KR-20260065219-A - Evaporator for ice making

KR20260065219AKR 20260065219 AKR20260065219 AKR 20260065219AKR-20260065219-A

Abstract

An evaporator for making ice is disclosed. An evaporator for making ice according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: an ice-making housing having a plurality of ice-making spaces formed therein, spaced apart along one direction and having one side in the height direction open; and an ice-making pipe coupled to the ice-making housing and forming a flow path for a cooling fluid that cools the plurality of ice-making spaces, wherein water supplied to the ice-making spaces for making ice can move along the length direction of the ice-making housing.

Inventors

김재만

Assignees

코웨이 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date: 20260508
Application Date: 20241101

Claims (15)

A de-icing housing having a plurality of de-icing spaces formed spaced apart along one direction and having one side in the height direction open; and It includes an ice-making pipe that is coupled to the above-mentioned ice-making housing and constitutes a flow path for a cooling fluid that cools a plurality of the above-mentioned ice-making spaces, Water supplied to the ice-making space for ice making travels along the longitudinal direction of the ice-making housing, Ice-making evaporator.
In paragraph 1, The above-mentioned de-icing housing is, A housing body extending in one direction as described above; and It includes a housing partition located between a plurality of the above-mentioned ice-making spaces and having a height in the same direction as the above-mentioned ice-making spaces, The above housing bulkhead is, A connecting groove formed by a depression at the end in the height direction and connecting a pair of adjacent ice-making spaces, Ice-making evaporator.
In paragraph 2, The height of one side in the longitudinal direction of the above-mentioned ice-making housing is higher than the height of the other side, Ice-making evaporator.
In paragraph 2, The above housing bulkhead is, A inclined member that surrounds the above-mentioned ice-making space in one direction and extends at a predetermined angle with respect to the height direction, Ice-making evaporator.
In paragraph 4, The above inclined member is, Extending toward the ice-making space along a direction opposite to the above-mentioned chimney groove, Ice-making evaporator.
In paragraph 4, The horizontal cross-sectional area of the portion of the above-mentioned ice-making space surrounded by the inclined member is increased along the direction toward the communication groove, Ice-making evaporator.
In paragraph 2, The above-mentioned de-icing housing is, A housing space formed inside the above housing body and partitioned from the above ice-making space; and It is located between the above housing space and the above ice-making space and includes an inner housing surface surrounding the above ice-making space, The above ice-making pipe is, Surrounding the above ice-making space and extending from the above housing space, Ice-making evaporator.
In Paragraph 7, The above housing body has a width in the other direction orthogonal to the above one direction, and The above ice-making pipe extends around the ice-making space on each side of the above other direction, Ice-making evaporator.
In Paragraph 7, The above ice-making pipe is, A first ice-making channel connected to the outside to receive the cooling fluid, located on one side in the height direction of the housing space, and surrounding the ice-making space; and A second ice-making channel connected to the first ice-making channel to receive the cooling fluid, located on the other side in the height direction of the housing space, and surrounding the ice-making space. Ice-making evaporator.
In Paragraph 9, The above ice-making pipe is, An ice-making inlet connected to the first ice-making path and exposed to the outside of the housing body to receive the cooling fluid; and A de-icing outlet connected to the second de-icing path and exposed to the outside of the housing body to provide the cooling fluid, comprising Ice-making evaporator.
In paragraph 2, A defrosting pipe comprising a thermal fluid flow path that is coupled to the above-mentioned ice-making housing and provides heat for defrosting ice formed in the above-mentioned ice-making space, Ice-making evaporator.
In Paragraph 11, The above-mentioned ice-making housing is, A housing space formed inside the above housing body and partitioned from the above ice-making space; and It is located between the above housing space and the above ice-making space and includes an inner housing surface surrounding the above ice-making space, The above-mentioned de-icing tube is, One part is located in the housing space, and another part is exposed to the outside of the housing body. Ice-making evaporator.
In Paragraph 12, The above-mentioned de-icing tube is, One end is exposed to the outside of the housing body to receive the thermal fluid, and the other end is located in the housing space and communicates with the de-icing inlet flow path; and A defrosting outlet channel disposed spaced apart from the defrosting inlet channel, having one end located in the housing space and communicating with the housing space, and the other end exposed to the outside of the housing body to provide the thermal fluid, comprising Ice-making evaporator.
In Paragraph 13, The above housing body has a width in the other direction orthogonal to the above one direction, and The above ice removal inlet path and the above ice removal outlet path are arranged facing each other along the other direction with the housing space in between. Ice-making evaporator.
In Paragraph 14, The above ice-breaking inflow path is, One end of the housing body is penetrated, and the other end extends adjacent to the other end of the housing body. Ice-making evaporator.

Description

Evaporator for ice making The present invention relates to an evaporator for making ice, and more specifically, to an evaporator for making ice having a structure that enables miniaturization while ensuring transparency of the ice and improving cooling uniformity. With the improvement of living standards, the demand for ice provision is increasing not only in commercial facilities but also in ordinary households. Traditionally, ice making was performed using the freezer compartment typically equipped in refrigerators. Residents could obtain ice by filling the ice tray in the freezer with water and cooling it. Recently, there has been an increasing number of cases where water purifiers equipped to provide purified water are equipped with ice-making functions. This term collectively refers to a device that filters external raw water to produce purified water and provides it to the user. With technological advancements, water purifiers can provide not only simple purification but also hot and cold water by being equipped with heating or cooling means. In this case, ice can be produced using the configuration designed to generate cold water. The configuration for generating ice can be provided in various forms. As an example, an evaporator can be used to generate ice. A refrigerant for cooling and a hot gas for de-icing can be supplied to the evaporator. Water contained in the evaporator is cooled by the refrigerant to form ice, and can be partially melted and de-iced by the hot gas. Traditional evaporators are generally extended in the vertical direction. This is because, when such a structure is adopted, the water to be frozen can flow due to gravity without a separate power source and spread evenly throughout the evaporator. However, in the case of an evaporator with this structure, it must be formed to be elongated in the vertical direction to increase the ice production capacity. This can lead to an increase in the size of the evaporator and the entire water purifier containing it. Furthermore, it is difficult to control the flow velocity of water in an evaporator that extends vertically. Consequently, if the water flows too quickly, it is difficult for it to be evenly distributed within the evaporator. Moreover, there is a risk that air bubbles may mix in during ice making, potentially reducing the transparency of the ice. Accordingly, there is a need for a technology that can achieve a sufficient cooling effect while reducing the size of the evaporator, and simultaneously increase the transparency of the ice. Korean Registered Patent Document No. 10-2619014 discloses an ice-making evaporator having a double-tube structure. Specifically, it discloses an ice-making evaporator capable of making ice through a freezing tube that accommodates a guide unit, which is inserted into a main body portion having an internal space. The aforementioned prior art discloses a double-tube structure that separately provides a refrigerant tube through which a refrigerant flows and a heating tube through which a hot gas flows. However, the double-tube ice-making evaporator disclosed in the aforementioned prior art is structured such that ice grows around a separate freezing tube rather than within the space inside the main body. In other words, the prior art does not provide a method for making ice from water contained within the space of the evaporator itself. Korean Published Patent Document No. 10-2024-0119705 discloses an ice-making device. Specifically, it discloses an ice-making device capable of receiving water in an ice-making tray and generating ice from the received water using a plurality of ice-generating elements. In the aforementioned prior art, an ice-making refrigerant and a de-icing refrigerant flow sequentially in the same space, and ice making and de-icing are performed. However, the ice-making device disclosed in the aforementioned prior art also has a structure that performs ice making by immersing a separate ice-generating element in water contained in an ice-making tray. The aforementioned prior art also fails to provide a method for making ice from water contained within the space of the evaporator itself. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an evaporator for making ice according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a plan view illustrating the ice-making evaporator of Figure 1. Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the configuration of the ice-making evaporator of Figure 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an ice-making housing provided in the ice-making evaporator of FIG. 1. Figure 5 is a BB perspective cross-sectional view illustrating the de-icing housing of Figure 4. Fig. 6 is a BB-side cross-sectional view illustrating the de-icing housing of Fig. 4. FIG. 7 is a BB side cross-sectional view illustrating an ice-making housing according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective cross-sectional view illustrating the de-ic