Ice making assembly, ice maker and control method of ice maker

Abstract

The invention provides an ice making assembly, an ice maker and a control method of the ice maker. The ice-making assembly comprises an ice-making mold and a first heat exchanger, a coil pipe of the first heat exchanger is arranged on the side wall of the ice-making mold, and water in the ice-making mold is cooled to make ice; at least a first area and a second area which are communicated with each other are arranged in the ice making mold, the coil pipe at least comprises a first coil pipe and a second coil pipe which are arranged in parallel, the first coil pipe passes through the first area and the second area in sequence, and the second coil pipe passes through the second area. According to the ice-making mold, the second coil pipe is arranged through the refrigeration heat exchanger, so that an area with low cold capacity is supplemented, the cold capacity of the whole ice-making mold is relatively uniform, and the beneficial effect of uniform ice making in the ice-making mold is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of ice making machines, and in particular relates to an ice making assembly and an ice making machine and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] An ice maker is a refrigeration machine that passes water through a first heat exchanger, is cooled by a refrigeration system refrigerant, and then generates ice. The ice-making process uses a refrigeration system with water as the carrier, and produces ice after passing through the first heat exchanger under power-on conditions. Depending on the principle of the first heat exchanger and the production method, the shape of the generated ice cubes is different. People generally classify ice makers into granular ice machines, flake ice machines, plate ice machines, tube ice machines, shell ice machines, etc. based on the shape of the ice.

[0003] Currently, commercial granulated ice machines are widely used. However, due to the long refrigerant pipeline in the first heat exchanger, there is actually a temperature difference between the inlet and outlet, and the refrigeration capacity is different. The ice thickness of the ice mold corresponding to the refrigerant inlet of the first heat exchanger and the refrigerant outlet of the first heat exchanger is quite different, and the ice in the ice grid of the ice mold is uneven. Summary of the invention

[0004] Therefore, the present application provides an ice-making assembly and an ice-making machine and a control method thereof, which can solve the problem of uneven ice making in the ice tray of the ice mold in the prior art.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides an ice-making assembly, comprising:

[0006] An ice-making mold and a first heat exchanger, wherein the coil of the first heat exchanger is arranged on the side wall of the ice-making mold to cool the water in the ice-making mold to make ice;

[0007] The ice-making mold is provided with at least a first area and a second area connected to each other. The coil comprises at least a first coil and a second coil arranged in parallel. The first coil passes through the first area and the second area in sequence, and the second coil passes through the second area.

[0008] In some embodiments,

[0009] The ice-making assembly further includes a first water circulation structure, and the ice-making mold is located in the first water circulation structure; the water flow direction in the first water circulation structure is from the second area to the first area.

[0010] In some embodiments,

[0011] The first area is located below the second area, and the water flows through the ice-making mold in a gravity flow manner.

[0012] In some embodiments,

[0013] The first coil is configured to be reciprocatingly coiled, and the coiling direction of the first coil in the first area is perpendicular to the coiling direction of the first coil in the second area.

[0014] In some embodiments,

[0015] The winding direction of the first coil in the first area is set to be horizontal, and the winding direction of the first coil in the second area is set to be vertical.

[0016] In some embodiments,

[0017] The ice-making assembly includes a refrigerant circulation system, which includes a compressor, a second heat exchanger, a throttling device and the first heat exchanger arranged in sequence; a bypass is provided between the compressor outlet and the first heat exchanger inlet, a first control valve is provided between the compressor outlet and the second heat exchanger, and a second control valve is provided on the bypass.

[0018] In some embodiments,

[0019] The ice-making assembly further comprises a second water circulation structure, and part of the circulation pipeline of the second water circulation structure is arranged on the side wall of the ice-making mold to heat the ice-making mold.

[0020] In some embodiments,

[0021] The second water circulation structure is provided with a heating bypass, and the heating bypass exchanges heat with the second heat exchanger.

[0022] In some embodiments,

[0023] A water pump is also provided in the second water circulation structure, and the water pump outlet is connected to the ice-making mold and the second heat exchanger respectively. A fourth control valve is provided between the water pump outlet and the ice-making mold, and a third control valve is provided between the water pump outlet and the second heat exchanger.

[0024] According to another aspect of the present application, an ice-making machine is provided, comprising the ice-making assembly as described above.

[0025] According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a control method for the ice maker as described above, comprising an ice making mode;

[0026] The ice-making mode includes: regulating the flow rates of the first coil and the second coil of the first heat exchanger to make the temperature in the ice-making mold uniform.

[0027] In some embodiments,

[0028] When the ice-making assembly includes a refrigerant circulation system, the control method further includes an ice-removing mode;

[0029] The de-icing mode includes: closing the first control valve and opening the second control valve, so that the compressor and the second heat exchanger perform a circulation flow for a preset time.

[0030] In some embodiments,

[0031] The ice-making assembly also includes a second water circulation structure. When the second water circulation structure is provided with a heating bypass and a water pump, the refrigerant circulation system operates in a cooling mode, opens the third control valve, and closes the fourth control valve; when in the defrosting mode, closes the third control valve and opens the fourth control valve.

[0032] An ice-making assembly provided by the present application includes: an ice-making mold and a first heat exchanger, wherein the coil of the first heat exchanger is arranged on the side wall of the ice-making mold to cool down water in the ice-making mold to make ice; at least a first area and a second area are connected to each other in the ice-making mold, and the coil includes at least a first coil and a second coil arranged in parallel, the first coil passes through the first area and the second area in sequence, and the second coil passes through the second area.

[0033] This application has the following beneficial effects:

[0034] 1. By setting a second coil in the refrigeration heat exchanger, the area with less cooling capacity is supplemented, so that the cooling capacity of the entire ice-making mold is more uniform, achieving the beneficial effect of uniform ice making in the ice-making mold.

[0035] 2. When the ice-making mold is defrosted, the refrigeration heat exchanger is heated through the refrigerant circulation system to facilitate quick defrosting. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] In order to more clearly illustrate the implementation methods of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for the implementation methods or the prior art descriptions. The drawings described below are merely exemplary, and for those of ordinary skill in the art, other implementation drawings can be derived from the provided drawings without creative work.

[0037] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the principle structure of the ice maker according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the ice-making assembly of the embodiment of the present application.

[0039] The reference numerals are:

[0040] 1. Compressor;

[0041] 2. Second heat exchanger; 21. Second heat exchanger cold water coil;

[0042] 3. throttling device; 4. first heat exchanger; 5. ice-making mold; 6. first water pump; 7. first water receiving tank; 8. second water receiving tank; 9. second water pump; 10. fourth control valve; 11. third control valve; 12. first control valve; 13. second control valve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is actually only illustrative and is by no means intended to limit the present application and its application or use. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0044] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the directions or positional relationships indicated by directional words such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "lateral, vertical, perpendicular, horizontal" and "top, bottom" are usually based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise specified, these directional words do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction or be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present application; the directional words "inside and outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the contours of each component itself.

[0045] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used here to describe the spatial positional relationship between a device or feature and other devices or features as shown in the figure. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figure. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "below other devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used here are interpreted accordingly.

[0046] In addition, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to limit components is only for the convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components. Unless otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of this application.

[0047] See also Figure 1 to Figure 2 As shown, according to an embodiment of the present application, an ice-making assembly includes:

[0048] An ice-making mold 5 and a first heat exchanger 4, wherein the coil of the first heat exchanger 4 is arranged on the side wall of the ice-making mold 5 to cool the water in the ice-making mold 5 to make ice;

[0049] The ice-making mold 5 is provided with at least a first area and a second area connected to each other, the coil comprises at least a first coil and a second coil arranged in parallel, the first coil passes through the first area and the second area in sequence, and the second coil passes through the second area.

[0050] The present application sets a second coil through the refrigeration heat exchanger to supplement the area with less cooling capacity, so that the cooling capacity of the entire ice-making mold 5 is more uniform, thereby achieving the beneficial effect of uniform ice making in the ice-making mold 5.

[0051] Since the first heat exchanger 4 is arranged in a coiled manner on the side wall of the ice-making mold 5, combined with the different temperatures at the inlet and outlet sides of the heat exchange tube, the amount of cold dissipated to the ice-making mold 5 is uneven, resulting in uneven ice made in the ice-making mold 5.

[0052] In the present application, the coils of the first heat exchanger 4 are set to be at least two. The first coil is used as the main cooling effect on the ice-making mold 5, cooling the entire area of ​​the ice-making mold 5 to make ice, and the second coil is used as auxiliary cooling, only compensating cooling for a part of the second area. Since the second area is at the outlet end of the first coil, the amount of cooling obtained from the first coil is relatively small. Through the compensation of the second coil, the temperature in the entire ice-making mold 5 can be ensured to be consistent, thereby improving the uniformity of ice making.

[0053] In some embodiments,

[0054] The ice-making assembly further includes a first water circulation structure, and the ice-making mold 5 is located in the first water circulation structure; the water flow direction in the first water circulation structure is from the second area to the first area.

[0055] The water in the ice-making mold 5 is in a flowing manner to avoid local freezing due to low temperature, which would affect the uniformity of the overall freezing. Therefore, a first water circulation structure is adopted to cool the water circulation in the ice-making mold 5; in particular, the water flow direction is set in the opposite direction to the overall flow direction of the refrigerant, which can ensure high heat exchange efficiency and fast ice-making speed.

[0056] In some embodiments,

[0057] The first area is located below the second area, and the water flows through the ice-making mold 5 in a gravity flow manner.

[0058] In order to enhance the heat exchange effect between the water flow in the ice-making mold 5 and the first heat exchanger 4, the water in the ice-making mold 5 flows from the second area to the first area by gravity.

[0059] As a better solution, a baffle can be provided in the ice-making mold 5 to extend the distance of the water flow and ensure the heat exchange effect.

[0060] In some embodiments,

[0061] The first coil is configured to be reciprocatingly coiled, and the coiling direction of the first coil in the first area is perpendicular to the coiling direction of the first coil in the second area.

[0062] More specifically, the winding direction of the first coil in the first area is set to be a horizontal direction, and the winding direction of the first coil in the second area is a vertical direction.

[0063] The first coil is reciprocatingly coiled, and the coiling direction in the first area is perpendicular to the coiling direction in the second area, which can ensure that a good heat exchange effect can be obtained regardless of the flow direction of the water flow in the ice mold 5.

[0064] In some embodiments,

[0065] The ice-making assembly includes a refrigerant circulation system, which includes a compressor 1, a second heat exchanger 2, a throttling device 3 and the first heat exchanger 4 arranged in sequence; a bypass is provided between the outlet of the compressor 1 and the inlet of the first heat exchanger 4, a first control valve 12 is provided between the outlet of the compressor 1 and the second heat exchanger 2, and a second control valve 13 is provided on the bypass.

[0066] For the first heat exchanger 4, a heat exchanger in a refrigerant circulation system can be used. The specific structure is a circulating compressor 1, a second heat exchanger 2, a throttling device 3 and a first heat exchanger 4. At this time, the first heat exchanger 4 is an evaporator to provide cold air to the ice-making mold 5.

[0067] In the present application, a bypass is set between the outlet of the compressor 1 and the inlet of the first heat exchanger 4, and a first control valve 12 is provided between the outlet of the compressor 1 and the second heat exchanger 2, and a second control valve 13 is provided on the bypass; in this way, the flow path of the entire refrigerant is changed by switching the first control valve 12 and the second control valve 13, including opening the first control valve 12 and closing the second control valve 13 to complete a conventional refrigeration cycle; while when the first control valve 12 is closed and the second control valve 13 is opened, the refrigerant only forms a loop between the first heat exchanger 4 and the compressor 1, and the compressed refrigerant releases heat in the first heat exchanger 4, so that the ice-making mold 5 can be heated during ice-defrosting, thereby improving the ice-defrosting efficiency.

[0068] In some embodiments,

[0069] The ice-making assembly further includes a second water circulation structure, a portion of the circulation pipeline of the second water circulation structure is arranged on the side wall of the ice-making mold 5 to heat the ice-making mold 5 .

[0070] The present application also assists in ice removal by providing a second water circulation structure, and part of the second water circulation structure is provided on the side wall of the ice-making mold 5 to heat the ice-making mold 5 .

[0071] Specifically, it can be arranged on the outer wall of the first heat exchanger 4 , that is, the coil of the first heat exchanger 4 is located between the second water circulation structure and the ice-making mold 5 .

[0072] In some embodiments,

[0073] The second water circulation structure is provided with a heating bypass, and the heating bypass exchanges heat with the second heat exchanger 2 .

[0074] The second water circulation structure is provided with a heating bypass, which utilizes the heat dissipated by the second heat exchanger 2 in the refrigerant circulation system to utilize the waste heat; when the refrigerant circulation system is in the cooling mode, the second heat exchanger 2 is a condenser, which will dissipate a large amount of heat to the outside, and the second water circulation structure exchanges heat with the second heat exchanger 2, so that the water in the second water circulation is heated, and thus can be used as a heat source for heating the ice-making mold 5.

[0075] For the heat exchange structure between the second water circulation structure and the second heat exchanger 2, a second heat exchanger cold water coil 21 can be set on one side of the second heat exchanger 2 to wrap the entire second heat exchanger 2 to ensure that the heat dissipated by the second heat exchanger 2 can be absorbed by the second water circulation structure.

[0076] In some embodiments,

[0077] A water pump is also provided in the second water circulation structure, and the water pump outlet is connected to the ice-making mold 5 and the second heat exchanger 2 respectively. A fourth control valve 10 is provided between the water pump outlet and the ice-making mold 5, and a third control valve 11 is provided between the water pump outlet and the second heat exchanger 2.

[0078] For the flow direction of water in the second water circulation structure, a control valve can be set on the corresponding pipeline. The present application sets a water pump in the second water circulation structure, and sets control valves between the water pump and the ice-making mold 5, and between the water pump and the second heat exchanger 2, respectively. In this way, the fourth control valve 10 is closed and the third control valve 11 is opened. After the water in the second water circulation is heated by the second heat exchanger 2, the third control valve 11 is closed and the fourth control valve 10 is opened, and the hot water in the second water circulation flows to the ice-making mold 5, thereby achieving the purpose of heating.

[0079] For the above-mentioned first water circulation structure and second water circulation structure, water tanks can be used to store water. For example, the first water circulation structure is provided with a first water tank, and the second water circulation structure is provided with a second water tank.

[0080] According to another aspect of the present application, an ice-making machine is provided, comprising the ice-making assembly as described above.

[0081] According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a control method for the ice maker as described above, comprising an ice making mode;

[0082] The ice-making mode includes: regulating the flow rates of the first coil and the second coil of the first heat exchanger 4 to make the temperature in the ice-making mold 5 uniform.

[0083] In the ice making mode, the ice maker of the present application regulates the flow of the first coil and the second coil of the first heat exchanger 4, and compensates the cold capacity at the end position of the first heat exchanger 4 through the second coil to achieve uniform ice making.

[0084] In some embodiments,

[0085] When the ice-making assembly includes a refrigerant circulation system, the control method further includes an ice-removing mode;

[0086] The de-icing mode includes: closing the first control valve 12 and opening the second control valve 13, so that the compressor 1 and the second heat exchanger 2 perform a circulation flow for a preset time.

[0087] For the defrosting mode of the ice maker of the present application, the first thing to do is to use the refrigerant circulation system, close the first control valve 12, and open the second control valve 13, so that the high-temperature refrigerant compressed by the compressor 1 flows to the first heat exchanger 4, so that the first heat exchanger 4 dissipates heat to the ice-making mold 5, which facilitates defrosting.

[0088] The circulation structure formed by the compressor 1 and the first heat exchanger 4 can only be operated for a short time, otherwise it is easy to cause damage to the equipment.

[0089] In some embodiments,

[0090] The ice-making assembly also includes a second water circulation structure. When the second water circulation structure is provided with a heating bypass and a water pump, the refrigerant circulation system operates in a cooling mode, opens the third control valve 11, and closes the fourth control valve 10; when in the defrosting mode, closes the third control valve 11, and opens the fourth control valve 10.

[0091] For the deicing mode using the second water circulation structure to assist in deicing, the heat of the second heat exchanger 2 is guided to the ice-making mold 5 through the second water circulation structure by switching the third control valve 11 and the fourth control valve 10, which is beneficial to accelerate the deicing effect.

[0092] It is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the above-mentioned implementation modes can be freely combined and superimposed without conflict.

[0093] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application. The above is only a preferred implementation of the present application. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and variations can be made without departing from the technical principles of the present application, and these improvements and variations should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An ice-making assembly, characterized in that: include: An ice-making mold (5) and a first heat exchanger (4), wherein a coil of the first heat exchanger (4) is arranged on a side wall of the ice-making mold (5) to cool water in the ice-making mold (5) to make ice; The ice-making mold (5) is provided with at least a first area and a second area connected to each other, the coil comprises at least a first coil and a second coil arranged in parallel, the first coil passes through the first area and the second area in sequence, and the second coil passes through the second area.

2. The ice-making assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ice-making assembly further comprises a first water circulation structure, and the ice-making mold (5) is located in the first water circulation structure; the direction of water flow in the first water circulation structure is from the second area to the first area.

3. The ice-making assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first area is located below the second area, and the water flows through the ice-making mold (5) in a gravity flow manner.

4. The ice-making assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first coil is configured to be reciprocatingly coiled, and the coiling direction of the first coil in the first area is perpendicular to the coiling direction of the first coil in the second area.

5. The ice-making assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: The winding direction of the first coil in the first area is set to be horizontal, and the winding direction of the first coil in the second area is set to be vertical.

6. The ice-making assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The ice-making assembly comprises a refrigerant circulation system, wherein the refrigerant circulation system comprises a compressor (1), a second heat exchanger (2), a throttling device (3) and the first heat exchanger (4) arranged in sequence; a bypass is provided between the compressor (1) outlet and the first heat exchanger (4) inlet, a first control valve (12) is provided between the compressor (1) outlet and the second heat exchanger (2), and a second control valve (13) is provided on the bypass.

7. The ice-making assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that: The ice-making component further comprises a second water circulation structure, a part of the circulation pipeline of the second water circulation structure is arranged on the side wall of the ice-making mold (5) to heat the ice-making mold (5).

8. The ice-making assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: The second water circulation structure is provided with a heating bypass, and the heating bypass exchanges heat with the second heat exchanger (2).

9. The ice-making assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that: A water pump is also provided in the second water circulation structure, the water pump outlet is respectively connected to the ice-making mold (5) and the second heat exchanger (2), a fourth control valve (10) is provided between the water pump outlet and the ice-making mold (5), and a third control valve (11) is provided between the water pump outlet and the second heat exchanger (2).

10. An ice making machine, characterized in that: The invention comprises an ice-making assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A control method for an ice-making machine as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that: Includes ice-making mode; The ice-making mode comprises: regulating the flow rates of the first coil and the second coil of the first heat exchanger (4) so ​​as to make the temperature inside the ice-making mold (5) uniform.

12. The control method according to claim 11, characterized in that: When the ice-making assembly includes a refrigerant circulation system, the control method further includes an ice-removing mode; The deicing mode comprises: closing the first control valve (12) and opening the second control valve (13), so that the compressor (1) and the second heat exchanger (2) perform a cyclic flow for a preset time.

13. The control method according to claim 12, characterized in that: The ice-making assembly further comprises a second water circulation structure. When the second water circulation structure is provided with a heating bypass and a water pump, the refrigerant circulation system operates in a cooling mode, opens the third control valve (11), and closes the fourth control valve (10); when in the deicing mode, closes the third control valve (11), and opens the fourth control valve (10).

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