Ice making device

Abstract

The invention discloses an ice making device, which comprises an ice crushing chamber; the ice knife assembly is arranged in the ice crushing chamber; the grid filtering structure is arranged on the inner wall of the ice crushing chamber, and the grid filtering structure is provided with a plurality of grid holes for crushed ice blocks to pass through; and the interior of the ice crushing chamber is communicated with the ice outlet through grid holes of the grid filtering structure. The ice-making device effectively solves the problems that the ice-making device in the prior art is not enough in crushing degree of crushed ice and the whole ice block is doped with the crushed ice.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of ice making equipment, and in particular to an ice making device. Background Art

[0002] Automatic ice maker is an important symbol of current and future high-end refrigerators. The automatic ice maker system includes an ice maker assembly and an ice-making device (also called an ice storage box assembly); the ice maker assembly makes ice cubes and separates the ice cubes, and the ice-making device (also called an ice storage box assembly) not only stores ice cubes but also has an ice crushing device, which can provide whole ice cubes or crushed ice cubes according to user needs.

[0003] The ice crushing device of the ice-making device (also known as the ice storage box assembly) plays an important role. The ice crushing device generally adopts the form of cutting with a knife, wherein the knife is divided into two types: a fixed knife and a rotating knife. Under the interaction of the two, whole ice cubes and crushed ice cubes can be provided respectively. However, in the existing ice crusher structure, the fixed knife is generally arranged near the ice outlet. The ice cubes are turned into crushed ice cubes after a staggered cutting, and then fall from the ice outlet. This design will lead to insufficient crushing of the crushed ice to a certain extent, and there will also be problems with large or small ice cubes. On the other hand, there will be some residual crushed ice in the ice crushing chamber after the ice crushing is completed. If the user wants to obtain whole ice cubes at this time, the knife will reverse and discharge the crushed ice along with the whole ice cubes, resulting in the mixing of crushed ice in the ice cubes.

[0004] In summary, the ice-making device in the prior art has the problems of insufficient crushing degree of the crushed ice and the mixing of whole ice cubes with crushed ice. Summary of the invention

[0005] An ice-making device is provided in an embodiment of the present invention to solve the problems in the prior art of ice-making devices that the crushed ice is not crushed enough and whole ice cubes are mixed with crushed ice.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ice-making device, comprising:

[0007] Ice crushing room;

[0008] An ice blade assembly is arranged in the ice crushing chamber;

[0009] A grid filter structure, the grid filter structure is arranged at the inner wall of the ice crushing chamber, and the grid filter structure has a plurality of grid holes for the crushed ice to pass through;

[0010] An ice outlet is provided, wherein the interior of the ice crushing chamber is connected to the ice outlet through the grid holes of the grid filtering structure.

[0011] Furthermore, the grid filter structure is located at the bottom of the ice crushing chamber, and the grid filter structure is located below the ice blade assembly.

[0012] Furthermore, the plurality of grille holes are arranged at intervals, and a total passing area of ​​all the grille holes is less than or equal to a cross-sectional area of ​​the ice outlet.

[0013] Furthermore, the ice-making device further comprises: an ice-smashing channel, the inner wall of the ice-crushing chamber is provided with an ice-smashing outlet, the first end of the ice-smashing channel is communicated with the ice-smashing outlet, and the second end of the ice-smashing channel is communicated with the ice-discharging outlet;

[0014] The whole ice outlet is located above the grid filtering structure, and the whole ice outlet is higher than the grid holes.

[0015] Furthermore, the ice skate assembly comprises:

[0016] A fixed knife, the fixed knife being fixedly arranged in the ice crushing chamber;

[0017] A rotating blade, the rotating blade being rotatably mounted in the ice crushing chamber;

[0018] The rotating blade intermittently crosses with the fixed blade during the rotation process to complete the cutting and crushing of ice.

[0019] Furthermore, an ice inlet is provided at the top of the ice crushing chamber, and the fixed knife is provided at a position between the ice inlet and the whole ice outlet;

[0020] The first side of the fixed blade faces the ice inlet, and the second side of the fixed blade faces the ice outlet;

[0021] The rotating direction of the rotating knife has a first direction and a second direction which are completely opposite. When the rotating knife rotates along the first direction, the rotating knife can drive the crushed ice on the grid filter structure to be repeatedly cut; when the rotating knife rotates along the second direction, the rotating knife pushes the whole ice cubes entering the ice inlet to bypass the fixed knife and push them into the whole ice outlet.

[0022] Furthermore, when the rotating knife rotates along the first direction, the rotating knife rotates circumferentially along the ice inlet toward the fixed knife;

[0023] When the rotating knife rotates along the second turning direction, the rotating knife rotates circumferentially along the direction of the ice inlet away from the fixed knife.

[0024] Furthermore, a driving shaft is installed in the ice crushing chamber; the fixed knife is connected to the driving shaft, one end of the fixed knife rotates relative to the driving shaft, and the other end of the fixed knife is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the ice crushing chamber;

[0025] The connecting end of the rotating knife is drivingly connected to the driving shaft, and the moving end of the rotating knife rotates circumferentially.

[0026] Furthermore, the fixed knife is arranged adjacent to the ice inlet, and the other end of the fixed knife is inserted into and fixed in a fixed groove on the inner wall of the ice crushing chamber.

[0027] Furthermore, the front side of the rotating blade at the first turn is a sawtooth structure, and the front side of the rotating blade at the second turn is a smooth surface; the first side of the fixed blade is a sawtooth structure, and the second side of the fixed blade is a smooth surface.

[0028] Furthermore, there are multiple rotating knives, and there are multiple fixed knives, and one fixed knife is arranged between two adjacent rotating knives; each rotating knife has at least one blade.

[0029] Furthermore, it also includes: an ice storage box, which is arranged at the top position of the ice-making device and is connected with the ice crushing chamber through the ice inlet; the ice outlet is located at the bottom of the ice-making device.

[0030] When the ice-making device of the present invention cuts whole ice into crushed ice cubes, after the ice blade assembly cuts the crushed ice cubes, the crushed ice cubes will directly fall onto the grid filter structure on the inner wall of the ice crushing chamber, and the crushed ice cubes that meet the size requirements will directly pass through the grid holes and enter the ice outlet. The grid filter structure can allow larger ice cubes to remain in the ice crushing chamber, and continue to be cut and crushed under the action of the ice blade assembly until the size of the crushed ice cubes meets the size requirements of the grid holes, and then they can enter the ice outlet, thereby ensuring the crushing degree and crushing quality of the crushed ice. Not only that, very small-sized crushed ice will directly enter the ice outlet from the grid holes, and there will be no residual crushed ice in the ice crushing chamber. In this way, when the user or whole ice cubes are made, no crushed ice will be discharged along with the whole ice cubes, ensuring that the whole ice cubes will not be mixed with crushed ice, thereby improving the user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of an ice-making device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of an ice-making device according to an embodiment of the present invention in one direction;

[0033] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the ice-making device according to an embodiment of the present invention from another direction;

[0034] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the ice-making device according to an embodiment of the present invention from another direction;

[0035] Figure 5 is a partial structural schematic diagram of an ice-making device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure decomposition of the ice blade assembly and the driving shaft of the ice making device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure coordination of the ice blade assembly and the driving shaft of the ice making device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the external structure of the ice-making device according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, but they are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0040] See also Figures 1 to 8 As shown, according to an embodiment of the present invention, an ice-making device is provided, which includes an ice crushing chamber 10, an ice blade assembly 20, a grid filter structure 30 and an ice outlet 40, wherein the ice blade assembly 20 is arranged in the ice crushing chamber 10; the grid filter structure 30 is arranged at the inner wall of the ice crushing chamber 10, and the grid filter structure 30 has a plurality of grid holes 31 for crushed ice cubes to pass through; the interior of the ice crushing chamber 10 is connected to the ice outlet 40 through the grid holes 31 of the grid filter structure 30.

[0041] When the ice-making device of the present invention cuts whole ice into crushed ice cubes, after the ice blade assembly 20 cuts the crushed ice cubes, the crushed ice cubes will directly fall on the grid filter structure 30 on the inner wall of the ice crushing chamber 10, and the crushed ice cubes that meet the size will directly pass through the grid hole 31 and enter the ice outlet 40. The grid filter structure 30 can keep the larger ice cubes in the ice crushing chamber 10, and continue to be cut and crushed under the action of the ice blade assembly until the size of the crushed ice cubes meets the size requirements of the grid hole 31, and then they can enter the ice outlet 40, so that the crushing degree and crushing quality of the crushed ice are guaranteed. In addition, the crushed ice with very small size will directly enter the ice outlet from the grid hole 31, and there will be no residual crushed ice in the ice crushing chamber. In this way, when the user or the whole ice cubes are made, no crushed ice will be discharged together with the whole ice cubes, ensuring that the whole ice cubes will not be mixed with crushed ice, thereby improving the user experience. The ice-making device of the present invention can ensure the crushing quality of crushed ice, can better separate whole ice from crushed ice, truly achieve the effect of "crushed ice without ice cubes, whole ice without ice chips", and improve user satisfaction.

[0042] Preferably, the grid filter structure 30 is located at the bottom of the ice crushing chamber 10 , and the grid filter structure 30 is located below the ice blade assembly 20 .

[0043] Under the action of gravity, after being cut by the ice blade assembly 20, the ice cubes will directly fall onto the grid filter structure 30 located at the bottom of the ice crushing chamber, and the crushed ice cubes that meet the size requirements will pass through the grid holes 31 at the first time. The above-mentioned structural coordination makes full use of the effect of gravity, so that the crushed ice cubes can be quickly discharged, and the ice discharge efficiency is improved. Moreover, the crushed ice cubes or crushed ice residues can directly enter the ice outlet without remaining in the ice crushing chamber, ensuring the separation effect of whole ice cubes and crushed ice cubes.

[0044] In order to further improve the ice outlet efficiency, the plurality of grille holes 31 are arranged at intervals, and the total passing area of ​​all the grille holes 31 is less than or equal to the cross-sectional area of ​​the ice outlet 40 .

[0045] Through the cooperation of the above structure, even if the ice blade assembly 20 runs at a high speed and cuts and crushes a large amount of ice, a large amount of ice will pass through the grid holes 31 and enter the ice outlet. Since the total passing area of ​​the grid holes 31 is not higher than the cross-sectional area of ​​the ice outlet, a large amount of ice will not block the ice outlet, ensuring that the ice outlet always maintains a high efficiency of ice passing.

[0046] Preferably, see Figures 1 to 4 In this embodiment, the ice-making device further includes an ice-smashing channel 50, and an ice-smashing outlet 11 is provided on the inner wall of the ice-crushing chamber 10. The first end of the ice-smashing channel 50 is connected to the ice-smashing outlet 11, and the second end of the ice-smashing channel 50 is connected to the ice-smashing outlet 40;

[0047] The whole ice outlet 11 is located above the grid filter structure 30, and the whole ice outlet 11 is higher than the grid hole 31.

[0048] The whole ice channel 50 and the ice outlet 40 are both formed by the shell structure of the ice making device. The crushed ice outlet (a plurality of grid holes form the crushed ice outlet) is separated from the whole ice outlet, and the whole ice outlet is arranged at a position above the crushed ice outlet. Under this design, the whole ice cubes are pushed by the ice blade assembly (knife), and after reaching the bottom of the crushed ice chamber, they are lifted up for a distance before reaching the whole ice outlet, thereby ensuring that there is no crushed ice in the whole ice, so that the whole ice and crushed ice can be better separated.

[0049] Combination Figures 2 to 7 As shown, the ice blade assembly 20 includes a fixed blade 21 and a rotating blade 22;

[0050] The fixed blade 21 is fixedly disposed in the ice crushing chamber 10;

[0051] The rotating blade 22 is rotatably installed in the ice crushing chamber 10;

[0052] The rotating blade 22 intermittently crosses with the fixed blade 21 during the rotation process to complete the cutting and crushing of ice.

[0053] The fixed blade and the rotating blade cooperate to cut the crushed ice. When the rotating blade rotates away from the fixed blade or around the fixed blade, the whole ice cubes can be pushed around the fixed blade and enter the whole ice outlet. In this way, the whole ice and the crushed ice can be effectively separated.

[0054] See also Figure 5 In this embodiment, an ice inlet 12 is provided on the top of the ice crushing chamber 10, and the fixed knife 21 is provided at a position between the ice inlet 12 and the ice outlet 11;

[0055] The first side of the fixed blade 21 faces the ice inlet 12, and the second side of the fixed blade 21 faces the ice outlet 11;

[0056] The rotating direction of the rotating knife 22 has a first direction and a second direction that are completely opposite. When the rotating knife 22 rotates along the first direction, the rotating knife 22 can drive the crushed ice on the grid filtering structure 30 to be repeatedly cut; when the rotating knife 22 rotates along the second direction, the rotating knife 22 pushes the whole ice cubes entering the ice inlet 12 to bypass the fixed knife 21 and push them into the whole ice outlet 11.

[0057] The fixed blade 21 is arranged between the ice inlet 12 and the whole ice outlet 11, so that in the process of crushing ice, the ice cubes entering from the ice inlet 12 must be cut by the fixed blade before entering the ice outlet, and some ice cubes will not enter the whole ice channel from the whole ice outlet without being cut when the rotating blade rotates at a high speed and then be discharged from the ice outlet, thus ensuring that all ice cubes are cut and crushed, and the crushing effect is effectively guaranteed. When whole ice cubes are required, the rotating blade only needs to run the second turn to push the whole ice cubes around the fixed blade and into the whole ice outlet, thus ensuring the separation effect of crushed ice and whole ice.

[0058] Preferably, when the rotating knife 22 rotates along the first direction, the rotating knife 22 rotates circumferentially along the ice inlet 12 toward the fixed knife 21;

[0059] When the rotating knife 22 rotates along the second turning direction, the rotating knife 22 rotates circumferentially along the direction of the ice inlet 12 away from the fixed knife 21 .

[0060] Combination Figure 4 The ice making device shown in the figure is oriented to illustrate the first turning direction of the rotating knife. Figure 4 The second direction of the rotating knife is clockwise. Figure 4 Rotate counterclockwise.

[0061] When the rotating blade rotates clockwise, the rotating blade and the fixed blade move in an intersecting manner, thereby cutting the ice into crushed ice. Furthermore, the crushed ice will directly fall onto the grid filter structure at the bottom of the ice crushing chamber. The grid filter structure can keep the larger ice cubes in the ice crushing chamber and continue to be cut and crushed by the rotating blade until the crushed ice is large enough to pass through the grid hole and then fall into the ice outlet, thereby ensuring the crushing quality of the crushed ice. When the rotating blade rotates counterclockwise, since the distance between the rotating blade and the inner wall of the ice crushing chamber is very small, the whole ice can be pushed to the position of the whole ice outlet and then fall into the ice outlet through the whole ice channel. Therefore, the fixed blade and the rotating blade can achieve the effect of crushing or whole ice through interaction.

[0062] In order to further integrate the structure and reduce the volume of the ice-making device, in this embodiment, a driving shaft 60 is installed in the ice crushing chamber 10, and the driving shaft 60 is equipped with a driving motor;

[0063] The fixed blade 21 is connected to the driving shaft 60, one end of the fixed blade 21 rotates relative to the driving shaft 60, and the other end of the fixed blade 21 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the ice crushing chamber 10;

[0064] The connection end of the rotating knife 22 is drivingly connected to the driving shaft 60, and the moving end of the rotating knife 22 rotates circumferentially.

[0065] One end of the driving shaft 60 is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the driving motor, and the other end is inserted into the circular hole on the side wall of the ice crushing chamber, so that the driving shaft 60 can rotate under the drive of the driving motor, and further drive the rotating knife to rotate. The fixed connection point of the fixed knife can share a shaft with the driving shaft of the rotating knife, which saves part of the supporting structure of the fixed knife, reduces the space occupied by other matching structures, makes the structure more integrated, and is convenient for overall disassembly and maintenance, reducing the volume of the ice making device.

[0066] Preferably, the fixed blade 21 is disposed adjacent to the ice inlet 12 , and the other end of the fixed blade 21 is inserted into and fixed in a fixing groove 13 on the inner wall of the ice crushing chamber 10 .

[0067] One end of the fixed knife is inserted into the fixed groove 13 of the inner wall of the ice crushing chamber, and the other end is only sleeved on the driving shaft and does not rotate with the shaft. The middle hole of the rotating knife is sleeved on the driving shaft and fixedly connected to the driving shaft, so that it can rotate with the driving shaft. There is a sleeve between the fixed knife and the rotating knife to fix the positions of the two. The fixed knife 21 is arranged adjacent to the ice inlet 12 to play a certain guiding role. When the ice cubes need to be shaped, they will be moved to the side away from the fixed knife, and then the rotating knife will push it to rotate. The fixed knife has a multi-purpose effect.

[0068] Preferably, the front side of the rotating blade 22 along the first turn is a sawtooth structure, and the front side of the rotating blade 22 along the second turn is a smooth surface;

[0069] The first side of the fixed blade 21 is a sawtooth structure, and the second side of the fixed blade 21 is a smooth surface.

[0070] The serrated structure of the rotating blade 22 cooperates with the serrated structure of the fixed blade 21 to further improve the ice crushing and stirring effects. The smooth surface of the rotating blade 22 cooperates with the smooth surface of the fixed blade 21 to further enable the whole ice cube to be output as a whole, thereby improving the integrity of the whole ice cube.

[0071] Combination Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, there are multiple rotating knives 22, and there are multiple fixed knives 21. One fixed knife 21 is arranged between two adjacent rotating knives 22; each rotating knife 22 has at least one blade.

[0072] The cooperation of multiple rotating blades and multiple fixed blades can increase the efficiency of ice crushing, improve the ice output speed, and improve user satisfaction. The number of rotating blades 22 is multiple and arranged in intervals along one direction, so that the whole ice cube can be pushed out smoothly, preventing the whole ice cube from sliding, and achieving an anti-skid effect.

[0073] See also Figure 8 The ice-making device further includes an ice storage box 70, which is disposed at the top of the ice-making device and is connected to the ice crushing chamber 10 through the ice inlet 12; the ice outlet 40 is located at the bottom of the ice-making device.

[0074] The ice storage box is used to store whole ice cubes. The ice storage box is located at the top, so that the ice cubes can use their own gravity to enter the ice crushing chamber without other power, reducing energy consumption and structural complexity. The ice outlet is located at the bottom, and gravity can also be used to make the ice cubes slide or fall out by themselves, reducing energy consumption and structural complexity.

[0075] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, it indicates the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0076] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the numbers used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0077] Of course, the above are preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that, for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the basic principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications are also considered to be within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ice-making device, characterized in that: include: Ice crushing room (10); An ice blade assembly (20) arranged in the ice crushing chamber (10); A grid filter structure (30), the grid filter structure (30) being arranged on the inner wall of the ice crushing chamber (10), the grid filter structure (30) having a plurality of grid holes (31) for the crushed ice to pass through; An ice outlet (40), wherein the interior of the ice crushing chamber (10) is connected to the ice outlet (40) through the grid holes (31) of the grid filtering structure (30).

2. The ice-making device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The grid filter structure (30) is located at the bottom of the ice crushing chamber (10), and the grid filter structure (30) is located below the ice blade assembly (20).

3. The ice-making device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The plurality of grille holes (31) are arranged at intervals, and the total passing area of ​​all the grille holes (31) is less than or equal to the cross-sectional area of ​​the ice outlet (40).

4. The ice-making device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The ice making device also includes: An ice-smashing channel (50), wherein the inner wall of the ice-crushing chamber (10) is provided with an ice-smashing outlet (11), a first end of the ice-smashing channel (50) is in communication with the ice-smashing outlet (11), and a second end of the ice-smashing channel (50) is in communication with the ice-discharging outlet (40); The whole ice outlet (11) is located above the grid filtering structure (30), and the whole ice outlet (11) is higher than the grid hole (31).

5. The ice-making device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The ice blade assembly (20) comprises: A fixed knife (21), wherein the fixed knife (21) is fixedly arranged in the ice crushing chamber (10); a rotating blade (22), the rotating blade (22) being rotatably mounted in the ice crushing chamber (10); The rotating blade (22) intermittently crosses and staggers with the fixed blade (21) during the rotation process to complete the cutting and crushing of ice.

6. The ice-making device according to claim 5, characterized in that: An ice inlet (12) is provided at the top of the ice crushing chamber (10), and the fixed knife (21) is arranged at a position between the ice inlet (12) and the whole ice outlet (11); A first side of the fixed knife (21) faces the ice inlet (12), and a second side of the fixed knife (21) faces the ice outlet (11); The rotating direction of the rotating blade (22) has a first direction and a second direction that are completely opposite to each other. When the rotating blade (22) rotates along the first direction, the rotating blade (22) can drive the crushed ice on the grid filtering structure (30) to be cut repeatedly; when the rotating blade (22) rotates along the second direction, the rotating blade (22) pushes the whole ice cubes entering the ice inlet (12) to bypass the fixed blade (21) and push them into the whole ice outlet (11).

7. The ice-making device according to claim 6, characterized in that: When the rotating knife (22) rotates along the first direction, the rotating knife (22) rotates circumferentially along the ice inlet (12) toward the fixed knife (21); When the rotating knife (22) rotates along the second turning direction, the rotating knife (22) rotates circumferentially in a direction away from the fixed knife (21) along the ice inlet (12).

8. The ice-making device according to claim 7, characterized in that: A driving shaft (60) is installed in the ice crushing chamber (10); The fixed knife (21) is connected to the driving shaft (60), one end of the fixed knife (21) rotates relative to the driving shaft (60), and the other end of the fixed knife (21) is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the ice crushing chamber (10); The connection end of the rotating knife (22) is drivingly connected to the driving shaft (60), and the moving end of the rotating knife (22) rotates in a circumferential direction.

9. The ice-making device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The fixed knife (21) is arranged adjacent to the ice inlet (12), and the other end of the fixed knife (21) is inserted into and fixed in a fixed groove (13) on the inner wall of the ice crushing chamber (10).

10. The ice-making device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The rotating blade (22) has a sawtooth structure on the front side along the first turn, and has a smooth surface on the front side along the second turn; The first side of the fixed knife (21) is a sawtooth structure, and the second side of the fixed knife (21) is a smooth surface.

11. The ice-making device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The number of the rotating knives (22) is multiple, the number of the fixed knives (21) is multiple, and one fixed knife (21) is arranged between two adjacent rotating knives (22); Each of the rotating knives (22) has at least one blade.

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