WO2024230576A1 - Ice maker and refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a refrigerator and an ice maker. The ice maker comprises: a first ice making tray assembly, which is provided with first ice making cells; a second ice making tray assembly, which is provided with second ice making cells; a driving assembly, which is used for driving the second ice making tray assembly to rotate between an ice making position and an ice discharging position relative to the first ice making tray assembly; and an ice discharging assembly, wherein when the driving assembly drives a second ice making tray to move towards the ice discharging position, the ice discharging assembly is driven to move so as to detach ice blocks in the ice making cells.

Description

Ice Makers and Refrigerators

This application is based on and claims the priority of the Chinese patent applications with application number 202310500833.3 and application date May 5, 2023, application number 202310500844.1 and application date May 5, 2023, application number 202310501188.7 and application date May 5, 2023, and application number 202310544386.1 and application date May 15, 2023. The entire contents of the above patent applications are hereby introduced into this application as a reference.

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of household appliances, and in particular to an ice maker and a refrigerator having the same.

Background Art

Refrigerators have gradually become a necessity for family life. In order to meet the diverse needs of users, more and more refrigerators are now equipped with ice makers. There are many types of ice makers currently available, which can produce ice in various shapes such as spherical ice. In ice makers that produce spherical ice, there are often two parts of ice trays that cooperate with each other to form an ice grid. In such ice makers, it is often necessary to set up an ice-removing mechanism to assist in ice-removing, and the two parts of the ice trays that cooperate with each other need to be separated during ice-removing. Therefore, the driving structure is often more complicated.

The mention of any related technology in the specification does not constitute an acknowledgement or suggestion that the related technology forms part of the common general knowledge in any jurisdiction, or that it can be reasonably expected that the related technology is understood, regarded as related and/or combined with other related technologies by a person skilled in the art.

Summary of the invention

The purpose of the present application is to provide an ice maker and a refrigerator with a simple and compact structure.

In order to achieve one of the above-mentioned purposes of the invention, an embodiment of the present application provides an ice making machine, comprising:

Bracket;

A first ice tray assembly is mounted on the bracket and has a first ice tray;

A second ice tray assembly, mounted on the bracket, disposed below the first ice tray assembly and having a second ice tray corresponding to the first ice tray;

a driving assembly mounted on the bracket, and configured to drive the second ice tray assembly to rotate relative to the first ice tray assembly between an ice making position and an ice removing position, wherein the first ice tray assembly and the second ice tray assembly are closed at the ice making position, and the first ice making grid and the second ice making grid together form an ice making grid; and wherein the first ice tray assembly and the second ice making grid are separated at the ice removing position;

It also includes an ice-removing assembly. When the driving assembly drives the second ice-making tray to move toward the ice-removing position, the ice-removing assembly is driven to move to separate ice cubes in the ice-making grid.

To achieve one of the above-mentioned purposes of the invention, an embodiment of the present application provides a refrigerator, which is provided with an ice maker as described in any of the above embodiments, and the ice making grid of the ice maker is spherical.

The ice maker provided in the present application is provided with an ice-removing assembly, which is transmission-connected to a driving assembly. During the ice-removing process, the driving assembly can simultaneously drive the ice-removing assembly to move, and the overall structure is simple.

As used herein, the term “comprise” and variations of the term, such as “comprises”, “comprised”, “comprising”, “including”, and “containing”, do not exclude other features, components, elements or steps, unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a perspective schematic diagram of an ice maker according to a first embodiment of the present application;

FIG2 is another perspective schematic diagram of the ice maker shown in FIG1 ;

FIG3 is a perspective schematic diagram of the ice maker shown in FIG1 with the bracket hidden;

FIG4 is another perspective schematic diagram of the ice maker shown in FIG3 ;

FIG5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the ice maker shown in FIG3 ;

FIG6 is another cross-sectional schematic diagram of the ice maker shown in FIG3 ;

FIG7 is a perspective schematic diagram of a bracket of the ice maker shown in FIG1 ;

FIG8 is a perspective schematic diagram of a first ice tray of the ice maker shown in FIG1 ;

FIG9 is a perspective schematic diagram of a second ice tray of the ice maker shown in FIG1 ;

FIG10 is a perspective schematic diagram of a second ice tray housing of the ice maker shown in FIG1 ;

FIG11 is another perspective schematic diagram of the second ice tray housing shown in FIG10 ;

FIG12 is a perspective schematic diagram of an extrusion member of the ice maker shown in FIG1 ;

FIG13 is a diagram showing the installation and routing of the heating wire in the heating wire installation slot shown in FIG10 ;

FIG14 is a perspective schematic diagram of an ice maker according to a second embodiment of the present application;

FIG15 is another perspective schematic diagram of the ice maker shown in FIG14;

FIG16 is a perspective schematic diagram of the ice maker shown in FIG14 with the bracket hidden;

FIG17 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the ice maker shown in FIG16 ;

FIG18 is a schematic diagram of a water filling box of the ice maker shown in FIG14;

FIG19 is a perspective schematic diagram of a first ice tray of the ice maker shown in FIG16 ;

FIG20 is a schematic diagram of a bracket of the ice maker shown in FIG14;

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of a second ice tray housing of the ice maker shown in FIG. 16 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

An embodiment of the present application provides a refrigerator, which may include a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment, and a door body for opening and closing the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment. An ice maker may be provided in the refrigerator, and the ice maker may be directly installed in the freezer compartment to make ice using the cold in the freezer compartment. Of course, an independent ice making chamber may also be provided in the refrigerator, and the ice making chamber may be provided on the door body, in the refrigerator compartment, in the freezer compartment, or in the box body, and an ice making chamber independent of the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment may be provided.

1 to 13 , there is shown an ice maker according to a first embodiment of the present application.

1 to 6 , an ice maker provided in one embodiment of the present application may include a bracket 10, and the ice maker may be installed in a refrigerator through the bracket 10. The ice maker may also include a first ice tray assembly 20 and a second ice tray assembly 30, the first ice tray assembly 20 may have a first ice grid 27, and the second ice tray assembly 30 may have a second ice grid 36 corresponding to the first ice grid 27.

The ice maker further includes a water injection assembly, which is used to inject water into the ice making grid. The second ice tray assembly 30 can move between an ice making position and an ice removing position relative to the first ice tray assembly 20. In the ice making position, the first ice tray assembly 20 and the second ice tray assembly 30 are closed, and the first ice making grid 27 and the second ice making grid 36 together form an ice making grid. During the ice making process, the first ice making grid 27 and the second ice making grid 36 both contain liquid water. In the ice removing position, the first ice tray assembly 20 and the second ice tray assembly 30 are separated.

The ice maker may further include an ice-removing assembly. When the driving assembly drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to move toward the ice-removing position, the ice-removing assembly is driven to move to separate ice cubes in the ice tray. An ice storage box may also be provided below the first ice tray assembly 20 and the second ice tray assembly 30. In the ice-removing position, the ice-removing assembly may be used to separate the frozen ice cubes in the ice tray from the first ice tray 27 and the second ice tray 36 and drop them into the ice storage box for storage. The user may take out the ice cubes from the ice storage box for use.

In one embodiment of the present application, the first ice tray assembly 20 and the second ice tray assembly 30 may be arranged up and down, and the second ice tray assembly 30 may be located below the first ice tray assembly 20. The driving assembly 40 may drive the second ice tray assembly 30 to rotate between the ice making position and the ice removing position relative to the first ice tray assembly 20. The ice maker may be a spherical ice maker, and the first ice tray 27 and the second ice tray 36 are both hemispherical. In the ice making position, the first ice tray 27 and the second ice tray 36 cooperate to form a spherical ice tray.

The first ice tray assembly 20 may include a first ice tray 21, and the first ice tray 21 may be mounted on the bracket 10. The first ice tray 21 may be provided with a first ice grid 27. The first ice grid 27 may have a plurality of first ice grids 27, and the plurality of first ice grids 27 may be arranged along an axial direction perpendicular to the first ice grid 27. In a specific embodiment, the plurality of first ice grids 27 may be arranged along the rotation axis direction of the second ice tray assembly 30.

The second ice tray assembly 30 may include a second ice tray 31, and the second ice tray 31 may be provided with a second ice cube 36. There may also be a plurality of second ice cubes 36, and the plurality of second ice cubes 36 are arranged one by one corresponding to the first ice cube 27. In a specific embodiment, the second ice cubes 36 may also be arranged along the rotation axis direction of the second ice tray assembly 30.

The second ice tray assembly 30 may further include a second ice tray housing 32, the second ice tray 31 may be installed in the second ice tray housing 32, and the second ice tray housing 32 is installed on the bracket 10. The driving assembly 40 may be connected to the second ice tray housing 32, and the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray housing 32 to rotate and drives the second ice tray 31 to rotate.

In this embodiment, the side of the first ice tray 21 away from the second ice tray 31 can be the top of the first ice tray 21, and the side close to the second ice tray 31 can be the bottom of the first ice tray 21. The side of the second ice tray 31 away from the first ice tray 21 can be the bottom of the second ice tray 31, and the side close to the first ice tray 21 can be the top of the second ice tray 31.

The ice maker provided in one embodiment of the present application may include a first plane perpendicular to the axis of the first ice making grid 27, a second plane parallel to the length direction of the first ice making tray 21 and perpendicular to the first plane, and a third plane perpendicular to the first plane and the second plane. When the second ice tray assembly 30 rotates, the length direction of the first ice tray 21 may be parallel to the rotation axis of the second ice tray 31 .

Specifically referring to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, in this embodiment, the first ice tray 21 includes a main body 211, and the main body 211 is concave from the bottom surface to form a first ice cube 27. The outer contour shape and size of the first cross section of the main body 211 obtained by taking a first plane at any position along the axial direction of the first ice cube 27 are the same, and the first cross section is one or more connected circular rings, and the outer diameters of the circular rings are equal. The outer contour of the second cross section of the main body 211 obtained by taking a second plane through the axis of the first ice cube 27 is square, and the outer contour of the third cross section of the main body 211 obtained by taking a third plane through the axis of the first ice cube 27 is also square.

In one embodiment provided in the present application, the ice maker may include only one ice tray. In this case, the outer contour of the main body 211 of the first ice tray 21 is cylindrical, the first cross section is a circular ring, and the outer diameters of the first cross sections are the same. This facilitates the installation of the first ice tray 21 on the bracket 10. And because the first ice tray 21 is made of a flexible material, the wall thickness of the upper part of the first ice tray 21 is greater than that of the lower part, which can prevent the first ice tray 21 from being deformed.

In another embodiment provided by the present application, the ice maker includes two ice making grids arranged side by side along the rotation axis direction of the second ice tray 31, the main body 211 can be a cylinder with two connected parts, the first section is two connected circular rings, the outer diameters of the two connected circular rings are equal, and the outer diameters of the first section obtained by making the first plane at any position are equal. At this time, the outer contour of the first section is two connected and symmetrical arcs, both arcs are superior arcs, the corresponding central angles are greater than 180°, and the center of each arc is on the axis of the corresponding first ice making grid 27.

In another embodiment provided by the present application, the ice maker may include three or more ice making trays. In this case, the main body 211 may be three or more cylinders arranged in sequence and partially connected, and the first section is three or more partially connected circular rings. The outer contour of the first section is a plurality of connected arcs with the same radius, which include two major arcs located at both ends and a plurality of minor arcs connecting the two major arcs. The centers of the plurality of arcs are located on the same straight line, and the center of each arc is located on the axis of the corresponding first ice making tray 27. The outer contour of the first section is symmetrical with respect to the line connecting the centers of the plurality of arcs.

The first ice tray 21 provided in any of the above embodiments is easy to be installed and positioned with the bracket 10, and is not easily deformed, so that spherical ice with a high roundness can be produced.

In one embodiment provided in the present application, the bracket 10 is provided with a first accommodating cavity 12, and the main body 211 of the first ice-making tray 21 is at least partially placed in the first accommodating cavity 12. The first accommodating cavity 12 and the main body 211 are matched in shape, so that the bracket 10 can support the first ice-making tray 21.

In this embodiment, the shape of the first accommodating cavity 12 is the same as the outer contour of the main body 211 of the first ice tray 21. When only one first ice making grid 27 is provided in the first ice tray 21, the outer contour of the main body 211 may be cylindrical, and the first accommodating cavity 12 may also be cylindrical. When the first ice tray 21 is provided with a plurality of first ice making grids 27, the shape of the first accommodating cavity 12 may be the same as the outer contour of the main body 211, and may be composed of a plurality of connected arc surfaces.

The first ice tray 21 may further include a mounting portion, which may be integrally formed with the main body 211. The mounting portion may be a first mounting plate 212 disposed on the top of the main body 211. The first mounting plate 212 may be square in shape. The length of the first mounting plate 212 may be greater than the length of the main body 211. The width of the first mounting plate 212 may be greater than the diameter of the spherical ice tray.

In one embodiment provided in the present application, the bracket 10 is further provided with a second accommodating cavity 13, the first accommodating cavity 12 and the second accommodating cavity 13 are connected, and the shape of the second accommodating cavity 13 can be the same as the shape of the first mounting plate 212. The first mounting plate 212 can be placed in the second accommodating cavity 13.

In this embodiment, the bracket 10 may include a first support plate 11, the first support plate 11 may be provided with a through opening to form at least part of the first accommodating cavity 12, and the lower part of the first support plate 11 may have a rib plate arranged around the opening to form another part of the first accommodating cavity 12. The second accommodating cavity 13 may be arranged at the upper part of the first support plate 11, and the upper surface of the first support plate 11 may also be provided with a limiting rib 14, the limiting rib 14 is arranged to surround and form at least part of the second accommodating cavity 13, and the upper surface of the first support plate 11 may also be recessed downward to form at least part of the second accommodating cavity 13.

The first mounting plate 212 is placed in the second accommodating cavity 13 and can be fixedly connected to the bottom wall of the second accommodating cavity 13 by a fixing member. In this embodiment, the first supporting plate 11 can form the bottom wall of the second accommodating cavity 13. When the first ice tray 21 is installed on the bracket 10, the main body 211 of the first ice tray 21 can be partially placed in the first accommodating cavity 12, the first mounting plate 212 of the first ice tray 21 can be placed in the second accommodating cavity 13 and supported by the first supporting plate 11, and the first mounting plate 212 can be fixed to the first supporting plate 11 by screws.

In this embodiment, the second accommodating cavity 13 supports the first ice tray 21, which can prevent the first ice tray 21 from deforming due to the expansion of water during the freezing process, thereby producing spherical ice with a higher roundness.

Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present application, the first ice tray assembly 20 also includes a fixing plate 22, which has the same shape as the first mounting plate 212. The first mounting plate 212 is provided with a through hole 213 connected to the first ice making grid 27. The fixing plate 22 is provided with a through hole corresponding to the through hole 213, and water can be supplied to the ice making grid through the through hole 213, or ice can be thawed through the through hole 213.

The fixing plate 22 is placed on the first mounting plate 212 and both are placed in the second accommodating cavity 13. The fixing plate 22 and the first mounting plate 212 have corresponding screw holes, and the two are fixed to the first support plate 11 by screws. The fixing plate 22 can enhance the stability of the connection of the first ice tray 21, and can further reduce the deformation of the first ice tray 21 during the freezing process of water, so that spherical ice with a higher roundness can be produced.

In one embodiment provided in the present application, the first ice tray assembly 20 is further provided with a sensor receiving groove 26 for installing a temperature sensor. The sensor receiving groove 26 may be at least partially provided on the first mounting plate 212, and the sensor receiving groove 26 may pass through an edge of the first mounting plate 212, and the limiting rib 14 may be provided with an opening corresponding to the sensor receiving groove 26, through which the temperature sensor may be disassembled.

In this embodiment, the sensor receiving groove 26 may be partially opened in the first mounting plate 212 and partially opened in the fixing plate 22, and the two together form the sensor receiving groove 26. The temperature sensor is in direct contact with the first ice tray 21, and can accurately sense the temperature of the first ice tray 21. According to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, the water injection component can be controlled to inject water into the ice tray, or to control ice removal, or to control the opening and closing of the heating wire described below.

Further, in one embodiment of the present application, the cavity wall of the first accommodating cavity 12 may be provided with a first heating wire installation groove 15 for installing the heating wire, so that the heat of the heating wire can be better transferred to the first ice making tray 21. The shape of the first heating wire installation groove 15 may be the same as that of the first accommodating cavity 12, and two first heating wire installation grooves 15 may be provided at intervals on the cavity wall of the first accommodating cavity 12 in the axial direction of the first ice making tray 27. The two first heating wire installation grooves 15 may be located at the top and bottom of the first accommodating cavity 12, respectively.

Further, referring to FIG. 9 , in an ice making machine provided in an embodiment of the present application, the second ice tray 31 may include an ice tray portion 311 forming a second ice tray 36, and a rib portion 312 extending upward from the ice tray portion 311. The outer surface of the ice tray portion 311 is hemispherical. The rib portion 312 may surround a portion of the main body 211, that is, in the ice making position, a portion of the main body 211 is placed in the rib portion 312. The top edge of the rib portion 312 may be in the same plane as the bottom edge of the first accommodating chamber 12.

In this embodiment, the height of the first accommodating chamber 12 is less than two-thirds of the height of the main body 211. The height of the first accommodating chamber 12 may be greater than or equal to one-half of the height of the main body 211. Thus, in the ice-making position, part of the first ice-making tray 21 is placed in the rib portion 312 of the second ice-making tray 31, which can prevent water from leaking to the outside during water injection and ice-making, such as leaking to the ice storage box at the bottom.

In one embodiment of the present application, the radius of curvature of the rib portion 312 decreases from the side close to the driving shaft of the second ice tray housing 32 to the side away from the driving shaft, the radius of curvature of the side of the rib portion 312 away from the rotating shaft is the same as the radius of the first accommodating chamber 12 and remains unchanged in the up-down direction, and the radius of curvature of the side of the rib portion 312 close to the rotating shaft increases from bottom to top. This arrangement can prevent the rib portion 312 from interfering with the driving shaft 42 of the driving assembly 40 when the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to rotate.

Further, referring to Figures 10 and 11, in one embodiment of the present application, the second ice tray shell 32 includes a first part 321 that matches the shape of the second ice tray 36, the first part 321 has a hemispherical accommodating cavity, and the outer surface of the first part 321 is a spherical surface, the second ice tray shell 32 also includes a second part 322, the second part 322 forms a square accommodating cavity, the accommodating cavity wall of the second part 322 is square, and a connecting surface 323 is provided between the second part 322 and the first part 321.

In this embodiment, a second support plate 33 is disposed in the second portion 322, and the second ice tray 31 is provided with an opening that matches the shape of the second ice tray 31. The second ice tray 31 may also have a second mounting plate 313, which extends outward from the outer surface of the second ice tray 31, and the plane where the second mounting plate 313 is located may be perpendicular to the axial direction of the second ice tray 36, and the ice tray portion 311 and the rib portion 312 of the second ice tray 31 may be located on both sides of the second mounting plate 313, respectively.

When the second ice tray 31 is installed in the second ice tray housing 32, the second mounting plate 313 is supported on the second support plate 33 and fixed to the second support plate 33 by screws. The second support plate 33 can be lower than the top edge of the second portion 322, so that the second mounting plate 313 is placed in the accommodation cavity formed by the second portion 322.

The wall surface of the opening of the second support plate 33 is provided with a second heating wire installation groove 36, and a heating wire is installed in the second heating wire installation groove 36. The second support plate 33 can increase the stability of the installation and fixation of the second ice tray 31, form support for the second ice tray 31, and the heating wire is directly arranged in the second support plate 33, so that the heat of the heating wire can be better transferred to the second ice tray 31.

Further, referring to FIGS. 1 to 6 , in one embodiment of the present application, the ice removal assembly includes an ice pusher 60, and the ice pusher 60 is provided with an ice pusher rod 61 corresponding to the ice making tray. A through hole 213 may be provided at the top of the first ice making tray 27, and the ice pusher rod 61 may be inserted into the through hole 213. In a specific embodiment, the through hole 213 may be coaxially arranged with the first ice making tray 27.

The ice pusher 60 can be in transmission connection with the driving assembly 40. When the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray 31 to rotate, the ice pusher 60 can be driven to move at the same time, driving the ice pusher 61 to move along the axial direction of the first ice tray 27 toward the side close to the second ice tray assembly 30. At this time, the ice pusher 61 can be inserted into the first ice tray 27 from the through hole 213, pressing the ice cubes in the first ice tray 27, so that the ice cubes in the first ice tray 27 are separated from the first ice tray 21.

After defrosting, the driving assembly 40 can rotate in the reverse direction, driving the second ice tray assembly 30 to move from the defrosting position to the ice making position. At this time, the ice pusher 60 can return to the initial position, and the end of the ice pusher rod 61 is located outside the first ice making grid 27. After the tray assembly 30 moves to the ice-making position, the water injection assembly can be controlled to inject water into the ice-making grid.

In one embodiment of the present application, the ice-pushing rod 61 is provided with a through water injection channel 63 , and the water injection assembly injects water into the ice-making tray through the water injection channel 63 .

In this way, water can be directly injected into the ice cube tray through the ice pusher 60 without the need to provide other water injection components, and the overall structure is simple.

Further, in one embodiment of the present application, the driving assembly 40 includes a driving shaft 42, and the driving shaft 42 is connected to the second ice tray assembly 30. In a specific embodiment, the driving shaft 42 can be connected to the second ice tray housing 32. The ice maker also includes a pressing transmission mechanism, and the pressing transmission mechanism can include an input end 51 connected to the driving shaft 42. When the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to rotate toward the de-icing position, the driving shaft 42 can drive the pressing transmission mechanism to move, and the output end 52 of the pressing transmission mechanism can apply pressure to the ice pusher 60 to drive the ice pusher 60 to move.

In this embodiment, the output end 52 of the pressing transmission mechanism can be directly connected to the ice pushing member 60, or it can only press the ice pushing rod 61 during the movement, applying pressure to the ice pushing member 60 in the direction of the second ice tray assembly 30, thereby driving the ice pushing member 60 to move, so that the ice pushing rod 61 moves along the axial direction of the first ice tray 27 toward the side of the second ice tray assembly 30.

In this way, the second ice tray assembly 30 and the ice pusher 60 can be driven to move simultaneously by one driving assembly 40, so that the synchronization of the movement of the second ice tray assembly 30 and the ice pusher 60 during the deicing process can be increased, making deicing smoother.

Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present application, the pressing transmission mechanism includes a connecting rod mechanism 50 , an input end 51 of the connecting rod mechanism 50 is connected to the driving shaft 42 , and an output end 52 can apply pressure to the ice pusher 60 to drive the ice pusher 60 to move.

The connecting rod mechanism 50 may include at least an input connecting rod 53 and an output connecting rod 55 which are in transmission connection. The input connecting rod 53 may be connected to the driving shaft 42. One end of the output connecting rod 55 is pivotally connected to the connecting rod in the connecting rod mechanism 50, and the other end forms an output end 52 acting on the ice pusher 60. An axial hole is further provided between the two ends of the output connecting rod 55, and the output connecting rod 55 is pivotally connected to the bracket 10 through the axial hole. The rotation axis of the output connecting rod 55 may be parallel to the axis of the driving shaft 42.

Furthermore, the ice pusher 60 also includes a connecting plate 62, which may be perpendicular to the axis of the first ice making grid 27. The connecting plate 62 may be provided with a water injection hole 631 corresponding to the ice pushing rod 61. The diameter of the top of the water injection hole 631 is greater than the diameter of the bottom. In a specific embodiment, the first ice making grid 27 and the second ice making grid 36 may be arranged up and down, and the connecting plate 62 may be parallel to the horizontal plane. The output end 52 of the pressing transmission mechanism may be provided with a sliding groove 551. The extension direction of the sliding groove 551 may be parallel to the connecting plate 62, and the connecting plate 62 may be partially inserted into the sliding groove 551.

In this embodiment, the sliding groove 551 is disposed at the output end 52 of the connecting rod mechanism 50 , that is, at the output end 52 of the output connecting rod 55 , and the extending direction of the sliding groove 551 is perpendicular to the axis of the driving shaft 42 .

When the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to move from the ice making position to the ice removing position, the output end 52 of the output connecting rod 55 moves downward, and the sliding groove 551 slides relative to the connecting plate 62. The upper wall of the sliding groove 551 presses the connecting plate 62 to apply a force to the connecting plate 62 to move the second ice tray assembly 30, driving the connecting plate 62 to move, and at the same time drives the ice pushing rod 61 to move along the axial direction of the first ice making grid 27 toward the second ice tray assembly 30.

Further, in one embodiment of the present application, the connecting rod mechanism 50 further includes an intermediate connecting rod 54, and the two ends of the intermediate connecting rod 54 are respectively pivotally connected to the input connecting rod 53 and the output connecting rod 55. In this embodiment, the connecting rod mechanism 50 can be a crank rocker mechanism, and the length of the output connecting rod 55 can be greater than the length of the intermediate connecting rod 54, and the length of the intermediate connecting rod 54 can be greater than the length of the input connecting rod 53. In this way, the overall structure is more compact, and the ice pusher 60 can obtain an appropriate movement stroke.

Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present application, the intermediate link 54 may include a first intermediate link 541 and a second intermediate link 542 that are arranged in parallel and spaced apart, an end of the input link 53 is located between the first intermediate link 541 and the second intermediate link 542 and is pivotally connected to the first intermediate link 541 and the second intermediate link 542, and an end of the output link 55 is located between the first intermediate link 541 and the second intermediate link 542 and is pivotally connected to the first intermediate link 541 and the second intermediate link 542, thereby increasing the stability of the connecting rod mechanism 50.

In this embodiment, the input connecting rod 53, the output connecting rod 55, the first intermediate connecting rod 541, and the second intermediate connecting rod 542 are all made of plastic and have the same wall thickness, which is easier to process and manufacture.

Further, in one embodiment of the present application, an elastic reset member 24 is provided between the ice pusher 60 and the first ice tray assembly 20. When the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to rotate toward the ice-removing position, the elastic reset member 24 is compressed, and when the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to rotate toward the ice-making position, the elastic force of the elastic reset member 24 is released to apply a force to the ice pusher 61 in a direction away from the second ice tray assembly 30.

In the present embodiment, when the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to rotate from the ice making position to the ice removing position, the output end 52 of the pressing transmission mechanism can press the ice pushing member 60, and apply pressure to the ice pushing member 60 toward the second ice tray assembly 30, and when the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to rotate from the ice making position to the ice removing position, the output end 52 of the pressing transmission mechanism may not apply force to the ice pushing member 60, and the ice pushing member 60 is reset under the action of the elastic force of the elastic reset member 24, and at the same time, the ice pushing member 60 can drive the pressing transmission mechanism.

Of course, the output end 52 of the pressing transmission mechanism can also be directly connected to the ice pushing member 60. When the ice tray assembly 30 rotates from the ice-removing position to the ice-making position, the pressing transmission mechanism can apply a force to the ice pusher 60 in a direction away from the second ice tray assembly 30 to drive the ice pusher 60 to reset. At this time, the elastic reset member 24 can also apply a reset force to reduce the wear on the pressing transmission mechanism.

Further, in one embodiment of the present application, the first mounting plate 212 is provided with a through hole 213 communicating with the first ice tray 27, and the first ice tray 21 can be fixedly mounted on the bracket 10 through the first mounting plate 212. The first mounting plate 212 can be parallel to the connecting plate 62, and the fixing plate 22 can be fixedly mounted on the connecting plate 62, and the fixing plate 22 can be provided with a clearance groove 23 corresponding to the output end 52 of the output connecting rod 55.

During the ice-removing process, the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to rotate from the ice-making position to the ice-removing position, driving the connecting rod mechanism 50 to move, and the output connecting rod 55 rotates relative to the bracket 10. The end of the output connecting rod 55 moves toward the first ice tray 21. The clearance groove 23 is set on the fixed plate 22 to avoid interference with the output connecting rod 55, thereby ensuring the movement range of the ice pusher 60, so that ice can be removed smoothly.

In addition, in this embodiment, the first ice tray 21 can be made of a flexible material, and the first ice tray 21 is fixedly connected to the bracket 10 via a fixing plate 22, which can improve the stability of the connection, reduce the deformation of the first ice tray 21, and ensure the roundness of the spherical ice.

Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present application, guide grooves 621 may be provided at both ends of the connecting plate 62, and the extension direction of the guide grooves 621 is parallel to the extension direction of the sliding grooves 551. The ice maker also includes a guide column 25, one end of the guide column 25 is connected to the first ice tray assembly 20, and the other end passes through the guide groove 621. The axial direction of the guide column 25 is parallel to the axial direction of the first ice tray 27, and the elastic return member 24 includes a spring sleeved on the guide column 25.

In this embodiment, the diameter of the through hole 213 connected to the first ice tray 27 is larger than the outer diameter of the ice pusher 61. By providing the guide groove 621, the ice pusher 60 is allowed to move slightly during ice removal or resetting, which is convenient for production and assembly and can reduce the impact of production errors.

Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present application, the driving assembly 40 includes a motor module, the second ice-making assembly includes two axial holes, the driving shaft 42 includes a first driving shaft 421 passing through the two axial holes and fixedly connected to the second ice-making tray assembly 30, and a second driving shaft 422 fixedly connected to one end of the first driving shaft 421, the second driving shaft 422 is connected to the output end 52 of the motor module, and one end of the input connecting rod 53 is fixedly connected to the first driving shaft 421 and is located between the two axial holes.

In this embodiment, the pressing transmission mechanism includes two sets of connecting rod mechanisms 50, and the shaft hole connected to the driving shaft 42 is set in the second ice tray housing 32 and is located at the positions corresponding to the ice making grids at both ends of the second ice tray housing 32. One of the two sets of connecting rod mechanisms 50 is set at the corresponding position between the two ice making grids at one end of the ice maker, and the other set is set at the corresponding position between the two ice making grids at the other end of the ice maker. The connecting rod mechanisms 50 are set at both ends to make the force more uniform and the overall operation stability is good.

Further, referring to Figures 5 and 10 to 12, in the ice maker provided in one embodiment of the present application, the ice-removing assembly also includes an extruder 70, which can squeeze the second ice tray 31 during the ice-removing process to assist in separating the ice cubes from the second ice tray 31.

In this embodiment, the second ice tray 31 can be made of a flexible material, the second ice tray housing 32 can be made of a rigid material, and the second ice tray housing 32 supports the second ice tray 31 to produce spherical ice with a high degree of roundness. One end of the extrusion member 70 can be pivotally mounted on the bracket 10, the rotation axis of the extrusion member 70 can be parallel to the rotation axis of the second ice tray 31, and the extrusion member 70 can include an extrusion portion 71, and the extrusion portion 71 can extend in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the extrusion member 70. The extrusion portion 71 can be wedge-shaped, and the extrusion portion 71 has an inclined extrusion surface 711, and the extrusion surface 711 is inclined from the fixed end 713 side of the extrusion portion 71 to the free end 714 side toward the direction away from the first ice tray assembly 20.

The bottom of the second ice tray housing 32 may be provided with a through ice-shedding hole 34. The ice-shedding hole 34 may be arc-shaped, and the ice-shedding hole 34 may extend along the arc-shaped surface of the second ice tray housing 32, and the axis of the ice-shedding hole 34 is parallel to the rotation axis of the extrusion member 70. When the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to rotate toward the ice-shedding position, the extrusion portion 71 passes through the ice-shedding hole 34, and the extrusion surface 711 extrudes the second ice tray 31, so that ice cubes are separated from the second ice tray 31.

In this embodiment, the extrusion portion 71 is set to be wedge-shaped, and the ice-removing hole 34 is set to be arc-shaped. During the ice-removing process, the contact area between the extrusion surface 711 and the second ice-making tray 31 is large, the ice-removing effect is better, and the extrusion portion 71 and the second ice-making tray assembly 30 are not prone to interference, and the overall stability is better.

Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present application, a support rib 341 is provided in the ice-shedding hole 34 , and the support rib 341 is provided along the width direction of the ice-shedding hole 34 . The extrusion portion 71 is at least partially inserted into the ice-shedding hole and supported by the support rib 341 .

In this embodiment, the extrusion portion 71 further has a support surface 712, and the support surface 712 is supported by the support rib 341. In the ice-making position, the support surface 712 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the second ice-making grid 36. When the first ice-making tray assembly 20 and the second ice-making tray assembly 30 are arranged up and down, in the ice-making position, the support surface 712 is parallel to the horizontal plane. The height between the support surface 712 and the extrusion surface 711 decreases from the fixed end 713 side of the extrusion portion 71 to the free end 714 side.

The support rib 341 can be arranged at the bottom center of the second ice tray housing 32, and the ice-removing hole 34 can be symmetrical with respect to the support rib 341. During the ice-removing process, when the second ice tray assembly 30 rotates from the ice-making position to the ice-removing position, the extruding member 70 is driven to rotate, and the extruding member 70 is driven to rotate. The pressing member 70 moves in the ice-removing hole 34 , and the second ice tray assembly 30 moves toward the driving shaft 42 relative to the pressing member 70 , and the pressing surface 711 of the pressing portion 71 presses the second ice tray 31 .

Both ends of the ice-removing hole 34 may extend to the connecting surface 323. In this embodiment, there are multiple ice-making trays, each of which has a corresponding extrusion member 70. The multiple extrusion members 70 may be connected by a connecting member 72, and the position of the connecting rod mechanism 50 is located between two adjacent extrusion members 70. The connecting member 72 and the extrusion member 70 may be arranged at an angle, and a clearance space 721 is arranged at the corresponding position of the connecting member 72 and the connecting rod mechanism 50. In a specific embodiment, the connecting member 72 may be arc-shaped, and the plane where the connecting member 72 is located is perpendicular to the support surface 712. During the ice-removing process, the connecting member 72 will not interfere with the connecting rod mechanism 50.

Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present application, the inner surface of the first part 321 of the second ice tray shell 32 may be provided with a third heating wire installation groove 35 located on both sides of the ice-de-icing hole 34, the third heating wire installation groove 35 is arc-shaped and parallel to the ice-de-icing hole 34, a first groove wall 351 may be provided between the third heating wire installation groove 35 and the ice-de-icing hole 34, and first threading holes 353 may be provided at both ends of the first groove wall 351, and the first threading holes 353 connect the third heating wire installation groove 35 and the ice-de-icing hole 34.

The third heating wire installation groove 35 also includes a second groove wall 352 opposite to the first groove wall 351, and the second groove wall 352 may be provided with a second threading hole 354, and the second threading hole 354 may penetrate the second ice tray housing 32. The second threading hole 354 may be located in the middle of the third heating wire installation groove 35. As shown in the schematic diagram of Figure 13, after one end of the heating wire W enters the third heating wire installation groove 35 on one side of the ice-removing hole 34 from the second threading hole 354, it passes through the first threading hole 353 on one side and then passes through the third heating wire installation groove 35 on the other side of the ice-removing hole 34 from the first threading hole 353 on the other side, and then passes through the second threading hole 354 on the other side, and then passes through the third heating wire installation groove 35 of the adjacent ice-making grid from the second threading hole 354, until the heating wire passes through the third heating wire installation groove 35 of the ice-making grid at the other end and then passes back in the opposite direction. Among them, two strands of heating wires pass through the second threading hole 354. The heating wire can provide heat to the second ice making tray 31 from the bottom of the second ice making tray 31. During the ice making tray rotating and deicing, the deicing assembly will not interfere with the heating wire.

Furthermore, the ice maker of one embodiment of the present application further includes a controller. The ice maker may be provided with an independent controller. When the ice maker is installed in a refrigerator, the ice maker may also share the controller with the refrigerator. One embodiment of the present application also provides a control method for a heating wire to generate transparent ice cubes during the freezing process of water or to control the heating wire to assist in deicing.

In this embodiment, the heating wire disposed outside the first ice making tray 27 may be referred to as the first heating wire, and the heating wire disposed outside the second ice making tray 36 may be referred to as the second heating wire. Multiple first heating wires and multiple second heating wires may be provided. In the above specific embodiment, two first heating wires are provided, and two second heating wires are also provided.

Further, in one embodiment of the present application, the power of the plurality of second heating wires is the same, one of the plurality of first heating wires near the top of the first ice making tray 27 is a variable power heating wire, and the other heating wires are constant power heating wires, and the maximum power of the variable power heating wire is the same as the power of the constant power heating wire. The power of the first heating wire may be greater than the power of the second heating wire.

In one embodiment of the present application, the controller is used to control the multiple second heating wires and the multiple first heating wires to turn on when ice making starts, and during the ice making process, control the constant power heating wires among the multiple second heating wires and the multiple first heating wires to turn off first and the variable power heating wires to turn off last.

In this embodiment, ice making can be started after water injection is completed. When the water in the ice making grid is frozen to a preset state, the constant power heating wires in the multiple second heating wires and the first heating wire are controlled to be turned off, and the power of the variable power heating wire is controlled to be gradually reduced. For example, the power of the variable power heating wire can be reduced by gradually lowering its voltage.

Wherein, in the preset freezing state, the water in the ice cube tray is partially frozen. In a specific embodiment, after the water filling is completed, a 24V voltage can be passed to the first heating wire, and a 10V voltage can be passed to the second heating wire for heating, and the water in the ice cube tray can reach the preset freezing state when the preset time is reached after the water filling is completed, such as after 6 hours. It can also be judged whether the preset freezing state is reached based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor. When the water in the ice cube tray reaches the preset freezing state, the three lower heating wires can be disconnected at the same time, leaving only the variable power heating wire at the top to operate, and gradually reducing the voltage of the variable power heating wire.

When the temperature detected by the temperature sensor reaches the de-icing temperature, the power of the variable power heating wire can be controlled to be reduced to 0.

In this way, the water in the ice-making grid can be directionally frozen from the bottom of the second ice-making grid 36 to the top of the first ice-making grid 27. During the ice-making process, the bubbles in the water also move from the bottom of the second ice-making grid 36 to the top of the first ice-making grid 27, and can eventually be discharged through the through hole 213 at the top of the first ice-making grid 27 to generate ice cubes with higher transparency.

A variable power heating wire is provided on the top of the first ice making grid 27. When the water in the ice making grid is partially frozen to a preset freezing state, only the variable power heating wire is kept running, which can improve the ice making efficiency and prevent the water on the top of the ice making grid from not freezing or freezing slowly.

14 to 21 show an ice maker according to a second embodiment of the present application. The difference between this embodiment and the ice maker according to the first embodiment lies mainly in the structure of the ice removal assembly and the water injection structure.

14 to 17 , the ice maker provided in this embodiment may include a bracket 10, and the ice maker may be installed in a refrigerator through the bracket 10. The ice maker may also include a first ice tray assembly 20 and a second ice tray assembly 30, the first ice tray assembly 20 may have a first ice grid 27, and the second ice tray assembly 30 may have a second ice grid 36 corresponding to the first ice grid 27.

The ice maker also includes a water injection assembly for injecting water into the ice making grid. The ice tray assembly 20 moves between an ice making position and an ice removing position. In the ice making position, the first ice tray assembly 20 and the second ice tray assembly 30 are closed, and the first ice making grid 27 and the second ice making grid 36 together form an ice making grid. During the ice making process, the first ice making grid 27 and the second ice making grid 36 both contain liquid water. In the ice removing position, the first ice tray assembly 20 and the second ice tray assembly 30 are separated.

The ice maker may further include an ice-defrosting assembly, and an ice storage box may be provided below the first ice tray assembly 20 and the second ice tray assembly 30. In the ice-defrosting position, the ice-defrosting assembly may be used to separate the frozen ice cubes in the ice grid from the first ice grid 27 and the second ice grid 36 and drop them into the ice storage box for storage, and the user may take out the ice cubes from the ice storage box for use.

In one embodiment of the present application, the first ice tray assembly 20 and the second ice tray assembly 30 may be arranged up and down, and the second ice tray assembly 30 may be located below the first ice tray assembly 20. The driving assembly 40 may drive the second ice tray assembly 30 to rotate between the ice making position and the ice removing position relative to the first ice tray assembly 20. The ice maker may be a spherical ice maker, and the first ice tray 27 and the second ice tray 36 are both hemispherical. In the ice making position, the first ice tray 27 and the second ice tray 36 cooperate to form a spherical ice tray.

The first ice tray assembly 20 may include a first ice tray 21, and the first ice tray 21 may be mounted on the bracket 10. The first ice tray 21 may be provided with a first ice grid 27. The first ice grid 27 may have a plurality of first ice grids 27, and the plurality of first ice grids 27 may be arranged along an axial direction perpendicular to the first ice grid 27. In a specific embodiment, the plurality of first ice grids 27 may be arranged along the rotation axis direction of the second ice tray assembly 30.

The second ice tray assembly 30 may include a second ice tray 31, and the second ice tray 31 may be provided with a second ice tray 36. There may also be a plurality of second ice trays 36, and the plurality of second ice trays 36 are arranged one-to-one with the first ice tray 27. In a specific embodiment, the second ice trays 36 may also be arranged along the rotation axis direction of the second ice tray assembly 30. In this way, the ice maker includes a plurality of ice trays.

The second ice tray assembly 30 may further include a second ice tray housing 32, the second ice tray 31 may be installed in the second ice tray housing 32, the second ice tray 31 may be made of a flexible material, and the second ice tray housing 32 may be made of a rigid material. The second ice tray housing 32 is installed on the bracket 10. The driving assembly 40 may be connected to the second ice tray housing 32, and the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray housing 32 to rotate while driving the second ice tray 31 to rotate.

In this embodiment, the side of the first ice tray 21 away from the second ice tray 31 can be the top of the first ice tray 21, and the side close to the second ice tray 31 can be the bottom of the first ice tray 21. The side of the second ice tray 31 away from the first ice tray 21 can be the bottom of the second ice tray 31, and the side close to the first ice tray 21 can be the top of the second ice tray 31.

The first ice tray 21 has a water injection hole 213 connected to the first ice grid 27. The water injection hole 213 can be opened at the top of the first ice tray 21, and the water injection hole 213 can be coaxially arranged with the first ice grid 27. The water injection assembly can include a water storage box arranged inside the refrigerator, or the water injection assembly can be directly connected to an external water source. The ice maker also includes a water injection box 80, and the water injection box 80 can include a water outlet 81 corresponding to the water injection hole 213. The water injection assembly can inject water into the water injection box 80, and the water in the water injection box 80 can enter the interior of the ice grid through the water outlet 81 and the water injection hole 213, thereby completing the water injection of the ice grid.

In this embodiment, water is injected into the ice making grid by directly providing the water injection hole 213 and the water injection box 80 on the top of the ice making grid, so that the water supply is uniform, and in the ice making position, the multiple ice making grids are not connected, so that icicles can be avoided between the ice balls. A plurality of water injection boxes 80 can be provided, which are arranged one by one with the multiple ice making grids.

Further, referring to Fig. 18, in one embodiment of the present application, the water filling box 80 may have an inclined bottom surface 82, the side of the bottom surface 82 close to the water outlet 81 is lower than the side away from the water outlet 81, and the bottom surface 81 may be provided with a hydrophobic material. The hydrophobic material may be directly coated on the bottom surface.

In this way, when the water injection assembly supplies water to the water injection box 80, the water can flow naturally and quickly to the water outlet 81 under the action of gravity, and flow into the ice making grid through the water outlet 81, which can improve the efficiency of water injection and further ensure the uniformity of water injection, avoiding water retention in the water injection box 80, so that spherical ice with good roundness and uniformity can be produced.

Further, referring to Figure 19, in one embodiment of the present application, the first ice-making tray 21 also includes a water injection rib 22 arranged around the water injection hole 213, the water injection rib 22 is coaxial with the water injection hole 213, the first ice-making tray 21 also includes a water receiving portion 23, the water injection rib 22 extends to one side to form the water receiving portion 23, and the water outlet 81 is arranged above the water receiving portion 23.

In this embodiment, the water receiving portion 23 is extended to one side and the top of the water receiving portion 23 is open, and the water outlet 81 is directly disposed above the water receiving portion 23, so that the water filling box 80 is not easy to interfere with other components.

The bottom surface of the water receiving portion 23 may be an inclined surface, and the side close to the water injection hole 213 may be lower than the side away from the water injection hole 213. The bottom surface of the water receiving portion 23 may also be provided with a hydrophobic material. In this way, the water in the water receiving portion 23 can naturally flow into the ice making tray under the action of gravity, avoiding water stagnation in the water receiving portion 23.

18, the top surface of the water filling box 80 is open, the cross section of the water filling box 80 is convex, and the bottom surface of the convex part is provided with a water outlet 81. In this way, the space occupied by the water filling box 80 can be further reduced, the structure is compact, and it is not easy to interfere with other components.

The water filling box 80 can be installed on the bracket 10. The side of the water filling box 80 opposite to the protruding part is provided with a T-shaped mounting portion 83. Referring to FIG. 7, the bracket 10 is provided with a mounting groove 11 that matches the mounting portion 83. In this embodiment, the top surface of the bracket 10 can be provided with a vertical mounting plate, and the mounting plate can have a vertical mounting groove 11. The user can make the mounting portion 83 and the mounting groove 11 compatible by plugging and unplugging. The mounting groove 11 is engaged or disengaged, so that the water filling box 80 can be quickly and conveniently installed after the ice tray is installed.

Further, referring to FIGS. 14 to 17 , in one embodiment of the application, the ice maker further includes an ice pusher 60, which may include an ice pusher rod 61, which may be coaxial with the water injection hole 213 and inserted into the water injection hole 213. When the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to rotate from the ice making position to the ice removing position, the ice pusher rod 61 may be driven to move downward, so that the ice pusher rod 61 may apply downward pressure to the ice cubes in the first ice making grid 27, thereby assisting the ice cubes in the first ice making grid 27 to separate from the first ice making grid 27. The ice pusher rod 61 and the water injection hole 213 may be coaxially arranged.

In this embodiment, by providing the water receiving portion 23, interference between the water filling box 80 and the ice pusher 60 can be avoided. By opening a water filling hole 213 on the top of the ice tray, water can be filled and ice can be removed at the same time. The overall structure is simple and compact.

In this embodiment, the ice pusher 60 may further include an ice pusher plate 62, the ice pusher plate 62 may be connected to the ice pusher rod 61, the ice pusher plate 62 may be parallel to the horizontal plane, and a gap may be left between the edge of the ice pusher plate 62 and the water injection box 80. The ice maker may include a drive shaft 42 connected to the second ice tray assembly 30, and the drive assembly 40 may drive the second ice tray assembly 30 to rotate via the drive shaft 42. Preferably, an axial hole connected to the drive shaft 42 may be provided in the second ice tray housing 32 of the second ice tray assembly 30.

The ice pusher 60 can be in transmission connection with the driving assembly 40. When the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray 31 to rotate, the ice pusher 60 can be driven to move at the same time, driving the ice pusher 61 to move along the axial direction of the first ice tray 27 toward the side close to the second ice tray assembly 30. At this time, the ice pusher 61 can be inserted into the first ice tray 27, pressing the ice cubes in the first ice tray 27, so that the ice cubes in the first ice tray 27 are separated from the first ice tray 21.

After de-icing is completed, the driving assembly 40 can rotate in the reverse direction to drive the second ice tray assembly 30 to move from the de-icing position to the ice making position. At this time, the ice pusher 60 can return to the initial position, and the end of the ice pusher rod 61 is located outside the first ice making grid 27. When the second ice tray assembly 30 moves to the ice making position, water can be poured into the ice making grid.

The ice maker also includes a pressing transmission mechanism, which may include an input end connected to the drive shaft 42. When the drive assembly 40 drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to rotate toward the ice-removing position, the drive shaft 42 can drive the pressing transmission mechanism to move, and the output end 52 of the pressing transmission mechanism can apply pressure to the ice pusher 60 to drive the ice pusher 60 to move.

In this embodiment, the output end 52 of the pressing transmission mechanism can press the ice pusher 60 during the movement, applying pressure to the ice pusher 60 in the direction of the second ice tray assembly 30, thereby driving the ice pusher 60 to move, so that the ice pusher rod 61 moves along the axial direction of the first ice tray 27 toward the side of the second ice tray assembly 30.

In this way, the second ice tray assembly 30 and the ice pusher 60 can be driven to move simultaneously by one driving assembly 40, so that the synchronization of the movement of the second ice tray assembly 30 and the ice pusher 60 during the deicing process can be increased, making deicing smoother.

Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present application, the pressing transmission mechanism includes a connecting rod mechanism 50 , an input end 51 of the connecting rod mechanism 50 is connected to the driving shaft 42 , and an output end 52 can apply pressure to the ice pusher 60 to drive the ice pusher 60 to move.

The connecting rod mechanism 50 may include at least a transmission connection input connecting rod 53 and an output connecting rod 55, wherein the input connecting rod 53 may be connected to the drive shaft 42, one end of the output connecting rod 55 is pivotally connected to other connecting rods in the connecting rod mechanism 50, and the other end forms an output end 52 acting on the ice pusher 60. An axial hole is further provided between the two ends of the output connecting rod 55, through which the output connecting rod 55 is pivotally connected to the bracket 10, and the rotation axis of the output connecting rod 55 may be parallel to the axis of the drive shaft 42.

Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present application, the connecting rod mechanism 50 further includes an intermediate connecting rod 54, and both ends of the intermediate connecting rod 54 are respectively pivotally connected to the input connecting rod 53 and the output connecting rod 55. The structure of the connecting rod mechanism 50 in this embodiment can refer to the connecting rod mechanism in the first embodiment.

Further, in one embodiment of the present application, an elastic reset member 63 is provided between the ice pusher 60 and the first ice tray assembly 20. When the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to rotate toward the ice-removing position, the elastic reset member 63 is compressed, and when the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to rotate toward the ice-making position, the elastic force of the elastic reset member 63 is released to drive the ice pusher 60 to move upward.

In the present embodiment, when the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to rotate from the ice making position to the ice removing position, the output end 52 of the pressing transmission mechanism can press the ice pushing member 60, and apply pressure to the ice pushing member 60 toward the second ice tray assembly 30, and when the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to rotate from the ice making position to the ice removing position, the output end 52 of the pressing transmission mechanism may not apply force to the ice pushing member 60, and the ice pushing member 60 is reset under the action of the elastic force of the elastic reset member 63, and at the same time, the ice pushing member 60 can drive the pressing transmission mechanism.

Further, in the ice maker provided in one embodiment of the present application, the bottom of the second ice tray housing 32 may be provided with an ice shedding hole 34. The ice maker may further include an ice shedding rod 70, one end of which may be inserted into the ice shedding hole 34. The ice shedding position may include an initial ice shedding position and an extreme ice shedding position, and the extreme ice shedding position may be a position where the driving assembly 40 cannot drive the second ice tray 31 to move further in the ice shedding direction. The initial ice shedding position may be located between the ice making position and the extreme ice shedding position.

When the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to move from the ice-making position to the initial ice-removing position, the ice-removing rod 70 can move synchronously with the second ice tray assembly 30, and the ice-removing rod 70 and the second ice tray assembly 30 can have no relative movement. When the second ice tray assembly 30 moves to the initial ice-removing position, the bracket 10 abuts against the ice-removing rod 70 to limit the ice-removing rod 70 from continuing to move. When the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to continue to move from the initial ice-shedding position to the extreme ice-shedding position, the ice-shedding rod 70 can move relative to the second ice tray housing toward the second ice tray 31 to press the second ice tray 31.

In this embodiment, when the driving assembly 40 drives the second ice tray assembly 30 to move from the initial ice-shedding position to the extreme ice-shedding position, the ice-shedding rod 70 no longer moves, but the second ice tray assembly 30 still moves. Therefore, the ice-shedding rod 70 and the second ice tray assembly 30 produce relative movement, and the ice-shedding rod 70 generates pressure on the second ice tray 31, thereby assisting the separation of ice cubes from the second ice tray 31.

The de-icing rod 70 is always at least partially inserted into the de-icing hole 34 , so the de-icing is more stable and the de-icing rod 70 is less likely to interfere with other components.

Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present application, the ice maker also includes an elastic member 75. When the driving component 40 drives the second ice tray 31 to move from the initial ice-shedding position to the extreme ice-shedding position, the elastic member 75 is compressed. When the driving component 40 drives the second ice tray 31 to move from the extreme ice-shedding position to the ice-making position, the elastic force of the elastic member 75 drives the ice-shedding rod 70 to move relative to the second ice tray shell 32 in a direction away from the second ice tray 31.

In this embodiment, an elastic member 75 is provided, and the elastic force of the elastic member 75 can assist the ice-removing rod 70 to automatically reset, so that no additional mechanism is required to drive the ice-removing rod 70 to perform the reset movement. After the ice-removing rod 70 is reset, the ice-removing rod 70 no longer applies pressure to the second ice-making tray 31. Since the second ice-making tray 31 is made of a flexible material, the second ice-making tray 31 can automatically return to a hemispherical shape, or the natural expansion force during the freezing of water causes the second ice-making tray 31 to return to a hemispherical shape.

Further, in one embodiment of the present application, a first limiting boss 73 is provided at one end of the de-ice rod 70, and a second limiting boss 74 is provided at the other end. The diameters of the first limiting boss 73 and the second limiting boss 74 are larger than the diameter of the de-ice hole 34. The first limiting boss 73 is located inside the second ice tray housing 32, and the second limiting boss 74 is located outside the second ice tray housing 32. In this way, in the ice making position, the bottom surface of the first limiting boss 73 contacts the inner surface of the second ice tray housing 32, and in the extreme de-ice position, the top surface of the second limiting boss 74 contacts the outer surface of the second ice tray housing 32. The first limiting boss 73 and the second limiting boss 74 limit the travel of the de-ice rod 70.

Further, referring to FIG8 , in one embodiment of the present application, the inner surface of the second ice tray housing 32 is provided with a receiving groove 321. In the ice making position, the first limiting boss 73 is placed in the receiving groove 321, and a gap is left between the first limiting boss 73 and the vertex of the bottom surface of the second ice tray 31. In this way, the provision of the receiving groove 321 can facilitate the installation of the ice stripping rod 70, and prevent the ice stripping rod 70 from affecting ice making. At the same time, the first limiting boss 73 can also increase the contact area with the second ice tray 31, thereby improving the ice stripping effect.

Further, in one embodiment of the present application, the outer surface of the second ice tray housing 32 is provided with a mounting boss 322, and the mounting boss 322 is provided around the ice-removing hole 34. The elastic member 75 includes a spring sleeved on the ice-removing rod 70, one end of the spring can abut against the mounting boss 322, and the other end can abut against the second limiting boss 74. The mounting boss 322 can be provided with a first spring mounting groove 76, and the second limiting boss 74 can be provided with a second spring mounting groove 77, and the two ends of the spring can be respectively disposed in the first spring mounting groove 76 and the second spring mounting groove 77.

In this embodiment, the first spring installation groove 76 and the second spring installation groove 77 can both be annular to facilitate the installation of the end of the accommodating spring. The mounting boss 322 also provides radial space for the installation of the de-icing rod 70, which can make the installation of the de-icing rod 70 more stable.

Further, in one embodiment of the present application, the de-icing rod 70 includes a first de-icing rod 71 and a second de-icing rod 72, a first limiting boss 73 is provided at the end of the first de-icing rod 71, and a second limiting boss 74 is provided at the end of the second de-icing rod 72. The main body of the first de-icing rod 71 is hollow, the main body of the second de-icing rod 72 is inserted into the main body of the first de-icing rod 71, and the first de-icing rod 71 and the second de-icing rod 72 are fixedly provided.

In this embodiment, the de-icing rod 70 is provided with a first de-icing rod 71 and a second de-icing rod 72 which are separated. The first de-icing rod 71 and the second de-icing rod 72 can be assembled to form the de-icing rod 70. Thus, when manufacturing and assembling the ice maker, the first de-icing rod 71 can be installed in the de-icing hole 34 first, and then the spring can be sleeved outside the first de-icing rod 71. Finally, the second de-icing rod 72 can be inserted into the first de-icing rod 71 and assembled with the first de-icing rod 71 to form the final de-icing rod 70. The overall assembly process is simple.

It should be understood that although the present specification is described according to embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative method of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment may also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

The series of detailed descriptions listed above are only specific descriptions of feasible implementation examples of the present application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any equivalent implementation examples or changes that do not deviate from the technical spirit of the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims (28)

An ice making machine, comprising: Bracket; A first ice tray assembly is mounted on the bracket and has a first ice tray; a second ice tray assembly, mounted on the bracket, disposed below the first ice tray assembly, and having a second ice tray corresponding to the first ice tray; a driving assembly mounted on the bracket, and configured to drive the second ice tray assembly to rotate relative to the first ice tray assembly between an ice making position and an ice removing position, wherein the first ice tray assembly and the second ice tray assembly are closed at the ice making position, and the first ice making grid and the second ice making grid together form an ice making grid; and wherein the first ice tray assembly and the second ice making grid are separated at the ice removing position; The invention is characterized in that it also comprises an ice-removing assembly, and when the driving assembly drives the second ice-making tray to move toward the ice-removing position, the ice-removing assembly is driven to move to separate the ice cubes in the ice-making grid. The ice-making machine as described in claim 1 is characterized in that the ice-removing assembly includes an ice-pushing member, the driving assembly includes a driving shaft, and the driving shaft is connected to the second ice-making tray assembly; the ice-making machine also includes a pressing transmission mechanism, the input end of the pressing transmission mechanism is connected to the driving shaft, when the driving assembly drives the second ice-making tray assembly to rotate toward the ice-removing position, the driving shaft drives the pressing transmission mechanism to move, and the output end of the pressing transmission mechanism applies pressure to the ice-pushing member to drive the ice-pushing member to move. The ice-making machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pressing transmission mechanism includes a connecting rod mechanism, the connecting rod mechanism at least includes an input connecting rod and an output connecting rod that are transmission-connected, the driving assembly includes a driving shaft, the input connecting rod is connected to the driving shaft of the driving assembly, one end of the output connecting rod is pivotally connected to the connecting rod of the connecting rod mechanism, and the other end acts on the ice-pushing member, an axial hole is provided between the two ends of the output connecting rod, the output connecting rod is pivotally connected to the bracket through the axial hole, and the rotation axis of the output connecting rod is parallel to the axis of the driving shaft; the ice-pushing member includes an ice-pushing rod, and a through hole is provided at the top of the first ice-making grid, and the ice-pushing rod is inserted into the through hole, and when the driving assembly drives the second ice-making tray to rotate toward the ice-removing position, the output end of the output connecting rod presses the ice-pushing member to drive the ice-pushing rod to move toward the second ice-making tray assembly. The ice-making machine as described in claim 1 is characterized in that the ice-removing assembly includes an ice-pushing member, the ice-pushing member is provided with an ice-pushing rod corresponding to the ice-making grid, the first ice-making grid is provided with a through hole at one end away from the second ice-making grid, the ice-pushing rod is inserted into the through hole, and the ice-pushing rod is provided with a through water injection channel; the ice-pushing member is transmission-connected to the driving assembly, and when the driving assembly drives the second ice-making tray assembly to rotate, the ice-pushing rod is driven to move along the axial direction of the first ice-making tray toward the side close to the second ice-making tray assembly; the ice-making machine also includes a water injection assembly, and the water injection assembly injects water into the ice-making grid through the water injection channel. The ice-making machine as described in claim 3 is characterized in that the ice-pushing member includes a connecting plate, the connecting plate is perpendicular to the axis of the first ice-making grid, the output end of the output connecting rod is provided with a sliding groove, the extension direction of the sliding groove is perpendicular to the axis of the drive shaft and parallel to the connecting plate, and a portion of the connecting plate is inserted into the sliding groove. The ice making machine as described in claim 3 is characterized in that the connecting rod mechanism includes an intermediate connecting rod whose two ends are pivotally connected to the input connecting rod and the output connecting rod respectively, the connecting rod mechanism is a crank rocker mechanism, the length of the output connecting rod is greater than the length of the intermediate connecting rod, and the length of the intermediate connecting rod is greater than the length of the input connecting rod. The ice making machine as described in claim 6 is characterized in that the intermediate connecting rod includes a first intermediate connecting rod and a second intermediate connecting rod arranged in parallel and spaced apart, an end of the input connecting rod is located between the first intermediate connecting rod and the second intermediate connecting rod and is pivotally connected to the first intermediate connecting rod and the second intermediate connecting rod, and an end of the output connecting rod is located between the first intermediate connecting rod and the second intermediate connecting rod and is pivotally connected to the first intermediate connecting rod and the second intermediate connecting rod. The ice making machine according to claim 7, characterized in that the input connecting rod, the output connecting rod, the first intermediate connecting rod and the second intermediate connecting rod are all made of plastic and have the same wall thickness. The ice-making machine as described in claim 5 is characterized in that an elastic return member is further arranged between the ice-pushing member and the first ice-making tray assembly, and when the driving assembly drives the second ice-making tray assembly to rotate toward the ice-removing position, the elastic return member is compressed, and when the driving assembly drives the second ice-making tray assembly to rotate toward the ice-making position, the elastic force of the elastic return member is released to apply a force to the ice-pushing rod in a direction away from the second ice-making tray assembly. The ice maker according to claim 9 is characterized in that the first ice tray assembly includes a first ice tray, the first ice tray includes a main body and a first mounting plate, the first mounting plate is arranged on the upper part of the main body, the first ice tray is formed on the main body, the first mounting plate is provided with the through hole, the first mounting plate is fixedly mounted on the bracket, the first mounting plate is parallel to the connecting plate, a fixing plate is fixedly mounted on the connecting plate, and the fixing plate is provided with a fixing plate which is parallel to the connecting plate. The output end of the output connecting rod corresponds to the clearance groove. The ice maker as described in claim 10 is characterized in that guide grooves are provided at both ends of the connecting plate, and the extension direction of the guide grooves is parallel to the extension direction of the sliding grooves. The ice maker also includes a guide column, one end of the guide column is connected to the first ice tray assembly, and the other end passes through the guide groove. The axial direction of the guide column is parallel to the axial direction of the first ice tray, and the elastic return member includes a spring sleeved on the guide column. The ice-making machine as described in claim 6 is characterized in that the driving assembly includes a motor module, the second ice tray assembly includes two axial holes, the driving shaft includes a first driving shaft passing through the two axial holes and fixedly connected to the second ice tray assembly, and a second driving shaft fixedly connected to one end of the first driving shaft, the second driving shaft is connected to the output end of the motor module, and one end of the input connecting rod is fixedly connected to the first driving shaft and is located between the two axial holes. The ice maker as described in claim 12 is characterized in that the ice maker comprises a plurality of ice cubes arranged in sequence along the axial direction of the drive shaft and two groups of the connecting rod mechanisms, the two axial holes are respectively arranged at positions corresponding to the ice cubes at both ends, one of the two groups of the connecting rod mechanisms is arranged at a position corresponding to the two ice cubes at one end, and the other group is arranged at a position corresponding to the two ice cubes at the other end. The ice maker according to claim 1 is characterized in that the ice-defusing assembly includes an extrusion piece, one end of the extrusion piece is pivotally mounted on the bracket, the rotation axis of the extrusion piece is parallel to the rotation axis of the second ice-making tray, the extrusion piece includes an extrusion portion, the extrusion portion extends in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the extrusion piece and has an inclined extrusion surface, the extrusion surface is inclined from the fixed end side of the extrusion portion to the free end side in a direction away from the first ice-making tray assembly; a through ice-defusing hole is provided at the bottom of the second ice-making tray shell, the ice-defusing hole is a long hole, the axis of the ice-defusing hole is parallel to the rotation axis of the extrusion piece, and when the driving assembly drives the second ice-making tray assembly to rotate to the ice-defusing position, the extrusion portion passes through the ice-defusing hole, and the extrusion surface squeezes the second ice-making tray. The ice-making machine according to claim 14, characterized in that a support rib is provided in the ice-shedding hole, and the extrusion portion is at least partially inserted into the ice-shedding hole and supported by the support rib. The ice-making machine according to claim 15, characterized in that the support rib is arranged at the bottom center of the second ice tray housing, and the ice-removing hole is symmetrical with respect to the support rib. The ice-making machine as described in claim 16 is characterized in that the second ice tray shell includes a first part that matches the shape of the second ice tray, the outer surface of the first part is a spherical surface, the second ice tray shell also includes a second part, the second part has a square accommodating cavity, a connecting surface is provided between the second part and the first part, and the ice-removing hole is arranged in the first part and both ends extend to the connecting surface. The ice-making machine as described in claim 17 is characterized in that a second support plate is arranged in the second part, the second support plate has an opening matching the shape of the second ice-making tray, a wall of the opening is provided with a heating wire installation groove, and a heating wire is installed in the heating wire installation groove. The ice maker according to claim 14, characterized in that the ice-removing assembly further includes an ice-pushing member, the ice-pushing member includes an ice-pushing rod, a through hole is provided at the top of the first ice tray, the axis of the through hole is parallel to the axis of the first ice tray, and the ice-pushing rod is inserted into the through hole; the driving assembly includes a driving shaft connected to the housing of the second ice tray, the ice maker further includes a connecting rod mechanism, one end of the connecting rod mechanism is connected to the driving shaft, and the other end is connected to the ice-pushing member, when the driving assembly drives the second ice tray to rotate toward the deicing position, the connecting rod mechanism is driven to move to drive the ice-pushing rod to move in a direction close to the second ice tray; the ice tray has a plurality of ice trays and is arranged in sequence along the direction of the rotation axis of the second ice tray, the ice-removing assembly has a plurality of extrusion members corresponding to the ice trays one by one, the plurality of extrusion members are connected by a connecting member, the connecting rod mechanism is provided with two groups, each corresponding position of the connecting rod mechanism is located between two extrusion members, the connecting member is arranged at an angle to the extrusion member, and a clearance space is provided at the corresponding position of the connecting member and the connecting rod mechanism. The ice-making machine as described in claim 16 is characterized in that the extrusion portion further includes a supporting surface opposite to the extrusion surface, the supporting surface is supported by the supporting ribs, the supporting surface is perpendicular to the axis of the second ice-making grid, and the height between the supporting surface and the extrusion surface decreases from the fixed end side of the extrusion portion to the free end side. The ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that an ice-shedding hole is provided at the bottom of the second ice tray housing, and the ice maker further comprises an ice-shedding rod, one end of which is inserted into the ice-shedding hole; The ice-shedding position includes an initial ice-shedding position and an extreme ice-shedding position. In the process in which the driving assembly drives the second ice-making tray assembly to move from the ice-making position to the initial ice-shedding position, the ice-shedding rod moves synchronously with the second ice-making tray assembly. When the second ice-making tray assembly moves to the initial ice-shedding position, the bracket abuts against the ice-shedding rod to limit the continued movement of the ice-shedding rod. The second ice-making tray assembly continues to move from the initial ice-shedding position to the extreme ice-shedding position, and the ice-shedding rod moves relative to the second ice-making tray housing toward the second ice-making tray to press the second ice-making tray. The ice-making machine according to claim 21, further comprising an elastic member, wherein when the driving assembly drives the second ice-making tray to move from the initial deicing position to the extreme deicing position, the elastic member is compressed, and the driving assembly drives When the second ice-making tray moves from the extreme ice-removing position to the ice-making position, the elastic force of the elastic member drives the ice-removing rod to move relative to the second ice-making tray housing in a direction away from the second ice-making tray. The ice-making machine as described in claim 22 is characterized in that a first limiting boss is provided at one end of the ice-removing rod, and a second limiting boss is provided at the other end, the diameters of the first limiting boss and the second limiting boss are larger than the diameter of the ice-removing hole, the first limiting boss is located inside the second ice-making tray shell, and the second limiting boss is located outside the second ice-making tray shell. The ice-making machine according to claim 23, characterized in that an accommodating groove is provided on the inner surface of the second ice-making tray housing, and in the ice-making position, the first limiting boss is placed in the accommodating groove. The ice-making machine as described in claim 24 is characterized in that a mounting boss is provided on the outer surface of the second ice tray shell, and the mounting boss is arranged around the ice-removing hole, and the elastic member includes a spring sleeved on the ice-removing rod, one end of the spring abuts against the mounting boss, and the other end abuts against the second limiting boss. The ice-making machine as described in claim 25 is characterized in that the mounting boss is provided with a first spring mounting groove, the second limiting boss is provided with a second spring mounting groove, and the two ends of the spring are respectively placed in the first spring mounting groove and the second spring mounting groove. The ice-making machine as described in claim 26 is characterized in that the ice-de-icing rod includes a first ice-de-icing rod and a second ice-de-icing rod, the first limiting boss is arranged at the end of the first ice-de-icing rod, the second limiting boss is arranged at the end of the second ice-de-icing rod, the main body of the first ice-de-icing rod is hollow, the main body of the second ice-de-icing rod is inserted into the main body of the first ice-de-icing rod, and the first ice-de-icing rod and the second ice-de-icing rod are fixedly arranged. A refrigerator comprises a box body and a door body for opening and closing the box body, characterized in that the refrigerator is also provided with an ice maker as claimed in claim 1, and the ice making tray is a spherical ice making tray.