Ice making equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides ice making equipment which comprises an ice mold and an ice unloading mechanism, the ice mold is provided with a plurality of ice making grooves, the ice making grooves are formed by sinking from the front face of the ice mold to the back face of the ice mold, and the groove bottom of each ice making groove is provided with an ejector pin hole; the ice unloading mechanism comprises a push-and-pull piece and a plurality of ejector pins arranged on the push-and-pull piece, the ejector pins are arranged opposite to the back face of the ice making groove, each ejector pin is aligned to the corresponding ejector pin hole of the ice making groove, and the ejector pins can pass through the corresponding ejector pin holes to enter and exit the ice making groove through the push-and-pull piece. According to the ice unloading mechanism of the ice making equipment, the push-pull piece drives the ejector pins to move, so that the ejector pins can be accurately aligned to and penetrate through the ejector pin holes in the bottom of the ice making groove, and then ice blocks are ejected out of the ice making groove. The process does not need manual intervention, automatic ice unloading of the ice blocks is achieved, the ice taking operation is greatly simplified, and the operation complexity and the time cost are reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of ice making, and particularly relates to an ice making device. Background Art

[0002] An ice maker is a machine that uses the refrigeration principle to convert water or other liquids into ice cubes. It has a wide range of applications in modern industry and daily life, especially playing an important role in industries such as food, medicine, and chemical industry.

[0003] The ice maker mainly relies on the coordinated action of the ice mold and the refrigeration component to complete ice making. The ice mold, as the core component in the ice making process, is arranged with multiple ice making grooves. The design of these ice making grooves is aimed at guiding the water flow and promoting the rapid solidification of water in a low-temperature environment. Through the uniform cooling of the ice mold by the refrigeration component, the water flowing through the ice making grooves can quickly reach the freezing point and turn into ice cubes, thus realizing an efficient ice making process.

[0004] When delving into the ice making and ice taking links of the current ice maker technology, it is not difficult to find that although its ice making method has achieved remarkable results in improving efficiency, it has encountered multiple technical bottlenecks in the subsequent ice cube taking process.

[0005] The primary challenge stems from the physical adhesion phenomenon between the ice cubes and the ice making grooves. As the water gradually cools and solidifies into ice in the ice making grooves, a strong intermolecular force, namely physical adhesion, will form between the surface of the ice cubes and the side walls and bottom walls of the ice making grooves. This adhesive force not only gradually increases as the ice cubes are completely solidified, but also is difficult to overcome easily due to its inherent material properties (such as the molecular structure of ice and the polarity of water). Therefore, when attempting to take out the ice cubes from the ice making grooves, a relatively large external force often needs to be applied, which not only increases the difficulty of ice taking, but also increases the risk of ice cube breakage.

[0006] Secondly, the groove-like structure design of the ice making grooves, while improving the ice making efficiency, has also become an important factor contributing to the difficulty of ice taking. The original intention of the groove-like structure design is to better guide the water flow and promote the formation of ice cubes, but its semi-wrapping form restricts the movement ability of the ice cubes during the ice taking process. Specifically, the wrapping of the ice cubes by the groove walls not only increases the contact area between the ice cubes and the groove walls, making the adhesive force more significant, but also restricts the displacement space of the ice cubes in the ice taking direction, resulting in the difficulty for the ice cubes to smoothly escape along the desired path. In addition, since the ice cubes are partially wrapped in the grooves, the edge parts of the ice cubes may be restricted by the groove walls and unable to deform freely, further increasing the difficulty of ice taking.

[0007] More complicatedly, this bonding and semi-wrapping effect may exhibit different strengths and characteristics in different environments. For example, factors such as ambient temperature, water quality components, and ice-making time may all affect the bonding strength between the ice cubes and the ice-making tank, thereby changing the ease of ice removal. At the same time, the material of the ice-making tank, the surface treatment process, and the cooling efficiency of the refrigeration components may also have an indirect impact on the bonding phenomenon.

[0008] In addition, the deficiencies of the ice maker in ice removal are also reflected in the following aspects: First, the ice removal process often requires manual intervention, such as using tools to pry or knock the ice cubes, which not only increases the complexity and time cost of the operation, but may also cause the ice cubes to break or the ice-making tank to be damaged due to improper operation; Second, the ice removal efficiency is low. Especially in scenarios with high-frequency ice-making requirements, the difficulty of ice removal will severely restrict the overall working efficiency of the ice maker; Third, the user experience is poor. The cumbersome process of ice removal may reduce the user's satisfaction and loyalty to the ice maker. Utility Model Content

[0009] The purpose of this application is to provide an ice-making device.

[0010] According to one aspect of this application, an ice-making device is provided, including an ice mold and a de-icing mechanism.

[0011] A plurality of ice-making grooves are provided on the ice mold. The ice-making grooves are recessed from the front surface to the back surface of the ice mold, and a thimble hole is opened at the bottom of each ice-making groove.

[0012] The de-icing mechanism includes a push-pull member and a plurality of thimbles provided on the push-pull member. The thimbles are arranged opposite to the back surface positions of the ice-making grooves, and each thimble is aligned with the thimble hole of the corresponding ice-making groove. The thimble can enter and exit the ice-making groove through the corresponding thimble hole by means of the push-pull member.

[0013] Further, the de-icing mechanism further includes a de-icing bracket. The de-icing bracket is fixedly connected to the back surface of the ice mold. A slide bar is provided on the de-icing bracket, and a slide hole is provided on the push-pull member. The slide hole is sleeved on the slide bar.

[0014] Further, the de-icing mechanism further includes a linear drive assembly. The linear drive assembly is connected to the push-pull member, and the linear drive assembly is used to drive the push-pull member to perform a linear motion.

[0015] Specifically, the de-icing mechanism further includes an adapter. The front and back surfaces of the adapter are respectively connected to the push-pull member and the linear drive assembly.

[0016] In one embodiment, the linear drive assembly is a linear motor or a screw mechanism.

[0017] In one embodiment, two ends of the ejector pin are respectively a contact end and a threaded end, a threaded hole is provided on the push-pull member, and the threaded end is threadedly connected to the threaded hole.

[0018] Specifically, the contact end is planar, hemispherical or semi-ellipsoidal.

[0019] In one embodiment, the de-icing mechanism further includes a limiting member, the limiting member is arranged between the back surface of the ice mold and the push-pull member, and the limiting member is used to prevent the push-pull member from moving towards the back surface of the ice mold.

[0020] In one embodiment, the ice-making device further includes an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser, a solenoid valve and a control unit. The evaporator, the compressor and the condenser are connected through pipelines, a refrigerant flows in the pipelines, the evaporator includes an evaporation pipeline, the evaporation pipeline extends to the ice mold, the solenoid valve controls the connection between the outlet of the compressor and the condenser or the evaporator, and the control unit is electrically connected to the solenoid valve and the compressor.

[0021] In one embodiment, the evaporation pipeline is arranged on the back surface of the ice mold, and the evaporation pipeline is sequentially arranged on the bottom surfaces of the ice-making grooves along the arrangement positions of the plurality of ice-making grooves.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present application has multiple advantages, including but not limited to:

[0023] (1) Realize automatic de-icing: The de-icing mechanism of the present application drives the movement of a plurality of ejector pins through a push-pull member, so that the ejector pins can accurately align with and penetrate the ejector pin holes at the bottom of the ice-making grooves, and then eject the ice cubes from the ice-making grooves. This process does not require direct manual intervention, realizes automatic de-icing of the ice cubes, greatly simplifies the ice-taking operation, and reduces the complexity and time cost of the operation.

[0024] (2) Improve the ice-taking efficiency: Since the de-icing mechanism can complete the de-icing action quickly and accurately, the ice cubes can be smoothly taken out in a short time, thereby improving the overall ice-taking efficiency. This is particularly important for scenarios that require high-frequency ice-making and ice-taking, which can effectively improve work efficiency and meet the needs in a fast-paced working environment.

[0025] (3) Protect the ice cubes and the ice-making grooves: Traditional manual ice-taking methods often cause ice cubes to break or the ice-making grooves to be damaged due to improper operation. However, the de-icing mechanism of the present utility model can ensure the integrity of the ice cubes during the taking-out process through the action of precise mechanical force, and at the same time reduce the damage to the ice-making grooves, and prolong the service life of the equipment.

[0026] (4) Improve user experience: The automated ice removal process not only simplifies the user's operation steps but also improves the success rate and stability of ice taking, thereby enhancing the user's satisfaction and loyalty towards the ice-making equipment. Users no longer need to worry about the cumbersome ice-taking process and can enjoy the convenience and comfort brought by ice more conveniently. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027] 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 of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0028] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the ice-making equipment in the embodiment of the present application.

[0029] Figure 2 It is a circuit principle block diagram of the ice-making equipment in the embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Figure 3 It is a structural principle block diagram of the ice-making equipment in the embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Figure 4 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of the ice-making equipment in the embodiment of the present application from the first perspective.

[0032] Figure 5 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of the ice-making equipment in the embodiment of the present application from the second perspective.

[0033] Figure 6 It is an assembly schematic diagram of the ice mold and the ice removal mechanism of the ice-making equipment in the embodiment of the present application.

[0034] Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram of the ice removal mechanism of the ice-making equipment in the embodiment of the present application.

[0035] Figure 8 It is an assembly schematic diagram of the ice mold and the first evaporation pipeline of the ice-making equipment in the embodiment of the present application.

[0036] Figure 9 It is a schematic diagram of the formal perspective of the ice mold of the ice-making equipment in the embodiment of the present application.

[0037] Figure 10 It is a structural schematic diagram of the ice mold of the ice-making equipment in the embodiment of the present application.

[0038] Figure 11 It is a sectional view schematic diagram of the ice-making equipment in the embodiment of the present application.

[0039] Figure 12 For Figure 11 an enlarged view of part A of

[0040] Figure 13 a schematic structural view of a drain pipe of an ice-making device in an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0041] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the drawings, where the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described by referring to the drawings below are exemplary and are only used to explain the present application and cannot be construed as a limitation to the present application.

[0042] Those skilled in the art of the present technology can understand that, unless specifically stated otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an", "the" and "said" used herein may also include the plural forms. It should be further understood that the term "including" used in the specification of the present application means the presence of the described features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or their groups. It should be understood that when we say that an element is "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to other elements, or there may also be intermediate elements. In addition, the "connection" or "coupling" used herein may include wireless connection or wireless coupling. The phrase "and / or" used herein includes all or any unit and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0043] Those skilled in the art of the present technology can understand that, unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical terms and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as the general understanding of those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present application belongs. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in a general dictionary should be understood to have a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the prior art, and will not be interpreted with an idealized or overly formal meaning unless specifically defined as here.

[0044] The present application provides an ice-making device. After the ice-making is completed, the movement of a plurality of ejector pins is driven by a push-pull member, so that the ejector pins can accurately align with and penetrate the ejector pin holes at the bottom of the ice-making groove, and then push the ice cubes out of the ice-making groove. This process does not require direct manual intervention, realizes automatic ice removal, greatly simplifies the ice-taking operation, and reduces the complexity and time cost of the operation.

[0045] In a typical embodiment of the present application, in combination with Figure 1 , Figure 2 andFigure 3 The ice-making device 100 includes a housing 110, an ice mold 120, a refrigeration component 130, an ice-detaching mechanism 140, an inner container 150, and a control unit 160. The ice mold 120, the refrigeration component 130, the ice-detaching mechanism 140, the inner container 150, and the control unit 160 are disposed within the housing 110, and the control unit 160 is configured to control the operation of the ice-making device 100.

[0046] Combined with Figure 4 The ice mold 120 is provided with a plurality of ice-making grooves 123. Under the refrigeration effect of the refrigeration component 130, the liquid flowing into the ice-making grooves 123 will gradually condense to form ice cubes. The ice-making grooves 123 are recessed from the front surface 1211 to the back surface 1212 of the ice mold 120. The liquid can be water, a chemical solution, etc. In this application, the liquid is taken as water as an example to describe this application, but it should not be construed as a limitation to this application.

[0047] Combined with Figure 3 The inner container 150 is used to hold water. The inner container 150 is connected to the ice mold 120 through a pipeline, and a water pump 151 is provided on the pipeline. The water in the inner container 150 is introduced into the ice-making grooves 123 of the ice mold 120 through the water pump 151 to facilitate ice-making. In this embodiment, the control unit 160 is electrically connected to the water pump 151, and the control unit 160 controls the operation of the water pump 151.

[0048] Combined with Figure 3 and Figure 5 The refrigeration component 130 includes an evaporator 131, a compressor 132, an electromagnetic valve (referred to as the first electromagnetic valve 133), and a condenser 134. The evaporator 131, the compressor 132, the first electromagnetic valve 133, and the condenser 134 are sequentially connected end to end through pipelines to form a circulation loop.

[0049] In this embodiment, the control unit 160 is also electrically connected to the compressor 132, and the control unit 160 controls the operation of the compressor 132. A refrigerant flows through the circulation loop, and the control unit 160 controls the operation of the compressor 132 to enable the refrigerant to circulate in the circulation loop.

[0050] Among them, the first solenoid valve 133 is arranged at the outlet of the compressor 132. The first solenoid valve 133 includes an inlet and at least two outlets. The inlet of the first solenoid valve 133 is connected to the outlet of the compressor 132. One of the outlets of the first solenoid valve 133 (this outlet is called the first outlet 1331) is connected to the condenser 134 through a pipeline, and the other outlet of the first solenoid valve 133 (this outlet is called the second outlet 1332) is connected to the evaporator 131 through a pipeline. The control unit 160 is electrically connected to the first solenoid valve 133, and the control unit 160 controls the opening and closing of the first outlet 1331 and / or the second outlet 1332 of the first solenoid valve 133.

[0051] When the control unit 160 controls the first outlet 1331 of the first solenoid valve 133 to open and the second outlet 1332 to close, the refrigerant will flow to the condenser 134. In the condenser 134, the refrigerant releases heat to the outside, causing the temperature of the refrigerant to drop. Then the refrigerant flows from the condenser 134 to the evaporator 131, and the temperature of the evaporator 131 is reduced by the refrigerant. Then the refrigerant flows back to the compressor 132 again.

[0052] When the control unit 160 controls the first outlet 1331 of the first solenoid valve 133 to close and the second outlet 1332 to open, the refrigerant will directly flow to the evaporator 131, and the temperature of the evaporator 131 is increased by the refrigerant.

[0053] Combined Figure 3 with Figure 8 , the evaporator 131 includes a first evaporation pipeline 1311, and the first evaporation pipeline 1311 is arranged in the ice mold 120. In this embodiment, the first evaporation pipeline 1311 is arranged on the back surface 1212 of the ice mold 120, and the first evaporation pipeline 1311 is in contact with the bottom wall 1232 of the plurality of ice-making grooves 123 on the back surface 1212. Specifically, the first evaporation pipeline 1311 is wound along the arrangement direction of the plurality of ice-making grooves 123, so that the first evaporation pipeline 1311 can be in contact with the bottom wall 1232 of all the ice-making grooves 123 of the ice mold 120. A connecting surface is also provided on the first evaporation pipeline 1311, and the connecting surface is attached to the bottom wall 1232 of the ice-making groove 123 to facilitate heat transfer between the first evaporation pipeline 1311 and the ice-making groove 123 and improve the heat transfer efficiency.

[0054] When the control unit 160 controls the first outlet 1331 of the first solenoid valve 133 to open and the second outlet 1332 to close, the refrigerant that has been cooled by the condenser 134 will flow into the first evaporation pipeline 1311. During the process of flowing through the first evaporation pipeline 1311, the refrigerant will reduce the temperature of the ice-making tank 123, causing the temperature of the water flowing through the ice-making tank 123 to gradually decrease, and then gradually condensing into ice cubes in the ice-making tank 123.

[0055] After ice cubes are formed in the ice-making tank 123, the control unit 160 controls the first outlet 1331 of the first solenoid valve 133 to close and the second outlet 1332 to open. The refrigerant will directly flow back from the compressor 132 to the evaporator 131 again. That is to say, the refrigerant does not pass through the condenser 134 for heat dissipation and temperature reduction, and the refrigerant is still in a high-temperature and high-pressure state. During the process of flowing through the first evaporation pipeline 1311, the refrigerant will increase the temperature of the ice-making tank 123, causing the ice cubes in the ice-making tank 123 to partially melt, so that the ice cubes are no longer adhered to the corresponding ice-making tank 123, facilitating the removal of the ice cubes from the ice-making tank 123 and completing ice collection.

[0056] In this embodiment, combined with Figure 9 and Figure 10 , the ice cubes are adhered to the inner wall 1231 of the ice-making tank 123, and the inner wall 1231 of the tank includes the side wall 1233 and the bottom wall 1232 of the ice-making tank 123. When the refrigerant is directly introduced from the compressor 132 into the evaporator 131, the refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure state will melt the area where the ice cubes are adhered to the inner wall 1231 of the ice-making tank 123, so that the ice cubes are no longer adhered to the inner wall 1231 of the ice-making tank 123, facilitating the removal of the ice cubes from the corresponding ice-making tank 123 and maintaining the structural integrity of the ice cubes.

[0057] In one embodiment, combined with Figure 3 , the evaporator 131 further includes a second evaporation pipeline 1312, and the second evaporation pipeline 1312 is arranged in the inner container 150. In this embodiment, it is recommended that the second evaporation pipeline 1312 winds around the inner container 150, but it should not be construed as a limitation to this application.

[0058] A solenoid valve (referred to as the second solenoid valve 135) is further provided in the evaporator 131. The second solenoid valve 135 includes an inlet and at least two outlets. Among them, the inlet of the second solenoid valve 135 is communicated with the main pipeline of the evaporator 131. One of the outlets of the second solenoid valve 135 (referred to as the third outlet 1351) is communicated with the first evaporation pipeline 1311, and the other outlet of the second solenoid valve 135 (referred to as the fourth outlet 1352) is communicated with the second evaporation pipeline 1312.

[0059] The control unit 160 is electrically connected to the second solenoid valve 135 , and the control unit 160 can control the opening and / or closing of the third outlet 1351 and the fourth outlet 1352 of the second solenoid valve 135 .

[0060] When it is necessary to pre-cool the water in the inner tank 150, the control unit 160 controls the first outlet 1331 of the first solenoid valve 133 to open and the second outlet 1332 to close, so that the refrigerant flows into the evaporator 131 through the condenser 134; the control unit 160 controls the third outlet 1351 of the second solenoid valve 135 to open alone, or controls the third outlet 1351 and the fourth outlet 1352 to open at the same time, so that the refrigerant flows into the second evaporation pipeline 1312. In the process of flowing through the second evaporation pipeline 1312, the refrigerant will reduce the temperature of the water in the inner tank 150 to pre-cool the water in the inner tank 150 and improve the efficiency of subsequent ice making.

[0061] In one embodiment, the ice-making device is further provided with a heating component, and the control unit is electrically connected to the heating component. The heating component includes a heating element, and the heating element is arranged on the bottom wall of the plurality of ice-making grooves. The control unit generates heat through the heating element to partially melt the ice cubes condensed in the ice-making grooves. In this embodiment, it is recommended that the heating element is a resistive heating element.

[0062] In a typical embodiment of the present application, the ice removal mechanism 140 is used to push the ice cubes in the ice making groove 123 of the ice mold 120 out of the ice making groove 123. Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 The de-icing mechanism 140 is arranged opposite to the back side 1212 of the ice mold 120, and the de-icing mechanism 140 includes a push-pull member 141, a plurality of ejector pins 142, and a linear drive assembly 143. The plurality of ejector pins 142 are arranged on the front side of the push-pull member 141, and the front side of the push-pull member 141 is arranged opposite to the back side 1212 of the ice mold 120. The linear drive assembly 143 is arranged on the reverse side of the push-pull member 141. The linear drive assembly 143 is used to drive the push-pull member 141 to move linearly, thereby driving the ejector pins 142 to move linearly through the push-pull member 141. In this embodiment, it is recommended that the push-pull member 141 is a plate-shaped structure, but this should not be understood as a limitation to the present application.

[0063] Combination Figure 9 A through hole (called ejector hole 124) is opened on the bottom wall 1232 of the ice making groove 123 of the ice mold 120. Driven by the linear drive component 143, the ejector 142 can enter the ice making groove 123 to push the ice cubes in the ice making groove 123 out of the ice making groove 123.

[0064] Specifically, in combination with Figure 11 and Figure 12 , the multiple ejector pins 142 are respectively aligned with the ejector pin holes 124 of the multiple ice-making grooves 123. Driven by the linear drive assembly 143, the push-pull member 141 drives the multiple ejector pins 142 to move linearly, so that the multiple ejector pins 142 can respectively enter and exit the corresponding multiple ejector pin holes 124.

[0065] In one embodiment, in combination with Figure 7 , both ends of the ejector pin 142 are respectively a contact end 1421 and a threaded end (not shown). The push-pull member 141 is provided with a threaded hole (not shown) corresponding to the threaded end. The threaded end is threadedly connected to the threaded hole to fix the ejector pin 142 to the push-pull member 141. The contact end 1421 is used to contact the ice cubes in the ice-making groove 123. The contact end 1421 is a flat end or a hemispherical end or a semi-elliptical end to increase the contact area between the contact end 1421 and the ice cubes and prevent the contact end 1421 from inserting into the ice cubes, which is not conducive to pushing the ice cubes out of the ice-making groove 123.

[0066] In a typical embodiment of the present application, in combination with Figure 7 , the ice removal mechanism 140 further includes an ice removal bracket 144. The ice removal bracket 144 includes a pair of fixing plates and a plurality of sliding rods 1443 arranged between the pair of fixing plates. The pair of fixing plates and the plurality of sliding rods 1443 enclose an installation space, and the push-pull member 141 and the plurality of ejector pins 142 are arranged in the installation space.

[0067] Specifically, the pair of fixing plates are respectively a first fixing plate 1441 and a second fixing plate 1442. Both ends of the sliding rod 1443 are respectively connected to the first fixing plate 1441 and the second fixing plate 1442. The plurality of sliding rods 1443 are respectively connected to the first fixing plate 1441 and the second fixing plate 1442 to form the installation space.

[0068] The first fixing plate 1441 is fixedly connected to the back surface 1212 of the ice mold 120. The push-pull member 141 is provided with a plurality of sliding holes 1411. The plurality of sliding holes 1411 are respectively sleeved on the plurality of sliding rods 1443 to form a sliding mechanism. Driven by the linear drive assembly 143, the push-pull member 141 can move linearly along the sliding rods 1443, so that the ejector pins 142 on the push-pull member 141 can linearly enter and exit the corresponding ejector pin holes 124.

[0069] The first fixing plate 1441 is provided with a positioning pin (not shown), and the ice mold 120 is provided with a positioning hole (not shown), and the positioning pin is plugged into the positioning hole, so that the ice-removing bracket 144 and the ice mold 120 are positioned, so that the ejector pin 142 can be accurately aligned with the corresponding ejector pin hole 124 without deviation. In another embodiment, the first fixing plate 1441 is provided with a positioning hole, and the ice mold 120 is provided with a positioning pin, and the positioning hole is plugged into the positioning pin.

[0070] In this embodiment, it is recommended that the linear drive component 143 is a linear motor 146, but this should not be understood as a limitation to the present application. The linear motor 146 is transmission-connected to the push-pull member 141 to drive the push-pull member 141 to move linearly.

[0071] In another embodiment, the linear drive assembly 143 includes a screw mechanism and a motor, the screw mechanism includes a nut and a screw, the nut is transmission-connected to the push-pull member 141, the screw is connected to the output shaft of the motor, and the motor drives the screw to rotate, causing the nut to move linearly, thereby driving the push-pull member 141 to move linearly through the nut.

[0072] In a typical embodiment of the present application, Figure 3 When ice cubes are formed by condensation in the ice making groove 123, the control unit 160 controls the first outlet 1331 of the first solenoid valve 133 to be closed and the second outlet 1332 to be opened, so that the refrigerant flowing out of the compressor 132 flows directly into the first evaporation pipeline 1311 of the evaporator 131. The refrigerant is in a high temperature and high pressure state. When the refrigerant flows through the first evaporation pipeline 1311, the temperature of the ice making groove 123 will be increased, so that the ice cubes in the ice making groove 123 will be partially melted and no longer adhere to the ice making groove 123.

[0073] Afterwards, combined Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 12 The control unit 160 controls the linear drive assembly 143 to drive the push-pull member 141 to move toward the direction of the ice mold 120, so that the ejector pin 142 on the push-pull member 141 enters the corresponding ejector pin hole 124, and the ejector pin 142 enters the corresponding ice-making groove 123 through the corresponding ejector pin hole 124, and the abutting top 1421 of the ejector pin 142 abuts against the ice in the ice-making groove 123, thereby pushing the partially melted ice out of the ice-making groove 123 to complete ice removal.

[0074] In one embodiment, in combination Figure 4, an ice basket 112 is further provided inside the outer shell 110. The ice basket 112 is disposed opposite to the front surface 1211 of the ice mold 120, and the ice basket 112 is used to receive ice cubes. After the ice removing mechanism 140 ejects the ice cubes from the ice making groove 123, the ice cubes fall into the ice basket 112.

[0075] In one embodiment, in combination with Figure 12 , the ice removing mechanism 140 further includes an adapter 147, and the adapter 147 is used to connect the push-pull member 141 and the linear drive assembly 143. The adapter 147 includes an opposite front surface and a back surface. The front surface of the adapter 147 is disposed opposite to the back surface of the push-pull member 141, and the front surface of the adapter 147 is fixedly connected to the push-pull member 141. The back surface of the adapter 147 is connected to the linear drive assembly 143, so as to facilitate transmitting the power output by the linear drive assembly 143 through the adapter 147 to drive the push-pull member 141 to move.

[0076] In one embodiment, in combination with Figure 12 , the ice removing mechanism 140 further includes a limiting member 148. The limiting member 148 is disposed between the back surface 1212 of the ice mold 120 and the push-pull member. After the push-pull member 141 drives the ejector pin 142 to enter the ice making groove 123 through the corresponding ejector pin hole 124, the limiting member 148 will limit the further movement of the push-pull member 141 towards the ice mold 120 to avoid the collision between the push-pull member 141 and the back surface 1212 of the ice mold 120, and protect the ice mold 120 and the push-pull member 141. In this embodiment, the limiting member 148 has a plate-like structure, and the width of the limiting member 148 is greater than or equal to the width of the push-pull member 141, so as to facilitate the limiting member 148 to limit the push-pull member 141 well. In this embodiment, it is recommended that the limiting member 148 be one of the side walls of the ice basket 112, so as to reduce the number of parts of the ice making device 100 and facilitate the miniaturization of the ice making device 100.

[0077] In one embodiment, the ice making device 100 is provided with a plurality of ice making assemblies. Each ice making assembly includes an ice mold 120 and an ice removing mechanism 140. The plurality of ice making assemblies can share the same set of refrigeration components 130 to improve the utilization rate of the refrigeration components 130 of the ice making device 100.

[0078] In a further embodiment, at least two ice making assemblies perform asynchronous ice making, so that the control unit 160 can simultaneously control the opening of the first opening and the second opening of the first solenoid valve 133, so that for the at least two ice making assemblies, one ice making assembly realizes refrigeration and the other ice making assembly realizes heating and ice removing.

[0079] In a typical embodiment of the present application, in combination with Figure 9 andFigure 10 A plurality of ice-making grooves 123 of the ice mold 120 are arranged in multiple columns. For the convenience of the following description, a column of ice-making grooves 123 is referred to as an ice-making column 126. The multiple ice-making columns 126 are arranged in sequence along the same axis (this axis is called the first axis). A coagulation prevention member 127 is provided between two adjacent ice-making columns 126. The coagulation prevention member 127 is used to separate the two adjacent ice-making columns 126 to prevent the ice cubes in the two adjacent ice-making columns 126 from sticking to each other.

[0080] The multiple ice-making grooves 123 of each ice-making column 126 are arranged in sequence from the top 1213 of the ice mold 120 to the bottom 1214 of the ice mold 120 to form an ice-making column 126. An inter-column gap 128 is formed between two adjacent ice-making columns 126. The coagulation prevention member 127 is disposed in the inter-column gap 128 to separate the two adjacent ice-making columns 126. In this embodiment, the coagulation prevention member 127 is in a plate-like structure to describe the present application, but it should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

[0081] Combined with Figure 10 and Figure 13 , the ice-making device 100 further includes a drain pipe 152. The drain pipe 152 is connected to the inner tank 150 through a pipeline. The control unit 160 controls the water pump 151 to work to pump the water in the inner tank 150 to the drain pipe 152. The drain pipe 152 is disposed at the top 1213 of the ice mold 120 and the drain pipe 152 is also arranged along the first axis. A plurality of drain holes 1521 are provided on the drain pipe 152. The plurality of drain holes 1521 are arranged corresponding to the multiple ice-making columns 126. Each ice-making column 126 corresponds to one or more drain holes 1521 respectively.

[0082] Combined with Figure 10 , the drain holes 1521 drain water to the corresponding ice-making columns 126 from top to bottom. The drained water flows through the multiple ice-making grooves 123 of the corresponding ice-making column 126 from top to bottom. Combined with Figure 3 , at the same time, the control unit 160 controls the first outlet 1331 of the first solenoid valve 133 to open and the second outlet 1332 to close. The refrigerant cooled by heat dissipation through the condenser 134 will flow into the first evaporation pipeline 1311. During the process of flowing through the first evaporation pipeline 1311, the refrigerant will reduce the temperature of the ice-making grooves 123, so that the temperature of the water flowing through the ice-making grooves 123 gradually decreases, and then ice cubes are gradually formed in the ice-making grooves 123.

[0083] However, due to the diffusibility of water during the flowing process, when water flows from top to bottom, it will inevitably splash into or flow into the inter-column gap 128 between two adjacent ice-making columns 126. Under the action of the low-temperature refrigerant, an ice bridge spanning the inter-column gap 128 will be formed in the inter-column gap 128. This ice bridge will adhere to the ice cubes in the two adjacent ice-making columns 126, thereby causing the ice cubes in the ice-making grooves 123 of the two adjacent ice-making columns 126 to adhere. Moreover, this adhesion is not limited to the surface and may even penetrate into the interior of the ice cubes, making the combination between the ice cubes more firm. Even more, the ice cubes in multiple ice-making columns 126 in the ice mold 120 are bonded together by ice bridges, so that all the ice cubes in the ice mold 120 form a whole. Therefore, due to the existence of the ice bridge, there is a strong force between the ice cubes and the ice-making groove 123. When ice removal is required, it is difficult to remove the ice cubes from the ice-making groove 123, thus affecting the use of the ice-making device 100.

[0084] Combined with Figure 9 and Figure 10 , the anti-coagulation member 127 is disposed in the inter-column gap 128 between two adjacent ice-making columns 126 to separate the two adjacent ice-making columns 126 through the anti-coagulation member 127. Under the action of the anti-coagulation member 127, water cannot form an ice bridge spanning the two adjacent ice-making columns 126 in the inter-column gap 128, so as to avoid the formation of an ice bridge and reduce the adhesion force between the ice cubes and the ice mold 120. That is to say, it makes it easier for the ice cubes to be removed from the ice-making groove 123.

[0085] In a typical embodiment of the present application, anti-coagulation members 127 are provided on both sides of each ice-making column 126. The anti-coagulation members 127 on both sides of each ice-making column 126 cooperate with each other to form a diversion channel 129. It can be understood that an ice-making column 126 is provided in the diversion channel 129, and the water flowing in is guided through the diversion channel 129 to flow into multiple ice-making grooves 123 in the diversion channel 129 in sequence, and it is avoided that the water splashes out or flows out of the side part of the diversion channel 129 into the inter-column gap 128.

[0086] In a further embodiment, each ice-making column 126 is independently provided with a pair of anti-coagulation members 127, that is to say, the anti-coagulation members 127 are not shared with adjacent ice-making columns 126. The anti-coagulation members 127 do not need to be disposed at the center of the inter-column gap 128 between two adjacent ice-making columns 126. The anti-coagulation members 127 are disposed close to the edge of the corresponding ice-making column 126 to avoid water splashing into or flowing into the inter-column gap 128 and avoid the formation of ice flakes in the inter-column gap 128, so as to reduce the adhesion force between the ice cubes and the ice mold 120, thereby reducing the difficulty of removing the ice cubes from the ice-making groove 123 where they are located.

[0087] Combined with Figure 9, assume that two adjacent ice-making columns 126 are respectively a first ice-making column 1261 and a second ice-making column 1262. Assume that the diversion channel where the first ice-making column 1261 is located is a first diversion channel 1291, and the diversion channel where the second ice-making column 1262 is located is a second diversion channel 1292. Assume that the inter-column gap between the first ice-making column 1261 and the second ice-making column 1262 is a first inter-column gap 1281. Among them, the first anti-freezing member 1274 of the first ice-making column 1261 is arranged close to the second ice-making column 1262, and the second anti-freezing member 1275 of the second ice-making column 1262 is arranged close to the first ice-making column 1261. That is to say, the first anti-freezing member 1274 and the second anti-freezing member 1275 are arranged on both sides of the first inter-column gap 1281, so that the water flowing through the first diversion channel 1291 and the water flowing through the second diversion channel 1292 will not splash or flow into the first inter-column gap 1281, and further no ice flakes or ice bridges will be formed in the first inter-column gap 1281.

[0088] In this embodiment, in combination with Figure 9 , the diversion channel 129 includes a connected diversion section 1293 and a diversion opening 1294. The diversion opening 1294 is arranged closer to the top 1213 of the ice mold 120 than the diversion section 1293, and the ice-making column 126 is arranged in the diversion section 1293. The width of the diversion opening 1294 is greater than the width of the diversion section 1293, so that the water discharged from the drain pipe 152 can be received by the diversion opening 1294 as much as possible and will not flow into the inter-column gap 128. In this embodiment, it is recommended that the diversion opening 1294 be in an open structure facing the diversion table 122, so that the diversion opening 1294 can receive more water. The diversion opening 1294 and the diversion section 1293 are connected in a gradually changing transition manner, that is to say, the area between the diversion opening 1294 and the diversion section 1293 gradually shrinks, so as to slowly guide the water in the diversion opening 1294 to the diversion section 1293 to avoid the water being too turbulent and splashing around.

[0089] Specifically, in combination with Figure 10The coagulation prevention member 127 is successively divided into a water guide plate 1271, a connection plate 1272, and a water diversion plate 1273 from the top 1213 of the ice mold 120 to the bottom 1214 of the ice mold 120. The diversion opening 1294 is formed by a pair of water guide plates 1271. Two adjacent ice-making columns 126 share the same water guide plate 1271, and the water guide plate 1271 is arranged in the center of the inter-column gap 128. Since the water guide plate 1271 is arranged in the center of the inter-column gap 128, the water discharged from the drain pipe 152 will not enter the inter-column gap 128, but is diverted into two diversion openings 1294 sharing the water guide plate 1271, so as to prevent ice from condensing in the inter-column gap 128.

[0090] The diversion section 1293 is formed by a pair of water diversion plates 1273. The pair of water diversion plates 1273 are arranged on both edges of the ice-making column 126, and the width of the diversion section 1293 is equal to the width of the ice-making column 126, or the width of the diversion section 1293 is slightly larger than the width of the ice-making column 126, so as to prevent ice from condensing on both sides of the ice-making column 126.

[0091] The diversion opening 1294 and the diversion section 1293 are connected by a pair of connection plates 1272. Since the water guide plate 1271 is arranged in the center of the inter-column gap 128 and the water diversion plate 1273 is arranged close to the ice-making column 126, the connection plate 1272 is arranged in a relatively inclined manner to connect the corresponding water guide plate 1271 and water diversion plate 1273.

[0092] In another embodiment, two adjacent ice-making columns 126 can share the same coagulation prevention member 127, and the shared coagulation prevention member 127 is arranged in the center of the inter-column gap 128 between the two rows of ice-making grooves 123.

[0093] In one embodiment, multiple ice-making grooves 123 in the same ice-making column 126 are arranged at intervals in sequence, so as to prevent the ice cubes condensed in two adjacent ice-making grooves 123 in the same ice-making column 126 from adhering to each other, affecting the ice removal of multiple ice-making grooves 123 in the same ice-making column 126.

[0094] In a typical embodiment of the present application, in combination Figure 9 with Figure 10 a diversion table 122 is further formed on the top 1213 of the ice mold 120. The diversion table 122 is communicated with the respective diversion openings 1294 of the multiple diversion channels 129. The drain pipe 152 is arranged above the diversion table 122, so that the water discharged from the drain pipe 152 can uniformly flow into the multiple diversion channels 129 through the diversion table 122.

[0095] Specifically, a plurality of flow splitting protrusions 1221 and a plurality of flow splitting grooves 1222 are provided on the flow splitting table 122. The flow splitting protrusions 1221 and the flow splitting grooves 1222 are alternately arranged in sequence along the first axis. That is to say, there is a flow splitting groove 1222 on each side of the flow splitting protrusion 1221, and there is a flow splitting protrusion 1221 on each side of the flow splitting groove 1222. In this embodiment, the widths of the plurality of diversion openings 1294 are the same. That is to say, each diversion opening 1294 corresponds to the same number of flow splitting protrusions 1221 and the same number of flow splitting grooves 1222.

[0096] Combined with Figure 10 and Figure 13 , a plurality of drain holes 1521 of the drain pipe 152 are respectively arranged corresponding to the plurality of flow splitting protrusions 1221. That is to say, each flow splitting protrusion 1221 corresponds to a drain hole. Specifically, the drain hole 1521 is arranged directly above the corresponding flow splitting protrusion 1221. When the drain hole 1521 drains water, the water falls on the flow splitting protrusion 1221. Since the flow splitting protrusion 1221 is a convex structure, the water will be evenly dispersed into the two adjacent flow splitting grooves 1222. Then, the water in the flow splitting grooves 1222 flows into the corresponding diversion openings 1294. It can be understood that the amount of water flowing into each diversion opening 1294 is the same. That is to say, the amount of water obtained by each ice making column 126 is the same, so that the ice mold 120 can complete ice making evenly. In this embodiment, it is recommended that the flow splitting protrusion 1221 be an arc-shaped protrusion and the flow splitting groove 1222 be an arc-shaped groove to further make the water evenly dispersed and flow.

[0097] In one embodiment, since the flow splitting table 122 is arranged on the top 1213 of the ice mold 120, and a plurality of ice making columns 126 are arranged on the side of the ice mold 120, the flow splitting table 122 and the diversion openings 1294 are arranged vertically or substantially vertically. At the corner between the flow splitting table 122 and the diversion openings 1294, a rounded corner is provided. That is to say, a rounded corner is provided at the connection between the flow splitting table 122 and the diversion openings 1294 to facilitate the smooth flow of water from the flow splitting table 122 into the diversion openings 1294.

[0098] In one embodiment, combined with Figure 10 , the ice making groove 120 includes an upper groove wall 1234 and a lower groove wall 1235 which are arranged opposite to each other up and down. Among them, the lower groove wall 1235 is inclined relative to the upper groove wall 1234. Specifically, the lower groove wall 1235 is inclined towards the bottom 1214 of the ice mold 120. The lower groove wall 1235 can guide the ice cubes in the ice making groove 120 to slide down, so as to facilitate the deicing of the ice making groove 120.

[0099] In this embodiment, the edges of the upper tank wall 1234 are provided with rounded corners so that the water flowing down from the self-diversion table 122 can easily enter the ice-making tank 120. The edges of the lower tank wall 1235 are also provided with rounded corners so that the water entering the ice-making tank 120 can more easily flow out. And the edges of the lower tank wall 1235 are provided with rounded corners to improve the skating efficiency of the lower tank wall 1235, so that the ice cubes can be further facilitated to slide out of the ice-making tank 120.

[0100] In one embodiment, in combination with Figure 8 , the ice-making tank 123 protrudes relative to the back surface 1212 of the ice mold 120, and the tank body of the ice-making tank 123 is not connected to the tank bodies of other ice-making tanks 123. In this embodiment, the ice mold 120 is integrally formed by stamping to facilitate the processing of the ice-making tank 123.

[0101] In one embodiment, in combination with Figure 4 and Figure 5 , a bracket (referred to as the fixed bracket 111) is further provided in the outer shell 110. The ice mold 120 is fixedly connected to the fixed bracket 111, and the fixed bracket 111 is fixedly connected to the outer shell 110, so as to fixedly arrange the ice mold 120 in the outer shell 110.

[0102] In summary, the ice-making equipment of the present application changes the flow path of the refrigerant, so that the refrigerant can realize ice-making and auxiliary ice removal, improves the function of the ice-making equipment, and the ice cubes can be well removed from the ice-making tank through the ice removal mechanism, improving the use efficiency of the ice-making equipment.

[0103] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and an explanation of the applied technical principles. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of the present invention involved in the present invention is not limited to the technical solutions formed by the specific combination of the above technical features, and should also cover other technical solutions formed by any combination of the above technical features or their equivalent features without departing from the above inventive concept. For example, the technical solutions formed by mutually replacing the above features with the technical features (but not limited to) having similar functions in the present invention.

[0104] Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. On the contrary, the specific features and acts described above are only example forms for implementing the claims.

Claims

1. An ice-making device, characterized in that: Including ice mold and ice removal mechanism, The ice mold is provided with a plurality of ice-making grooves, the ice-making grooves are formed by being recessed from the front side of the ice mold to the back side of the ice mold, and a pinhole is provided at the bottom of each ice-making groove; The ice-removing mechanism includes a push-pull member and a plurality of ejector pins arranged on the push-pull member. The ejector pins are arranged relative to the back side of the ice-making groove. Each ejector pin is aligned with the ejector pin hole of the corresponding ice-making groove. The push-pull member allows the ejector pins to enter and exit the ice-making groove through the corresponding ejector pin hole.

2. The ice-making device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ice-shedding mechanism also includes an ice-shedding bracket, which is fixedly connected to the back of the ice mold. A sliding rod is arranged on the ice-shedding bracket, and a sliding hole is arranged on the push-pull member. The sliding hole is sleeved with the sliding rod.

3. The ice-making device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ice-removing mechanism further includes a linear drive assembly, which is connected to the push-pull member and is used to drive the push-pull member to perform linear motion.

4. The ice making device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The ice-removing mechanism further comprises a conversion member, and the front and back surfaces of the conversion member are respectively connected to the push-pull member and the linear drive assembly.

5. The ice-making device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The linear drive assembly is a linear motor or a screw mechanism.

6. The ice-making device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two ends of the ejector pin are respectively an abutment end and a threaded end. The push-pull member is provided with a screw hole, and the threaded end is threadedly connected to the screw hole.

7. The ice-making device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The abutting top is in a plane shape, a hemispherical shape, or a hemispherical shape.

8. The ice-making device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The ice-removing mechanism further includes a limiting member, which is disposed between the back side of the ice mold and the push-pull member, and is used to prevent the push-pull member from moving toward the back side of the ice mold.

9. The ice-making device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The ice-making device also includes an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser, a solenoid valve and a control unit. The evaporator, the compressor and the condenser are connected through pipelines, and refrigerant flows through the pipelines. The evaporator includes an evaporation pipeline, and the evaporation pipeline extends to the ice mold. The solenoid valve controls the outlet of the compressor to be connected to the condenser or the evaporator. The control unit is electrically connected to the solenoid valve and the compressor.

10. The ice-making device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The evaporation pipeline is arranged on the back side of the ice mold, and the evaporation pipeline is arranged on the bottom surfaces of the ice making grooves in sequence along the arrangement positions of the plurality of ice making grooves.

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