, and the limit stop body 15 is used to control the valve body 1 every time The second rotation angle is a fixed value. When the limit stop body 15 is in contact with the first block of the ice discharge pipe 2 or the second block of the ice discharge guide 4, it can be judged that the rotation is in place to ensure that the ice discharge pipe 2 is in place. It is communicated with the ice outlet channel 11 , or the sealing portion 12 is in contact with the ice outlet channel 2 .

Further, the valve body 1 rotates along a fixed axis, and the valve body 1 is provided with a rotating shaft 13 at the position of the rotating axis. The rotating shaft 13 is used to connect the driving part 3 to drive the valve body 1 to rotate, as shown in FIG. A rotating shaft 13 for supporting can also be provided at the relative position of the rotating shaft 13 on the other side of the valve body 1; in this embodiment, the driving part 3 includes a motor, and the motor is connected to the rotating shaft 13 to drive the valve body 1 to rotate. It is set as a mechanical wrench, and the rotation of the wrench is controlled by manpower to drive the valve body 1 to rotate.

In addition, the ice ejecting device further includes a sealing member 5, which is used to ensure that the gap between the valve body 1 and the ice outlet pipeline 2 will not leak cold air, and the sealing member 5 is arranged between the ice outlet pipeline 2 and the valve body 1. , when one end of the ice outlet channel 11 is communicated with the ice outlet channel 2, the seal 5 seals the gap between the ice outlet channel 11 and the ice outlet channel 2; when the sealing part 12 is in contact with the ice outlet channel 2, the sealing The sealing member 5 seals the gap between the sealing portion 12 and the ice outlet pipe 2; as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, in this embodiment, since the valve body 1 is spherical, the sealing member 5 is set to be able to connect with the valve body 1. The annular arc surface that is in contact with the surface covers the spherical valve body 1. When the ice outlet pipe 2 is connected to the ice outlet channel 11, the seal 5 covers the solid part of the valve body 1 other than the ice outlet channel 11. ; When the sealing part 12 is against the ice outlet pipe 2, the sealing part 5 is covered on the sealing part 12; in this embodiment, the sealing part 5 is made of silica gel or rubber material.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first heat insulating layer 14 is filled in the valve body 1 except for the ice outlet channel 11 , the second heat insulating layer 51 is filled in the sealing member 5 , the first heat insulating layer 14 and/ Or the second heat insulating layer 51 is made of heat insulating foam to further improve the heat preservation effect of the valve body 1 and/or the sealing member 5. 5 in the position shown.

Further, the end of the ice outlet 21 is provided with a card slot 221, and the seal 5 is installed in the card slot 221. The installation form of the card slot 221 makes the seal 5 easy to fix and install. When installing, first snap the seal 5. In the card slot 221, the valve body 1 and the sealing member 5 are pressed against each other, and the position is adjusted to fix it, so as to ensure that there is no gap in the connection position.

Further, an embodiment of the present application further provides a refrigerator, which includes an ice storage unit, and the refrigerator includes the above-mentioned ice ejection device, and the ice ejection device communicates with the ice storage unit.

Specifically, the ice ejecting device is divided into a first state S1 and a second state S2:

The first state S1 (FIG. 4)

The motor drives the rotating shaft 13 to drive the valve body 1 to rotate at a certain angle until the limit stop body 15 is in contact with the first stopper. At this time, the ice outlet pipeline 2 is connected to the ice outlet channel 11, the valve body 1 is in the first state S1, and the seal 5. Ensure that there is no gap between the ice outlet pipe 2 and the ice outlet channel 11 to leak cold air, open the ice making unit or ice storage unit, and the ice cubes roll down under the action of their own gravity, along the ice outlet pipe 2 and the ice outlet channel. 11, until it falls out of the ice ejection guide channel 41 of the ice ejection guide 4;

Second state S2 (FIG. 5)

After the ice ejecting process is over, the ice making unit or the ice storage unit is controlled to stop ejecting ice, and the valve body 1 is driven by the motor to rotate until the limit stopper 15 is in contact with the second stopper, and the valve body 1 is in the second state S2 and sealed. The part 12 blocks the ice outlet 21 of the ice outlet pipe 2 , and at this time, the seal 5 ensures that there is no cold air leakage between the ice outlet pipe 2 and the valve body 1 .

Compared with the prior art, this embodiment has the following beneficial effects:

(1) The ice ejecting device occupies a small volume. The rotation of the valve body 1 can realize the ice ejection or sealing of the ice ejecting pipeline 2, and the sealing effect is good. When the valve body 1 always rotates on a fixed axis, the valve body 1 The sealing position with the ice-making pipeline and the butt joint position between the ice-discharging channel 11 and the ice-discharging pipeline 2 are accurate and reliable;

(2) The sealing member 5 suitable for the ice ejecting device ensures that the cold air will not leak, so that the sealing performance of the ice ejecting device is further improved;

(3) An ice guide channel 41 is provided at the bottom of the sealing member 5, so that the direction of the ice discharge can be adjusted, preventing the broken ice from splashing;

(4) A heat insulating layer is provided on both the valve body 1 and the sealing member 5 to ensure the heat insulating performance.

The detailed descriptions listed above are only specific descriptions for the feasible embodiments of the present invention, and they are not used to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any equivalent embodiments or changes made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention should be Included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (7)

1. The ice discharging device is characterized by comprising an ice discharging pipeline, a valve body and a driving part, wherein an ice discharging opening is formed in the end face of the ice discharging pipeline, the valve body is arranged below the ice discharging opening, the outer surface of the valve body is a spherical surface, an ice discharging channel penetrating through the valve body is arranged in the valve body, a sealing part used for sealing the ice discharging opening is formed in the surface of the valve body, and the ice discharging device further comprises a sealing part arranged between the ice discharging pipeline and the ice discharging channel;

the driving part is connected with the valve body and drives the valve body to rotate, so that the valve body has a first state and a second state, when the valve body is in the first state, the ice outlet channel is communicated with the ice outlet pipeline, and the sealing element seals a gap between the ice outlet and the ice outlet channel; when the valve body is in the second state, the sealing part abuts against the ice outlet to seal the ice outlet, and the sealing part seals a gap between the ice outlet and the sealing part;

and a first heat insulation layer is filled in the valve body except the ice outlet channel, and a second heat insulation layer is filled in the sealing element.

2. The ice dispensing device of claim 1, wherein an ice guide is disposed below the valve body, an ice guide channel is disposed in the ice guide, and the ice guide channel communicates with the ice channel when the valve body is in the first state.

3. The ice discharging device as claimed in claim 2, wherein a limit stopper is provided on the valve body, a first stopper is provided on the ice outlet, a second stopper is provided on the ice discharging guide, and the limit stopper abuts against the first stopper when the valve body is in the first state; when the valve body is in the second state, the limiting stopper abuts against the second stopper.

4. The ice making device of claim 1, wherein a rotating shaft is disposed on the valve body at an axial position of the valve body, and the rotating shaft is connected to the driving part.

5. The ice making apparatus of claim 4, wherein said drive portion includes a motor, said motor being coupled to said shaft.

6. The ice dispensing device of claim 1, wherein a slot is provided at the end of the ice outlet, and the sealing member is clamped in the slot.

7. A refrigerator comprising an ice storage unit, characterized in that the refrigerator comprises the ice discharging device of any one of claims 1 to 6, the ice discharging device being in communication with the ice storage unit.

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