An ice maker

Abstract

This invention discloses an ice maker, comprising a housing (1); an ice-making assembly (2); an ice-receiving box (3) with a drain hole (31); and a water tank (6) having a first water storage tank (61) for receiving ice water flowing out of the drain hole (31). The invention is characterized by: an opening (111) on one side of the housing (1), through which the water tank (6) can be pulled in and out of the housing (1); a valve (7) is provided at the drain hole (31); during the process of the water tank (6) being placed into the housing (1), the water tank (6) drives the valve (7) to open, so that the drain hole (31) is connected to the first water storage tank (61) of the water tank (6); during the process of the water tank (6) being removed from the housing (1), the valve (7) automatically closes, so that the drain hole (31) is sealed. Compared with the prior art, the ice maker of this invention facilitates water tank filling and cleaning, and can prevent ice water leakage when the water tank is removed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of water supply equipment technology, specifically to an ice maker. Background Technology

[0002] Water dispensers, as an economical household appliance, are widely popular; ice makers, also an economical appliance, have gradually entered homes after being primarily owned by hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues, and canteens. In recent years, considering factors such as saving consumers money, facilitating daily use and maintenance, and competing in the market, household appliance manufacturers have launched ice-making water dispensers, combining the functions of a water dispenser and an ice maker into one unit.

[0003] However, during the ice-making process, ice and ice water are produced simultaneously, and some of the ice melts into ice water. To recover the cold energy, this ice water is usually recycled and reused for ice making. For example, the Chinese invention patent "Small Water Drinking Ice Maker" with patent application number CN201010292373.2 (publication number CN101949622B) describes a water storage chamber located below the ice collection box. After ice making is completed, the motor flips to pour the mixture of ice and ice water into the ice collection box, while the ice water flows into the water storage chamber for reuse, thus recovering the cold energy.

[0004] For the ice maker mentioned above, the water tank is located inside the casing, which is inconvenient to remove, add water, and clean, and is prone to bacterial growth. However, if it is installed on the casing as a movable part, when the water tank is removed, the ice water formed by the melting of the ice stored in the ice box will leak into the casing. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The first technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an ice maker that facilitates water tank filling and cleaning, in light of the current state of the prior art.

[0006] The second technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an ice maker that can prevent ice water from leaking when it is taken out of the water tank.

[0007] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the first and second technical problems mentioned above is: an ice maker, comprising an organic shell;

[0008] An ice-making component, located inside the housing, is used to make ice cubes;

[0009] An ice receiving box, located inside the housing, is used to receive ice blocks produced by the ice-making component. The ice receiving box has a drainage hole.

[0010] The water tank has a first water storage tank for receiving ice water flowing out of the drain hole;

[0011] The feature is that: one side of the housing has an opening, the water tank can be pulled in and out of the housing through the opening, and a valve is provided at the drain hole;

[0012] During the process of placing the water tank into the machine casing, the water tank drives the valve to open, so that the leakage hole is connected to the first water storage tank of the water tank;

[0013] During the process of removing the water tank from the casing, the valve automatically closes to seal the leakage hole.

[0014] To enable the water tank to drive the valve and for the valve to automatically close, the valve includes:

[0015] The movable seat is installed on the ice receiving box in a manner that allows it to move up and down relative to the ice receiving box, and has a sealing gasket for sealing the leakage hole;

[0016] An elastic element acts between the movable seat and the ice-receiving box to ensure that the sealing gasket of the movable seat always tends to close the leakage hole; and

[0017] The rotating arm, hinged to the housing, is used to transmit the movement of the water tank to the movable seat.

[0018] In order to achieve automatic opening and closing of the valve,

[0019] During the process of placing the water tank into the housing, the rotating arm, under the action of the top edge of the water tank, flips upward around the axis and squeezes the movable seat, so that the movable seat moves upward against the elastic force of the elastic element, thereby causing the sealing gasket to leave the leakage hole.

[0020] During the process of removing the water tank from the housing, the rotating arm rotates downward around its axis under its own weight to release the pressure on the movable seat, so that the movable seat moves downward under the elastic force of the elastic element, thereby sealing the leak hole with the sealing gasket.

[0021] To facilitate the application of force between the rotating arm and the elastic element to the movable seat, the movable seat also includes...

[0022] A movable rod, movably mounted on the ice-receiving box, and a sealing gasket located at the top of the movable rod; and

[0023] A pressure-bearing component is located at the bottom end of the movable rod and is used for compression by the rotating arm. The elastic component acts between the pressure-bearing component and the ice-receiving box.

[0024] To facilitate the installation of the movable rod and avoid additional drilling, the drain hole is located on the bottom wall of the ice box, the movable rod passes through the drain hole, and there is a drain gap between the outer peripheral wall of the movable rod and the inner peripheral wall of the drain hole.

[0025] To facilitate the installation of the elastic element, the periphery of the drain hole is bent downward to form an annular seat. The elastic element is a compression spring, which is sleeved on the outer periphery of the annular seat, and the two ends of the compression spring abut against the opposite surfaces of the pressure-bearing component and the ice-receiving box, respectively.

[0026] In order to facilitate the guidance of water flowing out of the drain hole into the first water storage tank and prevent water from splashing into the machine casing, the free end of the rotating arm has a water receiving part facing the drain gap. The water receiving part is surrounded to form a water receiving groove, and a water passage hole communicating with the water receiving groove is opened at the bottom of the water receiving part.

[0027] To facilitate the squeezing of the movable seat, the center of the water receiving tank has an upwardly protruding squeezing part. When the valve is open, the squeezing part acts on the lower part of the movable seat to make the sealing gasket move away from the water leakage hole.

[0028] To facilitate the conversion of the water tank's pulling motion into the rotating arm's flipping motion, the bottom wall of the water receiving part has a guide surface that gradually decreases in the direction of movement as the water tank is placed into the housing.

[0029] In order to limit the downward tilting position of the rotating arm, the edge of the water receiving part has an outwardly protruding limiting part, and the housing has a stop part corresponding to the limiting part. When the valve is closed, the limiting part is positioned above the stop part.

[0030] To avoid exposing internal components and for aesthetic purposes, the front side of the housing is recessed to form a recessed portion. The opening on the front side of this recessed portion forms the opening. The water tank can be pulled in and out of the recessed portion. When the water tank is in place, the front sidewall of the water tank is flush with the front sidewall of the housing.

[0031] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of this invention are as follows: The pull-out water tank works in conjunction with a valve located at the drain hole. During the process of the water tank being placed into the casing, the water tank drives the valve to open, connecting the drain hole to the first water storage tank. During the process of the water tank being removed from the casing, the valve automatically closes, sealing the drain hole. This provides two advantages: firstly, after the water tank is removed, it is convenient for the user to add water and clean the tank, preventing bacterial growth; secondly, the melted ice water accumulated in the ice collection box remains inside the box and will not leak through the drain hole. Furthermore, the opening and closing of the valve is entirely driven by the pull-out action of the water tank, eliminating the need for a complex additional circuit control system, resulting in a simple structure. Attached Figure Description

[0032] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of an embodiment of the ice maker of the present invention with the water tank inserted.

[0033] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A longitudinal sectional view;

[0034] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Enlarged view of Part I;

[0035] Figure 4 for Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure after the casing and water tank are omitted.

[0036] Figure 5 for Figure 4 3D structural diagram of the ice box connecting section;

[0037] Figure 6 for Figure 1 A longitudinal sectional view of the ice maker after the water tank has been removed;

[0038] Figure 7 for Figure 6 Enlarged view of Part II. Detailed Implementation

[0039] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0040] like Figures 1 to 7 The image shows a preferred embodiment of the ice maker of the present invention. The ice maker includes a housing 1, an ice-making component 2, an ice receiving box 3, an ice dispensing component 4, a heater 5, a water tank 6, and a valve 7.

[0041] The front side of the casing 1 is recessed inward to form a recessed portion 11. The opening on the front side of the recessed portion 11 is referred to as the opening 111. The rear side of the top of the recessed portion 11 has a notch 112. The top wall of the recessed portion 11 located in front of the notch 112 forms a stop portion 113. The left side of the front part of the casing 1 has an ice outlet 13. The right side of the front part of the casing 1 has a hot water outlet 14.

[0042] The ice-making component 2 is located inside the housing 1 and is used to make ice cubes. In this embodiment, the ice-making component 2 includes an ice-making box 21, an ice-making device 22 for making ice from the water in the ice-making box 21, and a first driving member 23 for driving the ice-making box 21 to rotate and pour ice. This is a conventional structure, and its specific structure can be found in the background patent and the Chinese utility model patent "An Energy-Saving Ice Maker" with patent application number CN202122997255.8 (publication number CN216282190U), which will not be described in detail here.

[0043] An ice receiving box 3 is located inside the housing 1 and is used to receive ice blocks made by the ice making component 2. Specifically, the ice making box 21 is located inside the ice receiving box 3 and is rotatably connected to the ice receiving box 3. A drainage hole 31 is provided on the bottom wall of the ice receiving box 3. The periphery of the drainage hole 31 bends downward to form an annular seat 32, and the drainage hole 31 is located directly above the notch 111. An inclined upward-arranged ice guide slide 33 is formed between the bottom of the ice receiving box 3 and the ice outlet 13.

[0044] The ice dispensing assembly 4 is located inside the ice receiving box 3 and is used to guide the ice blocks in the ice receiving box 3 to the ice dispensing port 13. In this embodiment, the ice dispensing assembly 4 includes a spiral ice dispensing rod 41 arranged along the ice guide slide 33 and a second driving member 42 for driving the spiral ice dispensing rod 41 to rotate. This is a conventional structure, and its specific structure can be found in the Chinese utility model patent "An Energy-Saving Ice Maker" with patent application number CN202122997255.8 (publication number CN216282190U), which will not be described in detail here.

[0045] The heater 5 is located inside the housing 1 and is used to heat the water and supply it to the hot water outlet 14.

[0046] The water tank 6 can be pulled out of the recessed part 11 through the opening 111 in the front-back direction. The interior of the water tank 6 has a first water storage tank 61 and a second water storage tank 62 that are spaced apart and open at the top. The first water storage tank 61 is used to receive the ice water flowing out of the drain hole 31 and supply it to the ice box 21. The second water storage tank 62 is used to supply raw water to the heater 5.

[0047] The valve 7 is located at the water leakage hole 31 and includes a movable seat 71, an elastic element 72 and a rotating arm 73.

[0048] Specifically, the movable seat 71 includes a movable rod 711, a sealing gasket 712, and a pressure-bearing component 713. The movable rod 711 is basically vertically arranged and can move up and down through the water leakage hole 31, with a water leakage gap 7111 between the outer peripheral wall of the movable rod 711 and the inner peripheral wall of the water leakage hole 31; the sealing gasket 712 is located at the top of the movable rod 711 and is basically horizontally arranged to seal the water leakage hole 31; the pressure-bearing component 713 is located at the bottom of the movable rod 711.

[0049] The elastic element 72 is a compression spring, which is sleeved on the outer periphery of the annular seat 32, and the two ends of the compression spring abut against the opposite surfaces of the pressure-bearing element 713 and the ice box 3, so that the sealing gasket 712 of the movable seat 71 always tends to close the leakage hole 31.

[0050] The rotating arm 73 is located at the notch 112 and is used to transmit the movement of the water tank 6 to the movable seat 71. The rear end of the rotating arm 73 is hinged to the rear side wall of the recess 11. The front end of the rotating arm 73, i.e., the free end, has a water receiving part 731 facing the aforementioned leakage gap 7111. The water receiving part 731 surrounds and forms a water receiving groove 7311, and the bottom of the water receiving part 731 has a water passage hole 7312 that communicates with the water receiving groove 7311. The center of the water receiving groove 7311 has an upwardly protruding pressing part 7313, which corresponds to the aforementioned pressure receiving member 713. The bottom wall of the water receiving part 731 has a guide surface 7314 that gradually decreases from front to back. The edge of the water receiving part 731 has an outwardly protruding limiting part 7315, which corresponds to the aforementioned stop part 113.

[0051] During the process of placing the water tank 6 into the recess 11, the water tank 6 drives the valve 7 to open. Specifically, the rotating arm 73 rotates upward around its axis under the action of the top edge of the water tank 6, and its pressing part 7313 presses the pressure-bearing part 713 of the movable seat 71, so that the movable seat 71 moves upward against the elastic force of the elastic part 72, thereby causing the sealing gasket 712 to leave the leakage hole 31, and finally connecting the leakage hole 31 with the first water storage tank 61 of the water tank 6; Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, with valve 7 open, the top edge of water tank 6 abuts against and acts on the lower part of rotating arm 73, the squeezing part 7313 abuts against and acts on the lower part of pressure-bearing member 713, and the top opening of the first water storage tank 61 is located directly below the drain hole 31; in addition, with water tank 6 in place, the front side wall of water tank 6 is flush with the front side wall of housing 1, and the top edge of water tank 6 abuts against and acts on the lower part of the middle of rotating arm 73.

[0052] During the removal of the water tank 6 from the recess 11, the valve 7 automatically closes. Specifically, the rotating arm 73 rotates downward around its axis under its own weight, and its pressing part 7313 releases the pressure on the pressure-bearing part 713, allowing the movable seat 71 to move downward under the elastic force of the elastic member 72, thereby sealing the leak hole 31 with the sealing gasket 712; Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, with valve 7 closed, the top edge of water tank 6 moves away from rotating arm 73, squeezing part 7313 moves away from pressure-bearing part 713, and limiting part 7315 is limited above stop part 113.

[0053] The working principle of this embodiment is as follows:

[0054] (1) Before starting the ice maker, the water tank 6 needs to be placed into the recessed part 11. During this process, the rotating arm 73 rotates upward around the axis under the action of the top edge of the water tank 6. Its squeezing part 7313 squeezes the pressure member 713 of the movable seat 71, so that the movable seat 71 moves upward against the elastic force of the elastic member 72, thereby causing the sealing gasket 712 to leave the water leakage hole 31, and finally connecting the water leakage hole 31 with the first water storage tank 61 of the water tank 6 (e.g. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, valve 7 is in the open state;

[0055] During ice making, the first water storage tank 61 supplies raw water to the ice making box 21, and the ice making device 22 makes ice from the water in the ice making box 21. After ice making is completed, the first driving member 23 drives the ice making box 21 to rotate and pour the ice. The mixture of ice and ice water is poured into the ice receiving box 3. When ice needs to be dispensed, the second driving member 42 drives the spiral ice dispensing rod 41 to rotate and supply ice to the ice outlet 13. At the same time, the ice water in the ice receiving box 3 is collected into the water receiving tank 7311 through the water leakage channel 7111 in the water leakage hole 31, and then recycled back to the first water storage tank 61 through the water passage 7312. The ice water in the first water storage tank 61 can be resupplied to the ice making box 21 to realize cold energy recovery.

[0056] When producing hot water, the second water storage tank 62 supplies raw water to the heater 5, which heats the water and then supplies it to the hot water outlet 14.

[0057] (2) After the ice maker finishes working, the user can remove the water tank 6 from the recess 11. During this process, the rotating arm 73 rotates downward around its axis under its own weight, and its squeezing part 7313 releases the squeezing of the pressure-bearing part 713, so that the movable seat 71 moves downward under the elastic force of the elastic part 72, thereby sealing the leak hole 31 with the sealing gasket 712 (e.g., Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, valve 7 is in the closed state;

[0058] In this way, on the one hand, after the water tank 6 is removed, it is convenient for users to add water and clean it, and to avoid the growth of bacteria; on the other hand, the ice water formed by the melting of the ice accumulated in the ice box 3 will still be retained in the ice box 3 and will not leak through the drain hole 31.

Claims

1. An ice maker, comprising: Casing (1); An ice-making component (2) is disposed inside the housing (1) and is used to make ice cubes, including an ice-making box (21); An ice receiving box (3) is disposed inside the housing (1) for receiving ice blocks made by the ice-making assembly (2). The ice receiving box (3) has a drainage hole (31). The water tank (6) has a first water storage tank (61) for receiving ice water flowing out of the drain hole (31) and supplying it to the ice box (21); Its features are: The housing (1) has an opening (111) on one side, and the water tank (6) can be pulled out of the housing (1) through the opening (111). A valve (7) is provided at the drain hole (31). During the process of placing the water tank (6) into the housing (1), the water tank (6) drives the valve (7) to open so that the water leakage hole (31) is connected to the first water storage tank (61) of the water tank (6); During the process of removing the water tank (6) from the housing (1), the valve (7) automatically closes to seal the leakage hole (31); The valve (7) includes The movable seat (71) is installed on the ice receiving box (3) in a manner that allows it to move up and down relative to the ice receiving box (3), and has a sealing gasket (712) for sealing the leakage hole (31); An elastic element (72) acts between the movable seat (71) and the ice box (3) so that the sealing gasket (712) of the movable seat (71) always tends to close the leakage hole (31); as well as A rotating arm (73), hinged to the housing (1), is used to transmit the movement of the water tank (6) to the movable seat (71); During the process of placing the water tank (6) into the housing (1), the rotating arm (73) rotates upward around the axis and squeezes the movable seat (71) under the action of the top edge of the water tank (6), so that the movable seat (71) moves upward against the elastic force of the elastic element (72), thereby causing the sealing gasket (712) to leave the water leakage hole (31). During the process of removing the water tank (6) from the housing (1), the rotating arm (73) rotates downward around the axis under its own weight to release the pressure on the movable seat (71), so that the movable seat (71) moves downward under the elastic force of the elastic element (72), thereby sealing the leak hole (31) with the sealing gasket (712).

2. The ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that: The movable seat (71) also includes A movable rod (711) is movably mounted on the ice receiving box (3), and a sealing gasket (712) is located at the top of the movable rod (711); and The pressure-bearing member (713) is located at the bottom end of the movable rod (711) and is used for compression by the rotating arm (73). The elastic member (72) acts between the pressure-bearing member (713) and the ice box (3).

3. The ice maker according to claim 2, characterized in that: The drain hole (31) is located on the bottom wall of the ice box (3), the movable rod (711) passes through the drain hole (31), and there is a drain gap (7111) between the outer peripheral wall of the movable rod (711) and the inner peripheral wall of the drain hole (31).

4. The ice maker according to claim 3, characterized in that: The free end of the rotating arm (73) has a water receiving part (731) facing the water leakage gap (7111), the water receiving part (731) surrounds and forms a water receiving groove (7311), and the bottom of the water receiving part (731) is provided with a water passage hole (7312) that communicates with the water receiving groove (7311).

5. The ice maker according to claim 4, characterized in that: The water receiving tank (7311) has an upwardly protruding squeezing part (7313) at its center. When the valve (7) is open, the squeezing part (7313) acts on the lower part of the movable seat (71) to make the sealing gasket (712) move away from the water leakage hole (31).

6. The ice maker according to claim 4, characterized in that: The bottom wall of the water receiving part (731) has a guide surface (7314) that gradually decreases in the direction of movement during the process of placing the water tank (6) into the housing (1).

7. The ice maker according to claim 4, characterized in that: The water receiving part (731) has an outwardly protruding limiting part (7315) at its edge, and the housing (1) has a stop part (113) corresponding to the limiting part (7315). When the valve (7) is closed, the limiting part (7315) is positioned above the stop part (113).

8. The ice maker according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The front side of the housing (1) is recessed inward to form a recess (11), and the opening on the front side of the recess (11) forms the opening (111). The water tank (6) can be pulled in and out of the recess (11) back and forth. When the water tank (6) is in place, the front side wall of the water tank (6) is flush with the front side wall of the housing (1).

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