Ice making module and electrical equipment

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides an ice-making module and electrical equipment, and the ice-making module comprises an ice-making assembly which is used for making and outputting a plurality of pieces of ice of a first specification; one end of the ice outlet channel is communicated with the ice making assembly, and the ice outlet channel is used for receiving the ice of the first specification; the ice outlet channel is provided with a freezing area; and the cold source is used for increasing the cooling capacity to the freezing area so that the multiple pieces of ice of the first specification passing through the freezing area can be frozen to form ice of the second specification, and the size of the ice of the first specification is smaller than that of the ice of the second specification.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of ice making, and particularly to an ice making module and an electrical appliance device. Background Art

[0002] In order to obtain ice cubes of various shapes, there are mainly two current ice making methods. One is to first make large ice cubes, and if small ice cubes are needed, then break the large ice cubes into small ice cubes through a mechanical structure, so that large and small ice cubes can be obtained. The other is to configure corresponding ice making modules for ice cubes of different shapes respectively. However, in the first method, the cutter is prone to jamming during ice crushing, and the ice crushing noise is large, and the small ice cubes have irregular shapes. In the second method, two or more ice making modules need to be configured, resulting in high costs and large occupied space. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, embodiments of the present application are expected to provide an ice making module and an electrical appliance device.

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide an ice making module, including:

[0005] An ice making assembly for manufacturing and outputting a plurality of ice cubes of a first specification;

[0006] An ice discharging channel, one end of the ice discharging channel is communicated with the ice making assembly for receiving the plurality of ice cubes of the first specification; the ice discharging channel has a freezing area;

[0007] A cold source for providing cold quantity to the freezing area so that the plurality of ice cubes of the first specification passing through the freezing area freeze to form ice cubes of a second specification; the volume of the ice cubes of the first specification is smaller than the volume of the ice cubes of the second specification.

[0008] In some embodiments, the ice making assembly has a first ice making state and a second ice making state, and the cold source has a working state and a non - working state; in the case where the cold source is in the non - working state, the ice making assembly is in the first ice making state, and in the case where the cold source is in the working state, the ice making assembly is in the second ice making state, wherein the ice making cold quantity of the ice making assembly in the first ice making state is greater than the ice making cold quantity in the second ice making state.

[0009] In some embodiments, the cold source surrounds the circumferential direction of the freezing area.

[0010] In some embodiments, the ice making module includes a control circuit, the cold source includes a semiconductor refrigerator, and the semiconductor refrigerator is connected to the control circuit, wherein the semiconductor refrigerator has a cold end for providing cold quantity to the freezing area.

[0011] In some embodiments, the ice-making module includes a refrigerant circulation system, which includes a compressor, a condenser, a throttling member, and a first evaporator. Among them, the first evaporator serves as the cold source.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first evaporator includes a first refrigerant pipeline, and the first refrigerant pipeline surrounds the outer peripheral side of the ice outlet passage.

[0013] In some embodiments, the refrigerant circulation system includes a second evaporator, and the second evaporator provides cooling capacity for the ice-making assembly.

[0014] In some embodiments, the refrigeration cycle system includes a first branch, a second branch, and a valve device, and the valve device is used to conduct or close the first branch and the second branch.

[0015] In some embodiments, the first ends of the first branch and the second branch are connected, the first evaporator is arranged on the first branch, and the second ends of the second branch and the first branch are both connected to the inlet of the second evaporator;

[0016] The valve device is used to close the first branch and conduct the second branch, or conduct the first branch and close the second branch, so that the first evaporator and the second evaporator are arranged in series.

[0017] In some embodiments, the first branch and the second branch are arranged in parallel, the first evaporator is arranged on the first branch, and the second evaporator is arranged on the second branch; the valve device is used to conduct or close the first branch, and conduct or close the second branch.

[0018] In some embodiments, the ice-making module includes a first tubular structure, the ice-making assembly includes a forming mold, the forming mold is provided with a plurality of forming ice outlets, the forming mold is arranged inside the first tubular structure, and the space inside the first tubular structure defines at least a part of the ice outlet passage, and the plurality of forming ice outlets are used to output the ice of the plurality of first specifications.

[0019] In some embodiments, the ice-making assembly includes an ice-making cavity and a scraping screw, at least a part of the scraping screw is arranged in the ice-making cavity, and the scraping screw is used to scrape the ice on the inner wall of the ice-making cavity to obtain ice sand and convey the scraped ice sand to the first tubular structure.

[0020] In some embodiments, the forming mold includes a blade, and the blade cuts the ice in the first tubular structure into ice of a plurality of first specifications.

[0021] An embodiment of the present invention further provides an electrical device, including the ice-making module described in any one of the above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the ice-making module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 is a front view of the ice-making module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 is Figure 2 a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in

[0025] Figure 4 is Figure 2 a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in

[0026] Figure 5 is Figure 2 a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in

[0027] Figure 6 is an exploded view of the ice-making module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 7 is a connection schematic diagram of the refrigerant circulation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 8 is a connection schematic diagram of the refrigerant circulation system according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 9 is a step flowchart of the ice-making method according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 10 is a step flowchart of the ice-making method according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0033] 1. Ice-making assembly; 11. Forming ice outlet; 12. Forming mold; 13. Ice-making cavity; 14. Ice scraping screw; 2. Ice outlet channel; 21. Freezing area; 3. Cold source; 4. Ice breaking structure; 5. Refrigerant circulation system; 51. First evaporator; 52. Second evaporator; 53. First branch; 531. First switch; 54. Second branch; 541. Second switch; 55. Valve device; 6. First tubular structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer and more understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0035] Each specific technical feature described in the specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. For example, different embodiments and technical solutions can be formed by combining different specific technical features. To avoid unnecessary repetition, various possible combination methods of each specific technical feature in the present invention will not be described separately.

[0036] In the following description, the terms "first / second / ..." involved are only used to distinguish different objects and do not indicate that there are the same or related relationships between the objects. It should be understood that the orientation descriptions "above", "below", "outside", and "inside" are all in the orientation in the normal use state, and the "left" and "right" directions represent the left and right directions shown in the specific corresponding schematic diagram, which can be the left and right directions in the normal use state or not.

[0037] It should be noted that the term "comprising", "including" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "including one..." does not exclude the existence of another identical element in the process, method, article or device including the element. "Plurality" means greater than or equal to two.

[0038] An embodiment of the present invention provides an ice-making module, as Figures 1 - 3 shown. The ice-making module includes an ice-making component 1, an ice outlet channel 2, and a cold source 3. The ice-making component 1 is used to manufacture and output a plurality of ice cubes of a first specification. It should be noted that the type of the ice-making component 1 provided in the embodiment of the present invention is not limited. For example, in the form of setting a plurality of forming ice outlets 11 in an ice-making component 1, each forming ice outlet 11 outputs an ice cube of a first specification, and a plurality of forming ice outlets 11 can output a plurality of ice cubes of a first specification. Of course, it is also possible to set a plurality of ice-making components 1, each ice-making component 1 is provided with a forming ice outlet 11, a plurality of ice-making components 1 have a plurality of forming ice outlets 11, and a plurality of ice-making components 1 can output a plurality of ice cubes of a first specification. That is to say, no matter what setting form the ice-making component 1 adopts, as long as it can manufacture and output a plurality of ice cubes of a first specification.

[0039] The embodiment of the present invention will be described by taking an ice-making component 1 having a plurality of forming ice outlets 11 as an example. The forming ice outlet 11 is used to output an ice cube of a first specification. The ice cube of the first specification refers to a formed ice with a certain appearance shape, which can be an ice bar, an ice cube, etc. The shapes and sizes of the ice cubes of the first specification output by the plurality of forming ice outlets 11 can be the same or different. The ice cube of the first specification can be understood as a small ice cube with a small volume.

[0040] It should be noted that, with reference to Figure 4 as shown, the number of formed ice outlets 11 provided in the ice making component 1 of the present invention is not limited in the embodiments of the present invention. The number of formed ice outlets 11 can be set to two, three, four, five, etc. The number of formed ice outlets 11 provided can be set according to specific product function requirements. By providing a plurality of formed ice outlets in the ice making component 1 in the embodiments of the present invention, the ice making component 1 can output a plurality of first - sized ice cubes at one time, improving the ice output efficiency.

[0041] As Figure 3 shown, one end of the ice outlet passage 2 is in communication with the ice making component 1. The ice outlet passage 2 is used to receive a plurality of first - sized ice cubes from each formed ice outlet 11. The ice outlet passage 2 has a freezing area 21. The cold source 3 is arranged in the freezing area 21 of the ice outlet passage 2 and is used to provide cooling capacity to the freezing area 21 during refrigeration so that a plurality of first - sized ice cubes passing through the freezing area 21 are frozen into an integral ice structure. That is to say, the ice making component 1 outputs a plurality of formed first - sized small ice cubes to the ice outlet passage 2 through a plurality of formed ice outlets 11 at one time. A plurality of first - sized small ice cubes located in the freezing area 21 are frozen into a single large ice cube of the second size under the action of the cooling capacity. The large ice cube represents a formed ice cube with a larger volume. The volume of the large ice cube is approximately equal to the sum of the volumes of a plurality of small ice cubes. That is to say, the second size is approximately equal to the sum of a plurality of first sizes. A plurality of first - sized small ice cubes in the freezing area 21 can be frozen into an integral second - sized large ice cube. Therefore, the ice outlet passage 2 can output formed ice cubes with a larger volume.

[0042] Among them, the cooling capacity described in the embodiments of the present invention means that by using the cold source 3, the thermal field of the formed ice in the freezing area is changed. The cold source 3 provides cooling capacity to the freezing area 21, and the cold source 3 absorbs the heat in the freezing area 21, thereby taking away the heat of the formed ice cubes with a smaller volume, so that the adjacent small ice cubes freeze with each other and bond to form a formed ice cube with a larger volume. The embodiments of the present invention can provide formed ice cubes of different sizes by using the change of the thermal field. Compared with the method of cutting large ice cubes with a tool, the energy consumed by cutting is saved, and the consumables of the tool are also avoided; compared with the method of squeezing small ice cubes into large ice cubes by using mechanical energy, the consumption of mechanical energy is saved, and the cumbersome operation of die head switching is avoided.

[0043] It should be noted that the size in the large ice cube and small ice cube described in the embodiments of the present invention is only a relative schematic comparison in the same product. That is to say, in the same electrical equipment, the volume of the large ice cube is larger than that of the small ice cube, but the absolute value of the volume of the small ice cube or the large ice cube is not specifically limited. That is to say, in different products, the absolute value of the volume of the small ice cube in one product may be larger than the absolute value of the volume of the large ice cube in another product.

[0044] An embodiment of the present invention provides an ice-making module, which includes an ice-making component, an ice outlet channel, and a cold source. The ice-making component is used to manufacture and output a plurality of ice cubes of a first specification. One end of the ice outlet channel is connected to the ice-making component. The ice outlet channel is used to receive a plurality of ice cubes of the first specification. The ice outlet channel has a freezing area. The cold source is used to provide cooling capacity to the freezing area so that a plurality of ice cubes of the first specification passing through the freezing area are frozen to form ice cubes of a second specification. In the embodiment of the present invention, the ice-making component outputs a plurality of small-sized formed ice cubes to the ice outlet channel at one time. The ice outlet channel is provided with a freezing area, and the cold source can provide cooling capacity to the freezing area, so that a plurality of small-sized formed ice cubes are frozen into an integral large-sized formed ice cube. The same ice-making module can output formed ice cubes of multiple different specifications, and use the adjustment of the thermal field to realize the output of large ice cubes and small ice cubes. This operation has high stability, regular ice cube formation, reduces equipment consumables, saves the consumption of mechanical energy, has high reliability, low noise, and improves the user experience.

[0045] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the working mode of the cold source. That is to say, the cold source is arranged in the freezing area of the ice outlet channel, so that the cold source can have the function of providing cooling capacity to the freezing area, rather than indicating that the cold source and the ice-making module have a synchronous and continuous operating state. Specifically, the ice-making component has a first ice-making state and a second ice-making state. The cold source can have a working state and a non-working state. When the cold source is in the working state, the cold source can provide cooling capacity to the freezing area, so that the ice-making module can output large-sized formed ice cubes. This state is the second ice-making state of the ice-making component. When the cold source is in the non-working state, the cold source does not provide cooling capacity to the freezing area, and then the ice-making module directly outputs a plurality of small-sized formed ice cubes output from the ice outlet, and this state is the first ice-making state of the ice-making component.

[0046] In the ice-making component in the embodiment of the present invention, the ice-making cooling capacity in the first ice-making state is greater than that in the second ice-making state. It should be noted that the height of the ice-making cooling capacity affects the water content of the ice produced by the ice-making component. The smaller the ice-making cooling capacity, the greater the water content of the ice produced by the ice-making component, and the greater the ice-making cooling capacity, the smaller the water content of the ice produced by the ice-making component. In the embodiment of the present invention, the ice-making cooling capacity in the first ice-making state is greater than that in the second ice-making state, that is to say, the water content of the ice produced in the first ice-making state is less than that of the ice produced in the second ice-making state. The first-standard ice produced in the first ice-making state can be directly output for users to use. Therefore, the ice produced in the first ice-making state has a lower water content, which is beneficial to improving the user experience; the first-standard ice produced in the second ice-making state is used to freeze into the second-standard ice in the freezing area. Therefore, the ice produced in the second ice-making state has a high water content, which is beneficial to the heat release of water to freeze into ice, which is beneficial to the first-standard ice freezing into the second-standard ice, and then improves the stability of the second-standard ice.

[0047] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 3 shown, the cold source 3 is arranged circumferentially around the freezing area 21. The freezing area represents the space for accommodating the first standard, and the circumferential arrangement of the cold source 3 means that the cold source 3 is arranged around the outside of the freezing area 21. By arranging the cold source 3 circumferentially, it is beneficial to improve the uniformity of the cooling capacity provided in the freezing area, thereby being beneficial to improving the stability of the freezing of multiple first-standard ice cubes into one body in the freezing area.

[0048] In some embodiments, such as Figures 1 - 3 shown, the ice-making component 1 outputs the first-standard ice cubes from each ice-forming and discharging port 11. It should be noted that the first standard includes but is not limited to the cross-sectional shape, cross-sectional area size, etc. of the formed ice. The first standards of the multiple ice-forming and discharging ports 11 in the ice-making component 1 can be the same or different, and the first-standard ice output from different ice-forming and discharging ports 11 can be set according to the product requirements of the electrical equipment.

[0049] In the embodiment of the present invention, the ice cubes at the multiple ice-forming and discharging ports 11 are arranged in groups. In some embodiments, the adjacent surface shapes of the ice cubes led out from the multiple ice-forming and discharging ports 11 can match each other, so that the cold source 3 in the freezing area 21 freezes the multiple ice cubes in the same group into the second-standard ice when refrigerating, so as to improve the stability of the structure of the second-standard ice. It should be noted that the "when refrigerating" in the above embodiments refers to the adjustment of the operation of the cold source 3 in the freezing area, that is, the cold source 3 provides cooling capacity for the freezing area only when needed. By controlling the working state of the cold source 3, the production and discharge of ice cubes of different standards can be realized, and this control method is stable and convenient. It should be noted that in this embodiment, for the required ice cubes discharged from the ice discharging channel, there is no need to set an ice-breaking structure.

[0050] For example, the number of ice outlets 11 formed is four, and four ice cubes can be frozen in groups each time, or eight ice cubes can be frozen in groups each time, etc.

[0051] In some embodiments, as Figure 3 shown, the ice making assembly 1 outputs ice cubes of a first specification from each formed ice outlet 11. As Figure 5 shown, the freezing area 21 is used to freeze multiple ice cubes into ice cubes of a second specification during refrigeration. The second specification is larger than the first specification, and this size can be understood as the cross-sectional area of the ice cube, the shape of the ice cube, or the volume, etc.

[0052] Combined with Figures 1 - 3 shown, the ice making module includes a ice breaking structure 4. The ice breaking structure 4 is arranged at the end of the ice outlet passage 2. The end of the ice outlet passage 2 refers to the end of the ice outlet passage 2 away from the formed ice outlet 11. The ice breaking structure 4 is used to break the ice strip discharged from the ice outlet passage 2 to obtain ice cubes. That is to say, the ice strip can be understood as a strip-shaped formed ice with a certain length, and after the ice strip is broken, ice cubes with a shorter length can be obtained. The specific ice breaking method of the ice breaking structure 4 in the embodiments of the present invention is not limited, as long as the ice breaking structure 4 can break the long ice strip into multiple shorter ice cubes. The embodiments of the present invention do not limit the length of the ice cubes broken by the ice breaking structure 4.

[0053] In some embodiments, as Figure 3 shown, the ice outlet passage 2 extends in a straight line, and the ice breaking structure 4 bends laterally from the end of the ice outlet passage 2 to the side of the ice outlet passage 2. That is to say, the ice breaking structure 4 is internally provided with an ice breaking passage, and the ice breaking passage (ice breaking structure) extends in an arc direction. One end of the ice breaking passage communicates with the ice outlet passage 2, and the other end of the ice breaking passage is used to export the broken ice cubes. The arc direction means that the inner surface of the ice breaking structure 4 gradually changes according to a certain curvature, so that the inside of the ice breaking passage is bent. The ice strip in the ice outlet passage 2 moves along the extension direction of the ice outlet passage to the ice breaking passage. When the end of the ice strip touches the wall surface of the ice breaking passage, the driving force drives the ice strip to continuously move in the direction of pressing against the wall surface of the ice breaking structure. Since the ice strip has a large rigidity and is easy to break, the ice strip breaks in the ice breaking structure under the action of the extrusion force.

[0054] In the embodiments of the present invention, the ice breaking test of the ice breaking structure in the above embodiments is carried out. After testing and verification, the ice strip will break when it is bent about 11°. Through manual verification, the ice breaking success rate is very high. Moreover, the large ice cubes broken by the ice breaking structure still maintain the shape of the large ice, and the fracture surface is flat. The small ice cubes broken by the elbow still maintain the shape of the small ice, there is no sticking situation, and the fracture surface is flat.

[0055] In the embodiments of the present invention, by providing a bent ice-breaking structure, the ice-breaking method is simple and fast, and the quality of the broken ice is relatively high. There is no need to add cutting tools or the like, reducing the consumables and costs of the product.

[0056] The specific type of the cold source 3 is not limited. For example, in some embodiments, the cold source 3 may be the cold end of a thermoelectric cooler. Specifically, the refrigeration module includes a control circuit, and the thermoelectric cooler is connected to the control circuit. The control circuit can control the cold end of the thermoelectric cooler to provide cooling capacity to the area.

[0057] In some embodiments, as Figures 7 - 8 shown, the ice-making module includes a refrigerant circulation system 5. The refrigerant circulation system 5 includes a compressor, a condenser, a throttling element, and a first evaporator 51. The compressor, the condenser, the throttling element, and the first evaporator 51 are arranged in sequence along the refrigerant flow direction. Among them, the first evaporator is the cold source 3. Figure 7 and Figure 8 The direction of the solid arrow in

[0058] In some embodiments, as Figure 3 shown, the cold source 3 surrounds the outer periphery of the first tubular structure 6. The refrigerant in the cold source 3 is used to exchange heat with the substance in the ice outlet channel 2 in the first tubular structure 6. The relative position of the cold source 3 and the first tubular structure 6 can be adjusted as needed. For example, the cold source 3 can be arranged on the outer peripheral side of the first tubular structure 6 as shown in Figure 3 shown, or the first tubular structure 6 can also be arranged on the outer peripheral side of the cold source 3.

[0059] In some embodiments, as Figures 7 - 8 shown, the first evaporator 51 includes a first refrigerant pipeline, and the first refrigerant pipeline surrounds the outer peripheral side of the ice outlet channel. In the embodiments of the present invention, by arranging the first refrigerant pipeline to surround the outer peripheral side of the ice outlet channel, the first refrigerant pipeline can directly exchange heat with the ice outlet channel, which is beneficial to improving the ice-making efficiency and the uniformity of the cooling capacity provided in the ice outlet channel, and thus is beneficial to improving the ice outlet quality of the formed ice in the ice outlet channel.

[0060] In some embodiments, as Figures 7 - 8As shown, the refrigerant cycle system 5 includes a second evaporator 52, and the second evaporator provides cooling capacity for the ice-making assembly 1. That is to say, the second evaporator provides cooling capacity for the ice-making assembly 1. The second evaporator is arranged at the ice-making assembly. Water enters the ice-making assembly. The second evaporator 52 exchanges heat with the ice-making assembly 1 to reduce the temperature inside the ice-making assembly, so that the water solidifies into ice. In this embodiment, the same refrigerant cycle system 5 can provide cooling capacity for both the ice outlet channel 2 and the ice-making assembly 1, which can make the structure compact. In addition, when the cold source does not need to provide cooling capacity, at this time the refrigerant does not flow through the first evaporator. However, since the second evaporator needs to continuously provide cooling capacity for the ice-making assembly, the refrigerant can continue to circulate in the refrigerant cycle system without frequently starting or stopping the compressor.

[0061] In some embodiments, as Figure 7 shown, the present embodiment provides a first refrigerant cycle system.

[0062] Figure 7 In the figure, the direction of the solid arrow represents the flow direction of the refrigerant, and the direction of the dashed arrow represents the movement direction of water or ice. When the refrigerant cycle system 5 includes a first branch 53 and a second branch 54, wherein, the first end of the first branch 53 is connected to the first end of the second branch 54, the first evaporator 51 is arranged on the first branch 53, the second end of the second branch 54 and the second end of the first branch 53 are both connected to the inlet of the second evaporator 52, and the refrigerant cycle system 5 further includes a valve device 55, and the valve device 55 is used to conduct or close the first branch 53. It can be understood that the ice-making assembly in the refrigerant cycle system in the embodiment of the present invention has a first ice-making state and a second ice-making state, and the cooling capacity of the second evaporator in the first ice-making state is greater than that in the second ice-making state.

[0063] In the second ice-making state, the valve device 55 conducts the first branch 53, so that the refrigerant can flow to the first branch 53. The flow path of the refrigerant is: valve device 55 - first branch 53 - first evaporator 51 - second evaporator 52. The small ice produced by the second evaporator in the second ice-making mode has a certain water content. When multiple small ice pass through the ice outlet channel, the first evaporator 51 absorbs the heat of the water on the small ice again, and multiple small ice are frozen into one integrated large ice.

[0064] In the first ice-making state, the valve device 55 closes the first branch 53, so that the refrigerant cannot flow to the first branch 53, but flows to the second branch 54. The flow path of the refrigerant is: valve device 55 - second branch 54 - second evaporator 52. Since the cold source does not pass through the first evaporator 51, multiple small ice passing through the ice outlet channel will not be frozen into a large ice. Therefore, the formed ice produced by the ice-making module is small ice.

[0065] In some embodiments, as Figure 7 shown, the valve device includes a first state and a second state. In the first state, the valve device closes the first branch 53 and conducts the second branch 54; in the second state, the valve device opens the first branch 53 and closes the second branch 54, so that the first evaporator and the second evaporator are connected in series. In the first state, the first switch 531 closes the first branch 53, and the second switch 541 conducts the second branch 54. The refrigerant flows from the second branch 54 to the second evaporator 52 and does not flow to the first evaporator 51. Therefore, the function of the ice-making module to output small ice is realized. In the second state, the first switch 531 conducts the first branch 53, and the second switch 541 closes the second branch 54. The refrigerant first flows to the first evaporator 51 and then to the second evaporator 52, thereby realizing the production of large ice.

[0066] In some embodiments, as Figure 8 shown, the present embodiment provides a second refrigerant circulation system. Figure 8 The direction of the solid arrow in the figure represents the flow direction of the refrigerant, and the direction of the dashed arrow represents the movement direction of water or ice. The valve device includes a first state and a second state. The valve device may include a first switch 531 and a second switch 541. The first switch 531 is used to conduct and close the first branch 53, and the second switch 541 is used to conduct and close the second branch 54. That is to say, in the embodiments of the present invention, two switches can be respectively set to independently control the conduction and closing states of the first branch and the second branch, so that the first evaporator and the second evaporator are connected in parallel. It should be noted that the first switch and the second switch in the embodiments of the present invention can be set as electronic expansion valves, and this control method is stable.

[0067] In the first state, the first switch 531 is conductive and the second switch 541 is closed, and the refrigerant only flows to the first evaporator 51, so the export of small ice is realized. In the second state, both the first switch 531 and the second switch 541 are conductive, and the refrigerant flows to the first evaporator 51 and the second evaporator 52 respectively to realize the export of large ice.

[0068] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown, the ice-making module includes a first tubular structure 6, the ice-making assembly includes a forming mold 12, a formed ice outlet 11 is arranged on the forming mold 12, the forming mold 12 is arranged inside the first tubular structure 6, and the space inside the first tubular structure 6 defines at least a part of the ice outlet channel 2. It should be noted that the forming mold in the embodiments of the present invention is used to form a plurality of small ice cubes of the first specification, and each formed ice outlet exports a formed ice with a smaller volume.

[0069] In some embodiments, the forming die 12 includes a plurality of blades. One ends of the plurality of blades are connected to each other and are radially distributed, and a forming ice outlet is formed between adjacent two blades. The other ends of the plurality of blades extend to the inner wall of the ice outlet passage. The first tubular structure 6 first makes formed ice, and then divides the formed ice made into a plurality of ice cubes of a first specification through the plurality of blades.

[0070] In some embodiments, as Figure 3 shown, the ice making assembly 1 includes an ice making cavity 13 and an ice scraping screw 14. The ice scraping screw 14 is at least partially disposed in the ice making cavity 13. The ice scraping screw 14 is used for scraping the ice in the ice making cavity 13 to obtain ice sand, and conveying the scraped ice sand to the forming ice outlet. The ice scraping screw 14 may have only a part of its structure located in the ice making cavity 13, or may be entirely disposed in the ice making cavity 13. By rotating, the ice scraping screw 14 can scrape the frozen ice in the ice making cavity 13 into ice sand, and the ice sand is pushed by the ice scraping screw 14 and conveyed to the first tubular structure 6.

[0071] As Figure 3 shown, the rotation axis of the ice scraping screw 14 may extend transversely. The water inlet and the ice outlet are respectively located on opposite sides of the ice making cavity 13 in the transverse direction. That is to say, water flows into the ice making cavity 13 from one side of the ice making cavity 13 in the transverse direction, and the ice sand scraped by the ice scraping screw 14 is discharged from the other side of the ice making cavity 13 in the transverse direction. It is equivalent to that the second evaporator is transversely arranged.

[0072] Please refer to Figure 3 , the ice making module is provided with a driving assembly for driving the ice scraping screw to rotate.

[0073] The ice sand scraped by the ice scraping screw 14 is compacted and formed in the ice making cavity 13 to form ice strips.

[0074] It should be noted that the ice strip is not an ice cube, and it becomes an ice cube after breaking.

[0075] As Figure 4 shown, that the forming die 12 has at least two forming channels with different cross-sections means that the forming die 12 may have two forming channels with different cross-sections, or may have more than two forming channels with different cross-sections. Among them, different cross-sections mean that at least one of the cross-sectional shape and size of the forming channel is different. For example, the cross-sectional shape of one of the forming channels may be rectangular, and the cross-sectional shape of the other forming channel may be circular. It is also possible that the cross-sectional shapes of both forming channels are rectangular, but the cross-sectional size of one of the forming channels is larger than the cross-sectional size of the other forming channel.

[0076] The shape of the ice strip corresponds to the cross-section of the forming channel. That is to say, forming channels with different cross-sections can respectively make ice strips with different shapes.

[0077] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 6 , the first tubular structure 6 and the ice-making chamber 13 are coaxially arranged. By coaxially arranging the first tubular structure 6 and the ice-making chamber 13, it is beneficial to stably convey the formed ice generated by the first tubular structure 6 to the ice-making chamber 13, thereby improving the stability of the movement of the formed ice and further improving the stability of the subsequent connection of the formed ice in the ice-making chamber 13.

[0078] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 3 , the first tubular structure 6 and the ice-making chamber 13 are butted in the length direction. Figure 3 The length direction in Figure 3 refers to the left-right direction of the paper surface. As shown in

[0079] , the first tubular structure 6 and the ice-making chamber 13 are butted in the length direction, so that the movement direction of the formed ice in the first tubular structure 6 is the same as that in the ice-making chamber 13, which is beneficial to improving the freezing stability of the formed ice.

[0080] The embodiment of the present invention also provides an electrical appliance, including the ice-making module described in any one of the above embodiments. The electrical appliance includes but is not limited to electrical appliances such as refrigerators, ice makers, and juice machines. The application scenario of the electrical appliance will not limit the structure of the ice-making module of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0080] The embodiment of the present invention also provides an ice-making method, as shown in Figure 9 , the ice-making method includes:

[0081] S101, controlling the ice-making component to make ice to obtain multiple small ice strips;

[0082] S102, conveying the multiple small ice strips to the ice outlet channel, where the ice outlet channel has a freezing area, and a cold source is arranged in the freezing area;

[0083] S103, controlling the cold source to be in a refrigeration state or a non-refrigeration state based on an ice-making instruction; when the cold source is in the refrigeration state, the freezing area is used to freeze the multiple small ice strips passing through the freezing area into an integral large ice strip;

[0084] S104, performing ice-breaking treatment on the ice strips discharged from the ice outlet channel to obtain ice cubes.

[0085] In the embodiments of the present invention, the cold source is controlled to be in a refrigeration state or a non-refrigeration state based on an ice-making instruction; when the cold source is in the refrigeration state, the freezing area is used to freeze multiple small ice strips passing through the freezing area into an integrated large ice strip. That is to say, by controlling whether the freezing area is in the refrigeration state, it is possible to directly control whether to produce large ice strips. This control method is simple and convenient. By adjusting the thermal field, the output of large ice and small ice is realized. This operation method has high stability, regular ice formation, reduces equipment consumables, saves the consumption of mechanical energy, has high reliability, low noise, and improves the user experience.

[0086] The embodiments of the present invention also provide an ice-making method, as Figure 10 shown, the ice-making method includes:

[0087] S201, controlling an ice-making component to make ice to obtain multiple groups of small ice cubes, where each group of small ice cubes includes multiple small ice cubes, and adjacent two groups of small ice cubes are arranged at intervals along the transmission direction;

[0088] S202, conveying the grouped small ice cubes to an ice outlet channel, where the ice outlet channel has a freezing area, and a cold source is arranged in the freezing area;

[0089] S203, controlling the cold source to be in a refrigeration state or a non-refrigeration state based on an ice-making instruction; when the cold source is in the refrigeration state, the freezing area is used to freeze the small ice cubes of the same group passing through the freezing area into an integrated large ice cube.

[0090] In the embodiments of the present invention, the cold source is controlled to be in a refrigeration state or a non-refrigeration state based on an ice-making instruction; when the cold source is in the refrigeration state, the freezing area is used to freeze multiple small ice cubes passing through the freezing area into an integrated large ice cube. That is to say, by controlling whether the freezing area is in the refrigeration state, it is possible to directly control whether to produce large ice cubes. This control method is simple and convenient. By adjusting the thermal field, the output of large ice and small ice is realized. This operation method has high stability, regular ice formation, reduces equipment consumables, saves the consumption of mechanical energy, has high reliability, low noise, and improves the user experience.

[0091] In the description of the present application, the descriptions referring to terms such as "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" mean that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the embodiments of the present application. In the present application, the schematic expressions of the above terms are not necessarily directed to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine the different embodiments or examples described in the present application and the features of the different embodiments or examples.

[0092] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and changes can be made to the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An ice-making module, characterized in that, Comprising: An ice-making component for making and outputting ice of a plurality of first specifications; An ice outlet channel, one end of which is communicated with the ice-making component for receiving the ice of the plurality of first specifications; The ice outlet channel has a freezing area; A cold source for providing cold quantity to the freezing area so that the ice of the plurality of first specifications passing through the freezing area freezes to form ice of a second specification; The volume of the ice of the first specification is smaller than the volume of the ice of the second specification.

2. The ice-making module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ice-making component has a first ice-making state and a second ice-making state, and the cold source has a working state and a non-working state; in the case where the cold source is in the non-working state, the ice-making component is in the first ice-making state, and in the case where the cold source is in the working state, the ice-making component is in the second ice-making state, wherein the ice-making quantity of the ice-making component in the first ice-making state is greater than that in the second ice-making state.

3. The ice-making module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cold source surrounds the circumferential direction of the freezing area.

4. The ice-making module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ice-making module includes a control circuit, the cold source includes a semiconductor refrigerator, and the semiconductor refrigerator is connected to the control circuit. Wherein, the semiconductor refrigerator has a cold end for providing cold quantity to the freezing area.

5. The ice-making module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ice-making module includes a refrigerant circulation system, and the refrigerant circulation system includes a compressor, a condenser, a throttling element and a first evaporator, wherein the first evaporator is the cold source.

6. The ice-making module according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first evaporator includes a first refrigerant pipeline which is wound around the outer peripheral side of the ice outlet channel.

7. The ice-making module according to claim 5, characterized in that, The refrigerant circulation system includes a second evaporator for providing refrigerating capacity for the ice-making component.

8. The ice-making module according to claim 7, characterized in that, The refrigeration circulation system includes a first branch, a second branch and a valve device for conducting or closing the first branch and the second branch.

9. The ice-making module according to claim 8, characterized in that, The first end of the first branch is connected to the first end of the second branch, the first evaporator is arranged on the first branch, and the second end of the second branch and the second end of the first branch are both connected to the inlet of the second evaporator; The valve device is used to close the first branch and conduct the second branch, or conduct the first branch and close the second branch so that the first evaporator and the second evaporator are arranged in series.

10. The ice-making module according to claim 8, characterized in that, The first branch and the second branch are arranged in parallel, the first evaporator is arranged on the first branch, and the second evaporator is arranged on the second branch; the valve device is used to conduct or close the first branch and conduct or close the second branch.

11. The ice-making module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ice-making module includes a first tubular structure, the ice-making component includes a forming die provided with a plurality of forming ice outlets, the forming die is arranged inside the first tubular structure, and the space inside the first tubular structure defines at least a part of the ice outlet channel, and the plurality of forming ice outlets are used for outputting the ice of the plurality of first specifications.

12. The ice-making module according to claim 11, characterized in that, The ice-making component includes an ice-making cavity and an ice scraping screw, at least part of the ice scraping screw is arranged in the ice-making cavity, and the ice scraping screw is used for scraping the ice on the inner wall of the ice-making cavity to obtain ice sand, and conveying the scraped ice sand to the first tubular structure.

13. The ice-making module according to claim 11, characterized in that, The forming mold includes a blade, and the blade cuts the ice in the first tubular structure into ice of a plurality of first specifications.

14. An electrical appliance, characterized in that, It includes the ice-making module according to any one of claims 1-13.

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