Transparent ice-making ice bank assembly and ice maker

Abstract

This application provides a transparent ice-making assembly, comprising: an upper mold, a lower mold, a water injection pipe, and a return pipe. The upper mold and the lower mold are fastened together to form an ice-making cavity; the lower mold is made of a heat-conducting material and has a heat-conducting surface for contact with a cold source; the upper mold is further provided with a water injection port and a return port, the water injection port and the return port being adjacent to each other and spaced apart; the water injection pipe communicates with the ice-making cavity through the water injection port for supplying ice-making water to the ice-making cavity, the ice-making water entering the ice-making cavity through the water injection port forming a vortex within the ice-making cavity; and the return pipe communicates with the ice-making cavity through the return port for receiving the ice-making water returning from the ice-making cavity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of ice-making technology, and in particular to a transparent ice-making component and an ice maker. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional methods for making transparent ice use a water flow method. This involves creating a water flow on the surface of an ice mold to carry away air bubbles, thus achieving transparent ice. However, in the early stages of ice making, the water flow often cannot fully contact the inner surface of the mold, resulting in a small heat exchange area and low heat exchange efficiency. The outer surface of the water flow is exposed to air, increasing heat loss. Furthermore, the continuous water flow leads to a large water consumption, reducing the ice-making speed. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of this, it is necessary to design a transparent ice-making component and an ice maker for rapid ice making.

[0004] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a transparent ice-making assembly, comprising: an upper mold, a lower mold, a water injection pipe, and a return pipe. The upper mold and the lower mold are fastened together to form an ice-making cavity; the lower mold is made of a heat-conducting material and has a heat-conducting surface for contact with a cold source; the upper mold is further provided with a water injection port and a return port, the water injection port and the return port being adjacent to each other and spaced apart; the water injection pipe communicates with the ice-making cavity through the water injection port for supplying ice-making water to the ice-making cavity, the ice-making water entering the ice-making cavity through the water injection port forming a vortex within the ice-making cavity; and the return pipe communicates with the ice-making cavity through the return port for receiving the ice-making water returning from the ice-making cavity.

[0005] In some embodiments, the reflux port is located on the outer periphery of the water inlet.

[0006] In some embodiments, the reflux port is an annular opening surrounding the water inlet, and the water inlet and the reflux port are concentrically arranged.

[0007] In some embodiments, the water inlet is located at a position far from the heat-conducting surface of the upper mold.

[0008] In some embodiments, the upper mold is made of a thermally conductive material.

[0009] In some embodiments, the transparent ice-making assembly further includes a box body, in which the upper mold, the lower mold, the water injection pipe, and the return pipe are disposed; at least a portion of the heat-conducting surface constitutes part of the outer surface of the box body and / or at least a portion of the heat-conducting surface protrudes from the outside of the box body.

[0010] In some embodiments, the box body is further provided with a water tank, which is connected to the water injection pipe and the return pipe respectively, for supplying water to the ice-making chamber through the water injection pipe and receiving return water from the ice-making chamber through the return pipe; the transparent ice-making assembly also includes a water inlet pipe housed in the box body, one end of the water inlet pipe being connected to the water tank and the other end being connected to the outside of the box body, for supplying water to the water tank from the outside.

[0011] In some embodiments, the transparent ice-making assembly further includes a water pump housed within the housing, the water pump being located between the water tank and the water injection pipe, for pumping the ice-making water from the water tank into the water injection pipe.

[0012] In some embodiments, the housing is provided with power contacts, and the power supply interface is electrically connected to the water pump for supplying power to the water pump.

[0013] Secondly, this application provides an ice maker, characterized in that the ice maker includes a main unit and a transparent ice-making component as described in any of the above. The main unit has a cold source for making ice and is provided with a placement position for placing the transparent ice-making component. When the transparent ice-making component is placed in the placement position, the heat-conducting surface contacts the cold source.

[0014] The aforementioned transparent ice-making component, through the positioning of the water inlet and outlet, creates a vortex in the ice-making water within the ice-making chamber, greatly improving the heat conduction efficiency between the ice-making water and the chamber wall, increasing the ice-making speed. Furthermore, the unfrozen ice-making water can continuously flow along the ice surface, effectively carrying away air bubbles on the ice surface to produce higher quality transparent ice. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an ice maker provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a transparent ice-making component provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram from another angle of the transparent ice-making assembly provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0019] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the transparent ice-making component provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0020] Figure 5 A first cross-sectional view of a transparent ice-making assembly provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Figure 6 A second cross-sectional view of the transparent ice-making assembly provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A magnified view of a portion of the image.

[0023] Figure 8 This is a third cross-sectional view of the transparent ice-making assembly provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0024] Figure 9 This is a fourth cross-sectional view of the transparent ice-making assembly provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0025] Reference Signs List

[0026] Ice Maker-1000 Second Ice-Making Chamber-31

[0027] Transparent ice-making component - 100 Second cavity wall - 32

[0028] Box-1 Thermal Conductive Surface-33

[0029] Ice-making cavity-11 Water injection pipe-4

[0030] Cavity wall-12 reflux tube-5

[0031] First box - 13 Water tank - 6

[0032] Second housing - 14 First water level detector - 61

[0033] Clip-15 Second Water Level Detector-62

[0034] Lid-16 Communicating Vessel-63

[0035] Waterproof and breathable pores - 160, opening size - 64

[0036] Water inlet-17, water pump-7

[0037] Power interface -18 Water inlet pipe -8

[0038] Upper mold-2 one-way valve-81

[0039] First ice-making chamber - 21 Main unit - 200

[0040] First cavity wall - 22 placement position - 201

[0041] Water inlet-23 Cold source-202

[0042] Return port-24 Power supply interface-203

[0043] Lower mold - 3 Water supply connector - 204

[0044] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0045] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application 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 application.

[0046] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0047] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; 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; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0048] To provide a clearer and more accurate understanding of the contents of this application, a detailed description will now be provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings illustrate examples of embodiments of this application, wherein the same reference numerals denote the same elements. It is to be understood that the scale shown in the accompanying drawings is not the actual scale of this application, and is for illustrative purposes only, and is not a drawing based on the original dimensions.

[0049] Please refer to Figure 1This application provides a transparent ice-making component 100 for rapidly producing transparent ice. The transparent ice-making component 100 is applied to an ice maker 1000, which includes a main unit 200. The main unit 200 is a component that provides the corresponding energy and control for ice making. The energy source includes, but is not limited to, water, cold and / or heat, and electricity. In this embodiment, the transparent ice-making component 100 is an independent component from the main unit 200, but is detachably combined with it. With the energy provided by the main unit 200, the transparent ice-making component 100 can complete ice making internally.

[0050] Understandably, in some feasible embodiments, the transparent ice-making component 100 can also be integrated with the main unit 200. Further, it is understood that the integration of the transparent ice-making component 100 with the main unit 200 differs only in the combination relationship with the main unit 200 from that of a transparent ice-making component 100 independent of the main unit 200. This combination relationship can be achieved using the existing combination relationship between ice-making components and the main unit in an ice maker; that is, the transparent ice-making component integrated into the main unit can also be implemented with reference to the transparent ice-making component 100 in this embodiment. Understandably, the ice maker 1000 can be a bullet ice maker, a cube ice maker, etc. Furthermore, the ice maker 1000 can be a standalone ice maker device or an ice-making module integrated into devices such as refrigerators and water dispensers. In this embodiment, the transparent ice-making component 100 serves as an additional module to the ice maker 1000, producing transparent ice by recovering the cold energy dissipated from the cold source of the ice maker 1000, thereby improving energy efficiency.

[0051] Please refer to Figures 2-7The transparent ice-making assembly 100 includes an openable box 1, and an upper mold 2, a lower mold 3, a water injection pipe 4, a return pipe 5, and a water tank 6 disposed within the box 1. The box 1 also contains an ice-making cavity 11 and a cavity wall 12 surrounding the ice-making cavity 11. The upper mold 2 and lower mold 3 are fastened together to form the ice-making cavity 11. The water injection pipe 4 and the return pipe 5 are located between the box 1 and the cavity wall 12, and both communicate with the ice-making cavity 11 and the water tank 6. The water tank 6 stores ice-making water and supplies it to the water injection pipe 4. The water injection pipe 4 continuously delivers the ice-making water to the ice-making cavity 11 to cool and form transparent ice within the ice-making cavity 11. Ice-making water that has not yet frozen during the ice-making process flows back to the water tank 6 through the return pipe 5. In this embodiment, the ice-making cavity 11 is spherical, allowing the ice-making water to fully contact the cavity wall 12, resulting in a large heat exchange area and high thermal efficiency. In some feasible embodiments, specifically in this embodiment, there are two ice-making chambers 11. However, in other feasible embodiments, the number of ice-making chambers may be one, three, or more. In this embodiment, the water tank 6 can mix the cooled ice-making water returning from the return pipe 5 with the uncooled ice-making water stored in the water tank 6, thereby pre-cooling the ice-making water flowing from the water tank 6 into the water inlet pipe 4, allowing the ice-making water in the ice-making chambers 11 to freeze quickly. In some other feasible embodiments, the transparent ice-making assembly 100 may not have a water tank 6.

[0052] The box 1 is roughly rectangular in shape and includes a first box 13 and a second box 14 that is detachably combined with the first box 13, so that the box 1 can be opened and closed.

[0053] The first box 13 is roughly L-shaped, and the upper mold 2 is located on the surface where the first box 13 and the second box 14 mate. The water inlet pipe 4, the return pipe 5, and the water tank 6 are located inside the first box 13.

[0054] The second box 14 is roughly rectangular in shape. The lower mold 3 is located inside the second box 14 and is correspondingly set with the upper mold 2.

[0055] The housing 1 also includes a buckle 15, a lid 16, a water inlet 17, and a power interface 18. The buckle 15 is located on either the first housing 13 or the second housing 14. When the first housing 13 and the second housing 14 are engaged, the buckle 15 secures them together. The lid 16 is located on the first housing 13 and corresponds to the water tank 6. The lid 16 can be opened or closed relative to the first housing 13. The lid 16 has waterproof and breathable holes 160. One or more water inlets 17 can be provided to accommodate different combinations of the main unit 200. In this embodiment, two water inlets 17 are provided, located on the side of the housing 1. The power interface 18 is located on the side of the housing 1 and is used to connect the power supply of the main unit 200 to power the transparent ice-making component 100. In some feasible embodiments, the housing 1 does not have a buckle 15, and the first housing 13 directly covers the second housing 14.

[0056] The upper mold 2 is recessed towards the side of the first box 13 opposite to the second box 14, forming two hemispherical first ice-making cavities 21 and two first cavity walls 22 surrounding the first ice-making cavities 21. Each first cavity wall 22 is also provided with a water inlet 23 and a return outlet 24 communicating with the corresponding first ice-making cavity 21. In this embodiment, the return outlet 24 is an annular opening surrounding the water inlet 23, and the water inlet 23 and the return outlet 24 are concentrically arranged. The inner diameter of the return outlet 24 is larger than the diameter of the water inlet 23. One diameter of the first ice-making cavity 21 is parallel to the vertical direction (height direction) of the box 1, and the upper end point of this diameter is the highest point of the ice-making cavity 11 in the vertical direction, hereinafter referred to as the ice-making cavity apex. In this embodiment, the first cavity wall 22 has an opening corresponding to the ice-making cavity apex to form the water inlet 23; that is, the water inlet 23 is located at the ice-making cavity apex. In some feasible embodiments, the water inlet 23 may also be a plurality of openings surrounding the return outlet 24 or one or more openings arranged adjacent to the water inlet 23. In this embodiment, the upper mold 2 is integrally formed and its shape is generally two hemispheres arranged side by side. In some feasible embodiments, the upper mold 2 may have other shapes, as long as it has an open first ice-making cavity 21.

[0057] The lower mold 3 is positioned opposite the upper mold 2. The lower mold 3 is recessed towards the side of the second housing 14 away from the upper mold 2, forming two hemispherical second ice-making cavities 31 and two second cavity walls 32 surrounding each second ice-making cavity 31. Each second ice-making cavity 31 is positioned opposite a first ice-making cavity 21. When the first housing 13 and the second housing 14 are combined, each first ice-making cavity 21 and its corresponding second ice-making cavity 31 combine to form an ice-making cavity 11, and each first cavity wall 22 and its corresponding second cavity wall 32 form a cavity wall 12. In this embodiment, the lower mold 3 is approximately rectangular in shape. In some feasible embodiments, the lower mold 3 can have other shapes, as long as it has an open second ice-making cavity 31. In this embodiment, the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3 are made of thermally conductive material, significantly improving the heat transfer efficiency of the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3, allowing the water used for ice making in the ice-making cavity 11 to freeze faster.

[0058] The lower mold 3 is also provided with a heat-conducting surface 33, which is disposed on the second box 14 corresponding to the bottom point of the ice-making cavity 11 and exposed outside the second box 14. The heat-conducting surface 33 can contact the cold source of the main unit 200 to obtain cold or heat. Specifically, the heat-conducting surface 33 is approximately rectangular, and its center corresponds to the bottom point of the ice-making cavity 11 (hereinafter referred to as the bottom point of the ice-making cavity). The bottom point of the ice-making cavity is the position of the second cavity wall 32 corresponding to the vertex of the ice-making cavity 11. In this embodiment, the heat-conducting surface 33 is integrally formed with the lower mold 3. In this embodiment, specifically, at least a portion of the heat-conducting surface 33 constitutes part of the outer surface of the box 1 and / or at least a portion of the heat-conducting surface 33 protrudes outside the box 1 and cooperates with the main unit 200 when combined.

[0059] The transparent ice-making assembly 100 also includes a water pump 7 and a water inlet pipe 8. The water pump 7 is located between the water inlet pipe 4 and the water tank 6, pumping the ice-making water in the water tank 6 into the water inlet pipe 4. One end of the water inlet pipe 8 is connected to the water tank 6, and the other end is connected to the outside through the water inlet 17 provided in the first housing 13. In some feasible embodiments, the transparent ice-making assembly 100 may not have a water pump 7 or a water inlet pipe 8, but may directly connect to the external pipeline through the water inlet pipe 4 and the return pipe 5 to directly provide the ice-making water.

[0060] Please refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 In this embodiment, the water tank 6 is located inside the first housing 13 and has an open opening 64. The opening 64 is correspondingly provided with the lid 16, and the lid 16 can be opened or closed to facilitate cleaning. The water tank 6 can also communicate with the outside through the waterproof vent hole 160 on the lid 16, which facilitates the water pump 7 to draw ice-making water from the water tank 6.

[0061] The water tank 6 is also equipped with a first water level detector 61, a second water level detector 62, and a communicating vessel 63. The first water level detector 61 is located away from the heat-conducting surface 33, and the second water level detector 62 is located close to the heat-conducting surface 33. The communicating vessel 63 is located close to the water pump 7, guiding the ice-making water in the water tank 6 to flow to the water pump 7 through the communicating vessel 63. When the water level in the water tank 6 is at the second water level detector 62, ice-making water will be injected into the water tank 6 from the outside through the water inlet pipe 8; when the water level in the water tank 6 is at the first water level detector 61, the external water injection will stop.

[0062] In some feasible embodiments, the transparent ice-making component 100 may not have a water tank 6; the required ice-making water can simply be injected directly from the main unit 200 into the ice-making chamber 11 through the water injection pipe 4.

[0063] The water supply pipe 8 is equipped with a one-way valve 81. When the transparent ice-making component 100 is combined with the main unit 200, the main unit 200 acts on the one-way valve 81 to open it, so that the water supply pipe 8 can be connected to the outside. When the transparent ice-making component 100 is removed from the main unit 200, the one-way valve 81 closes, so that the water supply pipe 8 is sealed.

[0064] Please refer to it again. Figure 1 The main unit 200 includes a mounting position 201, a cold source 202, a power supply interface 203, and a water supply interface 204. The mounting position 201 accommodates the transparent ice-making component 100, and the cold source 202, power supply interface 203, and water supply interface 204 are all located within the mounting position 201. The cold source 202 is positioned corresponding to the heat-conducting surface 33. In this embodiment, the cold source 202 is a heat exchanger, providing cooling to the transparent ice-making component 100 during ice making; after ice making is complete, the cold source 202 can switch to providing heat to the transparent ice-making component 100. The power supply interface 203 is positioned corresponding to the power interface 18. When the transparent ice-making component 100 is combined with the main unit 200, the power supply interface 203 is electrically connected to the water pump 7, supplying power to the transparent ice-making component 100. The water supply interface 204 is positioned corresponding to a water inlet 17, supplying water to the transparent ice-making component 100.

[0065] In this embodiment, during ice making, the cold source 202 provides cooling, and the water pump 7 pumps the ice-making water from the water tank 6 into the water injection pipe 4. The ice-making water enters the ice-making chamber 11 from the water injection port 23. After entering the middle of the ice-making chamber 11 and hitting the chamber wall 12, the ice-making water flows along the chamber wall 12, forming a vortex (flowing along the surface of the ice after freezing). The ice-making water freezes along the direction from the outside to the inside of the ice-making chamber 11, from the heat-conducting surface 33 to the top of the chamber wall 12. The unfrozen portion of the ice-making water flows on the frozen ice surface to carry away air bubbles and flows back from the return port 24 to the return pipe 5, thus returning to the water tank 6 and mixing with the ice-making water in the water tank 6, lowering the temperature of the ice-making water in the water tank 6. After ice making is completed, the cold source 202 provides heat to melt the transparent ice at the contact point with the chamber wall 12. Then, the first box 13 and the second box 14 are separated, and the transparent ice can be removed.

[0066] The aforementioned transparent ice-making component, through the positioning of the water inlet and outlet, creates a vortex in the ice-making water within the ice-making chamber, greatly improving the heat conduction efficiency between the ice-making water and the chamber wall, increasing the ice-making speed. Furthermore, the unfrozen ice-making water can continuously flow along the ice surface, effectively carrying away air bubbles on the ice surface to produce higher quality transparent ice.

[0067] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

[0068] The above-listed embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of this application and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application. Therefore, any equivalent variations made in accordance with the claims of this application shall still fall within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A transparent ice making assembly, comprising: The transparent ice-making component includes: An upper mold and a lower mold are fitted together to form an ice-making cavity; the lower mold is made of a heat-conducting material and has a heat-conducting surface for contact with a cold source; the upper mold is also provided with a water inlet and a return outlet, the water inlet and the return outlet being adjacent to each other and spaced apart. A water inlet pipe, connected to the ice-making chamber via the water inlet, supplies ice-making water to the ice-making chamber. The ice-making water enters the ice-making chamber through the water inlet and forms a vortex within the ice-making chamber. A return pipe, connected to the ice-making chamber via the return port, is used to receive the ice-making water returning from the ice-making chamber.

2. The transparent ice-making assembly of claim 1, wherein, The return port is located on the outer periphery of the water inlet.

3. The transparent ice-making component as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The return port is an annular opening surrounding the water inlet, and the water inlet and the return port are concentrically arranged.

4. The transparent ice-making assembly of claim 1, wherein, The water inlet is located at the far end of the upper mold, away from the heat-conducting surface.

5. The transparent ice-making component as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The upper mold is made of a thermally conductive material.

6. The transparent ice-making assembly of claim 1, wherein, The transparent ice-making assembly also includes a box body, in which the upper mold, the lower mold, the water injection pipe, and the return pipe are disposed; at least a portion of the heat-conducting surface constitutes part of the outer surface of the box body and / or at least a portion of the heat-conducting surface protrudes from the outside of the box body.

7. The transparent ice-making component as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The box body is also equipped with a water tank, which is connected to the water inlet pipe and the return pipe respectively, for supplying water to the ice-making chamber through the water inlet pipe and receiving return water from the ice-making chamber through the return pipe; the transparent ice-making assembly also includes a water inlet pipe housed in the box body, one end of which is connected to the water tank and the other end is connected to the outside of the box body, for supplying water to the water tank from the outside.

8. The transparent ice-making assembly of claim 7, wherein, The transparent ice-making assembly also includes a water pump housed within the box, the water pump being located between the water tank and the water injection pipe, for pumping the ice-making water from the water tank into the water injection pipe.

9. The transparent ice-making component as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The box is equipped with a power supply interface, which is electrically connected to the water pump and used to supply power to the water pump.

10. An ice maker, characterized in that, The ice maker includes a main unit and a transparent ice-making component as described in any one of claims 1 to 9. The main unit has a cold source for making ice and is provided with a mounting position for placing the transparent ice-making component. When the transparent ice-making component is placed in the mounting position, the heat-conducting surface contacts the cold source.

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