An evaporator assembly

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of evaporator assemblies, including sink and evaporator, the sink is equipped with spray frame and ice tray;The evaporator is reversibly installed on sink, evaporator is equipped with refrigerant cavity, refrigerant cavity is connected with refrigerant pipe assembly, evaporator is equipped with ice mould for making transparent ice and taste ice;The sink is equipped with driving device, driving device is used to drive evaporator reciprocatingly flips between first position and second position switching;When the evaporator flips to first position, ice mould is set to prepare transparent ice towards spray frame;When the evaporator flips to second position, ice mould is set to prepare taste ice towards sink ice tray.Prepare transparent ice and taste ice by reversible design to realize dynamic switching, effectively solve the problem that existing function is single, transparent ice and taste ice cannot be prepared simultaneously, and transparent ice and taste ice can be prepared simultaneously.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ice-making equipment technology, and more specifically, to an evaporator assembly. Background Technology

[0002] Ice makers, as common refrigeration equipment, use a refrigeration system to deliver refrigerant to an evaporator, cooling and solidifying water or beverages to form ice cubes. They are widely used in both home and commercial settings. Currently, household ice makers on the market are mainly divided into two categories: spray-type and immersion-type. Their core difference lies in the ice-making process and evaporator structural design. Spray-type ice makers use a water pump to continuously spray pure water onto the evaporator surface. The flowing water reduces air trapping during the freezing process, thus producing highly transparent ice, suitable for scenarios where high-quality ice is required. However, this type of equipment can only process pure water. When users try to use fruit juice, tea, or other flavored drinks containing solid particles or high sugar content, the small pipes and nozzles of the spray system are prone to clogging and scaling due to residue buildup, leading to frequent maintenance and a significantly increased failure rate, completely failing to meet the needs of flavored ice preparation. In contrast, immersion ice makers statically freeze various beverages directly into ice molds, allowing for the flexible creation of flavored ice. However, the static freezing process inevitably traps a large amount of air, resulting in dense air bubbles inside the ice, low transparency, and poor appearance, making it difficult to produce high-quality transparent ice. Both types of equipment use fixed evaporators, offering limited and isolated functions. A single device cannot switch between transparent and flavored ice preparation modes. Users needing to meet both ice-making requirements must purchase and maintain two separate systems, significantly increasing purchase costs and space requirements, and leading to low overall equipment utilization. Existing technologies, such as the small spray ice maker (publication number CN217464992U), while optimizing the pure water spray structure to improve transparent ice quality, still use a rigid, fixed evaporator design, unsuitable for beverage immersion processes and lacking ice-making mode switching functionality, severely limiting the device's applicability. Furthermore, mainstream ice evaporators on the market generally lack dynamic flipping mechanisms, resulting in weak functional expandability and an inability to achieve efficient switching between dual ice-making surfaces through structural innovation. In summary, existing ice-making equipment has significant shortcomings in terms of ice-making mode compatibility, equipment versatility, and user costs. There is an urgent need to develop an evaporator component with a flip-up feature to integrate the production capabilities of transparent ice and flavored ice, thereby overcoming the functional limitations caused by the fixed structure. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide an evaporator assembly capable of simultaneously producing transparent ice and flavored ice, thereby improving equipment versatility and reducing user costs.

[0004] This invention provides an evaporator assembly, including a water tank and an evaporator. The water tank is equipped with a spray rack and an ice-making tray. The evaporator is rotatably mounted on the water tank and has a refrigerant chamber connected to a refrigerant pipe assembly. The evaporator is equipped with ice molds for making transparent ice and flavored ice. The water tank is equipped with a driving device for reciprocating between a first position and a second position. When the evaporator is rotated to the first position, the ice mold faces the spray rack to prepare transparent ice; when the evaporator is rotated to the second position, the ice mold faces the ice-making tray in the water tank to prepare flavored ice.

[0005] Furthermore, the present invention also proposes that: the water tank is provided with a first mounting hole and a second mounting hole, and the evaporator is rotatably mounted between the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole; the water tank is provided with a guide groove, and the evaporator is provided with a connecting rod, which is slidably assembled inside the guide groove; when the evaporator is rotatably located in the first position, the connecting rod is slidably located at the first end limit of the guide groove; when the evaporator is rotatably located in the second position, the connecting rod is slidably located at the second end limit of the guide groove.

[0006] Furthermore, the present invention also proposes that: a first micro switch is installed at the first end of the guide groove, and a second micro switch is installed at the second end of the guide groove; the first micro switch is triggered when the connecting rod slides to the first end of the guide groove; and the second micro switch is triggered when the connecting rod slides to the second end of the guide groove.

[0007] Furthermore, the present invention also proposes: the spray rack is set below the evaporator, and the ice-making tray is set above the evaporator; when the evaporator is flipped to the first position, the ice mold faces downward to make ice; when the evaporator is flipped to the second position, the ice mold faces upward to make ice; the guide groove is a semi-circular arc groove structure adapted to the evaporator's 180° rotation.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention also proposes that: the first end of the evaporator is provided with a drive shaft, the drive shaft passes through the first mounting hole and is connected to the output end of the drive device for transmission, and a plurality of first bearings for reducing overturning friction are assembled between the drive shaft and the first mounting hole.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention also proposes that: a flat hole is provided inside the drive shaft, and a flat shaft is provided at the output end of the drive device, and the flat shaft is inserted into the flat hole to realize synchronous torque transmission.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention also proposes that: the second end of the evaporator is provided with a refrigerant channel communicating with the refrigerant cavity, a driven shaft is fixedly assembled in the refrigerant channel, the driven shaft passes through the second mounting hole and is movably connected to the refrigerant pipe assembly, and a plurality of second bearings for auxiliary rotation are provided between the driven shaft and the second mounting hole.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention also proposes that a first sealing ring for static sealing be provided between the driven shaft and the refrigerant channel.

[0012] Furthermore, the present invention also proposes that: the refrigerant pipe assembly includes a copper pipe, a refrigerant inlet pipe and a refrigerant return pipe, the copper pipe is rotatably connected to the driven shaft, the refrigerant return pipe is fixedly connected to the copper pipe, the refrigerant inlet pipe passes through the refrigerant return pipe and extends into the refrigerant cavity, and an annular return gap for refrigerant return is formed between the refrigerant inlet pipe and the refrigerant return pipe, thus constituting a coaxial refrigerant circulation structure.

[0013] Furthermore, the present invention also proposes that a second sealing ring for dynamic sealing of flipping is provided between the copper tube and the driven shaft.

[0014] As can be seen from the above, the evaporator assembly provided by the present invention includes a water tank and an evaporator. The water tank is provided with a spray rack and an ice-making tray. The evaporator is rotatably installed in the water tank and has a refrigerant chamber connected to a refrigerant pipe assembly. The evaporator is provided with ice molds for making transparent ice and flavored ice. The water tank is provided with a driving device for driving the evaporator to reciprocate between a first position and a second position. When the evaporator is rotated to the first position, the ice mold is facing the spray rack to prepare transparent ice. When the evaporator is rotated to the second position, the ice mold is facing the ice-making tray to prepare flavored ice. The rotatable design enables dynamic switching between transparent ice and flavored ice, effectively solving the technical problem of existing ice-making equipment having a single function and being unable to prepare both transparent ice and flavored ice. It can simultaneously prepare transparent ice and flavored ice, improving the equipment's versatility and reducing user costs. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the evaporator of the present invention; Figure 3 This is an assembly cross-sectional view of the evaporator and refrigerant pipe assembly of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the transparent ice state produced by the present invention; Figure 5 This invention produces a transparent three-dimensional image of ice. Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the first micro switch triggered by the transparent ice-state linkage of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view of the flavored ice produced according to the present invention; Figure 8 This is a three-dimensional image of the flavored ice produced by this invention; Figure 9 This is a cross-sectional view of the second micro switch triggered by the linkage in the flavored ice production process of this invention. Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of flipping the ice from a state of making transparent ice to a state of making flavored ice.

[0016] In the picture: 1. Evaporator; 101. Ice mold; 102. Refrigerant passage; 103. Drive shaft; 104. Connecting rod; 107. Refrigerant chamber; 108. Flat hole; 2. First sealing ring; 3. Driven shaft; 4. Copper pipe; 5. Second sealing ring; 6. Refrigerant inlet pipe; 7. Refrigerant return pipe; 8. First bearing; 9. Drive unit; 91. Flat shaft; 10. First micro switch; 11. Water tank; 111. Guide groove; 112. First mounting hole; 113. Second mounting hole; 12. Second micro switch; 13. Second bearing; 14. Spray rack; 15. Ice making tray. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The technical solution of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0018] Traditional ice-making equipment, whether spray-type or immersion-type, mostly uses fixed evaporators, resulting in a limited range of ice-making modes. Spray-type equipment excels at producing clear ice but cannot handle flavored drinks, and its pipes are prone to clogging. Immersion-type equipment can produce flavored ice, but the resulting ice cubes have poor transparency and lower quality. This means that a single unit cannot simultaneously meet the needs of producing both clear and flavored ice. Users requiring both types of ice need to purchase multiple units, increasing procurement costs and space requirements, and also resulting in low equipment utilization.

[0019] In this regard, combined with Figures 1 to 10 This invention proposes an evaporator assembly, including a water tank 11 and an evaporator 1. The water tank 1 contains a spray rack 14 and an ice-making tray 15. The evaporator 1 is rotatably mounted inside the water tank 11. The evaporator 1 contains a refrigerant chamber 107, which is connected to a refrigerant pipe assembly, providing a refrigerant circulation channel for ice-making heat exchange. Multiple ice molds 101 for making transparent ice and flavored ice are arrayed on the evaporator 1. A driving device 9 is mounted on the water tank 11, which drives the evaporator 1 to repeatedly rotate between a first position and a second position. When the evaporator 1 is rotated to the first position, the ice molds 101 face the spray rack 14 for making transparent ice; when the evaporator 1 is rotated to the second position, the ice molds 101 face the ice-making tray 15 of the water tank 11 for making flavored ice.

[0020] Transparent ice refers to ice blocks prepared by spraying pure water into ice mold 101 through spray rack 14. These ice blocks have fewer internal air bubbles and higher transparency, which can effectively improve the overall appearance of the beverage. Flavored ice refers to ice blocks made from various flavored beverages such as fruit juice and tea. These are poured into ice making tray 15 and cooled by ice mold 101, causing the beverage to freeze into ice blocks. These ice blocks retain the original flavor of the beverage and can enrich the drinking experience.

[0021] In this embodiment, asFigure 4 and Figure 7 As shown, the evaporator 1 adopts a rotating shaft structure and can be folded and assembled inside the water tank 11. Automated folding is achieved through a drive device 9. The refrigerant chamber 107 inside the evaporator 1 is a closed hollow channel, connected to the external refrigerant pipe assembly via a rotary joint. This allows it to adapt to the folding motion of the evaporator 1, ensuring that the refrigerant circulation is not affected by the folding action. The evaporator 1 has a flat box structure, with multiple uniformly sized ice molds 101 on its surface. The ice molds can be customized in shape and size according to usage requirements, adapting to the shaping needs of various flavored beverages. Compared to traditional separate ice-making structures, this solution integrates two ice-making functions into a single unit, eliminating the need for additional independent ice molds and heat exchange structures. This results in higher overall structural integration, fewer assembly steps, and effectively reduces the space occupied by the entire unit.

[0022] The drive device 9 on the water tank 11 is preferably a drive motor, which is connected to the evaporator 1 through a torque transmission structure to provide stable power for the 180° rotation of the evaporator 1, realizing automatic switching between the two ice-making modes. When the evaporator 1 is rotated to the first working position, the ice mold 101 is directly opposite the spray nozzle of the spray rack 14, and pure water can be sprayed in to prepare transparent ice. The flowing water further reduces air bubbles inside the ice cubes, ensuring the ice cubes are transparent. When the evaporator 1 is rotated to the second working position, the ice mold 101 is directly opposite the bottom of the ice-making tray 15, and the ice-making tray 15 containing the beverage descends and fits against the evaporator 1, completing the preparation of flavored ice. The mode switching is convenient and the functions are clearly distinguished. The two ice-making processes can be freely switched according to usage needs without changing the equipment or the pipeline structure, greatly improving the applicability and ease of use of the equipment.

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, the water tank 11 has a first mounting hole 112 and a second mounting hole 113 on its two side walls, respectively. The two ends of the evaporator 1 are respectively mounted between the two mounting holes, forming a stable flipping support structure. The inner side wall of the water tank 11 is provided with a guide groove 111. The guide groove 111 is a semi-circular arc groove structure adapted to 180° flipping. A connecting rod 104 is fixed to the side wall of the evaporator 1. The connecting rod 104 is slidably mounted inside the guide groove 111 and can slide smoothly along the arc groove trajectory. During the flipping process of the evaporator 1, the connecting rod 104 moves accordingly. When flipped to the first position, the connecting rod 104 is limited at the first end of the guide groove 111; when flipped to the second position, the connecting rod 104 is limited at the second end of the guide groove 111. The guide groove 111 realizes the constraint of the flipping trajectory and the precise limitation of the dual positions, ensuring accurate positioning for each flipping. The arc-shaped guide structure can effectively limit the radial offset and angular deviation during the flipping process of the evaporator, avoid the alignment offset of the ice-making surface, and ensure the uniformity and stability of ice formation.

[0024] The guide groove 111 is equipped with a first micro switch 10 and a second micro switch 12 at its two ends, respectively. Both micro switches are limit switches that can convert mechanical contact signals into electrical signals. When the connecting rod 104 slides to the extreme positions at both ends of the guide groove 111, it can press and trigger the corresponding micro switch. The equipment accurately determines the working position of the evaporator 1 by receiving the switch signals and automatically matches the corresponding transparent ice or flavored ice making program to achieve automated start-stop control. This triggering structure relies on the movement of the evaporator itself, requires no additional sensing components, and has a compact structure, precise triggering, and high operational stability.

[0025] A drive shaft 103 is fixedly mounted at the first end of the evaporator 1. The drive shaft 103 passes through the first mounting hole 112 and is connected to the output end of the drive device 9. Multiple first bearings 8 are fitted between the drive shaft 103 and the first mounting hole 112, which significantly reduces frictional resistance during the rotation process, ensuring smooth and uninterrupted rotation of the evaporator 1. Figure 2 As shown, a flat hole 108 is provided inside the drive shaft 103, and a corresponding flat shaft 91 is provided at the output end of the drive device 9. The flat shaft 91 and the flat hole 108 are plugged into each other to form an anti-rotation transmission structure, which can effectively prevent transmission slippage, ensure synchronous transmission of drive torque, and improve the accuracy and stability of the flipping action. This plug-in flat transmission structure is simple to assemble, has high transmission accuracy, can withstand frequent forward and reverse rotation conditions for a long time, has excellent fatigue resistance, and effectively extends the service life of the equipment.

[0026] The second end of the evaporator 1 is provided with a refrigerant channel 102 communicating with the refrigerant chamber 107. A driven shaft 3 is fixedly installed inside the refrigerant channel 102, and the driven shaft 3 can rotate synchronously with the evaporator 1. The driven shaft 3 passes through the second mounting hole 113 of the water tank 11 and is movably connected to the external refrigerant pipe assembly, allowing it to rotate relative to the fixed refrigerant pipe, adapting to the evaporator's rotation operation. Figure 4 and Figure 7 As shown, multiple second bearings 13 are installed between the driven shaft 3 and the second mounting hole 113 to further reduce rotational friction and provide stable support and precise positioning for the driven shaft 3. A first sealing ring 2 is installed between the driven shaft 3 and the fixed mating surface of the refrigerant channel 102. The first sealing ring 2 is a static sealing element that can fill the static mating gap, effectively preventing refrigerant leakage from the connection point, ensuring the airtightness of the refrigerant cavity 107, and ensuring the stable operation of the refrigeration system.

[0027] like Figure 3As shown, the refrigerant piping assembly includes a copper pipe 4, a refrigerant inlet pipe 6, and a refrigerant return pipe 7. The copper pipe 4 forms a rotatable connection with the driven shaft 3, while the refrigerant return pipe 7 is fixedly connected to the copper pipe 4 as a single unit, ensuring stable piping support. The refrigerant inlet pipe 6 passes through the refrigerant return pipe 7 and extends deep into the refrigerant cavity 107. An annular reflux gap is formed between the refrigerant inlet pipe 6 and the refrigerant return pipe 7, constituting a coaxial refrigerant inlet and outlet circulation structure. During operation, liquid refrigerant is transported to the evaporator 1 through the refrigerant inlet pipe 6 to complete heat exchange and evaporation. The gaseous refrigerant after heat exchange flows into the refrigerant return pipe 7 through the annular reflux gap and returns to the refrigeration system. The piping layout is compact and adaptable to the evaporator's flip-over operating mode. The coaxial piping structure effectively avoids the problems of easy tangling, bending, and interference with flip-over movement inherent in traditional split piping systems, resulting in a neat piping layout and higher space utilization.

[0028] A second sealing ring 5 is provided between the rotating mating surfaces of the copper tube 4 and the driven shaft 3. The second sealing ring 5 is a dynamic sealing element that can maintain a continuous sealing state as the driven shaft 3 rotates with the evaporator 1, effectively preventing refrigerant leakage under tilting conditions. It balances the equipment's rotational flexibility with overall sealing performance, significantly improving the equipment's operational reliability and service life. The dynamic and static dual sealing structures work together to achieve all-round sealing protection for both static fixed parts and dynamic rotating parts, completely solving the industry pain point of easy liquid and gas leakage in tilting evaporators during long-term operation.

[0029] This invention, through its structural design, overcomes the limitations of traditional fixed evaporators. It innovatively features a double-sided ice-making structure, allowing for 180° rotation to switch between two ice-making modes. A single device can simultaneously produce high-quality transparent ice and flavored ice, completely solving the problems of fragmented functions, low equipment utilization, and high operating costs associated with traditional equipment. Furthermore, this invention, through its arc-shaped guide limit, flat-position transmission, dual micro-switch positioning, and a dynamic-static dual-sealing structure, ensures precise evaporator rotation, stable operation, and reliable sealing. With high structural integration and strong practicality, it effectively optimizes the ice-making process and adapts to diverse household ice-making needs.

[0030] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other modifications under the guidance of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these modifications are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An evaporator assembly comprising a water tank (11) and an evaporator (1), characterized in that: The water tank (11) is equipped with a spray rack (14) and an ice-making tray (15). The evaporator (1) is rotatably mounted on the water tank (11). The evaporator (1) is provided with a refrigerant chamber (107), and the refrigerant chamber (107) is connected to a refrigerant pipe assembly. The evaporator (1) is provided with an ice mold (101) for making transparent ice and flavored ice. The water tank (11) is provided with a driving device (9), which is used to drive the evaporator (1) to reciprocate between a first position and a second position. When the evaporator (1) is flipped to the first position, the ice mold (101) is positioned toward the spray rack (14) to prepare transparent ice; When the evaporator (1) is flipped to the second position, the ice mold (101) is positioned toward the water tank (11) and the ice-making tray (15) to prepare flavored ice.

2. An evaporator assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water tank (11) is provided with a first mounting hole (112) and a second mounting hole (113). The evaporator (1) is rotatably mounted between the first mounting hole (112) and the second mounting hole (113). The water tank (11) is provided with a guide groove (111). The evaporator (1) is provided with a connecting rod (104). The connecting rod (104) is slidably assembled inside the guide groove (111). When the evaporator (1) is rotatably located in the first position, the connecting rod (104) is slidably located at the first end limit of the guide groove (111). When the evaporator (1) is rotatably located in the second position, the connecting rod (104) is slidably located at the second end limit of the guide groove (111).

3. An evaporator assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: A first micro switch (10) is installed at the first end of the guide groove (111), and a second micro switch (12) is installed at the second end of the guide groove (111). The first micro switch (10) is triggered when the connecting rod (104) slides to the first end of the guide groove (111); the second micro switch (12) is triggered when the connecting rod (104) slides to the second end of the guide groove (111).

4. An evaporator assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The spray rack (14) is located below the evaporator (1), and the ice-making tray (15) is located above the evaporator (1). When the evaporator (1) is flipped to the first position, the ice mold (101) faces downward to make ice. When the evaporator (1) is flipped to the second position, the ice mold (101) faces upward to make ice. The guide groove (111) is a semi-circular arc groove structure adapted to the evaporator (1) rotating 180°.

5. An evaporator assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first end of the evaporator (1) is provided with a drive shaft (103). The drive shaft (103) passes through the first mounting hole (112) and is connected to the output end of the drive device (9). A plurality of first bearings (8) for reducing overturning friction are assembled between the drive shaft (103) and the first mounting hole (112).

6. An evaporator assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that: The drive shaft (103) has a flat hole (108) inside, and the output end of the drive device (9) is provided with a flat shaft (91). The flat shaft (91) is inserted into the flat hole (108) to realize synchronous torque transmission.

7. An evaporator assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second end of the evaporator (1) is provided with a refrigerant channel (102) communicating with the refrigerant chamber (107). A driven shaft (3) is fixedly installed in the refrigerant channel (102). The driven shaft (3) passes through the second mounting hole (113) and is movably connected to the refrigerant pipe assembly. A plurality of second bearings (13) for auxiliary rotation are provided between the driven shaft (3) and the second mounting hole (113).

8. An evaporator assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: A first sealing ring (2) for static sealing is provided between the driven shaft (3) and the refrigerant channel (102).

9. An evaporator assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: The refrigerant pipe assembly includes a copper pipe (4), a refrigerant inlet pipe (6), and a refrigerant return pipe (7). The copper pipe (4) is rotatably connected to the driven shaft (3). The refrigerant return pipe (7) is fixedly connected to the copper pipe (4). The refrigerant inlet pipe (6) passes through the refrigerant return pipe (7) and extends into the refrigerant cavity (107). An annular return gap for refrigerant return is formed between the refrigerant inlet pipe (6) and the refrigerant return pipe (7), forming a coaxial refrigerant circulation structure.

10. An evaporator assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that: A second sealing ring (5) for flipping dynamic sealing is provided between the copper tube (4) and the driven shaft (3).

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