An evaporator for an ice maker

Abstract

An evaporator of an ice maker, comprising a tank-shaped body for containing liquid to be cooled, the tank-shaped body comprising an arc-shaped bottom (1) and side plates (2) located on both sides of the arc-shaped bottom (1), the arc-shaped bottom (1) being provided with an axial through groove (3) in the back thereof along the axial direction of the tank-shaped body, the axial through groove (3) being connected with a refrigerant inlet pipe (4) at one axial end thereof, the axial through groove (3) being connected with a refrigerant outlet pipe (5) at the other axial end thereof, and the arc-shaped bottom (1) being used for freezing the liquid to be cooled; the evaporator of the ice maker is designed in a non-cylindrical shape, the structure is greatly simplified, and the working principle is different from that of the prior art, and the evaporator can be applied to a snow maker.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of ice maker technology, specifically to an evaporator for an ice maker. Background Technology

[0002] The evaporator is the core component of an ice maker. One type of ice maker, called a slush machine, has a cylindrical evaporator, known as an evaporator drum. For example, a technical solution disclosed in patent application CN1103545C describes a slush machine where ice forms on the inner and outer circumferential surfaces of the evaporator drum. A drive motor rotates a shaft connected to a scraper, which contacts the inner and outer circumferential surfaces of the evaporator drum. As the scraper rotates and contacts these surfaces, it scrapes off the ice. The scraper continues to remove ice, which mixes with the beverage source in the beverage container to produce a slush-like beverage.

[0003] For a long time, the evaporators of slush machines have been designed in a cylindrical shape based on the above principle. However, the applicant will propose a new type of evaporator for ice makers, which provides another approach. This new evaporator is not cylindrical in design, has a greatly simplified structure, and is different from the working principle of existing technologies. It can be applied to slush machines. Utility Model Content

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to provide an evaporator for an ice maker, which is non-cylindrical in design, greatly simplifies the structure, and differs from the working principle of the prior art, and can be applied to slush machines.

[0005] The technical solution of this utility model is: an evaporator for an ice maker, including a trough-shaped body for containing the liquid to be cooled. The trough-shaped body includes an arc-shaped bottom and side plates located on both sides of the arc-shaped bottom. The arc-shaped bottom has an axial through groove on its back side, which is arranged along the axial direction of the trough-shaped body. One end of the axial through groove is connected to a refrigerant inlet pipe, and the other end of the axial through groove is connected to a refrigerant outlet pipe. The arc-shaped bottom is used to freeze the liquid to be cooled.

[0006] With the above structure, this utility model has the following advantages:

[0007] This disclosure, through an improved, non-cylindrical design, operates on the following principle: the trough-shaped main body contains the liquid to be cooled, while the arc-shaped bottom has an axial groove on its back side, arranged along the axial direction of the trough-shaped main body. One end of the axial groove connects to a refrigerant inlet pipe, and the other end connects to a refrigerant outlet pipe. The arc-shaped bottom is used to freeze the liquid to be cooled, thus greatly simplifying the structure. When this disclosure is used in a slush machine, the scraper can cooperate with the arc-shaped bottom to continuously scrape away the ice formed on the arc-shaped bottom. This scraped ice rises, thus squeezing the liquid towards one side of the arc-shaped bottom, forming active convection. Therefore, the scraped ice is less likely to accumulate at the arc-shaped bottom and affect the freezing process. With continuous operation, the liquid to be cooled gradually transforms into a slush-like state. Of course, the evaporator of this disclosure can also be used in other ice makers, such as ice cream machines, if needed.

[0008] In summary, the non-cylindrical design disclosed herein greatly simplifies the structure and differs from the working principle of existing technologies, making it applicable to slush machines.

[0009] In some embodiments, the system includes a U-shaped inner side plate, a front end plate, a rear end plate, and an arc-shaped outer side plate. The arc-shaped outer side plate is located outside the arc-shaped bottom of the U-shaped inner side plate, and the arc-shaped outer side plate and the arc-shaped bottom are arranged side by side with an axial gap and connected on both sides to form an axial arc-shaped gap. The front end plate is connected to the front end of the U-shaped inner side plate and the front end of the arc-shaped outer side plate to close the front end of the axial arc-shaped gap. The rear end plate is connected to the rear end of the U-shaped inner side plate and the rear end of the arc-shaped outer side plate to close the rear end of the axial arc-shaped gap, thereby closing the axial arc-shaped gap to form the axial through groove.

[0010] In some embodiments, the U-shaped inner side plate extends upward to form side plates located on both sides of the arc-shaped bottom.

[0011] In some embodiments, the rear end plate closes the rear end of the U-shaped inner side plate to close the rear end of the evaporator, and the rear end plate is provided with a through hole for inserting the rotating shaft of the ice maker's scraper.

[0012] In some embodiments, the front end plate is formed by bending the front end of the U-shaped inner side plate outward. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the evaporator of an ice maker disclosed herein, viewed from the upper front side.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the evaporator of an ice maker disclosed herein, viewed from the lower front side.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the evaporator of an ice maker disclosed herein, viewed from the rear end.

[0016] Figure 4 This is a top view of the evaporator of an ice maker disclosed herein.

[0017] Figure 5 This is a sectional view along axis AA.

[0018] Figure 6 This is a sectional view along the BB direction.

[0019] As shown in the figure: 1-arc bottom, 2-side plate, 3-axial through groove, 4-refrigerant inlet pipe, 5-refrigerant outlet pipe, 6-U-shaped inner side plate, 7-front end plate, 8-rear end plate, 9-arc outer side plate, 10-through hole, 11-connection part. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To better understand this application, various aspects of this application will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these detailed descriptions are merely illustrative of exemplary embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of this application in any way. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements.

[0021] In the accompanying drawings, the thickness, size, and shape of the objects have been slightly exaggerated for illustrative purposes. The drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not drawn to scale.

[0022] It should also be understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “containing,” “comprise,” and “containing”, when used in this specification, indicate the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0023] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, this disclosure proposes an evaporator for an ice maker, including a trough-shaped body for containing a liquid to be cooled. The trough-shaped body includes an arc-shaped bottom 1 and side plates 2 located on both sides of the arc-shaped bottom 1. The arc-shaped bottom 1 has an axial through groove 3 arranged along the axial direction of the trough-shaped body on its back side. One end of the axial through groove 3 is connected to a refrigerant inlet pipe 4, and the other end of the axial through groove 3 is connected to a refrigerant outlet pipe 5. The arc-shaped bottom 1 is used to freeze the liquid to be cooled.

[0024] The working principle can be referred to as follows: The refrigerant enters the axial groove 3 from the refrigerant inlet pipe 4. The refrigerant flows along the axial groove 3 towards the refrigerant outlet pipe 5. During the flow, it expands and absorbs heat, thereby cooling the arc-shaped bottom 1. The surface of the arc-shaped bottom 1 will freeze.

[0025] This invention discloses an arc-shaped bottom 3 at the bottom of the trough body, which forms the working principle of ice floating, thus facilitating ice making and ice scraping.

[0026] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 , 3 As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the main body of the channel includes a U-shaped inner side plate 6, a front end plate 7, a rear end plate 8, and an arc-shaped outer side plate 9. The arc-shaped outer side plate 9 is located outside the arc-shaped bottom 1 of the U-shaped inner side plate 6, and the arc-shaped outer side plate 9 and the arc-shaped bottom 1 are arranged side by side with an axial gap and connected on both sides to form an axial arc-shaped gap. The front end plate 7 is connected to the front end of the U-shaped inner side plate 6 and the front end of the arc-shaped outer side plate 9 to close the front end of the axial arc-shaped gap. The rear end plate 8 is connected to the rear end of the U-shaped inner side plate 6 and the rear end of the arc-shaped outer side plate 9 to close the rear end of the axial arc-shaped gap, thereby closing the axial arc-shaped gap to form the axial through groove 3. In this way, the structure is simple and easy to assemble, which is conducive to achieving the goal of greatly simplifying the structure. In addition, it is beneficial to reduce the connection seams and reduce the probability of leakage.

[0027] In some embodiments, in this example, the arc-shaped outer side plate 9 and the arc-shaped bottom plate 1 are axially spaced parallel to each other and connected on both sides by connecting portions 11 to form an axial arc-shaped gap. The connecting portions 11 are formed by bending the two sides of the arc-shaped outer side plate 9 inward, that is, the connecting portions 11 and the arc-shaped outer side plate 9 are integrally formed. This further simplifies the structure, and since the connecting portions 11 and the arc-shaped outer side plate 9 are integrally formed, it is beneficial to reduce the connection seam and lower the probability of leakage.

[0028] In some embodiments, such as in this example, Figure 1 As shown, the U-shaped inner side plate 6 extends upward to form side plates 2 located on both sides of the arc-shaped bottom 1. This further simplifies the structure and also helps to reduce the number of joints, thus lowering the chance of leakage.

[0029] In some embodiments, such as in this example, Figure 1 , 3 As shown in Figure 6, the rear end plate 8 closes the rear end of the U-shaped inner side plate 6 to seal the rear end of the evaporator. A through hole 10 is provided on the rear end plate 8 for inserting the rotating shaft of the ice maker's scraper. This further simplifies the structure and also helps to reduce the number of joints, lowering the probability of leakage.

[0030] In some embodiments, such as in this example, Figure 1 , 2 As shown in Figure 5, the front end plate 7 is formed by bending the front end of the U-shaped inner side plate 6 outward, that is, the front end plate 7 and the U-shaped inner side plate 6 are integrated, which further simplifies the structure. In addition, it helps to reduce the connection seam and reduce the probability of leakage.

[0031] When understanding this utility model, the above structure may be referred to other embodiments / appendices if necessary. Figure 1 And that's understood, so I won't go into details here.

[0032] The above description is merely an illustrative embodiment of this utility model. Therefore, all equivalent changes or modifications made to the structure, features, and principles described in the scope of protection of this utility model are included within the scope of protection of this utility model.

Claims

1. An evaporator for an ice maker, characterized in that: The system includes a trough-shaped body for containing the liquid to be cooled. The trough-shaped body includes an arc-shaped bottom (1) and side plates (2) located on both sides of the arc-shaped bottom (1). The arc-shaped bottom (1) has an axial through groove (3) arranged along the axial direction of the trough-shaped body on its back side. The axial through groove (3) is connected to a refrigerant inlet pipe (4) at one end of its axial direction and to a refrigerant outlet pipe (5) at the other end of its axial direction. The arc-shaped bottom (1) is used to freeze the liquid to be cooled.

2. The evaporator of an ice maker according to claim 1, characterized in that: The system includes a U-shaped inner side plate (6), a front end plate (7), a rear end plate (8), and an arc-shaped outer side plate (9). The arc-shaped outer side plate (9) is located outside the arc-shaped bottom (1) of the U-shaped inner side plate (6). The arc-shaped outer side plate (9) and the arc-shaped bottom (1) are arranged side by side with an axial gap and connected on both sides to form an axial arc-shaped gap. The front end plate (7) is connected to the front end of the U-shaped inner side plate (6) and the front end of the arc-shaped outer side plate (9) to close the front end of the axial arc-shaped gap. The rear end plate (8) is connected to the rear end of the U-shaped inner side plate (6) and the rear end of the arc-shaped outer side plate (9) to close the rear end of the axial arc-shaped gap, thereby closing the axial arc-shaped gap to form the axial through groove (3).

3. The evaporator of an ice maker according to claim 2, characterized in that: The U-shaped inner side plate (6) extends upward to form side plates (2) located on both sides of the arc-shaped bottom (1).

4. The evaporator of an ice maker according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The rear end plate (8) closes the rear end of the U-shaped inner side plate (6) to close the rear end of the evaporator. A through hole (10) is provided on the rear end plate (8) for inserting the rotating shaft of the ice maker's scraper.

5. The evaporator of an ice maker according to claim 2, characterized in that: The front end plate (7) is formed by bending the front end of the U-shaped inner side plate (6) outward.

Images