Ice making tub

Abstract

An ice making cylinder includes a sleeve and a shaft. The sleeve has opposite first and second ends. The shaft is disposed within the sleeve and has a scraper portion disposed around the shaft. The distance between the first and second ends of the sleeve is greater than half the overall length of the shaft. In this way, by lengthening the stroke of the cylinder, water is allowed to remain in the cylinder for a longer period of time. This allows sufficient time for the water to freeze into ice cubes, resulting in larger and harder ice cubes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] An ice-making cylinder body, particularly an ice-making cylinder body with a long-stroke sleeve. Background Technology

[0002] Common ice makers work by allowing water to enter a cylinder, where it is cooled by a refrigeration system to form ice. However, the cylinders in most models have too short a stroke for ice production, meaning the water flowing into the cylinder doesn't have enough time to freeze into ice of the desired size. This results in ice that is not hard enough and is too small, making it impossible to effectively produce ice of the required size. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of this, an ice-making cylinder body is provided according to one embodiment, including a sleeve and a shaft. The sleeve has opposing first and second ends. The shaft passes through the sleeve and has a scraper portion disposed around the shaft. The distance from the first end to the second end of the sleeve is greater than half the overall length of the shaft.

[0004] In some embodiments, the scraper portion is spirally formed on the shaft around the shaft axis.

[0005] In some embodiments, a first seal and a second seal are further included, respectively disposed at the first end and the second end of the sleeve, and located between the sleeve and the shaft.

[0006] In some embodiments, a flange is also included, disposed at one end of the shaft.

[0007] In some embodiments, a drive element is also included, disposed on the flange, to drive the shaft to rotate about the shaft's axis.

[0008] In some embodiments, the device further includes a housing and a flange disposed on the shaft.

[0009] In some embodiments, a shaper is also included, disposed within the sleeve.

[0010] In some embodiments, an ice cutter is also included, disposed within the sleeve.

[0011] In some embodiments, the distance between the first end and the second end of the sleeve is greater than 113 mm.

[0012] In some embodiments, the distance between the first end and the second end of the sleeve is 155 mm to 165 mm.

[0013] In some embodiments, the length of the shaft is 260 mm to 270 mm.

[0014] In summary, one embodiment provides an ice-making cylinder that is longer and proportionally more slender than those used in conventional ice makers. By extending the overall stroke of the cylinder, water can remain in the cylinder for a longer period when it enters. This provides sufficient time for the water to freeze into ice, effectively producing larger and harder ice cubes. It also prevents the water in the cylinder from freezing into smaller ice particles due to insufficient condensation time. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of an ice-making tank according to one embodiment.

[0016] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of an ice-making tank according to one embodiment.

[0017] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0018] 100: Ice maker tank

[0019] 110: Sleeve

[0020] 111: First end

[0021] 1111: First seal

[0022] 1112: Second seal

[0023] 112: Second end

[0024] 130: Shaft

[0025] 131: Scraper section

[0026] 150: Flange

[0027] 160: Drive components

[0028] 170: Box body

[0029] 180: Ice Cutter

[0030] 190: Shaping device

[0031] P: Overall length Detailed Implementation

[0032] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 . Figure 1 This is a perspective view of an ice-making tank according to one embodiment. Figure 2This is an exploded view of an ice-making cylinder body according to one embodiment. The ice-making cylinder body 100 includes a sleeve 110 and a shaft 130. In this embodiment, the ice-making cylinder body 100 is used, for example, in an ice maker. An ice maker is a refrigeration machine that produces ice by having water flow into its cylinder body and being cooled by a refrigeration system through an evaporator. Depending on the evaporator and the principle of the ice-making process, ice cubes of different shapes can be produced, for example, fluid-like liquid ice or solid ice of different shapes. Furthermore, ice cubes can also be classified according to their appearance as transparent ice cubes or colored ice cubes. In this embodiment, the ice-making cylinder body 100 is one component of an ice maker, and one or more ice-making cylinder bodies 100 are installed in the ice maker to produce ice cubes.

[0033] The sleeve 110 has a first end 111 and a second end 112. In this embodiment, the sleeve 110 is a hollow cylinder, but it is not limited to this. For example, the sleeve 110 can also be a hollow square cylinder or triangular cylinder, etc. The shape is designed according to the internal space of the ice maker to which it is used.

[0034] A shaft 130 passes through a sleeve 110 and has a scraper portion 131 that surrounds the shaft 130. In this embodiment, the scraper portion 131 protrudes outward from the shaft 130, and when the shaft 130 passes through the sleeve 110, the scraper portion 131 abuts against the inner surface of the sleeve 110. In this embodiment, the shaft 130 is driven to rotate by a driving device, causing the scraper portion 131 to rotate while contacting the inner surface of the sleeve 110, thereby scraping off the ice solidified on the inner surface of the sleeve 110 in a scraping manner.

[0035] The distance from the first end 111 to the second end 112 of the sleeve 110 is greater than half the overall length P of the shaft 130. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the distance from one end of the shaft 130 to the other end is the overall length P. The relationship between the distance from the first end 111 to the second end 112 of the sleeve 110 and the overall length P of the shaft 130 will be described in detail later.

[0036] Specifically, the sleeve 110 is longer than that used in a typical ice maker and is proportional to the shaft 130. Because the distance between the first end 111 and the second end 112 of the sleeve 110 is greater than a certain proportion, it has a longer stroke. When water enters the sleeve 110, it will remain in the sleeve 110 for a longer time, effectively solidifying into larger and harder ice blocks. This prevents the water in the sleeve 110 from solidifying into smaller ice particles due to insufficient condensation time.

[0037] In this embodiment, the stroke of sleeve 110 is longer than that of other sleeves. For example, the overall length P of shaft 130 is approximately 226 mm, while the length of a typical sleeve is less than 113 mm. In this embodiment, the distance from the first end 111 to the second end 112 of sleeve 110 is greater than 113 mm. Thus, the distance from the first end 111 to the second end 112 of sleeve 110 is greater than half the overall length P of shaft 130. Therefore, sleeve 110 can provide a longer stroke for water, thereby increasing the time water stays in sleeve 110. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the overall length P of shaft 130 is preferably approximately 260 mm to 270 mm. In this case, the distance from the first end 111 to the second end 112 of sleeve 110 is preferably 155 mm to 165 mm. In other words, the sleeve 110 has a certain proportion to the shaft 130, that is, the distance from the first end 111 to the second end 112 should be greater than half of the overall length P of the shaft 130.

[0038] In this embodiment, the scraper portion 131 is spirally formed on the shaft 130 around the shaft 130. Thus, as the shaft 130 rotates, the scraper portion 131 can fully contact the inner surface of the sleeve 110 to scrape off the solidified ice. Furthermore, depending on the desired ice size, the distance between the two parallel spirals of the scraper portion 131 can be appropriately adjusted so that the ice is scraped off the inner surface of the sleeve 110 later, extending the ice freezing time and potentially forming larger ice blocks.

[0039] In this embodiment, the ice-making cylinder body 100 further includes a first sealing member 1111 and a second sealing member 1112, respectively disposed at the first end 111 and the second end 112 of the sleeve 110. The first sealing member 1111 and the second sealing member 1112 are, for example, O-rings, sleeved on the shaft 130 and located between the sleeve 110 and the shaft 130. In this way, the assembly strength between the sleeve 110 and the shaft 130 is increased and the gap between the sleeve 110 and the shaft 130 is sealed.

[0040] In this embodiment, the ice-making tank 100 further includes a flange 150, which is disposed at one end of the shaft 130. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, flange 150 is located at the bottom end of shaft 130. Flange 150 is, for example, a disc-shaped structure used to connect pipes, containers or fix shaft-like mechanical parts. In this embodiment, it serves as the base for assembling shaft 130.

[0041] In this embodiment, the ice-making cylinder 100 also includes a drive member 160, such as a motor, which is disposed on the flange 150 and drives the shaft 130 to rotate around the axis of the shaft 130. Thus, by driving the shaft 130 to rotate by the motor as the drive member 160, the scraper portion 131 on the shaft 130 rotates while contacting the inner surface of the sleeve 110, scraping off the ice that has condensed on the inner surface of the sleeve 110 in a scraping manner.

[0042] In this embodiment, the ice-making cylinder 100 also includes a housing 170 and a flange 150 disposed on the shaft 130. Water that has not frozen into ice in the sleeve 110 will flow down the shaft 130. To prevent leakage, the housing 170 receives the water that has not frozen into ice. Furthermore, the housing 170 is generally provided with a drain outlet, so that accumulated water inside the housing 170 can be drained through the drain outlet, preventing excessive water accumulation and overflow, which would contaminate the internal environment of the ice maker and affect its ice-making performance. Additionally, the housing 170 can be detachably assembled to the flange 150, allowing the user to actively remove the housing 170 for cleaning or drainage.

[0043] In this embodiment, the ice-making tank 100 also includes an ice cutter 180 disposed within the sleeve 110 to cut the ice scraped by the scraper 131 into appropriate sizes. For example, if the ice scraped by the scraper 131 from the inner surface of the sleeve 110 is too large, the ice cutter 180 can cut the ice into multiple small ice cubes, or into small ice chips, to cut the ice into the desired size according to usage requirements. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the ice-making tank 100 also includes a shaper 190 disposed within the sleeve 110 to compress the chopped ice into the desired shape. For example, after the ice is chopped, some of the chopped ice can be further compressed by the shaper 190 to re-form a whole ice block. This allows for further utilization of the small ice chips generated after the ice is chopped, avoiding waste.

[0044] According to one embodiment, an ice-making tank 100 is provided. By lengthening the stroke of the sleeve 110, water can remain in the sleeve 110 for a longer period of time. For example, the overall length P of the shaft 130 in this application is approximately 226 mm, while the commonly used sleeve length is 113 mm or less. However, the distance between the first end 111 and the second end 112 of the sleeve 110 in this application is greater than half of the overall length P of the shaft 130, that is, the distance between the first end 111 and the second end 112 of the sleeve 110 is greater than 113 mm. Furthermore, when the overall length P of the shaft 130 is preferably 260 mm to 270 mm, the distance between the first end 111 and the second end 112 of the sleeve 110 is preferably 155 mm to 165 mm, thereby providing a sleeve 110 with a size exceeding a certain proportion relative to the shaft 130. In this way, the sleeve 110 can provide a longer travel distance for the water, thereby increasing the water's residence time. This allows the water flowing into the sleeve 110 sufficient time to solidify into ice, effectively producing larger and harder ice blocks.

Claims

1. An ice-making tank body, characterized in that, include: A sleeve having opposing first and second ends; and A shaft is inserted into the sleeve, and the shaft has a scraper portion that is arranged around the shaft. The distance between the first end and the second end of the sleeve is greater than half the overall length of the shaft.

2. The ice-making tank body as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The scraper section is spirally formed on the shaft with the shaft as the center.

3. The ice-making tank body as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a first seal and a second seal, which are respectively disposed at the first end and the second end of the sleeve and located between the sleeve and the shaft.

4. The ice-making tank body as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a flange, which is located at one end of the shaft.

5. The ice-making tank body as described in claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes a drive unit disposed on the flange to drive the shaft to rotate about the shaft's axis.

6. The ice-making tank body as described in claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes a housing and a flange disposed on the shaft.

7. The ice-making tank body as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a shaper, which is located inside the sleeve.

8. The ice-making tank body as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an ice cutter, which is housed within the sleeve.

9. The ice-making tank body as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The distance between the first end and the second end of the sleeve is greater than 113 mm.

10. The ice-making tank body as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The distance between the first end and the second end of the sleeve is 155mm to 165mm.

11. The ice-making tank body as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The shaft is 260mm to 270mm long.

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