CN114838540B

CN114838540B - Spray ice maker

Info

Publication number: CN114838540B
Application number: CN202210624866.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 郭建刚; 丛培勇; 李朝阳
Original assignee: Guangdong Xinbao Electrical Appliances Holdings Co Ltd
Current assignee: Guangdong Xinbao Electrical Appliances Holdings Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-06-02
Filing date: 2022-06-02
Publication date: 2024-02-06
Anticipated expiration: 2042-06-02
Also published as: CN114838540A

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a spray type ice maker, which comprises a shell, a water tank, an ice storage basket and a spray ice making chamber, wherein an ice making assembly and an ice guide plate are arranged in the spray ice making chamber; the spray ice maker further includes: the driving mechanism is connected with the ice guide plate and used for driving the ice guide plate to rotate so as to switch the ice guide plate between an inclined state and a horizontal state; the control system is connected with the driving mechanism and is used for acquiring a first signal for ice formation and a second signal for ice complete falling, and the control system controls the driving mechanism to drive the ice guide plate to rotate to a horizontal state based on the acquired first signal and controls the driving mechanism to drive the ice guide plate to rotate to an inclined state based on the acquired second signal. The ice guide plate is horizontally arranged when the ice of the spray type ice maker is removed, and is close to the ice mold, so that noise generated when ice cubes fall on the ice guide plate when the ice cubes fall off is smaller; when the ice cubes are completely separated, the ice guide plate rotates to an inclined state, so that the ice cubes are completely guided into the ice storage basket, and the use experience of a user is good.

Description

Spray ice maker

Technical Field

The invention belongs to the technical field of ice making, and particularly relates to a spray type ice making machine.

Background

The ice blocks of the spray type ice making machine are transparent and hard, are incomparable with the ice blocks of the immersion type, running type and extrusion type ice making machines, and are the best partner of wines or beverages. However, the ice cubes made by the spray type ice maker are harder and larger, so that the sound is maximum when the ice is removed, particularly, the ice guide plate structure in the ice making chamber of the spray type ice maker is obliquely arranged, so that the ice cubes are not far from the ice guide plate, the sound generated when the ice cubes far from the ice guide plate fall onto the ice guide plate when the ice is removed is particularly loud, the sound appears once every dozens of minutes when the ice is made, and very unpleasant experience is brought to a user.

At present, the silencing scheme of the ice maker on the market generally reduces the noise of the compressor and the condenser fan, and does not consider reducing the sound when ice cubes fall. For example, chinese patent application publication No. CN100554829C provides a mute ice making apparatus which simply places a compressor assembly and a condenser assembly far from an evaporation tube assembly for making ice, relies on far from a sound source to reduce sound, and does not fundamentally mute.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the foregoing problems of the prior art, an object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a spray ice maker capable of effectively reducing noise during ice removal.

The technical scheme adopted by the embodiment of the invention is that the spray ice maker comprises a machine shell, a water tank, an ice storage basket and a spray ice making chamber, wherein the water tank, the ice storage basket and the spray ice making chamber are arranged in the machine shell, and an ice making assembly and an ice guide plate positioned below the ice making assembly are arranged in the spray ice making chamber; the spray ice maker further includes:

the driving mechanism is connected with the ice guide plate and used for driving the ice guide plate to rotate so as to enable the ice guide plate to be switched between an inclined state and a horizontal state;

the control system is connected with the driving mechanism and is used for acquiring a first signal for forming ice cubes on the ice making assembly and a second signal for completely falling ice cubes on the ice making assembly, the control system controls the driving mechanism to drive the ice guide plate to rotate to a horizontal state based on the acquired first signal so as to receive the ice cubes falling from the ice making assembly, and controls the driving mechanism to drive the ice guide plate to rotate to an inclined state based on the acquired second signal, so that the ice cubes on the ice guide plate slide into the ice storage basket from the lower end of the ice cubes.

The ice guide plate is horizontally arranged when the ice of the spray type ice maker is removed, is close to the ice mold, and falls to the ice guide plate when ice cubes fall off, so that noise generated by the close distance is small; when the ice cubes are completely separated, the ice guide plate rotates to an inclined state, so that the ice cubes are completely guided into the ice storage basket, and the use experience of a user is good.

In some embodiments, the driving mechanism includes a motor, a high end side of the ice guide plate in the inclined state is fixedly connected with an output shaft of the motor, and a plate surface of the ice guide plate is parallel to an axis of the output shaft, so that the ice guide plate can be driven to rotate in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction when the motor rotates forward and backward, respectively, and the ice guide plate is switched between the horizontal state and the inclined state. The motor drives the ice guide plate to switch between a horizontal state and an inclined state, so that the ice guide plate is simple in structure, convenient to realize and high in reliability.

In some embodiments, the control system includes a controller, a first microswitch, a second microswitch, and a trigger member fixed with the ice guide plate for rotation therewith;

the controller is electrically connected with the motor, the first micro switch and the second micro switch respectively, the controller is configured to receive the first signal and the second signal, control the motor to drive the ice guide plate to rotate based on the first signal and the second signal, when the ice guide plate rotates to the horizontal state, the trigger part triggers the first micro switch to generate a third signal, the controller receives the third signal, controls the motor to stop rotating based on the third signal, and when the ice guide plate rotates to the inclined state, the trigger part triggers the second micro switch to generate a fourth signal, and the controller receives the fourth signal and controls the motor to stop rotating based on the fourth signal. Through controller, first micro-gap switch, second micro-gap switch and trigger part, can realize based on the different stages that the system ice is located accurate control ice guiding plate upset to corresponding state, reach and connect ice and fall the effect that makes an uproar and lead smooth and fast with ice.

In some embodiments, the first and second micro-switches are both disposed on an outer wall of the spray ice making chamber; the trigger part comprises a connecting rod and a trigger plate, the connecting rod and an output shaft of the motor are coaxially arranged, the connecting rod penetrates through the outer wall of the spraying ice making chamber, one end of the connecting rod is located in the spraying ice making chamber and fixedly connected with the ice guide plate, the other end of the connecting rod extends out of the spraying ice making chamber and is fixedly connected with the trigger plate, and the trigger plate is at least partially located between the first micro switch and the second micro switch. The structure is stable and reliable, and the realization is convenient.

In some embodiments, a sound attenuation plate is arranged in the ice storage basket; the silencer plate is made of PE or silica gel materials. Through setting up the acoustical panel, can play buffering and amortization effect when falling into ice storage basket to the ice-cube, further reduce the noise of ice machine, promote user's use experience

In some embodiments, the silencer plate comprises a bottom and a side part arranged around the periphery of the bottom, the bottom is paved on the bottom of the ice storage basket, and water leakage holes are formed in the bottom of the silencer plate; the side part of the silencing plate is matched with the side part of the ice storage basket in shape and attached to the lower position of the side part of the ice storage basket. The bottom of the basket of the ice storage basket and the side part close to the bottom are respectively provided with the silencing plates, so that noise generated by collision between ice cubes and the bottom and the side part of the ice storage basket can be reduced, and the noise reduction effect is improved.

In some embodiments, the water tank is arranged at the bottom of the inner front side of the casing, the ice storage basket is arranged at the upper part of the inner front side of the casing and is positioned above the water tank, the spraying ice making chamber is arranged at the upper part of the inner rear side of the casing and is positioned at the rear side of the ice storage basket, an ice outlet of the spraying ice making chamber is opposite to an ice inlet of the ice storage basket, and the water tank is used for providing ice making water for the spraying ice making chamber and is used for containing water falling from the ice storage basket and the spraying ice making chamber. The spray type ice machine of the embodiment has reasonable structural layout, can realize miniaturization, and is very suitable for household use.

In some embodiments, the upper end of the water tank is open, and water leaked from the ice storage basket enters the water tank through the upper end of the water tank; the rear side tank wall of the water tank extends upwards and then backwards to be connected with the rear side tank wall of the spraying ice making chamber, so that the upper end opening of the water tank is communicated with the spraying ice making chamber, and water in the spraying ice making chamber can fall back into the water tank. Therefore, the water tank not only can be used for providing water for spraying for the ice making chamber, but also can simultaneously hold water falling from the ice storage basket and the ice making chamber, and the water tank is dual-purpose, simplifies the structure and is beneficial to miniaturization of products.

In some embodiments, the ice making assembly includes a spray member and an ice cube forming structure, the spray member positioned below the ice cube forming structure for spraying water to the ice cube forming structure to make ice cubes thereon;

the spray type ice maker further comprises a water delivery assembly for supplying water to the spraying component, the water delivery assembly comprises a water supply pipe and a water spraying pump arranged outside the water tank, the upper part of the water supply pipe is positioned in the water tank, the lower part of the water supply pipe is positioned in the spraying ice making chamber, the upper end of the water supply pipe is connected with the spraying component, the lower end of the water supply pipe penetrates through the rear side wall of the water tank and is connected with a water outlet of the water spraying pump, and a water inlet of the water spraying pump is communicated with the water tank. The water supply pipe is arranged in the water tank and the spray type ice making chamber, so that the water condensed on the pipe wall of the water supply pipe can directly fall back to the water tank.

In some embodiments, an opening penetrating the inside of the casing is formed in the upper portion of the front side of the casing, the ice storage basket can be installed in or removed from the casing through the opening, and when the ice storage basket is installed in the casing, the outer side of the ice storage basket is coplanar with the front side of the casing and forms an appearance surface of the casing. The ice storage basket is designed into a mode that the ice storage basket can be taken out from the machine shell, ice is conveniently taken out, the use experience of a user is improved, and the consistency and the integrity of the appearance of the spray type ice maker are not affected.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

An overview of various implementations or examples of the technology described in this disclosure is not a comprehensive disclosure of the full scope or all of the features of the technology disclosed.

Drawings

In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals may describe similar components in different views. The same reference numerals with letter suffixes or different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments by way of example in general and not by way of limitation, and together with the description and claims serve to explain the inventive embodiments. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. Such embodiments are illustrative and not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive of the present apparatus or method.

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a spray ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic connection diagram of an ice guiding plate and a driving mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing a partial structure of a spray type ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which an ice guide plate is in a horizontal state.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing a partial structure of a spray type ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which an ice guide plate is in an inclined state.

Fig. 5 is a partial structural schematic view of a spray type ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a horizontal state and an inclined state of an ice guide plate are simultaneously shown.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing a partial structure of an ice making assembly and a water tank according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of the connection between a water jet pump and a water tank according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the connection between a water jet pump and a drain pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a perspective view of a spray type ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which an ice storage basket is installed in a body.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a perspective view of a spray ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which an ice storage basket is in a half-opened state.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a perspective view of a spray type ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which an ice storage basket is in a state of being taken out from a body.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of another perspective view of a spray ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a drain pipe.

Fig. 13 is a flowchart of the operation of a spray ice maker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numerals:

1-a shell; 2-a water tank; 3-an ice storage basket; 4-an ice guide plate; 5-a motor; 6-an output shaft; 7-a first micro switch; 8-a second microswitch; 9-connecting rods; 10-triggering a plate; 11-connecting seats; 12-a guide groove; 13-pin shafts; 14-a sound attenuation plate; 15-water leakage holes; 16-arc inclined plane; 17-evaporating pipes; 18-ice mold; 19-a spray rack; 20-water spraying holes; 21-a water jet pump; 22-a water supply pipe; 23-three-way pipe; 24-a first port; 25-a second port; 26-a third port; 27-a drain pipe; 28-hanging frames; 29-opening; 30-a water baffle; 31-axis; a 32-compressor; 33-a condenser; 35-a hot gas reversing valve; 36-a control system; 37-a controller; 38-an ice full sensor; 39-float switch; 40-ice cubes.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent that the described embodiments are some, but not all, embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments, which can be made by a person skilled in the art without creative efforts, based on the described embodiments of the present invention fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Unless defined otherwise, technical or scientific terms used herein should be given the ordinary meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terms "first," "second," and the like, as used herein, do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. The word "comprising" or "comprises", and the like, means that elements or items preceding the word are included in the element or item listed after the word and equivalents thereof, but does not exclude other elements or items. The terms "connected" or "connected," and the like, are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "upper", "lower", "left", "right", etc. are used merely to indicate relative positional relationships, which may also be changed when the absolute position of the object to be described is changed.

In order to keep the following description of the embodiments of the present invention clear and concise, the detailed description of known functions and known components thereof have been omitted.

The embodiment of the invention provides a spray type ice machine. As shown in fig. 1, the spray type ice maker includes a cabinet 1, and a water tank 2, an ice storage basket 3, and a spray ice making chamber provided in the cabinet 1. An ice making assembly and an ice guide plate 4 positioned below the ice making assembly are arranged in the spraying ice making chamber. The water tank 2 is used to supply ice making water to the ice making assembly. The ice guide plate 4 serves to guide ice cubes 40 made by the ice making assembly into the ice storage basket 3. The ice storage basket 3 serves to receive and house ice cubes 40 made by the ice making assembly.

As shown in fig. 2-5, the spray ice maker further includes a drive mechanism and control system 36. The driving mechanism is connected with the ice guide plate 4 and is used for driving the ice guide plate 4 to rotate so as to switch the ice guide plate 4 between an inclined state and a horizontal state. The control system 36 is connected to the driving mechanism, the control system 36 is configured to obtain a first signal for molding ice cubes 40 on the ice making assembly and a second signal for completely dropping the ice cubes 40 on the ice making assembly, the control system 36 controls the driving mechanism to drive the ice guiding plate 4 to rotate to a horizontal state based on the obtained first signal so as to receive the ice cubes 40 dropped from the ice making assembly, and controls the driving mechanism to drive the ice guiding plate 4 to rotate to an inclined state based on the obtained second signal, so that the ice cubes 40 on the ice guiding plate 4 slide from a low end side (the ice guiding plate 4 is in the inclined state and has a high end side and a low end side, and the low end side faces the ice storing basket 3 and is opposite to an ice inlet of the ice storing basket 3) into the ice storing basket 3.

The spray ice maker of the embodiment of the invention sets the ice guide plate 4 in a turnover mode, and the control system 36 controls the turnover, when the control system 36 obtains that ice cubes 40 on the ice making assembly are needed to be removed after being molded, the ice guide plate 4 is controlled to rotate to a horizontal state, the ice guide plate 4 is closer to the ice mold 18 of the ice making assembly, noise generated when the ice cubes 40 fall on the ice guide plate 4 is smaller when falling off, so that the sound generated when the ice cubes are removed is reduced, and when the control system 36 obtains that the ice cubes are removed, the ice guide plate 4 is controlled to be turned to an inclined state, and the ice cubes 40 are led into the ice storage basket 3 conveniently. The spray ice making machine provided by the embodiment of the invention can effectively reduce the sound during ice removal, brings better use feeling to users, and has wide market prospect.

It will be appreciated that the ice guide plate 4 has two extreme positions during rotation, one of which is a position in a horizontal state, i.e., the position shown in fig. 3, and the other of which is a position in an inclined state, i.e., the position shown in fig. 4. The inclination angle of the ice guide plate 4 in the inclined state is not particularly limited, and can be determined according to the specific condition of the ice maker, as long as the inclination angle is favorable for guiding the ice cubes 40 to smoothly and rapidly fall into the ice storage basket 3

In some embodiments, the driving mechanism includes a motor 5, the high end side of the ice guiding plate 4 in the inclined state is fixedly connected with an output shaft 6 of the motor 5, and the plate surface of the ice guiding plate 4 is parallel to the axis of the output shaft 6, so that the ice guiding plate 4 can be driven to rotate in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction when the motor 5 rotates forward and backward, respectively, so that the ice guiding plate 4 is switched between the horizontal state and the inclined state. The motor 5 that this application adopted is motor 5 that can both forward and reverse, through the forward and reverse rotation of motor 5, drives the ice guide plate 4 clockwise rotation and anticlockwise rotation (i.e. first direction rotation and second direction rotation). In fig. 2, when the motor 5 drives the ice guiding plate 4 to rotate anticlockwise, the ice guiding plate 4 is switched from the horizontal state to the inclined state, and when the motor 5 drives the ice guiding plate 4 to rotate clockwise, the ice guiding plate 4 is switched from the inclined state to the horizontal state. For clarity of the rotation process of the ice guiding plate 4, two different states of the ice guiding plate 4 are simultaneously shown in fig. 2 and 5, wherein the upper solid line represents a horizontal state and the lower broken line represents an inclined state.

In some embodiments, the control system 36 includes a controller 37, a first microswitch 7, a second microswitch 8, and a trigger member that is fixed with the ice guide plate 4 for rotation with the ice guide plate 4. The controller 37 is electrically connected to the motor 5, the first micro switch 7 and the second micro switch 8, respectively, the controller 37 is configured to receive the first signal and the second signal, and control the motor 5 to drive the ice guide plate 4 to rotate based on the first signal and the second signal, when the ice guide plate 4 rotates to a horizontal state, the trigger part triggers the first micro switch 7 to generate a third signal, the controller 37 receives the third signal and controls the motor 5 to stop rotating based on the third signal, when the ice guide plate 4 rotates to an inclined state, the trigger part triggers the second micro switch 8 to generate a fourth signal, and the controller 37 receives the fourth signal and controls the motor 5 to stop rotating based on the fourth signal. Through controller 37, first micro-gap switch 7, second micro-gap switch 8 and trigger part, can realize that based on the different stages that the system ice is located accurate control ice guiding plate 4 upset to corresponding state, reach and connect ice and fall the effect that makes an uproar and lead ice smoothly fast.

In addition to the control of the angle of the ice guide plate 4 by using the mode that the micro switch is matched with the triggering part, the controller 37 can also use an angle sensor, a proximity sensor or a displacement sensor to acquire the angle information of the ice guide plate 4 and send the acquired angle information to the controller 37, and the controller 37 can control whether the driving mechanism drives the guide plate to rotate and in which direction based on the angle information.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2 to 4, the first micro switch 7 and the second micro switch 8 are both provided on the outer wall of the spray ice making chamber; the trigger part comprises a connecting rod 9 and a trigger plate 10, the connecting rod 9 and the output shaft 6 of the motor 5 are coaxially arranged, the connecting rod 9 penetrates through the outer wall of the spraying ice making chamber, one end of the connecting rod 9 is positioned in the spraying ice making chamber and fixedly connected with the ice guide plate 4, the other end of the connecting rod 9 extends out of the spraying ice making chamber and is fixedly connected with the trigger plate 10, and the trigger plate 10 is at least partially positioned between the first micro switch 7 and the second micro switch 8. The rotation of the ice guide plate 4 positioned in the spraying ice making chamber is transmitted to the trigger plate 10 positioned outside the spraying ice making chamber by the connecting rod 9, the rotation state of the trigger plate 10 can represent the rotation state of the ice guide plate 4, and the rotation range of the ice guide plate 4 is limited by limiting the rotation range of the trigger plate 10, so that the ice guide plate 4 can only rotate between the preset horizontal state and the inclined state, and the ice guide plate is stable and reliable in structure and convenient to realize.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 3, when ice is made, the ice guide plate 4 is in a horizontal state, at this time, the trigger plate 10 contacts with the first micro switch 7, the first micro switch 7 generates a third signal, and the third signal is transmitted to the controller 37 to determine that the ice guide plate 4 is in a horizontal state, and the controller 37 controls the motor 5 to stop working. When ice cubes are formed on the ice mold 18, the controller 37 controls the motor 5 to rotate anticlockwise in the state shown in fig. 3 and drives the ice guide plate 4, the connecting rod 9 and the trigger plate 10 to rotate anticlockwise at the same time, when the ice guide plate 4 rotates to a preset inclination angle, referring to fig. 4, the trigger plate 10 touches the second micro switch 8, the second micro switch 8 generates a fourth signal, the fourth signal is transmitted to the controller 37 to determine that the ice guide plate 4 is turned in place (turned to an inclined state), and the controller 37 controls the motor 5 to stop working. After a set period of time, that is, the ice cubes 40 are completely slipped into the ice storage basket 3, the controller 37 controls the motor 5 to rotate clockwise again and drives the ice guide plate 4, the connecting rod 9 and the trigger plate 10 to rotate, when the ice guide plate 4 is in a horizontal state, the trigger plate 10 touches the first micro switch 7, the first micro switch 7 generates a third signal, the third signal is transmitted to the controller 37, the controller 37 determines that the ice guide plate 4 is in the horizontal state, and the controller 37 controls the motor 5 to stop working. The circulation is realized, and the ice guide plate 4 is switched between the ice receiving state in a horizontal state and the ice pouring state in an inclined state.

As shown in fig. 2, and in combination with fig. 6, both ends of the high end side of the ice guide plate 4 are respectively provided with a connection seat 11, and the connection seat 11 is provided with a non-circular hole, for example, a D-shaped hole as shown in fig. 6. At least the end of the output shaft 6 of the motor 5 has a D-shaped cross section. The connecting rod 9 includes a connecting portion having a D-shaped cross section. The D-shaped part of the output shaft 6 and the connecting part of the connecting rod 9 extend into the spraying ice making chamber from the two opposite side walls of the spraying ice making chamber respectively and are fixed in the corresponding D-shaped holes, so that the fixed connection of the ice guide plate 4, the motor 5 and the connecting rod 9 is realized. Bearings or sleeves and the like can be arranged between the output shaft 6 and the connecting rod 9 and the side wall of the spraying ice making chamber so that the two can rotate relatively, and the parts are conventional technology and will not be described too much.

With continued reference to fig. 3 and 4, the trigger plate 10 gradually contracts from the middle portion thereof toward both ends thereof, forming a shape with a wide middle portion and narrow both ends. The middle part of trigger plate 10 is equipped with guide slot 12, is equipped with round pin axle 13 on the lateral wall of spraying ice making room, and round pin axle 13 wears to locate guide slot 12, and when trigger plate 10 rotated under the drive of deflector, round pin axle 13 played the guide effect to the rotation of trigger plate 10. The above structural shape of the trigger plate 10 can ensure that the trigger plate 10 operates stably, and is beneficial to the trigger plate 10 acting on the micro switch.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, 3 and 4, a sound attenuation plate 14 is provided within the ice storage basket 3. Through setting up the acoustical panel 14, can play buffering and amortization effect when falling into ice storage basket 3 to ice-cube 40, further reduce the noise of ice-making machine, promote user's use experience. The silencer plate 14 can be made of PE or silica gel, is convenient to obtain materials, has low cost, can meet the food-grade requirements, and has good silencing effect.

Further, with continued reference to fig. 1, the muffler plate 14 includes a bottom and a side portion disposed around a periphery of the bottom, the bottom is disposed corresponding to a bottom of the ice storage basket 3, and a water leakage hole 15 is disposed on the bottom of the muffler plate 14; the side of the noise attenuation plate 14 is adapted to the shape of the side of the ice storage basket 3 and is attached to the lower position of the side of the ice storage basket 3. The bottom and the lower side of the ice storage basket 3 are respectively provided with the silencing plates 14, so that noise generated by collision between ice cubes 40 and the bottom and the side of the ice storage basket 3 can be reduced, and the noise reduction effect is improved.

The silencer plate 14 can be directly used as the bottom of the ice storage basket 3 or can be paved on the bottom of the ice storage basket 3. When the noise attenuation plate 14 is laid on the bottom of the ice storage basket 3, the bottom of the ice storage basket 3 is also required to be provided with the water leakage holes 15, so that the water melted by the ice cubes 40 in the ice storage basket 3 can leak out through the water leakage holes 15.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, the water tank 2 is arranged at the bottom of the front side in the casing 1, the ice storage basket 3 is arranged at the upper part of the front side in the casing 1 and above the water tank 2, the spraying ice making chamber is arranged at the upper part of the rear side in the casing 1 and at the rear side of the ice storage basket 3, the ice outlet of the spraying ice making chamber is opposite to the ice inlet of the ice storage basket 3, and the water tank 2 is used for providing ice making water for the spraying ice making chamber and is used for containing water falling from the ice storage basket 3 and the spraying ice making chamber. The side of the spray type ice machine facing the user is the front side, and the side of the spray type ice machine far away from the user is the rear side in the use state. The spray type ice machine of the embodiment has reasonable structural layout, can realize miniaturization, and is very suitable for household use.

The ice storage basket 3 is arranged above the water tank 2, the water leakage holes 15 are formed in the bottom of the ice storage basket 3 and the silencing plate 14, and water generated by melting ice cubes 40 in the ice storage basket 3 can be recycled into the water tank 2 below through the water leakage holes 15 for reuse, so that ice melting water is recycled, water waste is avoided, and a water receiving container is not required to be additionally added to hold water leaked by the ice storage basket 3.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 6, the upper end of the water tank 2 is opened, and the bottom of the ice storage basket 3 is opposite to the upper end of the water tank 2, so that water leaked from the ice storage basket 3 directly enters the water tank 2 through the upper end opening of the water tank 2. The rear side wall of the water tank 2 extends upwards and then backwards to be connected with the rear side wall of the spraying ice making chamber, so that the upper end opening of the water tank 2 is communicated with the spraying ice making chamber, and water in the spraying ice making chamber can fall back into the water tank 2. So, the water tank 2 not only can be used for providing the water for spraying the ice making room, can also hold simultaneously and connect by the water that stores up ice basket 3 and sprays ice making room and fall down, and a ware is dual-purpose, can reduce water tank 2 and set up quantity, and the simplified structure does benefit to the product miniaturization.

As shown in fig. 1 and 6, the rear wall of the water tank 2 is integrally constructed with the rear wall of the shower ice making chamber. Or it is understood that the rear side wall of the water tank 2 extends all the way up to the rear top of the spray ice making compartment. Thus, the manufacturing is convenient, the sealing performance is good, and the structural stability is high. The bottom of the spraying ice making chamber forms an arc inclined plane 16, so that the water falling down from the spraying ice making chamber slides down along the arc inclined plane 16 and flows to the water tank 2, splashing and noise caused by direct high-distance water dripping are avoided, and the service performance is improved.

In some embodiments, the ice making assembly includes a spray member and an ice cube forming structure, the spray member being positioned below the ice cube forming structure for spraying water onto the ice cube forming structure to make ice cubes 40 on the ice cube forming structure. With continued reference to fig. 1 and 6, the ice-forming structure includes an evaporation tube 17 and a plurality of ice molds 18 provided on the evaporation tube 17. The ice mold 18 is opened downward, the evaporation tube 17 is disposed at the back of the ice mold 18, and the ice mold 18 is closely connected with the evaporation tube 17. The spray member includes a spray frame 19, and the spray frame 19 is provided with a plurality of water spray holes 20. The ice mold 18 is disposed above the shower stand 19. The water is sprayed into each independent ice mold 18 provided on the evaporation tube 17 through the water spray holes 20, and the evaporation tube 17 absorbs heat of the water to make the water form ice in the ice mold 18. The number of the ice molds 18 may be selected and determined as needed, and this embodiment is not particularly limited. Eight ice molds 18 are shown in fig. 6. The number of the water spray holes 20 on the spray frame 19 is the same as that of the ice molds 18 and is arranged in a one-to-one correspondence manner so as to spray water into the corresponding ice molds 18 respectively.

The water sprayed by the water spraying holes 20 cannot be totally frozen on the ice mold 18, the water which is not frozen can fall on the arc inclined surface 16 below the spraying frame 19, and the fallen water flows back into the water tank 2 along the arc inclined surface 16 and the rear side tank wall of the water tank 2 for recycling.

It will be appreciated that the ice guide plate 4 is provided with a plurality of through holes so that water sprayed from the water spray holes 20 can be sprayed onto the ice mold 18 through the through holes of the ice guide plate 4, and that water which has not been frozen on the ice mold 18 can also be dropped down into the water tank 2 through the through holes. That is, the ice guide plate 4 does not hinder the spraying member from spraying water to the ice mold 18, nor does it hinder water that has not frozen on the ice mold 18 from falling back to the water tank 2. In order to facilitate the water spraying hole 20 to spray water to the ice mold 18, the ice guide plate 4 is in a horizontal state during the water spraying and icing process, and the through holes corresponding to the positions of the water spraying hole 20 and the ice mold 18 are made relatively larger in the horizontal state of the ice guide plate 4, so that the water sprayed from the water spraying hole 20 is accurately delivered to the ice mold 18.

As shown in fig. 1, the spray ice maker further comprises a refrigeration system comprising a compressor 32, a condenser 33, a hot gas reversing valve 35 and its piping. The refrigeration system is used to provide refrigerant to the evaporator tube 17 and to provide cold or heat to the ice mold 18 through the evaporator tube 17, to freeze ice within the ice mold 18 or to demold ice cubes 40 within the ice mold 18. The refrigeration system is prior art and will not be described in any great detail herein.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1 and 7, the spray type ice maker further includes a water delivery assembly for supplying water to the spray member, the water delivery assembly including a spray pump 21 and a water supply pipe 22, the spray pump 21 being disposed outside the water tank 2. The upper part of the water supply pipe 22 is located in the water tank 2, the lower part is located in the spray ice making chamber, and the upper end of the water supply pipe 22 is connected to the spray member, i.e., to the spray frame 19, for supplying water into the spray frame 19. The lower end of the water supply pipe 22 passes through the rear side wall of the water tank 2 and is connected to the water outlet of the water jet pump 21, that is, the water supply pipe 22 is provided in the water tank 2 but is not communicated with water in the water tank 2. The water inlet of the water spray pump 21 is communicated with the water tank 2. The water supply pipe 22 is arranged in the water tank 2 and the spray type ice making chamber, so that the water condensed on the pipe wall of the water supply pipe 22 can directly fall back to the water tank 2, the water temperature in the water supply pipe 22 is adapted to the environment temperature of the water supply pipe 22, and an insulating layer is not required to be arranged for the water supply pipe 22.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, the water delivery assembly further comprises a three-way pipe 23, a first port 24 of the three-way pipe 23 is communicated with the water inlet of the water spraying pump 21, and a second port 25 of the three-way pipe 23 is communicated with the water outlet of the water tank 2; a third port 26 of the tee 23 is connected to one end of a drain pipe 27. The drain pipe 27 protrudes outside the cabinet 1 through the rear side wall of the cabinet 1, see fig. 12. A hanging bracket 28 is arranged at the upper position of the rear side wall of the casing 1, and the other end of the drain pipe 27 can be hung on the hanging bracket 28. The hanging rack 28 is provided with a plug, and when the drain pipe 27 is hung on the hanging rack 28, the plug plugs the other end of the drain pipe 27. When the water in the water tank 2 needs to be discharged, the drain pipe 27 is taken down from the hanging frame 28, the plug is pulled out, and the other end of the drain pipe 27 is placed at a position lower than the bottom surface of the water tank 2, so that all the water in the water tank 2 can be discharged, and the operation is convenient.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 10 and 11, an upper portion of the front side of the cabinet 1 is provided with an opening 29 penetrating the inside of the cabinet 1, and the ice storage basket 3 can be installed in the cabinet 1 or removed from the cabinet 1 through the opening 29, and when the ice storage basket 3 is installed in the cabinet 1, the outer side of the ice storage basket 3 is coplanar with the front side of the cabinet 1 and forms an exterior surface of the cabinet 1, see fig. 9. Fig. 10 is a schematic view illustrating a process of removing the ice bank 3 from the housing 1. The ice storage basket 3 is designed into a mode that the ice storage basket can be taken out from the machine shell 1, ice is conveniently taken out, the use experience of a user is improved, and the consistency and the integrity of the appearance of the spray type ice maker are not affected.

As shown in fig. 1 to 5, the spray type ice maker further includes a water baffle 30, and the water baffle 30 may include a plurality of water baffles 30, and upper ends of the water baffles 30 may be rotatably connected to the same shaft 31, respectively. The shaft 31 may be fixed to the inner wall of the casing 1 at both ends thereof, respectively. The water baffle 30 is disposed between the ice storage basket 3 and the ice guide plate 4, and serves to block water sprayed into the ice storage basket 3 during ice making. When the water baffles 30 are not pushed by the ice cubes 40, the water baffles 30 are vertically arranged and arranged side by virtue of self gravity and are positioned on the same plane, and the water baffles 30 cooperate together to form a barrier for blocking water from entering the ice storage basket 3. When the ice cubes 40 are pushed, the water blocking plate 30 pushed by the ice cubes 40 rotates to allow the ice cubes 40 to pass through and enter the ice storage basket 3, and the water blocking plate 30 not pushed by the ice cubes 40 is still in a vertical state. That is, when the ice cubes 40 slide down, only the water baffle 30 reached by the ice cubes 40 is pushed, instead of pushing all the water baffles 30, each water baffle 30 is independently pushed by different ice cubes 40, so that the force required by the ice cubes 40 entering the ice storage basket 3 to push the water baffle 30 is smaller, and the ice cubes 40 can smoothly fall into the ice storage basket 3.

The water baffle 30 can be made of a plastic sheet, so that the water baffle is good in water baffle effect, light in weight and convenient for the ice cubes 40 to push and rotate, and the ice cubes 40 can pass through. One of the water deflectors 30 shown in fig. 1, which is close to the inside, is pushed by the ice cubes 40 to be turned away from the vertical state so that the ice cubes 40 can pass through, while the other water deflector 30 is not pushed by the ice cubes 40 to be in the vertical state. In fig. 2 to 5, one of the water baffles 30 near the outside is pushed by the ice cubes 40 to be rotated away from the vertical state, and the other water baffles 30 are not pushed by the ice cubes 40 to be maintained in the vertical state.

In some embodiments, the control system 36 of the spray ice maker of the present embodiment further includes an ice full sensor 38, a float switch 39, and a temperature sensor (not shown). The controller 37 is connected to an ice full sensor 38, a float switch 39, and a temperature sensor, respectively. As shown in fig. 1, an ice full sensor 38 is disposed on the inner wall of the casing 1 and corresponds to the position of the ice storage basket 3, and is configured to send an ice full signal to the controller 37, and when the controller 37 receives the ice full signal, the controller 37 controls the spray ice maker to stop working and prompts ice full. As shown in fig. 1, the float switch is disposed in the water tank, and is used for sensing whether the water in the water tank 2 is lower than the limit water level, and if so, sending a water shortage signal to the controller 37, and the machine carries out water shortage prompt and stops working. The temperature sensor is arranged at the outlet end of the evaporating pipe and is used for detecting the temperature of the medium in the outlet end of the evaporating pipe 17, sending a detected temperature signal to the controller 37, receiving the temperature signal by the controller 37 and controlling the opening and closing of the hot gas reversing valve 35 based on the temperature signal. That is, the controller 37 controls whether the refrigeration system supplies heat or cold to the evaporating pipe 17.

The operation of the spray ice maker according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 13:

starting the spray type ice maker to enable the machine to start to operate, wherein a float switch 39 in the water tank 2 senses whether water in the water tank 2 is lower than a limit water level, if so, a control system 36 controls the machine to perform water shortage prompt and stop working, and a user adds water into the water tank 2; if the water level in the water tank 2 is not lower than the limit water level, the control system 36 controls the water spraying pump 21 arranged on the outer side of the rear part of the water tank 2 to start pumping water, the water in the water tank 2 is sent into the spraying frame 19 through the water supply pipe 22 and sprayed into the plurality of independent ice molds 18 arranged on the evaporation pipe 17 through the water spraying holes 20;

under the control of the control system 36, the components of the compressor 32 and other refrigeration systems are started simultaneously, the temperature of the evaporating pipe 17 and the temperature of the ice mould 18 start to be reduced, so that water sprayed into the ice mould 18 slowly forms ice cubes 40, and the sprayed water which is not formed into ice falls on the arc-shaped inclined surface 16 below the spray frame 19 and flows back to the water tank 2 along the arc-shaped inclined surface 16 and the rear side tank wall of the water tank 2 for recycling;

when the temperature sensor arranged at the outlet end of the evaporation tube 17 detects that the temperature of the medium in the evaporation tube 17 is reduced to a preset temperature, the control system 36 acquires a temperature signal, and after a preset period of time, the ice cubes 40 can be determined to be condensed to a designed thickness, the control system 36 controls the hot gas reversing valve 35 of the refrigerating system to be opened, and the hot gas flows through the evaporation tube 17 for a certain time to enable the ice cubes 40 to be heated and melted and separated from the ice mold 18;

Meanwhile, the control system 36 controls the motor 5 to start, when the ice guide plate 4 is driven to rotate to a horizontal state, the triggering part triggers the first micro switch 7, the first micro switch 7 generates a third signal and sends the third signal to the controller 37 of the control system 36, the controller 37 receives the third signal and controls the motor 5 to stop rotating, so that the ice guide plate 4 is kept in the horizontal state, and ice cubes 40 on the ice mold 18 fall on the ice guide plate 4 in the horizontal state after being demolded, see fig. 3; when the preset time passes, the controller 37 controls the motor 5 to reversely rotate and drives the ice guide plate 4 to rotate by a certain angle until the ice guide plate is inclined, the triggering part triggers the second micro switch 8, the second micro switch 8 generates a fourth signal and sends the fourth signal to the controller 37, the controller 37 receives the fourth signal and controls the motor 5 to stop rotating, so that the ice guide plate 4 is kept in an inclined state, all ice cubes 40 on the ice guide plate 4 slide down to the water baffle 30, and the ice cubes 40 push the water baffle 30 to slide down to the ice storage basket 3 under the action of gravity and inertia; namely, one ice making process is completed;

repeating the above operation to realize multiple ice making;

when the ice full sensor 38 senses the ice full in the ice storage basket 3, an ice full signal is sent to the controller 37, and the controller 37 controls the machine to stop working and prompts the completion of ice making.

It will be appreciated that the control system 36 may acquire the first signal for forming the ice cubes 40 on the ice making assembly, which may be a first preset time required for storing the ice cubes 40 in the control system 36, and after the first preset time, it is determined that the ice cubes 40 are formed, and ice may be removed, and at this time, the control system 36 acquires the first signal; the ice may be removed by detecting the temperature of the medium in the evaporating tube and determining that the ice 40 has been formed when the temperature of the medium has decreased to a predetermined temperature and a second predetermined time has elapsed, at which time the control system 36 may also obtain the first signal. That is, the manner in which the determination of whether the ice pieces 40 have been formed is various may be determined based on the selection, and the control system 36 may be able to obtain a first signal that the ice pieces 40 have been formed when it is determined that the ice pieces 40 have been formed. Likewise, the manner in which the ice pieces 40 on the ice making assembly are determined to be all falling is also various, for example, by storing the time of the ice falling in the control system 36, and when the stored time of the ice falling is elapsed, the control system 36 can obtain a second signal that the ice pieces 40 are all falling.

The ice guide plate 4 of the spray ice maker is arranged below the ice mold 18, the ice guide plate 4 is horizontally arranged when ice is removed, and is nearer to the ice mold 18, and ice cubes 40 fall onto the ice guide plate 4 below when the ice cubes fall off, so that noise generated by the nearer distance is smaller; when the ice cubes 40 are completely removed, the control system 36 controls the motor 5 to drive the ice guide plate 4 to turn over a certain angle to an inclined state, and the ice cubes 40 are completely guided into the ice storage basket 3. The ice storage basket 3 is internally provided with a silencing pad, so that the ice cubes 40 play a role in buffering and silencing when falling into the ice storage basket, and the sound of each link of falling ice cubes 40 is reduced to the minimum in the whole ice removing process, so that the silencing effect is achieved.

The above description is intended to be illustrative and not limiting, and variations, modifications, alternatives, and variations of the above embodiments may be made by those of ordinary skill in the art within the scope of the present disclosure. Also, the above examples (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other, and it is contemplated that the embodiments may be combined with each other in various combinations or permutations.

Claims

1. The spray ice maker comprises a machine shell (1), a water tank (2), an ice storage basket (3) and a spray ice making chamber, wherein the water tank (2), the ice storage basket (3) and the spray ice making chamber are arranged in the machine shell (1), and an ice making assembly and an ice guide plate (4) positioned below the ice making assembly are arranged in the spray ice making chamber; the spray type ice machine is characterized by further comprising:

the driving mechanism is connected with the ice guide plate (4) and is used for driving the ice guide plate (4) to rotate so as to enable the ice guide plate (4) to be switched between an inclined state and a horizontal state;

the control system (36) is connected with the driving mechanism, the control system (36) is used for acquiring a first signal for forming ice cubes (40) on the ice making assembly and a second signal for completely falling ice cubes (40) on the ice making assembly, the control system (36) controls the driving mechanism to drive the ice guide plate (4) to rotate to a horizontal state based on the acquired first signal so as to receive the ice cubes (40) falling from the ice making assembly, and controls the driving mechanism to drive the ice guide plate (4) to rotate to an inclined state based on the acquired second signal, so that the ice cubes (40) on the ice guide plate (4) slide into the ice storage basket (3) from the lower end of the ice cubes;

The ice making assembly includes a spray member and an ice cube forming structure, the spray member being positioned below the ice cube forming structure for spraying water to the ice cube forming structure to make ice cubes (40) on the ice cube forming structure;

the spraying component comprises a spraying frame (19), and the spraying frame (19) is provided with a plurality of water spraying holes (20);

the ice guide plate (4) is provided with a plurality of through holes so that water sprayed by the water spraying holes (20) can be sprayed onto the ice block forming structure through the through holes in the ice guide plate (4).

2. The spray ice maker according to claim 1, wherein the driving mechanism includes a motor (5), a high end side of the ice guide plate (4) in the inclined state is fixedly connected with an output shaft (6) of the motor (5), and a plate surface of the ice guide plate (4) is parallel to an axis of the output shaft (6) so as to be capable of driving the ice guide plate (4) to rotate in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction, respectively, when the motor (5) rotates forward and backward, so that the ice guide plate (4) is switched between the horizontal state and the inclined state.

3. The ice-making machine according to claim 2, characterized in that said control system (36) comprises a controller (37), a first microswitch (7), a second microswitch (8) and a triggering member fixed with said ice-guiding plate (4) to rotate with said ice-guiding plate (4);

The controller (37) is electrically connected with the motor (5), the first micro switch (7) and the second micro switch (8) respectively, the controller (37) is configured to receive the first signal and the second signal, control the motor (5) to drive the ice guide plate (4) to rotate based on the first signal and the second signal, when the ice guide plate (4) rotates to the horizontal state, the triggering part triggers the first micro switch (7) to generate a third signal, the controller (37) receives the third signal, controls the motor (5) to stop rotating based on the third signal, and when the ice guide plate (4) rotates to the inclined state, the triggering part triggers the second micro switch (8) to generate a fourth signal, and control the motor (5) to stop rotating based on the fourth signal.

4. The spray ice maker according to claim 3, wherein the first micro switch (7) and the second micro switch (8) are both provided on an outer wall of the spray ice making chamber; the trigger part comprises a connecting rod (9) and a trigger plate (10), wherein the connecting rod (9) is coaxially arranged with an output shaft (6) of the motor (5), the connecting rod (9) penetrates through the outer wall of the spraying ice making chamber, one end of the connecting rod (9) is positioned in the spraying ice making chamber and fixedly connected with the ice guide plate (4), the other end of the connecting rod (9) extends out of the spraying ice making chamber and fixedly connected with the trigger plate (10), and the trigger plate (10) is at least partially positioned between the first micro switch (7) and the second micro switch (8).

5. The spray ice maker according to claim 1, wherein a sound deadening plate (14) is provided in the ice storage basket (3); the silencer plate (14) is made of PE or silica gel.

6. The ice-making machine according to claim 5, characterized in that said silencing plate (14) comprises a bottom and a side portion arranged around the periphery of said bottom, said bottom being laid on the bottom of said ice-storage basket (3), said silencing plate (14) being provided on the bottom with water leakage holes (15); the side part of the silencing plate (14) is matched with the side part of the ice storage basket (3) in shape and attached to the lower position of the side part of the ice storage basket (3).

7. The spray ice maker of claim 1, wherein the water tank (2) is disposed at a bottom of an inner front side of the housing (1), the ice storage basket (3) is disposed at an upper portion of the inner front side of the housing (1) and above the water tank (2), the spray ice making chamber is disposed at an upper portion of an inner rear side of the housing (1) and at a rear side of the ice storage basket (3), an ice outlet of the spray ice making chamber is opposite to an ice inlet of the ice storage basket (3), and the water tank (2) is used for providing ice making water to the spray ice making chamber and for containing water dropped by the ice storage basket (3) and the spray ice making chamber.

8. The spray ice maker of claim 7, wherein an upper end of the water tank (2) is opened, and water leaked from the ice storage basket (3) enters the water tank (2) through the upper end opening of the water tank (2); the rear side tank wall of the water tank (2) extends upwards and then backwards so as to be connected with the rear side tank wall of the spraying ice making chamber, the upper end opening of the water tank (2) is communicated with the spraying ice making chamber, and water in the spraying ice making chamber can fall back into the water tank (2).

9. The spray ice maker of claim 7, further comprising a water delivery assembly for supplying water to the spray member, the water delivery assembly comprising a water supply pipe (22) and a water jet pump (21) provided outside the water tank (2), an upper portion of the water supply pipe (22) being located in the water tank (2), a lower portion being located in the spray ice making chamber, an upper end of the water supply pipe (22) being connected to the spray member, a lower end of the water supply pipe (22) passing through a rear side wall of the water tank (2) being connected to a water outlet of the water jet pump (21), a water inlet of the water jet pump (21) being in communication with the water tank (2).

10. The spray ice maker according to claim 1, wherein an opening (29) penetrating the inside of the housing (1) is provided at an upper portion of a front side of the housing (1), the ice storage basket (3) can be installed in the housing (1) or taken out from the housing (1) through the opening (29), and when the ice storage basket (3) is installed in the housing (1), an outer side surface of the ice storage basket (3) is coplanar with the front side surface of the housing (1) and forms an appearance surface of the housing (1).