An ice maker that uses semiconductor refrigeration

Abstract

This utility model relates to the field of ice maker technology, specifically an ice maker utilizing semiconductor refrigeration. An ice maker utilizing semiconductor refrigeration includes an upper cover assembly, a water tray, an inner cover, a cold plate, a radiator, an insulated outer shell, a base, and a bottom cover. Its features include: the bottom of the insulated outer shell is connected to the base; a cold plate is located inside the insulated outer shell; a water tray is located inside the cold plate; the top of the cold plate is connected to the inner cover; and the upper cover assembly is connected above the inner cover. A radiator is located below the cold plate, and a cooling fan is located on one side of the radiator. The base contains a drive circuit board and a DC power supply, which is connected to a power cord. Compared with existing technologies, this ice maker utilizing semiconductor refrigeration optimizes the semiconductor refrigeration module design, improves the heat exchange system, and combines an advanced temperature control scheme to achieve fast ice-making speed, high ice-making quality, ease of use, and low energy consumption.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of ice maker technology, specifically an ice maker that uses semiconductor refrigeration. Background Technology

[0002] Most ice makers on the market currently use compressor refrigeration, which results in large size, high noise, high energy consumption, complex structure, and high maintenance costs. Traditional ice makers are mainly based on vapor compression refrigeration systems, so their overall structure is complex, containing multiple mechanical moving parts (such as compressors and expansion valves), leading to high noise during operation, large size, and high maintenance costs. In addition, traditional refrigerants have a certain impact on the environment, which is inconsistent with the current trend of energy conservation and environmental protection.

[0003] In recent years, semiconductor refrigeration technology, based on thermoelectric refrigeration devices using the thermoelectric effect of semiconductors, has gradually gained application in small-scale refrigeration and temperature control equipment due to its advantages such as small size, no mechanical rotating parts, fast response speed, and refrigerant-free environmental friendliness. However, existing ice-making equipment using semiconductor refrigeration generally suffers from problems such as low ice-making efficiency, imperfect thermal management, and inaccurate control of ice size and shape.

[0004] Therefore, developing a high-efficiency semiconductor refrigeration ice-making device, combined with a reasonable heat dissipation structure, to achieve a fast ice-making, stable temperature control, easy ice demolding, and energy-saving and environmentally friendly ice maker is of great practical significance. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, this utility model provides an ice maker that uses semiconductor refrigeration. By optimizing the design of the semiconductor refrigeration module, improving the heat exchange system, and combining it with an advanced temperature control scheme, it achieves the effects of fast ice making speed, high ice quality, ease of use, and low energy consumption.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, an ice maker using semiconductor refrigeration is designed, comprising an upper cover assembly, a water tray, an inner cover, a cold plate, a radiator, an insulated outer shell, a base, and a bottom cover. The insulated outer shell is connected to the base at its bottom; a cold plate is located inside the insulated outer shell; a water tray is located inside the cold plate; the top of the cold plate is connected to the inner cover; and the upper cover assembly is connected above the inner cover. A radiator is located below the cold plate, and a cooling fan is located on one side of the radiator. The base contains a drive circuit board and a DC power supply, which is connected to a power cord.

[0007] The upper cover assembly includes an upper cover body, a screen, a control circuit board, a first temperature sensor, an upper cover bottom cover, a motor, and a stirrer. The upper cover bottom cover is connected to the upper cover body. The control circuit board, screen, first temperature sensor, and motor are embedded in the upper cover bottom cover. The control circuit board is connected to the screen, first temperature sensor, and motor respectively. The drive end of the motor is connected to the stirrer, which is located at the bottom of the upper cover bottom cover. The upper cover body is provided with control buttons, which are connected to the control circuit board through connectors.

[0008] The water tray is embedded in the inner cover, and the bottom of the water tray is in contact with the cold plate.

[0009] The top side of the inner cover is rotatably connected to the bottom side of the upper cover and the bottom cover.

[0010] The heat sink consists of several heat sinks. A heat sink heat conduction plate and a second temperature sensor are connected at the top of the heat sink. A cold plate is provided above the heat sink heat conduction plate, and a semiconductor cooling chip is provided between the heat sink heat conduction plate and the cold plate.

[0011] The cooling fan is located on the side below the insulation shell.

[0012] The bottom of the base is connected to the bottom cover.

[0013] One end of the DC power supply is connected to the power cord, and the other end of the DC power supply is connected to the drive circuit board. The drive circuit board is connected to the cooling fan, the semiconductor refrigeration chip, the first temperature sensor, the second temperature sensor, and the control circuit board.

[0014] The first temperature sensor has two probes, one located at the air inlet and the other located inside the upper cover assembly.

[0015] The second temperature sensor is equipped with two probes, one probe is located at the cold plate and the other probe is located at the heat sink heat conduction plate.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, this utility model provides an ice maker that uses semiconductor refrigeration. By optimizing the design of the semiconductor refrigeration module, improving the heat exchange system, and combining an advanced temperature control scheme, it achieves the effects of fast ice making speed, high ice quality, easy use, and low energy consumption.

[0017] This invention, through a reasonable combination of multiple technologies, significantly improves the ice-making efficiency, energy-saving performance, and user experience of semiconductor refrigeration ice makers. Specific advantages include: no refrigerant, no moving compressor, no leakage or noise, environmentally friendly and stable operation; compact structure and small size, suitable for various applications; stable machine operation, precise temperature control, uniform ice size, and easy ice removal; simple maintenance, continuous operation, and long lifespan. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the upper cover component structure in this utility model.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the contact structure between the semiconductor cooling chip and the ice-making cooling plate in this utility model.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the heat dissipation system of this utility model.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the control circuit of this utility model.

[0023] See Figures 1 to 4 1 is the top cover assembly, 1-1 is the control button, 1-2 is the top cover body, 1-3 is the screen, 1-4 is the first temperature sensor, 1-5 is the top and bottom covers, 1-6 is the motor, 1-7 is the stirrer, 2 is the water tray, 3 is the inner cover, 4 is the cold plate, 5 is the cooling fan, 6 is the radiator, 7 is the insulation shell, 8 is the base, 9 is the DC power supply, 10 is the power cord, 11 is the bottom cover, 12 is the drive circuit board, 13 is the semiconductor cooling chip, 14 is the control circuit board, 15 is the radiator heat conduction plate, and 16 is the second temperature sensor. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the bottom of the heat insulation shell 7 is connected to the base 8, the heat insulation shell 7 is provided with a cold plate 4, the cold plate 4 is provided with a water tray 2, the top of the cold plate 4 is connected to the inner cover 3, and the upper cover assembly 1 is connected above the inner cover 3; a radiator 6 is provided below the cold plate 4, and a cooling fan 5 is provided on one side of the radiator 6; the base 8 is provided with a drive circuit board 12 and a DC power supply 9, and the DC power supply 9 is connected to a power cord 10.

[0026] The cold plate 4 is made of high thermal conductivity and lightweight aluminum alloy material. The inside of the cold plate 4 has a groove for placing the water tray 2. The cold plate 4 has good thermal conductivity, which facilitates the rapid cooling and ice making of the water tray 2.

[0027] The upper cover assembly 1 includes an upper cover body, a screen, a control circuit board, a first temperature sensor, an upper cover bottom cover, a motor, and a stirrer. The upper cover bottom cover 1-5 is connected to the upper cover body 1-2. The upper cover bottom cover 1-5 is embedded with a control circuit board 14, a screen 1-3, a first temperature sensor 1-4, and a motor 1-6. The control circuit board 14 is connected to the screen 1-3, the first temperature sensor 1-4, and the motor 1-6 respectively. The drive end of the motor 1-6 is connected to the stirrer 1-7, which is located at the bottom of the upper cover bottom cover 1-5. The upper cover body 1-2 is provided with a control button 1-1, which is connected to the control circuit board 14 through a connector.

[0028] The water tray 2 is embedded in the inner cover 3, and the bottom of the water tray 2 is in contact with the cold plate 4.

[0029] The water tray 2 is made of food-grade rubber, which is relatively soft and can ensure the integrity of the ice cubes. The ice can be easily removed by squeezing, making it easy to operate.

[0030] The top side of the inner cover 3 is rotatably connected to the bottom side of the upper cover and bottom cover 1-5.

[0031] The heat sink 6 is composed of several heat sinks. The heat sink heat conduction plate 15 and the second temperature sensor 16 are connected at the top of the heat sink 6. A cold plate 4 is provided above the heat sink heat conduction plate 15, and a semiconductor cooling chip 13 is provided between the heat sink heat conduction plate 15 and the cold plate 4.

[0032] A semiconductor cooling chip 13 is provided, which is composed of multiple sets of N-type and P-type semiconductor materials connected in series. The cold end is in efficient contact with the back of the ice-making cooling plate, and the hot end is fixed to an efficient heat dissipation device to form a good heat conduction path.

[0033] The cooling fan 5 is located on the side below the insulation shell 7.

[0034] The combination of a dual-tower multi-layer heat sink and a brushless DC fan enhances the rapid dissipation of heat from the hot end of the thermoelectric cooler, preventing the cooling efficiency from decreasing due to the rise in hot end temperature.

[0035] The bottom of the base 8 is connected to the bottom cover 11.

[0036] One end of the DC power supply 9 is connected to the power cord 10, and the other end of the DC power supply 9 is connected to the drive circuit board 12. The drive circuit board 12 is connected to the cooling fan 5, the semiconductor cooling chip 13, the first temperature sensor 1-4, the second temperature sensor 16, and the control circuit board 14.

[0037] The first temperature sensor 1-4 is equipped with two probes, one probe is located at the air inlet, and the other probe is located inside the upper cover assembly 1.

[0038] The second temperature sensor 16 has two probes, one located at the cold plate 4 and the other located at the heat sink heat conduction plate 15.

[0039] A high-precision temperature sensor is installed near the ice-making cooling plate. The sensor information is fed back to the main control chip (MCU) of the drive circuit board in real time. The input current of the semiconductor cooling chip is adjusted by PWM (pulse width modulation) to intelligently control the cooling intensity and achieve high-accuracy temperature control.

[0040] The MCU is equipped with custom firmware, enabling multiple intelligent functions such as button start, automatic stop, ice-making timer, and fault alarm. It also features an LCD screen that displays the current temperature, ice-making status, and remaining time for easy user monitoring.

[0041] When the semiconductor cooling chip is cooling, the heat of the water in the water pan 2 and the heat generated by the chip itself will be conducted to the heat sink 6. The cooling fan 6 will expel the heat from the heat sink into the ice maker, maintaining a heat dissipation balance.

[0042] The water tray 2 of the ice maker is detachable and has one or more ice cube trays, each approximately 50mm × 50mm × 50mm in size. It is made of food-grade rubber, which conducts heat easily, preventing ice cubes from sticking to the water tray 2 and allowing for easy removal of ice. Before making ice, an appropriate amount of water needs to be added to the water tray 2. The upper cover assembly 1 has a stirrer-7 to ensure that the flowing water is evenly distributed.

[0043] When the power cord is connected to the top cover assembly 1, clicking control button 1-1 activates ice making. The cooling fan 5, motor 1-6, and semiconductor cooling chip 13 then begin operation. The 2A probe of the second temperature sensor 16 detects the temperature of the cold plate. If the detected temperature is above the freezing point, the cooling speed increases; if the detected temperature is below the freezing point, a cooling / heat dissipation balance is maintained. When the first temperature sensor 1-4 detects the freezing point, it means the ice cubes are large enough, and ice making stops, putting the ice maker into standby mode. Removing the ice cubes and turning the machine back on repeats the above control process. The control system circuit connection is as follows: Figure 5 The diagram shows the connection of the control circuit.

[0044] The control module includes control buttons 1-1 and screen 1-3. Users can set the ice-making time and mode through control buttons 1-1, and the LCD screen displays the current working status and temperature information.

[0045] The first temperature sensor 1-4 and the second temperature sensor 16 are both high-precision thermistors. The second temperature sensor 16, with a current rating of 2A, is mounted on the cold plate 4 for real-time temperature measurement. The measured temperature data is transmitted to the main control chip (MCU) on the drive circuit board. The MCU uses a PID algorithm to control the power supply current to the semiconductor cooling chip. After ice making is complete, the machine enters standby mode, and the ice can be removed.

[0046] One probe 1A of the first temperature sensor 1-4 is located on the bottom surface of the upper cover assembly 1, mainly sensing the temperature of the water surface in the water tray 2; the other probe 1B of the first temperature sensor 1-4 is located at the air inlet at the bottom of the ice maker, mainly sensing the ambient temperature (i.e., indoor temperature).

[0047] One probe 2A of the second temperature sensor 16 is located in a groove on the cold plate 4, and mainly senses the temperature of the cold plate 4 (i.e., the temperature of the cold end of the thermoelectric cooler); the other probe 2B of the second temperature sensor 16 is located on the heat-conducting plate of the heat sink 6, and mainly senses the temperature of the heat sink (i.e., the temperature of the hot end of the thermoelectric cooler).

[0048] These sensors monitor the ice maker's key temperature data in real time, providing a basis for determining when to start and stop the machine.

Claims

1. A kind of ice maker of semiconductor refrigeration application, including upper cover assembly, water tray, inner cover, cold plate, radiator, heat-insulating shell, base, bottom cover, it is characterized in that: The bottom of the heat-insulating shell (7) is connected to the base (8). The heat-insulating shell (7) is provided with a cold plate (4). The cold plate (4) is provided with a water tray (2). The top of the cold plate (4) is connected to the inner cover (3). The upper cover assembly (1) is connected above the inner cover (3). The radiator (6) is provided below the cold plate (4). The radiator (6) is provided with a cooling fan (5) on one side. The base (8) is provided with a drive circuit board (12) and a DC power supply (9). The DC power supply (9) is connected to the power cord (10).

2. The ice maker using a semiconductor refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein: The upper cover assembly (1) includes an upper cover body, a screen, a control circuit board, a first temperature sensor, an upper cover bottom cover, a motor, and a stirrer. The upper cover bottom cover (1-5) is connected to the upper cover body (1-2). The upper cover bottom cover (1-5) is embedded with a control circuit board (14), a screen (1-3), a first temperature sensor (1-4), and a motor (1-6). The control circuit board (14) is connected to the screen (1-3), the first temperature sensor (1-4), and the motor (1-6) respectively. The drive end of the motor (1-6) is connected to the stirrer (1-7), and the stirrer (1-7) is located at the bottom of the upper cover bottom cover (1-5). The upper cover body (1-2) is provided with a control button (1-1), which is connected to the control circuit board (14) through a connector.

3. The ice maker using a semiconductor refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein: The water tray (2) is embedded in the inner cover (3), and the bottom of the water tray (2) is in contact with the cold plate (4).

4. The ice maker using the semiconductor refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein: The top side of the inner cover (3) is rotatably connected to the bottom side of the upper cover and bottom cover (1-5).

5. The ice maker using the semiconductor refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein: The heat sink (6) consists of several heat sinks. A heat sink heat conduction plate (15) and a second temperature sensor (16) are connected at the top of the heat sink (6). A cold plate (4) is provided above the heat sink heat conduction plate (15), and a semiconductor cooling chip (13) is provided between the heat sink heat conduction plate (15) and the cold plate (4).

6. The ice maker using a semiconductor refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein: The cooling fan (5) is located on the side below the insulation shell (7).

7. The ice maker using a semiconductor refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein: The bottom of the base (8) is connected to the bottom cover (11).

8. The ice maker using the semiconductor refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein: One end of the DC power supply (9) is connected to the power line (10), and the other end of the DC power supply (9) is connected to the drive circuit board (12). The drive circuit board (12) is connected to the cooling fan (5), the semiconductor cooling chip (13), the first temperature sensor (1-4), the second temperature sensor (16), and the control circuit board (14), respectively.

9. The ice maker using semiconductor refrigeration according to claim 2 or 8, wherein: The first temperature sensor (1-4) is equipped with two probes, one probe is located at the air inlet and the other probe is located inside the upper cover assembly (1).

10. The ice maker using semiconductor refrigeration according to claim 5 or 8, wherein: The second temperature sensor (16) is equipped with two probes, one probe is located at the cold plate (4) and the other probe is located at the heat sink heat conduction plate (15).

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