Ice outlet weighing device

Abstract

The invention discloses a discharged ice weighing device, and relates to the technical field of refrigeration equipment. The ice outlet weighing device comprises an ice outlet shell, a weighing support, a weighing cup and a first power mechanism. The ice outlet shell is provided with a shell inlet and a shell outlet which are communicated with the outside, the weighing support is rotationally installed in the ice outlet shell, and the weighing support is provided with a containing cavity used for containing the weighing cup; a weighing detection mechanism used for weighing the weighing cup is arranged between the weighing cup and the weighing support. The first power mechanism is installed on the ice outlet shell, and the weighing support is driven by the first power mechanism to rotate in the ice outlet shell so that an opening of the weighing cup can face the shell inlet or the shell outlet. The novel ice maker has the beneficial effects that the novel ice maker has weighing and ice discharging functions and is simple in structure.

Description

[0001] This is a divisional application of a Chinese patent application with an application date of November 12, 2024, an application number of 202411603729.8, and an invention title of "An Ice Discharging and Weighing Device and an Ice Maker". Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to the technical field of refrigeration equipment, and more specifically, to an ice discharging and weighing device. Background Art

[0003] With the improvement of modern living standards, the uses of ice have been increasingly widely applied. While ice-making equipment has become more popular, people's corresponding technical requirements for ice-making equipment have also been continuously increasing. Existing ice makers can no longer meet the requirements of users, and ice makers are beginning to develop towards intelligence and multi-functionality. Among them, how to more accurately control the ice-taking amount after ice-making in an ice maker is a key concern in this field; in the prior art, generally, the ice-taking amount is controlled by directly controlling the on-off of the power supply. This control method is not intelligent enough, and the ice-taking amount is not accurate enough.

[0004] An ice maker is a refrigeration mechanical equipment that cools water through an evaporator by a refrigerant in a refrigeration system to generate ice. It adopts a refrigeration system with water as a carrier and manufactures ice after passing through a certain device in the powered state. According to the principles and production methods of the evaporator, the shapes of the generated ice cubes are different; generally, ice makers are classified into pellet ice makers, flake ice makers, plate ice makers, tube ice makers, shell ice makers, etc. according to the ice shape.

[0005] Figure 1 An ice maker disclosed in Chinese Patent No. CN201310006582.X includes an ice maker 1, a base 100, a receiving cavity 110, an ice-making grid 200, a water injection door body 300, a water injection tank 310, a water injection port 320, a rotating shaft 340, a door handle 350, a first engaging member 360, an ice receiving box 400, a knob 500, and a bracket 600. The working principle of this ice maker includes: the ice receiving box 400 is located below the ice-making grid 200, and the ice receiving box 400 is movably arranged in the receiving cavity 110 between a receiving position for receiving ice cubes and a taking-out position for taking out ice cubes. When a user needs to take ice, the ice receiving box 400 can be moved from the receiving position to the taking-out position, and after taking away the ice cubes in the ice receiving box 400, the ice receiving box 400 can be moved from the taking-out position to the receiving position. A knob 500 can be provided on the base 100, and the knob 500 can be connected to the ice-making grid 200 so that the knob 500 twists and presses the ice-making grid 200. By setting the knob 500, after ice-making is completed, the knob 500 can be twisted to press the ice-making grid 200, so that the ice cubes in the ice-making grid 200 are separated from the ice-making grid 200 and fall into the ice receiving box 400.

[0006] Combined with the above structure, by rotating the ice-making grid 200 with the knob 500, all the ice cubes in the ice-making grid 200 will fall into the ice storage box 400. When the required amount of ice taken is less than the total ice-making capacity of the ice-making grid 200, this type of ice maker cannot control the ice-making amount, nor can it control the amount of ice taken from the ice storage box 400, and the excess ice cubes cannot be processed, resulting in waste of ice. Moreover, this type of ice maker rotates the ice-making grid 200 by manually turning the knob 500, which has the defect of low automation. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In order to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides an ice discharging and weighing device, which can accurately control the amount of ice taken and avoid waste of ice; at the same time, it makes the ice-taking process more automated.

[0008] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problems is: an ice discharging and weighing device, the improvement lies in that it includes an ice discharging outer shell, a weighing support, a weighing cup and a first power mechanism; The ice discharging outer shell has a shell inlet and a shell outlet communicating with the outside. The weighing support is rotatably installed in the ice discharging outer shell, and the weighing support has a cavity for accommodating the weighing cup; A weighing detection mechanism for weighing the weighing cup is arranged between the weighing cup and the weighing support; The first power mechanism is installed on the ice discharging outer shell, and the weighing support is driven by the first power mechanism to rotate in the ice discharging outer shell, so that the opening of the weighing cup faces the shell inlet or the shell outlet; The weighing detection mechanism includes a pressure sensor, which is fixed on the inner bottom surface of the cavity of the weighing support, and the bottom of the weighing cup presses on the pressure sensor; at least a set of opposite side walls of the weighing cup are provided with limit screws, and through holes for the limit screws to pass through are reserved on the weighing support, and the inner diameter of the through holes is larger than the diameter of the limit screws, so that the weighing cup can displace relative to the weighing support.

[0009] In the above structure, the ice discharging outer shell includes a first outer shell and an ice discharging cover plate. The ice discharging cover plate covers the opening on one side edge of the first outer shell, and the first power mechanism is fixedly installed on the side wall of the ice discharging cover plate; A cavity for accommodating a PCBA board is provided on the other side edge of the first outer shell, and an outer cover plate is provided at the opening of the cavity.

[0010] In the above structure, the first power mechanism includes a first motor, and the motor shaft of the first motor passes through the ice discharging cover plate and is fixed at the axial center of the weighing support.

[0011] In the above structure, through first drainage holes are reserved at the bottoms of the weighing cup and the weighing support.

[0012] In the above structure, an opening is provided on the side of the weighing support, the weighing cup is inserted into the cavity of the weighing support along the opening, and a weighing cover plate is installed at the opening.

[0013] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The present invention has the functions of weighing and ice discharging, with a simple structure, achieving the purpose that the ice maker can provide the corresponding amount of ice according to the ice demand given by the user; it can accurately control the ice taking amount, making the ice taking process more automated. Description of the Drawings

[0014] Figure 1 It is an exploded schematic view of an ice maker in the prior art.

[0015] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional structure schematic view of an ice discharging and weighing device of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional schematic view of an ice discharging and weighing device of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 4 It is an exploded schematic view of an ice discharging and weighing device of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 5 It is a first embodiment diagram of the weighing support and the weighing cup in the present invention.

[0019] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the weighing principle in the first embodiment of the weighing cup in the present invention.

[0020] Figure 7 It is a second embodiment diagram of the weighing support and the weighing cup in the present invention.

[0021] Figure 8 It is a first embodiment diagram of an ice maker of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 9 It is a cross-sectional schematic view of the first embodiment of an ice maker of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 10 It is a first embodiment diagram of an ice maker of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 11 It is a structural schematic view of the ice making housing of the first embodiment of an ice maker of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 12 It is a second embodiment diagram of an ice maker of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 13 This is the third embodiment diagram of an ice maker according to the present invention.

[0027] In the figure: ice outlet housing 10, first housing 101, ice outlet cover plate 102, housing inlet 103, housing outlet 104, first drain hole 105, PCBA board 106, outer cover plate 107, weighing bracket 20, weighing cover plate 201, fixing hole 202, switch base 203, weighing cup 30, protruding part 301, rotating shaft 302, protruding plate 303, bull's-eye bearing 304, wire groove 305, first power mechanism 40, pressure sensor 50, limit screw 501, ice outlet weighing device 100, ice making housing 200, ice making cavity 2001, flipping motor 2002, spiral blade 2003, second motor 2004, second drain hole 2005, baffle 2006, ice outlet 2007, evaporator 300, ice making head 400, water tray 500, water supply pipe 600, sleeve 700, water tank 800, third drain hole 8001. Detailed implementation manners

[0028] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments.

[0029] The concept, specific structure and technical effects of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the embodiments and the drawings, so as to fully understand the purpose, features and effects of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. In addition, all the connection / connection relationships involved in the patent do not simply refer to the direct connection of components, but refer to the more optimal connection structure that can be formed by adding or reducing connection accessories according to the specific implementation situation. Each technical feature in the present invention can be combined interactively without conflict.

[0030] Embodiment 1 Referring to Figures 2 to 4 As shown, this is the first embodiment of an ice outlet weighing device provided by the present invention. In this embodiment, the device includes an ice outlet housing 10, a weighing bracket 20, a weighing cup 30 and a first power mechanism 40. Among them, the ice outlet housing 10 includes a first housing 101 and an ice outlet cover plate 102. The ice outlet cover plate 102 covers the opening on one side of the first housing 101. The middle part of the first housing 101 is cylindrical, and the top and bottom respectively extend outwards to form a housing inlet 103 and a housing outlet 104 in a similar cubic shape; Referring to Figure 3As shown, both the housing inlet 103 and the housing outlet 104 are connected to the outside. In this embodiment, the housing inlet 103 is used to receive ice cubes, and the housing outlet 104 is used to discharge ice cubes; the specific process will be further elaborated below. Additionally, referring to Figure 3 As shown, through holes are reserved at the bottoms of both the weighing cup 30 and the weighing support 20.

[0031] In this embodiment, referring to Figure 4 As shown, the weighing support 20 is cylindrical and is rotatably installed along its axial direction within the ice discharging housing 10; the weighing support 20 has an opening and a cavity. The weighing cup 30 is placed into the cavity along the opening of the weighing support 20. Moreover, a weighing detection mechanism for weighing the weighing cup 30 is provided between the weighing cup 30 and the weighing support 20. With this structure, after the ice cubes enter the weighing cup 30 from the housing inlet 103, the weighing detection mechanism can weigh the ice cubes in the weighing cup 30, so as to accurately control the ice taking amount.

[0032] Continuing to refer to Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the first power mechanism 40 is installed on the ice discharging housing 10. In this embodiment, the first power mechanism 40 is a first motor, and the first motor is fixedly installed on the side wall of the ice discharging cover plate 102. The motor shaft of the first motor passes through the ice discharging cover plate 102 and is fixed at the axial center of the weighing support 20. With this structure, the weighing support 20 is driven to rotate within the first housing 101, so that the opening of the weighing cup 30 faces the housing inlet 103 or the housing outlet 104; when the opening of the weighing cup 30 faces the housing inlet 103, the weighing cup 30 is used to receive ice cubes; when the weighing cup 30 rotates 180°, such that the opening of the weighing cup 30 faces the housing outlet 104, the ice cubes are discharged from the housing outlet 104 under the action of gravity. Additionally, in the above embodiment, referring to Figure 4 As shown, a cavity for accommodating the PCBA board 106 is provided on the other side edge of the first housing 101, and an outer cover plate 107 is provided at the opening of the cavity, and the rotation of the first motor is controlled by the PCBA board 106.

[0033] Combined with Figures 2 to 4As shown in the figure, we will explain in detail the working process of an ice discharging and weighing device of the present invention. When ice needs to be taken out, under the control of the PCBA board 106, the first motor drives the weighing bracket 20 to rotate, so that the opening of the weighing cup 30 faces the housing inlet 103. At this time, the ice cubes enter the weighing cup 30 from the housing inlet 103, and the weighing detection mechanism between the weighing cup 30 and the weighing bracket 20 starts to detect the weighing cup 30. When the weight of the weighing cup 30 reaches the preset value, the first motor is controlled to rotate 180°, the opening of the weighing cup 30 faces the housing outlet 104, and the ice cubes are discharged from the housing outlet 104, completing the ice-taking process. In this solution, the ice-taking amount is detected in real time during the ice-taking process, and the ice-taking amount can be accurately controlled; the preset value can be set, and ice is automatically taken out after reaching the preset value, making the ice-taking process more automated and intelligent.

[0034] Embodiment 2 Referring to Figure 5 、 Figure 6 As shown in the figure, on the basis of the Embodiment 1, for the weighing detection mechanism, the present invention provides a specific embodiment. In this embodiment, an opening is provided on the side of the weighing bracket 20, the weighing cup 30 is installed in the cavity of the weighing bracket 20 along the opening, and a weighing cover plate 201 is installed at the opening. The fixed connection between the weighing bracket 20 and the weighing cover plate 201 is realized by locking screws. This structure facilitates the assembly of the weighing cup 30 and the weighing bracket 20, and facilitates the fixation of the weighing cover plate 201.

[0035] As Figure 5As shown in the figure, the weighing and detecting mechanism includes a pressure sensor 50, which is fixedly installed inside the weighing bracket 20. In this embodiment, the weighing bracket 20 is axially provided with a fixing hole 202, and a switch base 203 is inserted into the fixing hole 202. The pressure sensor 50 is arranged on the switch base 203. Further, one side wall of the weighing cup 30 has a tapered protrusion 301, and a rotating shaft 302 is arranged on the protrusion 301. The weighing cup 30 is rotatably installed on the weighing bracket 20 through the rotating shaft 302, so the weighing cup 30 can rotate along the rotating shaft 302; it can be understood that there must be a space reserved in the weighing bracket 20 for the weighing cup 30 to rotate slightly, which is a setting that those skilled in the art can make according to actual needs. For the structural design of the protrusion 301 in this solution, on the one hand, it can prevent the rotating shaft 302 from being directly installed on the weighing cup 30, resulting in an uneven inner wall of the weighing cup 30 due to the need to reserve a position for installing the rotating shaft 302; therefore, after the rotating shaft 302 is installed on the protrusion 301, it can ensure that the inner wall of the weighing cup 30 on one side of the protrusion 301 is in a flat state. When ice cubes are received in the weighing cup 30, the ice cubes are relatively smooth with the inner wall of the weighing cup 30, so as to avoid the ice cubes sticking to the inner wall of the weighing cup 30 when the weighing cup 30 discharges the ice cubes; on the other hand, it can prevent the volume of the weighing cup 30 from being reduced due to the need to reserve a position for installing the rotating shaft 302. Continue to refer to Figure 5 As shown in the figure, the other side wall of the weighing cup 30 has a protruding plate 303 extending outward, and a bull's eye bearing 304 is fixedly installed on the protruding plate 303. The bull's eye bearing 304 presses on the pressure sensor 50; in this embodiment, the ball of the bull's eye bearing 304 presses on the pressure sensor 50, and the internal spring makes the ball in flexible contact with the bull's eye bearing 304, which can avoid the damage to the pressure sensor 50 caused by rigid contact, thereby prolonging the service life of the pressure sensor 50. In addition, a wire groove 305 is arranged on the side wall of the load-bearing bracket. The wires of the switch base 203 and the pressure sensor 50 pass through the center of the weighing bracket 20 along the wire groove 305, which can prevent the wires from knotting during the rotation of the weighing bracket 20.

[0036] Through the above structure, referring to Figure 6 As shown in the figure, the weighing cup 30 can rotate around the rotating shaft 302, and the gravity of the weighing cup 30 is attached to the pressure sensor 50 through the bull's eye bearing 304. The signal of the pressure sensor 50 is transmitted to the PCBA board 106 to realize the detection of the weight of the ice cubes in the weighing cup 30. In the present invention, through the structural design of the weighing bracket 20 and the weighing cup 30, the weight of the weighing cup 30 is detected in a relatively narrow space, and its structural design is compact and delicate, and fewer components are required.

[0037] Embodiment 3 Referring to Figure 7 As shown, on the basis of Embodiment 1, for the weighing detection mechanism described above, the present invention further provides a specific embodiment. In this embodiment, the weighing detection mechanism includes a pressure sensor 50, which is fixed on the inner bottom surface of the cavity of the weighing bracket 20, and the bottom of the weighing cup 30 presses on the pressure sensor 50. Further, limiting screws 501 are provided on two opposite side walls of the weighing cup 30, and through holes for the limiting screws 501 to pass through are reserved on the weighing bracket 20. The inner diameter of the through hole is larger than the diameter of the limiting screw 501, so that the weighing cup 30 can be displaced in the vertical direction. And it can be understood that when the weighing cup 30 is in Figure 7 the state shown in, the bottom of the weighing cup 30 presses tightly on the pressure sensor 50. At this time, the limiting screw 501 does not contact the lower bottom surface of the through hole, that is, the gravity of the weighing cup 30 all acts on the pressure sensor 50, so as to ensure the accuracy of the signal of the pressure sensor 50. When the weighing bracket 20 rotates 180°, the limiting screw 501 plays a role in preventing the weighing cup 30 from falling off from the weighing bracket 20. In another embodiment, limiting screws 501 can be provided on four opposite side walls of the weighing cup 30, and through holes for the limiting screws 501 to pass through are reserved on the weighing bracket 20. The inner diameter of the through hole is larger than the diameter of the limiting screw 501, so that the weighing cup 30 can be displaced in the vertical direction.

[0038] Embodiment 4 Referring to Figures 8 to 11 As shown, it is the first embodiment of an ice maker provided by the present invention. In this embodiment, the ice maker includes the ice discharging and weighing device 100 described above. In addition, the ice maker further includes an ice making housing 200, a water supply device, and an ice making device. Among them, the ice making device includes a refrigerant, a compressor, an evaporator 300, an ice making head 400, a condenser, and a radiator. Since the ice making principle of the ice making device belongs to a very mature prior art, the structure of the ice making device will not be described in detail in this embodiment. The function of the ice making device is to provide low temperature to freeze the water of the ice making head 400 and provide high temperature to let the ice cubes fall off from the ice making head 400.

[0039] Further, an ice-making cavity 2001 is provided inside the ice-making housing 200, and a water tray 500 is installed at the top of the ice-making cavity 2001; the ice-making head 400 is installed at the top of the ice-making cavity 2001 and is located inside the water tray 500; the water supply device includes a water supply pipe 600, and water is supplied into the water tray 500 through the water supply pipe 600. When the water in the water tray 500 is full, the ice-making head 400 is located in the water, and ice is made through the ice-making head 400 to form ice cubes. In this embodiment, a flipping motor 2002 is installed on the side wall of the ice-making housing 200, and the water tray 500 is connected to the motor shaft of the flipping motor 2002. When the ice-making is completed, the water tray 500 is driven by the flipping motor 2002 to rotate, and the ice cubes in the water tray 500 are poured into the ice-making cavity 2001 of the ice-making housing 200.

[0040] Combined with Figure 8 、 Figure 9 As shown, a spiral blade 2003 is provided at the bottom of the ice-making housing 200, and a second power mechanism for driving the spiral blade 2003 to rotate is provided outside the ice-making housing 200; in this embodiment, the second power mechanism is a second motor 2004, and the spiral blade 2003 is driven to rotate by the second motor 2004. The ice discharging and weighing device 100 is located below the ice-making housing 200, and an ice discharging port 2007 communicating with the housing inlet 103 is provided at the end of the spiral blade 2003 of the ice-making housing 200. In addition, combined with Figure 10 、 Figure 11 As shown, the bottom of the ice-making housing 200 is inclined, the spiral blade 2003 is inclined and installed at the bottom of the ice-making housing 200, and a second drain hole 2005 is provided at the lowest point of the bottom of the ice-making housing 200.

[0041] With the above structure, the spiral blade 2003 is driven to rotate by the second motor 2004, and the ice cubes then fall into the weighing cup 30 along the Figure 9 trace line 900 in it, and the ice discharging and weighing device 100 discharges the ice cubes according to the set requirements; therefore, an ice maker of the present invention has the functions of weighing and discharging ice, has a simple structure, and achieves the purpose that the ice maker can give the corresponding amount of ice according to the ice cube demand given by the user.

[0042] In Embodiment 4, combined with Figure 9 As shown, a baffle 2006 is fixedly provided on the inner wall of the ice-making cavity 2001, and the baffle 2006 is located above the ice discharging port 2007 and covers the end of the spiral blade 2003. Due to the presence of the baffle 2006, it can prevent the ice cubes from directly falling on the end of the spiral blade 2003 and avoid the situation where the ice cubes accumulate at the ice discharging port 2007 and cause the ice to be unable to be taken.

[0043] Regarding the structure of the ice-making housing 200, refer to Figure 12 As shown, the present invention also provides a specific embodiment. In this embodiment, a sleeve 700 is sleeved at the end position of the spiral blade 2003. The inner wall of the sleeve 700 is in close fit with the spiral blade 2003, and the length of the sleeve 700 is less than the length of the spiral blade 2003. With this structural design, the ice cubes in the ice-making housing 200 have to pass through the sleeve 700 before being discharged from the ice outlet 2007. Since the sleeve 700, the ice cubes inside the sleeve 700, and the spiral blade 2003 inside the sleeve 700 form obstacles, it is very difficult for the water in the ice-making housing 200 to pass through these obstacles and be discharged from the ice outlet 2007. Therefore, the bottom surface of the ice-making housing 200 can be set as an inclined surface with a very small slope; in this way, the storage capacity of the ice cubes in the ice-making housing 200 can be increased and the discharge of water from the ice outlet 2007 can be reduced.

[0044] To further increase the storage capacity of the ice cubes in the ice-making housing 200 and reduce the discharge of water from the ice outlet 2007, refer to Figure 13 As shown, the present invention also provides a specific embodiment. A water tank 800 is installed at the bottom of the ice-making housing 200, and the bottom surface of the water tank 800 is inclined. A third drain hole 8001 is provided at the lowest point of the bottom surface of the water tank 800; the spiral blade 2003 is horizontally installed at the bottom of the ice-making housing 200. Since the water tank 800 is inclined, the water in the ice-making housing 200 flows along the direction of the drain opening due to gravity and is discharged from the third drain hole 8001 and is not easily discharged from the ice outlet 2007. And the bottom surface of the ice-making housing 200 is a horizontal plane, so that the storage capacity of the ice cubes in the ice-making housing 200 can be further increased and the discharge of water from the ice outlet 2007 can be reduced.

[0045] The above is a specific description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make various equivalent deformations or substitutions without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and these equivalent deformations or substitutions are all included within the scope defined by the claims of this application.

Claims

1. An ice discharging and weighing device, characterized in that, It includes an ice discharging housing, a weighing bracket, a weighing cup and a first power mechanism; The ice discharging housing has a housing inlet and a housing outlet communicating with the outside. The weighing bracket is rotatably installed in the ice discharging housing, and the weighing bracket has a cavity for accommodating the weighing cup; A weighing detection mechanism for weighing the weighing cup is arranged between the weighing cup and the weighing bracket; The first power mechanism is installed on the ice discharging housing, and the weighing bracket is driven by the first power mechanism to rotate in the ice discharging housing so that the opening of the weighing cup faces the housing inlet or the housing outlet; The weighing detection mechanism includes a pressure sensor which is fixed on the inner bottom surface of the cavity of the weighing bracket, and the bottom of the weighing cup presses on the pressure sensor; Limit screws are arranged on at least a group of opposite side walls of the weighing cup. Through holes for the limit screws to pass through are reserved on the weighing bracket, and the inner diameter of the through holes is larger than the diameter of the limit screws so that the weighing cup can be displaced relative to the weighing bracket.

2. The ice discharging and weighing device according to claim 1, wherein The ice discharging housing includes a first housing and an ice discharging cover plate. The ice discharging cover plate covers the opening on one side edge of the first housing, and the first power mechanism is fixedly installed on the side wall of the ice discharging cover plate; A cavity for accommodating the PCBA board is arranged on the other side edge of the first housing, and an outer cover plate is arranged at the opening of the cavity.

3. The ice discharging and weighing device according to claim 2, wherein, The first power mechanism includes a first motor. The motor shaft of the first motor passes through the ice discharging cover plate and is fixed at the axial center of the weighing bracket.

4. The ice discharging and weighing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Through first drain holes are reserved at the bottoms of both the weighing cup and the weighing bracket.

5. The ice discharging and weighing device according to claim 1, wherein An opening is arranged on the side of the weighing bracket. The weighing cup is inserted into the cavity of the weighing bracket along the opening, and a weighing cover plate is installed at the opening.

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