Ice storage bucket and ice making apparatus

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of ice storage barrel and ice making equipment, ice storage barrel includes barrel body and door plate, the accommodating cavity of ice block is contained in barrel body, and the ice taking mouth of being equipped with with accommodating cavity intercommunication is set on barrel body lateral wall;Sliding seat is respectively connected on the barrel of ice taking mouth two sides;Two sliding seats of door plate two sides and ice taking mouth two sides are respectively slidably connected, door plate is slid up and down relative to sliding seat to open or close ice taking mouth.Ice making equipment uses above-mentioned ice storage barrel.The ice storage barrel when opening ice taking mouth and taking ice, door plate does not occupy the space in front of ice storage barrel, and can avoid user body leaning back or retreating, and taking ice experience is good.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of ice-making equipment technology, specifically to an ice storage tank and ice-making equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the most commonly used ice-making equipment is the ice maker, which is a refrigeration device that cools water through an evaporator and then a refrigeration system to produce ice. The prepared ice is stored in an ice storage tank for users to use. It is widely used in beverage shops, cafes, and ordinary households. The structure of an ice maker generally includes a casing, a compressor connected to the casing, a condenser, an evaporator, a water tank, an ice-making container, and a water pump that directs water from the tank to the ice-making container. After the evaporator finishes making and removing the ice, the ice falls into the ice storage tank for collection.

[0003] Related technologies include ice storage tanks with an ice maker on top and a receiving interface for receiving ice produced by the ice maker. The ice storage tank has an ice dispensing opening, and a door panel is installed on the ice dispensing opening for opening or closing. For example, Chinese patent application CN215443631U, entitled "An Ice Storage Tank Door Panel Mounting Structure," discloses an ice storage tank with an ice outlet at the top, and a door panel for closing the ice outlet. The symmetrical ends of the door panel are rotatably connected to the ice storage tank, and rotating the door panel upwards opens the ice outlet. Another example is Chinese patent application CN111879039A, entitled "An Ice Storage Tank and Its Manufacturing Method," which has hinged lugs fixedly connected to both sides of the outer shell of the ice storage tank, and the door panel for closing the ice dispensing opening is hinged to the hinged lugs.

[0004] The ice storage buckets mentioned above have some shortcomings in actual use: when users need to retrieve ice, they need to manually rotate the door upwards to open it and expose the ice retrieval opening, and then use a tool to reach into the ice storage bucket to retrieve the ice. However, when rotating the door to retrieve ice, the rotating door occupies a lot of space in front of the ice storage bucket, forcing the user to lean back or step back, resulting in a poor user experience when retrieving ice. Utility Model Content

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by this application is to overcome the defects of the above-mentioned related technologies and provide an ice storage bucket in which the door panel does not occupy the space in front of the ice storage bucket when the ice retrieval port is opened, and can prevent the user from leaning back or moving backward, thus providing a good ice retrieval experience.

[0006] The technical solution of this application is to provide an ice storage tank having the following structure: including... The bucket has a cavity for holding ice, and an ice-retrieving port on the side wall of the bucket is connected to the cavity; sliding seats are connected to the bucket on both sides of the ice-retrieving port. The door panel has two sliding seats on each side of it that are respectively slidably engaged with the two sliding seats on both sides of the ice dispensing port. The door panel slides up and down relative to the sliding seats to open or close the ice dispensing port.

[0007] In some embodiments, each of the sliding seat and the door panel has a rack mounted on one of them and a one-way damping gear mounted on the other. The rack meshes with the one-way damping gear. When the door panel slides upward to open the ice retrieval opening, the one-way damping gear does not generate damping force. When the door panel slides downward to close the ice retrieval opening, the one-way damping gear generates damping force to slow down the closing speed of the door panel.

[0008] In some embodiments, the racks are connected to both sides of the door panel along the height direction, and the upper parts of the two sliding seats are respectively connected to the one-way damping gears, and the two racks mesh with the two one-way damping gears respectively.

[0009] In some embodiments, a locking mechanism is also included, which secures the door panel to the bucket body when the door panel slides upward to the upper limit position, so as to keep the ice outlet open.

[0010] In some embodiments, the locking mechanism includes an elastic buckle and a locking block. One of the door panel and the barrel body is connected to the elastic buckle, and the other is connected to the locking block. When the door panel slides upward to the upper limit position, the elastic buckle engages with the locking block to keep the door panel in a fixed position relative to the barrel body.

[0011] In some embodiments, each of the sliding seats is connected to a fixed seat at its upper end, the fixed seat is connected to the elastic buckle, the opening of the elastic buckle is provided downward along the sliding direction of the door panel, and the door panel is connected to the locking block that engages with the elastic buckle.

[0012] In some embodiments, each of the sliding seats is connected to a limiting plate, and a sliding channel is formed between the limiting plate and the sliding seat, wherein the rack on the door panel is at least partially accommodated within the sliding channel.

[0013] In some embodiments, an alarm is also included, and a magnetic switch is connected to one of the door panel and the bucket body, and a magnet is connected to the other. The magnetic switch is electrically connected to the alarm. When the door panel closes the ice outlet, the magnetic switch and the magnet correspond to trigger the magnetic switch. When the door panel opens the ice outlet, the magnetic switch and the magnet are misaligned to disconnect the magnetic switch. If the magnetic switch does not detect the magnetic field of the magnet within a certain period of time, the alarm will sound an alarm.

[0014] In some embodiments, the top of the bucket is open and has a receiving port for receiving ice blocks. A cover plate is movably connected to the side of the receiving port near the ice dispensing port, and the cover plate has a guide plate that extends into the receiving cavity and gradually moves away from the ice dispensing port.

[0015] In summary, compared with related technologies, the ice storage bucket of this application has the following advantages: the door panel of the ice storage bucket is slidably engaged with sliding seats on both sides of the ice dispensing opening, and the door panel can slide up and down relative to the sliding seats to open or close the ice dispensing opening. Therefore, when opening the ice dispensing opening, the door panel slides upward without occupying the space in front of the ice storage bucket, and can prevent the user from leaning back or moving backward, thus improving the user's ice dispensing experience.

[0016] Another technical solution of this application is to provide an ice-making device with the following structure, including an ice storage tank and an ice maker installed on top of the ice storage tank, wherein the ice storage tank is the ice storage tank described in any of the above embodiments.

[0017] In summary, the ice-making device of this application has the following advantages compared with related technologies: the ice storage tank of the ice-making device adopts the ice storage tank of any of the above embodiments. Therefore, when the user opens the ice retrieval port to retrieve ice, the door panel slides upward without occupying the space in front of the ice storage tank, and can prevent the user from leaning back or moving backward, thus improving the user's ice-retrieval experience. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of an ice storage bucket according to some embodiments of this application.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an ice storage bucket with the ice outlet open according to some embodiments of this application.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the door panel assembly structure of an ice storage bucket according to some embodiments of this application.

[0021] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Enlarged schematic diagram of part A in the diagram.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the door panel of an ice storage bucket according to some embodiments of this application from another angle.

[0023] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Enlarged schematic diagram of part B in the diagram.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of an ice storage bucket according to some embodiments of this application.

[0025] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 Enlarged schematic diagram of part C in the diagram.

[0026] Figure 9 This is an assembly diagram of an ice storage bucket according to some embodiments of this application.

[0027] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Bucket body, 100. Placement plane, 101. Receiver, 102. Ice outlet, 103. Sliding seat, 104. Fixed seat, 105. Cover plate, 106. Limiting plate, 107. Guide plate, 108. Elastic hook, 2. Door panel, 3. Rack, 300. One-way damping gear, 4. Magnetic switch, 5. Elastic buckle, 500. Locking block. Detailed Implementation

[0028] First, those skilled in the art should understand that these embodiments are merely used to explain the technical principles of the embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application. Those skilled in the art can make adjustments as needed to adapt to specific application scenarios.

[0029] In the description of the embodiments of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connected" and "linked" 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. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0030] In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0031] The present application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0032] See Figures 1-9As shown in the illustration, this application discloses an ice storage bucket for holding ice. Its structure includes a bucket body 1 and a door panel 2. The bucket body 1 is hollow, having a cavity for holding ice. The top of the bucket body 1 has a placement surface 100 for placing an ice maker. The center of this placement surface 100 is open, providing a receiving interface 101 for receiving ice. Ice produced by the ice maker falls into the cavity through the receiving interface 101. An ice-retrieving port 102, communicating with the cavity, is located on the side wall of the bucket body 1. This ice-retrieving port 102 is located on one side of the upper part of the bucket body 1 and is inclined relative to the height of the bucket body 1 to facilitate ice retrieval by the user. The door panel 2 is slidably fitted onto the bucket body 1 and is used to close or open the ice-retrieving port 102.

[0033] For example, see Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, sliding seats 103 extending along the height direction of the ice-retrieving opening 102 are respectively connected to the barrel body 1 on both sides of the ice-retrieving opening 102. The two sides of the door panel 2 are slidably engaged with the two sliding seats 103 on both sides of the ice-retrieving opening 102. The door panel 2 is relative to the sliding seats 103. Slide upwards to open the ice vent 102, and after releasing the door panel 2, the door panel 2 will slide downwards under its own weight to close the ice vent 102.

[0034] Understandably, in this embodiment, the door panel 2 on the ice storage bucket slidably engages with the sliding seats 103 on both sides of the ice dispensing port 102, and the door panel 2 can slide up and down relative to the sliding seats 103 to open or close the ice dispensing port 102. Therefore, when opening the ice dispensing port 102 to dispense ice, simply slide the door panel 2 upwards to open the ice dispensing port 102. The upwardly sliding door panel 2 does not occupy the space in front of the ice storage bucket and can prevent the user from leaning back or moving backwards, thus improving the user's ice dispensing experience.

[0035] It is easy to understand that when a user wants to retrieve ice, they need to slide the door panel 2 upwards to open the ice retrieval opening 102. After retrieving the ice, the door panel 2 slides downwards freely due to its own weight to close the ice retrieval opening 102. During the ice retrieval process, if the door panel 2 slides downwards too quickly, the user may not have enough time to pull their hand out of the ice retrieval opening 102 and could pinch their finger. Alternatively, if the door panel 2 slides downwards too quickly, the user may not have enough time to remove the ice before the door panel 2 falls and closes the ice retrieval opening 102, causing inconvenience in retrieving ice. Therefore, in this embodiment, see... Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, a one-way damping gear 300 is fastened to the upper part of each sliding seat 103 via fasteners. Racks 3, arranged along the height direction of the door panel 2, are installed on both sides of the door panel 2 via fastening screws. The racks 3 on both sides of the door panel 2 mesh with the one-way damping gears 300 on the two sliding seats 103 respectively. When the door panel 2 slides up and down relative to the sliding seat 103, the racks 3 drive the one-way damping gears 300 to rotate. In this embodiment, when the door panel 2 slides upward to open the ice vent 102, the one-way damping gear 300 does not generate damping force; however, when the door panel 2 slides downward to close the ice vent 102, the one-way damping gear 300 generates damping force to slow the closing speed of the door panel 2. In this way, when the user slides upward to open the door panel 2, the one-way damping gear 300 does not generate damping force, so that the door panel 2 can be opened quickly; when the user finishes taking ice, the door panel 2 slides freely downward due to its own weight to close the ice outlet 102, the one-way damping gear 300 generates damping force, so that the door panel 2 descends slowly to avoid pinching fingers or not having enough time to take out the ice.

[0036] In some embodiments, the one-way damping gear 300 can also be mounted on the door panel 2 and the rack 3 can be mounted on the sliding seat 103. That is, the one-way damping gear 300 can be mounted on both sides of the door panel 2 and located at the lower part of the door panel 2.

[0037] The one-way damping gear 300 of this embodiment, also known as a single-phase damping gear, includes a base and a gear rotatably connected to the base. The gear is rotatably connected to the base via a one-way bearing. When the gear rotates upward, the gear shaft rotates relative to the one-way bearing, and the one-way damping gear 300 does not generate damping force at this time. When the gear rotates downward, the gear shaft, together with the one-way bearing, rotates relative to the base. The space between the one-way bearing and the base is filled with oil, which generates a damping force on the rotation of the one-way bearing, thereby providing resistance to the rotation of the gear. This one-way damping gear 300 is a relatively mature technology, and its structure will not be described in detail.

[0038] It is understood that the door panel 2 slides relative to the sliding seat 103, which may be provided with a slide rail or a slide groove, and the door panel 2 has sliding parts on both sides that are slidably connected in the slide rail or slide groove; in this embodiment, see Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, a limiting plate 106 extending along the length of the sliding seat 103 is connected to each sliding seat 103, and a sliding channel is formed between the limiting plate 106 and the inner wall of the sliding seat 103. The rack 3 on the door panel 2 is at least partially accommodated in the sliding channel. When the door panel 2 slides relative to the sliding seat 103, the rack 3 on the door panel 2 slides in the sliding channel. The setting of the limiting plate 106 can prevent the door panel 2 from detaching from the barrel body 1.

[0039] It is easy to understand that users sometimes need to take ice multiple times when opening the ice dispensing port 102, therefore, it is necessary to fix the door panel 2 to the bucket body 1 to facilitate multiple ice dispensings. To this end, in this embodiment, the ice storage bucket also includes a locking mechanism. When the door panel 2 slides upward to its upper limit position, the locking mechanism fixes the door panel 2 to the bucket body 1, keeping the ice dispensing port 102 open. This locking mechanism ensures that the door panel 2 remains fixed in position relative to the bucket body 1 when the ice dispensing port 102 is open, facilitating ice dispensing for the user.

[0040] For example, see Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the locking mechanism includes elastic buckles 5 and locking blocks 500. Elastic buckles 5 are connected to the barrel body 1, and locking blocks 500 are connected to the door panel 2. When the door panel 2 slides upward to its upper limit position, the elastic buckles 5 engage with the locking blocks 500, thus fixing the door panel 2 relative to the barrel body 1. Specifically, fixed seats 104 are connected to the upper ends of the two sliding seats 103 respectively. Elastic buckles 5 are connected to the two fixed seats 104 respectively, with the openings of the elastic buckles 5 facing downwards along the sliding direction of the door panel 2. Locking blocks 500 are connected to the lower parts of both sides of the door panel 2, with each locking block 500 corresponding to the opening of one of the two elastic buckles 5. When the door panel 2 slides upward to its upper limit position, the two locking blocks 500 on the door panel 2 engage with the two elastic buckles 5 on the fixed seats 104, thus fixing the door panel 2. To unlock the door panel 2, simply push the door panel 2 downwards to disengage the two locking blocks 500 from the elastic buckles 5.

[0041] In some embodiments, a locking block 500 may be connected to a fixed seat 104 at the upper end of the sliding seat 103, and elastic buckles 5 may be connected to the lower parts on both sides of the door panel 2, with the opening of the elastic buckle 5 facing upward along the sliding direction of the door panel 2. When the door panel 2 drives the elastic buckle 5 to move to the upper limit position, the elastic buckle 5 is engaged and fixed with the locking block 500.

[0042] For easy and quick installation, the mounting base 104 is provided with a downwardly extending elastic hook 108, and the upper end of the sliding base 103 is provided with a locking hole that matches the elastic hook 108. The mounting base 104 can be quickly installed simply by inserting the elastic hook 108 on the mounting base 104 into the upper end of the sliding base 103 and engaging the elastic hook 108 with the locking hole.

[0043] In some embodiments, elastic latches can be connected to the side walls on both sides of the door panel 2, and a locking hole is provided on the upper part of the sliding seat 103. When the door panel 2 moves to the upper limit position, the free end of the elastic latch is engaged and fixed with the locking hole.

[0044] In some embodiments, the ice storage bucket also includes an alarm, with a magnetic switch 4 connected to one of the door panel 2 and the bucket body 1, and a magnet connected to the other. The magnetic switch 4 is electrically connected to the alarm. When the ice outlet 102 of the door panel 2 is closed, the magnetic switch 4 is activated by the magnet. When the ice outlet 102 of the door panel 2 is opened, the magnetic switch 4 is deactivated by the magnet. If the magnetic switch 4 does not detect the magnetic field of the magnet within a certain period of time, the alarm will sound. That is, when the ice outlet 102 of the door panel 2 is closed, the magnetic switch 4 is activated by the magnet on the door panel 2 and can sense the magnetic field of the magnet. However, after the door panel 2 has been open for a certain period of time, or when it has been open for a long time, the magnetic switch 4 can no longer sense the magnetic field of the magnet and will deactivate, thus triggering the alarm to remind the user to close the door panel 2 in time, preventing the ice in the ice storage bucket from melting due to the door panel 2 being left open for an extended period of time.

[0045] In some embodiments, see Figure 9 As shown, a cover plate 105 is installed on the receiving interface 101 at the top of the ice storage bucket 1. The cover plate 105 is connected to the side of the receiving interface 101 near the ice dispensing port 102, and the cover plate 105 is movably connected to the top of the bucket 1. Specifically, the cover plate 105 is placed on the top of the bucket 1, one side of which is fastened to the top of the bucket 1 by fasteners, and the other side is pressed and fixed by a fixing seat 104. The cover plate 105 is provided with a guide plate 107 that extends into the receiving cavity and gradually moves away from the ice dispensing port 102. The guide plate 107 guides the ice blocks prepared by the ice-making equipment into the receiving cavity and also cushions the falling ice blocks to prevent them from breaking due to collision.

[0046] Another embodiment of this application discloses an ice-making device, including an ice storage tank and an ice maker installed on top of the ice storage tank, wherein the ice storage tank is any of the ice storage tanks described above. Therefore, when the user opens the ice dispensing port 102 to take ice, the door panel 2 slides upward without occupying the space in front of the ice storage tank, and can prevent the user from leaning back or moving backward, thus improving the user's ice-taking experience.

[0047] In the description of the embodiments of this application, it should be noted that the terms "inner" and "outer" and other terms indicating direction or positional relationship are based on the direction or positional relationship shown in the drawings. This is only for the convenience of description and does not indicate or imply that the device or component must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0048] In the description of this application, the references to terms such as "an embodiment," "some embodiments," "in this embodiment," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0049] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An ice storage bucket, characterized in that: include The bucket has a cavity for holding ice, and an ice-retrieving port on the side wall of the bucket is connected to the cavity; sliding seats are connected to the bucket on both sides of the ice-retrieving port. The door panel has two sliding seats on each side of it that are respectively slidably engaged with the two sliding seats on both sides of the ice dispensing port. The door panel slides up and down relative to the sliding seats to open or close the ice dispensing port.

2. The ice storage bucket according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the sliding seats and the door panel has a rack installed on one side and a one-way damping gear installed on the other side. The rack meshes with the one-way damping gear. When the door panel slides upward to open the ice retrieval opening, the one-way damping gear does not generate damping force. When the door panel slides downward to close the ice retrieval opening, the one-way damping gear generates damping force to slow down the closing speed of the door panel.

3. The ice storage bucket according to claim 2, characterized in that: The racks are connected to both sides of the door panel along the height direction, and the upper parts of the two sliding seats are respectively connected to the one-way damping gears. The two racks mesh with the two one-way damping gears respectively.

4. The ice storage bucket according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a locking mechanism that, when the door panel slides upward to the upper limit position, fixes the door panel to the bucket body so that the ice outlet remains open.

5. The ice storage bucket according to claim 4, characterized in that: The locking mechanism includes an elastic buckle and a locking block. One of the door panel and the barrel body is connected to the elastic buckle, and the other is connected to the locking block. When the door panel slides upward to the upper limit position, the elastic buckle engages with the locking block to keep the door panel in a fixed position relative to the barrel body.

6. The ice storage bucket according to claim 5, characterized in that: Each of the sliding seats is connected to a fixed seat at its upper end. The fixed seat is connected to the elastic buckle, and the opening of the elastic buckle is set downward along the sliding direction of the door panel. The door panel is connected to the locking block that matches and engages with the elastic buckle.

7. The ice storage bucket according to claim 3, characterized in that: Each of the sliding seats is connected to a limiting plate, and a sliding channel is formed between the limiting plate and the sliding seat, with the rack on the door panel at least partially accommodated in the sliding channel.

8. The ice storage bucket according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an alarm, and a magnetic switch is connected to one of the door panel and the bucket body, and a magnet is connected to the other. The magnetic switch is electrically connected to the alarm. When the door panel closes the ice outlet, the magnetic switch and the magnet are aligned to trigger the magnetic switch. When the door panel opens the ice outlet, the magnetic switch and the magnet are misaligned to disconnect the magnetic switch. If the magnetic switch does not detect the magnetic field of the magnet within a certain period of time, the alarm will sound.

9. The ice storage bucket according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the bucket is open and has a receiving interface for receiving ice blocks. A cover plate is movably connected to the side of the receiving interface near the ice dispensing port, and the cover plate has a guide plate that extends into the receiving cavity and gradually moves away from the ice dispensing port.

10. An ice-making device, comprising an ice storage tank and an ice maker installed on top of the ice storage tank, characterized in that: The ice storage bucket is the ice storage bucket described in any one of claims 1 to 9 above.

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