The object of the present invention, as established by the title of the invention, is a machine for producing ice cubes that uses an ice cube-forming tray and an antifreeze fluid as a refrigerating medium.
The present invention is characterized in the special constructive features of each and every one of the elements forming part of the invention, such that an ice cube-forming tray is achieved which enables an easy removal of the cubes, which requires a very low antifreeze load and enables a high production to be obtained, in addition to obtaining ice with a much higher quality.
Therefore, the present invention is within the scope of the means used in manufacturing of ice cubes.
Machines for producing ice cubes which consist of the formation of preferably circular pieces of ice which, once obtained, are then cut into cylindrical cube-sized portions are known in the state of the art.
Although these machines achieve the intended purpose thereof, they have technical problems related to energy efficiency and the quality of the final ice obtained.
There are also machines that directly produce ice cubes and have aspects that can be improved, such as production capacity, energy efficiency, the amount of refrigerant used, and the quality of the ice, which often appears to be cracked.
In addition, these ice-producing machines use refrigerant gases, in particular freons, which circulate inside serpentine tubes to transmit cold at two or three points of contact with the ice cube-forming cavity, whereas in our design, instead of using a refrigerant gas, we use an antifreeze liquid that covers the entire outer surface of the ice-forming cavity.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of machines for producing ice cubes by developing an ice cube-forming tray such as the one described below, the essential nature of which is set out in the first claim.
The object of the present invention is a machine for producing ice cubes comprising a tray specially designed for producing ice cubes, wherein an antifreeze liquid is used as a cold transmission medium.
Each forming tray comprises, on one side a forming casing, and on the other side a tray for spraying and collecting non-frozen sprayed water.
The forming casing comprises a series of forming cavities aligned in rows that are each staggered with respect to the next. The machine further comprises a pair of tubes arranged at the side of the forming casing and connected to the free inside space between the forming cavities. Said tubes are for pumping and returning the antifreeze liquid.
During the formation of the cubes the antifreeze liquid first works at a temperature below 0° C. in order to freeze the sprayed water, and when the cubes are formed, the antifreeze liquid has a temperature above 0° C. in order to make the cubes detach and come out of the forming cavities.
The spraying and collection tray comprises a base or bottom provided with a series of holes for spraying low-temperature water, this base or bottom being protected by perimeter walls surrounding the bottom or base on all sides except for one, wherein grates are arranged for collecting the sprayed and non-frozen water in the forming cavities. Under said collection grates, a collection tank is arranged which evacuates the collected water to a tank through drainage tubes.
Preferably, but in a non-limiting manner, there are three spraying holes per each forming cavity and they are centered forming an equilateral triangle centered with respect to the forming cavity. Moreover, the forming cavities have an upper hole for the inlet of air which enables the detachment of the cube, preventing it from not detaching if it did not have any inlet of air.
Thanks to the fact that there is greater contact of the antifreeze liquid on the side walls of the forming cavities, several advantages are achieved, such as the ones described below:
The machine in which the ice forming trays are integrated, in a possible embodiment, can comprise at least one column of forming trays, vertically aligned and in an arrangement slightly inclined towards collection means that can be static, with only the force of gravity acting, or motorized.
The forming trays can be integrated into different machines with different collection means. Thus, for example, in the embodiment shown, the trays are static and have a slight inclination, or the machine can have a series of collecting arms, or the assembly of each column of forming trays can be tilted, or the entire machine can be tilted.
Except when indicated otherwise, all of the technical and scientific elements used in this specification have the meaning commonly understood by a person with average skill in the art to which this invention belongs. When this invention is put into practice, methods and materials may be used that are similar or equivalent to the ones described in the specification.
Throughout the description and the claims, the word “comprise” and its variants are not intended to exclude other technical features, additions, components or steps. For those skilled in the art, other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be deduced from both the description and the practical use of the invention.
As a complement to the description provided herein, and for the purpose of helping to make the features of the invention more readily understandable, in accordance with a preferred practical exemplary embodiment thereof, said description is accompanied by a set of drawings which, by way of illustration and not limitation, represent the following.
In light of the figures, a preferred embodiment of the proposed invention is described below.
Each ice cube-forming tray (2) comprises a forming casing (6) under which a water spraying and collection tray (11) for the excess sprayed water, as well as the cubes produced, is arranged.
The forming casing (6) comprises:
Lastly,
Having thus adequately described the nature of the present invention, as well as how to put it into practice, it must be noted that, within its essential nature, the invention may be carried out according to other embodiments differing in detail from that set out by way of example, which the protection sought would equally cover, provided that the fundamental principle thereof is not altered, changed or modified.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/ES2020/070681 | 11/5/2020 | WO |