Spherical ice mold convenient for ice ball demolding for ice maker

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the technical field of ice molds of ice makers, and discloses a spherical ice mold convenient for ice ball demolding for an ice maker, which comprises a water tank and a refrigeration chamber fixed at the lower part of the water tank, an upper spherical mold is fixedly arranged at the lower end of a through hole at the bottom of the water tank, and the lower spherical mold and the upper spherical mold both comprise shell plastics. An adhesive layer is fixedly arranged on the inner wall of the plastic shell, an electric heating piece is fixedly arranged on the inner wall of the adhesive layer, a metal layer is fixedly arranged on the inner wall of the electric heating piece, a silica gel layer is fixed to the inner wall of the metal layer in a glued mode, and the silica gel layer of the lower spherical mold and the silica gel layer of the upper spherical mold can be spliced to form a spherical cavity. The shell plastic, the adhesive layer and the metal layer are located on the same plane. The surfaces of the ice balls can be melted into water to a certain extent through heating of the electric heating pieces, then the ice balls are separated from the upper spherical mold body and the lower spherical mold body, the rapid demolding effect is achieved, and the bonding situation is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of ice molds for ice makers, in particular to a spherical ice mold for ice makers which is convenient for ice balls to be demoulded. Background Art

[0002] Ice maker ball mold is a mold used to make spherical ice cubes. Ice maker ball mold belongs to the main structure of ice maker. Its principle is usually to inject liquid water or other suitable liquid into the mold, and then put it into a freezing environment, so that the liquid solidifies in the mold and becomes spherical ice cubes.

[0003] The existing spherical mold structure only has an outer shell and silicone fixed on the inner wall. After the ice ball is formed, when the lower spherical mold is separated from the upper spherical mold, the internal ice ball will adhere to the inner wall of the lower spherical mold or the upper spherical mold, making it difficult to demold the ice ball, affecting subsequent ice making. At the same time, manual operation is required to remove it, which is very troublesome. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to solve the problems raised in the above background technology, the utility model provides a spherical ice mold for an ice maker, which is convenient for ice balls to be demoulded, and has the advantages that the ice balls can be automatically separated from the mold without being adhered to the mold.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the utility model provides the following technical solution: a spherical ice mold for an ice maker that is convenient for demoulding an ice ball, comprising a water tank and a refrigeration chamber fixed at the lower part of the water tank, wherein an upper spherical mold is fixed at the lower end of a through hole at the bottom of the water tank;

[0006] A motor is provided inside the refrigeration chamber for driving the lower spherical mold to rotate, the lower spherical mold and the upper spherical mold fit each other and can form a spherical cavity for making ice balls, and the lower spherical mold and the upper spherical mold have the same structural composition;

[0007] The lower spherical mold and the upper spherical mold both include a shell plastic, an adhesive layer is fixedly provided on the inner wall of the shell plastic, a heating plate is fixedly provided on the inner wall of the adhesive layer, a metal layer is fixedly provided on the inner wall of the heating plate, a silicone layer is glued and fixed to the inner wall of the metal layer, the silicone layer of the lower spherical mold and the silicone layer of the upper spherical mold can be spliced ​​into a spherical cavity, the end face of the silicone layer protrudes from the end face of the shell plastic, and the shell plastic, the adhesive layer and the metal layer are located in the same plane.

[0008] Preferably, the lower spherical mold further comprises a plurality of slots evenly arranged on the inner wall of the metal layer, and T-shaped columns are fixedly inserted in the plurality of slots.

[0009] Preferably, the silicone layer is provided with a plurality of T-shaped slots on one side of the metal layer for plugging and fixing with T-shaped columns.

[0010] Preferably, the outer shell plastic, adhesive layer, metal layer and silicone layer of the lower spherical mold correspond one-to-one and abut against the outer shell plastic, adhesive layer, metal layer and silicone layer of the upper spherical mold.

[0011] Preferably, a fixing frame for fixing the motor is fixedly disposed in the inner cavity of the refrigeration chamber, which is located obliquely below the lower spherical mold.

[0012] Preferably, the output shaft of the motor is fixedly provided with a connecting rod fixedly connected to the lower end of the lower spherical mold.

[0013] Preferably, a connecting ring is fixedly provided at the opening in the middle of the upper end of the upper spherical mold, the connecting ring is embedded in the through hole at the bottom of the water tank, and the upper end surface of the connecting ring is flush with the bottom of the water tank.

[0014] Preferably, a pumping mechanism is fixedly provided at the bottom of the water tank, and the pumping mechanism comprises a pumping pipe, and one end of the pumping pipe is located in the middle of the connecting ring.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the utility model are as follows:

[0016] 1. When the electric heater is powered on and generates heat, part of the heat is directly transferred to the silicone layer through the metal layer to the surface of the ice ball. At the same time, the metal layer of the upper spherical mold and the metal layer of the lower spherical mold are evenly heated, thereby evenly heating the silicone layer. Then another part of the heat is transferred to the T-column through the metal layer, so that the heat is transferred to the silicone layer, which further heats up the silicone layer, causing the surface of the ice ball to melt and separate from the upper spherical mold and the lower spherical mold. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the axonometric structure of the ice-making module of the utility model;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a front view of the interior of the ice-making module of the utility model;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the explosion structure of the upper spherical mold and the lower spherical mold of the utility model;

[0020] Figure 4 The utility model is Figure 3 A magnified schematic diagram of point A;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the upper spherical mold and the lower spherical mold of the utility model;

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between the T-shaped column and the T-shaped slot of the utility model;

[0023] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the explosion of the T-shaped column, T-shaped groove and silicone layer of the utility model.

[0024] In the figure: 1. water tank; 2. refrigeration chamber; 3. pumping mechanism; 4. connecting ring; 5. motor; 6. connecting rod;

[0025] 7. lower spherical mold; 71. silicone layer; 72. metal layer; 73. heating plate; 74. adhesive layer; 75. outer shell plastic; 76. T-shaped column; 77. T-shaped slot; 78. slot;

[0026] 8. Upper spherical mold; 9. Fixed frame. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0028] The device is also provided with an ice maker, in which an ice making mechanism is provided. The ice making mechanism is prior art, and how to make ice is not described in detail. A lower spherical mold 7 and an upper spherical mold 8 are provided in the ice making mechanism to make spherical ice balls.

[0029] Embodiment 1

[0030] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, the utility model provides a spherical ice mold for an ice maker that is easy to demould ice balls, including a water tank 1 and a refrigeration chamber 2 fixed at the lower part of the water tank 1. The outer walls of the water tank 1 and the refrigeration chamber 2 are both fixed with insulation plates. At the same time, the connection between the water tank 1 and the refrigeration chamber 2 is also provided with an insulation plate to prevent the low temperature of the refrigeration chamber 2 from being transmitted to the water tank 1, resulting in a decrease in the water temperature inside the water tank 1, which affects the production of ice balls.

[0031] A connecting ring 4 is fixedly provided at the opening in the middle of the upper end of the upper spherical mold 8. The connecting ring 4 is made of the same material as the outer shell plastic 75. The connecting ring 4 is embedded and fixed in the through hole at the bottom of the water tank 1. The top of the refrigeration chamber 2 is also provided with an opening connected to the through hole at the bottom of the water tank 1. The installation method is that the upper spherical mold 8 and the connecting ring 4 at the top are inserted into the through hole at the bottom of the water tank 1 from the through hole at the bottom of the water tank 1, and the top of the upper spherical mold 8 is fixed to the top of the refrigeration chamber 2. At the same time, the insulation layer abuts against the surface of the upper spherical mold 8 to achieve the effect of thermal insulation. The upper end surface of the connecting ring 4 is flush with the bottom of the water tank 1 and will not affect the flow of water inside the water tank 1 into the spherical cavity. The gap between the side of the connecting ring 4 and the through hole at the bottom of the water tank 1 needs to be filled or the connecting ring 4 and the through hole at the bottom of the water tank 1 are interference fit to avoid the formation of a gap to accommodate pollutants.

[0032] like Figure 2As shown, a fixing frame 9 is fixedly disposed in the inner cavity of the refrigeration chamber 2 at an angle below the lower spherical mold 7. The fixing frame 9 is fixed to the mounting end of the motor 5 by bolts. A connecting rod 6 is fixedly disposed on the output shaft of the motor 5. One end of the connecting rod 6 is welded and fixed to the lower end of the lower spherical mold 7. The lower spherical mold 7 and the upper spherical mold 8 fit together and can form a spherical cavity for making an ice ball. The lower spherical mold 7 and the upper spherical mold 8 have the same structural composition.

[0033] like Figure 3-6 As shown, the lower spherical mold 7 and the upper spherical mold 8 both include a shell plastic 75. The shell plastic 75 is made of hard plastic and is for food use. The material can be directly adopted in the prior art and will not be described in detail. An adhesive layer 74 is fixed to the inner wall of the shell plastic 75. The adhesive layer 74 and the inner wall of the adhesive layer 74 are glued and fixed with an electric heating plate 73. The electric heating plate 73 is preferably a thin sheet type, which can change its shape and can be shaped, so as to better fit and fix with the metal layer 72. The electric heating plate 73 can be symmetrically fixed on both sides of the metal layer 72 of the lower spherical mold 7 and the metal layer 72 of the upper spherical mold 8.

[0034] The inner wall of the electric heating plate 73 is glued with a metal layer 72, and the metal layer 72 is preferably made of copper with good thermal conductivity. It should be noted that the glue used in the gluing and fixing method adopted by the present device is low-temperature resistant glue. The inner wall of the metal layer 72 is glued and fixed with a silicone layer 71, and the silicone layer 71 has a certain thickness. When water becomes ice, its volume increases and can squeeze the silicone layer 71. The silicone layer 71 of the lower spherical mold 7 and the silicone layer 71 of the upper spherical mold 8 are squeezed against each other and spliced ​​into a spherical cavity. The end faces of the silicone layer 71 protrude from the end faces of the outer shell plastic 75 of the lower spherical mold 7 and the end faces of the outer shell plastic 75 of the upper spherical mold 8, and the protruding distance is 0.5 to 2 mm, which is determined according to the volume of the lower spherical mold 7 and the upper spherical mold 8. The outer shell plastic 75, the adhesive layer 74 and the metal layer 72 are located in the same plane, so that the lower spherical mold 7 and the upper spherical mold 8 are more complete when spliced ​​without any gap.

[0035] like Figure 7As shown, the lower spherical mold 7 also includes a plurality of slots 78 uniformly opened on the inner wall of the metal layer 72, and the plurality of slots 78 are uniformly and equally distributed inside the metal layer 72. It should be noted that the slots 78 are not through slots, otherwise the T-shaped column 76 may damage the electric heater 73. The contact surface between the metal layer 72 and the electric heater 73 is set to a smooth surface, and T-shaped columns 76 are fixedly inserted in the plurality of slots 78. The heads of the T-shaped columns 76 are set to be circular chamfered so that the T-shaped columns 76 are similar to the shape of a mushroom, and will not cut the silicone layer 71 and cause damage to the silicone layer 71. The T-shaped columns 76 firmly fix the silicone layer 71 on the metal layer 72. The silicone layer 71 is located on one side of the metal layer 72 and is provided with a plurality of T-shaped slots 77 of the same shape as the T-shaped columns 76. The plurality of T-shaped columns 76 correspond to the plurality of T-shaped slots 77 one by one and can be plugged and fixed to each other. It should be noted that the head of the T-shaped column 76 is located in the middle position of the silicone layer 71 (such as Figure 6 shown).

[0036] like Figure 4 As shown, the shell plastic 75, adhesive layer 74, metal layer 72 and silicone layer 71 of the lower spherical mold 7 correspond one-to-one and abut against the shell plastic 75, adhesive layer 74, metal layer 72 and silicone layer 71 of the upper spherical mold 8, and heat transfer can be achieved when the metal layer 72 of the lower spherical mold 7 abuts against the metal layer 72 of the upper spherical mold 8.

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, a pumping mechanism 3 is fixedly provided at the bottom of the water tank 1, and the pumping mechanism 3 includes a pumping pipe, and one end of the pumping pipe is located in the middle of the connecting ring 4, and the end surface of the pumping pipe located in the middle of the connecting ring 4 is flush with the tangent position of the upper end opening of the upper spherical mold 8. At the same time, the pumping mechanism 3 also includes a pumping pump, a drain pipe and other devices, which are not the main technologies and will not be described in detail.

[0038] The motor 5 is preferably a low-temperature motor 5, and the structures in the refrigeration chamber 2 are all made of low-temperature resistant materials. It is worth noting that the water tank 1 and the refrigeration chamber 2 shown in the device are not as Figure 1 The structure shown, Figure 1 The structure shown is to better show the installation positions of the lower spherical mold 7 and the upper spherical mold 8 inside, so the water tank 1 and the refrigeration chamber 2 can use existing technologies.

[0039] The wires electrically connected to the electric heater 73 are all set to be low-temperature resistant wires. At the same time, the motor 5, the pumping mechanism 3 and the electric heater 73 of the device are all controlled by the main control program of the ice maker through the wires.

[0040] Embodiment 2

[0041] The difference from implementation one is that the structure of the lower spherical mold 7 is not exactly the same as that of the upper spherical mold 8. The upper spherical mold 8 lacks the heating plate 73 compared to the lower spherical mold 7. The structure of the upper spherical mold 8 is directly glued and fixed by the adhesive layer 74 and the metal layer 72. It should be noted that since the upper spherical mold 8 lacks the heating plate 73, the metal layer 72 of the upper spherical mold 8 needs to be thickened to fill the thickness of the missing heating plate 73, so that the wall thickness of the lower spherical mold 7 and the upper spherical mold 8 are the same.

[0042] With the above arrangement, the electric heating plate 73 of the lower spherical mold 7 can transfer heat to the metal layer 72 of the upper spherical mold 8 through the metal layer 72 of the lower spherical mold 7, thereby heating the silicone layer 71 of the lower spherical mold 7 and the silicone layer 71 of the upper spherical mold 8 to melt the ice ball slightly. The ice ball enters the lower spherical mold 7 under the action of gravity, thereby allowing the ice ball to be smoothly separated from the upper spherical mold 8 and the lower spherical mold 7, making demolding of the ice ball smoother.

[0043] Principle and process of this utility model:

[0044] The ice-making process is as follows: the water inside the water tank 1 flows into the spherical cavity through the connecting ring 4, and the water will freeze from the bottom of the silicone layer 71 in the inner cavity of the lower spherical mold 7 toward the top of the upper spherical mold 8. At the same time, the water pump draws out the water inside the spherical cavity through the water pumping pipe, thereby making the water inside the spherical cavity flow, which can make the impurities inside the spherical cavity flow out, making the manufactured ice ball purer and more transparent.

[0045] After ice making is completed: the electric heater 73 is powered on to generate heat, and part of the heat generated is transferred to each other through the metal layer 72, so that the metal layer 72 of the upper spherical mold 8 and the metal layer 72 of the lower spherical mold 7 are evenly heated and thus heat the silicone layer 71, and the other part of the heat is transferred to the T-shaped column 76 through the metal layer 72, and the T-shaped column 76 transfers the heat to the silicone layer 71. This setting can make the surface of the ice ball absorb heat and achieve slight melting (this ice ball demolding method is similar to the existing ice cream factory making ice cream, which makes the ice cream mold be inserted into warm water to achieve the demolding effect).

[0046] The control program of the ice maker then controls the motor 5 to be powered on and work. The output shaft of the motor 5 rotates to drive the connecting rod 6 to rotate, and then drives the lower spherical mold 7 to move and separate from the upper spherical mold 8. The ice ball melted on the surface first separates from the silicone layer 71 of the upper spherical mold 8 and is located inside the lower spherical mold 7. As the lower spherical mold 7 rotates 90 degrees, the ice ball falls into the collection box inside the refrigeration chamber 2 under the action of gravity (not shown in the figure), and the de-icing of the device is completed.

[0047] In summary, the device is configured to melt the surface of the ice ball into water to a certain extent through the heating of the electric heating plate 73, thereby separating the ice ball from the upper spherical mold 8 and the lower spherical mold 7, achieving a rapid demoulding effect without causing adhesion and affecting subsequent ice making.

[0048] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device.

[0049] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A spherical ice mold for an ice maker that facilitates demoulding of ice balls, comprising a water tank (1) and a refrigeration chamber (2) fixed to the lower part of the water tank (1), characterized in that: An upper spherical mold (8) is fixedly provided at the lower end of the through hole at the bottom of the water tank (1); A motor (5) for driving a lower spherical mold (7) to rotate is arranged inside the refrigeration chamber (2); the lower spherical mold (7) and the upper spherical mold (8) fit together and can form a spherical cavity for making an ice ball; the lower spherical mold (7) and the upper spherical mold (8) have the same structural composition; The lower spherical mold (7) and the upper spherical mold (8) both comprise a shell plastic (75), an adhesive layer (74) is fixedly provided on the inner wall of the shell plastic (75), an electric heater (73) is fixedly provided on the inner wall of the adhesive layer (74), a metal layer (72) is fixedly provided on the inner wall of the electric heater (73), a silicone layer (71) is glued and fixedly provided on the inner wall of the metal layer (72), the silicone layer (71) of the lower spherical mold (7) and the silicone layer (71) of the upper spherical mold (8) can be spliced ​​into a spherical cavity, the end face of the silicone layer (71) protrudes from the end face of the shell plastic (75), and the shell plastic (75), the adhesive layer (74) and the metal layer (72) are located on the same plane.

2. The spherical ice mold for ice making machine for easy demoulding of ice balls according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower spherical mold (7) further comprises a plurality of slots (78) uniformly arranged on the inner wall of the metal layer (72), and a T-shaped column (76) is fixedly inserted into each of the plurality of slots (78).

3. The spherical ice mold for ice making machine for easy demoulding of ice balls according to claim 2, characterized in that: The silicone layer (71) is provided with a plurality of T-shaped slots (77) on one side of the metal layer (72) for plugging and fixing with the T-shaped columns (76).

4. The spherical ice mold for ice making machine for easy demoulding of ice balls according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer shell plastic (75), adhesive layer (74), metal layer (72) and silicone layer (71) of the lower spherical mold (7) correspond one-to-one to and abut against the outer shell plastic (75), metal layer (72) and silicone layer (71) of the upper spherical mold (8).

5. The spherical ice mold for ice making machine for easy demoulding of ice balls according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner cavity of the refrigeration chamber (2) is located obliquely below the lower spherical mold (7) and is fixed with a fixing frame (9) for fixing the motor (5).

6. The spherical ice mold for ice making machine for easy demoulding of ice balls according to claim 5, characterized in that: The output shaft of the motor (5) is fixedly provided with a connecting rod (6) which is fixedly connected to the lower end of the lower spherical mold (7).

7. The spherical ice mold for ice making machine for easy demoulding of ice balls according to claim 1, characterized in that: A connecting ring (4) is fixedly provided at the opening in the middle of the upper end of the upper spherical mold (8). The connecting ring (4) is embedded in the through hole at the bottom of the water tank (1), and the upper end surface of the connecting ring (4) is flush with the bottom of the water tank (1).

8. The spherical ice mold for ice making machine for easy demoulding of ice balls according to claim 1, characterized in that: A water pumping mechanism (3) is fixedly arranged at the bottom of the water tank (1), wherein the water pumping mechanism (3) comprises a water pumping pipe, and one end of the water pumping pipe is located in the middle of the connecting ring (4).

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