Ice making system and refrigeration apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11656018-B2
Application number	US-201917433587-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2019
Priority date	Dec 30, 2019
Publication date	May 23, 2023
Grant date	May 23, 2023

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of ice making, and provides an ice making system and a refrigeration apparatus. The ice making system includes an ice making assembly, a water collecting tank located below the ice making assembly, and a water diversion ice rake structure. The water diversion ice rake structure includes: a pair of water receiving lateral wings, each of which is constructed with a rotary end and a free end; the pair of water receiving lateral wings are rotatably disposed on opposite sides of the ice making assembly through the respective rotary ends to rotate between an ice making position and an ice falling position. At the ice making position, the free ends of the pair of water receiving lateral wings are butted in a space between the ice making assembly and the water collecting tank to form a closure space with an opening facing the ice making assembly, and a water outlet communicating with the water collecting tank is constructed on one side of the closure space. The present application may solve the problems of condensed water dripping out and water splashing outward during ice making.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ice making system, comprising:
an ice making assembly;
a water collecting tank located below the ice making assembly; and
a water diversion ice rake structure including:
a pair of water receiving lateral wings, each of which is constructed with a rotary end and a free end; the pair of water receiving lateral wings are rotatably disposed on opposite sides of the ice making assembly through the respective rotary ends to rotate between an ice making position and an ice falling position;
wherein at the ice making position, the free ends of the pair of water receiving lateral wings are butted in a space between the ice making assembly and the water collecting tank to form a closure space with an opening facing the ice making assembly, and a water outlet communicating with the water collecting tank is formed on one side of the closure space; and
wherein at the ice falling position, the free ends of the pair of water receiving lateral wings are separated from each other to form an ice falling port.

2. The ice making system of claim 1 , further comprising an ice storage box located below the ice making assembly, wherein an ice inlet is provided at an upper end of the ice storage box; and
wherein at the ice falling position, the free ends of the pair of water receiving lateral wings are separated from each other to form an ice falling passage from the ice falling port toward the ice inlet.

3. The ice making system of claim 2 , wherein a pair of ice inlets are disposed at intervals at the upper end of the ice storage box, and the water collecting tank is disposed above a position between the pair of ice inlets; and
ice doors are hinged on outer sides of the pair of ice inlets on the ice storage box.

4. The ice making system of claim 1 , wherein the ice making assembly comprises at least one ice tray, and the ice tray includes a plurality of ice tray units disposed side by side.

5. The ice making system of claim 4 , wherein the ice making assembly comprises a pair of ice trays, and backsides of the pair of ice trays are disposed opposite to each other.

6. The ice making system of claim 4 , wherein the water diversion ice rake structure further comprises ice rake teeth which are provided at the rotary end of at least one of the water receiving lateral wings, the ice rake teeth are inclined toward a water flowing surface of the ice tray, and a top end of the ice rake teeth is close to a water inlet of the ice tray.

7. The ice making system of claim 6 , wherein the ice rake tooth tapers from its root outward along a length direction to form a tip.

8. The ice making system of claim 6 , wherein a plurality of ice rake teeth are disposed at intervals along a length direction of the rotary end of the water receiving lateral wing, and the plurality of ice rake teeth are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of ice tray units.

9. The ice making system of claim 1 , wherein each of the pair of water receiving lateral wings comprises a water stopping side wall extending downward along the respective rotary end and a water receiving side wall extending to the opposite from the water stopping side wall and inclined downward; and a bottom end of the water receiving side wall is provided with a downwardly extending flanging.

10. The ice making system of claim 9 , wherein the bottom end of at least one of the water receiving side walls is provided with a sealing structure extending to the flanging.

11. The ice making system of claim 9 , wherein the water receiving side wall is constructed to be inclined toward the water outlet, and a side located at the water outlet of the water receiving side wall is open and a side away from the water outlet thereof is provided with a shielding wall.

12. The ice making system of claim 9 , wherein each of the rotary ends of the pair of water receiving lateral wings is provided with a rotary shaft whose axial direction extends along a length direction of the ice making assembly.

13. The ice making system of claim 12 , further comprising a driving mechanism which is connected with the rotary shaft of one of the water receiving lateral wings, and the rotary shafts of the pair of the water receiving lateral wings are connected to each other through a linkage.

14. The ice making system of claim 8 , wherein the ice making assembly further comprises a water outflow mechanism, the water outflow mechanism includes a water distributor which supplies water to each ice tray unit through water distribution branch hoses in one-to-one correspondence with the ice tray units;
the water collecting tank is connected to a water tank through a drain hose, a water pump is provided on the drain hose, and the water distributor is connected to the water tank; and
a water stopper is provided on an outer side of a connection between the water outlet and the water collecting tank.

15. A refrigeration apparatus, comprising:
a body including a cabinet and a door coupled to the cabinet;
an ice making system in the cabinet, the ice making system including:
an ice making assembly;
a water collecting tank located below the ice making assembly; and
a water diversion ice rake structure including:
a pair of water receiving lateral wings, each of which is constructed with a rotary end and a free end; the pair of water receiving lateral wings are rotatably disposed on opposite sides of the ice making assembly through the respective rotary ends to rotate between an ice making position and an ice falling position;
wherein at the ice making position, the free ends of the pair of water receiving lateral wings are butted in a space between the ice making assembly and the water collecting tank to form a closure space with an opening facing the ice making assembly, and a water outlet communicating with the water collecting tank is formed on one side of the closure space; and

wherein at the ice falling position, the free ends of the pair of water receiving lateral wings are separated from each other to form an ice falling port.

16. The refrigeration apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the ice making system further comprising an ice storage box located below the ice making assembly, wherein an ice inlet is provided at an upper end of the ice storage box; and
wherein at the ice falling position, the free ends of the pair of water receiving lateral wings are separated from each other to form an ice falling passage from the ice falling port toward the ice inlet.

17. The refrigeration apparatus of claim 16 , wherein a pair of ice inlets are disposed at intervals at the upper end of the ice storage box, and the water collecting tank is disposed above a position between the pair of ice inlets; and
ice doors are hinged on outer sides of the pair of ice inlets on the ice storage box.

18. The refrigeration apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the ice making assembly comprises at least one ice tray, and the ice tray includes a plurality of ice tray units disposed side by side, wherein the water diversion ice rake structure further comprises ice rake teeth which are provided at the rotary end of at least one of the water receiving lateral wings, the ice rake teeth are inclined toward a water flowing surface of the ice tray, and a top end of the ice rake teeth is close to a water inlet of the ice tray.

19. The refrigeration apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the ice making assembly comprises at least one ice tray, and the ice tray includes a plurality of ice tray units disposed side by side, wherein a plurality of ice rake teeth are dispo

Assignees

• Hefei Midea Refrigerator Co
• Hefei Hualing Co Ltd
• Midea Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Chen Xing
• Shao Yang
• Liu Zanxi
• Wang Jincai
• Si Zengqiang
• Sun Mingxing
• Liu Cunyu
• Cui Gang

Classifications

• F25C1/24 Primary

  for refrigerators, e.g. freezing trays · CPC title

• F25C1/22 Primary

  Construction of moulds; Filling devices for moulds · CPC title

• F25C2500/06

  Spillage or flooding of water · CPC title

• F25C1/12

  by freezing water on cooled surfaces, e.g. to form slabs · CPC title

• F25C5/18

  Storing ice · CPC title