Ice maker

Abstract

The invention provides an ice maker which comprises a water tank, an ice barrel and a water supply pipe, the water tank is provided with a water storage cavity, a water outlet and an exhaust pipe, the water outlet and the exhaust pipe are communicated with the water storage cavity, the bottom end of the exhaust pipe and the bottom end of the water tank are arranged in a spaced mode, and the water outlet is lower than the bottom end of the exhaust pipe; the ice cylinder comprises an ice-making cavity and a water inlet communicated with the ice-making cavity, the height of the water inlet is lower than that of the bottom end of the exhaust pipe, and the bottom end of the exhaust pipe is within the height range of the ice-making cavity; and two ends of a water supply pipe are communicated with the water outlet and the water inlet. According to the ice maker provided by the invention, the water tank, the ice barrel and the water supply pipe form a communicating vessel, and the height in the ice barrel is controlled by using the exhaust pipe, so that the water tank continuously supplies water to the ice barrel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of refrigeration equipment, and particularly to an ice maker. Background Art

[0002] The working mode of an ice-making system usually consists of a water tank, a water supply pipe, and an ice-making space. The water tank transmits a certain volume of water to the ice-making space through the water supply pipe. After the ice-making is completed and the ice is removed, water is refilled again, making the ice-making process completed periodically, and it is impossible to achieve continuous water supply from the water tank and continuous ice-making in the ice-making space. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an ice maker. The water tank, ice cylinder, and water supply pipe form a communicating vessel structure, which can realize continuous ice-making of the ice cylinder by the water tank, and solves the problem in the prior art that only periodic ice-making can be achieved and continuous ice-making cannot be achieved.

[0004] In order to achieve one of the above-mentioned invention purposes, an embodiment of the present invention provides an ice maker, including:

[0005] A water tank, provided with a water storage cavity, an outlet and an exhaust pipe communicated with the water storage cavity. The bottom end of the exhaust pipe is spaced from the bottom end of the water tank, and the position of the outlet is lower than the bottom end of the exhaust pipe;

[0006] An ice cylinder, including an ice-making cavity and an inlet communicated with the ice-making cavity. The height of the inlet is lower than the bottom end of the exhaust pipe, and the bottom end of the exhaust pipe is within the height range of the ice-making cavity;

[0007] A water supply pipe, with both ends communicated with the outlet and the inlet.

[0008] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, in the height direction, the bottom end of the exhaust pipe is arranged close to the top of the ice-making cavity.

[0009] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the water supply pipe is provided with a valve for connecting or disconnecting the water supply.

[0010] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the ice-making cavity is a cylindrical cavity, and an ice outlet is further arranged at one end of the ice cylinder close to the top, and the ice outlet is communicated with the ice-making cavity;

[0011] The ice maker is further provided with a scraping screw, which is arranged in the ice-making cavity and includes a screw body and screw teeth. The screw teeth are spirally arranged from one end of the screw body to the other end.

[0012] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the ice cylinder is further provided with an ice guiding groove, the ice guiding groove is communicated with the ice outlet, and in the direction away from the ice outlet, the bottom of the ice guiding groove has a downward extension trend.

[0013] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, a ice scraping piece is further arranged at the top of the screw body, and the ice scraping piece rotates with the screw body to scrape the ice in the ice making cavity to the ice outlet to realize ice discharging.

[0014] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, an evaporation pipe is further included, and the evaporation pipe is arranged around the outside of the ice cylinder.

[0015] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, a first spiral groove is formed on the outside of the ice cylinder, the evaporation pipe is a spiral evaporation pipe, and the spiral evaporation pipe is arranged in the first spiral groove.

[0016] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the water tank is further provided with an inner shell penetrating through the water storage cavity, and the inner shell forms a receiving cavity;

[0017] At least part of the ice cylinder is arranged in the receiving cavity.

[0018] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, a second spiral groove corresponding to the first spiral groove is formed on the inner side of the inner shell, the spiral evaporation pipe is further arranged in the second spiral groove, and the first spiral groove and the second spiral groove are arranged on both sides of the evaporation pipe.

[0019] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, a water intake port is arranged at the bottom of the water tank.

[0020] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, a water pump and a return pipe are further included, the water pump is communicated with the water outlet and the water inlet, and the return pipe is communicated with the ice making cavity and the water storage cavity.

[0021] As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerant flow direction in the evaporation pipe is from top to bottom.

[0022] One or more technical solutions provided by the present invention have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0023] The water tank, the ice cylinder and the water supply pipe in the ice maker provided by the present invention form a communicating vessel structure. The water tank is provided with an exhaust pipe to balance the air pressure, and the bottom end of the exhaust pipe is within the height range of the ice making cavity of the ice cylinder. The communicating vessel structure is used to maintain the continuous water supply of the water tank to the ice cylinder. Description of the Drawings

[0024] Figure 1It is a schematic structural diagram of an ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 is Figure 1 the top view of the ice maker in

[0026] Figure 3 is Figure 2 the sectional view along line A-A in

[0027] Figure 4 is Figure 3 the enlarged view at C in

[0028] Figure 5 is Figure 2 the sectional view along line B-B in

[0029] Figure 6 is Figure 3 the schematic structural diagram of the scraping screw in

[0030] Figure 7 It is a schematic structural diagram of an ice maker according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 8 is Figure 7 the top view of the ice maker in

[0032] Figure 9 is Figure 8 the sectional view along line D-D in

[0033] Figure 10 is Figure 9 the enlarged view at E in

[0034] 1. Ice cylinder; 11. Ice-making cavity; 111. Inner wall of the cavity; 12. Water inlet; 13. Ice outlet; 14. Ice guide groove; 15. First spiral groove; 2. Water tank; 21. Water storage cavity; 22. Water outlet; 23. Exhaust pipe; 24. Water filling port; 241. Water filling plug; 25. Water connection port; 26. Inner shell; 261. Second spiral groove; 3. Evaporation pipe; 4. Water supply pipe; 41. Valve; 5. Scraping screw; 51. Screw body; 52. Screw teeth; 53. Ice scraping piece; 6. Driving mechanism; 7. Water pump; 8. Return pipe; 9. Thermal insulation layer; Detailed implementation manners

[0035] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0036] Spatial relative position terms used herein, such as "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., are for the purpose of facilitating description to describe the relationship of one unit or feature relative to another unit or feature as shown in the accompanying drawings. The spatial relative position terms may be intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation other than the orientations shown in the figures.

[0037] For example, if the device in the figure is flipped, the unit described as being "below" or "beneath" other units or features will be located "above" the other units or features. Thus, the exemplary term "below" can encompass both the upper and lower orientations. The device can be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or other orientations), and the spatially related descriptive terms used herein can be interpreted accordingly.

[0038] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the terms "installed", "connected", and "coupled" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0039] Moreover, it should be understood that although terms such as first, second, etc. can be used herein to describe various elements or structures, the objects described should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish these described objects from each other. For example, the first helical groove can be called the second helical groove, and similarly the second helical groove can also be called the first helical groove, which does not deviate from the protection scope of the present application.

[0040] An embodiment of the present invention provides an ice maker, as Figures 1-10 shown, including a water tank 2, an ice cylinder 1, and a water supply pipe 4 connecting the water tank 2 and the ice cylinder 1. The water tank 2 is provided with a water storage cavity 21, a water outlet 22 and an exhaust pipe 23 communicating with the water storage cavity 21. The bottom end of the exhaust pipe 23 is spaced from the bottom end of the water tank 2, and the position of the water outlet 22 is lower than the bottom end of the exhaust pipe 23; the ice cylinder 1 includes an ice making cavity 11 and a water inlet 12 communicating with the ice making cavity 11. The height of the water inlet 12 is lower than the bottom end of the exhaust pipe 23, and the bottom end of the exhaust pipe 23 is within the height range of the ice making cavity 11; both ends of the water supply pipe 4 are communicated with the water outlet 22 and the water inlet 12.

[0041] Specifically, as Figure 3 , 5As shown in FIGS. 9, the water outlet 22 is provided at the bottom end of the water tank, and the water inlet 12 is provided at the bottom of the ice cylinder 1 to facilitate water supply to the water tank and water inlet to the ice cylinder 1. The water tank 2 is further provided with a water filling port 24 through which a user can add water into the water storage cavity 21. The water filling port 24 is preferably provided at the top of the water tank for the convenience of the user to add water, and a water filling plug 241 is also provided at the water filling port 24. The exhaust pipe 23 is arranged against the inner wall of the water tank 2. Of course, the present invention does not limit the specific position of the exhaust pipe 23, and the exhaust pipe 23 can also be arranged in the water storage cavity 21 or against the outer wall of the water tank 2, or at other feasible positions.

[0042] Further, the water supply pipe 4 is provided with a valve 41 for connecting or disconnecting the water supply.

[0043] The water tank 2 and the exhaust pipe 23, the water supply pipe 4 and the ice cylinder 1 therein form a communicating vessel structure. During operation, first, the water supply of the water supply pipe 4 is disconnected through the valve 41, the water filling port 24 at the top of the water tank 2 is opened, water is added into the water tank 2, and after being filled, the water filling port 24 is sealed with the water filling plug 241 to keep the space above the water surface in the water storage cavity 21 closed, and the space above the water surface of the exhaust pipe 23 communicates with the atmosphere.

[0044] The valve 41 is opened to make the water supply pipe 4 in a communicating state. The water in the water tank 2 enters the ice cylinder 1 through the water supply pipe 4. The water level in the exhaust pipe 23 drops first. When the water level drops to the lowest line of the exhaust pipe 23 (i.e., the bottom end of the exhaust pipe 23), the water level in the exhaust pipe 23 will remain unchanged; thereafter, every time a drop of water is injected into the ice cylinder 1, a bubble will be sucked from the exhaust pipe 23 into the water storage cavity 21, cross the bottom end of the exhaust pipe 23, and supplement the closed air layer at the top of the water storage cavity 21 to keep the air pressure balance inside and outside the water storage cavity 21 until the liquid level in the ice cylinder 1 reaches the position of the bottom end of the exhaust pipe 23, and the water supply stops.

[0045] When the water in the ice cylinder 1 is made into ice, the ice is taken out of the ice cylinder 1, the ice making cavity 11 lacks water, and the water source is obtained from the water storage cavity 21 again through the water supply pipe 4. Under the action of the communicating vessel structure formed by the water tank 2 and the exhaust pipe 23, the water supply pipe 4 and the ice cylinder 1 therein, the water in the ice making cavity 11 is replenished to the same height as the bottom end of the exhaust pipe 23 again.

[0046] Preferably, as shown in FIGS. Figure 3 、 9 , in the height direction, the bottom end of the exhaust pipe 23 is arranged close to the top of the ice making cavity 11 so that as much water as possible is injected into the ice making cavity 11 to avoid waste of the space in the ice making cavity 11.

[0047] Of course, it is also possible not to disconnect the water supply pipe 4 through the valve 41, but to block the outlet of the ice cylinder 1, such as the ice outlet 13 described below, to prevent water from overflowing.

[0048] In some embodiments, the ice-making chamber 11 is a cylindrical cavity. An ice outlet 13 is further provided at one end of the ice cylinder 1 near the top. The ice outlet 13 is communicated with the ice-making chamber 11. The ice maker is further provided with a scraping screw 5. The scraping screw 5 is arranged in the ice-making chamber 11 and includes a screw body 51 and screw teeth 52. The screw teeth 52 are spirally arranged from one end of the screw body 51 to the other end.

[0049] Specifically, as Figures 3-5 shown, the ice cylinder 1 further includes a chamber inner wall 111 formed around the ice-making chamber 11. The ice outlet 13 is arranged on the side of one end of the ice cylinder 1 near the top and passes through the chamber inner wall 111. A water passing hole (not shown) is provided at one end of the screw teeth 52 close to the screw body 51 for water flow to pass through. The rotation of the screw body 51 drives the rotation of the screw teeth 52. The screw teeth 52 push the ice in the ice-making chamber 11. The end of the screw teeth 52 far from the screw body 51 scrapes the ice formed on the chamber inner wall 111 from the chamber inner wall 111 to form ice sand.

[0050] Furthermore, the ice cylinder 1 is further provided with an ice guiding groove 14. The ice guiding groove 14 is communicated with the ice outlet 13. In the direction away from the ice outlet 13, the bottom of the ice guiding groove 14 gradually extends downward. Specifically, the cross-section of the ice guiding groove 14 is in a C shape. One end of the ice guiding groove 14 close to the ice outlet 13 is flush with the bottom of the ice outlet 13. At the end far from the ice outlet 13, the bottom of the ice guiding groove 14 is gradually inclined downward to accelerate ice discharging.

[0051] Figures 1-6 In the ice maker shown in Figure 9 , the settings of the ice outlet 13 and the ice guiding groove 14 are applicable to making ice sand. When making ice popsicles, the ice outlet 13 is opened at the top end of the ice cylinder 1, and no scraping screw 5 is arranged in the ice-making chamber 11 to obtain a complete ice popsicle, as

[0052] shown. Figure 6 Furthermore, as

[0053] shown, a ice peeling piece 53 is further provided at the top of the screw body 51. The ice peeling piece 53 rotates with the screw body 51 to peel the ice in the ice-making chamber 11 to the ice outlet 13 to achieve ice discharging. Every time the screw body 51 rotates one week, it will drive the ice peeling piece 53 to dial the ice sand scraped off by the screw teeth 52 and delivered upward into the ice guiding groove 14.

[0053] With the rotation of the scraping screw 5, ice sand is continuously discharged from the ice-making chamber 11, causing the liquid level in the ice-making chamber 11 to drop. The water tank 2 will replenish water to the ice-making chamber 11 through the aforementioned communicating vessel structure. Correspondingly, an equal amount of air will enter the upper air layer of the water storage chamber 21 at the exhaust pipe 23, always keeping the water levels at the bottom ends of the ice cylinder 1 and the exhaust pipe 23 unchanged during the ice-making process, so as to ensure continuous ice-making of the ice cylinder 1.

[0054] In some embodiments, the ice maker provided by the present invention further includes a driving mechanism 6. The driving mechanism 6 can be a motor or the like. The driving mechanism 6 is connected to the screw body 51 to drive the scraping screw 5 to rotate, so that the screw teeth 52 scrape the ice on the inner wall 111 of the ice-making cavity 11 to form ice sand, and deliver the ice sand.

[0055] In some embodiments, the ice maker provided by the present invention further includes an evaporation tube 3. The evaporation tube 3 is arranged around the outside of the ice cylinder 1, so that the contact area between the evaporation tube 3 and the ice cylinder 1 is relatively large, increasing the cold conduction efficiency and enabling more cold to be transferred into the ice-making cavity 11.

[0056] Preferably, a first spiral groove 15 is formed on the outside of the ice cylinder 1, and the evaporation tube 3 is a spiral evaporation tube 3. The spiral evaporation tube 3 is arranged in the first spiral groove 15. The setting of the first spiral groove 15 makes the contact area between the evaporation tube 3 and the ice cylinder 1 larger, further increasing the cold conduction efficiency.

[0057] In some embodiments, as Figures 3-5 shown, the water tank 2 is further provided with an inner shell 26 penetrating through the water storage cavity 21. The inner shell 26 forms a receiving cavity; at least part of the ice cylinder 1 is arranged in the receiving cavity, that is, the evaporation tube 3 is arranged between the ice cylinder 1 and the inner wall of the receiving cavity. The ice cylinder 1 is arranged to penetrate through the water tank 2, so that while the evaporation tube 3 cools the water in the ice-making cavity 11 to obtain ice, the excess cold is transferred to the water in the water tank 2, reducing the temperature of the water in the water tank 2 to form ice water, avoiding the loss of cold to the outside, greatly improving the utilization rate of the cold source of the ice cylinder 1, making ice and cooling water simultaneously while making ice, and the user does not need to additionally install a set of cooling water device.

[0058] Preferably, a second spiral groove 261 corresponding to the first spiral groove 15 is formed on the inner side of the inner shell 26. The spiral evaporation tube 3 is also arranged in the second spiral groove 261. The first spiral groove 15 and the second spiral groove 261 are arranged on both sides of the evaporation tube 3. As Figure 3 、 4 shown, the first spiral groove 15 is arranged on the inner side of the evaporation tube 3, and the second spiral groove 261 is arranged on the outer side of the evaporation tube 3. The setting of the second spiral groove 261 on the inner shell 2,6 increases the contact area between the evaporation tube 3 and the inner shell 26, also increasing the cold conduction efficiency of the evaporation tube 3 to the water in the water tank 2, effectively utilizing the cold of the evaporation tube 3, and avoiding the loss of cold from the gap between the evaporation tube 3 and the inner shell 26 to the outside atmosphere.

[0059] More preferably, a water intake is provided at the bottom of the water tank 2. When the user needs cold water, the user can open the water intake at the bottom to obtain cold water, which is convenient and fast to receive cold water.

[0060] Further, in some embodiments, the ice maker further includes a water pump 7 and a water return pipe 8. The water pump 7 is connected to the water outlet 22 and the water inlet 12, and the water return pipe 8 connects the ice making chamber 11 and the water storage chamber 21. The ice cylinder 1 penetrates through the water tank 2 so that the water tank 2 can obtain cold from the evaporation pipe 3 that cools the ice cylinder 1 to produce cold water. However, there is a possibility that the water in the water supply pipe 4 or even the water storage chamber 21 may be frozen. The ice making chamber 11 and the water storage chamber 21 are also connected by the water return pipe 8, which can cause the water in the water tank 2 and the water in the ice cylinder 1 to circulate. A water pump 7 is provided between the water outlet 22 of the water tank 2 and the water inlet 12 of the ice cylinder 1. Turning on the water pump 7 can accelerate the circulation, increase the water flow rate, and avoid freezing.

[0061] As Figures 1-6 the embodiment in which the aforementioned ice cylinder 1 is disposed in the water tank 2 so that the evaporation pipe 3 can also cool the water in the water tank 2. In addition, the ice maker provided by the present invention also includes another embodiment, as Figures 7-10 shown, the water tank 2 and the ice cylinder 1 are separately arranged. Different from the way that the ice cylinder 1 is disposed in the water tank 2, Figures 7-10 the water tank 2 of the ice maker shown does not need to be provided with an inner shell 26, but a heat insulation layer 9 is provided outside the evaporation pipe 3 to avoid heat loss. Compared with the case where the ice cylinder 1 is disposed in the water tank 2, when the water tank 2 and the ice cylinder 1 are separately arranged, the temperature difference between the water in the water tank 2 and the water in the ice cylinder 1 is relatively large, and the probability of the ice cylinder 1 freezing is relatively small. Therefore, when the water tank 2 and the ice cylinder 1 are separately arranged, a water pump and a water return pipe are not provided. Of course, they can also be provided according to needs.

[0062] Specifically, Figure 9 the ice outlet 13 shown is located at the top of the ice cylinder 1 and is used for discharging ice when making ice pops. Therefore, the scraping screw 5, the ice peeling piece 53, the driving mechanism 6, etc. are not provided, but they can also be arranged according to the aforementioned structure, which will not be elaborated here.

[0063] Further, the refrigerant in the evaporation pipe 3 flows from top to bottom, so that the top of the ice cylinder 1 preferentially obtains cold and starts to cool. Since the ice outlet 13 is provided at the top, compared with the case where the refrigerant flows from bottom to top, the top preferentially obtaining cold can reduce the ice making and ice discharging time.

[0064] It should be understood that although this specification is described according to embodiments, not every embodiment only includes an independent technical solution. This narrative way of the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0065] The series of detailed descriptions listed above are only specific descriptions of the feasible implementation modes of the present invention, and they are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any equivalent implementation modes or changes made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ice maker, characterized in that, Comprising: A water tank, provided with a water storage cavity, a water outlet and an exhaust pipe communicated with the water storage cavity. The bottom end of the exhaust pipe is spaced from the bottom end of the water tank, and the position of the water outlet is lower than the bottom end of the exhaust pipe; An ice cylinder, comprising an ice making cavity and a water inlet communicated with the ice making cavity. The height of the water inlet is lower than the bottom end of the exhaust pipe, and the bottom end of the exhaust pipe is within the height range of the ice making cavity; A water supply pipe, with both ends communicated with the water outlet and the water inlet.

2. The ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the height direction, the bottom end of the exhaust pipe is arranged close to the top of the ice making cavity.

3. The ice maker according to claim 1, wherein The water supply pipe is provided with a valve for connecting or disconnecting the water supply.

4. The ice maker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The ice making cavity is a cylindrical cavity, and an ice outlet is further arranged at one end of the ice cylinder close to the top. The ice outlet is communicated with the ice making cavity; The ice maker is further provided with a scraping screw, which is arranged in the ice making cavity and comprises a screw body and screw teeth. The screw teeth are spirally arranged from one end of the screw body to the other end.

5. The ice maker according to claim 4, characterized in that, The ice cylinder is further provided with an ice guiding groove, which is communicated with the ice outlet. In the direction away from the ice outlet, the bottom of the ice guiding groove has a tendency to extend downward.

6. The ice maker according to claim 4, characterized in that, A ice scraping piece is further arranged at the top of the screw body. The ice scraping piece rotates with the screw body to scrape the ice in the ice making cavity to the ice outlet to realize ice discharging.

7. The ice maker according to claim 4, wherein, It further comprises an evaporation pipe, which is arranged around the outside of the ice cylinder.

8. The ice maker according to claim 7, wherein A first spiral groove is formed on the outside of the ice cylinder. The evaporation pipe is a spiral evaporation pipe, and the spiral evaporation pipe is arranged in the first spiral groove.

9. The ice maker according to claim 8, characterized in that, The water tank is further provided with an inner shell penetrating through the water storage cavity, and the inner shell forms a containing cavity; At least part of the ice cylinder is arranged in the containing cavity.

10. The ice maker according to claim 9, characterized in that, A second spiral groove corresponding to the first spiral groove is formed on the inner side of the inner shell. The spiral evaporation pipe is also arranged in the second spiral groove. The first spiral groove and the second spiral groove are arranged on both sides of the evaporation pipe.

11. The ice maker according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, A water taking port is arranged at the bottom of the water tank.

12. The ice maker according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, It further comprises a water pump and a return pipe. The water pump is communicated with the water outlet and the water inlet, and the return pipe is communicated with the ice making cavity and the water storage cavity.

13. The ice maker according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that, The refrigerant flow direction in the evaporation pipe is from top to bottom.

Images