ICE-MAKING ASSEMBLY AND ICE-MAKING DEVICE

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410788948.1, filed on Jun. 18, 2024, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the technical field of ice making, in particular to an ice-making assembly and an ice-making device.

BACKGROUND

Ice makers are mechanical equipment for quickly freezing water into ice by means of the heat pump technique. Ice cubes in different shapes may be made according to difference principles and production methods of evaporators, and cylindrical ice cubes produced by extrusion type ice makers are most popular.

Although the extrusion type ice makers have been developed for many years, they still have the following problems:

First, the problem of blockage caused by freezing, for example, under a relatively low environmental temperature condition, ice produced by a refrigerating system fails to be discharged in time and is accumulated in an ice-making chamber and frozen onto an ice-extruding screw rod. When an existing ice maker is blocked due to freezing, it takes as long as about 32 minutes to deice the ice maker.

Second, the problem of small ice pieces: for example, under a relatively high environmental temperature condition, ice produced by the refrigerating system is discharged out of the ice-making chamber without being fully compacted, leading to the formation of loose ice chips.

SUMMARY

In view of the defects in the prior art, the application provides an ice-making assembly and an ice-making device. The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the application at least fulfill the following beneficial effects: first, the refrigerating efficiency is maximized, and the detrimental resistance of an ice-discharging system is reduced to prevent blockage caused by freezing; second, a temperature control member is adopted to control the temperature of an ice-scraping member to be higher than the freezing point, such that ice chips and the ice-scraping member are prevented from being frozen together; third, a control technique is adopted to pre-refrigerate water for making ice to minimize the influence of the environment on the ice-making process, such that small ice pieces are prevented; in addition, by means of a structural design, an axial force of the ice-scraping member on a mount is balanced and prevented from being applied to a driving device, such that the stress state of the driving device is simplified, thus simplifying the structure of the driving device. By adopting the embodiments of the application, blockage caused by freezing is avoided; and in a case where blockage is caused by freezing under human intervention, it only takes 12 minutes to realize deicing.

In view of the technical problems involved in the description of related art, in a first aspect, the embodiments of the application provide an ice-making assembly, including a barrel, a mount, an ice-extruding member, an ice-scraping member and a temperature control member. An ice-making chamber is formed in the barrel, and an upper end of the barrel functions as an ice outlet end. The mount is assembled at a lower end of the barrel. The ice-scraping member is assembled in the ice-making chamber. The ice-scraping member includes a spindle, a support structure arranged on the spindle, and a receiving cavity extending in an axial direction of the spindle. The ice-scraping member is driven by a driving device to rotate with respect to the barrel. The temperature control member is assembled in the receiving cavity. The ice-extruding member is assembled at a lower end of the barrel. The ice-extruding member is assembled at the upper end of the barrel. Wherein, a cross-sectional area, perpendicular to the axial direction of the spindle, of the spindle increases gradually in a direction close to the mount. The support structure is supported on and connected to the mount, and an axial movement of the ice-scraping member is restrained to prevent an axial force from being applied to the driving device.

In a second aspect, the embodiments of the application provide an ice-making device, including the ice-making assembly according to any one of the abovementioned embodiments.

It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are merely illustrative and explanatory and are not intended to limit the application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of the application will become obvious and be easily understood with reference to the embodiments described below in conjunction with accompanying drawings. Wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional structural view of an icing-making assembly according to one embodiment of the application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural view of a barrel in the ice-making assembly according to one embodiment of the application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of an ice-scraping member in the ice-making assembly according to one embodiment of the application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural view of an ice-extruding member in the ice-making assembly according to one embodiment of the application.

Reference signs and corresponding description:

• • 1, barrel; 11, ice-making chamber; 12, refrigerant channel; 13, refrigerant inlet end; 14, refrigerant outlet end; 15, spiral groove; 16, water inlet end;
  • 2, mount; 21, base; 22, lower bearing;
  • 3, ice-scraping member; 30, big end; 31, spindle; 32, support structure; 33, receiving cavity; 34, sealed shaft; 35, deicing medium channel; 36, guide shaft; 37, spiral scraper; 38, limit shaft; 39, power input shaft;
  • 4, temperature control member;
  • 5, sealing element;
  • 6, ice-extruding member; 61, ice-extruding channel; 62, ice inlet; 63, limit hole; 64, upper bearing;
  • 7, ice-breaking member.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The application is described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments of the application are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein identical or similar reference signs indicate identical or similar components or components with identical or similar functions. In addition, if a detailed description of an existing technique is unnecessary for the features of the application, it may be omitted. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are illustrative ones merely used for explaining the application and should not be interpreted as limitations of the application.

Those skilled in the art may understand that unless otherwise particularly stated, a singular form such as “a/an”, “one”, “the” and “said” used here may also include a plural form. It should be further understood that the expression “comprise” or “include” used in the description of the application indicates the presence of said feature, element and/or assembly, without excluding the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, assemblies and/or combinations thereof. The expression “and/or” used here indicates any one or all combinations of one or more associated items listed.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, one embodiment of the application provides an ice-making assembly, mainly including a barrel 1, a mount 2, an ice-scraping member 3, an ice-extruding member 6 and a temperature control member 4. An ice-making chamber 11 is formed in the barrel 1, and an upper end of the barrel 1 functions as an ice outlet end. The mount 2 is assembled at a lower end of the barrel 1. The ice-scraping member 3 is assembled in the ice-making chamber 11. The ice-scraping member 3 includes a spindle 31, a support structure 32 arranged on the spindle 31, and a receiving cavity 33 extending in an axial direction of the spindle 31. The ice-scraping member 3 is driven by a driving device to rotate with respect to the barrel 1. The temperature control member 4 is assembled in the receiving cavity 33. The ice-extruding member 6 is assembled at the upper end of the barrel 1. Wherein, a cross-sectional area, perpendicular to the axial direction of the spindle 31, of the spindle 31 increases gradually in a direction close to the mount 2. The support structure 32 is supported on and connected to the mount 2, and an axial movement of the ice-scraping member 3 is restrained to prevent an axial force from being applied to the driving device.

In this embodiment, the barrel 1 is configured as a cylindrical structure. The barrel 1 is vertically arranged on a horizontal plane, that is, an axis of the barrel 1 is arranged in a vertical direction. The cylindrical ice-making chamber 11 is defined by a shell wall of the barrel 1, and an ice outlet communicating with the ice-making chamber 11 is formed in the top of the barrel 1. A lower portion of the barrel 1 is provided with a water inlet end 16 communicating with the ice-making chamber 11, and water flowing into the ice-making chamber 11 via the water inlet end 16 is refrigerated to form an ice layer.

The ice-scraping member 3 is configured as a columnar structure on the whole and vertically assembled in the ice-making chamber 11, and the ice-scraping member 3 is rotatable with respect to the barrel 1. A horizontal cross-section of the spindle 31 increases gradually from top to bottom to form a structure with a small upper end and a large lower end. Optionally, a cross-section, in the axial direction of the spindle 31, of the spindle 31 is in the shape of an isosceles trapezoid. Optionally, a main body of the spindle 31 is configured as a conical structure, and a top end and a bottom end of the conical structure are flat surface.

An outer side of the spindle 31 is surrounded with a spiral scraper 37, and an outer ring of the spiral scraper 37 is close to an inner wall of the ice-making chamber 11. In an ice-making state, the ice layer is formed on the inner wall of the ice-making chamber 11. The spiral scraper 37 rotates synchronously with the spindle 31, an outer edge of the spiral scraper 37 comes in contact with the ice layer to realize ice scraping to obtain ice chips, the ice chips fall onto the spiral scraper 37, and finally, the accumulated ice chips are extruded towards the ice outlet along the spiral scraper 37.

The ice-extruding member 6 is arranged at a top end of the barrel 1 and is able to compact ice chips into ice cubes, thus facilitating the formation of the ice cubes.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the ice-scraping member 3 is provided with the receiving cavity 33 extending in the vertical direction, the receiving cavity 33 is coaxial with in the spindle 31, and the temperature control member 4 is fixed in the receiving cavity 33.

In some embodiments, the temperature control member 4 is a heating rod, and the heating rod fits the receiving cavity 33. The heating rod is controlled to generate heat to control the temperature of the spiral scraper 37 to be higher than 0° C.

In some embodiments, the ice-making assembly further includes a temperature controller, a rotary power supply unit and a temperature measurement element. The temperature controller outputs a proper current according to an actual temperature measured by the temperature measurement element, to allow the heating rod to generate heat. A temperature signal and a heating current are transmitted by means of the rotary power supply unit.

The mount 2 is mounted at the bottom of the barrel 1 and works together with the support structure 32 to support the ice-scraping member 3. A lower end of the ice-scraping member 3 is inlaid in the mount 2 and is stably supported to restrain the ice-scraping member 3 from moving close to the driving device in the axial direction.

According to the ice-making assembly provided by the embodiments of the application, the support structure 32 is supported on and connected to the mount 2 to restrain an axial movement of the ice-scraping member 3, such that an axial force of the ice-scraping member 3 on the mount 2 is balanced and will not be applied to the driving device, and the stress state of the driving device is simplified, thus simplifying the structure of the driving structure.

A spiral ice storage space is defined by the spindle 31, the spiral scraper 37 and a wall of the ice-making chamber 11, and the capacity of the ice storage space increases gradually in a direction close to the ice outlet, that is, the ice storage space is enlarged gradually from bottom to top, such that a sufficient space is provided for the accumulation of ice chips close to the ice outlet. In this way, ice may be discharged smoothly without being affected by an increase in the diameter of the spindle 31, and blockage caused by freezing is avoided.

The temperature control member 4 is controlled to keep the temperature of the ice-scraping member 3 higher than the freezing point, such that a chuck of compacted ice and the spiral scraper 37 are prevented from being frozen together, thus avoiding blockage.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, as an optional embodiment, the ice-scraping member 3 further includes a sealed shaft 34, and the sealed shaft 34 is coaxially connected to the spindle 31. The support structure 32 is arranged at a joint between the sealed shaft 34 and the spindle 31.

Based on the above embodiment, in this embodiment, the sealed shaft 34 is connected to a big end of the spindle 31. The diameter of the sealed shaft 34 is less than the diameter of the spindle 31 to facilitate the installation of a mechanical sealing structure. The support structure 32 is located below the spindle 31.

As an optional embodiment, the support structure 32 is configured as a stepped structure.

Based on the above embodiment, in this embodiment, the support structure 32 is configured as a ring structure. The support structure 32 protrudes out of or caves into the sealed shaft 34 in a radial direction. In FIG. 3, the support structure 32 caves into the sealed shaft 34.

As shown in FIG. 1, as an optional embodiment, the ice-making assembly further includes a sealing element 5. The sealing element 5 is fixed in the ice-making chamber 11, disposed around an outer side of the sealed shaft 34, and connected to the sealed shaft 34 in a sealing manner. The sealing element 4 is supported on and connected to the big end 30 of the spindle 31.

Based on the above embodiment, in this embodiment, the sealing element 5 is configure as a ring structure and arranged below the spindle 31, and an inner side of the sealing element 5 is connected to the outer side of the sealed shaft 34 in a sealing manner. The big end 30 of the spindle 31 is a bottom end of the spindle 31, and a top surface of the sealing element 5 is supported on the big end 30 of the spindle 31 to realize mechanical sealing. Optionally, the top surface of the sealing element 5 and a bottom surface of the big end 30 of the spindle 31 are horizontal surfaces.

In a specific embodiment, the sealing element 5 includes a first ring piece and a second ring piece which are arranged from top to bottom, and the sealed shaft 34 extends into the first ring piece and the second ring piece. The top of the first ring piece is supported on the spindle 31, and the first ring piece is a movable ring. The second ring piece is relatively fixed with respect to the barrel 1 and is a stationary ring. A sealing surface is arranged between the first ring piece and the second ring piece, and the sealing surface has an extremely small friction coefficient. The first ring piece includes a spring, and the spring surrounds the outer side of the sealed shaft 34. When the ice-scraping member 3 rotates, the spring generates an axial force to restrain the movement of the first ring piece to ensure that relative friction is produced between the first ring piece and the second ring piece and a water film between the first ring piece and the second ring piece water prevents water from flowing out, such that a sealing effect is realized by the first ring piece and the second ring piece to ensure that water will not leak from the bottom of the ice-scraping member 3.

In some embodiments, the bottom of the sealing element 5 is fixedly connected to the mount 2 to realize stable support.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, as an optional embodiment, the wall of the ice-making chamber 11 is provided with a spiral refrigerant channel 12. The refrigerant channel 12 is sandwiched and surrounds the outer side of the spindle 31. The refrigerant channel 12 is provided with a refrigerant inlet end 13 and a refrigerant outlet end 14 which communicate with the outside.

Based on the above embodiment, in this embedment, the refrigerant channel 12 is formed in the wall of the ice-making chamber 11. An outer side of the shell wall of the barrel 1 caves in to form a grooves structure, and a shell is disposed around an outer side of the groove structure to form an interlayer, such that the refrigerant channel 12 is formed.

The refrigerant outlet end 14 is higher than the refrigerant inlet end 13, and the refrigerant inlet end 13 is higher than the water inlet end 16. A liquid refrigerant flows into the refrigerant channel 12 via the refrigerant inlet end 13, flows from top to bottom along the refrigerant channel 12, absorbs heat in the ice-making chamber 11 to turn from a liquid state to a gaseous state, and finally flows out via the refrigerant outlet end 14.

An end surface of a vertical section of the refrigerant channel 12 is in the shape of a trapezoid. The shape of the vertical section of the refrigerant channel 12 is obtained by heat engineering calculation to ensure that the contact area between the refrigerant channel 12 and the refrigerant is maximized and total heat resistance is minimized. A short base of the trapezoid is close to the ice-making chamber 11. The refrigerant channel 12 ensures that the refrigerant flows orderly and maximizes the heat transfer area between the refrigerant and the wall of the ice-making chamber 11 to realize stable ice-making.

In some embodiments, the refrigerant channel 12 is an I-shaped circular groove.

As an optional embodiment, the ice-extruding member 6 is provided with multiple ice-extruding channels 61. All the ice-extruding channels 61 communicate with the ice-making chamber 11. Each ice-extruding channel 61 includes an ice inlet 62. All the ice inlets 62 are distributed in a circumferential direction, and edges of adjacent ice inlets 62 are close to each other to reduce ice resistance.

Based on the above embodiment, in this embodiment, the ice-extruding member 6 is a special-shaped body in smooth transition. The ice-extruding member 6 is cylindrical close to the ice outlet end, and in an ice inlet segment, the flow resistance of the ice layer on a residual plane is minimized to prevent small ice pieces from being compacted into an ice cube on the residual plane. The ice inlets 62 of the ice-extruding member 6 are located below the ice outlet. The ice inlets 62 of the ice-extruding member 6 communicate with the ice outlet in the barrel 1. The multiple ice-extruding channels 61 are arranged uniformly around the axis of the spindle 31.

In some embodiments, a bottom surface of the ice-extruding member 6 is a flat surface. The horizontal cross-section of the ice inlets 62 is trapezoidal, short bases of trapezoids of all the ice inlets 62 are close the inner side, and long bases of the trapezoids of all the ice inlets 62 are close the outer side. Legs of adjacent trapezoids are close to each other, such that the proportion of circulation areas of the ice inlets 62 on the bottom surface of the ice-extruding member 6 is increased, and the ice resistance on the plane is reduced, thus lowering the probability of blockage caused by freezing.

A vertical section of the ice-extruding channel 61 is a flared ice-extruding segment, and a large open end of the ice-extruding segment is located at the bottom, such that the quantity of small ice pieces entering the ice-extruding channel 61 may be increased; and after a large quantity of small ice pieces enters the ice-extruding channel 61, a horizontal section of the ice-extruding segment becomes smaller, that is, the circulation area becomes smaller, such that the small ice pieces may be compacted to form an ice cube, thus improving the quality of the ice cube extruded from the ice-extruding channel 61. Wherein, the horizontal section of the ice-extruding segment may be circular, rectangular or in other shapes. An improper design of the ice-extruding channel 61 may lead to direct discharge of small ice pieces due to insufficient compaction and may also lead to blockage due to excessive compaction.

The ice-making assembly further includes an ice-breaking member 7 arranged on the ice-extruding member 6. An outer side surface of the ice-breaking member 7 is an ice-breaking slope used for breaking ice cubes discharged from the ice-extruding channels 61. The ice-breaking member 7 is detachably mounted on the ice-extruding member 6, or the ice-breaking member 7 and the ice-extruding member 6 are formed integrally. The application has no specific limitation in this aspect.

In some embodiments, the ice-extruding member 6 is provided with a limit hole 63, which extends vertically and is formed in the middle of the ice-extruding member 6, and the multiple ice-extruding channels 61 surround an outer side of the limit hole 63. A tubular upper bearing 64 is arranged close to an inner wall of the limit hole 63.

The ice-scraping member 3 further includes a limit shaft 38. The limit shaft 38 is coaxially connected to the spindle 31 and arranged on a side, opposite to the sealed shaft 34, of the spindle 31, that is, the limit shaft 38 is arranged above the spindle 31. The limit shaft 38 extends into the limit hole 63 of the ice-extruding member 6, and the upper bearing 64 is disposed around an outer side of the limit shaft 38 and supports the limit shaft 38 in the radial direction to keep the axis of the spindle 31 vertical, thus avoiding a deflection of the axis of the spindle 31. The top of the spindle 31 abuts against the bottom of the upper bearing 64 to restrain the ice-scraping member 4 from moving upwards.

As an optional embodiment, the ice-scraping member 3 further includes a guide shaft 36. The guide shaft 36 is coaxially connected to the sealed shaft 34 and arranged on a side, opposite to the spindle 31, of the sealed shaft 34 to prevent the spindle 31 from skewing and moving.

Based on the above embodiment, in this embodiment, the guide shaft 36 is coaxially connected to the sealed shaft 34 and located below the sealed shaft 34. The diameter of the guide shaft 36 is less than the diameter of the sealed shaft 34, and the support structure 32 is formed at a joint between the sealed shaft 34 and the guide shaft 36.

The ice-scraping member 3 further includes a power input shaft 39, and the power input shaft 39 is connected to the driving device. The power input shaft 39 is coaxially connected to the guide shaft 36 and arranged on a side, opposite to the sealed shaft 34, of the guide shaft 36, that is, the power input shaft 39 is arranged below the guide shaft 36.

The mount 2 includes a base 21. The top of the base 21 supports and is connected to the sealing element 5. A through-hole extending in the vertical direction is formed in the middle of the mount 2, and a lower bearing 22 is arranged close to an inner wall of the through-hole. The guide shaft 36 of the ice-scraping member 3 extends into the lower bearing 22, and the power input shaft 39 extends out of the through-hole. The lower bearing 22 is disposed around an outer side of the guide shaft 36 and supports the guide shaft 36 in the radial direction to keep the axis of the spindle 31 vertical, thus preventing a deflection of the axis of the spindle 31. The top of the lower bearing 22 supports and is connected to the support structure 32 and is able to restrain the ice-scraping member 3 from moving downwards. Wherein, the upper bearing 64 and the lower bearing 22 are coaxial.

In addition, it should be noted that a main body of the spindle 31 is configured as a conical structure, such that a stepped structure is formed without reducing the diameter of the power input shaft 39.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, as an optional embodiment, the ice-scraping member 3 is provided with a deicing medium channel 35 communicating with the ice-making chamber 11.

Based on the above embodiment, in this embodiment, the deicing medium channel 35 extends through the limit shaft 38, an outlet end of the deicing medium channel 35 is located at the top of the limit shaft 38, and an inlet end of the deicing medium channel 35 is located on an upper portion of the spindle 31. In a normal ice-making phase, the deicing medium channel 35 is not used. In a case of blockage caused by freezing, water is driven by a pump to enter the ice-making chamber 11, and the water flows continuously to realize a quick deicing effect to effectively solve the problem of blockage caused by freezing, and then the water is discharged from the deicing medium channel 35.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, as an optional embodiment, an inner side of the wall of the ice-making chamber 11 is provided with a spiral groove 15 which caves into the wall of the ice-making chamber 11. The spiral groove 15 surrounds the outer side of the spindle 31.

Based on the above embodiment, in this embodiment, the spiral groove 15 has a depth of 0.5 mm and a width of 1.5 mm. A direction of spiral of the spiral groove 15 is different from a direction of spiral of the spiral scraper 37. In a phase where the ice layer on the inner wall of the ice-making chamber 11 is scrapped by the spiral scraper 37, the spiral scraper 37 and the spiral groove 15 work together to generate a force for pushing ice to move towards the ice-extruding member 6 at the moment the ice is scrapped from the ice layer, to prevent the scrapped ice from rotating together with the ice-scraping member 3, which may other lead to blockage.

Based on the same inventive concept, one embodiment of the application provides an ice-making device, including the ice-making assembly in any one of the above embodiments.

Based on the above embodiment, in this embodiment, the ice-making device further includes a driving device, a water tank, a refrigerating system and an ice storage container. The driving device may be a reducer, and an output shaft of the driving device is connected to the ice-scraping member 3 of the ice-making assembly. The water tank is connected to the water inlet end 16 of the ice-making assembly. The refrigerating system is connected to the refrigerant inlet end 13 and the refrigerant outlet end 14 of the ice-making assembly. The ice storage container is used for storing discharged ice cubes.

The embodiments of the application may fulfill at least the following beneficial effects:

First, the refrigerating efficiency is maximized, and the detrimental resistance of an ice-discharging system is reduced to prevent blockage caused by freezing; second, the temperature control member 4 is adopted to control the temperature of the ice-scraping member 3 to be higher than the freezing point, such that ice chips and the ice-scraping member 3 are prevented from being frozen together; third, the control technique is adopted to pre-refrigerate water for making ice to minimize the influence of the environment on the ice-making process, such that small ice pieces are prevented; in addition, by means of the structural design, the axial force of the ice-scraping member 3 on the mount 2 is balanced and prevented from being applied to the driving device, such that the stress state of the driving device is simplified, thus simplifying the structure of the driving device. By adopting the embodiments of the application, blockage caused by freezing is avoided; and in a case where blockage is caused by freezing under human intervention, it only takes 12 minutes to realize deicing.

In the description of the application, it should be understood that terms such as “upper”, “lower”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”. “bottom”, “inner” and “outer” are used to indicate directional or positional relations based on the accompanying drawings merely for the purpose of facilitating and simplifying the description of the application, do not indicate or imply that devices or elements referred to must be in a specific direction or be configured and operated in a specific direction, and thus should not be construed as limitations of the application.

The terms “first” and “second” are merely used for the purpose of description and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features referred to. Therefore, a feature defined by “first” or “second” may explicitly or implicitly indicate the inclusion of one or more said features. In the description of the application, unless otherwise stated, “multiple” means two or more.

In the description of the application, it should be noted that unless otherwise expressly stated and defined, terms “mount”, “link” and “connect” should be understood in a broad sense. For example, “connect” may refer to fixed connection, detachable connection or integrated connection; direct connection, indirect connection by means of an intermediate medium, or internal communication of two elements. Those ordinarily skilled in the art may appreciate the specific meanings of these terms in the application according to specific circumstances.

In the description of the application, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined properly in any one or more embodiments or examples.

The above embodiments are merely illustrative ones of the application. It should be noted that for those ordinarily skilled in the art, some improvements and embellishments may be made without departing from the principle of the application, and all these improvements and embellishments should also fall within the protection scope of the application.