Die-cast liquid-cooled ice tray

Abstract

To provide a die-cast liquid-cooled ice tray. The ice-making device includes a tray (10) and a tube (20), in which a plurality of ice-making cells (100) are formed in the tray, with the ice-making cells arranged in an array at equal distances. The back surface of the tray is coated with a heat-insulating coating, the front surface of the tray is coated with a ceramic coating, and the tube is formed with a thread groove (200) extending from one end of the tube to the other. The tube has a curved section and a parallel section, one end of which is connected to one end of the curved section. The tray is integrally die-cast to enclose the curved section, and the parallel section extends from the tray. This improves ice-making efficiency and food safety.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of ice trays, and more particularly to die-cast liquid-cooled ice trays. [Background technology]

[0002] In the current field of ice making equipment, the core structure of the mainstream ice tray is a multi-row ice cell assembly, which is generally manufactured using copper strips as the base material and soldered together to form a mold. In order to improve the corrosion resistance of the ice cells and extend their basic service life, the industry generally applies nickel plating to the surface of the ice cells, which is the traditional ice tray manufacturing method most widely used on the market today.

[0003] However, over time, these conventional ice trays gradually reveal various technical flaws, seriously affecting the stability, safety, and economy of the ice maker. First, from the perspective of structural stability, the soldering process, which relies on joining copper pieces, typically requires a soldering temperature of 200°C. However, the ice tray's core function is to produce ice in cycles, which require repeated cycles of cooling and heating, from low-temperature ice-making to room-temperature ice-making. These frequent temperature changes, due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficients between the copper pieces and the solder joints, create cyclical thermal expansion and contraction stresses. Over time, these stresses can easily cause the solder joints to crack or fall off. Ultimately, this can lead to the collapse of the original spliced ​​copper structure, directly damaging the ice-making cell and affecting ice-making efficiency, requiring frequent replacement of the ice tray assembly and increasing equipment maintenance costs.

[0004] Second, in terms of safety and hygiene, surface nickel plating can alleviate the corrosion problem of ice-making cell substrates to some extent, but it does not solve the problem of scale buildup during the ice-making process. Ice-making water contains minerals such as calcium and magnesium, which gradually deposit on the ice's inner walls during repeated freezing and thawing, forming scale, which not only affects the appearance and purity of the ice but also causes pollution. More importantly, over time, the nickel-plated layer may wear and break, exposing the underlying copper material directly to air. This chemical reaction with oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor in the air during the ice-making process produces basic copper carbonate (i.e., "verdigris"). As a toxic substance, once verdigris is mixed into the ice, it can enter the human body as the ice is used, posing a serious threat to human health.

[0005] In addition, the heat transfer efficiency of the conventional copper soldered ice tray is significantly limited, resulting in low heat exchange efficiency of the refrigerant during the ice making process, which not only slows down the ice making speed but also consumes a large amount of refrigerant, directly increasing the overall ice making cost. Summary of the Invention

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a die-cast liquid-cooled ice tray that has a stable structure, improves ice-making efficiency, and is food-safe.

[0007] The object of the present invention is achieved by the following technical means:

[0008] A die-cast liquid-cooled ice tray, a dish body and a tube body, The tray has a plurality of ice-making cells formed therein, the ice-making cells being arranged in an array at equal intervals, a heat insulating coating layer being applied to the rear surface of the tray, and a ceramic coating layer being applied to the front surface of the tray; A screw groove is formed within the tubular body, extending from one end to the other, the tubular body includes a curved portion and a parallel portion, one end of the parallel portion is connected to one end of the curved portion, and the tray body is die-cast integrally with the curved portion so that the curved portion is enclosed and the parallel portion extends from the tray body.

[0009] Optionally, the S-shaped structures are continuously curved and parallel to one another.

[0010] Optionally, the thermal barrier coating layer is a nano-hollow microsphere modified acrylic thermal barrier paint.

[0011] Optionally, the included angle between the opposing inner and bottom walls of each said ice-making cell is a non-right angle.

[0012] Optionally, the ceramic coating layer is a nano-inorganic composite ceramic coating layer.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least the following advantages:

[0014] The die-cast liquid-cooled ice tray of this invention features a one-piece die-cast tray body that tightly encases the S-shaped curved section of the tube body, which includes multiple sets of horizontal tubes, significantly increasing the contact area with the tray body and the refrigerant flow stroke. The full length of the tube body is threaded, further increasing the contact area between the refrigerant and the tube wall. The dual-layer design significantly improves heat exchange efficiency and accelerates the freezing rate of the ice-making cells. At the same time, the nano-hollow microbead-modified acrylic heat-insulating coating on the back of the tray reduces refrigerant temperature loss and ensures that the cold air is concentrated on the ice. The nano-inorganic composite ceramic coating on the front allows for quick demolding, avoiding long ice removal times and impacting continuous ice making. Regarding food safety, the nano-inorganic composite ceramic coating on the front of the tray is made of non-toxic inorganic materials, is low-temperature resistant, and non-sticky, preventing the release of harmful substances during the ice-making process and allowing for quick demolding, ensuring safe food contact. In this way, the efficiency of ice making and the level of food safety are improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] In order to more clearly explain the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings that need to be used in the embodiments will be briefly described below. It should be understood that the following drawings only illustrate some embodiments of the present invention, and should not be considered as limiting the scope. Those skilled in the art can also derive other related drawings based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a structural diagram of a die-cast liquid-cooled ice tray according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of the installation position of the pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is a structural diagram of a tube according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a locally enlarged structure of A in FIG. 3. [Figure 5]1 is a cross-sectional view of a die-cast liquid-cooled ice tray according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

[0017] Explanation of symbols 1, die-cast liquid-cooled ice tray; 10, tray body; 100, ice-making cell; 101, support; 20, tube body; 200, screw groove; 201, curved portion; 2010, horizontal tube; 202, parallel portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] In order to facilitate an understanding of the present invention, the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown.

[0019] In describing the embodiments of the present invention, the orientations or positional relationships indicated by the terms "length," "width," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," etc. are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are merely for the convenience and simplification of the description of the embodiments of the present invention. They do not indicate or imply that the specified devices or elements must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limitations on the present invention.

[0020] Additionally, the terms "first" and "second" are for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or the number of technical features shown. Thus, a feature qualified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the feature. In describing embodiments of the present invention, "plurality" means two or more, unless otherwise specified.

[0021] In the embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified or limited, the terms "attached," "coupled," "connected," "fixed," etc. should be understood in a broad sense, and may refer to, for example, a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection, a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, a direct connection, an indirect connection via an intermediate medium, an internal communication between two elements, or an interactive relationship between two elements. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present invention according to specific circumstances.

[0022] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, a die-cast liquid-cooled ice tray 1 according to one embodiment includes a cover tray 10 and a tube 20. A plurality of ice-making cells 100 are formed in the tray 10. The ice-making cells 100 are arranged equidistantly in an array. A heat-insulating coating layer is applied to the rear surface of the tray 10. A ceramic coating layer is applied to the front surface of the tray 10. A thread groove 200 is formed inside the tube 20. The thread groove 200 extends from one end of the tube 20 to the other end. The tube 20 includes a curved portion 201 and a parallel portion 202. One end of the parallel portion 202 is connected to one end of the curved portion 201. The tray 10 is integrally die-cast so that the curved portion 201 is enclosed within the tray 10 and the parallel portion 202 extends from the tray 10.

[0023] The tray 10 is a single-piece die-cast aluminum alloy structure. A plurality of ice-making cells 100 are formed on the front of the tray 10 in an array at equal distances. A thermal insulating coating is applied to the rear of the tray 10. This reduces heat exchange between the rear of the tray 10 and the external environment, reducing the temperature loss of the refrigerant during flow and allowing the refrigerant to concentrate heat exchange toward the front of the tray 10. This improves the heat exchange efficiency and effectiveness of the plurality of ice-making cells 100 formed on the front of the tray 10, resulting in a faster freezing rate and lower ice production costs. A ceramic coating is applied to the front of the tray 10. Each ice-making cell 100 on the front of the tray 10 is also coated with a ceramic coating. The ceramic coating is safe, non-toxic, non-sticky, and low-temperature resistant, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of each ice-making cell 100, allowing for quick release after ice formation, and improving food safety.

[0024] For example, the tube body 20 has a copper tube structure. The tube body 20 includes a curved portion 201 and a parallel portion 202. The curved portion 201 and the parallel portion 202 are an integrally molded copper tube structure. The dish body 10 is integrally die-cast molded so that the back surface of the dish body 10 encases the curved portion 201 and the outer wall of the curved portion 201 contacts the back surface of the dish body 10 without any gaps. This improves the heat conduction efficiency between the tube body 20 and the dish body 10, further improving the ice-making efficiency and effectiveness of the ice-making cell 100. Furthermore, as the back surface of the dish body 10 encases the curved portion 201, the parallel portion 202 extends from one side of the dish body 10. A screw groove 200 with an internal screw structure is formed on the inner wall of the tube body 20. Thread groove 200 extends from one end of parallel portion 202 to curved portion 201, passes through curved portion 201, and then extends to the other end of parallel portion 202. As a result, thread groove 200 is formed on the entire inner wall of tubular body 20. Furthermore, because thread groove 200 extends spirally, the inner wall of tubular body 20 in the axial cross section is sawtooth-shaped. As a result, when the refrigerant flows in from one end of parallel portion 202, passes through curved portion 201, and flows out from the other end of parallel portion 202, the contact area between the refrigerant and the inner wall of tubular body 20 increases, thereby increasing the heat exchange efficiency between the refrigerant and dish 10, and further improving the ice-making efficiency and effectiveness of ice-making cell 100.

[0025] As shown in Figures 2-3, in one embodiment, the curved portions 201 are continuously curved into parallel S-shaped structures.

[0026] The curved portion 201 has a continuously curved structure that is parallel to one another. Specifically, the curved portion 201 includes a plurality of horizontal tubes 2010 that are parallel to one another. The horizontal tubes 2010 are sequentially integrally molded with each other so that their ends are connected to one another, so that any two adjacent horizontal tubes 2010 form an S-shaped structure, and the length of the curved portion 201 enclosed within the tray 10 increases. This increases the contact area between the outer wall of the curved portion 201 and the back surface of the tray 10, and also increases the distance and time that the refrigerant flows through the curved portion 201. This improves the efficiency of heat exchange between the refrigerant and the tray 10, and improves the ice-making efficiency and effectiveness of the ice-making cell 100.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, in one embodiment, the thermal barrier coating layer is a nano-hollow microsphere modified acrylic thermal barrier paint.

[0028] For example, when a tea beverage store produces cold beverages, the tray 10 is often moved back and forth between the refrigerator / freezer and the outside environment, resulting in a large temperature difference between the outside environment and the refrigerator / freezer. This requires the tray 10 to withstand frequent changes in temperature. When temperatures change frequently, the heat-insulating coating layer is prone to cracking due to differences in internal stress caused by mismatched expansion coefficients. Furthermore, nano-hollow microbead-modified acrylic paint is a functional composite paint formed by uniformly dispersing nano-level hollow microbeads (whose core components are inorganic materials such as silica or alumina, and whose interior is vacuum or inert gas) in a conventional acrylic paint system. The linear expansion coefficient of the nano-hollow microbeads is approximately 5-8×10 -6 / ℃, and acrylic resin (approximately 70-100 × 10 -6 / ℃), the expansion coefficient of the entire coating layer is 20-25×10 -6 / °C), which is highly compatible with aluminum alloy substrates. This reduces the heat exchange efficiency of the dish body 10 in the external environment and reduces cracks in the heat insulating coating layer due to internal stress differences when the temperature changes.

[0029] As shown in Figures 1 and 5, in one embodiment, the included angle between the opposing inner and bottom walls of the ice-making cell 100 is a non-right angle.

[0030] The angles between the two opposing inner walls and the inner bottom wall of each ice-making cell 100 are not right angles. In one embodiment, the ice-making cells 100 are arranged equidistantly in an array, so for convenience of explanation, the tray 10 is arranged horizontally, with the angles between the upper inner wall and the inner bottom wall of each ice-making cell 100 being acute angles and the angles between the lower inner wall and the inner bottom wall of each ice-making cell 100 being obtuse angles. When the tray 10 is placed horizontally, each ice-making cell 100 is tilted downward, allowing ice to fall out of each ice-making cell 100 quickly, improving the efficiency of ice collection and the user experience.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 1, in one embodiment, the ceramic coating layer is a nano-inorganic composite ceramic coating layer.

[0032] Furthermore, the nano-inorganic composite ceramic coating layer is mainly composed of inorganic substances such as sodium silicate, potassium silicate, lithium silicate, and deionized water, and does not contain any toxic or harmful substances. It also has excellent chemical stability, resistance to acid and alkali corrosion, and resistance to salt spray. When it comes into contact with food, it does not undergo chemical reactions with acids, alkalis, or other substances, releasing harmful substances, ensuring food safety.

[0033] The nano-inorganic composite ceramic coating layer employs organic-inorganic hybrid technology, providing a "hard skeleton" with nano-inorganic particles (e.g., zirconia) to ensure basic strength, while incorporating flexible organic components (e.g., modified polysiloxane) to ensure the coating layer's flexibility and resistance to freezing even at low temperatures. Furthermore, adjusting the components allows the thermal expansion coefficients of the coating layer and the base material of the dish body 10 to be closer, reducing cracking due to internal stress differences during temperature changes.

[0034] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, in one embodiment, the dish body 10 is provided with a plurality of support columns 101, each of which is located at one of the four corners of the dish body 10.

[0035] The above examples only represent some embodiments of the present invention, and the descriptions are more specific and detailed, but do not limit the scope of the invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art may make minor modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all such modifications and improvements fall within the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the invention shall be determined by the scope of the attached utility model patent claims.

Claims

1. A die-cast liquid-cooled ice tray, a dish body and a tube body, The tray has a plurality of ice-making cells formed therein, the ice-making cells being arranged in an array at equal intervals, a heat insulating coating layer being applied to the rear surface of the tray, and a ceramic coating layer being applied to the front surface of the tray; A liquid-cooled ice tray, characterized in that a screw groove is formed within the tubular body, the screw groove extending from one end to the other end of the tubular body, the tubular body including a curved portion and a parallel portion, one end of the parallel portion communicating with one end of the curved portion, and the tray body is die-cast integrally with the tubular body so that the curved portion is enclosed and the parallel portion extends from the tray body.

2. 2. The liquid-cooled ice tray according to claim 1, wherein the curved portions are continuously curved and parallel to each other in an S-shape.

3. The liquid-cooling ice tray according to claim 1, wherein the heat-insulating coating layer is a nano-hollow microsphere-modified acrylic heat-insulating paint.

4. 2. The liquid-cooled ice tray according to claim 1, wherein the angle between the opposing inner wall and the inner bottom wall of each ice-making cell is not a right angle.

5. 2. The liquid-cooling ice tray according to claim 1, wherein the ceramic coating layer is a nano-inorganic composite ceramic coating layer.

6. 2. The liquid-cooled ice tray according to claim 1, wherein the tray body is provided with a plurality of support pillars, each of which is located at one of four corners of the tray body.

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