Water storage tank device of semiconductor ice maker

Abstract

A water storage tank device of a semiconductor ice maker comprises an ice making box and a TEC plate, water is contained in the ice making box, the cold end of the TEC plate is connected with a refrigeration rod, and the refrigeration rod is inserted into the ice making box; the lower end of the refrigerating rod is sleeved with at least two inner side clamping plates, the inner side clamping plates are sleeved with an air bag, and an outer side supporting frame is arranged outside the air bag and fixed to the bottom of the ice making box. The water storage tank has the beneficial effects that the design of the water storage tank adopts accurate water quantity control, an ice unloading mechanism is optimized, and a mold structure is improved, so that the ice making efficiency is improved, the energy consumption is reduced, and the ice block quality is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a water storage tank device for a semiconductor ice maker. Background Art

[0002] With the improvement of people's living standards, people's requirements for drinking water are also gradually increasing. There are many ice makers for making ice on the market. The ice-making mechanism of most ice makers on the market is to cool ice water through a compressor or semiconductor refrigeration to produce ice cubes. Through the analysis of these machines, it can be seen that most of the refrigeration power is used for cooling water. During the cooling process, if the water volume is too large, it may cause slow ice formation, reduced work efficiency, and increased energy consumption. Therefore, the water volume for single ice making should be reduced as much as possible; however, if the water volume is too small, it will cause adhesion between the mold and the cold end.

[0003] When making bullet ice cubes, voids are easily formed in the center of the bullet ice cubes, and there will be a phenomenon of ice connection in the mold due to its fixed refrigeration. Therefore, it is necessary to quickly improve the ice-making rate and ice-making quality, thereby improving the convenience and experience of user use. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is: how to solve the problems of slow ice-making speed, high energy consumption caused by too much water volume and adhesion between the ice mold and the cold end caused by too little water volume in existing ice makers. Therefore, a water storage tank device for a semiconductor ice maker is provided.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is specifically as follows: A water storage tank device for a semiconductor ice maker includes an ice-making box and a TEC board. Among them, water is carried in the ice-making box, and a refrigeration rod is connected to the cold end of the TEC board, and the refrigeration rod is inserted into the ice-making box; An inner splint is sleeved outside the lower end of the refrigeration rod. The inner splint is composed of at least two splints. An airbag is sleeved outside the inner splint, and an outer support frame is arranged outside the airbag. The outer support frame is fixed at the bottom of the ice-making box.

[0006] The ice-making box is made of aluminum or stainless steel.

[0007] The ice-making box is provided with a water inlet.

[0008] Rotating shafts are arranged on both sides of the ice-making box.

[0009] The airbag is composed of two non-adhesive airbags, which can fit together to fill the gap when fully inflated and have a gap when deflated.

[0010] A sliding groove is arranged at the bottom of the ice-making box, and a sliding block is arranged at the bottom of the inner splint. The sliding block is slidably arranged in the sliding groove.

[0011] The inner splint is composed of four splints. The four splints are concentric, and the sliding groove is a cross-shaped sliding groove.

[0012] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The design of the water storage tank adopts precise water volume control, optimized ice deicing mechanism and improved mold structure to improve ice making efficiency, reduce energy consumption and improve ice quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 2 is an exploded view of the refrigerating rod of the present invention; Figure 3 is a top view of the chute of the present invention; Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the two-chamber airbag. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0015] As Figure 1 , Figure 2 shown, a water storage tank device of a semiconductor ice maker includes an ice making box 8 and a TEC board 9. Among them, the ice making box 8 contains water, and the cold end of the TEC board 9 is connected with a refrigerating rod 1, and the refrigerating rod 1 is inserted into the ice making box 8.

[0016] An inner clamping plate 2 is sleeved outside the lower end of the refrigerating rod 1. The inner clamping plate 2 is composed of at least two clamping plates. An airbag 3 is sleeved outside the inner clamping plate 2, and an outer support frame 4 is arranged outside the airbag 3. The outer support frame 4 is fixed at the bottom of the ice making box 8.

[0017] Preferably, the airbag 3 is two non-sticking airbags, which can fit together to fill the gap when fully inflated and have a gap when deflated. As Figure 4 shown.

[0018] It should be noted that the inner clamping plate 2 is located between the airbag 3 and the refrigerating rod 1, and there is no connection relationship between the inner clamping plate 2 and the refrigerating rod 1. There is a gap between the refrigerating rod 1 and the inner clamping plate 2, and water will enter the gap. In this way, when the refrigerating rod 1 works, a small amount of water in the gap will be made into ice, thereby improving the working efficiency and further reducing the temperature loss.

[0019] Furthermore, a chute 10 is arranged at the bottom of the ice making box 8, and a slider is arranged at the bottom of the inner clamping plate 2. The slider is slidably arranged in the chute 10. Preferably, the inner clamping plate 2 is composed of four clamping plates, and the four clamping plates are concentric. In this way, the chute 10 is a cross-shaped chute, which facilitates the sliding of the inner clamping plate 2.

[0020] The outer support frame 4 mainly supports the airbag 3 through its shape, playing a role in supporting and limiting the airbag 3. In this way, when the airbag 3 is inflated, it can only squeeze the inner splint 2 inward to achieve rapid de-icing.

[0021] The airbag 3 is located between the inner splint 2 and the outer support frame 4 and plays an important role in the de-icing process. The airbag 3 is connected to an air pump, an air tank, and an air valve through a trachea. The air pump and the air valve of the air tank can both be external devices, and only an interface needs to be set on the airbag. In this way, the airbag 3 changes its volume by inflating and deflating, thereby pushing the inner splint 2 to move and realizing the opening and closing movement of the inner splint 2. A relatively stable driving force is required during the inflation process of the airbag 3 to avoid excessive impact. In addition, it should be noted that during the de-icing process, the inner splint 2 will be squeezed by the airbag 3 and thus slide and produce slight deformation, forming a sealed environment with the airbag, and leaving a small deformation space for cold water to flow in.

[0022] Furthermore, the ice-making box 8 is used to hold water and cool it into ice. It is made of a metal material (such as aluminum or stainless steel) and has good thermal conductivity. The ice-making box 8 here can also be understood as an ice-making groove.

[0023] Preferably, a water inlet 6 is provided on the ice-making box.

[0024] Furthermore, rotating shafts 5 are provided on both sides of the ice-making box 8. When an external force acts on the rotating shafts 5, the ice-making box 8 rotates to pour out / slide out the ice cubes in the ice-making box 8.

[0025] In addition, a chute block 7 is provided on the rotating shaft 5.

[0026] The working principle of the present invention is as follows: Heating and cooling: After ice-making is completed, the system heats the refrigerating rod 1 by changing the current direction of the TEC plate 9. The purpose of heating is to increase the temperature difference between the ice cubes inside the ice-making box and the ice-making box 8, so that the ice cubes are slightly loosened and the adhesion force to the cold end is reduced.

[0027] Airbag inflation: The airbag 3 expands by injecting air and pushes the inner splint 2 to move along the chute 10, as Figure 3 shown, so that the distance between the inner splint 2 and the outer support frame 4 increases. And during the inflation process of the airbag, the gap can be filled, enabling the ice-making column to be better wrapped. This process causes the ice cubes in the ice-making box 8 to receive a slight thrust or vibration, further reducing the friction between the ice cubes and the ice-making box 8.

[0028] Airbag contraction: The airbag is sucked out of gas through a vacuum pump to form a negative pressure, pulling the inner splint 2 back to its original discrete state. In this state, there is a gap between the two airbag cavities, allowing the water remaining after ice making to flow out, leaving only the ice cubes, and further reducing the contact and adhesion between the inner splint 2 and the ice.

[0029] Ice ejection: In the final stage of ice cube detachment, the system will change the current direction of the TEC plate 9 again, so that the cooling rod changes from the heating state to reverse cooling, producing a reverse heating effect. At this time, through the reverse heating effect, the adhesion between the ice cube and the ice making box 8 is further reduced.

[0030] Under the action of the reverse heating of the TEC, after the ice cubes in the ice making box 8 gradually become loose, the entire ice making system starts to move downward through the chute on the housing. This process is guided by the chute block 7, causing the entire ice making box to move downward until it reaches the predetermined operating position. The above process does not fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Subsequently, the rotating shaft 5 rotates, and the ice making box 8 will flip, and the ice cubes will fall off under the action of gravity, and the formed ice cubes will be poured out of the ice making groove through the flipping action. The precise control of this action ensures that the ice cubes can be quickly and orderly removed from the ice making groove and are ready to be further processed or stored.

[0031] In the present invention, the water volume in the ice making box 8 can be flexibly adjusted by changing the shape of the airbag and the gap of the inner splint, reducing the water volume in a single ice making process, thereby avoiding the slow ice making speed and energy waste caused by excessive water volume. At the same time, the interior of the ice making box 8 adopts an innovative design to ensure that even when the water volume is small, the mold can still be prevented from adhering to the cold end, ensuring the smooth detachment of the ice cubes. The ice making box 8 is also optimized for the characteristics of bullet ice cubes, improving the ice cube shape and cooling speed. Especially under the fixed refrigeration condition, the adhesion between the mold and the ice cubes is reduced. Through this design, the ice making rate can be significantly increased, the ice cube quality can be optimized, and the user experience can be improved.

[0032] The present invention solves multiple technical problems in traditional ice makers by precisely controlling the water volume in the ice making box 8 and optimizing the ice ejection mechanism, improves the ice making efficiency, reduces the energy consumption, improves the ice cube quality, and brings a more convenient use experience to users, having broad application prospects and market value.

[0033] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, without departing from the overall concept of the present invention, several changes and improvements can still be made, and these should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A water storage tank device for a semiconductor ice maker, characterized in that: It comprises an ice box (8) and a TEC plate (9), wherein the ice box (8) carries water, the cold end of the TEC plate (9) is connected to a cooling rod (1), and the cooling rod (1) is inserted into the ice box (8); An inner splint (2) is disposed on the lower end of the refrigeration rod (1), the inner splint (2) is composed of at least two splints, an air bag (3) is disposed on the inner splint (2), an outer support frame (4) is disposed outside the air bag (3), and the outer support frame (4) is fixed to the bottom of the ice box (8).

2. A semiconductor ice maker water storage tank device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ice box (8) is made of aluminum or stainless steel.

3. A semiconductor ice maker water storage tank device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ice box is provided with a water inlet (6).

4. A semiconductor ice maker water storage tank device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Rotating shafts (5) are arranged on both sides of the ice making box (8).

5. A semiconductor ice maker water storage tank device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The airbags (3) are two non-adhesive airbags that can fit together to fill the gap when fully inflated, and have a gap between them when deflated.

6. A semiconductor ice maker water storage tank device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A slide groove (10) is provided at the bottom of the ice making box (8), and a slider is provided at the bottom of the inner clamping plate (2), and the slider is slidably arranged in the slide groove (10).

7. A semiconductor ice-making machine water storage tank device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The inner splint (2) is composed of four splints, the four splints are in a circle, and the slide groove (10) is a cross-shaped slide groove.

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