Container and ICE Maker

This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority from Chinese Patent Application No. 2024208071023, filed on Apr. 17, 2024, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of electrical equipment, and in particular, to a container and an ice maker.

A commonly used container generally has a fixed internal volume. When there are few objects required to be contained, the space (external volume) occupied by the container constitutes a waste of space. If a container with a smaller internal volume is configured to save space, greater storage needs cannot be met, and therefore, the container finds difficulty in adapting to changes in the objects to be contained during application, with a poor flexibility. For example, when the container is applied to an ice maker, in the related technologies, ice-storage containers and water-storage tanks are provided inside some ice makers, and the container is placed above the water tank. After the ice maker makes the water in the water tank into ice through an ice making system, the ice is held in the container. When the container is full of ice, the ice maker can continue to make ice after opening the lid of the ice maker, taking out and emptying the container. When the water in the water tank runs out, the water tank also needs to be refilled. Problems that the container needs to be emptied frequently or the water needs to be added frequently are present during use, this is because increasing the internal volume of the container to reduce the frequency of needing to empty the container in a case that the internal space of the ice maker remains unchanged will lead to the reduction of the space used for the water storage, resulting in the problem that the frequent water adding is required. Conversely, increasing the space for the water storage will lead to the reduction of the internal volume of the container, and frequent container emptying is required. Therefore, the use effect is not ideal.

An objective of the present disclosure is to alleviate at least one of the technical problems existing in the existing technology. To this end, a container with a variable internal volume is proposed, and in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, an ice maker having the container is further provided.

In accordance with an embodiment in a first aspect of the present disclosure, a container includes a first housing, a second housing and an elastic member, where

In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the container has at least the following beneficial effects: when the container is in use, the first side wall and the second side wall can be in sleeve connection along an up-down direction. The dynamic adjustment assembly adjusts a movement of the bottom wall between the first position and the second position along the up-down direction, which can change the effective volume of the accommodating cavity. For example, the bottom wall moves downward to expand the effective volume of the accommodating cavity; the bottom wall moves upward to reduce the volume of the accommodating cavity, and at the same time the occupation of the space below is reduced, thereby achieving the container with a variable internal volume. The container with a variable internal volume improves applicability. When the container is used, the position of the bottom wall can be adjusted according to the weight change of the object contained in the accommodating cavity, such that the effective volume of the accommodating cavity can dynamically change with the weight of the object. When used in an ice maker, the container can be configured to hold ice cubes. As more ice cubes are made, the liquid level in the water storage cavity of the ice maker declines due to water consumption, creating space, through which the bottom wall can decline, below the bottom wall of the container. The container with a variable internal volume can effectively utilize the available space due to the decline in the liquid level to expand the effective volume of the accommodating cavity. After the amount of ice decreases or the container is emptied, the bottom wall moves upward to reduce the volume occupation of the water storage cavity, thereby expanding the effective volume of the water storage cavity. Thus, the frequency of needing to empty the container can be reduced in a case of meeting a relatively large water storage capacity.

In accordance with the containers of some embodiments of the present disclosure, the dynamic adjustment assembly includes an elastic member. The elastic member is configured to provide elastic force along the sleeve direction such that the bottom wall is positioned in the first position; and the bottom wall, driven by the gravity of the object contained in the accommodating cavity, is able to move between the first position and the second position.

In accordance with the containers of some embodiments of the present disclosure, the elastic member is a spring extending along the sleeve direction; one of the first side wall and the second side wall is provided with a first mounting seat while the other one of the first side wall and the second side wall is provided with a second mounting seat. The spring is connected between the first mounting seat and the second mounting seat. The deformation amount of the spring gradually increases in a process that the bottom wall moves from the first position to the second position.

In accordance with the containers of some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first mounting seat includes a first connecting portion and a first mounting groove extending along the sleeve direction. The second mounting seat includes a second connecting portion. The spring is disposed in the first mounting groove. The first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are connected to both ends of the spring, respectively. The second connecting portion is slidable along the first mounting groove.

In accordance with the containers of some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second mounting seat further includes a second mounting groove extending along the sleeve direction. The first mounting seat is in sleeve connection with the second mounting seat. The first mounting groove and the second mounting groove form a mounting cavity. The spring is disposed in the mounting cavity. The first connecting portion is slidable along the second mounting groove.

In accordance with the containers of some embodiments of the present disclosure, the container further includes a limiting member. The limiting member is connected to the first side wall or the second side wall. The limiting member is at least partially positioned in the first mounting groove. In a state that the bottom wall is positioned in the first position, the limiting member and the second connecting portion are abutted against each other along the sleeve direction, to limit a movement of the bottom wall in the direction away from the second position.

In accordance with the containers of some embodiments of the present disclosure, one of the first side wall and the second side wall is provided with a guide groove while the other one of the first side wall and the second side wall is provided with a guide portion. The guide groove extends along the sleeve direction, the guide portion is positioned in the guide groove, and the guide portion is movable along the guide groove.

In accordance with the containers of some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first side wall is provided with a first limiting portion, and the second side wall is provided with a second limiting portion. In a state that the bottom wall is positioned in the first position, the first limiting portion and the second limiting portion are abutted against each other along the sleeve direction, to limit the movement of the bottom wall in the direction away from the second position.

In accordance with the container of some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second side wall is in sleeve connection with an outer wall of the first side wall, and the bottom wall is configured to be positioned below a bottom of the first side wall when in the second position.

Alternatively, the second side wall is in sleeve connection with an inner wall of the first side wall, the first side wall encloses to form a first cavity; the second side wall and the bottom wall are positioned in the first cavity; the second side wall is in sleeve connection with the inner wall of the first side wall; and the bottom wall is configured to be flush with the bottom of the first side wall or higher than the bottom of the first side wall when in the second position.

In accordance with an embodiment in a second aspect of the present disclosure, an ice maker includes: a machine body and a container in any one of the embodiments of the first aspect described above. A cavity is provided inside the machine body; the container is disposed in the cavity to form the container for storing ice. The first side wall and the second side wall are in sleeve connection along an up-down direction. The first side wall is connected to or abuts against the machine body. The bottom wall is positioned above the bottom of the cavity. In the cavity, the space positioned below the bottom wall forms a water storage cavity for storing water, and the bottom wall moves between the first position and the second position to adjust a volume ratio of the accommodating cavity to the water storage cavity.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the ice maker has at least the following beneficial effects: the ice maker adopts the container of the above-mentioned embodiment to achieve the dynamic volume change of the accommodating cavity. During ice making, as the ice cubes increase, the liquid level of the water in the water storage cavity will decline due to water consumption, and space can be reserved below the bottom wall. The dynamic adjustment assembly causes the bottom wall of the second housing to move downward, and the space formed due to the decline in the liquid level of the water storage cavity can be effectively utilized, thereby achieving the expansion of the effective volume of the accommodating cavity and increasing the amount of ice that can be held. After taking out some ice cubes or emptying the container, the bottom wall of the second housing moves upward under the action of the dynamic adjustment assembly, making room for adding water and increasing the effective volume of the water storage cavity. Thus, the volume ratio of the accommodating cavity to the water storage cavity is dynamically adjusted, and the frequency of needing to empty the container can be reduced in a case of meeting a relatively large water storage capacity.

Additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will be given in part in the description below, and in part will become apparent from the description below, or will be learned through the practice of the present disclosure.

Container; and accommodating cavity;

The concepts and the generated technical effects of the present disclosure are clearly and completely described below in combination with embodiments to fully understand the objectives, features and effects of the present disclosure. It is apparent that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure but not all. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, all the other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art on the premise of not contributing creative effort should belong to the protection scope of the present disclosure.

In the description of the embodiment of the present disclosure, if involving in orientation descriptions, orientation or position relationships indicated by terms such as “up”, “down”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, and “right”, and the like are based on the orientation or position relationships as shown in the accompanying drawings, for ease of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description only, rather than indicating or implying that the mentioned apparatus or device necessarily has a particular orientation and must be constructed and operated in the particular orientation. Therefore, these terms should not be understood as limitations to the present disclosure.

In the description of the embodiment of the present disclosure, if a certain feature is regarded as “dispose”, “fix”, “connect” or “mount” on another feature, this feature may be directly disposed, fixed or connected to the another feature, or may also be indirectly disposed, fixed, connected or mounted on the other feature. In the description of the embodiment of the present disclosure, if involving in “several”, the meaning of “several” is one or more; if involving in “a plurality of”, the meaning of “a plurality of” is above two, and the involved terms such as “greater than”, “less than”, “exceeding”, and the like are understood as excluding the specified number, and the involved words such as “above”, “below”, and “within” are understood as including the specified number. The described words such as “first” and “second” should be understood as distinguishing technical features, instead of being understood as indicating or implying relative importance or impliedly indicating the quantity of the showed technical features or impliedly indicating the precedence relationship of the showed technical features.

A container with a variable internal volume and an ice maker having the container are proposed according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The effective volume of the accommodating cavity of the container can dynamically change with the weight change of the object stored in the accommodating cavity, thereby flexibly adjusting the internal volume and improving the applicability. The ice maker having the container can hold the made ice cubes in the container and change the volume of the accommodating cavity according to the change of the amount of ice, thereby dynamically adjusting the internal volume ratio of the accommodating cavity to the water storage cavity. The frequency of needing to empty the container can be reduced in a case of meeting a relatively large water storage capacity. The embodiments of the present disclosure are introduced below in combination with the drawings of the specification.

Referring to, an embodiment in a first aspect of the present disclosure provides a container, which includes a first housing, a second housing, and a dynamic adjustment assembly.

The first housingincludes a first side wall. The second housingincludes a bottom walland a second side wall, and the second side wallis in sleeve connection with the first side wall. In an example, the first side wallis sleeved outside the second side wall. Alternatively, the second side wallis sleeved outside the first side wall.

The first side walland the second side wallcan move relative to each other along the sleeve direction such that the bottom wallmoves between a first position and a second position. In a process that the bottom wallmoves between the first position and the second position, the bottom wall, the second side walland at least a part of the first side wallenclose to form an accommodating cavityfor receiving objects. The movement of the bottom wallcauses the volume of the accommodating cavityto change. The volume of the accommodating cavitywhen the bottom wallis in the second position is greater than that of the accommodating cavitywhen the bottom wallis in the first position.

The dynamic adjustment assembly is connected between the first housingand the second housing. The dynamic adjustment assembly is configured to dynamically adjust a movement of the bottom wallbetween the first position and the second position according to the weight of the object contained in the accommodating cavity, to adjust the volume of the accommodating cavity.

When the containeris applied, the first side walland the second side wallcan be sleeved in the up-down direction. With the weight change of the object contained in the accommodating cavity, the bottom wallcan move to the first position or the second position or any position between the first position and the second position along the up-down direction under the action of the dynamic adjustment assembly, thus changing the effective volume of the accommodating cavity. In an example, the bottom wallmoves downward, the space enclosed by the first side wallabove the second side walland the space enclosed by the second side walland the bottom wallconstitute the accommodating cavity, and the effective volume of the accommodating cavityis expanded to hold more objects. In another example, the bottom wallmoves upward, to reduce the volume of the accommodating cavity and at the same time reduce the occupation of the lower space, thus achieving the containerwith a variable internal volume. When the containerof the embodiment of the present disclosure is applied in the ice maker, as more ice cubes are made, the liquid level in the water storage cavity of the ice maker declines due to water consumption, and the space in which the bottom wallcan decline is created below the bottom wall. The container with a variable internal volumecan effectively use the available space due to the decline of the liquid level to expand the effective volume of the accommodating cavity. After the amount of ice is reduced or the container is emptied, the bottom wallmoves upward to reduce the volume occupation of the water storage cavity, thereby expanding the effective volume of the water storage cavity. Thus, the frequency of needing to empty the containercan be reduced in a case of meeting a relatively large water storage capacity.

An embodiment in a second aspect of the present disclosure provides an ice maker, which includes a machine body and the containeraccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure. A cavity is defined inside the machine body, and the containeris disposed in the cavity.

It is understood that in the ice makers of some technologies, in order to reduce the frequency of opening the lid to empty the container, a container with a larger internal volume is configured. The expansion of the container internal volume will lead to an increase in the container external volume, thereby occupying the space of the water tank inside the ice maker, resulting in a decrease in the volume of the water storage cavity in the water tank, and a decrease in the amount of water that can be stored at a single time, so the frequency of needing to add water during use increases. However, if the water storage amount at a single time is increased in order to reduce the frequency of adding water, the container external volume needs to be reduced to prevent the bottom from being immersed in water, resulting in a decrease in external volume, thus the amount of ice that can be stored at a single time decreases, and then the frequency of needing to empty the container increases.

The ice maker of the embodiment of the present disclosure uses the containerof the above-mentioned embodiment to achieve the dynamic change of the volume of the accommodating cavity, in which the first side wallis in sleeve connection with the second side wallin the up-down direction. During ice making, as the ice cubes increase, the liquid level of the water in the water storage cavity will decline due to water consumption, and space can be reserved under the bottom wall. Under the action of the dynamic adjustment assembly, the bottom wallof the second housingmoves downward, and the space formed due to the decline of the liquid level in the water storage cavity can be effectively utilized, thereby achieving the expansion of the effective volume of the accommodating cavityand increasing the amount of ice that can be held. After taking out some ice cubes or emptying the container, the bottom wallof the second housingmoves upward under the action of the dynamic adjustment assembly, making room for adding water, thereby increasing the effective volume of the water storage cavity. Thus, the volume ratio of the accommodating cavityto the water storage cavity is dynamically adjusted. The frequency of needing to empty the container can be reduced in a case of meeting a relatively large water storage capacity, which effectively solves the problem of frequent emptying of ice cubes and frequent addition of water in the ice maker.

The containerof the embodiment of the present disclosure can also be applied to various other devices. The volume of the accommodating cavityis changed according to the weight of the stored object, which can not only adjust the storage capacity of the containerflexibly, but also improve the space utilization rate. A further description is made below with the example that the containerof the embodiment of the present disclosure is applied in the ice maker.

In some embodiments, the dynamic adjustment assembly includes an elastic member.

The elastic memberis connected between the first housingand the second housing, and is configured to provide elastic force along the sleeve direction such that the bottom wallis positioned in the first position. Driven by the gravity of the object contained in the accommodating cavity, the bottom wallcan move between the first position and the second position.

During use, the elastic force of the elastic membercauses the bottom wallto be kept in the first position when the accommodating cavityis in an empty state without ice cubes. After ice cubes are held in the accommodating cavity, the bottom wallis supported below the ice. As the ice cubes increases, the weight of the ice cubes and the second housingincreases. Driven by gravity, the bottom wallwith the second side wallcan move downward against the elastic force of the elastic member, thereby expanding the effective volume of the accommodating cavityand allowing more objects to be held. After the amount of ice in the accommodating cavityis reduced or the accommodating cavityis emptied, the bottom wallmoves upward toward the first position under the elastic force of the elastic member. The effective volume of the accommodating cavityis reduced, and at the same time the occupation of the space below is reduced, such that the effective volume of the accommodating cavitycan change dynamically with the amount of ice storage.

The containeris placed in the cavity of the ice maker. The first side wallis connected to or abuts against the machine body, and the bottom wallis positioned above the bottom of the cavity. In the cavity, the space below the bottom wallforms the water storage cavity for storing water. The bottom wallmoves between the first position and the second position to achieve the adjustment of the volume ratio.

During ice making of the ice maker, as the ice cubes increase, the liquid level of the water in the water storage cavity will decline due to water consumption, and space can be reserved below the bottom wall. The bottom wallof the second housingmoves downward under the force of gravity, and the space formed due to the decline of the liquid level in the water storage cavity can be effectively utilized, thereby achieving the expansion of the effective volume of the accommodating cavityand increasing the amount of ice that can be held. After taking out some ice cubes or emptying the container, the bottom wallof the second housingmoves upward under the elastic force of the elastic member, making room for adding water and increasing the effective volume of the water storage cavity. Thus, the volume ratio of the accommodating cavityto the water storage cavity can be adjusted, thereby reducing the frequency of needing to empty the containerin a case of meeting a relatively large water storage capacity.

Referring to, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the elastic membermay be a spring extending along the sleeve direction. The elastic membercan be connected between the first side walland the second side wall. One of the first side walland the second side wallis provided with a first mounting seatwhile the other one of the first side walland the second side wallis provided with a second mounting seat, and the spring is connected between the first mounting seatand the second mounting seat. One elastic membercan be disposed on left and right sides, respectively; and the quantities and positions of the corresponding first mounting seatand the second mounting seatalso increase accordingly. In an embodiment, the elastic memberas well as the corresponding first mounting seatand second mounting seatmay also be disposed on the front and rear sides.

In the embodiment shown in, the first side wallis sleeved on the outer wall of the second side wall. A first mounting seatis disposed on an inner side of the first side wall, and a second mounting seatis disposed on an outer side of the second side wallat a position corresponding to the first mounting seat. Alternatively, the positions of the first mounting seatand the second mounting seatare interchangeable. The first mounting seatcan be disposed on the outer side of the second side wall, and the second mounting seatcan be disposed on the inner side of the first side wall. Alternatively, in a case where the first side wallis sleeved inside the second side wall, the first mounting seatis disposed on the outer side of the first side wall, and the second mounting seatis disposed on the inner side of the second side wall. The positions of the first mounting seatand the second mounting seatcan be interchangeable.

The first mounting seatand the second mounting seatform a mounting structure for mounting the spring between the first side walland the second side wall, thereby achieving stable mounting of the spring. In a process that the bottom wallmoves from the first position to the second position, the deformation amount of the compression spring gradually increases, thereby providing gradually increasing elastic force. Therefore, as the amount of ice in the accommodating cavityincreases, the bottom wallmoves towards the second position, causing an increase in the deformation amount of the spring, and an increase in the elastic force provided by the spring accordingly, thereby effectively balancing the increased weight and achieving the effective support for the second side wall.

In an example, the elastic membercan be a compression spring extending along the sleeve direction, and the compression spring abuts between the first mounting seatand the second mounting seat. In a process that the bottom wallmoves from the first position to the second position, the compression amount of the compression spring gradually increases, thereby providing gradually increasing elastic force. In this way, as the amount of ice in the accommodating cavityincreases, the bottom wallmoves toward the second position, causing an increase in the compression amount of the compression spring, and an increase in the elastic force provided by the compression spring accordingly, thereby effectively balancing the increased weight and achieving the effective support for the second housing. Alternatively, the elastic membercan also be a tension spring extending along the sleeve direction, and the tension spring is connected between the first mounting seatand the second mounting seat. In a process that the bottom wallmoves from the first position to the second position, the tension amount of the tension spring gradually increases, thus providing gradually increasing elastic force. Therefore, as the amount of ice in the accommodating cavityincreases, the bottom wallmoves towards the second position, causing an increase in the elongation of the tension spring, and the elastic force provided by the tension spring, thus effectively balancing the increased weight and achieving the effective support for the second housing. Alternatively, the elastic membermay be a coil spring. The first end of the coil spring is fixed to the first mounting seat, and the second end of coil spring is fixed to the second mounting seat. The first end can be one of a coiled end and a free end of the coil spring, and the second end can be the other of the coiled end and the free end of the coil spring. In a process that the bottom wallmoves from the first position to the second position, the tension amount of the coil spring gradually increases, thereby providing gradually increasing elastic force. Therefore, as the amount of ice in the accommodating cavityincreases, the bottom wallmoves toward the second position, causing an increase in the elongation of the coil spring, and the elastic force provided by the coil spring accordingly, thereby effectively balancing the increased weight and achieving the effective support for the second housing.

In some embodiments, the elastic membercan also be disposed at the bottom of the bottom wall. The compression spring is selected as the elastic member. When applied to the ice maker, the elastic memberabuts against the bottom walland the bottom of the water storage cavity of the ice maker, thus achieving the effective support for the second housing. Alternatively, the first housingfurther includes a mounting part. The mounting part is positioned below the bottom wall. The mounting part can be a protrusion structure protruding from the inner wall of the first side wall, or a bottom plate structure arranged at the bottom of the first side wall. The elastic memberabuts between the bottom walland the mounting part. The compression spring is selected as the elastic member, thereby achieving the effective support for the second housing. When the accommodating cavityis in an empty state without ice cubes, the elastic memberis supported at the bottom of the bottom wall, and the bottom wallremains in the first position under the action of the elastic force. After the ice cubes are held in the accommodating cavity, the bottom wallcan move downward against the elastic force of the elastic memberunder the drive of the gravity, and the effective volume of the accommodating cavityincreases. After the amount of ice in the accommodating cavityis reduced or the accommodating cavityis emptied, the bottom wallmoves upward toward the first position under the elastic force of the elastic member, and the effective volume of the accommodating cavityis reduced. Thus, the dynamical change of the effective volume of the accommodating cavitywith the amount of ice storage is achieved.

In an embodiment, by properly configuring the elastic member, the bottom walland the second side wallcan start to move after the amount of ice in the accommodating cavityreaches a set amount. In an example, in an initial state (there is no ice in the accommodating cavity), the gravity of the second housingis G, the bottom wallis in the first position, and under the premise of ignoring the friction force, the initial elastic force of the elastic memberis configured as F, F>G, the weight of the ice cubes held in the accommodating cavityis g, and g increases with the increase of the amount of ice. When a certain amount of ice is reached (for example, the accommodating cavityis filled with ice or only a part of the accommodating cavityis filled), the water level gradually decreases. When G+g>F, the water level declines by a certain height, leaving a certain space under the bottom wall. The bottom walland the second side wallstart to move downward while preventing the bottom wallfrom being immersed in water.

It is understood that the setting of the required initial elastic force Fcan be achieved through the parameter configuration and/or the mounting state of the elastic member. In an example, when a spring is selected as the elastic member, the setting of the elastic force Fcan be achieved through material selection as well as the configurations for geometric dimensions such as the diameter and the effective number of turns of the wire diameter. Alternatively, the initial elastic force Fcan be set by the mounting state. In an example, when a compression spring is adopted, the required initial elastic force can be obtained by setting the compression amount of the spring after installation in the initial state. When a tension spring is adopted, the required initial elastic force can be obtained by setting the tension amount of the spring after installation in the initial state. The specific parameter configuration and design method can be easily known by those skilled in the art based on mechanical principles and will not be elaborated here.

Referring to, in some embodiments, the first mounting seatincludes a first connecting portionand a first mounting grooveextending along the sleeve direction. The second mounting seatincludes a second connecting portion. The elastic memberis disposed in the first mounting groove; and the first connecting portionand the second connecting portionare connected to both ends of the elastic member, respectively. In an example, in a case where the elastic memberis a compression spring, the first connecting portionand the second connecting portionabut against both ends of the compression spring, respectively, to achieve the fixation of the compression spring. In a case where the elastic memberis a tension spring, the first connecting portionand the second connecting portionare fixedly connected to both ends of the tension spring, respectively, to achieve the fixation of the tension spring. The second connecting portioncan slide along the first mounting groove, and the first mounting groovehas a notch for the second connecting portionto move. Therefore, in a process that the bottom wallmoves as the amount of ice changes, the second connecting portionslides in the first mounting grooveto change the deformation amount of the compression spring, and the elastic force also changes accordingly, thereby effectively balancing the weight change of ice in the accommodating cavityduring use, and achieving the effective support for the second side walland the bottom wall.

Referring to, and, in some embodiments, the second mounting seatfurther includes a second mounting grooveextending along the sleeve direction. The first mounting seatis in sleeve connection with the second mounting seat. In an example, the first mounting seatis sleeved in the second mounting groove, or the second mounting seatis sleeved in the first mounting groove. Thus, in a process that the first side walland the second side wallmove relative to each other, the guiding for the sleeved first mounting seatand the second mounting seatalong the sleeve direction can be achieved, thereby improving the stability of the movement of the first side walland the second side wall. The groove walls of the first mounting grooveand the second mounting grooveenclose to form a mounting cavity, and the elastic memberis disposed in the mounting cavity. The mounting cavity can restrict circumferentially the elastic memberto prevent the elastic memberfrom bending and deforming. The first connecting portioncan slide along the second mounting groove, thereby changing the deformation amount of the elastic membertogether with the second connecting portion.

Referring to, in some embodiments, the containerfurther includes a limiting member. The limiting member is connected to the first side wallor the second side wall. The limiting member is at least partially positioned in the first mounting groove. When the bottom wallis in a state of the first position, the limiting member and the second connecting portionabut against each other along the sleeve direction under the elastic force of the elastic member, to limit a movement of the bottom wallin the direction away from the second position. The limiting effect of the limiting member enables the elastic memberto have a certain initial elastic force Fafter being mounted. For example, the compression spring may have a certain amount of compression amount after being mounted, and the tension spring may have a certain tension amount after being mounted, thus obtaining an initial elastic force F, to avoid the problem of the second housingupwardly separating from the first housingdue to the elastic force.

The limiting member may be detachably connected to the first side wallor the second side wall, which can facilitate assembly and disassembly of the first housingand the second housing. In an example, the limiting member can be a screw. By providing a threaded hole on the first side wallat a position corresponding to the first mounting groove, the detachable mounting of the limiting member is achieved. The abutment limiting can be released in a form of disassembling the limiting member, thereby facilitating the disassembly of the first housingand the second housing. During assembly, the bottom wallis enabled to be in the first position after the first side walland the second side wallare sleeved, and then the limiting member is mounted to achieve abutment limiting, thus preventing the second containerfrom upwardly separating from the first container. The detachably connected limiting member makes the disassembly and assembly between the first housingand the second housingrelatively simple and easy to clean.

In some embodiments, the dynamic adjustment assembly can also use an active adjustment method to adjust the position of the bottom wall. In an example, the dynamic adjustment assembly can include a power element, a lead screw pair and a sensor. The power element is connected to the second housingthrough the lead screw pair, specifically can be connected to the second side wallor to the bottom wall. The power element drives the second housingto move through the lead screw pair, to adjust a movement of the bottom wallbetween the first position and the second position, thereby adjusting the volume of the accommodating cavity.

The sensor may be a gravity sensor for detecting the weight of ice in the accommodating cavity. When the weight is detected to increase to a preset value, the power element acts, to allow the bottom wallto move downward by a set displacement, thereby increasing the effective volume of the accommodating cavityaccordingly. When the weight is detected to decrease to a preset value, the power element acts, to allow the bottom wall to move upward by a set displacement, thereby reducing the effective volume of the accommodating cavityaccordingly, and leaving the space required to increase water storage below the bottom wall.