Ice discharge device based on gravity action and ice maker with the same
By installing an automatically closing ice outlet door that relies on gravity on the upper side of the ice outlet of the ice maker, the problems of complex control and high cost in the existing technology are solved, and the effects of simplified control and improved reliability are achieved.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- ZHUHAI SAMYOU ENVIRONMENTAL TECH CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-08-08
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-28
AI Technical Summary
The ice outlet structure of existing ice makers requires an additional drive motor or electromagnetic drive valve to control the opening and closing of the ice door, resulting in a complex control structure that is prone to failure and increases production costs.
An automatic ice-discharging device based on gravity is adopted. By suspending a rotating hinged ice-discharging door on the upper side of the ice outlet, the ice blocks achieve automatic closure using their own weight, simplifying the control structure and reducing the use of electrical components.
It achieves automatic closure of the ice outlet, simplifies the control method, improves reliability and reduces production costs.
Smart Images
Figure CN224567712U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of ice making, and in particular to an automatic closing ice dispensing device based on gravity and its ice maker. Background Technology
[0002] An ice maker is a refrigeration machine that uses a refrigerant in a refrigeration system to cool water through an evaporator to form ice. During ice making, a water pump draws ice water from a storage tank to a distribution or spraying device, evenly distributing or spraying the water onto ice trays cooled by the low-temperature liquid refrigerant in the evaporator. The water is cooled to its freezing point and continuously condenses into ice in the ice trays. Water that doesn't freeze in the ice trays flows back into the storage tank, and the pump restarts the cycle. When the ice reaches the desired thickness, it enters a de-icing state. High-pressure hot gas discharged from the compressor is diverted through a reversing valve to the evaporator, replacing the low-temperature liquid refrigerant. This forms a water film between the ice and the evaporator, causing the ice to detach from the evaporator and fall freely into the ice storage box below under gravity. When ice is needed, an ice dispensing mechanism automatically transports the ice from the storage box to the outlet.
[0003] Currently, most ice makers use a rotating auger to push ice cubes from the bottom of the ice storage box towards the ice outlet. An ice outlet gate is typically installed at the outlet; opening this gate pushes out the ice cubes, and then closing it again prevents external dust, bacteria, and other impurities from entering the ice storage box, effectively ensuring the cleanliness and hygiene of the ice. However, conventional ice dispensing control methods usually require an additional drive motor or solenoid valve to operate the ice gate, making the control structure of the ice dispensing mechanism complex. The ice outlet is prone to jamming due to electrical faults, hindering ice dispensing, and the excessive number of drive electrical components increases the production cost of the ice dispensing module.
[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve the ice outlet structure of existing ice makers to facilitate automatic ice dispensing and convenient control. Utility Model Content
[0005] This utility model provides an automatic closing ice-discharging device and ice maker based on gravity during ice discharging. The device features a door at the ice outlet that automatically closes due to gravity, thereby simplifying the ice discharging control structure while achieving automatic closure of the ice outlet.
[0006] The technical solution adopted by this utility model to solve its technical problem is: An automatic closing ice dispensing device based on gravity for automatic closing of the ice outlet includes a housing, an ice storage basket and a spiral ice dispensing mechanism. The ice storage basket is installed in the housing, and the housing has an ice outlet extending downwards corresponding to the upper outer edge of the ice storage basket for ice blocks to slide out automatically along the side. The spiral ice dispensing mechanism is inclinedly arranged on the bottom side of the ice storage basket and extends along the axial direction of the spiral shaft to the upper side of the ice outlet, so as to push the ice blocks stored in the ice storage basket cavity out of the ice outlet by rotating the spiral shaft. An ice gate is suspended on the upper side of the ice outlet, with both ends rotatably hinged to the two sides of the ice outlet, which automatically seals the entire side outlet by gravity; The ice block pushed out by the spiral ice-discharging mechanism along the axial direction of the spiral shaft pushes the ice-discharging gate, and the upper hinge shaft is used as the center of rotation to flip upward and open the ice outlet, so that the ice block can automatically slide out and fall along the side.
[0007] Preferably, the upper side of the ice outlet is provided with a cover for supporting the ice outlet door which is suspended vertically by gravity, and for protecting the space below.
[0008] Preferably, the upper cover has slots on both sides that engage with the hinged pivots at both ends of the upper side of the ice outlet door.
[0009] Preferably, the lower side of the upper cover near the side of the ice outlet door adjacent to the spiral ice outlet mechanism is also fitted with a lower cover whose side is used to abut and block the entire outlet, and whose bottom surface is inclined for the automatic sliding out of ice blocks.
[0010] Preferably, the lower end cover is fastened to the lower side of the upper cover. Preferably, at the hinged pivots at both ends of the upper side of the ice outlet gate, torsion springs with a torque less than the weight generated by each ice block are respectively fitted, which are used to drive the ice outlet gate to apply a certain pre-tight sealing force to the side outlet.
[0011] Preferably, the ice outlet door has an angle of 2 to 15° relative to the vertical direction of the ice outlet opening, which facilitates the sealing of the entire outlet by gravity. There is also a gap of 0.5 to 1.5 mm between the left and right sides of the ice outlet door and the two sides of the lower end cover to ensure smooth rotation.
[0012] Preferably, the lower inner edge of the ice outlet corresponding to the lower end cover is also provided with a leak-proof guide mechanism for collecting the ice chips or ice water from the outlet of the ice storage basket and returning it to the internal storage box, preventing the ice chips or ice water from leaking and dripping from the ice outlet. The leak-proof guide mechanism includes an outward tilting plate and an inward tilting plate. The inner end of the outward tilting plate is connected to the outlet of the ice storage basket and is tilted outward relative to the ice outlet for the discharge of ice. The inward tilting plate is located below the outward tilting plate and the two form an inward tilting return channel for the ice chips or ice water to flow back to the internal storage box. The outer end of the inward tilting plate is provided with multiple parallel leak grids with the upper end face flush with the tilting surface of the outward tilting plate for the ice to slide out and for the ice chips or ice water to leak and be intercepted.
[0013] Preferably, the tilt angle of the spiral ice-discharging mechanism is 30°.
[0014] An ice maker includes a housing, wherein an automatic closing ice dispensing device based on gravity, as described above, is installed at the ice outlet of the housing.
[0015] The beneficial effects of this utility model are: Compared to existing technologies that require adding motors or solenoid valves to drive the ice gate to open and close, which is not only complex to control and requires dedicated control circuits, this embodiment uses an ice gate suspended above the ice outlet, with both ends rotatably hinged to the two sides of the ice outlet. It automatically rotates and covers the entire side outlet by its own weight, simplifying the control method of the ice outlet, saving electrical installation space, simplifying the structure, improving the reliability of the ice outlet control, and effectively saving the production and manufacturing costs of the ice outlet module.
[0016] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the automatic closing ice dispensing device and the ice maker assembled in this utility model. Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A magnified structural diagram of part A in the diagram; Figure 3 This is a partial structural diagram of the closed state of the automatic ice-discharging device in this utility model; Figure 4 This is a partial structural diagram of the automatic closing ice discharging device in the ice discharging state of this utility model; Figure 5 This is an enlarged front view three-dimensional structure diagram of the assembled upper cover, ice outlet door and lower end cover of this utility model; Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Enlarged schematic diagram of the main view structure in the image; Figure 7 yes Figure 5 Enlarged schematic diagram of the rear view structure in the image; Figure 8 This is an enlarged schematic diagram of the main view structure of the ice gate in this utility model; Figure 9 This is an enlarged three-dimensional structural diagram of the assembled upper cover and ice outlet door in this utility model; Figure 10 This is an enlarged rear-view three-dimensional structural diagram of the assembled upper cover, ice outlet door, and lower end cover of this utility model. Detailed Implementation
[0018] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.
[0019] In the description of this utility model, "several" means one or more, "multiple" means two or more, "greater than," "less than," and "exceeding" are understood to exclude the stated number, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the stated number. Terms such as "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.
[0020] Furthermore, in the description of this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly defined, terms such as "setting," "installing," and "connecting" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model can be reasonably determined in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution.
[0021] An automatic closing ice dispensing device based on gravity is installed on the ice dispensing port on the upper side of the ice maker for automatic closing of the ice dispensing port a. Figures 1 to 9 As shown, the device includes a housing 1, an ice storage basket 2, and a spiral ice dispensing mechanism 3. The ice storage basket 2 is installed in the housing 1. The housing 1 has an ice outlet a that extends downwards and is used for ice blocks to slide out automatically along the side of the ice storage basket 2, corresponding to the upper outer edge of the ice storage basket 2. The upper part of the spiral ice dispensing mechanism 3 is open and is set at a 30° angle on the bottom side of the ice storage basket 2 and extends to the upper side of the ice outlet a along the spiral shaft. It is used to push the ice blocks stored in the cavity of the ice storage basket 2 out of the ice outlet a by rotating the spiral shaft. An ice dispensing door 4 is suspended on the upper side of the ice outlet a, which is rotatably hinged at both ends to the two sides of the ice outlet a and automatically seals the entire side outlet by gravity. The ice blocks pushed out by the spiral ice dispensing mechanism 3 along the spiral shaft push the ice dispensing door 4 and flip it upwards with the upper hinge shaft as the center of rotation, opening the ice outlet a so that the ice blocks can slide out and fall automatically along the side.
[0022] Continue as Figures 1 to 9As shown, an upper cover 5 is provided on the upper side of the ice outlet a to support the ice outlet door 4 which is suspended vertically by gravity and to shield and protect the space below. The upper cover 5 has slots 50 on both sides that engage with the hinged shafts at both ends of the upper side of the ice outlet door 4. On the lower side of the upper cover 5 near the spiral ice outlet mechanism 3, a lower end cover 6 is also snapped on, which is used to block the entire outlet by the ice outlet door 4 and has an inclined bottom surface b for the ice blocks to slide out automatically. The other side of the bottom surface b of the lower end cover 6 is a suspended ice outlet cavity. At the hinged shafts at both ends of the upper side of the ice outlet door 4, torsion springs 7 are respectively installed, with a torque less than the weight generated by each ice block, to drive the ice outlet door 4 to apply a certain pre-tight sealing force to the side outlet.
[0023] Among them, the ice outlet 4 adopts a structure that is narrow at the bottom and wide at the top. The ice outlet 4 has an angle A in the vertical direction relative to the ice outlet a, which makes it easy to block the entire outlet by gravity. The angle A ranges from 2 to 15°. There is also a gap B between the left and right sides of the ice outlet 4 and the two sides of the lower end cover 6 to ensure smooth rotation. The value of gap B ranges from 0.5 to 1.5 mm.
[0024] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, a leak-proof guide mechanism 8 is provided on the inner edge of the lower side of the ice outlet 4 corresponding to the lower end cover 6. This mechanism is used to collect the ice chips or ice water from the outlet of the ice storage basket 2 and return it to the internal storage box, preventing the ice chips or ice water from leaking out of the outlet. The leak-proof guide mechanism 8 includes an outward tilting plate 80 and an inward tilting plate 81. The inner end of the outward tilting plate 80 is connected to the outlet of the ice storage basket 2 and is tilted outward relative to the ice outlet a for the discharge of ice. The inward tilting plate 81 is located below the outward tilting plate 80, and the two form an inward tilting return channel 82 for the ice chips or ice water to return to the internal storage box. The outer end of the inward tilting plate 81 is provided with multiple parallel leak grids 83 that are flush with the inclined surface of the outward tilting plate 80 and used to intercept the ice water from the ice chips or ice water as it slides out.
[0025] In this embodiment, an ice outlet door 4 is suspended on the upper side of the ice outlet a, with both ends rotatably hinged to the two sides of the ice outlet a. The ice outlet door 4 automatically rotates and covers the entire side outlet by its own weight and the auxiliary torsion spring 7, which simplifies the control method of the ice outlet a, saves electrical installation space, and improves the reliability of the control of the ice outlet a while simplifying the structure.
[0026] The above-described embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of this utility model and are not intended to limit the scope of implementation of this utility model. All equivalent changes made in accordance with the shape, structure and principle of this utility model should be covered within the protection scope of this utility model.
Claims
1. An automatic closing ice-discharging device based on gravity during ice discharge, used for the automatic closing of the ice discharge outlet, characterized in that, The device includes a housing, an ice storage basket, and a spiral ice dispensing mechanism. The ice storage basket is installed in the housing, and the housing has a downwardly extending ice outlet corresponding to the upper outer edge of the ice storage basket, which is used for ice blocks to automatically slide out along the side. The spiral ice dispensing mechanism is inclinedly arranged on the bottom side of the ice storage basket and extends along the axial direction of the spiral shaft to the upper side of the ice outlet, so as to push the ice blocks stored in the ice storage basket cavity out of the ice outlet by rotating the spiral shaft. An ice gate is suspended on the upper side of the ice outlet, with both ends rotatably hinged to the two sides of the ice outlet, which automatically seals the entire side outlet by gravity; The ice block pushed out by the spiral ice-discharging mechanism along the axial direction of the spiral shaft pushes the ice-discharging gate, and the upper hinge shaft is used as the center of rotation to flip upward and open the ice outlet, so that the ice block can automatically slide out and fall along the side.
2. The automatic closing ice-discharging device based on gravity during ice discharge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper side of the ice outlet is provided with a cover for supporting the ice outlet door, which is suspended vertically by gravity, and for protecting the space below.
3. The automatic closing ice-discharging device based on gravity during ice discharge according to claim 2, characterized in that: The upper cover has slots on both sides that engage with the hinged pivots at both ends of the upper side of the ice outlet door.
4. An automatic closing ice-discharging device based on gravity during ice discharge according to claim 2, characterized in that: The upper cover near the spiral ice-discharging mechanism of the ice gate is also equipped with a lower cover on the side for the ice gate to abut against and block the entire outlet, and the bottom surface is inclined for the ice block to slide out automatically.
5. An automatic closing ice-discharging device based on gravity during ice discharge according to claim 4, characterized in that: The lower end cover is secured to the lower side of the upper cover by a buckle.
6. An automatic closing ice-discharging device based on gravity during ice discharge according to claim 4, characterized in that: At the hinged pivots at both ends of the upper side of the ice exit gate, torsion springs with a torque less than the weight generated by each ice block are respectively installed to drive the ice exit gate to apply a certain pre-tight sealing force to the side outlet.
7. An automatic closing ice-discharging device based on gravity during ice discharge according to claim 4, characterized in that: The ice outlet door has an angle of 2 to 15° relative to the vertical direction of the ice outlet opening, which facilitates the sealing of the entire outlet by gravity. There is also a gap of 0.5 to 1.5 mm between the left and right sides of the ice outlet door and the two sides of the lower end cover to ensure smooth rotation.
8. An automatic closing ice-discharging device based on gravity during ice discharge according to claim 4, characterized in that: The lower inner edge of the ice outlet corresponding to the lower end cover is also provided with a leak-proof guide mechanism for collecting the melted ice water from the ice storage basket outlet and returning it to the internal storage box, preventing ice water from leaking out of the outlet. The leak-proof guide mechanism includes an outward tilting plate and an inward tilting plate. The inner end of the outward tilting plate is connected to the outlet of the ice storage basket and is tilted outward relative to the ice outlet for ice block discharge. The inward tilting plate is located below the outward tilting plate, and the two form an inward tilting return channel for the melted ice water from the ice storage basket to return to the internal storage box. The outer end of the inward tilting plate has multiple parallel leak grids that are flush with the inclined surface of the outward tilting plate and used to intercept the ice water from sliding out and the melted ice water from the ice storage basket.
9. An automatic closing ice-discharging device based on gravity during ice discharge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tilt angle of the spiral ice-discharging mechanism is 30°.
10. An ice maker, comprising a housing, characterized in that, The ice outlet of the housing is equipped with an automatic closing ice outlet device based on gravity, as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.