Automatic ice maker refrigeration system with active thermal insulation and control method therefor

Abstract

Provided are an automatic ice maker refrigeration system with active thermal insulation and a control method therefor. The refrigeration system comprises an ice maker main body, and a compressor, a condenser, an electric switching valve, an ice storage tank line, an ice storage tank evaporator, an ice-making line and an ice-making evaporator which are respectively mounted on the ice maker main body. The two evaporators are connected in series / parallel, and in cooperation with the electric switching valve, a dual refrigeration circuit is formed, thereby providing a continuous ice maker with dual working modes.

Description

An active heat preservation automatic ice maker refrigeration system and its control method Priority application

[0001] This application claims priority to the following Chinese invention patent applications filed on August 29, 2024: [Application No.: 202411214981X] [Title: An Actively Insulated Automatic Ice Maker Refrigeration System and Control Method Thereof], [Application No.: 2024111992165] [Title: An Ice Maker with Replaceable Molds], [Application No.: 2024111992362] [Title: A Stirring Mechanism for an Ice Maker], and [Application No.: 2024221093359] [Title: An Ice Mold for an Ice Maker], all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This invention belongs to the field of ice-making equipment technology, specifically relating to an active heat preservation automatic ice-making refrigeration system and its control method. Background Technology

[0003] With the development of refrigeration technology, the types of ice makers have gradually increased. Currently, after ice makers finish making ice, they store the ice cubes in an ice storage tank. To slow down the melting of the ice and increase the storage time, an insulation material is usually added to the outside of the ice storage tank. This method is passive insulation, and the insulation time is short, which cannot meet the needs of users who require more ice. Therefore, various solutions have been proposed.

[0004] For example, Chinese invention patent CN111207538A discloses an ice maker with long-term ice storage function, including an ice maker body for making ice cubes. An ice storage tank door is located on the upper front side of the ice maker body, and a heat dissipation vent is located below the ice storage tank door. An ice storage tank is placed inside the ice storage tank door, and an air inlet is located at the bottom of the ice storage tank. An ice discharge plate is located below the ice storage tank, and the outlets of the ice-making evaporator and the freezing evaporator are connected to the inlet of the compressor. This ice maker with long-term ice storage function, through structural and refrigeration system modifications, adds a separate freezing evaporator to the ice storage tank. When the ice maker is working, the freezing evaporator on the insulated tank is also required to work simultaneously, thus ensuring that the ice cubes inside the ice storage tank are always maintained at a low temperature. However, this solution only makes the freezing evaporator and the ice-making evaporator work together during the ice-making process, that is, it only keeps the ice storage tank warm during the ice storage process, and cannot solve the problem of heat preservation after ice making is completed.

[0005] For example, Chinese invention patent CN118310222A discloses an ice maker capable of keeping ice from melting for a long time, relating to the field of ice maker technology. It includes an ice maker casing and an electronic control system. The outer surface of the ice maker casing has an ice-removing door, the inner wall of the casing has a partition, and the inner wall of the casing has a water tank. A refrigerator is installed on the upper surface of the partition. In this design, the refrigerator and water tank are designed separately, allowing for separate storage of the produced ice. The electronic control system automatically switches to a refrigeration storage mode, causing evaporator one and evaporator two to automatically switch operation, cooling the ice inside the refrigerator and achieving the effect of keeping the ice from melting for a long time. This solution achieves ice making or heat preservation by switching the working state of the two evaporators, but it cannot preserve heat during the ice-making process.

[0006] It is evident that the ice makers in the above solutions all operate on an "intermittent" heat preservation mode, and there is an urgent need for a refrigeration machine that can continuously maintain heat preservation. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide an active heat preservation automatic ice-making refrigeration system and its control method, so as to partially alleviate or solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0008] To solve the aforementioned technical problems, the present invention specifically adopts the following technical solution: an active heat preservation automatic ice maker refrigeration system, comprising an ice maker body, and a compressor, a condenser, an electric switching valve, an ice compartment pipeline, an ice compartment evaporator, an ice making pipeline, and an ice making evaporator respectively installed on the ice maker body;

[0009] The compressor, the condenser, and the electric switching valve are connected in sequence to form a first main circuit; the electric switching valve, the ice storage pipeline, and the ice storage evaporator are connected in sequence to form a first branch circuit; the electric switching valve, the ice-making pipeline, and the ice-making evaporator are connected in sequence to form a second branch circuit; the outlet of the ice-making evaporator is connected to the inlet of the ice storage evaporator through a third branch circuit; and the outlet of the ice storage evaporator is connected to the compressor to form a second main circuit.

[0010] The first main road, the first branch road, and the second main road are connected to form a first loop; the first main road, the second branch road, the third branch road, and the second main road are connected to form a second loop.

[0011] As an improvement, the ice-making evaporator is equipped with an electric heating film.

[0012] As an improvement, the ice maker includes:

[0013] A refrigeration mechanism, comprising a refrigeration body and a refrigeration panel disposed on the refrigeration body;

[0014] A lifting plate, and a lifting mechanism for driving the lifting plate to move between an ice-making position and an ice-removing position, wherein a mold is detachably mounted on the lifting plate, the mold including a mold body and at least one ice-making cavity disposed inside the mold body, wherein at least one first slide rail is provided on the lifting plate, and at least one slider cooperating with the first slide rail is provided on the mold body; a stirring component and a drainage channel are provided at the top of the ice-making cavity;

[0015] A stirring mechanism, comprising a driving gear and at least one driven gear disposed on the lifting plate, and a first driving device for driving the driving gear to rotate, wherein the driving gear meshes with the driven gear, the driven gear is provided with at least one driving magnetic element, and the stirring component is provided with at least one driven magnetic element that cooperates with the driving magnetic element.

[0016] When the ice maker is in ice-making mode, the bottom of the mold is in contact with the refrigeration panel for heat exchange. The drive motor drives the drive gear to rotate, which in turn drives the driven gear to rotate. The drive magnetic element rotates together with the driven gear and drives the driven magnetic element to rotate under the action of magnetic attraction, thereby causing the stirring component to rotate to stir the liquid in the ice-making chamber.

[0017] When the mold is replaced, the mold is pulled along the extension direction of the first slide rail, so that the mold is disengaged from the lifting plate.

[0018] As an improvement, the ice-making cavity includes an upper cavity near the lifting plate and a lower cavity near the cooling panel, wherein the thermal conductivity of the upper cavity is lower than that of the lower cavity.

[0019] As an improvement, the upper cavity and the lower cavity are integrally formed.

[0020] As an improvement, the bottom of the ice-making cavity is provided with a through hole, the bottom of the refrigeration panel is provided with a water inlet corresponding to the through hole, and the top and bottom of the mold body are provided with sealing strips;

[0021] When the ice maker is in ice-making mode, the top and bottom of the mold abut against the lifting plate and the refrigeration panel, respectively.

[0022] When the ice maker is in the de-icing state, the top of the mold rests against the lifting plate, and the bottom is suspended, allowing the ice block to detach from the ice-making cavity through the through hole.

[0023] As an improvement, the mold includes an upper mold fixed to the upper cavity and a lower mold fixed to the lower cavity, and the slider is disposed on the upper mold;

[0024] When the ice maker is in ice-making mode, the upper mold and the lower mold are combined to form the mold assembly, and the upper cavity and the lower cavity cooperate to form the ice-making cavity;

[0025] When the ice maker is in the de-icing state, the upper mold rises synchronously with the lifting plate, and the upper mold and the lower mold separate.

[0026] As an improvement, the driven gear includes at least one first gear and at least two second gears, the diameter of the first gear being larger than that of the second gears, and the first gear meshing with the second gears and the driving gear respectively.

[0027] As an improvement, there are two first gears that are symmetrical about the driving gear, and four second gears that are evenly distributed on both sides of the driving gear.

[0028] This invention also provides a control method for an active heat preservation automatic ice maker refrigeration system, which, based on the above-mentioned active heat preservation automatic ice maker refrigeration system, includes the following steps:

[0029] S101 Obtains the working status of the ice maker, the working status including ice-making status and heat preservation status;

[0030] S102a When the ice maker is in ice-making mode, the electric switching valve is controlled to open the second circuit and close the first circuit at the same time;

[0031] S102b When the ice maker is in the heat preservation state, the electric switching valve is controlled to open the first circuit and close the second circuit at the same time.

[0032] The principle and beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0033] In the prior art, the two evaporators are connected in parallel. In one mode (e.g., CN111207538A), the two evaporators can only work or stop at the same time. That is, they can only choose to make ice and keep warm at the same time. Once ice making stops, the heat preservation will also stop. In another mode (CN118310222A), only one of the two evaporators can be selected to work. That is, they can only choose to make ice or keep warm.

[0034] This solution uses a series / parallel connection to connect the two evaporators, and combines them with an electric switching valve to form a dual-loop design, providing a continuous chiller with dual operating modes.

[0035] Specifically, in ice-making mode, the second circuit is activated via an electric switching valve, connecting the ice-making evaporator and the ice storage evaporator in series. Both operate simultaneously, keeping the ice storage compartment warm while making ice. In insulation mode, the circuit is switched back to the first circuit via the electric switching valve, connecting the ice-making evaporator and the ice storage evaporator in parallel. In this mode, the ice-making evaporator does not operate, while the ice storage evaporator operates, providing insulation without making ice. In other words, the ice maker in this solution can achieve insulation in both modes, thus preventing the ice in the ice storage compartment from melting during the ice-making process and achieving continuous and long-lasting insulation of the ice, resulting in "old ice".

[0036] Furthermore, in existing ice makers, during de-icing, the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant flows directly to the ice-making evaporator for de-icing. During this flow, the high-temperature, high-pressure gas impacts the solenoid valve and flows directly back to the compressor, causing damage to both the compressor and the solenoid valve. In contrast, this solution uses an electric heating film added to the evaporator for active heating de-icing, effectively reducing the damage to the compressor and the solenoid valve. Attached Figure Description

[0037] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. In all the drawings, similar elements or parts are generally identified by similar reference numerals. The elements or parts in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0038] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an ice maker in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 2 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the ice maker in ice-making mode in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 3 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the ice maker in the de-icing state in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the ice maker in ice-making mode in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the ice maker in the de-icing state in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 6 is a partial structural schematic diagram of the ice maker in ice-making mode in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the lifting plate of the ice maker in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 8 is a top view of the lifting plate of the ice maker in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 9a is a schematic diagram of the mold and the lifting plate in a cooperative state in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 9b is a schematic diagram of the mold being changed in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the mold in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 11 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the mold in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 12 is a top view of a large ice mold in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 13 is a top view of a small ice mold in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 14 is a top view of a hockey mold in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0053] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an automatic ice-making refrigeration system with active heat preservation in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 16 is a flowchart of a control method for an active heat preservation automatic ice-making refrigeration system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] Reference numerals: 1. Refrigeration mechanism; 11. Upper shell of refrigeration surface; 12. Lower shell of refrigeration surface; 13. Heating film; 14. Sealing cover; 15. Sealing ring; 16. Refrigeration plate; 2. Lifting plate; 21. Lead screw nut; 22. Spring; 23. Exhaust port; 3. Lifting mechanism; 31. Synchronous belt; 32. Drive synchronous pulley; 33. Second drive device; 34. Optical shaft; 35. Lead screw; 4. Stirring component; 41. Driven magnetic element; 42. Stirring blade; 5. Mold; 51. Upper mold; 52. Lower mold; 53. Upper cavity; 54. Lower cavity; 55. Upper heating film; 56. Lower heating film; 57. Conductive spring contact; 58. Sealing strip; 59. Sealing strip mounting groove; 61. Drive gear; 62. First gear; 63. Second gear; 64. Third gear; 65. Auxiliary gear; 66. First drive device; 67. Drive magnetic element. Detailed Implementation

[0056] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0057] In this document, suffixes such as "module," "part," or "unit" used to denote elements are used only for the purpose of illustrative purposes and have no specific meaning in themselves. Therefore, "module," "part," or "unit" may be used interchangeably.

[0058] In this document, the terms "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," "front," "rear," "one end," and "the other end," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the present invention and for 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 the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0059] In this document, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installed," "equipped with," "connected," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be a connection within two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0060] In this document, "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed related items.

[0061] In this article, "multiple" means two or more, that is, it includes two, three, four, five, etc.

[0062] Example 1

[0063] The present invention provides a stirring mechanism for an ice maker, as shown in Figures 7-9b, including a driving gear and at least one driven gear disposed on the ice maker, and a first driving device for driving the driving gear to rotate. The driving gear meshes with the driven gear, and at least one driving magnetic element is disposed on the driven gear. A stirring component is disposed inside the ice-making chamber of the ice maker, and at least one driven magnetic element that cooperates with the driving magnetic element is disposed on the stirring component.

[0064] When the ice maker is in the refrigeration state, the drive motor drives the drive gear to rotate, which in turn drives the driven gear to rotate. The drive magnetic element rotates together with the driven gear and drives the driven magnetic element to rotate under the action of magnetic attraction, thereby causing the stirring component to rotate and stir the liquid in the ice-making chamber.

[0065] In some embodiments, the driven gear includes at least one first gear and at least two second gears, wherein the first gear meshes with the second gears and the driving gear, respectively. When the driving gear rotates, it drives the first gear to rotate, which in turn drives the second gears to rotate synchronously, thereby matching the stirring mechanisms at different positions within ice-making cavities of different sizes in the ice maker.

[0066] In some embodiments, there are two first gears that are symmetrical about the drive gear, and four second gears that are evenly distributed on both sides of the drive gear.

[0067] In some embodiments, considering the arrangement of the gears, an auxiliary gear is provided between the first gear and the driving gear in this solution. The auxiliary gear meshes with the first gear and the driving gear respectively. By using the auxiliary gear as a transition, the positional arrangement between the driving gear and the driven gear can be made more reasonable.

[0068] In some embodiments, the driven gear further includes two third gears symmetrically arranged on both sides of the driving gear, and the two third gears respectively mesh with the driving gear.

[0069] In some embodiments, the first line connecting the center points of the drive gear and the two first gears is parallel to the length direction of the lifting plate, and correspondingly, the second line connecting the center points of the third gear and the two second gears located on the same side of the first line is parallel to the first line.

[0070] In some embodiments, three driving magnetic elements are provided and evenly distributed on the driven gear, and correspondingly, three driven magnetic elements are also provided and evenly distributed on the stirring component.

[0071] In some embodiments, the stirring component is a stirring paddle with three blades, and three driven magnetic elements are respectively disposed on the three blades.

[0072] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG8, the drive gear 61 is disposed at the center of the lifting plate, two first gears 32 are symmetrically disposed on both sides of the drive gear 61 in the length direction of the lifting plate, two third gears 64 are symmetrically disposed on both sides of the drive gear 61 in the width direction of the lifting plate, and four second gears 63 are symmetrically disposed in pairs on both sides of the third gears 64 in the length direction of the lifting plate; wherein, the second gears and the third gears have the same diameter, and the center points of the second gears and the third gears are connected sequentially to form a rectangular shape.

[0073] By setting gears of different sizes at different positions on the lifting plate, multiple gear sets are formed (for example, two first gears form the first gear set, four second gears and two third gears form the second gear set), which can adapt to molds with different numbers and sizes of ice-making cavities. This allows for easy and quick operation by simply changing the mold to achieve the coordination between the stirring mechanism and the stirring components.

[0074] Example 2

[0075] The present invention provides an ice-making mold for an ice-making cavity, as shown in Figure 10. The mold includes a mold body and at least one ice-making cavity disposed within the mold body. The mold body is provided with at least one slider that cooperates with a first slide rail of the ice maker. The slider extends along the width direction of the mold. At least one drainage channel and a stirring component 4 are provided at the top of the ice-making cavity. The stirring component 4 is provided with a driven magnetic element. Sealing strips are provided at both the top and bottom of the mold.

[0076] In some embodiments, the ice-making cavity includes an upper cavity near the lifting plate and a lower cavity near the cooling panel, wherein the thermal conductivity of the upper cavity is lower than that of the lower cavity. Ice growth requires a low-temperature freezing environment. To quickly lower the ice cavity temperature, ice makers typically use copper or stainless steel with extremely high thermal conductivity as the ice cavity material. However, using a single metal material makes it difficult for the ice to grow evenly. This is because the ice crystallizes first on the surface in contact with the cavity wall, and then gradually grows towards the center. Due to the significant difference in thermal conductivity between the metal ice cavity wall and the ice, the ice on the wall easily grows beyond the wall surface before the central ice pit has solidified, resulting in uneven ice shapes and longer ice-making times. This solution effectively solves this problem by using different materials for the upper and lower cavities, giving them different thermal conductivity.

[0077] In some embodiments, the upper cavity is made of plastic and the lower cavity is made of metal.

[0078] In some embodiments, the mold includes an upper mold fixed to the upper cavity and a lower mold fixed to the lower cavity, and the slider is disposed on the upper mold;

[0079] When the ice maker is in ice-making mode, the upper mold and the lower mold are combined to form the mold assembly, and the upper cavity and the lower cavity cooperate to form the ice-making cavity;

[0080] When the ice maker is in the de-icing state, the upper mold rises synchronously with the lifting plate, and the upper mold and the lower mold separate.

[0081] The mold with the above structure allows the ice to be removed from inside the mold by separating the upper mold from the lower mold.

[0082] In other embodiments, the upper cavity and the lower cavity are integrally formed; the bottom of the ice-making cavity is provided with a through hole, and the bottom of the refrigeration panel is provided with a water inlet corresponding to the through hole. At the same time, in order to ensure sealing, sealing strips are provided at the top and bottom of the mold body.

[0083] When the ice maker is in ice-making mode, the top and bottom of the mold abut against the lifting plate and the refrigeration panel, respectively.

[0084] When the ice maker is in the de-icing state, the top of the mold rests against the lifting plate, and the bottom is suspended, allowing the ice block to detach from the ice-making cavity through the through hole.

[0085] With this type of mold structure, the ice blocks can automatically fall off from the bottom of the mold and be de-iced as the mold rises with the lifting plate.

[0086] In some embodiments, a support frame parallel to the upper surface of the mold body is provided on the drainage channel, and the stirring component is disposed on the support frame; the support frame is a cross support frame, so that the drainage channel is in the shape of a grid.

[0087] In some embodiments, the slider is rectangular in shape with rounded ends, which makes it easier for the user to snap the slider into the first slide rail.

[0088] In some embodiments, the first slide rail is formed by extending sequentially from the bottom of the ice maker towards the height and length directions of the ice maker.

[0089] In some embodiments, a limiting block for limiting the slider is provided at the first end of the first slide rail. When the first end of the slider contacts the limiting block, the stirring component on the mold corresponds exactly to the stirring mechanism of the ice maker.

[0090] In some embodiments, two ice-making chambers are provided, and correspondingly, two stirring components and two drainage channels are also provided.

[0091] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 12, the mold is a large ice mold. Both ice-making cavities of this mold are square, and the bottom of the ice-making cavity is provided with a through hole, through which the ice block can be directly removed. In other embodiments, as shown in Figure 14, the mold is a spherical ice mold. Both ice-making cavities of the magnetic mold are spherical. The mold adopts a split design of upper cavity and lower cavity, which makes it convenient to open the mold and remove the ice block.

[0092] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG13, the mold is a small ice mold, which has six ice-making cavities evenly distributed within the mold body, and correspondingly, six stirring components are also provided.

[0093] Example 3

[0094] This embodiment is basically shown in Figures 1-14:

[0095] As shown in Figure 1, the present invention provides an ice maker with replaceable molds, comprising:

[0096] The refrigeration mechanism includes a refrigeration body and a refrigeration panel disposed on the refrigeration body (since the refrigeration mechanism is existing technology, it will not be described in detail here);

[0097] A lifting plate, and a lifting mechanism for driving the lifting plate to move between an ice-making position and an ice-removing position, wherein a mold is detachably mounted on the lifting plate, the mold including a mold body and at least one ice-making cavity disposed inside the mold body, the top of the ice-making cavity being provided with a stirring component and a drainage channel, wherein the specific structure of the mold can be referred to the mold in Embodiment 2;

[0098] The lifting plate is provided with at least one first slide rail, and the mold body is provided with at least one slider that cooperates with the first slide rail. The lifting plate and the mold are detachably connected through the first slide rail and the slider.

[0099] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the stirring mechanism includes a driving gear 61 and at least one driven gear disposed on the lifting plate, and a first driving device for driving the driving gear 61 to rotate. The driving gear 61 meshes with the driven gear. At least one driving magnetic element 67 is disposed on the driven gear. At least one driven magnetic element that cooperates with the driving magnetic element 67 is disposed on the stirring component.

[0100] When the ice maker is in ice-making mode, the bottom of the mold is in contact with the refrigeration panel for heat exchange. The drive motor drives the drive gear to rotate, which in turn drives the driven gear to rotate. The drive magnetic element rotates together with the driven gear and drives the driven magnetic element to rotate under the action of magnetic attraction, thereby causing the stirring component to rotate to stir the liquid in the ice-making chamber.

[0101] When the mold is replaced, as shown in Figures 9a and 9b, the mold 5 is pulled along the extension direction of the first slide rail, so that the mold 5 is disengaged from the lifting plate 2.

[0102] The detachable design of the mold, combined with the lifting plate, allows for easy installation and replacement of the mold, thus meeting different ice-making needs of users by providing molds with ice-making chambers of different sizes.

[0103] It should be noted that the stirring mechanism in this embodiment can also refer to the stirring mechanism described in Embodiment 1.

[0104] In some embodiments, the driving magnetic element and the driven magnetic element may be magnets that attract each other.

[0105] In some embodiments, the lifting mechanism includes a lifting body, a second slide rail, and a second driving device. The second slide rail is arranged vertically and its two ends are respectively connected to the lifting body and the refrigeration body. The lifting plate is slidably disposed on the second slide rail, and the driving device is used to drive the lifting plate to reciprocate on the second slide rail.

[0106] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the second slide rail includes a lead screw 35 fixed at one end to the lifting body and arranged vertically, and an optical shaft 34 parallel to the lead screw 35 and located on both sides thereon for support; correspondingly, the lifting plate 2 is provided with a through hole through which the optical shaft can pass, and a threaded hole that mates with the lead screw 35; one end of the optical shaft 34 is fixed to the lifting body, and the other end passes through the lifting plate 2 and is fixed to the cooling body, and the free end of the lead screw 35 also passes through the lifting plate 2; the second driving device 33 is a drive motor, and the lifting body is provided with a synchronous belt 31 and a drive synchronous pulley 32. When the drive motor rotates, it drives the synchronous belt 31 and the drive synchronous pulley 32 to rotate, thereby causing the lead screw 35 to rotate, driving the lifting plate 2 to move up and down reciprocally.

[0107] In some embodiments, a baffle plate is provided at the bottom of the lifting plate to separate the driving gear, the driven gear, the motor, and the liquid inside the mold. The baffle plate is recessed in the vertical direction, so that the first surface of the baffle plate forms a plurality of first grooves for accommodating the driving gear and the driven gear. When the mold is installed on the lifting plate, the second surface of the baffle plate and the upper surface of the mold form a drainage chamber. The drainage chamber is connected to a drainage pipe. In addition, the lifting plate is also provided with an exhaust port communicating with the drainage chamber. The gas discharged from the liquid in the mold after stirring can be discharged sequentially through the drainage channel, the drainage chamber, and the drainage pipe.

[0108] In some embodiments, the stirring component is disposed at the drainage channel. Specifically, the drainage channel is provided with a support frame parallel to the upper surface of the mold body, and the stirring component is disposed on the support frame.

[0109] In some embodiments, the support frame is a cross-shaped support frame.

[0110] In this article, the ice-making position refers to the position of the lifting plate when the bottom of the mold is in contact with the refrigeration panel for refrigeration; the ice-removing position refers to the position of the lifting plate when the mold rises with the lifting plate and detaches from the refrigeration panel, allowing the ice in the mold to be removed from the mold; in some embodiments, the ice-removing position may also specifically refer to the position when the lifting plate rises to its maximum extent.

[0111] In some embodiments, the first driving device may be a drive motor.

[0112] In summary, this solution provides an ice maker with a replaceable mold by combining a mold with a stirring mechanism with a mold designed separately from the stirring components. This makes the entire refrigeration unit lighter, smaller, and easier to replace.

[0113] Example 4

[0114] The present invention provides an active heat preservation automatic ice maker refrigeration system, as shown in Figure 15, including an ice maker body, and a compressor, a condenser and an electric switching valve, an ice compartment pipeline, an ice compartment evaporator, an ice making pipeline and an ice making evaporator respectively installed on the ice maker body;

[0115] The compressor, the condenser, and the electric switching valve are connected in sequence to form a first main circuit; the electric switching valve, the ice storage pipeline, and the ice storage evaporator are connected in sequence to form a first branch circuit; the electric switching valve, the ice-making pipeline, and the ice-making evaporator are connected in sequence to form a second branch circuit; the outlet of the ice-making evaporator is connected to the inlet of the ice storage evaporator through a third branch circuit; and the outlet of the ice storage evaporator is connected to the compressor to form a second main circuit.

[0116] The first main road, the first branch road, and the second main road are connected to form a first loop; the first main road, the second branch road, the third branch road, and the second main road are connected to form a second loop.

[0117] When the ice maker is in ice-making mode, the electric switching valve is controlled to open the second circuit and close the first circuit at the same time. At this time, the ice evaporator and the ice chamber evaporator are in series and work simultaneously to keep the ice warm while making it.

[0118] When the ice maker is in the heat preservation state, the electric switching valve is controlled to open the first circuit and close the second circuit at the same time. At this time, the ice evaporator and the ice storage evaporator are connected in parallel. The ice storage evaporator works to achieve heat preservation, while the ice evaporator located in the second circuit does not work.

[0119] In other words, this solution, through a series / parallel dual-mode design, enables the ice maker to maintain its heat preservation function whether in ice-making or heat preservation mode, thereby ensuring the storage temperature inside the ice storage compartment, preserving the taste of the ice, and meeting users' demand for aged ice.

[0120] In some embodiments, the ice-making evaporator is provided with an electric heating film.

[0121] When ice making is finished, the ice crystals freeze the lifting mechanism and the ice evaporator together. At this time, the electric heating film at the bottom of the ice evaporator heats up and melts the junction between the ice evaporator and the lifting mechanism, allowing the lifting mechanism to lift the ice mold. When it is lifted to the top, the ice receiving mechanism extends, and the heating film inside the ice mold (including the upper heating film and the lower heating film) works, causing the ice to fall out of the ice making cavity.

[0122] Compared with existing technologies, this solution effectively reduces the wear and tear on the compressor and solenoid valve by adding an electric heating film to the evaporator for active heating and de-icing.

[0123] The ice maker includes:

[0124] A refrigeration mechanism, comprising a refrigeration body and a refrigeration panel disposed on the refrigeration body;

[0125] A lifting plate, and a lifting mechanism for driving the lifting plate to move between an ice-making position and an ice-removing position, wherein a mold is detachably mounted on the lifting plate, the mold including a mold body and at least one ice-making cavity disposed inside the mold body, wherein at least one first slide rail is provided on the lifting plate, and at least one slider cooperating with the first slide rail is provided on the mold body; a stirring component and a drainage channel are provided at the top of the ice-making cavity;

[0126] A stirring mechanism, comprising a driving gear and at least one driven gear disposed on the lifting plate, and a first driving device for driving the driving gear to rotate, wherein the driving gear meshes with the driven gear, the driven gear is provided with at least one driving magnetic element, and the stirring component is provided with at least one driven magnetic element that cooperates with the driving magnetic element.

[0127] When the ice maker is in ice-making mode, the bottom of the mold is in contact with the refrigeration panel for heat exchange. The drive motor drives the drive gear to rotate, which in turn drives the driven gear to rotate. The drive magnetic element rotates together with the driven gear and drives the driven magnetic element to rotate under the action of magnetic attraction, thereby causing the stirring component to rotate to stir the liquid in the ice-making chamber.

[0128] When the mold is replaced, the mold is pulled along the extension direction of the first slide rail, so that the mold is disengaged from the lifting plate.

[0129] In some embodiments, the ice-making cavity includes an upper cavity near the lifting plate and a lower cavity near the cooling panel, wherein the thermal conductivity of the upper cavity is lower than that of the lower cavity.

[0130] In some embodiments, the upper cavity and the lower cavity are integrally formed.

[0131] The bottom of the ice-making cavity is provided with a through hole, the bottom of the refrigeration panel is provided with a water inlet corresponding to the through hole, and the top and bottom of the mold body are provided with sealing strips.

[0132] When the ice maker is in ice-making mode, the top and bottom of the mold abut against the lifting plate and the refrigeration panel, respectively.

[0133] When the ice maker is in the de-icing state, the top of the mold rests against the lifting plate, and the bottom is suspended, allowing the ice block to detach from the ice-making cavity through the through hole.

[0134] In some embodiments, the mold includes an upper mold fixed to the upper cavity and a lower mold fixed to the lower cavity, and the slider is disposed on the upper mold;

[0135] When the ice maker is in ice-making mode, the upper mold and the lower mold are combined to form the mold assembly, and the upper cavity and the lower cavity cooperate to form the ice-making cavity;

[0136] When the ice maker is in the de-icing state, the upper mold rises synchronously with the lifting plate, and the upper mold and the lower mold separate.

[0137] In some embodiments, the driven gear includes at least one first gear and at least two second gears, the diameter of the first gear being larger than that of the second gears, and the first gear meshing with the second gears and the driving gear, respectively.

[0138] In some embodiments, there are two first gears that are symmetrical about the drive gear, and four second gears that are evenly distributed on both sides of the drive gear.

[0139] It should be noted that the specific structure of the ice maker in this embodiment can be referred to the ice maker described in Embodiment 3.

[0140] Example 5

[0141] The present invention also provides a control method for an active heat preservation automatic ice maker refrigeration system, as shown in Figure 16. Based on the active heat preservation automatic ice maker refrigeration system described in Embodiment 4, the method includes the following steps:

[0142] S101 Obtains the working status of the ice maker, the working status including ice-making status and heat preservation status;

[0143] S102a When the ice maker is in ice-making mode, the electric switching valve is controlled to open the second circuit and close the first circuit at the same time;

[0144] S102b When the ice maker is in the heat preservation state, the electric switching valve is controlled to open the first circuit and close the second circuit at the same time.

[0145] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0146] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. All of these forms are within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An active heat preservation automatic ice-making refrigeration system, characterized in that, It includes an ice maker body, and a compressor, a condenser and an electric switching valve, an ice compartment pipeline, an ice compartment evaporator, an ice making pipeline and an ice making evaporator respectively installed on the ice maker body; The compressor, the condenser, and the electric switching valve are connected in sequence to form a first main circuit; the electric switching valve, the ice storage pipeline, and the ice storage evaporator are connected in sequence to form a first branch circuit; the electric switching valve, the ice-making pipeline, and the ice-making evaporator are connected in sequence to form a second branch circuit; the outlet of the ice-making evaporator is connected to the inlet of the ice storage evaporator through a third branch circuit; and the outlet of the ice storage evaporator is connected to the compressor to form a second main circuit. The first main road, the first branch road, and the second main road are connected to form a first loop; the first main road, the second branch road, the third branch road, and the second main road are connected to form a second loop.

2. The automatic ice-making refrigeration system with active heat preservation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ice-making evaporator is equipped with an electric heating film.

3. The automatic ice-making refrigeration system with active heat preservation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ice maker includes: A refrigeration mechanism, comprising a refrigeration body and a refrigeration panel disposed on the refrigeration body; A lifting plate, and a lifting mechanism for driving the lifting plate to move between an ice-making position and an ice-removing position, wherein a mold is detachably mounted on the lifting plate, the mold including a mold body and at least one ice-making cavity disposed inside the mold body, wherein at least one first slide rail is provided on the lifting plate, and at least one slider cooperating with the first slide rail is provided on the mold body; a stirring component and a drainage channel are provided at the top of the ice-making cavity; A stirring mechanism, comprising a driving gear and at least one driven gear disposed on the lifting plate, and a first driving device for driving the driving gear to rotate, wherein the driving gear meshes with the driven gear, the driven gear is provided with at least one driving magnetic element, and the stirring component is provided with at least one driven magnetic element that cooperates with the driving magnetic element. When the ice maker is in ice-making mode, the bottom of the mold is in contact with the refrigeration panel for heat exchange. The drive motor drives the drive gear to rotate, which in turn drives the driven gear to rotate. The drive magnetic element rotates together with the driven gear and drives the driven magnetic element to rotate under the action of magnetic attraction, thereby causing the stirring component to rotate to stir the liquid in the ice-making chamber. When the mold is replaced, the mold is pulled along the extension direction of the first slide rail, so that the mold is disengaged from the lifting plate.

4. The automatic ice-making refrigeration system with active heat preservation according to claim 3, characterized in that, The ice-making cavity includes an upper cavity near the lifting plate and a lower cavity near the cooling panel, wherein the thermal conductivity of the upper cavity is lower than that of the lower cavity.

5. The automatic ice-making refrigeration system with active heat preservation according to claim 4, characterized in that, The upper cavity and the lower cavity are integrally formed.

6. The automatic ice-making refrigeration system with active heat preservation according to claim 5, characterized in that, The bottom of the ice-making cavity is provided with a through hole, the bottom of the refrigeration panel is provided with a water inlet corresponding to the through hole, and the top and bottom of the mold body are provided with sealing strips. When the ice maker is in ice-making mode, the top and bottom of the mold abut against the lifting plate and the refrigeration panel, respectively. When the ice maker is in the de-icing state, the top of the mold rests against the lifting plate, and the bottom is suspended, allowing the ice block to detach from the ice-making cavity through the through hole.

7. The automatic ice-making refrigeration system with active heat preservation according to claim 4, characterized in that, The mold includes an upper mold fixed to the upper cavity and a lower mold fixed to the lower cavity, and the slider is disposed on the upper mold; When the ice maker is in ice-making mode, the upper mold and the lower mold are combined to form the mold assembly, and the upper cavity and the lower cavity cooperate to form the ice-making cavity; When the ice maker is in the de-icing state, the upper mold rises synchronously with the lifting plate, and the upper mold and the lower mold separate.

8. The automatic ice-making refrigeration system with active heat preservation according to claim 3, characterized in that, The driven gear includes at least one first gear and at least two second gears, the diameter of the first gear is larger than that of the second gears, and the first gear meshes with the second gears and the driving gear respectively.

9. The automatic ice-making refrigeration system with active heat preservation according to claim 8, characterized in that, The first gear has two parts and is symmetrical about the driving gear, while the second gear has four parts and is evenly distributed on both sides of the driving gear.

10. A control method for an active heat preservation automatic ice-making refrigeration system, based on the active heat preservation automatic ice-making refrigeration system described in claim 1, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S101 Obtains the working status of the ice maker, the working status including ice-making status and heat preservation status; S102a When the ice maker is in ice-making mode, the electric switching valve is controlled to open the second circuit and close the first circuit at the same time; S102b When the ice maker is in the heat preservation state, the electric switching valve is controlled to open the first circuit and close the second circuit at the same time.

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