Evaporator assembly and spraying ice maker

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of ice making, in particular to an evaporator assembly and a spraying ice maker. The evaporator assembly comprises a shell, an ice making mold, a refrigerating pipe and a filling body. A mounting cavity is formed in the shell, the ice making mold is arranged in the mounting cavity, an ice making cavity is formed in the ice making mold and is used for receiving external water mist and forming ice blocks, and a gap is formed between the outer wall surface of the ice making mold and the inner wall surface of the shell. A refrigeration section is formed on the refrigeration pipe and is attached to the outer wall surface of the ice making mold; the filling body is arranged in the gap and used for filling the gap, and the refrigeration section abuts against the filling body. According to the evaporator assembly, the ice making mold and the refrigerating pipe do not need to be welded, the structural strength of the evaporator assembly can be effectively guaranteed, and meanwhile the overall assembly cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of ice-making technology, and in particular to an evaporator assembly and a spray ice maker. Background Technology

[0002] Spray ice makers are a type of ice-making equipment that primarily works by spraying water mist onto ice molds. The water mist then exchanges heat with the evaporator, causing the water to condense and solidify within the mold, producing hard, transparent ice. In existing spray ice makers, the evaporator is mainly constructed by welding multiple bent copper tubes and stretched copper plates. Visible welds appear at the joints of different structural components, resulting in multiple weld seams on the evaporator surface. During long-term hot and cold cycles, stress concentration can easily occur, reducing the overall structural strength of the evaporator. Utility Model Content

[0003] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides an evaporator assembly and a spray ice maker that eliminates the need to weld the ice mold and refrigeration pipes, effectively ensuring the structural strength of the evaporator assembly while reducing overall assembly costs.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this utility model provides an evaporator assembly, comprising:

[0005] The housing has an internal cavity for installation.

[0006] An ice-making mold is disposed in the mounting cavity. The ice-making mold has an ice-making cavity, which is used to receive external water mist and form ice blocks. A gap is formed between the outer wall surface of the ice-making mold and the inner wall surface of the housing.

[0007] A refrigeration pipe having a refrigeration section, the refrigeration section being attached to the outer wall surface of the ice-making mold;

[0008] A filler is disposed in the gap, the filler is used to fill the gap, and the cooling section abuts against the filler.

[0009] As an improvement to the above solution, the thickness of the filler is greater than or equal to the thickness of the gap.

[0010] As an improvement to the above solution, the filler is made of thermal insulation material.

[0011] As an improvement to the above solution, the refrigeration section is coiled to form a first curved pipe section and a second curved pipe section. The first side wall and bottom wall of the ice-making mold abut against the first curved pipe section, and the second side wall and bottom wall of the ice-making mold abut against the second curved pipe section. The first side wall and the second side wall are arranged opposite to each other.

[0012] And / or, the refrigeration section is bonded to the outer wall of the ice-making mold by an adhesive component;

[0013] And / or, the outer wall surface of the ice-making mold is formed with an arc-shaped groove, and the refrigeration section is inserted into the arc-shaped groove.

[0014] As an improvement to the above solution, the housing includes a bottom shell and a cover plate, the bottom shell and the cover plate are detachably connected, and the mounting cavity is formed in the bottom shell.

[0015] As an improvement to the above solution, the inner wall surface of the housing is provided with a vent hole, which communicates with the mounting cavity.

[0016] As an improvement to the above solution, the inner bottom wall of the housing is formed with a mounting groove, the vent is located inside the mounting groove, and the mounting groove is fitted with a ventilating filter.

[0017] Accordingly, the present invention also provides a spray ice maker, including a machine body, a spray assembly and an evaporator assembly as described in any one of the above, wherein the machine body forms a spray ice-making chamber, the evaporator assembly and the spray assembly are located in the spray ice-making chamber, and the ice-making chamber faces the spray assembly.

[0018] As an improvement to the above solution, the spray assembly includes a spray pipe and a spray head. The spray pipe is disposed on the main body of the machine. One end of the spray pipe is connected to a water tank. The spray head is installed at the other end of the spray pipe, and the outlet of the spray head is located below the ice-making chamber to spray water mist into the ice-making chamber.

[0019] As an improvement to the above solution, the spray head is provided with a disc inside, and the disc forms an inclined water passage hole. The axis of the inclined water passage hole forms a preset angle with the water outlet direction of the spray pipe, and the preset angle is less than 90°.

[0020] Implementing this utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] According to the evaporator assembly of this embodiment, by tightly fitting the cooling section of the refrigeration pipe to the outer wall of the ice mold, and simultaneously filling the gap between the outer wall of the ice mold and the inner bottom wall of the shell, the refrigeration section of the refrigeration pipe is pressed against the outer wall of the ice mold by the filler, thus completing the tight connection between the ice mold and the ice-making section of the refrigeration pipe. This allows the ice-making section of the refrigeration pipe to make ice from the water mist inside the ice mold, eliminating the need to weld the ice mold and the refrigeration pipe. This avoids excessive welds on the ice mold, which could affect its structural strength, ensuring the overall service life of the evaporator assembly. At the same time, it effectively simplifies the assembly steps of the evaporator assembly and reduces the overall assembly cost. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional arrangement of the evaporator assembly and the spray assembly in one embodiment of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of an evaporator assembly in one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the filler body is not shown;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a top view of the evaporator assembly in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 This is an exploded structural diagram of the evaporator assembly in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between the ice-making mold and the refrigeration pipe in one embodiment of this utility model;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom shell structure in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between the spray pipe and the spray head in one embodiment of this utility model;

[0029] Figure 8 This is an exploded structural diagram of the spray pipe and spray head in one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the arrow indicates the direction of water flow;

[0030] Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the disc in one embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the following will describe this utility model in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is hereby declared that the terms "up," "down," "left," "right," "front," "back," "inner," and "outer," etc., appearing or about to appear in this document, are based solely on the accompanying drawings and are not intended to specifically limit this utility model.

[0032] The evaporator assembly of this invention eliminates the need to weld the ice mold 2 and the refrigeration pipe 3, effectively ensuring the structural strength of the evaporator assembly while reducing the overall assembly cost.

[0033] In one specific embodiment of this utility model, such as Figures 1 to 4As shown, the evaporator assembly includes a housing 1, an ice-making mold 2, a refrigeration pipe 3, and a filler 4. An installation cavity 11 is formed inside the housing 1. The ice-making mold 2 is disposed within the installation cavity 11 and has an ice-making chamber 21. The ice-making chamber 21 is used to receive external water mist and form ice blocks. A gap 17 is formed between the outer wall surface of the ice-making mold 2 and the inner wall surface of the housing 1. The refrigeration pipe 3 has a refrigeration section 31, which is attached to the outer wall surface of the ice-making mold 2. The filler 4 is disposed in the gap 17, filling the gap 17, and the refrigeration section 31 abuts against the filler 4.

[0034] According to the evaporator assembly of this embodiment, by attaching the cooling section 31 of the cooling pipe 3 to the outer wall of the ice mold 2, and simultaneously filling the gap 17 between the outer wall of the ice mold 2 and the inner bottom wall of the shell 1 with the filler 4, the fillinger 4 presses the cooling section 31 of the cooling pipe 3 against the outer wall of the ice mold 2, thereby completing the tight connection between the ice mold 2 and the ice-making section of the cooling pipe 3. This allows the ice-making section of the cooling pipe 3 to make ice from the water mist inside the ice mold 2, eliminating the need to weld the ice mold 2 and the cooling pipe 3. This avoids excessive welds on the ice mold 2, which could affect its structural strength, ensuring the overall service life of the evaporator assembly. At the same time, it effectively simplifies the assembly steps of the evaporator assembly and reduces the overall assembly cost.

[0035] Among them, such as Figure 2 As shown, the gap 17 between the outer wall of the ice mold 2 and the inner wall of the shell 1 includes a top gap 171 and a side gap 172. The top gap 171 is the gap between the outer top wall of the ice mold 2 and the inner bottom wall of the shell 1, and the side gap 172 is the gap between the outer side wall of the ice mold 2 and the inner side wall of the shell 1. The top gap 171 and the side gap 172 are filled with filler 4 to ensure the squeezing effect of filler 4 on the refrigeration pipe 3 and to ensure a tight connection between the ice mold 2 and the refrigeration pipe 3.

[0036] Specifically, the thickness of the filler 4 is greater than or equal to the thickness of the gap 17 to ensure that the filler 4 can completely fill the gap 17 between the outer wall of the ice mold 2 and the inner wall of the shell 1, further ensuring the squeezing effect of the filler 4 on the refrigeration pipe 3, and preventing the refrigeration pipe 3 from detaching from the outer wall of the ice mold 2 and affecting the ice-making effect of the water mist inside the ice mold 2.

[0037] It should be noted that when the filler 4 is a rigid material (such as epoxy resin), the thickness of the filler 4 is preferably equal to the thickness of the gap 17 to facilitate the installation of the ice mold 2 and the refrigeration pipe 3 in the installation cavity; while when the filler 4 is a soft material (such as rubber or sponge), the thickness of the filler 4 can be set to be greater than the thickness of the gap 17.

[0038] For the evaporator assembly, the refrigerant pipe 3 can be connected to a refrigeration system including a compressor and condenser. The refrigeration system introduces low-temperature refrigerant into the refrigerant pipe 3, and the refrigerant pipe 3 directly contacts the ice mold 2 through the refrigeration section 31 to exchange heat with the ice mold 2. When the ice mold 2 receives water mist, the water mist exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the refrigeration chamber of the ice mold 2 to slowly condense the water mist into ice, completing the ice-making process of the evaporator assembly.

[0039] In existing evaporators, the refrigeration pipes 3 and the ice mold 2 are completely exposed to the air, resulting in significant cooling loss. In this embodiment, since the filler 4 is in contact with the refrigeration pipes 3, to reduce cooling loss, the filler 4 is made of insulating material. This filler 4 acts as an insulation layer, preventing the cooling energy from the refrigeration pipes 3 from diffusing towards the bottom away from the ice mold 2, thereby improving the utilization rate of the refrigerant cooling energy in the evaporator assembly.

[0040] Preferably, the insulation material can be EPS injection molded or foamed.

[0041] It should also be noted that the cross-sectional shape of the refrigeration tube 3 can be elliptical, that is, the refrigeration tube 3 is made into a flat tube so that the flat surface of the flat tube can contact the filler 4 and the ice mold 2, thereby increasing the contact area between the flat tube and the filler 4 and the ice mold 2, improving the contact stability, and increasing the heat exchange area between the refrigeration tube 3 and the ice mold 2 to ensure the heat exchange effect.

[0042] Of course, in other embodiments, the cross-sectional shape of the cooling tube 3 can also be circular, that is, the cooling tube 3 is made into a circular tube, which makes it convenient to obtain and replace the cooling tube 3.

[0043] As an optional embodiment of this utility model, in order to ensure the connection stability between the cooling pipe 3 and the ice mold 2, the following example connection methods can be adopted between the cooling pipe 3 and the ice mold 2:

[0044] The first connection method, such as Figure 5 As shown, the refrigeration section 31 is coiled to form a first curved pipe section 311 and a second curved pipe section 312. The first sidewall and bottom wall of the ice mold 2 abut against the first curved pipe section 311, and the second sidewall and bottom wall of the ice mold 2 abut against the second curved pipe section 312. The first sidewall and the second sidewall are arranged opposite to each other. When connecting the refrigeration pipe 3 and the ice mold 2, the first curved pipe section 311 and the second curved pipe section 312 can be used to tightly hold the ice mold 2, thereby ensuring the connection stability between the refrigeration pipe 3 and the ice mold 2.

[0045] More specifically, the maximum distance between the first curved pipe section 311 and the second curved pipe section 312 is D1, and the distance between the first sidewall and the second sidewall is D2. D1 is less than D2, and the difference between D2 and D1 is less than 0.1mm, so as to form an interference fit between the two curved pipe sections of the refrigeration pipe 3 and the ice mold 2, so as to ensure the clamping force of the refrigeration pipe 3 on the ice mold 2.

[0046] In the second connection method, the cooling section 31 and the outer wall of the ice mold 2 are bonded together by an adhesive (not shown in the figure). The adhesive can be tin foil, aluminum foil, thermally conductive adhesive or flexible thermally conductive pad, etc. The adhesive can ensure the connection stability between the cooling section 31 and the ice mold 2, while increasing the contact area between the cooling section 31 and the outer wall of the ice mold 2, and improving the heat exchange effect between the cooling section 31 and the ice mold 2.

[0047] The third connection method involves forming an arc-shaped groove (not shown in the figure) on the outer wall of the ice mold 2. The cooling section 31 is inserted into the arc-shaped groove to physically limit the cooling section 31, ensuring the connection stability between the cooling section 31 and the ice mold 2. At the same time, it reduces the air gap 17, lowers the thermal resistance, and ensures the heat exchange effect between the cooling section 31 and the ice mold 2.

[0048] Preferably, the refrigeration section 31 and the ice-making mold 2 are connected by bonding with tin foil.

[0049] In this embodiment, as Figure 4 and Figure 6 As shown, the housing 1 includes a bottom shell 12 and a cover plate 13, which are detachably connected. An installation cavity 11 is formed in the bottom shell 12. When installing the evaporator assembly, the heat-insulating filler 4 and the ice mold 2 with coiled refrigerant pipe 3 can be sequentially placed into the installation cavity 11 of the bottom shell 12. Then, the cover plate 13 is installed on the bottom shell 12. The cover plate 13 and the bottom shell 12 provide a limiting effect on the filler 4 and the ice mold 2, further ensuring a tight connection between the ice mold 2 and the filler 4.

[0050] In one embodiment, the bottom shell 12 has an opening, and the shape of the cover plate 13 is consistent with the shape of the opening. The cover plate 13 is inserted into the opening, and then bolts or nuts are inserted into the outer side of the bottom shell 12 to thread the bottom shell 12 and the cover plate 13 together.

[0051] Of course, in other embodiments, the cover plate 13 may also form a slot. After the end of the bottom shell 12 is inserted into the slot, the bottom shell 12 and the cover plate 13 are threaded together by bolts or nuts. Alternatively, the cover plate 13 may be directly attached to the end of the bottom shell 12 and then the bottom shell 12 and the cover plate 13 are threaded together.

[0052] Alternatively, the bottom shell 12 and the cover plate 13 can be connected by snap-fit ​​or other detachable connection methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0053] In this embodiment, after the ice-making mold 2 has completed the preparation of the ice blocks, it is necessary to perform an ice-removal process on the ice-making mold 2. During the ice block's sliding process, a negative pressure is formed in the mounting cavity 11 of the shell 1, creating an adsorption force on the ice blocks inside the ice-making cavity 21. To accelerate the ice-removal process, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the inner wall of the housing 1 has a vent hole 14, which is connected to the mounting cavity 11 so that the mounting cavity 11 can be connected to the external environment through the vent hole 14, thereby avoiding negative pressure and preventing the ice from being adsorbed, and thus accelerating the detachment of the ice.

[0054] Furthermore, such as Figure 6 As shown, the inner bottom wall of the shell 1 has a mounting groove 16, the vent hole 14 is located inside the mounting groove 16, and the mounting groove 16 is equipped with a vent filter 15, so as to connect the mounting cavity 11 with the external environment while preventing particulate pollutants such as dust from entering the mounting cavity, preventing the filler 4 from being contaminated, and ensuring the thermal insulation and filling performance of the filler 4.

[0055] Preferably, the breathable filter element 15 is breathable silicone.

[0056] Accordingly, this utility model also provides a spray ice maker, which includes a main body, a spray assembly 5, and an evaporator assembly as described in any of the above embodiments. The main body forms a spray ice-making chamber, and the evaporator assembly and the spray assembly 5 are located in the spray ice-making chamber, with the ice-making cavity 21 facing the spray assembly 5. When the spray assembly 5 is working, it can spray water mist into the ice-making cavity 21 to produce ice blocks with high hardness and high transparency for users. In addition, the spray ice maker also has all the beneficial effects of the evaporator assembly described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0057] Specifically, such as Figure 1 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the spray assembly 5 includes a spray pipe 51 and a spray head 52. The spray pipe 51 is located on the main body of the machine. One end of the spray pipe 51 is connected to a water tank (not shown in the figure). The spray head 52 is installed at the other end of the spray pipe 51, and the outlet of the spray head 52 is located below the ice-making chamber 21. Water is pumped into the spray pipe 51 and sprayed into the ice-making chamber 21 under the action of the spray head 52.

[0058] As one embodiment, such as Figure 8 and Figure 9As shown, a disc 53 is provided inside the spray head 52, and the disc 53 forms an inclined water passage hole 531. The axis of the inclined water passage hole 531 forms a preset angle with the water outlet direction of the spray pipe 51, which is less than 90°. When water with moving power is pumped to the spray head 52 through the spray pipe 51, the water flows into the spray head 52 through the inclined water passage hole 531. Since the preset angle of the inclined water passage hole 531 is less than 90°, the water flow forms a vortex when it enters the spray head 52, thereby ensuring that the water flow can be atomized after being sprayed out of the spray head 52, thus ensuring that the water mist can form highly transparent ice blocks after entering the ice-making chamber 21.

[0059] Preferably, the angle of the inclined water passage 531 is 45° to ensure the uniformity of the droplet size distribution after atomization and to balance the flow rate and atomization efficiency.

[0060] The above description is the preferred embodiment of this utility model. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of this invention, and these improvements and modifications are also considered to be within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. An evaporator assembly, characterized in that, include: The housing has an internal cavity for installation. An ice-making mold is disposed in the mounting cavity. The ice-making mold has an ice-making cavity, which is used to receive external water mist and form ice blocks. A gap is formed between the outer wall surface of the ice-making mold and the inner wall surface of the housing. A refrigeration pipe having a refrigeration section, the refrigeration section being attached to the outer wall surface of the ice-making mold; A filler is disposed in the gap, the filler is used to fill the gap, and the cooling section abuts against the filler.

2. The evaporator assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thickness of the filler is greater than or equal to the thickness of the gap.

3. The evaporator assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The filler is made of thermal insulation material.

4. The evaporator assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The refrigeration section is coiled to form a first curved pipe section and a second curved pipe section. The first side wall and bottom wall of the ice-making mold abut against the first curved pipe section, and the second side wall and bottom wall of the ice-making mold abut against the second curved pipe section. The first side wall and the second side wall are arranged opposite to each other. And / or, the refrigeration section is bonded to the outer wall of the ice-making mold by an adhesive component; And / or, the outer wall surface of the ice-making mold is formed with an arc-shaped groove, and the refrigeration section is inserted into the arc-shaped groove.

5. The evaporator assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing includes a bottom shell and a cover plate, the bottom shell and the cover plate being detachably connected, and the mounting cavity being formed in the bottom shell.

6. The evaporator assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner wall of the housing has vent holes, which are connected to the mounting cavity.

7. The evaporator assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that, The inner bottom wall of the housing has a mounting groove, the vent is located inside the mounting groove, and the mounting groove is fitted with a ventilating filter.

8. A spray ice maker, characterized in that, The device includes a body, a spray assembly, and an evaporator assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the body has a spray ice-making chamber, the evaporator assembly and the spray assembly are located in the spray ice-making chamber, and the ice-making chamber faces the spray assembly.

9. The spray ice maker according to claim 8, characterized in that, The spray assembly includes a spray pipe and a spray head. The spray pipe is disposed on the main body of the machine. One end of the spray pipe is connected to a water tank. The spray head is installed at the other end of the spray pipe, and the outlet of the spray head is located below the ice-making chamber to spray water mist into the ice-making chamber.

10. The spray ice maker according to claim 9, characterized in that, The spray head is equipped with a disc inside, and the disc has an inclined water passage hole. The axis of the inclined water passage hole forms a preset angle with the water outlet direction of the spray pipe, and the preset angle is less than 90°.

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