Ice making and de-icing system and method based on ice making machine

Abstract

The invention discloses an ice making and de-icing system and method based on an ice maker, and the system comprises a first temperature sensor which is used for detecting the environment temperature of the ice maker; the second temperature sensor is used for detecting the temperature of an ice turning box in the ice maker; the controller is connected with the ice maker, the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, and is used for respectively acquiring the running state information of the ice maker, the environment temperature parameter of the ice maker and the temperature parameter change range of the ice turning box, and sending an instruction; and the ultrasonic generator is arranged at the bottom of an ice turning box in the ice maker, is connected with the controller, and outputs first operation power or second operation power according to an instruction sent by the controller. The ice maker relates to the technical field of ice makers, and can accelerate ice forming and deicing speed and ensure ice making and deicing quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of ice making machines, and relates to ice making and ice-defrosting technologies, in particular to an ice making and ice-defrosting system and method based on an ice making machine. Background Art

[0002] Ice makers currently on the market mainly control the operation of the refrigeration system through traditional temperature sensors to monitor and adjust the ice making and defrosting processes. These systems rely on the circulation of coolant to lower the temperature when making ice, and remove ice cubes by heating or mechanical means when defrosting. However, these methods all have certain drawbacks:

[0003] For example, during the ice-making process, water may be supercooled. That is, when the temperature of water drops below the freezing point, the water remains in liquid form due to the lack of sufficient ice nuclei. However, once ice nuclei are formed, the water will quickly freeze around these nuclei. If a large number of ice nuclei are suddenly formed at the same time in this supercooled state, for example, due to impurities in the water or slight vibrations of the container wall, water molecules will quickly gather around these nuclei in a short period of time to form many small ice crystals. These small ice crystals collide and squeeze each other during the growth process, which can easily cause the ice to break and form crushed ice.

[0004] In the defrosting process, heating and mechanical methods are often inefficient and difficult to control the quality of defrosting, which can easily lead to uneven ice quality and even broken ice.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for an ice making and ice removing system and method based on an ice maker to solve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art; to this end, the present invention proposes an ice making and de-icing system and method based on an ice making machine, so as to accelerate the rate of ice making and de-icing, and ensure the quality of ice making and de-icing. The present invention sets up an ultrasonic generator, and uses the ultrasonic generator to complete the de-icing operation and accelerate ice making, that is, only one power device is needed to not only play the role of de-icing but also accelerate the effect of ice making, so the cost required for installing additional power equipment is effectively reduced; and by setting up a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor and a controller, the power of the ultrasonic generator is controlled according to the ice making state and the de-icing state, so that the ultrasonic generator can output the maximum operating power while maintaining the ice cubes in a complete state, so as to effectively improve the rate of ice making and de-icing, and achieve the purpose of shortening the ice making and de-icing time under the premise of ensuring the quality of ice making and de-icing.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the first aspect of the present invention provides an ice making and de-icing system based on an ice making machine, comprising:

[0008] A first temperature sensor, used to detect the ambient temperature of the ice maker;

[0009] The second temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the ice turning box in the ice maker;

[0010] A controller connected to the ice maker and the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, for respectively obtaining the operating status information of the ice maker, the ambient temperature parameters of the ice maker and the temperature parameter variation range of the ice turning box, and issuing instructions;

[0011] An ultrasonic generator is arranged at the bottom of the ice turning box in the ice maker and is connected to the controller, and outputs a first operating power or a second operating power according to an instruction issued by the controller;

[0012] Wherein, the first operating power and the second operating power are both set to the maximum operating power to maintain the ice cubes in a complete state.

[0013] Furthermore, the controller is also used to compare the temperature parameter variation range of the ice turning box with the preset temperature parameter variation range to obtain the first operating power and the second operating power.

[0014] Furthermore, the preset temperature parameter variation range includes the variation of the temperature detected by the second temperature sensor per unit time when the water molecules in the ice turning box are completely frozen within the critical temperature range of water molecules freezing.

[0015] Furthermore, the preset temperature parameter variation range also includes the variation of the temperature detected by the second temperature sensor within a unit time when the ice cubes are melted in a complete state to the point where they can be completely separated from the ice turning box.

[0016] Further, when the controller detects that the ice maker is in the ice making state and the first temperature sensor detects that the ambient temperature is in the critical temperature range, the ultrasonic generator is controlled to output the first operating power.

[0017] Furthermore, the critical temperature range is -5°C-0°C.

[0018] On the other hand, the present invention also proposes an ice-making and ice-removing method based on an ice-making machine, including an ice-making and ice-removing system based on an ice-making machine as described in the above embodiment, specifically comprising the following steps:

[0019] Obtaining the operating status information of the ice maker through the controller;

[0020] When the controller detects that the operation state of the ice maker is ice making, it further detects whether the ambient temperature parameter of the ice maker detected by the first temperature sensor is within the critical temperature range set by the controller;

[0021] If the ambient temperature parameter is within the critical temperature range set by the controller, the controller controls the ultrasonic generator to output a first operating power to the water molecules in the ice turning box to accelerate the ice making process;

[0022] When the controller detects that the operation state of the ice maker is defrosting, the controller directly controls the ultrasonic generator to output the second operation power to the ice cubes in the ice turning box to accelerate the defrosting process.

[0023] Furthermore, the method for obtaining the first operating power comprises the following steps:

[0024] Obtaining a change in the temperature detected by the second temperature sensor per unit time during the ice-making process of water molecules under normal conditions;

[0025] The operating power of the ultrasonic generator is set to a first initial operating power; wherein, when the operating power of the ultrasonic generator is the first initial operating power, the ice cube is in a complete state, and the temperature change per unit time detected by the second temperature sensor during the ice-making process is greater than the temperature change per unit time detected by the second temperature sensor during the ice-making process of water molecules under normal conditions;

[0026] The operating power of the ultrasonic generator is adjusted to (the first initial operating power + N times the first preset power), and a cyclic test is performed until the ice cubes are detected to be broken in the Nth test, and the first operating power is determined to be [the first initial operating power + (N-1) times the first preset power];

[0027] Where N is the number of test cycles.

[0028] Furthermore, the method for obtaining the second operating power comprises the following steps:

[0029] The operating power of the ultrasonic generator is set to a second initial operating power; wherein, when the operating power of the ultrasonic generator is the second initial operating power, the ice cube is in a complete state, and the temperature change per unit time detected by the second temperature sensor during the deicing process is greater than the temperature change per unit time detected by the second temperature sensor during the deicing process of water molecules under normal conditions;

[0030] The operating power of the ultrasonic generator is adjusted to (the second initial operating power + N times the second preset power), and a cyclic test is performed until the ice cubes are detected to be broken in the Nth test, and the second operating power is determined to be [the second initial operating power + (N-1) times the second preset power];

[0031] Where N is the number of test cycles.

[0032] Furthermore, the method for detecting the presence of broken ice in ice cubes includes providing a camera in an ice turning box of an ice maker;

[0033] When the camera detects cracks on the ice in the ice turning box, a signal is sent to the controller.

[0034] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0035] By setting up an ultrasonic generator, the ultrasonic generator is used to complete the defrosting operation and accelerate the ice making, that is, only one power device is needed to not only defrost but also accelerate the ice making, thereby effectively reducing the cost required for installing additional power equipment; and, by setting up a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor and a controller, the power of the ultrasonic generator is controlled according to the ice making state and the ice defrosting state, so that the ultrasonic generator can output the maximum operating power while maintaining the ice cubes in a complete state, thereby effectively improving the ice making and ice defrosting rates, and achieving the purpose of shortening the ice making and ice defrosting time while ensuring the quality of ice making and ice defrosting. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0037] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of an ice making and de-icing system based on an ice making machine in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 It is a logic block diagram of a controller based on an ice-making and ice-removing system of an ice-making machine in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 3 This is a flow chart of a method for making ice and defrosting ice based on an ice maker in another embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure Number:

[0041] 1. First temperature sensor; 2. Second temperature sensor; 3. Controller; 4. Ultrasonic generator. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The technical scheme of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0043] Embodiment 1

[0044] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 The first embodiment of the present invention provides an ice making and de-icing system based on an ice making machine, comprising:

[0045] The first temperature sensor 1 is used to detect the ambient temperature of the ice maker and determine whether the temperature inside the ice maker is within a critical temperature range.

[0046] The second temperature sensor 2 is used to detect the temperature of the ice turning box in the ice maker, and obtain the temperature parameters of the ice turning box during ice making and ice removing, so as to obtain the temperature change per unit time.

[0047] The controller 3 is connected to the ice maker and the first temperature sensor 1 and the second temperature sensor 2, and is used to respectively obtain the operating status information of the ice maker, the ambient temperature parameters of the ice maker and the temperature parameter variation range of the ice turning box, and issue instructions.

[0048] The ultrasonic generator 4 is arranged at the bottom of the ice turning box in the ice maker and is connected to the controller 3. According to the instruction issued by the controller 3, the ultrasonic generator 4 outputs the first operating power or the second operating power.

[0049] Wherein, the first operating power and the second operating power are both set to the maximum operating power to maintain the ice cubes in a complete state.

[0050] The device is provided with an ultrasonic generator 4, and utilizes the ultrasonic generator 4 to complete the deicing operation and accelerate ice making, that is, only one power device is required to not only play the role of deicing but also achieve the effect of accelerating ice making, thereby effectively reducing the cost required for installing additional power equipment; and, by providing a first temperature sensor 1, a second temperature sensor 2 and a controller 3, the power of the ultrasonic generator 4 is controlled according to the ice making state and the deicing state, so that the ultrasonic generator 4 can output the maximum operating power while maintaining the ice cubes in a complete state, thereby effectively improving the ice making and deicing rates, and achieving the purpose of shortening the ice making and deicing time while ensuring the quality of ice making and deicing.

[0051] In this embodiment, the controller 3 is further used to compare the temperature parameter variation range of the ice turning box with the preset temperature parameter variation range to obtain the first operating power and the second operating power.

[0052] Specifically, an initial operating power is set, and when the ultrasonic generator 4 outputs the initial operating power, it can ensure that the ice cubes are in a complete state, and then the operating power of the ultrasonic generator 4 is gradually increased, that is, the next operating power of the ultrasonic generator 4 is (initial operating power + preset power), and it is observed whether the ice cubes are in a complete state, until the ice cubes are found to be cracked or broken during the Nth test, then the previous operating power [initial operating power + (N-1) times preset power] is taken as the first operating power or the second operating power, so as to obtain the maximum operating power for maintaining the ice cubes in a normal state for ice making or ice defrosting operations, so as to shorten the time of ice making and ice defrosting and increase the speed.

[0053] In this embodiment, the preset temperature parameter variation range includes the critical temperature range of water molecules for freezing. When the water molecules in the ice-turning box are completely solidified, the temperature variation detected by the second temperature sensor 2 per unit time can be used as a comparison to ensure that when the operating power of the ultrasonic generator 4 is at the initial operating power, it can be greater than the temperature variation detected by the second temperature sensor 2 per unit time, thereby ensuring that the ice-making rate can be effectively improved under this operating power.

[0054] It should be noted that, since water molecules emit heat during the solidification process, the speed of solidification can be judged by the temperature change per unit time. Therefore, when the ultrasonic generator 4 is running, the temperature change per unit time detected by the second temperature sensor 2 during its application can be compared with the temperature change per unit time detected by the second temperature sensor 2 under normal conditions, so as to complete the judgment of whether the ice making rate can be improved under the operating power.

[0055] In other embodiments, the preset temperature parameter variation range also includes the temperature change detected by the second temperature sensor 2 per unit time when the ice cubes melt in a complete state to the point where they can be completely separated from the ice turning box. Accordingly, when the ice cubes melt, they absorb heat, so the second temperature sensor 2 is used to detect the temperature change per unit time to determine the speed of the ice defrosting rate.

[0056] In a further embodiment, when the controller 3 detects that the ice maker is in the ice making state and the first temperature sensor 1 detects that the ambient temperature is in the critical temperature range, the ultrasonic generator 4 is controlled to output the first operating power.

[0057] It should be noted that the critical temperature range is -5°C-0°C, that is, only under this condition can the application of the ultrasonic generator 4 play a positive role in the solidification of water molecules. Specifically, within the critical temperature range, the water molecules are in the initial stage of ice making. At this time, the vibration generated by the ultrasonic generator 4 can cause the water molecules around the potential ice crystal nucleus formation points such as impurities and tiny bubbles in the water to gather in an orderly manner, thus providing a basis for the subsequent growth of ice crystals to accelerate ice making.

[0058] Embodiment 2

[0059] like Figure 3 As shown, this embodiment further proposes an ice making and ice-removing method based on an ice maker on the basis of the first embodiment, including an ice making and ice-removing system based on an ice maker as described in the first embodiment.

[0060] The specific steps include:

[0061] Obtaining the operating status information of the ice maker through the controller 3;

[0062] When the controller 3 detects that the operating state of the ice maker is ice making, it further detects whether the ambient temperature parameter of the ice maker detected by the first temperature sensor 1 is within the critical temperature range set by the controller 3;

[0063] If the ambient temperature parameter is within the critical temperature range set by the controller 3, the controller 3 controls the ultrasonic generator 4 to output the first operating power to the water molecules in the ice turning box to accelerate the ice making process;

[0064] When the controller 3 detects that the operation state of the ice maker is defrosting, the controller 3 directly controls the ultrasonic generator 4 to output the second operation power to the ice cubes in the ice turning box to accelerate the defrosting process.

[0065] Through the above steps, the ultrasonic generator 4 can output the maximum operating power to maintain the ice cubes in a complete state during the ice making process and the ice-defrosting process, thereby effectively improving the ice making and ice-defrosting rates, thereby achieving the purpose of shortening the ice making and ice-defrosting time while ensuring the quality of ice making and ice-defrosting.

[0066] In this embodiment, the method for obtaining the first operating power includes the following steps:

[0067] Obtaining the change in temperature detected by the second temperature sensor 2 per unit time during the ice-making process of water molecules under normal conditions;

[0068] Setting the operating power of the ultrasonic generator 4 to a first initial operating power;

[0069] Wherein, when the operating power of the ultrasonic generator 4 is the first initial operating power, the ice cube is in a complete state, and the temperature change per unit time detected by the second temperature sensor 2 during the ice-making process is greater than the temperature change per unit time detected by the second temperature sensor 2 during the ice-making process of water molecules under normal conditions;

[0070] The operating power of the ultrasonic generator 4 is adjusted to (the first initial operating power + N times the first preset power), and a cyclic test is performed until the ice cubes are detected to be broken in the Nth test, and the first operating power is determined to be [the first initial operating power + (N-1) times the first preset power];

[0071] Where N is the number of test cycles.

[0072] Accordingly, the method for obtaining the second operating power includes the following steps:

[0073] Setting the operating power of the ultrasonic generator 4 to a second initial operating power;

[0074] Wherein, when the operating power of the ultrasonic generator 4 is the second initial operating power, the ice is in a complete state, and the temperature change per unit time detected by the second temperature sensor 2 during the de-icing process is greater than the temperature change per unit time detected by the second temperature sensor 2 during the de-icing process of water molecules under normal conditions;

[0075] The operating power of the ultrasonic generator 4 is adjusted to (the second initial operating power + N times the second preset power), and a cyclic test is performed until the ice cubes are detected to be broken in the Nth test, and the second operating power is determined to be [the second initial operating power + (N-1) times the second preset power];

[0076] Where N is the number of test cycles.

[0077] Through the above method, the first operating power of the ultrasonic generator 4 during the ice making process and the second operating power during the ice removing process can be quickly obtained.

[0078] In other embodiments, the method for detecting crushed ice includes providing a camera (not shown in the figure) in the ice turning box of the ice maker. When the camera detects cracks in the ice in the ice turning box, a signal is sent to the controller 3, that is, the camera is used to detect whether the ice in the ice turning box is in a normal state.

[0079] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical method of the present invention rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical method of the present invention may be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical method of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ice making and de-icing system based on an ice making machine, characterized in that: include: A first temperature sensor (1) for detecting the ambient temperature of the ice maker; A second temperature sensor (2) is used to detect the temperature of an ice turning box in the ice maker; A controller (3) is connected to the ice maker and the first temperature sensor (1) and the second temperature sensor (2), and is used to respectively obtain operating status information of the ice maker, ambient temperature parameters of the ice maker and a temperature parameter variation range of the ice turning box, and issue instructions; An ultrasonic generator (4) is arranged at the bottom of the ice turning box in the ice maker and is connected to the controller (3), and outputs a first operating power or a second operating power according to an instruction issued by the controller (3); Wherein, the first operating power and the second operating power are both set to the maximum operating power to maintain the ice cubes in a complete state.

2. The ice making and de-icing system based on an ice making machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller (3) is also used to compare the temperature parameter variation range of the ice turning box with the preset temperature parameter variation range to obtain the first operating power and the second operating power.

3. The ice making and de-icing system based on an ice making machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The preset temperature parameter variation range includes the variation of the temperature detected by the second temperature sensor (2) within a unit time when the water molecules in the ice turning box are completely frozen within the critical temperature range of the freezing of water molecules.

4. The ice making and de-icing system based on an ice making machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The preset temperature parameter variation range also includes the variation of the temperature detected by the second temperature sensor (2) within a unit time when the ice cubes are completely melted and can be completely separated from the ice turning box.

5. The ice making and de-icing system based on an ice making machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the controller (3) detects that the ice maker is in the ice making state and the first temperature sensor (1) detects that the ambient temperature is in the critical temperature range, the ultrasonic generator (4) is controlled to output the first operating power.

6. The ice making and de-icing system based on an ice making machine according to claim 2 or 5, characterized in that: The critical temperature range is -5°C-0°C.

7. A method for making ice and removing ice based on an ice making machine, characterized in that: It comprises an ice-making and de-icing system based on an ice-making machine as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, specifically comprising the following steps: Obtaining the operating status information of the ice maker through the controller (3); When the controller (3) detects that the operating state of the ice maker is ice making, it further detects whether the ambient temperature parameter of the ice maker detected by the first temperature sensor (1) is within the critical temperature range set by the controller (3); If the ambient temperature parameter is within the critical temperature range set by the controller (3), the controller (3) controls the ultrasonic generator (4) to output a first operating power to the water molecules in the ice turning box, thereby accelerating the ice making process; When the controller (3) detects that the operating state of the ice maker is defrosting, it directly controls the ultrasonic generator (4) to output a second operating power to the ice cubes in the ice turning box, thereby accelerating the defrosting process.

8. The ice making and deicing method based on an ice making machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: The method for obtaining the first operating power comprises the following steps: Obtaining a change in the temperature detected by the second temperature sensor (2) per unit time during the ice-making process of water molecules under normal conditions; The operating power of the ultrasonic generator (4) is set to a first initial operating power; wherein, when the operating power of the ultrasonic generator (4) is the first initial operating power, the ice cube is in a complete state, and the amount of change in temperature per unit time detected by the second temperature sensor (2) during the ice-making process is greater than the amount of change in temperature per unit time detected by the second temperature sensor (2) during the ice-making process of water molecules under normal conditions; The operating power of the ultrasonic generator (4) is adjusted to (the first initial operating power + N times the first preset power), and a cyclic test is performed until the ice cubes are detected to be broken during the Nth test, and the first operating power is determined to be [the first initial operating power + (N-1) times the first preset power]; Where N is the number of test cycles.

9. The ice making and ice removing method based on an ice making machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: The method for obtaining the second operating power comprises the following steps: The operating power of the ultrasonic generator (4) is set to a second initial operating power; wherein, when the operating power of the ultrasonic generator (4) is the second initial operating power, the ice cube is in a complete state, and the change in temperature per unit time detected by the second temperature sensor (2) during the deicing process is greater than the change in temperature per unit time detected by the second temperature sensor (2) during the deicing process of water molecules under normal conditions; The operating power of the ultrasonic generator (4) is adjusted to (the second initial operating power + N times the second preset power), and a cyclic test is performed until the ice cubes are detected to be broken during the Nth test, and then the second operating power is determined to be [the second initial operating power + (N-1) times the second preset power]; Where N is the number of test cycles.

10. The ice making and ice removing method based on an ice making machine according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The method for detecting ice fragmentation includes providing a camera in an ice turning box of an ice maker; When the camera detects cracks on the ice cubes in the ice turning box, a signal is sent to the controller (3).

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