An ice making device and an apparatus having the same

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of ice making device especially, and is a kind of ice making device and the equipment with it, including ice making mould, the ice making mould includes outer mould shell, at least one ice making cavity is equipped in the outer mould shell, the electric heating element is equipped on the outside of ice making cavity, the ice making cavity is heated by the electric heating element, makes ice block and the cavity wall separation of ice making cavity;By setting the electric heating element on the outside of ice making cavity, electric heating element is powered on and can generate heat, to directly heat the ice making cavity, shorten the heat conduction path in ice making mould, increase the heating area of ice making cavity, make ice block heat evenly, promote ice block to be able to and ice making cavity cavity wall fast separation, improve ice-off efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of ice-making devices, and more particularly to an ice-making device and equipment having the same. Background Technology

[0002] In 2024, our company developed an ice-making device for ice making. Details can be found in the Chinese Utility Model Patent Publication No. 2024227553479, entitled "An Ice-Making Mechanism." This patent discloses that existing ice-making devices directly heat the ice mold by reverse flow of refrigerant within a refrigeration pipe, and then heat the ice block through heat conduction from the ice mold body, thus promoting ice removal. However, the above-mentioned heating and ice removal method suffers from significant problems of uneven heating and low heating efficiency. Using a refrigerant reversal flow method to heat the mold results in unstable refrigerant flow within the pipe, easily leading to localized excessively fast or slow flow rates. This causes uneven heat distribution to different parts of the mold, resulting in uneven heating of the ice block and affecting ice removal efficiency.

[0003] This utility model was proposed in response to the shortcomings of the existing technology. Utility Model Content

[0004] This invention addresses the problems of uneven ice heating, low heating efficiency, and low de-icing efficiency in existing ice-making devices that directly heat ice molds by refrigerant flowing in the reverse direction within the refrigeration pipe. It proposes an ice-making device and equipment incorporating the aforementioned invention.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by this utility model to solve its technical problem is: An ice-making device includes an ice-making mold, the ice-making mold including an outer mold shell, the outer mold shell having at least one ice-making cavity, the outer mold shell having an electric heating element for heating the cavity wall having the ice-making cavity, the electric heating element having a first electrode and a second electrode for supplying power, the ice-making cavity being heated by the electric heating element, causing ice to separate from the cavity wall of the ice-making cavity.

[0006] In the ice-making device described above, the electric heating element is disposed inside the ice-making mold, and the ice-making cavity is disposed inside the electric heating element.

[0007] In the ice-making device described above, the electric heating element is made of a non-metallic material that generates heat when energized.

[0008] As described above, in an ice-making device, the ice-making mold includes an inner mold shell disposed inside the outer mold shell, the ice-making cavity is disposed inside the inner mold shell, the electric heating element is a conductive coating film, the conductive coating film is provided with a first electrode and a second electrode on both sides, and the conductive coating film is disposed between the outer mold shell and the inner mold shell.

[0009] In an ice-making device as described above, the conductive coating layer is coated on the outer surface of the inner mold shell.

[0010] In an ice-making device as described above, the conductive coating layer is coated on the inner surface of the outer mold shell.

[0011] In the ice-making device described above, the inner mold shell is made of a thermally conductive non-metallic material.

[0012] As described above, in an ice-making device, the outer mold shell is provided with a first through hole and a second through hole corresponding to the first electrode and the second electrode, respectively. The first through hole and the second through hole are respectively provided with a first connecting shell and a second connecting shell. The first electrode is connected to the first connecting shell, and the second electrode is connected to the second connecting shell.

[0013] As described above, in an ice-making device, the ice-making mold includes a first half-mold and a second half-mold arranged opposite to each other. The first half-mold and the second half-mold have a mold-closing state and a mold-separating state corresponding to ice making and ice removal, respectively. Both the first half-mold and the second half-mold include the outer mold shell, wherein at least one of the outer mold shells is provided with the electric heating element.

[0014] This utility model also provides an apparatus with an ice-making device, including the ice-making device described above.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are: This utility model provides an ice-making device. The outer mold shell is provided with an electric heating element for heating the cavity wall with an ice-making cavity. The electric heating element generates heat when energized, thereby directly heating the ice-making cavity. This shortens the heat conduction path in the ice-making mold, increases the heating area of ​​the ice-making cavity, makes the ice block heated evenly, and promotes the rapid separation of the ice block from the cavity wall, thus improving the ice removal efficiency.

[0016] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the ice-making mold of this utility model; Figure 2 Disassembly of the ice-making mold of this utility model Figure 1 ; Figure 3 Disassembly of the ice-making mold of this utility model Figure 2 ; Figure 4 for Figure 1 Section A-A in Figure 1 ; Figure 5for Figure 4 Enlarged view of section C in the image; Figure 6 for Figure 1 The B-B section view in the diagram; Figure 7 for Figure 1 Section A-A in Figure 2 ; Figure 8 for Figure 1 Section A-A in Figure 3 ; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the mold closing state of the refrigeration mold of this utility model; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the refrigeration mold of this utility model in its open state. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The embodiments of this utility model will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this utility model without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0019] It should be noted that all directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in this utility model embodiment are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicator will also change accordingly.

[0020] Furthermore, the use of terms such as "first" and "second" in this utility model is for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. Additionally, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but only on the basis of being achievable by those skilled in the art. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, such a combination of technical solutions should be considered non-existent and not within the scope of protection claimed by this utility model.

[0021] Example 1: like Figures 1 to 6As shown, this utility model provides an ice-making device that can be used in ice makers, refrigerators, and other devices with ice-making functions. The ice-making device includes an ice-making mold 1, comprising an outer mold shell 11. The outer mold shell 11 has at least one ice-making cavity 10 inside. The outer mold shell 11 is provided with an electric heating element 12 for heating the cavity wall of the ice-making cavity 10. The electric heating element 12 has a first electrode 1221 and a second electrode 1222 for supplying power to the ice-making cavity 10. Heating causes the ice cubes to separate from the cavity wall of the ice-making chamber 10. In this embodiment, the ice-making mold 1 is used to receive liquid and freeze it into ice. The liquid includes at least edible pure water, fruit juice, etc. The outer mold shell 11 may have multiple spaced-apart ice-making chambers 10 inside. Each ice-making chamber 10 can receive water and freeze it into ice cubes. The ice-making chamber 10 can be configured as a spherical cavity, a square cavity, etc., and can be used to make ice cubes of different shapes and sizes, such as spherical ice and cube ice. This utility model does not make specific limitations. In practical applications, such as Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the ice-making mold 1 has a closed mold state and a open mold state corresponding to ice making and ice removal, respectively. When making ice, the ice-making mold 1 is in the closed mold state, water enters the ice-making cavity 10 and freezes the water, while the electric heating element 12 remains in a non-working state to avoid heat interfering with the freezing process. When removing ice, the electric heating element 12 is energized and heats up, thereby heating the ice block in the ice-making cavity 10, causing the ice block to quickly separate from the cavity wall of the ice-making cavity 10. When the ice-making mold 1 switches to the open mold state, the ice block can detach from the ice-making mold 1 under the action of gravity, thus achieving ice removal.

[0022] In this invention, the outer mold shell 11 is provided with an electric heating element 12 for heating the cavity wall of the ice-making cavity 10. The electric heating element 12 generates heat when energized, thereby directly heating the ice-making cavity 10, shortening the heat conduction path in the ice-making mold, increasing the heating area of ​​the ice-making cavity 10, making the ice block heat evenly, and enabling the ice block to quickly separate from the cavity wall of the ice-making cavity 10, thus improving the ice removal efficiency.

[0023] Furthermore, the electric heating element 12 is provided with a first electrode 1221 and a second electrode 1222 for power supply. The first electrode 1221 can be set as a positive electrode, and the second electrode 1222 can be set as a negative electrode. The first electrode 1221 and the second electrode 1222 are connected to an external power source to form a complete conductive circuit, so that the first electrode 1221 and the second electrode 1222 can supply power to the electric heating element 12. In practical applications, the ice-making device can be installed in devices with ice-making functions, such as ice makers and refrigerators. The external power source can be set as the control board in the device, which helps to simplify the circuit connection of the ice-making device.

[0024] In one alternative embodiment of the electric heating element 12, such as Figure 4 As shown, the electric heating element 12 is disposed inside the ice-making mold 1, and the ice-making cavity 10 is disposed inside the electric heating element 12. Furthermore, the electric heating element 12 is made of a non-metallic material that generates heat through electrical conduction, allowing the electric heating element 12 with heat-generating properties to directly form the inner mold shell in the ice-making mold 1. The ice-making cavity 10 is formed by the electric heating element 12 enclosing the cavity. When energized, the inner mold shell formed by the electric heating element 12 can directly generate heat and heat the ice cube, increasing the heated area of ​​the ice cube and making the ice cube heated evenly. Further, optionally, the non-metallic material that generates heat through electrical conduction includes conductive silicone, conductive rubber, etc., and can be integrally molded using conductive silicone or conductive rubber. The electric heating element 12 is formed, and the ice-making cavity 10 is located inside the electric heating element 12. This effectively forms the inner mold shell of the ice-making mold 1 directly through the electric heating element 12. Non-metallic materials that can conduct electricity and generate heat, such as conductive silicone or conductive rubber, have high thermal conductivity, greatly improving the heating efficiency of the ice. Furthermore, these materials also have insulating properties, ensuring that the current flows through a predetermined conductive path and preventing leakage. Additionally, the use of conductive silicone or conductive rubber for integral injection molding of the electric heating element 12 simplifies the manufacturing process and improves the production and assembly efficiency of the ice-making device. Optionally, the thickness of the electric heating element 12 can be set to 0.5mm to 3mm.

[0025] In some alternative embodiments, such as Figure 5 As shown, the outer mold shell 11 has a first through hole 111 and a second through hole 112 corresponding to the first electrode 1221 and the second electrode 1222, respectively. A first connecting shell 13 and a second connecting shell 14 are respectively provided in the first through hole 111 and the second through hole 112. The first electrode 1221 is connected to the first connecting shell 13, and the second electrode 1222 is connected to the second connecting shell 14. The first connecting shell 13 and the second connecting shell 14 extend out of the outer mold shell 11 along the first through hole 111 and the second through hole 112, respectively. External wires can run from the first connecting shell 13 and the second connecting shell 14, respectively, and are electrically connected to the first electrode 1221 and the second electrode 1222. The electrical connection between the first electrode 1221 and the second electrode 1222 and the external wires can refer to the male and female terminal circuit connection settings in the prior art, such as the electrical connection structure of metal pins and sockets.

[0026] Optionally, the first connecting housing 13 and the second connecting housing 14 may be insulating housings to facilitate the safe operation of the ice-making device.

[0027] In some alternative embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, the outer mold shell 11 is provided with a water inlet channel 113 communicating with the ice-making cavity 10. A first connecting portion 114 and a second connecting portion 115 are respectively provided on both sides of the outer mold shell 11. The water inlet channel 113 extends to the first connecting portion 114 and the second connecting portion 115. The electric heating element 12 (such as conductive silicone or conductive rubber) has an opening 1211 corresponding to the second connecting portion 115, and the second connecting portion 115 is adaptedly disposed within the opening 1211. In this embodiment, the first connecting portion 114 can be configured as a cylindrical connecting portion to facilitate connection to the external... The system includes a pipeline and an external water source connected to the water inlet channel 113 to inject water into the ice-making cavity 10. The external water source can be a water tank 3 in an ice maker, refrigerator, or other similar device; however, this invention does not impose any specific limitations. Furthermore, the second connecting part 115 engages with the opening 1211 to improve the connection stability between the electric heating element 12 and the outer mold shell 11. Since the electric heating element 12 is made of conductive silicone, it can achieve a sealed connection with the second connecting part 115, preventing water leakage from the ice-making mold 1. This eliminates the need for an additional sealing ring, improving the production and assembly efficiency of the ice-making mold 1.

[0028] Example 2: This second embodiment provides another optional embodiment of the electric heating element 12. The difference between this second embodiment and the first embodiment described above is that, as... Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the ice-making mold 1 includes an inner mold shell 121 disposed inside the outer mold shell 11, and an ice-making cavity 10 disposed inside the inner mold shell 121. The electric heating element 12 is a conductive coating film layer. The conductive coating film layer has a first electrode 1221 and a second electrode 1222 disposed on both sides. The conductive coating film layer is disposed between the outer mold shell 11 and the inner mold shell 121. When the first electrode 1221 and the second electrode 1222 are energized, the conductive coating film layer can be heated, and the heat can be directly conducted to the inner mold shell 121 through the conductive coating film layer, so that the inner mold shell 121 is heated to heat the ice in the ice-making cavity 11. The conductive coating film layer covers the outer wall of the inner mold shell 121, increasing the heating area of ​​the inner mold shell 121, so that the ice can be heated evenly, thereby improving the de-icing efficiency.

[0029] Optionally, the conductive coating layer 1210 can be configured as a conductive silver paste layer.

[0030] Further optionally, the conductive coating layer is coated on the outer surface of the inner mold shell 121; or, the conductive coating layer is coated on the inner surface of the outer mold shell 11; optionally, the first electrode 1221 and the second electrode 1222 are connected to the inner mold shell 12 and electrically connected to the conductive coating layer.

[0031] In some optional embodiments, the inner mold shell 121 is made of a thermally conductive non-metallic material, including silicone, rubber, etc., which can be integrally molded from silicone, rubber, etc. The inner mold shell 121 is fixedly disposed in the outer mold shell 11, and the outer mold shell 11 can provide stable support for the inner mold shell 121, avoiding unnecessary deformation or displacement of the thermally conductive non-metallic material such as silicone and rubber during ice making and ice removal due to its own flexibility, ensuring the shape stability of the ice making cavity 10, thereby ensuring uniform ice block molding specifications; at the same time, the surface of thermally conductive non-metallic materials such as silicone and rubber is smooth and non-stick, making it difficult for ice blocks to adhere, reducing the difficulty of ice block removal, reducing ice block breakage during the removal process, and ensuring the integrity of the ice blocks; in addition, thermally conductive non-metallic materials such as silicone and rubber also have good high and low temperature resistance, can adapt to the low temperature environment during ice making and the heating process during ice removal, and have strong chemical stability, are not easy to react with water or other substances, are safe and non-toxic, and meet the requirements of food contact materials.

[0032] In some alternative embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, the outer mold shell 11 is provided with a water inlet channel 113 communicating with the ice-making cavity 10. The outer mold shell 11 has a first connecting portion 114 and a second connecting portion 115 on both sides. The water inlet channel 113 extends to the first connecting portion 114 and the second connecting portion 115. The inner mold shell 121 has an opening 1211 corresponding to the second connecting portion 115, and the second connecting portion 115 is adaptedly disposed within the opening 1211. In this embodiment, the first connecting portion 114 can be configured as a cylindrical connecting portion to facilitate connection to external pipelines and through... An external pipe is connected to an external water source, which is connected to the water inlet channel 113 to inject water into the ice-making chamber 10. The external water source can be a water tank 3 in an ice maker, refrigerator, or other equipment, and this utility model does not make any specific limitation. In addition, the second connecting part 115 is snapped into the opening 1211 to improve the connection stability between the inner mold shell 121 and the outer mold shell 11. At the same time, since the electric heating element 12 is made of conductive silicone, it can achieve a sealed connection with the second connecting part 115 to prevent water leakage inside the ice-making mold 1, and no additional sealing ring is required, which is beneficial to the production and assembly efficiency of the ice-making mold 1.

[0033] Example 3: Based on the above embodiment one or embodiment two, this embodiment three provides one embodiment of the ice-making mold, such as... Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the ice-making mold 1 includes a first half mold 101 and a second half mold 102 arranged opposite to each other. The first half mold 101 and the second half mold 102 have a mold-closed state and a mold-separated state corresponding to ice making and ice removal, respectively. The first half mold 101 and the second half mold 102 both include the outer mold shell 11, wherein at least one of the outer mold shells 11 is provided with the electric heating element 12.

[0034] In some optional embodiments, the outer mold shell 11 of the first half 101 or the outer mold shell 11 of the second half 102 is provided with the electric heating element 12. When the electric heating element 12 is energized, it can directly heat the cavity wall of the ice-making cavity 11. At the same time, the heat is conducted to the entire cavity wall of the ice-making cavity 11 through the heat conduction of the two outer mold shells 11 themselves, thereby improving the heating uniformity of the ice in the ice-making cavity 11 and improving the de-icing efficiency.

[0035] In some alternative embodiments, the outer mold shell 11 of the first half 101 and the outer mold shell 11 of the second half 102 are both provided with the electric heating element 12.

[0036] Furthermore, the ice-making device also includes an opening and closing drive device 2 connected to the first half-mold 101 and / or the second half-mold 102. The opening and closing drive device 2 can be configured as a rotary drive device or a linear translation drive device to realize the relatively closed ice-making mold state between the first half-mold 101 and the second half-mold 102, and the relatively separated ice-removing mold state. For example, the first half-mold 101 and the second half-mold 102 can be rotated relatively closer or further apart by the rotary drive device to switch between the mold-closing state and the mold-separating state. Another example is that the first half-mold 101 and the second half-mold 102... The half-mold 102 can move relatively closer to or further away from each other via a linear translation drive device to switch between the mold-closing state and the mold-separating state. Both the rotary drive device and the linear translation drive device can be set with reference to the mold-opening and closing drive module in the existing ice-making device. The mold-opening and closing drive module can be equipped with a mold-closing locking structure to facilitate maintaining the closed and fixed relationship between the two half-molds during the ice-making process, thereby ensuring the smooth progress of ice-making. In addition, the mold-opening and closing drive module can be equipped with a motor, which can control the opening and closing stroke range between the first half-mold 101 and the second half-mold 102.

[0037] In practical applications, the first half-mold 101 and the second half-mold 102 can be respectively set as a fixed mold and a moving mold to reduce the opening and closing stroke of the ice-making mold 1, thereby reducing the space occupied by the ice-making device. It should be noted that when the first electrode 1221 and the second electrode 1222 are set on the moving mold, the external wires can be reserved with a sufficiently long length to accommodate the opening and closing movement of the moving mold and ensure the normal operation of the electric heating element 12. Alternatively, the external circuit connection of the first electrode 1221 and the second electrode 1222 can be adjusted according to the moving mold.

[0038] Example 4: Based on any of the above optional embodiments, this fourth embodiment provides a device with an ice-making device. The device with an ice-making device includes at least ice makers, refrigerators, beverage machines, and other devices with ice-making functions. The device with an ice-making device includes a device body and an ice-making device as described in any of the above embodiments. The ice-making device is installed in the device body, and the device body has an ice storage cavity. The ice-making device is located above the ice storage cavity so that the ice blocks can fall directly into the ice storage cavity when the ice mold 1 is in the mold-opening state.

[0039] The above examples are merely illustrative of the technical content of this utility model to facilitate reader understanding, but do not imply that the implementation of this utility model is limited to these embodiments. Any technical extensions or re-creations made based on this utility model are protected by this utility model. The scope of protection of this utility model is defined by the claims.

Claims

1. An ice-making device, characterized in that, The device includes an ice-making mold (1), which includes an outer mold shell (11). The outer mold shell (11) has at least one ice-making cavity (10) inside. The outer mold shell (11) is provided with an electric heating element (12) for heating the cavity wall of the ice-making cavity (10). The electric heating element (12) is provided with a first electrode (1221) and a second electrode (1222) for power supply. The ice-making cavity (10) is heated by the electric heating element (12) so that the ice block is separated from the cavity wall of the ice-making cavity (10).

2. The ice-making apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The electric heating element (12) is disposed inside the ice mold (1), and the ice making cavity (10) is disposed inside the electric heating element (12).

3. The ice-making apparatus as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The electric heating element (12) is made of a non-metallic material that generates heat when energized.

4. An ice-making apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The ice-making mold (1) includes an inner mold shell (121) disposed inside the outer mold shell (11), the ice-making cavity (10) is disposed inside the inner mold shell (121), the electric heating element (12) is a conductive coating film layer, the first electrode (1221) and the second electrode (1222) are disposed on both sides of the conductive coating film layer, and the conductive coating film layer is disposed between the outer mold shell (11) and the inner mold shell (121).

5. An ice-making apparatus as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The conductive coating layer is coated on the outer surface of the inner mold shell (121).

6. An ice-making apparatus as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The conductive coating film is coated on the inner surface of the outer mold shell (11).

7. An ice-making apparatus as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The inner mold shell (121) is made of thermally conductive non-metallic material.

8. An ice-making apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The outer mold shell (11) is provided with a first through hole (111) and a second through hole (112) corresponding to the first electrode (1221) and the second electrode (1222) respectively. The first through hole (111) and the second through hole (112) are respectively provided with a first connecting shell (13) and a second connecting shell (14). The first electrode (1221) is connected to the first connecting shell (13), and the second electrode (1222) is connected to the second connecting shell (14).

9. An ice-making apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The ice-making mold (1) includes a first half-mold (101) and a second half-mold (102) arranged opposite to each other. The first half-mold (101) and the second half-mold (102) have a mold-closing state and a mold-separating state corresponding to ice making and ice removal, respectively. The first half-mold (101) and the second half-mold (102) both include the outer mold shell (11), wherein at least one of the outer mold shells (11) is provided with the electric heating element (12).

10. A device having an ice-making apparatus, characterized in that, Includes the ice-making apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images