ICE MAKING UNIT AND ICE MAKER

Abstract

The invention relates to an ice-making unit and an ice-making machine. The ice-making unit comprises a water container (1) and an ice-making evaporator. The water container (1) is arranged to be rotatable to the ice-making and ice-discharge positions. The ice-making evaporator comprises an elongated body (2) and ice-making ends (3) arranged along the length of the body. One end of the body (2) is connected to the refrigerant inlet pipe (4), and the other end is connected to the refrigerant discharge pipe (5). The water container (1) is arranged along the length of the body (2) and is positioned below the body (2). Each of the refrigerant inlet pipe (4) and refrigerant discharge pipe (5) extends outward after passing through and / or crossing the respective side walls of the water container (1) along the length of the body (2).

Description

Ice making assembly and ice making machine Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of ice making machines, and in particular to an ice making assembly and an ice making machine. Background Art

[0002] The ice-making assembly is the core component of the ice maker. One type of ice-making assembly includes a water receiving box and an ice-making evaporator. The water receiving box can be rotatably set to form an ice-making position and an ice-discharging position. The water receiving box is a container with an opening. When the opening is facing upward, water can be stored. This is the ice-making position. When ice making is completed and ice needs to be discharged, the water receiving box is rotated to a position where the opening can pour out ice cubes, generally more than 90 degrees. Gravity is used to make the ice cubes separate from the ice-making head, and this reciprocating motion is used to realize the ice-making function.

[0003] In the ice-making position, the ice-making head of the ice-making evaporator is contained in the water receiving box, and the refrigerant flows through the ice-making evaporator to freeze water on the ice-making head. When ice making is completed, the water receiving box rotates to the ice-discharging position. At the same time or subsequently, the hot refrigerant is diverted to the ice-making evaporator through the reversing valve. Then the ice on the ice-making head will be heated and gravity will be used to separate the ice from the ice-making head. The ice will be shoveled into the ice storage basket (ice storage bin) through the shovel plate (ice pusher) rotatably connected to the front side of the water receiving box.

[0004] The ice-making evaporator of the current ice-making assembly adopts a U-shaped design. For example, as shown in Figure 1, the ice-making evaporator 01 has 9 ice-making heads 02, which are arranged in a U-shape. The ice-making heads 02 are used to make ice cubes 03. The ice-making evaporator 01 includes a refrigerant inlet and outlet pipes 04, and the refrigerant inlet and outlet pipes 04 are concentrated on one side of the water receiving box 05. The size of the water receiving box 05 needs to be able to accommodate the refrigerant inlet and outlet pipes 04 during rotation. Accordingly, the refrigerant inlet and outlet pipes 04 are also arranged in a pipeline to better cooperate with the rotation of the water receiving box 05. Therefore, on the one hand, the width of the water receiving box 05 needs to be very large. On the other hand, the space reserved for accommodating the refrigerant inlet and outlet pipes 04 cannot accommodate the ice-making heads 02, so that the water stored in this reserved space will consume the cooling capacity.

[0005] In the existing technology, heat exchange devices in the refrigeration field such as condensers and evaporators have always been made into coils in order to reduce the occupied area and improve the concentration. That is, multiple U-shaped devices are connected together end to end. Therefore, this habitual thinking has also been extended to the ice-making field, and the ice-making evaporator 01 is also made into a U shape.

[0006] The applicant will propose an ice-making assembly and an ice-making machine in the present disclosure, breaking through the limitations of existing thinking, increasing the effective volume of the water receiving box in the ice-making field, thereby improving the ice-making efficiency. In addition, it is beneficial to reduce the volume of the ice-making assembly. An ice-making machine is also designed based on the ice-making assembly to improve the ice-making efficiency. In addition, the structure is more compact, which is beneficial to reducing the volume of the ice-making machine. Technical issues

[0007] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is: to propose an ice-making assembly to increase the effective volume of the water receiving box, thereby improving the ice-making efficiency, and in addition, it is beneficial to reduce the volume of the ice-making assembly; and to propose an ice-making machine, which adopts the aforementioned ice-making assembly to improve the ice-making efficiency, and in addition, has a more compact structure, which is beneficial to reducing the volume of the ice-making machine. Technical Solutions

[0008] The technical solution of the present invention is: an ice-making assembly, including a water receiving box and an ice-making evaporator, the water receiving box can be rotatably set to form an ice-making position and an ice-discharging position, the water receiving box is a container with an opening, which can store water when the opening is facing upwards, and this is the ice-making position, when ice making is completed and ice needs to be discharged, the water receiving box is rotated to the ice-discharging position where the opening can fall out of the ice cubes, the water receiving box includes a front side and a rear side, the front side of the water receiving box is the ice-discharging side, the ice-making evaporator includes a long strip-shaped body and ice-making heads arranged in sequence along the length direction of the body, one end of the body is connected to the refrigerant inlet pipe, and the other end of the body is connected to the refrigerant outlet pipe, the water receiving box is arranged along the length direction of the body and is located on the lower side of the body, and the refrigerant inlet pipe and the refrigerant outlet pipe both pass through and / or cross the corresponding side walls of the water receiving box along the length direction of the body and extend outward.

[0009] Preferably, both side walls of the water receiving box are provided with a rotating end, which is used to rotate with the ice maker body, and the rotating ends are both located at the rear side of the body.

[0010] Preferably, each rotating end is located at the rear side of the water receiving box.

[0011] Preferably, a clearance opening is provided on the rear side of the water receiving box, and the clearance opening can be used to accommodate the body in the ice-discharging position.

[0012] Preferably, the water receiving box is further provided with a protrusion located at the rear side of the water receiving box, and the protrusion is arranged to protrude toward the front side to reduce the volume of the water receiving box.

[0013] Preferably, a portion of the rear side of the water receiving box located above the protruding portion is provided as a position-avoiding opening, and in the ice-discharging position, the position-avoiding opening can be used to accommodate the body. Beneficial effects

[0014] After adopting the above structure, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0015] The effective capacity of the water receiving box is significantly increased. Specifically, the water receiving box does not need to reserve space for the refrigerant inlet and outlet pipes. The ice-making heads can be effectively distributed along the entire length of the water receiving box, thereby increasing the effective volume of the water receiving box and improving ice-making efficiency. The reason for the improved ice-making efficiency is that, under the same cooling capacity, the more water in the water receiving box, the slower the ice will freeze. Therefore, increasing the effective volume of the water receiving box means that less useless water is used, which reduces the wasted cooling capacity and thus improves ice-making efficiency. In addition, the water receiving box does not need to reserve space for the refrigerant inlet and outlet pipes, which means that the volume of the water receiving box is reduced, which helps to reduce the volume of the ice-making component.

[0016] In addition, since there is no U-shaped bend, the length of the body can be effectively utilized when arranging the ice-making head. That is, the entire body is an effective length and no space is wasted due to the bend, which is conducive to reducing the volume of the ice-making assembly.

[0017] In addition, the ice-making evaporator includes a long strip-shaped body and ice-making heads arranged in sequence along the length direction of the body. One end of the body is connected to the refrigerant inlet pipe, and the other end of the body is connected to the refrigerant outlet pipe. The water receiving box is arranged along the length direction of the body and is located on the lower side of the body. The refrigerant inlet pipe and the refrigerant outlet pipe both pass through and / or cross the corresponding side walls of the water receiving box along the length direction of the body and extend outward. Therefore, the width of the water receiving box can be made narrower, and there is no need to worry about interference with the refrigerant inlet pipe and the refrigerant outlet pipe during rotation.

[0018] In summary, the ice-making assembly proposed in the present disclosure increases the effective volume of the water receiving box, thereby improving the ice-making efficiency. In addition, it is helpful to reduce the volume of the ice-making assembly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG1 is a perspective schematic diagram of an ice maker (with the outer shell removed);

[0020] FIG2 is a perspective diagram of an ice maker installation slot from one end perspective according to the present invention;

[0021] FIG3 is a perspective schematic diagram of an ice maker (with the top shell removed) according to the present invention;

[0022] FIG4 is a perspective schematic diagram of an ice maker (with the outer shell removed) according to the present invention;

[0023] FIG5 is a perspective schematic diagram of an ice maker (with the body removed) according to the present invention;

[0024] FIG6 is a perspective schematic diagram of an ice-making assembly according to the present invention;

[0025] FIG7 is a perspective schematic diagram mainly showing the installation slot;

[0026] FIG8 is a perspective diagram of an ice maker installation slot from another end perspective according to the present invention;

[0027] As shown in Figure 1: 01- ice making evaporator, 02- ice making head, 03- ice cubes, 04- refrigerant inlet and outlet pipes, 05- water receiving box, 06- compressor, 07- condenser.

[0028] As shown in the figure of the present invention: 1-water receiving box, 2-main body, 3-ice making head, 4-refrigerant inlet pipe, 5-refrigerant outlet pipe, 6-rotating end, 7-avoidance port, 8-protrusion, 9-compressor, 10-condenser, 11-machine base, 12-machine body, 13-ice storage bin, 14-water receiving trough, 15-mounting slot, 16-fan, 17-ice pushing plate, 18-ventilation hole, 19-leakage hole, 20-rotating drive, 21-water pump, 22-shielding part, 23-ice cubes. Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0029] In order to better understand the present application, various aspects of the present application will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these detailed descriptions are merely descriptions of exemplary embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application in any way. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements.

[0030] In the drawings, the thickness, size and shape of objects have been slightly exaggerated for ease of explanation. The drawings are only examples and are not drawn strictly to scale.

[0031] It should also be understood that the terms “comprises,” “includes,” “has,” “includes,” and “containing,” when used in this specification, indicate the presence of the described features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts, and / or combinations thereof.

[0032] As shown in Figure 6, an ice-making assembly can be used in an ice-making machine. The ice-making assembly includes a water receiving box 1 and an ice-making evaporator. The water receiving box 1 can be rotated to form an ice-making position and an ice-discharging position. The water receiving box 1 is a container with an opening. When the opening is facing upward, water can be stored. At this time, it is the ice-making position. When ice making is completed and ice needs to be discharged, the water receiving box 1 is rotated to the ice-discharging position where the opening can drop out ice cubes 23. The water receiving box 1 includes a front side and a rear side. The front side of the water receiving box 1 is the ice-discharging side. In order for the ice cubes 23 to automatically enter the ice storage bin 13 on the front side of the water receiving box 1, at the ice-discharging position, the ice cubes 23 will fall on the ice-pushing plate 17 and the arc-shaped ice-pushing plate 17 provided in conjunction with the ice-pushing plate 17. In the cavity, when the water receiving box 1 is reset, the water receiving box 1 drives the ice pushing plate 17 to push the ice cubes 23 into the ice storage bin 13 (or shovel them into the ice storage bin 13). The ice-making evaporator includes a long strip-shaped body 2 and ice-making heads 3 arranged in sequence along the length direction of the body 2. The ice-making head 3 is used to be inserted into the water receiving box 1 to make ice cubes 23. One end of the body 2 is connected to the refrigerant inlet pipe 4, and the other end of the body 2 is connected to the refrigerant outlet pipe 5. The water receiving box 1 is arranged along the length direction of the body 2 and is located on the lower side of the body 2. The refrigerant inlet pipe 4 and the refrigerant outlet pipe 5 both pass through and / or cross the corresponding side walls of the water receiving box 1 along the length direction of the body 2 and extend outward. In this case, they cross the side walls of the water receiving box 1 and extend outward.

[0033] As shown in Figure 6, since one end of the main body 2 is connected to the refrigerant inlet pipe 4 and the other end of the main body 2 is connected to the refrigerant outlet pipe 5, the water receiving box 1 is arranged along the length direction of the main body 2 and is located on the lower side of the main body 2. The refrigerant inlet pipe 4 and the refrigerant outlet pipe 5 both pass through and / or cross the corresponding side walls of the water receiving box 1 along the length direction of the main body 2 and extend outward, so the two ends of the main body 2 can be very close to the two ends of the water receiving box 1, that is, the two ends of the main body 2 can be very close to the two side walls of the water receiving box 1 respectively, so that the effective utilization rate of the water receiving box 1 along the length direction is very high.

[0034] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG6 , both side walls of the water receiving box 1 are provided with a rotating end 6 for rotating with the ice maker body 12 , and both rotating ends 6 are located at the rear side of the main body 2 . With this design, when the water receiving box 1 rotates, the rear side of the water receiving box 1 tilts upward. Since both rotating ends 6 are located at the rear side of the main body 2 , the tilted portion of the rear side of the water receiving box 1 must rotate a larger angle before it can approach or contact the main body 2 . This allows for a larger rotation angle without quickly interfering with the rear side of the main body 2 . The larger rotation angle facilitates the water receiving box 1 to tilt over a larger angle as a whole, thereby making it easier for the ice cubes 23 to fall onto the ice pushing plate 17 , which is connected to the front side of the water receiving box 1 and is driven by the water receiving box 1 .

[0035] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG6 , each rotating end 6 is located at the rear side of the water receiving box 1. With this design, when the water receiving box 1 rotates backward, it will be away from the refrigerant inlet pipe 4 and the refrigerant outlet pipe 5, and will never interfere with the refrigerant inlet pipe 4 and the refrigerant outlet pipe 5, thereby improving reliability. In addition, the rear side of the water receiving box 1 is tilted upward. Since each rotating end 6 is located at the rear side of the water receiving box 1, the tilted portion of the rear side of the water receiving box 1 is very narrow. This allows for a larger rotation angle without quickly interfering with the rear side of the body 2. The larger rotation angle facilitates the overall rotation of the water receiving box 1 at a large angle, thereby making it easier for the ice cubes 23 to fall onto the ice pusher 17. The ice pusher 17 is connected to the front side of the water receiving box 1 and is driven by the water receiving box 1.

[0036] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 3 and 6, a clearance opening 7 is provided on the rear side of the water receiving box 1. In the ice discharging position, the clearance opening 7 can be used to accommodate the body 2. This allows for a greater rotation angle, which facilitates the water receiving box 1 to flip over a larger angle as a whole, thereby making it easier for the ice cubes 23 to fully fall onto the ice pushing plate 17. The ice pushing plate 17 is connected to the front side of the water receiving box 1 and is driven by the water receiving box 1.

[0037] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 3, the water receiving tray 1 is further provided with a protrusion 8 on the rear side of the water receiving tray 1. This protrusion 8 protrudes forward to reduce the volume of the water receiving tray 1. This helps increase the effective volume, thereby further improving ice-making efficiency. In this example, the protrusion 8 is provided on the rear side wall of the water receiving tray 1 and is arranged from bottom to top. The ice-making head 3 is inserted and accommodated between the protrusion 8 and the inner side wall of the front side of the water receiving tray 1.

[0038] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 3 and 6 , the rear portion of the water collection tray 1, located above the protrusion 8, is configured as a relief opening 7. In the ice-discharging position, this relief opening 7 can be used to accommodate the main body 2. Thus, utilizing the structural changes formed by the protrusion 8 to implement the relief opening 7 further simplifies the structure and facilitates production. In this example, the protrusion 8 protrudes forward from the rear sidewall of the water collection tray 1, forming a step between the top surface of the protrusion 8 and the rear sidewall. This step serves as the relief opening 7.

[0039] As shown in Figures 2 to 8, the present disclosure provides an ice maker comprising a compressor 9, a condenser 10, and an ice making assembly, wherein the ice making assembly adopts the aforementioned ice making assembly. During ice making, water can be pumped into the water receiving box 1 by a water pump 21, eliminating the need for manual water addition, thereby improving ice making automation.

[0040] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 4 , the compressor 9 and condenser 10 are arranged sequentially along the length of the main body 2 and located below the ice-making assembly. This facilitates a compact structure and reduces volume. Specifically, by leveraging the length of the ice-making assembly disclosed herein, the compressor 9 and condenser 10 are simultaneously arranged below the ice-making assembly, thereby fully utilizing the space below the ice-making assembly. This structure significantly differs from the prior art, such as the arrangement of the compressor 06 and condenser 07 at right angles as shown in Figure 1 .

[0041] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG4 , the machine further includes a base 11 and an inverted L-shaped body 12. The ice-making assembly is mounted on the horizontal portion of the body 12. The vertical portion of the body 12 is provided with an ice storage bin 13 and a water receiving trough 14 located below the ice storage bin 13. A mounting groove 15 is provided between the horizontal portion of the body 12 and the base 11. The compressor 9 and the condenser 10 are mounted in the mounting groove 15. This makes the structure more compact, which helps reduce the volume of the ice-making body 12.

[0042] A rotary driver 20 is installed on the outer side of the transverse portion of the body 12 . The rotary driver 20 drives the water receiving box 1 to rotate. The rotary driver 20 is, for example, an electric motor.

[0043] The ice storage bin 13 is provided with a water leakage hole 19. When the ice cubes 23 slowly melt, the water formed can flow into the water receiving trough 14 through the water leakage hole 19, so that the ice cubes 23 will not be soaked in water.

[0044] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG7 , a through mounting slot 15 is formed between the transverse portion of the housing 12 and the base 11. One end of the mounting slot 15 is the air inlet side, and the other end is the air outlet side. Accordingly, as shown in FIG3 and FIG8 , ventilation holes 18 are provided on the ice maker housing corresponding to the air inlet and air outlet sides. The condenser 10 is arranged horizontally and a fan 16 is provided near the outer side. The airflow driven by the fan 16 is arranged in the direction of the mounting slot 15. This facilitates heat dissipation and thus facilitates ice making.

[0045] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 4, 5, and 7, a shielding portion 22 is provided on the side opposite the condenser 10, i.e., on the side of the compressor 9. This reduces the cross-sectional area of ​​the airflow path formed by the mounting slot 15. When the fan 16 is operating, the airflow velocity on the side of the shielding portion 22 is higher, thereby improving the airflow efficiency of the entire flow path and facilitating heat dissipation. Furthermore, the shielding portion 22 can be hollowed out to double as a storage box for items, making it more convenient for the user and improving the space utilization of the ice maker.

[0046] When understanding the present invention, if necessary, the above structure can be understood with reference to other embodiments / drawings, and will not be described in detail here.

[0047] The above description is merely an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, and therefore any equivalent changes or modifications made according to the structure, features and principles described in the patent protection scope of the present invention are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ice-making assembly, comprising a water receiving box (1) and an ice-making evaporator, wherein the water receiving box (1) is rotatably arranged to form an ice-making position and an ice-discharging position, wherein the water receiving box (1) is a container having an opening, and can store water when the opening faces upward, which is the ice-making position, and when ice-making is completed and ice-discharging is required, the water receiving box (1) is rotated to the ice-discharging position where the opening can drop ice cubes (23), wherein the water receiving box (1) comprises a front side and a rear side, wherein the front side of the water receiving box (1) is the ice-discharging side, and wherein: The ice-making evaporator comprises a long strip-shaped body (2) and ice-making heads (3) arranged in sequence along the length direction of the body (2); one end of the body (2) is connected to a refrigerant inlet pipe (4), and the other end of the body (2) is connected to a refrigerant outlet pipe (5); a water receiving box (1) is arranged along the length direction of the body (2) and is located at the lower side of the body (2); the refrigerant inlet pipe (4) and the refrigerant outlet pipe (5) both pass through and / or cross corresponding side walls of the water receiving box (1) along the length direction of the body (2) and then extend outward.

2. An ice-making assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both side walls of the water receiving box (1) are provided with a rotating end (6), the rotating end (6) being used for rotating with the ice maker body (12), and the rotating end (6) is located at the rear side of the body (2).

3. An ice-making assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each rotating end (6) is located at the rear side of the water receiving box (1).

4. An ice-making assembly according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that: A clearance opening (7) is provided on the rear side of the water receiving box (1); in the ice-discharging position, the clearance opening (7) can be used to accommodate the main body (2).

5. An ice-making assembly according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that: The water receiving box (1) is also provided with a protruding portion (8) located at the rear side of the water receiving box (1), and the protruding portion (8) is arranged to protrude toward the front side to reduce the volume of the water receiving box (1).

6. An ice-making assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that: The portion of the rear side of the water receiving box (1) located above the protruding portion (8) is provided as a position-avoiding opening (7); in the ice-discharging position, the position-avoiding opening (7) can be used to accommodate the body (2).

7. An ice-making machine, comprising a compressor (9), a condenser (10) and an ice-making assembly, characterized in that: The ice-making component adopts the ice-making component described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. An ice making machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: The compressor (9) and the condenser (10) are arranged in sequence along the length direction of the body (2) and are located on the lower side of the ice-making assembly.

9. An ice making machine according to claim 8, characterized in that: It also comprises a machine base (11) and an inverted L-shaped machine body (12); an ice-making assembly is installed on the transverse portion of the machine body (12); an ice storage bin (13) and a water receiving tank (14) located below the ice storage bin (13) are provided on the vertical portion of the machine body (12); a mounting groove (15) is provided between the transverse portion of the machine body (12) and the machine base (11); and a compressor (9) and a condenser (10) are installed in the mounting groove (15).

10. An ice making machine according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: A straight mounting groove (15) is provided between the transverse portion of the machine body (12) and the machine base (11); one end of the mounting groove (15) is an air inlet side, and the other end is an air outlet side; the condenser (10) is arranged transversely and a fan is arranged near the outer side; the direction of the airflow driven by the fan is arranged along the direction of the mounting groove (15).

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