Intelligent ice maker and ice making method

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides an intelligent ice maker and an ice making method, and the ice maker comprises a high-pressure container which is configured to contain gas-dissolved liquid; the high-pressure container comprises an outlet and an outlet pipeline; the outlet pipeline penetrates through the outlet; the nozzle is detachably mounted on the outlet pipeline; the tray is configured to contain ice particles formed by the gas dissolving liquid sprayed by the nozzle; the refrigeration module comprises a first refrigeration unit, a second refrigeration unit and a third refrigeration unit; the first refrigeration unit is arranged in the high-pressure container and is configured to cool dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container; the second refrigeration unit is arranged on the nozzle and is configured to cool the gas dissolving liquid sprayed from the nozzle; the third refrigeration unit is arranged on the tray and is configured to enable the tray to be maintained in a specified temperature interval. According to the intelligent ice maker provided by the embodiment of the invention, the limitation of ice block modeling can be broken through, more creative modeling ice is obtained, and personalized ice making requirements are met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of household appliances, and more specifically, to an intelligent ice maker and an ice making method. Background Art

[0002] People's demand for ice cubes in daily life is increasing, and the ice making demand also urgently needs to be met.

[0003] The current ice making solution is an ice forming solution based on a mold. Users place a liquid in the mold and then put it into the refrigerator to obtain ice cubes.

[0004] However, the above solution can only obtain relatively simple block-shaped or granular ice bodies, and it is difficult to shape the form of the ice cubes. Moreover, it is difficult for the ice cubes to fall off from the mold. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An embodiment of this application provides an intelligent ice maker and an ice making method.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of this application provides an intelligent ice maker, including: a high-pressure container configured to hold a dissolved gas liquid, where the dissolved gas liquid refers to a liquid in which air is dissolved; the high-pressure container includes an outlet and an outlet pipe, the outlet pipe penetrates through the outlet and exposes on the surface of the high-pressure container, and the air pressure inside the high-pressure container is greater than the external air pressure; a nozzle detachably installed at the end of the outlet pipe exposed outside the high-pressure container; the nozzle is configured to allow the dissolved gas liquid held in the high-pressure container to be ejected; a tray configured to hold ice particles formed by the dissolved gas liquid ejected from the nozzle; a refrigeration module, the refrigeration module includes a first refrigeration unit, a second refrigeration unit, and a third refrigeration unit; the first refrigeration unit is arranged in the high-pressure container and is configured to cool the dissolved gas liquid held in the high-pressure container; the second refrigeration unit is arranged at the nozzle and is configured to cool the dissolved gas liquid to be ejected from the nozzle; the third refrigeration unit is arranged at the tray and is configured to keep the tray within a specified temperature range.

[0007] In a second aspect, an embodiment of this application provides an ice making method applied to the intelligent ice maker as described in the first aspect. The method includes: preparing a dissolved gas liquid in the high-pressure container, where the dissolved gas liquid refers to a liquid in which air is dissolved; controlling the first refrigeration unit arranged in the high-pressure container to cool the dissolved gas liquid; controlling the dissolved gas liquid to be ejected from the nozzle, and during the ejection process, the second refrigeration unit arranged at the nozzle cools the dissolved gas liquid to be ejected, and the ice particles formed by the dissolved gas liquid ejected from the nozzle accumulate on the tray to form shaped ice.

[0008] Compared with the technical solutions provided by the related art, the intelligent ice maker provided by the embodiments of the present application includes a high-pressure container, a nozzle, a tray, and a refrigeration module. Among them, the nozzle is arranged on the outlet pipeline of the high-pressure container, the tray is used to hold the ice particles formed by the dissolved gas liquid ejected from the nozzle, and the first refrigeration unit, the second refrigeration unit, and the third refrigeration unit included in the refrigeration module are respectively arranged on the high-pressure container, the nozzle, and the tray. The dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container is initially cooled by the first refrigeration unit, and the dissolved gas liquid is cooled twice by the second refrigeration unit before being ejected from the nozzle. In addition, after the dissolved gas liquid enters the external environment from the high-pressure container, the air dissolved in it escapes, bringing a third cooling, forming ice particles, and finally accumulating on the tray to obtain shaped ice. On the one hand, compared with the traditional ice-making scheme based on molds, the limitations of ice block shapes can be broken through, and more creative shaped ice can be obtained to meet personalized ice-making needs. On the other hand, since no mold is used in this scheme, there is no need for demolding. On the other hand, this scheme uses a segmented cooling scheme for ice making, which can improve the manufacturing efficiency and save energy consumption compared with overall freezing ice making. Description of the Drawings

[0009] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0010] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of an intelligent ice maker provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0011] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a tray provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0012] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of an intelligent ice maker provided by another embodiment of the present application.

[0013] Figure 4 It is a flowchart of an ice-making method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0014] Figure 5 It is a flowchart of an ice-making method provided by another embodiment of the present application.

[0015] Figure 6 It is a flowchart of an ice-making method provided by another embodiment of the present application. Detailed Embodiments

[0016] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below by referring to the accompanying drawings are exemplary only for explaining the present application and should not be construed as limiting the present application.

[0017] In order to enable those skilled in the art of this technology to better understand the solution of the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0018] Please refer to Figure 1 , which shows a schematic diagram of an intelligent ice maker 100 shown in an embodiment of the present application. The ice maker 100 includes a high-pressure container 10, a nozzle 20, a tray 30, and a refrigeration module.

[0019] The high-pressure container 10 is a container for containing a liquid. In the embodiment of the present application, the high-pressure container 10 is configured to contain a dissolved gas liquid, that is, a liquid in which air is dissolved.

[0020] The air pressure inside the high-pressure container 10 is usually greater than the external air pressure. For example, the air pressure inside the high-pressure container 10 can be between 3 and 6 standard atmospheric pressures. The high-pressure container 10 can be any geometric body, such as a cylinder, a cuboid, etc. In Figure 1 the embodiment, only the high-pressure container 10 being a cylinder is taken as an example for illustration. The material of the high-pressure container 10 can be a high-pressure resistant material, such as high-pressure resistant glass, high-pressure resistant alloy, etc.

[0021] The high-pressure container 10 includes an outlet 110 and an outlet pipe 120. The outlet pipe 120 passes through the outlet 110 and exposes on the surface of the high-pressure container 10. The outlet 110 and the outlet pipe 120 form an outflow path for the dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container 10.

[0022] The outlet 110 can be provided on the side wall or the top wall of the high-pressure container 10. The outlet pipe 120 passes through the outlet 110, and one end is provided inside the high-pressure container 10, and the other end exposes on the outer surface of the high-pressure container 10. Among them, the distance between the end of the outlet pipe 120 provided inside the high-pressure container 10 and the bottom wall of the high-pressure container 10 is less than a first predetermined distance. In this way, even if the liquid level of the dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container 10 is relatively low, it can be ejected smoothly. The first predetermined distance is set according to experiments or experience, for example, 0.2 cm.

[0023] In some embodiments, the high pressure container 10 further includes an air inlet 130, which is an inlet for allowing air to be injected into the high pressure container 10. The air inlet 130 may be disposed on a side wall or a bottom wall of the high pressure container 10. In some embodiments, the high pressure container 10 further includes a liquid inlet 140, which is an inlet for allowing liquid to be injected into the high pressure container 10. The liquid inlet 140 may be disposed on a side wall or a top wall of the high pressure container 10.

[0024] The nozzle 20 is detachably mounted on the end of the outlet pipe 120 exposed from the high pressure container 10, and the nozzle 20 is configured to allow the dissolved gas liquid contained in the high pressure container 10 to be sprayed out. The nozzle 20 is a food grade nozzle.

[0025] The nozzle 20 includes a nozzle body, a nozzle inlet and a nozzle outlet. The nozzle inlet and the nozzle outlet are arranged on different surfaces of the nozzle body, for example, the nozzle inlet and the nozzle outlet can be arranged on two opposite surfaces of the nozzle body, and for another example, the nozzle inlet and the nozzle outlet can be arranged on two adjacent surfaces of the nozzle body.

[0026] The nozzle inlet is connected to the end of the outlet pipe 120 of the high-pressure container 10, and the nozzle inlet is connected to the nozzle outlet through the output channel. In the embodiment of the present application, the nozzle outlet can be any shape, such as square, star, heart, circle, etc. In other embodiments, there are multiple nozzles 20, and the structures of different nozzles 20 are generally the same, but the shapes of the nozzle outlets are different. In this way, different shapes of shaped ice can be obtained by replacing the nozzle 20 connected to the outlet pipe 130.

[0027] In some embodiments, the nozzle body further includes a rotating shaft, and the nozzle outlet is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft, so that when the dissolved gas liquid is sprayed through the nozzle 20, the rotating shaft can be controlled to rotate to drive the nozzle outlet to rotate, so as to adjust the spraying direction, thereby obtaining shaped ice of different shapes. Optionally, the nozzle 20 further includes a first driving device, which is in driving connection with the rotating shaft to drive the rotating shaft to rotate.

[0028] The tray 30 is configured to hold ice particles formed by the dissolved gas liquid sprayed from the nozzle 20. The material of the tray 30 can be made of food-grade silicone or metal. Furthermore, the tray 30 is made of metal with good thermal conductivity, so that the efficiency of ice making and the efficiency of the ice cubes falling off the tray 30 can be improved.

[0029] In some embodiments, the tray 30 is disposed opposite to the nozzle outlet. In other embodiments, the tray 30 is disposed in the projection area of ​​the spray path of the nozzle 20 on a specified plane, where the specified plane is a plane perpendicular to the direction of gravity, so that ice particles formed by the dissolved gas liquid sprayed from the nozzle outlet will also fall into the tray 30 due to gravity.

[0030] In some embodiments, the tray 30 includes a first surface for holding the ice particles formed from the dissolved gas liquid ejected by the nozzle 20. Optionally, the first surface has a special texture, such as a granular texture, so that the shaped ice can easily fall off the tray 30.

[0031] Furthermore, the first surface includes recesses with a specified shape for holding the ice particles formed from the dissolved gas liquid ejected by the nozzle 20. When the ice particles accumulate in the recesses, shaped ice with the specified shape can be obtained. The specified shape can be any cartoon shape, animal shape, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. In some embodiments, there may also be multiple trays 30, and the first surfaces of different trays 30 have recesses with different shapes. In this way, different-shaped shaped ice can be obtained by replacing the tray 30. In other embodiments, the first surface of the tray 30 includes recesses for accommodating molds with different shapes. When the ice particles formed from the dissolved gas liquid ejected by the nozzle 20 accumulate in the molds, shaped ice with the corresponding shape is obtained. Therefore, different-shaped shaped ice can be obtained by replacing the molds in the tray 30.

[0032] Please refer to Figure 2 , which shows a schematic diagram of the tray 30 provided by an embodiment of the present application. In Figure 2 the embodiment, the tray 30 includes a tray body 310 and a base 320. The base 320 is disposed opposite to the tray body 310, and the tray body 310 includes a first surface.

[0033] The surface of the base 320 opposite to the tray body 310 is provided with a sliding track 3210, and the second surface of the tray body 310 facing away from the first surface is provided with a slider 3110. The slider 3110 moves on the sliding track 3220, driving the position of the tray body 310 to change. When the ice particles formed from the dissolved gas liquid ejected by the nozzle 20 fall, the position of the tray body 310 can be changed to change the accumulation position of the ice particles on the tray body 310, thereby obtaining shaped ice with different shapes.

[0034] The refrigeration module includes a first refrigeration unit 410, a second refrigeration unit 420, and a third refrigeration unit 430.

[0035] The first refrigeration unit 410 is disposed within the high-pressure container 10 and is configured to cool the dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container 10. The first refrigeration unit 410 may adopt thermoelectric refrigeration technology or refrigerant evaporator technology, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. Among them, thermoelectric refrigeration technology utilizes the Peltier effect to generate a temperature difference between two different conductors through an electric current to achieve refrigeration. Specifically, the electric current passes through the Peltier electrodes connected to the two different conductors, generating a temperature difference that causes heat to transfer from one conductor to the other. The refrigerant evaporator technology, on the other hand, achieves refrigeration through the flow of refrigerant in a closed circulation pipeline through processes such as evaporation, compression, condensation, and expansion.

[0036] The second refrigeration unit 420 is disposed at the nozzle 20 and is configured to cool the dissolved gas liquid to be ejected from the nozzle. Specifically, the second refrigeration unit 320 may be disposed on the side of the output channel of the nozzle 20 close to the nozzle outlet. The second refrigeration unit 420 may adopt thermoelectric refrigeration technology or refrigerant evaporator technology, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0037] The third refrigeration unit 430 is disposed on the tray 30 and is configured to maintain the tray 30 within a specified temperature range. Optionally, the specified temperature range is -10°C to -5°C. In this way, when the ice particles formed by the dissolved gas liquid ejected through the nozzle 20 accumulate on the tray 30, they will be further cooled and formed, so the tray 30 is also referred to as a low-temperature forming tray. The third refrigeration unit 430 may adopt thermoelectric refrigeration technology or refrigerant evaporator technology, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. In the embodiments of the present application, only the case where the third refrigeration unit 430 adopts refrigerant evaporator technology is taken as an example for illustration. In this way, after the subsequent shaped ice is formed, it can be detached from the tray 30 by means of refrigerant reflux.

[0038] In summary, the intelligent ice maker 100 provided by the embodiments of the present application includes a high-pressure container 10, a nozzle 20, a tray 30, and a refrigeration module. Among them, the nozzle 20 is arranged on the outlet pipe 120 of the high-pressure container 10. The tray 30 is used to hold ice particles formed by the dissolved gas liquid sprayed from the nozzle 20. The first refrigeration unit 410, the second refrigeration unit 420, and the third refrigeration unit 430 included in the refrigeration module are respectively arranged on the high-pressure container 10, the nozzle 20, and the tray 30. The dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container 10 is initially cooled by the first refrigeration unit 410, and the dissolved gas liquid is secondarily cooled by the second refrigeration unit 420 before being sprayed from the nozzle. In addition, after the dissolved gas liquid enters the external environment from the high-pressure container 10, the air dissolved in it diffuses, bringing a third cooling, forming ice particles, and finally accumulating on the tray 30 to obtain shaped ice. On the one hand, compared with the traditional ice-making scheme based on molds, the limitations of ice block shapes can be broken through, and more creative shaped ice can be obtained to meet personalized ice-making needs. On the other hand, since no mold is used in this scheme, there is no need for demolding. On the other hand, this scheme uses a segmented cooling scheme for ice-making, which can improve the manufacturing efficiency and save energy consumption compared with overall freezing ice-making.

[0039] Please refer to Figure 3 , which shows a schematic diagram of the intelligent ice maker 100 provided by another embodiment of the present application.

[0040] Different from Figure 1 the embodiment, the intelligent ice maker 100 further includes an air injection device 50 and an air inlet pipe 510. One end of the air inlet pipe 60 is connected to the air injection device 50, and the other end is connected to the air inlet 130 of the high-pressure container 10.

[0041] The air injection device 50 is configured to inject air into the high-pressure container 10, and the air here is food-grade air. The air inlet 130 and the air inlet pipe 60 form a passage for air to be injected from the air injection device 50 into the high-pressure container 10. The air injected by the air injection device 50 is used for preparing the dissolved gas liquid on the one hand and can be used to change the air pressure in the high-pressure container 10 on the other hand.

[0042] In other possible embodiments, the air injection device 50 may be an intelligent device independent of the intelligent ice maker 100.

[0043] Different from Figure 1In the embodiments, the difference is that the intelligent ice maker 100 further includes a control module 70. The control module 70 is electrically connected to the air injection device 50. The control module 70 is configured to control the operating parameters of the air injection device 50 based on the air pressure, temperature in the high-pressure container 10, and the volume of the dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container 10. The operating parameters of the air injection device 50 include at least one of the following: injection duration, injection rate, and injected air volume. The specific control process will be described in the method embodiments.

[0044] Different from Figure 1 the embodiments, the intelligent ice maker 100 further includes a liquid injection device 60 and a water inlet pipe 610. One side of the water inlet pipe 610 is connected to the liquid injection device 60, and the other end is connected to the water inlet 140 of the high-pressure container 10.

[0045] The liquid injection device 60 is configured to inject liquid into the high-pressure container 10. Here, the liquid is the liquid that has been filtered and purified to meet the experimental standards. The water inlet 140 and the water inlet pipe 610 form a passage for the liquid to be injected from the liquid injection device 60 into the high-pressure container 10.

[0046] In other possible embodiments, the liquid injection device 60 may be an intelligent device independent of the intelligent ice maker 100.

[0047] In some embodiments, the liquid injection device 60 is also electrically connected to the control module 70. The control module 70 is further configured to control the liquid injection device 60 to start injecting liquid, injection duration, injection rate, etc.

[0048] Different from Figure 1 the embodiments, the intelligent ice maker 10 further includes a stirring device 80. The stirring device 80 is also arranged in the high-pressure container 10. The stirring device 80 is configured to stir the liquid contained in the high-pressure container 10 so that air is fully dissolved in the above-mentioned liquid to obtain a dissolved gas liquid.

[0049] In some embodiments, when the air inlet 130 is arranged on the side wall of the high-pressure container 10, the intelligent ice maker 80 includes a stirring device 80. When the air inlet 130 is arranged on the bottom wall of the high-pressure container 10, the intelligent ice maker 100 does not need to be provided with a stirring device 80 because when air is injected from the bottom wall of the high-pressure container 10, the injected air will be evenly mixed in the above-mentioned liquid due to the existence of bubble movement and no stirring is required.

[0050] The stirring device 80 includes a second driving device and a stirring rod that is transmission-connected to the second driving device. The second driving device drives the stirring rod to rotate to achieve a stirring function. The second driving device can be arranged on the top wall of the high-pressure container 10, and the distance between the end of the stirring rod away from the second driving device and the bottom wall of the high-pressure container 10 is less than a second predetermined distance. The second predetermined distance is set according to experiments or experience, for example, 1 cm.

[0051] In some embodiments, the second driving device is also electrically connected to the control module 70, so that the control module 70 can control the working parameters of the second driving device to control the rotation speed of the stirring rod.

[0052] and Figure 1 The difference between the embodiments is that the intelligent ice maker 10 further includes a temperature detection device 90, which is disposed in the high-pressure container 10 and is configured to detect the temperature in the high-pressure container 10, thereby realizing real-time monitoring of the temperature in the high-pressure container 10. The temperature detection device 90 can be disposed on the bottom wall of the high-pressure container 10 or the side wall of the high-pressure container 10, so that the detection value of the temperature detection device 90 can more accurately reflect the temperature of the dissolved gas liquid. Optionally, there are multiple temperature detection devices 90, which are disposed at different positions of the high-pressure container 10, and the average of the detection values ​​of the multiple temperature detection devices 90 is used as the temperature in the high-pressure container 10, so that the detection of the temperature in the high-pressure container 10 is more accurate.

[0053] Optionally, the control module 70 is also electrically connected to the first refrigeration unit 410 and the temperature detection device 90. In this embodiment, the control module 70 is also configured to: obtain the volume of the dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container 10; obtain the detection value of the temperature detection device 90 as the current temperature; based on the volume of the dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container 10, the current temperature and the target temperature, control the working parameters of the first refrigeration unit 410, and the working parameters of the first refrigeration unit 410 include at least one of the following: refrigeration time, refrigeration power. The specific control process will be described in the method embodiment below.

[0054] In some embodiments, the smart ice maker 10 further includes an air pressure detection device (not shown in the figure), which is disposed in the high-pressure container 10 and is configured to detect the air pressure in the high-pressure container 10, so as to achieve real-time monitoring of the air pressure in the high-pressure container 10. The air pressure detection device may be an air pressure sensor, a barometer, etc. Optionally, there are multiple air pressure detection devices, which are disposed at different positions of the high-pressure container 10, and the average of the detection values ​​of the multiple air pressure detection devices is used as the air pressure in the high-pressure container 10, so that the detection of the air pressure in the high-pressure container 10 is more accurate.

[0055] Optionally, the air pressure detection device is also electrically connected to the control module 70 to report its own detection value to the control module 70 .

[0056] In some embodiments, the intelligent ice maker 10 may further include a volume detection device (not shown in the figure). The volume detection device is disposed within the high-pressure container 10 and is configured to measure the volume of the liquid contained in the high-pressure container 10. Optionally, the volume detection device is a liquid level sensor, which can measure the liquid level height within the high-pressure container 10. Based on the bottom area and the liquid level height of the high-pressure container 10, the volume of the liquid contained in the high-pressure container 10 can be calculated. Optionally, the volume detection device is a pressure sensor, which is disposed on the bottom wall of the high-pressure container 10. The pressure sensor can detect the pressure value it receives, and this pressure value can be used to calculate the volume of the liquid contained in the high-pressure container 10.

[0057] In some embodiments, the intelligent ice maker 100 further includes a housing (not shown in the figure). Figure 1 to Figure 2 All or part of the structure of the shown intelligent ice maker 100 is disposed within the housing.

[0058] Optionally, the housing includes a control panel (not shown in the figure). The control panel provides a variety of controls, and the user triggers the above-mentioned various controls to achieve interaction with the intelligent ice maker 100. Exemplarily, the above-mentioned various controls include but are not limited to: a start control, a shape setting control, a volume setting control, a water injection control, an air injection control, an air pressure setting control, a temperature setting control, and so on. The start control is used to trigger the intelligent ice maker 100 to start or stop ice making. The shape setting control is used to trigger the setting of the target shape of the shaped ice. The volume setting control is used to trigger the setting of the water injection volume. The water injection control is used to trigger the start or stop of water injection into the high-pressure container 10. The air injection control is used to trigger the start or stop of injecting air into the high-pressure container 10, and the air pressure setting control is used to trigger the setting of the air pressure within the high-pressure container 10. Optionally, the housing includes a display panel, which is used to display the ice making progress, fault codes, etc. of the intelligent ice maker 100. The control panel and the display panel can be integrated into one device, such as a touch display panel.

[0059] In some embodiments, the intelligent ice maker 100 may further include other structures, such as an ice basket for holding the shaped ice, a lever for detaching the shaped ice from the tray 30, a pressure relief device disposed on the high-pressure container 10, a wireless communication module, and so on. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0060] It should be noted that Figure 1 and Figure 3 the structure of the intelligent ice maker 100 shown in the embodiments is only for illustrative purposes and will not limit the actual structure of the intelligent ice maker 100.

[0061] In summary, the intelligent ice maker 100 provided by the embodiments of the present application is further provided with a stirring device 80. During the process of the air injection device 50 injecting air into the high-pressure container 10, the stirring device 80 is controlled to rotate so that the air can be more fully dissolved in the liquid. A temperature detection device 90 is also provided to realize real-time monitoring of the temperature in the high-pressure container 10. A gas pressure detection device is also provided to realize real-time monitoring of the gas pressure in the high-pressure container 10.

[0062] Please refer to Figure 4 , which shows a flowchart of an ice-making method provided by an embodiment of the present application. This method is applied to Figure 1 or Figure 3 the intelligent ice maker shown, and this method includes the following processes.

[0063] S401, prepare a dissolved air liquid in the high-pressure container.

[0064] The dissolved air liquid refers to a liquid in which air is dissolved. The gas pressure in the high-pressure container is greater than the external gas pressure. Optionally, the gas pressure in the high-pressure container is within a first gas pressure range, and the first gas pressure range is set according to experiments or experience. Exemplarily, the first gas pressure range is 3-6 standard atmospheres. For example, the gas pressure in the high-pressure container is 4 standard atmospheres. The gas pressure in the high-pressure container can be set by default by the intelligent ice maker or can be set by the user. For example, the control panel of the intelligent ice maker includes a gas pressure setting control. The user triggers the gas pressure setting control to set the gas pressure in the high-pressure container, and the control module adjusts the gas pressure in the high-pressure container according to the set value. For example, the air injection device is controlled to inject air into the high-pressure container to increase the gas pressure in the high-pressure container, and the pressure relief valve of the high-pressure container is controlled to open so that the air in the high-pressure container escapes to the outside, thereby reducing the gas pressure in the high-pressure container.

[0065] The intelligent ice maker injects a liquid that has been filtered and purified to meet food standards, and food-grade air into the high-pressure container. The above air is fully dissolved in the liquid, and thus a dissolved air liquid is obtained. The specific process of preparing the dissolved air liquid will be described in the following embodiments.

[0066] S402, control the first refrigeration unit provided in the high-pressure container to cool the dissolved air liquid.

[0067] The first refrigeration unit is used to cool the dissolved air liquid to a first temperature range, and the first temperature range is set according to experiments or via settings, such as 0°C - 4°C.

[0068] S403, control the dissolved air liquid to spray out from the nozzle. During the spraying process, the second refrigeration unit provided at the nozzle cools the dissolved air liquid to be sprayed out, and the ice particles formed by the dissolved air liquid sprayed out from the nozzle accumulate on the tray to form shaped ice.

[0069] During the spraying process, the second refrigeration unit provided in the nozzle cools the dissolved gas liquid to be sprayed. The second refrigeration unit is used to cool the dissolved gas liquid to be sprayed to a second temperature range, and the upper limit value of the second temperature range is less than or equal to the lower limit value of the first temperature range. Exemplarily, the second temperature range is -2°C - 0°C.

[0070] During the spraying process, it is necessary to control the outlet pressure of the nozzle to be maintained within a second air pressure range, and the upper limit value of the second air pressure range is less than the lower limit value of the first air pressure range. Exemplarily, the specified range is 0.2 - 1.5 standard atmospheres, such as 1 standard atmosphere. In this way, the speed and uniformity of the air overflowing from the dissolved gas liquid can be ensured, thereby affecting the size and shape of the ice particles.

[0071] During the spraying process, the flow rate of the nozzle can also be adjusted to control the flow rate of the dissolved gas liquid. Among them, according to the principle of fluid mechanics, the flow rate of the dissolved gas liquid can be calculated based on the diameter and flow rate of the nozzle outlet.

[0072] The dissolved gas liquid sprayed from the nozzle turns into a mixture, and the mixture accumulates on the tray to form shaped ice. The mixture includes ice particles and air molecules.

[0073] In an environment slightly below 0°C, solute particles (various air molecules in the air) will interfere with water molecules to form a regular ice crystal structure, keeping the water in a liquid state without freezing. Therefore, the dissolved gas liquid sprayed from the nozzle is below 0°C and unfrozen.

[0074] When the dissolved gas liquid flows out of the nozzle at a high speed into the atmospheric environment, combined with Bernoulli's principle, due to the sudden drop in pressure, the air dissolved in the dissolved gas liquid quickly escapes. This process can be regarded as an adiabatic expansion process. During the air escape process, heat is absorbed, further reducing the temperature of the liquid. And the tiny bubbles generated by the air escape are evenly distributed in the water droplets, changing the crystallization process of the water droplets and forming delicate and uniform ice particles. At this time, a mixture of ice particles and air bubbles is obtained. Exemplarily, according to the Joule - Thomson effect, for air (approximately a diatomic ideal gas with an adiabatic index of 1.4), when the pressure drops from (such as the pressure in a high - pressure container of 4 atmospheres) to (the nozzle outlet pressure of 1 atmosphere), the temperature change is calculated according to the gas state equation, and the temperature will drop from 0°C to -65°C. The significant drop in air temperature will absorb heat from the water, resulting in a drop in the water temperature. According to the principle of heat balance, the local temperature of the atomized droplets will drop by 3 - 5°C. At this time, the freezing point of water has returned to 0°C, so the droplets turn into ice.

[0075] The ice particles gradually accumulate and fuse on the low-temperature forming tray. Due to the presence of air bubbles, the ice particles are more tightly combined and form a unique internal structure, thus obtaining an edible ice and snow body with controllable shape and adjustable hardness. During the accumulation process, the shape, thickness and hardness of the modeling ice, the forming speed and the taste can be further adjusted by controlling the parameters such as the injection flow, angle and time.

[0076] In summary, the ice-making method provided in the embodiment of the present application first prepares dissolved gas liquid in a high-pressure container, the dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container is initially cooled by a first refrigeration unit, and the dissolved gas liquid is cooled by a second refrigeration unit before being sprayed out from a nozzle. In addition, after the dissolved gas liquid enters the external environment from the high-pressure container, the dissolved air escapes and causes a third cooling, forming ice particles, which are finally accumulated on a tray to obtain shaped ice. On the one hand, compared with the traditional ice-making scheme based on mold ice-making, it can break through the limitations of ice cube modeling and obtain more creative shaped ice to meet personalized ice-making needs. On the other hand, the present scheme does not use molds, so there is no need for demolding. On the other hand, the present scheme uses a segmented cooling scheme to make ice, which can improve manufacturing efficiency and save energy consumption compared with overall freezing ice-making.

[0077] Please refer to Figure 5 , which shows a flow chart of a refrigeration method shown in another embodiment of the present application. The method is applied to Figure 1 or Figure 3 The smart ice maker 100 shown in the figure includes the following process.

[0078] S501, injecting liquid into the high-pressure container.

[0079] The intelligent ice maker controls the liquid injection device-water inlet pipe-water inlet-high-pressure dissolved air water inlet passage to be turned on, and then injects liquid into the high-pressure container through the water inlet passage.

[0080] In some embodiments, the control panel of the smart ice maker includes a water injection control. When the user triggers the water injection control, the water inlet passage is opened, and the liquid injection device injects liquid into the high-pressure container. When the user triggers the water injection control again, the water inlet passage is disconnected, and the liquid injection device stops injecting liquid into the high-pressure container. The volume of liquid injected into the high-pressure container can be calculated based on the water injection rate and the water injection duration. The water injection duration is the time interval between two triggerings of the water injection control by the user. The control module records the corresponding timestamp each time the user triggers the water injection control, so as to calculate the water injection duration later.

[0081] In some other embodiments, the control panel of the intelligent ice maker includes a volume setting control. When the user triggers the volume setting control, the volume of the liquid injected into the high-pressure container can be set, and after a preset duration from the triggering of the volume setting control, the water inlet passage is controlled to conduct, and then the corresponding volume of the liquid is injected into the high-pressure container. The preset duration is set according to experiments or experience, such as 1 second. Among them, the process of the user triggering the volume setting control to set the volume of the liquid injected into the high-pressure container is specifically implemented as follows: the control module obtains the continuous triggering times of the volume setting control, and determines the volume of the liquid injected into the high-pressure container according to the continuous triggering times and the preset mapping relationship. The control module will count the triggering times of the volume setting control. If the duration between the next trigger and the current trigger is less than the preset duration, the count value is incremented by one. If the duration between the next trigger and the current trigger is greater than the preset duration, the current count value is obtained as the continuous triggering times. The preset mapping relationship includes the mapping relationship between different continuous triggering times and different volumes.

[0082] The temperature of the liquid injected by the intelligent ice maker into the high-pressure container can be normal temperature or within the third temperature range. The third temperature range is set according to experiments or experience, such as 2°C - 5°C.

[0083] S502. Obtain the volume of the liquid contained in the high-pressure container.

[0084] In some embodiments, after the intelligent ice maker finishes injecting the liquid into the high-pressure container, it can determine the volume of the injected liquid and store it locally. For example, calculate the volume of the liquid injected into the high-pressure container according to the water injection duration and the water injection rate, or use the volume set by the user as the volume of the liquid injected into the high-pressure container. At this time, the intelligent ice maker directly obtains the above stored value from the local as the volume of the liquid contained in the high-pressure container.

[0085] In some other embodiments, the intelligent ice maker obtains the detection value of the volume detection device and determines the volume of the liquid contained in the high-pressure container according to the detection value of the volume detection device. Optionally, when the volume detection device is a liquid level sensor, the intelligent ice maker obtains the detection value of the volume detection device, that is, the liquid level height, and calculates the volume of the liquid contained in the high-pressure container according to the above liquid level height and the bottom area of the intelligent ice maker. Optionally, when the volume detection device is a pressure sensor, the intelligent ice maker determines the volume of the liquid contained in the high-pressure container according to the detection value of the pressure sensor and the specified mapping relationship. The above specified mapping relationship can be a functional relationship or a chart representing the detection value of the pressure sensor and the liquid volume.

[0086] S503. Obtain the pressure and temperature inside the high-pressure container.

[0087] In some embodiments, a pressure sensor is provided inside the high-pressure container, and the control module obtains the detected value of the pressure sensor as the pressure inside the high-pressure container.

[0088] In some embodiments, a temperature detection device is provided on the high-pressure container, and the control module obtains the detected value of the temperature detection device as the temperature inside the high-pressure container.

[0089] S504. Determine the volume of air to be dissolved based on the volume, pressure, and temperature of the liquid contained in the high-pressure container.

[0090] According to Henry's law, at a specific temperature and pressure, the amount of air dissolved in a liquid can be calculated. Exemplarily, when the pressure of the high-pressure container is 4 atmospheres and the temperature inside the high-pressure container is 3°C, the Henry's constant of air in water is approximately 6000 atmospheres / mol. At this time, the mole fraction of air in water is 4 / 6000 atmospheres / mol. Therefore, approximately 0.037 mol of air is dissolved in 1 liter of water. Therefore, when the volume, pressure, and temperature of the liquid contained in the high-pressure container are all determined, the volume of air to be dissolved can be determined.

[0091] In some embodiments, the intelligent ice maker can also determine the volume of air to be dissolved based on the volume, pressure, temperature of the liquid contained in the high-pressure container, and the hardness requirement of the shaped ice. The hardness requirement of the shaped ice is negatively correlated with the volume of air to be dissolved. That is, the higher the hardness requirement of the shaped ice, the smaller the volume of air to be dissolved.

[0092] S505. Control the air injection device to inject air into the high-pressure container based on the volume of air to be dissolved to obtain a dissolved gas liquid.

[0093] The intelligent ice maker calculates the air injection duration based on the volume of air to be dissolved and a preset rate, and then controls the air injection device to inject air into the high-pressure container according to the air injection duration and the preset rate. The preset rate can be 0.1 - 0.3 cubic meters per hour to control the solubility and uniformity of air in the liquid. The air injection duration is the ratio between the volume of air to be dissolved and the preset rate. In this way, the air injection amount of the air injection device can be accurately controlled, avoiding the situation where the air pressure in the high-pressure container increases when the liquid cannot dissolve due to excessive air injection, or the situation where the air pressure in the high-pressure container decreases when the air in the high-pressure container dissolves into the liquid due to insufficient air injection.

[0094] In some embodiments, when the intelligent ice maker includes a stirring device, during the process of controlling the air injection device to inject air into the high-pressure container, control the stirring device to rotate at a preset speed. The preset speed can be 50 - 150 revolutions per minute to make the air fully dissolve in the liquid until the air dissolved in the liquid reaches a saturated state to obtain a dissolved gas liquid.

[0095] S506. Obtain the volume of the dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container.

[0096] In some embodiments, the intelligent ice maker can directly obtain the volume of the liquid contained in the high-pressure container as the volume of the dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container. In other embodiments, the intelligent ice maker can obtain the detection value of the volume detection device and calculate the volume of the dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container according to the detection value. For the specific process, reference can be made to S502, which will not be elaborated here.

[0097] S507. Obtain the current temperature and target temperature of the high-pressure container.

[0098] The target temperature is lower than the current temperature. The current temperature is also the current detection value of the temperature detection device. The target temperature is the temperature set based on the ice-making requirement, such as 0°C. The target temperature can be set by default by the intelligent ice maker or can be customized by the user.

[0099] S508. Control the operating parameters of the first refrigeration unit based on the volume of the dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container, the current temperature, and the target temperature until the difference between the detection value of the temperature detection device and the target temperature is less than a predetermined difference.

[0100] When the volume, current temperature, and target temperature of the dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container are all determined, the amount of heat required to lower the temperature of the dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container from the current temperature to the target temperature can be determined. For example, there is 1 liter of dissolved gas water in the high-pressure container, and to lower the temperature of the dissolved gas water from 3°C to 0°C, according to the heat calculation formula, the required heat is approximately 12,540 J.

[0101] The intelligent ice maker can determine the refrigeration power and refrigeration duration of the first refrigeration unit according to the volume of the dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container, the current temperature, and the target temperature. During the refrigeration process of the first refrigeration unit, the temperature inside the high-pressure container is periodically collected by the temperature detection device. When the difference between the detection value of the temperature detection device and the target temperature is less than the predetermined difference, the first refrigeration unit is controlled to stop refrigerating. The predetermined difference is set based on experiments or experience. During the refrigeration process of the first refrigeration unit, the water temperature inside the high-pressure container is monitored in real time by the temperature detection device and fed back to the control module to precisely adjust the power of the first refrigeration unit to ensure the stability of the water temperature and prevent local supercooling or excessive temperature fluctuations from affecting the properties of the dissolved gas liquid.

[0102] S509. Control the dissolved gas liquid to spray out from the nozzle. During the spraying process, the second refrigeration unit arranged on the nozzle cools the dissolved gas liquid to be sprayed out, and the ice particles formed by the dissolved gas liquid sprayed out from the nozzle accumulate on the tray to form shaped ice.

[0103] In summary, the ice-making method provided by the embodiments of the present application also accurately calculates the volume of air to be dissolved in the liquid based on the pressure, temperature in the high-pressure vessel, and the volume of the liquid contained in the high-pressure vessel, and then controls the air injection device, so as to accurately control the air injection volume of the air injection device, avoiding the situation where the air pressure in the high-pressure vessel increases when the liquid cannot dissolve due to excessive air injection, or the situation where the air pressure in the high-pressure vessel decreases when the air in the high-pressure vessel dissolves into the liquid due to insufficient air injection; it also controls the cooling duration, cooling power, etc. of the first refrigeration unit based on the air pressure, current temperature, and target temperature in the high-pressure vessel, so as to accurately control the temperature in the high-pressure vessel.

[0104] Please refer to Figure 6 , which shows the flowchart of the ice-making method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following processes.

[0105] S601, Prepare a gas-dissolved liquid in a high-pressure vessel.

[0106] The gas-dissolved liquid refers to a liquid in which air is dissolved. The air pressure in the high-pressure vessel is greater than the external air pressure.

[0107] S602, Control the first refrigeration unit provided in the high-pressure vessel to cool the gas-dissolved liquid.

[0108] S603, Control the gas-dissolved liquid to spray out from the nozzle.

[0109] During the spraying process, the second refrigeration unit provided at the nozzle cools the gas-dissolved liquid to be sprayed out, and the ice particles formed by the gas-dissolved liquid sprayed out from the nozzle accumulate on the tray to form shaped ice.

[0110] S604, During the process of controlling the gas-dissolved liquid to spray out from the nozzle, determine the rotation parameters of the rotating shaft based on the first target shape.

[0111] The first target shape can be default set by the intelligent ice maker or customized by the user.

[0112] The intelligent ice maker can obtain the rotation parameters corresponding to the first target shape based on the first mapping relationship. The rotation parameters include the rotation direction, rotation speed, etc. The first mapping relationship includes the mapping relationship between the shaped ice of different shapes and the corresponding rotation parameters, which can be obtained through experiments or calculations by technicians during the research and development of the intelligent ice maker and written into the storage module of the intelligent ice maker.

[0113] S605, Control the rotating shaft to rotate according to the rotation parameters to obtain the shaped ice of the first target shape.

[0114] When the rotating shaft rotates, the spraying direction at the nozzle outlet changes accordingly. At this time, the ice particles formed by the dissolved gas liquid sprayed from the nozzle accumulate at different positions on the tray, and then the shaped ice of the first target shape is formed.

[0115] S606. During the process of controlling the dissolved gas liquid to be sprayed from the nozzle, obtain the movement parameters of the slider based on the second target shape.

[0116] The second target shape can be set by default in the intelligent ice maker or can be customized by the user.

[0117] The intelligent ice maker can obtain the movement parameters corresponding to the second target shape based on the second mapping relationship. The movement parameters include movement speed, movement path, etc. The second mapping relationship includes the mapping relationship between the shaped ice of different shapes and the corresponding movement parameters, which can be obtained through experiments or calculations by technicians during the research and development process of the intelligent ice maker and written into the storage module of the intelligent ice maker.

[0118] S607. Control the slider to move on the sliding track according to the movement parameters to obtain the shaped ice of the second target shape.

[0119] When the slider moves on the sliding track according to the movement parameters, the direction of the tray relative to the nozzle outlet changes. At this time, the ice particles formed by the dissolved gas liquid sprayed from the nozzle accumulate at different positions on the tray, and then the shaped ice of the second target shape is formed.

[0120] In some other embodiments, the intelligent ice maker can also determine the target rotation parameters of the rotating shaft and the target movement parameters of the slider based on the third target shape during the process of controlling the dissolved gas liquid to be sprayed from the nozzle, control the rotating shaft to rotate according to the target rotation parameters, and control the slider to move on the sliding track according to the target movement parameters to obtain the shaped ice of the third target shape.

[0121] In summary, the ice making method provided by the embodiments of the present application also obtains the rotation parameters of the rotating shaft in the nozzle based on the first target shape, controls the rotating shaft to rotate according to the rotation parameters when the dissolved gas liquid is sprayed from the nozzle to obtain the shaped ice of the first target shape, and obtains the movement parameters of the slider in the tray based on the second target shape, controls the slider to move on the sliding track according to the movement parameters when the dissolved gas liquid is sprayed from the nozzle to obtain the shaped ice of the second target shape, realizes the shape customization of the shaped ice, and meets the personalized ice making requirements.

[0122] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present application, and there is no limitation to the present application in any form. Although the present application has been disclosed above with the preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present application. Any person skilled in the art can make some changes or modifications to equivalent embodiments by using the disclosed technical content within the scope of the technical solution of the present application. However, as long as it does not depart from the content of the technical solution of the present application, any brief modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiments according to the technical essence of the present application still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present application.

Claims

1. An intelligent ice maker, characterized in that, Comprising: A high-pressure container configured to hold a dissolved-air liquid, which refers to a liquid with air dissolved therein; the high-pressure container includes an outlet and an outlet pipe, the outlet pipe penetrates through the outlet and exposes on the surface of the high-pressure container, and the air pressure inside the high-pressure container is greater than the external air pressure; A nozzle detachably installed at the end of the outlet pipe that exposes outside the high-pressure container; the nozzle is configured to allow the dissolved-air liquid held in the high-pressure container to be ejected; A tray configured to hold ice particles formed by the dissolved-air liquid ejected from the nozzle; A refrigeration module, the refrigeration module includes a first refrigeration unit, a second refrigeration unit, and a third refrigeration unit; the first refrigeration unit is arranged on the high-pressure container and is configured to cool the dissolved-air liquid held in the high-pressure container; the second refrigeration unit is arranged on the nozzle and is configured to cool the dissolved-air liquid to be ejected from the nozzle; the third refrigeration unit is arranged on the tray and is configured to keep the tray within a specified temperature range.

2. The intelligent ice maker according to claim 1, wherein The intelligent ice maker includes an air injection device and an intake pipe; the high-pressure container includes an air inlet; one end of the intake pipe is connected to the air injection device, and the other end of the intake pipe is connected to the air inlet; The air injection device is configured to inject air into the high-pressure container.

3. The intelligent ice maker according to claim 2, characterized in that, The intelligent ice maker further includes a control module, and the control module is electrically connected to the air injection device; The control module is configured to control the working parameters of the air injection device based on the air pressure, temperature inside the high-pressure container, and the volume of the dissolved-air liquid held in the high-pressure container. The working parameters of the air injection device include at least one of the following: injection duration, injection rate, injected air volume.

4. The intelligent ice maker according to claim 1, wherein The intelligent ice maker further includes a stirring device, the stirring device is arranged in the high-pressure container, and the stirring device is configured to stir the liquid held in the high-pressure container to obtain the dissolved-air liquid.

5. The intelligent ice maker according to claim 1, wherein, The intelligent ice maker further includes a temperature detection device, and the control module of the intelligent ice maker is electrically connected to the temperature detection device and the first refrigeration unit respectively; The control module is further configured to: Obtain the volume of the dissolved-air liquid held in the high-pressure container; Obtain the detection value of the temperature detection device as the current temperature; Based on the Volume of the dissolved-air liquid held in the high-pressure container, the current temperature, and the target temperature, control the working parameters of the first refrigeration unit. The working parameters of the first refrigeration unit include at least one of the following: refrigeration duration, refrigeration power.

6. The intelligent ice maker according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The tray includes a first surface, and the first surface includes a recess with a specified shape, and the recess is used to hold ice particles formed by the dissolved-air liquid ejected from the nozzle.

7. The intelligent ice maker according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The tray includes a tray body and a base, the tray body is disposed opposite to the base, and the tray body includes a first surface; The base includes a sliding track, and a second surface of the tray body facing away from the first surface includes a slider, and the slider moves on the sliding track to drive the position of the tray body to change.

8. The intelligent ice maker according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The nozzle includes a nozzle body and a nozzle outlet. The nozzle body includes a rotating shaft, and the nozzle outlet is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft.

9. An ice-making method, characterized in that, Applied to the intelligent ice maker according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the method includes: Preparing a dissolved gas liquid in a high-pressure container. The dissolved gas liquid refers to a liquid in which air is dissolved, and the air pressure in the high-pressure container is greater than the external air pressure; Controlling a first refrigeration unit provided in the high-pressure container to cool the dissolved gas liquid; Controlling the dissolved gas liquid to be ejected from the nozzle. During the ejection process, a second refrigeration unit provided in the nozzle cools the dissolved gas liquid to be ejected, and the ice particles formed by the dissolved gas liquid ejected from the nozzle accumulate on the tray to form shaped ice.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The preparing the dissolved gas liquid in the high-pressure container includes: Obtaining the volume of the liquid contained in the high-pressure container; Obtaining the pressure and temperature in the high-pressure container; Determining the volume of air to be dissolved based on the volume of the liquid contained in the high-pressure container, the pressure, and the temperature; Controlling an air injection device to inject air into the high-pressure container based on the volume of air to be dissolved to obtain the dissolved gas liquid.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein The method further includes: During the process of controlling the air injection device to inject air into the high-pressure container, controlling a stirring device to rotate at a preset speed.

12. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The controlling the first refrigeration unit provided in the high-pressure container to cool the dissolved gas liquid includes: Obtaining the volume of the dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container; Obtaining the current temperature and the target temperature of the high-pressure container, and the target temperature is lower than the current temperature; Controlling the working parameters of the first refrigeration unit based on the volume of the dissolved gas liquid contained in the high-pressure container, the current temperature, and the target temperature until the difference between the detected value of the temperature detection device and the target temperature is less than a predetermined difference.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that The method further includes: During the process of controlling the dissolved gas liquid to be ejected from the nozzle, determining the rotation parameters of the rotating shaft in the nozzle based on a first target shape; Controlling the rotating shaft to rotate according to the rotation parameters to obtain shaped ice of the first target shape.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: During the process of controlling the dissolved gas liquid to be ejected from the nozzle, obtaining the movement parameters of the slider in the tray based on a second target shape; Controlling the slider to move on the sliding track according to the movement parameters to obtain shaped ice of the second target shape.

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