Water treatment equipment and control method thereof
By setting up a water outlet assembly and a pump in the water treatment equipment to control the liquid level height in the ice making box, the problem of poor liquid level monitoring in the prior art is solved, and the effective use of the evaporation tube cooling capacity is achieved, and the efficiency of ice making and refrigeration is improved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510336685.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-20
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-02
AI Technical Summary
In the prior art, the liquid level in the ice making box cannot be effectively monitored, resulting in the cooling capacity of the evaporation tube during ice making and refrigeration water cannot be effectively utilized, resulting in waste.
By providing a water outlet assembly and a pump in the water treatment equipment, the liquid level height in the ice making box is controlled to ensure that the liquid covers at least part of the projection during ice making and the liquid covers at least part of the evaporation tube when refrigerating water.
It realizes the effective use of the cooling capacity of the evaporation tube during ice making and refrigeration water, reduces the waste of cold volume and improves the efficiency of ice making and refrigeration.
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Figure CN119915057A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of electrical equipment, and in particular to a water treatment device and a control method thereof. Background Art
[0002] As living standards improve, more and more people choose to purchase electrical appliances with ice-making functions. In addition to ice-making functions, such devices are usually able to prepare cold water, which usually uses an evaporator to achieve cooling and freezing functions. The evaporator includes an evaporation tube and a protrusion, which are internally connected and have a cooling medium inside.
[0003] In the prior art, no matter the user wants to take cold water or ice, the amount of water pumped into the ice box is basically the same, and the liquid level in the ice box cannot be effectively monitored. For example, when making ice, the liquid in the ice box can cover part of the protrusion, thereby forming ice cubes on the protrusion; however, when cooling water, the amount of liquid in the ice box can only cover part of the protrusion, thereby causing the coldness of the evaporator tube to be unable to be used, resulting in waste. Summary of the invention
[0004] In order to solve the problems existing in the prior art, the present disclosure provides a water treatment device and a control method thereof.
[0005] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a water treatment device, comprising: Body; A cold water tank, which is disposed on the machine body and is configured to store liquid; An ice box, the ice box is rotatably connected to the cold water tank and is constructed to have a cavity; an evaporator assembly, the evaporator assembly being configured to be located in the ice making box; the evaporator assembly comprising an evaporation tube and at least one protrusion extending downward from the evaporation tube; A pump, used to pump the liquid in the cold water tank into the ice making box; A water outlet assembly is provided on the ice making box. By controlling the switch of the water outlet assembly and the flow rate of the pump, when the water treatment device is making ice, the liquid in the ice making box covers at least a portion of the protrusion, and when the water treatment device is cooling water, the liquid in the ice making box covers at least a portion of the evaporation tube.
[0006] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the pump is configured to work at a constant flow rate; the water outlet assembly includes an ice-making water outlet communicated with the ice-making box cavity, and the ice-making water outlet is configured to be arranged at a position corresponding to the protrusion on the side wall of the ice-making box; When making ice, the ice making water outlet is in an open state, and the liquid above the ice making water outlet is configured to circulate back to the cold water tank so that the liquid level in the ice making box is level with the ice making water outlet.
[0007] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the water outlet assembly includes a water outlet connected to the ice-making box cavity, and the water outlet is constructed to be lower than the ice-making water outlet and is arranged on the ice-making box near its bottom; when making ice, the water outlet is configured to be in a closed state.
[0008] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the pump is configured to stop after pumping a predetermined amount of liquid into the ice-making box during ice making; or, the pump is configured to continuously pump liquid into the ice-making box during ice making, and the flow rate of the pump is less than or equal to the maximum water outlet flow rate of the ice-making outlet.
[0009] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the water outlet assembly includes an overflow port communicating with the ice making box cavity, the overflow port is configured to be higher than the ice making water outlet, and the evaporation tube is configured to be at least partially lower than the overflow port; When cooling water, the downspout and ice-making outlet are configured to be in a closed state, the pump is configured to continuously pump liquid into the ice-making box, and the liquid above the overflow port is configured to circulate back to the cold water tank so that the liquid level in the ice-making box is level with the overflow port.
[0010] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the overflow port is a notch provided on the top end surface of the ice making box.
[0011] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a water valve is movably provided at the water outlet and / or the ice-making water outlet; an actuator is provided on the machine body, and the actuator is configured to control the corresponding water valve to move between a blocking position and an open position.
[0012] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the ice box is constructed to rotate relative to the cold water tank between a first position and a second position; when in the first position, the opening of the ice box faces upward to receive liquid, and the water valve is located at a position corresponding to the actuator corresponding to it; when in the second position, the water valve is disengaged from the actuator.
[0013] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, when making ice, the water valve corresponding to the drain outlet is maintained in a blocked position; after ice making is completed and before the ice making box is rotated to the second position, the actuator controls the water valve corresponding to the drain outlet to move to an open position, and the liquid in the ice making box is configured to flow into the cold water tank through the drain outlet.
[0014] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the pump is configured to operate at a first flow rate or a second flow rate, wherein the first flow rate is less than the second flow rate; the water outlet assembly includes a water outlet communicated with the ice box cavity, and the water outlet is disposed on the ice box adjacent to the bottom thereof; When making ice, the pump is configured to pump a predetermined amount of liquid into the ice-making box at the second flow rate, and then switch to continuously pumping liquid at the first flow rate, and the drain outlet is configured to be in an open state, and the water outlet flow rate of the drain outlet is equal to the first flow rate, so that the liquid level in the ice-making box is maintained at a height covering at least a portion of the raised portion.
[0015] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the water outlet assembly includes an overflow port connected to the ice box cavity, the overflow port is a notch arranged on the top end surface of the ice box, and the evaporator tube is constructed to be at least partially lower than the overflow port; when cooling water, the liquid above the overflow port is configured to circulate back to the cold water tank.
[0016] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, when cooling water, the drain outlet is configured to be in an open state, the pump is configured to continuously pump liquid into the ice-making box at the second flow rate, and the liquid in the ice-making box is configured to flow into the cold water tank through the drain outlet and the overflow outlet so that the liquid level in the ice-making box is level with the overflow outlet.
[0017] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an ice basket is provided in the cold water tank at a position lower than the ice making box, and the ice basket has an ice holding area; a baffle extending in a vertical direction is provided on one side of the ice basket adjacent to the water outlet assembly, and the baffle is constructed to enclose with the inner wall of the cold water tank to form a reflux channel separated from the ice holding area, and the liquid flowing out of the water outlet assembly is configured to flow into the cold water tank through the reflux channel.
[0018] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a control method for the above-mentioned water treatment equipment is also provided, the method comprising: The ice making method comprises controlling a pump to pump liquid covering a part of the protrusion into a cavity of an ice making box through a cold water tank, and controlling an evaporator assembly to cool the liquid in the cavity in a working state so as to form ice cubes on the protrusion; The cooling water method comprises controlling a pump to pump liquid covering at least a part of the evaporation tube into a cavity of an ice making box through a cold water tank, and controlling an evaporator assembly to cool the liquid in the cavity in a working state.
[0019] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the pump is configured to operate at a constant flow rate; The ice-making method further comprises: based on the ice-making signal, controlling the actuator to move to keep the water valve of the water outlet in the blocking position and the water valve of the ice-making outlet in the open position, and controlling the pump to stop after working for a predetermined time, or controlling the pump to continuously pump the liquid in the cold water tank into the volume of the ice-making box, and the liquid in the volume is configured to flow back to the cold water tank through the ice-making outlet, wherein the flow rate of the pump is less than or equal to the maximum water flow rate of the ice-making outlet; The cooling water method further includes: based on the cooling water signal, controlling the actuator to move so that the water valves of the ice making water outlet and the water downflow outlet are both kept in the blocked position, and controlling the pump to continuously pump the liquid in the cold water tank into the volume cavity of the ice making box, and the liquid in the volume cavity is configured to flow back to the cold water tank through the overflow port.
[0020] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the pump is configured to operate at a first flow rate or a second flow rate, wherein the first flow rate is less than the second flow rate; The ice-making method further includes: based on the ice-making signal, controlling the actuator to move to keep the drain port in an open position, and controlling the pump to operate at the second flow rate for a predetermined time, switching to continuously pumping the liquid in the cold water tank into the volume of the ice-making box at the first flow rate, the liquid in the volume is configured to flow back to the cold water tank through the drain port, wherein the water outflow rate of the drain port is equal to the first flow rate; The cooling water method further includes: based on the cooling water signal, controlling the actuator to move to keep the water valve of the drain outlet in an open position, and controlling the pump to continuously pump the liquid in the cold water tank into the volume of the ice making box at the second flow rate, and the liquid in the volume is configured to flow back to the cold water tank through the drain outlet and the overflow outlet.
[0021] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided a water treatment device, comprising: Body; A cold water tank, which is disposed on the machine body and is configured to store liquid; An ice box, the ice box is rotatably connected to the cold water tank and is constructed to have a cavity; an evaporator assembly, the evaporator assembly being configured to be located in the ice making box; the evaporator assembly comprising an evaporation tube and at least one protrusion extending downward from the evaporation tube; A pump, used to pump the liquid in the cold water tank into the ice making box; A water outlet assembly is provided on the ice box, and the water outlet assembly includes an overflow port connected to the ice box cavity, and the overflow port is constructed to be lower than at least a portion of the evaporation tube; when cooling water, the liquid above the overflow port is configured to circulate back to the cold water tank so that the liquid in the ice box covers at least a portion of the evaporation tube.
[0022] One beneficial effect of the present disclosure is that, by controlling the switch of the water outlet assembly and the flow rate of the pump, when the water treatment device is making ice, the liquid in the ice box covers at least part of the protrusion, and the protrusion can freeze the surrounding liquid to form ice cubes, thereby realizing the ice making function; and when cooling water, the liquid in the ice box covers at least part of the evaporation tube, thereby realizing the use of the cooling capacity of the evaporation tube, reducing the waste of cooling capacity, and improving the cooling efficiency. The present disclosure can selectively adjust the liquid level height of the liquid in the ice box according to whether the current scene is ice making or cooling, thereby improving the efficiency of ice making and cooling.
[0023] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.
[0025] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a water treatment device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a water treatment device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure after a portion of the housing is hidden; Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of an ice box and an evaporator provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of an evaporator provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a water treatment device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view from another angle of a water treatment device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of a water treatment device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure during an ice making process; Figure 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of a water treatment device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure during an ice making process; Fig. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of a water treatment device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure during an ice making process; Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of the liquid level in the ice making box during ice making provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig.11 is a schematic diagram of the liquid level in the ice making box when cooling water according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig.12It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a water treatment device provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0026] Figures 1 to 12 The one-to-one correspondence between the component names and the reference numerals is as follows: 1. Machine body; 11. Ice taking port; 12. Water taking port; 13. Radiator grille; 14. Actuator; 2. Ice making box; 20. Ice cubes; 21. Rotating shaft; 22. Water valve; 23. Ice making water outlet; 24. Drain port; 25. Overflow port; 3. Evaporator assembly; 31. Evaporation tube; 32. Raised part; 41. Raw water tank; 42. Pure water tank; 43. Filter assembly; 44. Booster pump; 51. Compressor; 52. Radiator fan; 6. Reflux channel; 7. Ice basket; 70. Water outlet; 71. Screw; 72. Baffle; 73. Ice storage area; 8. Cold water tank; 81. Pump. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the relative arrangement of components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure unless otherwise specifically stated.
[0028] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or uses.
[0029] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.
[0030] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters refer to similar items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.
[0031] In this document, “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, etc. are only used to indicate the relative position relationship between related parts, rather than to limit the absolute positions of these related parts.
[0032] In this article, "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish each other, and do not indicate the importance and order, or the premise of each other's existence.
[0033] In this document, “equal”, “same”, etc. are not strictly limited in a mathematical and / or geometric sense, but also include errors that can be understood by those skilled in the art and are allowed in manufacturing or use.
[0034] Embodiment 1 The present disclosure provides a water treatment device. Specifically, the water treatment device can be a refrigeration ice maker, which has at least two functions of cooling water and making ice. Furthermore, it can also have other functions such as water purification, supplying normal temperature water, supplying hot water, etc., so as to meet users' more diverse water needs.
[0035] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The water treatment equipment disclosed in the present invention includes a body 1, which is the installation base of other parts of the water treatment equipment. Specifically, the body 1 can be a shell, a mounting frame and other structures. In order to facilitate the subsequent description, a spatial rectangular coordinate system is established, the length direction of the body 1 is the X-axis, the depth direction of the body 1 is the Y-axis, the height direction of the body 1 is the Z-axis, and the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis are perpendicular to each other. In addition, from the user's perspective, when the user faces the body 1, the side of the body 1 away from the user is recorded as the front side, and the side close to the user is recorded as the back side. The Y-axis is constructed to extend in the front-to-back direction, and the X-axis is constructed to extend in the left-right direction. It can be understood that at this time, the right side is the user's right hand side, and the left side is the user's left hand side.
[0036] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 1 As shown, an ice taking port 11 and a water taking port 12 may be provided on the front side of the machine body 1, and the water taking port 12 and the ice taking port 11 are arranged along the X-axis direction. The user can place a cup under the water taking port 12 to collect water, or place a cup under the ice taking port 11 to collect ice. The water taking port 12 and the ice taking port 11 are independently provided without interfering with each other, and the two are arranged along the X-axis direction. When facing the machine body 1, the user can intuitively observe the water taking port 12 and the ice taking port 11 provided on the left and right, which is in line with the user's usage habits.
[0037] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 2 As shown, a raw water tank 41 and a pure water tank 42 can be installed on the rear side of the body 1, and a cold water tank 8 and a filter assembly 43 can be installed in the middle area of the body 1. The raw water tank 41 can be used to receive tap water to be filtered, and the raw water tank 41 can be connected to the filter assembly 43, thereby being able to transport liquid to the filter assembly 43, and the filter assembly 43 can filter the liquid from the raw water tank 41 into pure water that meets drinking standards, and the pure water can be transported to the pure water tank 42 for storage. A booster pump 44 can also be provided below the raw water tank 41, and the booster pump 44 can provide a power source for part of the waterway in the water treatment equipment, for example, the liquid in the raw water tank 41 can be pumped into the filter assembly 43, and the pure water filtered by the filter assembly 43 can be pumped into the pure water tank 42.
[0038] The cold water tank 8 is disposed on the machine body 1 and is configured to store liquids. The pure water tank 42 can deliver pure water to the cold water tank 8. The ice box 2 is rotatably connected to the cold water tank 8 and is configured to have a cavity. Specifically, the ice box 2 is rotatably connected to the top of the cold water tank 8. The pure water in the cold water tank 8 can flow into the ice box 2 to further cool down and generate cold water or ice cubes 20. In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cold water produced in the ice box 2 can also flow back into the cold water tank 8 for temporary storage. Fig.12 A pump 81 is also provided in the water treatment device. The pump 81 is used to pump the liquid in the cold water tank 8 into the ice box 2. The pump 81 can pump the liquid out of the cold water tank 8. For example, the cold water tank 8 can be connected to the water inlet of the ice box 2, so that the liquid in the cold water tank 8 can be pumped into the ice box 2 cavity; the cold water tank 8 can also be connected to the water intake 12, so that when the user needs to take cold water, the pump 81 can pump the cold water in the cold water tank 8 to the water intake 12.
[0039] The ice box 2 has an evaporator assembly 3 disposed in the cavity. It is understood that the evaporator assembly 3 is a main functional component for refrigeration and ice making. Figure 2 As shown, a compressor 51 and a heat dissipation fan 52 connected to the evaporator assembly 3 are also provided below the raw water tank 41 and the pure water tank 42, wherein the compressor 51 can increase the refrigerant from low pressure to high pressure, and the evaporator assembly 3 can convert the high temperature and high pressure refrigerant into a low temperature and low pressure state, thereby freezing the liquid in the ice box 2 into ice cubes 20; the heat dissipation fan 52 can discharge the heat generated during the ice making process to a higher temperature environment. Figure 1 As shown, a heat dissipation grille 13 is provided on the right side surface of the machine body 1 , and the heat dissipation fan 52 is constructed to be adjacent to and facing the heat dissipation grille 13 , so that the heat dissipation fan 52 can transport heat to the outside of the machine body 1 through the heat dissipation grille 13 .
[0040] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4The evaporator assembly 3 includes an evaporation tube 31 and at least one protrusion 32 extending downward from the evaporation tube 31. The extension direction of the evaporation tube 31 and the ice box 2 can be consistent (that is, both extend along the X-axis direction). The evaporation tube 31 is connected to the inside of the protrusion 32, and a refrigerant medium is arranged inside. The protrusion 32 is used to form the point of ice cubes 20. In order to increase the number of ice made in a single time, as many protrusions 32 as possible can be arranged on the evaporation tube 31. When making ice, the liquid level in the ice box 2 needs to at least exceed the bottom of the protrusion 32, that is, at least cover part of the protrusion 32, so that ice cubes 20 are formed with each protrusion 32 as the center. The evaporator assembly 3 is also used for cooling water. By controlling the time the liquid stays in the ice box 2, it can be ensured that the liquid does not drop to the freezing point while cooling the liquid, thereby forming cold water.
[0041] like Fig.10 As shown, the pump 81 is configured to pump liquid covering a portion of the protrusion 32 into the ice making box 2 through the cold water tank 8 during ice making, and the protrusion 32 can freeze the surrounding liquid to form ice cubes 20, thereby achieving the ice making function. Fig.11 As shown, the pump 81 is also configured to pump liquid covering at least part of the evaporation tube 31 into the volume of the ice box 2 through the cold water tank 8 when cooling water, thereby utilizing the cooling capacity of the evaporation tube 31, reducing cooling capacity waste and improving cooling efficiency. Fig.10 and Fig.11 It can be seen that the liquid level in the ice box 2 is lower when making ice and covers at least part of the evaporation tube 31, and is higher when cooling water and covers at least part of the protrusion 32. The present invention can selectively pump liquids of different liquid levels into the cavity of the ice box 2 according to whether the current scene is ice making or cooling, thereby improving the efficiency of ice making and cooling.
[0042] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a water outlet assembly connected to the ice box 2 cavity is provided on the ice box 2, and the water outlet assembly is configured to be opened when making ice or cooling water, so that the liquid in the ice box 2 cavity circulates back to the cold water tank 8 when making ice or cooling water; or, closed when making ice or cooling water, so that the evaporator assembly 3 cools down the liquid stationary in the cavity. Specifically, when the water outlet assembly is closed, the ice box 2 is in a "only in but not out" state, the liquid in the cavity remains stationary, and the user can quickly obtain cold water or ice cubes 20. When the water outlet assembly is opened, at least part of the liquid in the ice box 2 can flow back to the cold water tank 8, the liquid in the cavity is in a flowing state, and the circulating liquid can continuously bring the cold back to the cold water tank 8, thereby reducing the temperature of the entire cold water tank 8.
[0043] It should be noted that the water outlet assembly of the present disclosure does not specifically refer to a certain structure on the ice box 2, but is a general term for the structure provided on the ice box 2 that can allow the liquid in the cavity to flow into the cold water tank 8 when opened. The following will introduce several specific water outlet assembly structures provided by the present disclosure and their states during ice making and refrigeration.
[0044] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, reference Figure 3 and Fig.10 The water outlet assembly includes an ice-making water outlet 23 connected to the ice-making box 2. The ice-making water outlet 23 is configured to be arranged at a position corresponding to the protrusion 32 on the side wall of the ice-making box 2. When making ice, the liquid above the ice-making water outlet 23 is configured to flow back to the cold water tank 8 through the ice-making water outlet 23. Specifically, the ice-making water outlet 23 can be kept in an open state when making ice. The pump 81 can pump the liquid in the cold water tank 8 into the ice-making box 2 and store water in the ice-making box 2. When the water level rises to the ice-making water outlet 23, the liquid will overflow and flow back to the cold water tank 8. The ice-making water outlet 23 defines the highest water level line when making ice (i.e. Fig.10 As shown by the dashed line in the middle, the liquid can cover part of the protrusion 32, thereby freezing on the protrusion 32 to form ice cubes 20.
[0045] For further reference, Figure 3 and Fig.10 The water outlet assembly also includes a water outlet 24 connected to the ice box 2. The water outlet 24 is configured to be lower than the ice outlet 23 and is disposed on the ice box 2 near its bottom. When making ice, the water outlet 24 is configured to be in a closed state. The water outlet 24 can be disposed on the same side wall of the ice box 2 as the ice outlet 23 and is located on the side wall near the bottom. When the water outlet 24 is opened, the liquid in the ice box 2 can be basically drained. During the ice making process, the water outlet 24 can remain in a closed state, thereby facilitating rapid water storage in the ice box 2, and the liquid can remain in a substantially static state in the ice box 2, thereby facilitating rapid ice making.
[0046] In a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, a water valve 22 is movably provided at the water outlet 24 and / or the ice making water outlet 23, and the water valve 22 can be movably provided on the ice making box 2; an actuator 14 is provided on the machine body 1, and the actuator 14 is configured to control the water valve 22 to move between a blocking position and an open position. The water valve 22 can be provided only at the water outlet 24, or only at the ice making water outlet 23, or one water valve 22 can be provided at the water outlet 24 and the ice making water outlet 23 respectively. The actuator 14 can be used to control the opening and closing of a single water valve 22, and in an embodiment in which two water valves 22 are provided, two actuators 14 can be provided accordingly.
[0047] See also Figure 7 , taking the water valve 22 being only provided at the drain outlet 24 as an example, the water valve 22 can be kept in the blocking position under the pre-pressure of the elastic device in the natural state, and at this time, the water valve 22 can seal the drain outlet 24. The actuator 14 can be a steering gear, which can push the water valve 22 to move to the open position during operation, thereby opening the drain outlet 24. The water valve 22 at the ice-making water outlet 23 and its corresponding actuator 14 are not shown in the drawings of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can understand that the structure and movement mode of the water valve 22 provided at the ice-making water outlet 23 can be completely consistent with the water valve 22 provided at the drain outlet 24.
[0048] refer to Fig.11 When cooling water, the drain port 24 and the ice-making water outlet 23 are constructed to be in an open state, and the pump 81 is configured to pump the liquid in the cold water tank 8 into the volume of the ice-making box 2, and the liquid in the volume circulates back to the cold water tank 8 through the drain port 24 and the ice-making water outlet 23; or, when cooling water, the drain port 24 is constructed to be in an open state, and the ice-making water outlet 23 is constructed to be in a closed state, and the pump 81 is configured to pump the liquid in the cold water tank 8 into the volume of the ice-making box 2, and the liquid in the volume circulates back to the cold water tank 8 through the drain port 24.
[0049] In this embodiment, the water outlet 24 and the ice-making outlet 23 can be kept in an open state when cooling water, or the ice-making outlet 23 can be closed and the water outlet 24 can be opened. When cooling water, the pump 81 needs to pump water with a larger power, so that the water inlet speed of the ice-making box 2 is at least faster than the water discharge speed of the water outlet 24, so that when the water outlet 24 is opened, the liquid level in the ice-making box 2 can still be accumulated to cover at least part of the evaporation tube 31, so as to fully utilize the cooling capacity of the evaporator assembly 3 when working and increase the speed of cooling water.
[0050] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, reference Figure 3 and Fig.11The ice box 2 is provided with an overflow port 25 connected with the cavity, the overflow port 25 is configured to be higher than the ice making water outlet 23, and the evaporation pipe 31 is configured to be at least partially lower than the overflow port 25, and the liquid higher than the overflow port 25 is configured to flow into the cold water tank 8 through the overflow port 25. Specifically, the overflow port 25 can be a notch arranged on the top end surface of the ice box 2. When the liquid overflows from the overflow port 25, it means that the volume of the ice box 2 has reached the upper limit. In order to prevent the liquid from overflowing from the edges around the top of the ice box 2, the present disclosure opens the overflow port 25 on the top end surface of the ice box 2, so as to play a role of diversion when the cavity is full of liquid, and divert the overflowed liquid to the cold water tank 8 for recycling. The overflow port 25 is higher than at least a part of the evaporation pipe 31, thereby ensuring that when cooling water, the liquid level in the ice box 2 covers at least a part of the evaporation pipe 31, thereby effectively utilizing the cold capacity of the evaporation pipe 31, improving the efficiency of cooling water, and avoiding the waste of cold capacity.
[0051] In a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, the overflow port 25, the ice-making water outlet 23 and the water outlet 24 can be arranged on the same side wall of the ice-making box 2, so that the ice-making box 2 will only discharge water from one side thereof, which is convenient for optimizing the layout of the space at the bottom of the ice-making box 2 in the machine body 1. The liquid flowing out of the overflow port 25, the ice-making water outlet 23 and the water outlet 24 all flows to the cold water tank 8, so a common passage for the three ports can be arranged at the lower position of the side of the ice-making box 2, thereby simplifying the structure and layout inside the machine body 1.
[0052] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 5 As shown, the ice box 2 can be rotatably connected to the cold water tank 8 by the rotating shaft 21, and is configured to rotate relative to the cold water tank 8 between the first position and the second position. When in the first position, the water valve 22 is located at a position corresponding to the actuator 14, and the actuator 14 can control the movement of the water valve 22 to open or close the water outlet 24. At this time, the opening of the ice box 2 faces upward to receive liquid, thereby making ice or cooling water. When in the second position, the water valve 22 is disengaged from the actuator 14. After ice making is completed, multiple ice cubes 20 are frozen on multiple protrusions 32, and the ice box 2 can be rotated from the first position to the second position, and the ice cubes 20 on the protrusions 32 lose the support of the ice box 2, and the ice cubes 20 can fall downward through the opening of the ice box 2.
[0053] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, reference Figures 5 and 6 An ice basket 7 is provided in the cold water tank 8 at a position lower than the ice box 2. When the ice box 2 rotates to the second position, the ice cubes in the ice box 2 fall into the ice basket 7 for temporary storage. A screw rod 71 connected to the ice taking port 11 is also provided in the ice basket 7. The screw rod 71 is configured to rotate relative to the ice basket 7 under the action of an external force to transport the ice cubes 20 in the ice basket 7 to the ice taking port 11.
[0054] like Figure 5 As shown, in the XZ plane perspective, the bottom surface of the ice basket 7 can be constructed as a slope surface, and the lowest position of the slope surface can correspond to the position of the screw 71, so that the ice cubes 20 dropped into any position of the homemade ice box 2 in the ice basket 7 can naturally slide to the corresponding position of the screw 71 under the action of gravity. Figure 6 As shown, in the YZ plane perspective, the screw 71 extends obliquely upward to communicate with the ice taking port 11, and the ice cubes 20 at the corresponding position of the screw 71 can be naturally accumulated at a position away from the ice taking port 11 under the action of gravity. The spiral gap of the screw 71 can be adapted to the size of the ice cubes 20, and during the rotation of the screw 71, the ice cubes 20 can be stuck in the spiral gap, and thus the screw 71 is rotated and transported to the ice taking port 11, so that the ice cubes 20 are discharged one by one at the ice taking port 11.
[0055] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, reference Figure 6 The ice basket 7 is provided with a water outlet 70, and the liquid in the ice basket 7 is configured to flow into the cold water tank 8 through the water outlet 70. It is understandable that the ice cubes 20 temporarily stored in the ice basket 7 will gradually melt, so there may be some liquid in the ice basket 7. Figure 6 As shown, a plurality of water outlet holes 70 may be provided on the ice basket 7, and the liquid in the ice basket 7 may flow out of the ice basket 7 through the water outlet holes 70 and flow into the cold water tank 8 below for temporary storage.
[0056] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, reference Figures 7 to 9 When making ice, the actuator 14 controls the water valve 22 to remain in the blocked position; after ice making is completed and before the ice box 2 rotates to the second position, the actuator 14 controls the water valve 22 to move to the open position, and the liquid in the ice box 2 is configured to flow into the cold water tank 8 through the drain port 24. Figures 7 to 9 The ice making process of the water treatment device disclosed in the present invention is shown. When ice making starts, Figure 7 As shown, the ice box 2 is in the first position, with its opening facing upward to receive the liquid, the water valve 22 is kept in the blocking position, thereby closing the water outlet 24, and the pump 81 pumps the liquid covering the part of the protrusion 32 into the cavity of the ice box 2 through the cold water tank 8. Figure 8 As shown, the protrusion 32 can freeze the surrounding liquid to form ice cubes 20, thereby realizing the ice-making function. At this time, in addition to the ice cubes 20, there is still unfreezing cold water in the cavity. In order to prevent the cold water from falling into the ice basket 7 together with the ice cubes 20, causing the ice cubes 20 temporarily stored in the ice basket 7 to melt faster, it is necessary to open the drain port 24 before the ice box 2 rotates to the second position. The actuator 14 controls the water valve 22 to move to the open position, and the liquid in the ice box 2 is configured to flow into the cold water tank 8 through the drain port 24. Fig. 9 As shown, the ice box 2 rotates to the second position, and the ice cubes 20 in the ice box 2 fall into the ice basket 7 for temporary storage.
[0057] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 8 As shown, the ice basket 7 has an ice holding area 73, and a baffle 72 extending in the vertical direction is provided on one side of the ice basket 7 adjacent to the water outlet assembly. The baffle 72 is configured to enclose with the inner wall of the cold water tank 8 to form a reflux channel 6 separated from the ice holding area 73, and the liquid flowing out of the water outlet assembly is configured to flow into the cold water tank 8 through the reflux channel 6. The present disclosure provides a baffle 72 between the reflux channel 6 and the ice holding area 73, so that the liquid flowing out of the water outlet 24 and / or the ice-making outlet 23 and / or the overflow port 25 will not drip on the ice cubes 20, thereby preventing the ice cubes 20 from melting faster.
[0058] The present disclosure also provides a control method for a water treatment device, which is applied to the aforementioned water treatment device, and the method comprises: The ice making method includes controlling the pump 81 to pump liquid covering a portion of the protrusion 32 into the volume of the ice making box 2 through the cold water tank 8, and controlling the evaporator assembly 3 to cool the liquid in the volume in the working state to form ice cubes on the protrusion 32. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the ice making method further includes: based on the ice making signal, controlling the actuator 14 to move to keep the water valve 22 of the water outlet 24 in the blocking position, and controlling the pump 81 to stop after working for a predetermined time.
[0059] The cooling water method includes controlling the pump 81 to pump liquid covering at least part of the evaporation tube 31 into the cavity of the ice box 2 through the cold water tank 8, and controlling the evaporator assembly 3 to cool the liquid in the cavity in the working state. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cooling water method also includes: based on the cooling water signal, controlling the actuator 14 to move to keep the water valve 22 in the open position, and controlling the pump 81 to continuously pump the liquid in the cold water tank 8 into the cavity of the ice box 2, and the liquid in the cavity is configured to flow back to the cold water tank 8 at least through the drain port 24, so that the liquid circulates in the cold water tank 8 and the ice box 2.
[0060] The specific steps of the above ice-making method and cooling water method have been described in detail in the previous introduction of the various structures and functions of the water treatment equipment, and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that, based on the ice-making signal, the pump 81 can be configured to work at a first power; based on the cooling water signal, the pump 81 can be configured to work at a second power, wherein the first power is less than the second power. When making ice, the drain port 24 is in a closed state, and it is not appropriate to generate too intense water flow in the cavity, so the speed at which the pump 81 pumps water to the ice box 2 should be relatively slow; while when cooling water, the drain port 24 is in an open state, so the pump 81 needs to pump water with a larger power, so that the water inlet speed of the ice box 2 is at least faster than the water discharge speed of the drain port 24, so that when the drain port 24 is open, the ice box 2 can still accumulate liquid level to cover at least part of the evaporation tube 31, so as to make full use of the cooling capacity of the evaporator assembly 3 when working, and increase the speed of cooling water.
[0061] Embodiment 2 The present disclosure is similar to the first embodiment, and also provides a water treatment device and a control method thereof. The basic structure of the water treatment device is completely consistent with the water treatment device provided in the first embodiment, and will not be repeated in this embodiment. The main difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the water level of the water treatment device during ice making and cooling water is controlled by controlling the switch of the water outlet assembly and the flow rate of the pump 81, wherein the pump 81 in this embodiment is configured to work at a constant flow rate.
[0062] When making ice, the ice outlet 23 is in an open state, the water outlet 24 is configured to be in a closed state, and the liquid above the ice outlet 23 is configured to circulate back to the cold water tank 8, so that the liquid level in the ice box 2 is level with the ice outlet 23. Further, the pump 81 is configured to stop after pumping a predetermined amount of liquid into the ice box 2 during ice making; or, the pump 81 is configured to continuously pump liquid into the ice box 2 during ice making, and the flow rate of the pump 81 is less than or equal to the maximum water flow rate of the ice outlet 23.
[0063] Specifically, the pump 81 can pump a predetermined amount of liquid into the ice box 2 at the beginning of ice making. Since the water outlet 24 is in a closed state at this time, the liquid level in the ice box 2 can rise to cover at least part of the protrusion 32. Since the ice outlet 23 is in an open state, the liquid above the ice outlet 23 can also circulate back to the cold water tank 8 through the ice outlet 23, so the predetermined amount can be set slightly larger to ensure that the liquid level in the ice box 2 can be level with the ice outlet 23, that is, covering at least part of the protrusion 32. After pumping in the predetermined amount of liquid, the pump 81 can be stopped, and the liquid level in the ice box 2 can be maintained normally until the ice making is finished.
[0064] In another embodiment, the flow rate of the pump 81 is less than or equal to the maximum water flow rate of the ice-making water outlet 23, so that liquid can be continuously pumped into the ice-making box 2 during the ice-making process, and the liquid level in the ice-making box 2 can be well maintained through the ice-making water outlet 23, so that the liquid in the ice-making box 2 can be kept circulating during the ice-making process. It should be noted that in the conventional scene of still water freezing, the water that first cools down around the protrusion 32 will freeze quickly, forming a layer of ice shell wrapping the surface of the protrusion 32. Because the thermal conductivity of ice is much lower than that of liquid water, this layer of ice shell will act like an "insulating layer" to hinder the subsequent heat from the liquid to the protrusion 32, resulting in a slow drop in the water temperature in the ice-making box and a low freezing speed. This embodiment controls the flow rate of the pump 81 and sets the ice-making water outlet 23, so as to keep the liquid in the ice-making box 2 flowing during the ice-making process, thereby avoiding local overcooling, improving the ice-making efficiency, ensuring the uniformity of ice formation, and optimizing the temperature distribution in the ice-making box 2.
[0065] When cooling water, the water outlet 24 and the ice outlet 23 are configured to be in a closed state, so that the ice box 2 can quickly store water; the pump 81 is configured to continuously pump liquid into the ice box 2, and the liquid above the overflow port 25 is configured to circulate back to the cold water tank 8, so that the liquid level in the ice box 2 is level with the overflow port 25. The overflow port 25 is higher than at least part of the evaporation tube 31, thereby ensuring that when cooling water, the liquid level in the ice box 2 covers at least part of the evaporation tube 31, thereby effectively utilizing the cold capacity of the evaporation tube 31, improving the efficiency of cooling water, and avoiding waste of cold capacity. When liquid overflows from the overflow port 25, it means that the volume of the ice box 2 has reached the upper limit. In order to prevent liquid from overflowing from the edges around the top of the ice box 2, the present disclosure opens an overflow port 25 on the top end surface of the ice box 2, so that when the liquid cavity is full, it plays a role of diversion, and diverts the overflowed liquid to the cold water tank 8 for recycling.
[0066] Accordingly, the present disclosure also provides a control method for a water treatment device, wherein the pump 81 is configured to operate at a constant flow rate, and the control method includes: Ice-making method: Based on the ice-making signal, the actuator 14 is controlled to move to keep the water valve 22 of the water outlet 24 in the blocking position, the water valve 22 of the ice-making outlet 23 in the open position, and the pump 81 is controlled to stop after working for a predetermined time, or the pump 81 is controlled to continuously pump the liquid in the cold water tank 8 into the volume of the ice-making box 2, and the liquid in the volume is configured to flow back to the cold water tank 8 through the ice-making outlet 23, wherein the flow rate of the pump 81 is less than or equal to the maximum water flow rate of the ice-making outlet 23; Chilled water method: Based on the chilled water signal, the actuator 14 is controlled to move so that the water valves 22 of the ice-making outlet 23 and the water outlet 24 are kept in the blocked position, and the pump 81 is controlled to continuously pump the liquid in the cold water tank 8 into the cavity of the ice-making box 2. The liquid in the cavity is configured to flow back to the cold water tank 8 through the overflow port 25.
[0067] The specific steps of the above ice making method and cooling water method have been described in detail in the previous article when introducing the various structures and functions of the water treatment equipment, and will not be repeated here.
[0068] Embodiment 3 The present disclosure is similar to the second embodiment and also provides a water treatment device and a control method thereof. The basic structure of the water treatment device is basically the same as the water treatment devices provided in the first and second embodiments, and the structural difference is only that the ice-making water outlet 23 is not provided on the ice-making box 2 of the present embodiment, or it can also be understood that the ice-making water outlet 23 remains closed.
[0069] This embodiment also controls the switch of the water outlet component and the flow of the pump 81 to control the different water levels of the water treatment equipment during ice making and cooling water, wherein the pump 81 in this embodiment is configured to operate at a first flow rate or a second flow rate, wherein the first flow rate is less than the second flow rate.
[0070] When making ice, the pump 81 is configured to pump a predetermined amount of liquid into the ice box 2 at the second flow rate, and then switch to continuously pumping liquid at the first flow rate, and the water outlet 24 is configured to be in an open state, and the water flow rate of the water outlet 24 is equal to the first flow rate, so that the liquid level in the ice box 2 is maintained at a height covering at least part of the protrusion 32. When making ice, the water outlet 24 can be kept open, so as to keep the liquid in the ice box 2 flowing during the ice making process, thereby avoiding local overcooling, improving ice making efficiency, ensuring the uniformity of ice formation, and optimizing the temperature distribution in the ice box 2.
[0071] Specifically, when ice making starts, a predetermined amount of liquid is first pumped into the ice box 2 at a larger second flow rate, so that the liquid level in the ice box 2 rises to a position that meets the ice making requirements (i.e., a height that covers at least a portion of the protrusion 32); then the flow rate of the pump 81 can be controlled to be reduced to the first flow rate, and the first flow rate is not much different from the water outlet flow rate of the drain port 24, thereby being able to keep the liquid level in the ice box 2 basically unchanged until the ice making is finished.
[0072] When cooling water, the drain port 24 is configured to be in an open state, and the pump 81 is configured to continuously pump liquid into the ice box 2 at a second flow rate. The liquid in the ice box 2 is configured to flow into the cold water tank 8 through the drain port 24 and the overflow port 25, so that the liquid level in the ice box 2 is level with the overflow port 25. As mentioned above, the first flow rate is substantially level with the water flow rate of the drain port 24, and the second flow rate is greater than the first flow rate, then the second flow rate must be greater than the water flow rate of the drain port 24. When cooling water, the pump 81 continuously pumps liquid into the ice box 2 at the second flow rate, so that the liquid level in the ice box 2 gradually rises. When it rises to the position of the overflow port 25, the excess liquid can overflow from the overflow port 25, and the liquid level in the ice box 2 can be maintained at a position level with the overflow port 25, that is, covering at least a portion of the evaporation tube 31.
[0073] Accordingly, the present disclosure also provides a control method for a water treatment device, wherein the pump 81 is configured to operate at a first flow rate or a second flow rate, wherein the first flow rate is less than the second flow rate, and the control method includes: Ice-making method: Based on the ice-making signal, the actuator 14 is controlled to move to keep the drain port 24 in the open position, and the pump 81 is controlled to work at the second flow rate for a predetermined time, and then switched to continuously pumping the liquid in the cold water tank 8 into the cavity of the ice-making box 2 at the first flow rate, and the liquid in the cavity is configured to flow back to the cold water tank 8 through the drain port 24, wherein the water flow rate of the drain port 24 is equal to the first flow rate; Refrigerated water method: Based on the refrigerated water signal, the actuator 14 is controlled to move to keep the water valve 22 of the drain port 24 in the open position, and the pump 81 is controlled to continuously pump the liquid in the cold water tank 8 into the cavity of the ice box 2 at a second flow rate. The liquid in the cavity is configured to flow back to the cold water tank 8 through the drain port 24 and the overflow port 25.
[0074] The specific steps of the above ice making method and cooling water method have been described in detail in the previous article when introducing the various structures and functions of the water treatment equipment, and will not be repeated here.
[0075] Application scenario 1 In a household scenario, the water treatment device may be an ice-making refrigerator. When ice is needed, the control unit of the ice-making refrigerator controls the actuator 14 to move to keep the water valve 22 of the water outlet 24 in the blocking position based on the ice-making signal, thereby closing the water outlet 24. At this time, the ice box 2 is in the first position, with its opening facing upward to receive liquid.
[0076] The control unit can control the pump 81 to pump liquid covering part of the protrusion 32 into the cavity of the ice box 2 through the cold water tank 8, and control the evaporator assembly 3 to cool the liquid in the cavity when in operation to form ice cubes on the protrusion 32, and control the pump 81 to stop after working for a predetermined time.
[0077] During the operation of the pump 81, the ice making water outlet 23 remains in an open state during ice making. When the liquid level pumped into the ice making box 2 by the cold water tank 8 rises to the ice making water outlet 23, the liquid will overflow from the ice making water outlet 23 and flow back into the cold water tank 8.
[0078] After ice making is completed, a plurality of ice cubes 20 are frozen on the plurality of protrusions 32. At this time, in addition to the ice cubes 20, unfrozen cold water remains in the cavity. To prevent the cold water from falling into the ice basket 7 together with the ice cubes 20, causing the ice cubes 20 temporarily stored in the ice basket 7 to melt faster, it is necessary to open the drain port 24 before the ice box 2 rotates to the second position. The actuator 14 controls the water valve 22 to move to the open position, and the liquid in the ice box 2 is configured to flow into the cold water tank 8 through the drain port 24.
[0079] After the drainage is completed, the ice box 2 rotates from the first position to the second position, and the ice cubes 20 on the protrusion 32 lose the support of the ice box 2, and the ice cubes 20 can fall downward through the opening of the ice box 2 into the ice basket 7 for temporary storage.
[0080] Application scenario 2 In a household scenario, the water treatment device may be an ice-making refrigerator. When cooling water is needed, the control unit of the ice-making refrigerator controls the actuator 14 to move to keep the water valve 22 in the open position based on the cooling water signal, thereby opening the water outlet 24. At this time, the ice box 2 is in the first position, with its opening facing upward to receive the liquid, and the water outlet 24 and the ice-making water outlet 23 are both kept in the open state.
[0081] The pump 81 is controlled to pump the liquid covering at least part of the evaporation tube 31 into the cavity of the ice box 2 through the cold water tank 8, and the evaporator assembly 3 is controlled to cool the liquid in the cavity in the working state. Specifically, the pump 81 continuously pumps the liquid in the cold water tank 8 into the cavity of the ice box 2, and the liquid in the cavity is configured to flow back to the cold water tank 8 at least through the drain port 24, so that the liquid circulates in the cold water tank 8 and the ice box 2.
[0082] When the water pump flow rate is large, the liquid in the ice box 2 will flow out from the drain port 24 and the ice outlet 23 at the same time, and may even flow out from the overflow port 25. However, since the water inlet speed of the ice box 2 is at least faster than the water discharge speed of the drain port 24, the liquid level in the ice box 2 can still be accumulated to cover at least part of the evaporation tube 31, so as to fully utilize the cooling capacity of the evaporator assembly 3 when it is working and increase the speed of cooling water.
[0083] During the process of cooling water, the liquid in the cavity is in a flowing state, thereby preventing the liquid from freezing locally, and the circulating liquid can continuously bring cold energy back to the cold water tank 8, thereby reducing the temperature of the entire cold water tank 8.
[0084] Application scenario three In a household scenario, the water treatment device may be an ice-making refrigerator, and its pump 81 is configured to work at a constant flow rate. When ice is needed, the control unit of the ice-making refrigerator controls the actuator 14 to move to keep the water valve 22 of the water outlet 24 in the blocked position and the water valve 22 of the ice outlet 23 in the open position based on the ice-making signal, thereby closing the water outlet 24 and opening the ice outlet 23. At this time, the ice box 2 is in the first position, and its opening faces upward to receive the liquid.
[0085] The control unit can control the pump 81 to continuously pump liquid into the cavity of the ice box 2 through the cold water tank 8, so as to reach a liquid level height covering part of the protrusion 32 (i.e., a height level with the ice-making water outlet 23), and control the evaporator assembly 3 to cool the liquid in the cavity in the working state, so as to form ice cubes on the protrusion 32. The flow rate of the pump 81 is less than or equal to the maximum water flow rate of the ice-making water outlet 23. When the liquid level of the liquid pumped into the ice box 2 by the cold water tank 8 rises to the ice-making water outlet 23 during the operation of the pump 81, the liquid will overflow from the ice-making water outlet 23 and flow back into the cold water tank 8.
[0086] When refrigerated water is needed, the control unit of the ice-making refrigerator controls the actuator 14 to move to keep the water valves 22 of the ice-making water outlet 23 and the water outlet 24 in the blocking position based on the refrigerated water signal, thereby closing the water outlet 24 and the ice-making water outlet 23. At this time, the ice-making box 2 is in the first position, with its opening facing upward to receive liquid.
[0087] The pump 81 is controlled to pump the liquid covering at least part of the evaporation tube 31 into the cavity of the ice box 2 through the cold water tank 8, and the evaporator assembly 3 is controlled to cool the liquid in the cavity in the working state. Specifically, the pump 81 continuously pumps the liquid in the cold water tank 8 into the cavity of the ice box 2, and the liquid in the cavity is configured to flow back to the cold water tank 8 through the overflow port 25, so that the liquid circulates in the cold water tank 8 and the ice box 2.
[0088] Application scenario 4 In a household scenario, the water treatment device may be an ice-making refrigerator, and its pump 81 is configured to operate at a first flow rate or a second flow rate, wherein the first flow rate is less than the second flow rate. When ice is required, the control unit of the ice-making refrigerator controls the actuator 14 to move to keep the water valve 22 of the water outlet 24 in the open position based on the ice-making signal, thereby opening the water outlet 24 and the ice-making outlet 23. At this time, the ice-making box 2 is in the first position, and its opening faces upward to receive the liquid.
[0089] The control unit can control the pump 81 to work at the second flow rate for a predetermined time through the cold water tank 8, so that the liquid level reaches the liquid level height covering part of the protrusion 32, and then control the pump 81 to continuously pump liquid into the cavity of the ice box 2 at the first flow rate, and the liquid in the cavity continuously flows back to the cold water tank 8 through the drain port 24, wherein the water flow rate of the drain port 24 is equal to the first flow rate, so that the liquid level height suitable for ice making is maintained during the continuous flow of the liquid in the ice box 2. At the same time, the evaporator assembly 3 is controlled to cool the liquid in the cavity in the working state to form ice cubes on the protrusion 32.
[0090] When refrigerated water is needed, the control unit of the ice making refrigerator controls the actuator 14 to move to keep the water valve 22 of the water outlet 24 in the open position based on the refrigerated water signal, thereby opening the water outlet 24. At this time, the ice making box 2 is in the first position, and its opening faces upward to receive liquid.
[0091] The pump 81 is controlled to pump the liquid covering at least part of the evaporation tube 31 into the cavity of the ice box 2 through the cold water tank 8 at a second flow rate, and the evaporator assembly 3 is controlled to cool the liquid in the cavity in the working state. Specifically, the pump 81 continuously pumps the liquid in the cold water tank 8 into the cavity of the ice box 2, and the liquid in the cavity is configured to flow back to the cold water tank 8 through the drain port 24 and the overflow port 25, so that the liquid circulates in the cold water tank 8 and the ice box 2.
[0092] The second flow rate is greater than the water flow rate of the drain port 24. When cooling water, the pump 81 continuously pumps liquid into the ice box 2 at the second flow rate, so that the liquid level in the ice box 2 gradually rises. When it rises to the overflow port 25, the excess liquid can overflow from the overflow port 25, and the liquid level in the ice box 2 can be maintained at the same level as the overflow port 25, thereby achieving cooling water.
[0093] The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, and the above description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and changes will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The choice of terms used herein is intended to best explain the principles of the embodiments, practical applications, or technical improvements in the marketplace, or to enable other persons of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A water treatment device, characterized in that: include: Body (1); A cold water tank (8), the cold water tank (8) being arranged on the machine body (1) and being configured to store liquid; An ice making box (2), the ice making box (2) being rotatably connected to the cold water tank (8) and being constructed to have a containing cavity; An evaporator assembly (3), the evaporator assembly (3) being configured to be located in the ice making box (2); the evaporator assembly (3) comprising an evaporation tube (31) and at least one protrusion (32) extending downward from the evaporation tube (31); A pump (81) for pumping liquid from the cold water tank (8) into the ice making box (2); A water outlet assembly is provided on the ice making box (2), and by controlling the switch of the water outlet assembly and the flow rate of the pump (81), when the water treatment device is making ice, the liquid in the ice making box (2) covers at least a portion of the protrusion (32), and when the water treatment device is cooling water, the liquid in the ice making box (2) covers at least a portion of the evaporation tube (31).
2. The water treatment equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pump (81) is configured to operate at a constant flow rate; the water outlet assembly comprises an ice-making water outlet (23) in communication with the ice-making box (2) cavity; the ice-making water outlet (23) is configured to be arranged at a position on the side wall of the ice-making box (2) corresponding to the protrusion (32); When making ice, the ice-making water outlet (23) is in an open state, and the liquid above the ice-making water outlet (23) is configured to circulate back to the cold water tank (8) so that the liquid level in the ice-making box (2) is level with the ice-making water outlet (23).
3. The water treatment equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The water outlet assembly comprises a water outlet (24) connected to the ice making box (2) cavity; the water outlet (24) is constructed to be lower than the ice making water outlet (23) and is arranged on the ice making box (2) at a position adjacent to the bottom thereof; when making ice, the water outlet (24) is configured to be in a closed state.
4. The water treatment equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The pump (81) is configured to stop after pumping a predetermined amount of liquid into the ice making box (2) during ice making; or, the pump (81) is configured to continuously pump liquid into the ice making box (2) during ice making, and the flow rate of the pump (81) is less than or equal to the maximum water flow rate of the ice making water outlet (23).
5. The water treatment equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The water outlet assembly comprises an overflow port (25) in communication with the ice making box (2) cavity, the overflow port (25) being configured to be higher than the ice making water outlet (23), and the evaporation tube (31) being configured to be at least partially lower than the overflow port (25); When cooling water, the water outlet (24) and the ice-making outlet (23) are configured to be in a closed state, the pump (81) is configured to continuously pump liquid into the ice-making box (2), and the liquid above the overflow port (25) is configured to circulate back to the cold water tank (8) so that the liquid level in the ice-making box (2) is level with the overflow port (25).
6. The water treatment equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The overflow port (25) is a notch provided on the top end surface of the ice making box (2).
7. The water treatment equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: A water valve (22) is movably arranged at the water outlet (24) and / or the ice-making water outlet (23); an actuator (14) is arranged on the machine body (1), and the actuator (14) is configured to control the corresponding water valve (22) to move between a blocking position and an open position.
8. The water treatment equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The ice box (2) is configured to rotate relative to the cold water tank (8) between a first position and a second position; when located in the first position, the opening of the ice box (2) faces upward to receive liquid, and the water valve (22) is located at a position corresponding to the actuator (14) corresponding thereto; when located in the second position, the water valve (22) is disengaged from the actuator (14).
9. The water treatment equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that: When making ice, the water valve (22) corresponding to the water outlet (24) is maintained in a blocked position; after ice making is completed and before the ice making box (2) rotates to a second position, the actuator (14) controls the water valve (22) corresponding to the water outlet (24) to move to an open position, and the liquid in the ice making box (2) is configured to flow into the cold water tank (8) through the water outlet (24).
10. The water treatment equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pump (81) is configured to operate at a first flow rate or a second flow rate, wherein the first flow rate is less than the second flow rate; the water outlet assembly comprises a water outlet (24) in communication with the ice box (2) cavity, the water outlet (24) being arranged on the ice box (2) at a position adjacent to the bottom thereof; When making ice, the pump (81) is configured to pump a predetermined amount of liquid into the ice making box (2) at the second flow rate, and then switch to continuously pumping liquid at the first flow rate, and the water outlet (24) is configured to be in an open state, and the water outlet flow rate of the water outlet (24) is equal to the first flow rate, so that the liquid level in the ice making box (2) is maintained at a height covering at least a portion of the raised portion (32).
11. The water treatment equipment according to claim 10, characterized in that: The water outlet assembly comprises an overflow port (25) in communication with the ice box (2) cavity, the overflow port (25) being a notch provided on the top end surface of the ice box (2), and the evaporation tube (31) being constructed to be at least partially lower than the overflow port (25); when cooling water, liquid above the overflow port (25) is configured to circulate back to the cold water tank (8).
12. The water treatment equipment according to claim 11, characterized in that: When cooling water, the water outlet (24) is configured to be in an open state, the pump (81) is configured to continuously pump liquid into the ice box (2) at the second flow rate, and the liquid in the ice box (2) is configured to flow into the cold water tank (8) through the water outlet (24) and the overflow port (25), so that the liquid level in the ice box (2) is flush with the overflow port (25).
13. The water treatment equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: An ice basket (7) is arranged in the cold water tank (8) at a position lower than the ice making box (2), and the ice basket (7) has an ice storage area (73); a baffle (72) extending in a vertical direction is arranged on one side of the ice basket (7) adjacent to the water outlet assembly, and the baffle (72) is constructed to enclose with the inner wall of the cold water tank (8) to form a reflux channel (6) separated from the ice storage area (73), and liquid flowing out of the water outlet assembly is configured to flow into the cold water tank (8) through the reflux channel (6).
14. A method for controlling a water treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that: The method comprises: An ice making method, comprising controlling a pump (81) to pump liquid covering a portion of the protrusion (32) into a cavity of an ice making box (2) via a cold water tank (8), and controlling an evaporator assembly (3) to cool the liquid in the cavity in a working state, so as to form ice cubes on the protrusion (32); A cooling water method comprises controlling a pump (81) to pump liquid covering at least a portion of the evaporation tube (31) into a cavity of an ice making box (2) via a cold water tank (8), and controlling an evaporator assembly (3) to cool the liquid in the cavity in a working state.
15. The control method according to claim 14, characterized in that: The pump (81) is configured to operate at a constant flow rate; The ice-making method further comprises: based on an ice-making signal, controlling the actuator (14) to move so that the water valve (22) of the water outlet (24) is kept in a blocked position, the water valve (22) of the ice-making outlet (23) is kept in an open position, and controlling the pump (81) to stop after working for a predetermined time, or controlling the pump (81) to continuously pump the liquid in the cold water tank (8) into the chamber of the ice-making box (2), wherein the liquid in the chamber is configured to flow back into the cold water tank (8) through the ice-making outlet (23), wherein the flow rate of the pump (81) is less than or equal to the maximum water flow rate of the ice-making outlet (23); The cooling water method further comprises: based on a cooling water signal, controlling the actuator (14) to move so that the water valves (22) of the ice-making water outlet (23) and the water outlet (24) are both kept in a blocked position, and controlling the pump (81) to continuously pump the liquid in the cold water tank (8) into the containing cavity of the ice-making box (2), wherein the liquid in the containing cavity is configured to flow back into the cold water tank (8) through the overflow port (25).
16. The control method according to claim 14, characterized in that: The pump (81) is configured to operate at a first flow rate or a second flow rate, wherein the first flow rate is smaller than the second flow rate; The ice-making method further comprises: based on an ice-making signal, controlling the actuator (14) to move so that the drain port (24) remains in an open position, and controlling the pump (81) to operate at the second flow rate for a predetermined time, and then switching to continuously pumping the liquid in the cold water tank (8) into the chamber of the ice-making box (2) at the first flow rate, wherein the liquid in the chamber is configured to flow back into the cold water tank (8) through the drain port (24), wherein the water outflow rate of the drain port (24) is equal to the first flow rate; The cooling water method further comprises: based on the cooling water signal, controlling the actuator (14) to move so that the water valve (22) of the water outlet (24) is maintained in an open position, and controlling the pump (81) to continuously pump the liquid in the cold water tank (8) into the containing cavity of the ice making box (2) at the second flow rate, wherein the liquid in the containing cavity is configured to flow back into the cold water tank (8) through the water outlet (24) and the overflow port (25).
17. A water treatment device, characterized in that: include: Body (1); A cold water tank (8), the cold water tank (8) being arranged on the machine body (1) and being configured to store liquid; An ice making box (2), the ice making box (2) being rotatably connected to the cold water tank (8) and being constructed to have a containing cavity; An evaporator assembly (3), the evaporator assembly (3) being configured to be located in the ice making box (2); the evaporator assembly (3) comprising an evaporation tube (31) and at least one protrusion (32) extending downward from the evaporation tube (31); A pump (81) for pumping liquid from the cold water tank (8) into the ice making box (2); A water outlet assembly is provided on the ice box (2), the water outlet assembly comprising an overflow port (25) in communication with a volume of the ice box (2), the overflow port (25) being configured to be lower than at least a portion of the evaporation tube (31); when cooling water, liquid above the overflow port (25) is configured to circulate back to the cold water tank (8), so that the liquid in the ice box (2) covers at least a portion of the evaporation tube (31).