METHOD FOR CONTROLLING CONCENTRATION OF GAS IN CRISPER DRAWER

A method for controlling the concentration of a gas in a crisper drawer (100): by capturing the concentration of a freshness-preserving gas in a storage chamber (10) and comparing with a preset threshold, determining whether to feed the freshness-preserving gas into the storage chamber (10), or employing a timed feeding method to control whether to feed the freshness-preserving gas into the storage chamber (10). The method selectively feeds the fresh-preserving gas into the storage chamber (10), thus controlling the concentration of the freshness-preserving gas in the storage chamber (10) to be kept above a target concentration, significantly extending the time during which food is kept fresh, and at the same time, taking into consideration the economy of using the freshness-preserving gas.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the technical field of freshness preservation of a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a method for controlling the gas concentration inside a crisper drawer.

BACKGROUND

With the accelerated pace of life and the development of life quality, people put forward more and more requirements on the freshness preservation durability and the freshness preservation extent of food.

Conventionally, the lifetime of food in a refrigerator is prolonged by regulating the temperature and humidity, but it is impossible to hypnotize food (the metabolic rate is extremely low), especially fresh fruits, just by regulating the temperature and humidity. In this case, it is only possible to slow down the metabolism, which is far below the requirements of modern people on the freshness preservation extent and durability of food.

According to a more advanced technology, a vacuum freshness preservation device or a fast-cooling freshness preservation device are additionally provided in a refrigeration compartment of the refrigerator. By additionally providing such two freshness preservation devices, the freshness preservation effect of the refrigerator will be better than that of conventional refrigerators, but it still cannot achieve the effect of hypnotizing food.

It is well-known that the replacement of air in a food preservation environment with nitrogen and other inactive gases can achieve the effect of hypnotizing fresh fruits, and the increase of content of oxygen in the food preservation environment can realize the effects of keeping raw shrimp, fish and other living things alive and greatly prolong the freshness preservation lifetime of food. But, neither a device nor a method for controlling internal gas components is provided for the existing refrigerator.

It will cause an increased gas pressure in a storage chamber in the process of charging freshness-preserving gas into the storage chamber. In contrast, gas inside the storage component contracts in coldness following temperature drop in a refrigerating process of the refrigerator, such that a negative pressure occurs due to the gas pressure drop. It is possible to provide a pressure balancing mechanism to balance the gas pressure inside the storage chamber to prevent a too high or too low gas pressure.

SUMMARY

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling gas concentration inside a crisper drawer.

To achieve the object of the present invention, the invention adopts the following technical solutions: a method for controlling gas concentration inside a crisper drawer comprises the following steps: S1: judging whether a storage chamber for storing food is in a closed state; S2: if yes, acquiring the current concentration of freshness-preserving gas inside the storage chamber and comparing the current concentration with a preset threshold; if not, returning to S1; S3: if the current concentration of the freshness-preserving gas inside the storage chamber is less than the preset threshold, charging freshness-preserving gas into the storage chamber; if the current concentration of the freshness-preserving gas inside the storage chamber is greater than or equal to the preset threshold, stopping charging freshness-preserving gas into the storage chamber.

As an improved technical solution of the present invention, a pressure balancing mechanism for a balancing gas pressure inside the storage chamber is connected to the storage chamber; a gas discharge passage and a gas suction passage which are unidirectionally opened and have opposite opening directions are provided in the pressure balancing mechanism; a gas inlet end of the gas discharge passage is communicated with an inside of the storage chamber, and a gas outlet end of the gas discharge passage is communicated with an outside of the storage chamber; a gas outlet end of the gas suction passage is communicated with the inside of the storage chamber, and a gas inlet end of the gas suction passage is communicated with the outside of the storage chamber.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, the pressure balancing mechanism comprises a base and check valves; wherein the base is used for mounting the check valve; the check valve in the gas discharge passage is provided to be opened outwards from the inside of the storage chamber; the check valve in the gas suction passage is provided to be opened inwards from the outside of the storage chamber.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, the check valve is provided in a vertical direction and comprises a valve body and a valve core bead, wherein an inner wall of the valve body contracts inwards radially to form an annular stop portion, and the valve core bead is laid on the stop portion and is matched with the stop portion to enable opening or closing of the check valve.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, the air inlet end of the gas discharge passage and the gas outlet end of the gas suction passage are communicated with the inside of the storage chamber respectively via a first port, and the gas outlet end of the gas discharge passage and the gas inlet end of the gas suction passage are communicated with the outside of the storage chamber respectively via a second port.

To achieve the object of the present invention, the invention adopts the following technical solutions: a method for controlling gas concentration inside a crisper drawer comprises the following steps: S1: judging whether a storage chamber for storing food is switched from an open state to a closed state; S2: if yes, charging freshness-preserving gas into the storage chamber for a gas supply time t, where the gas supply time t=v1(v2*a), wherein v1 is a volume of the storage chamber, v2 is a flow rate of the charged freshness-preserving gas, and a is the ventilation efficiency; if not, returning to S1.

As an improved technical solution of the present invention, a pressure balancing mechanism for a balancing gas pressure inside the storage chamber is connected to the storage chamber; a gas discharge passage and a gas suction passage which are unidirectionally opened and have opposite opening directions are provided in the pressure balancing mechanism; a gas inlet end of the gas discharge passage is communicated with an inside of the storage chamber, and a gas outlet end of the gas discharge passage is communicated with an outside of the storage chamber; a gas outlet end of the gas suction passage is communicated with the inside of the storage chamber, and a gas inlet end of the gas suction passage is communicated with the outside of the storage chamber.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, the pressure balancing mechanism comprises a base and check valves; wherein the base is used for mounting the check valve; the check valve in the gas discharge passage is provided to be opened outwards from the inside of the storage chamber; the check valve in the gas suction passage is provided to be opened inwards from the outside of the storage chamber.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, the check valve is provided in a vertical direction and comprises a valve body and a valve core bead, wherein an inner wall of the valve body contracts inwards radially to form an annular stop portion, and the valve core bead is laid on the stop portion and is matched with the stop portion to enable opening or closing of the check valve.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, the air inlet end of the gas discharge passage and the gas outlet end of the gas suction passage are communicated with the inside of the storage chamber respectively via a first port, and the gas outlet end of the gas discharge passage and the gas inlet end of the gas suction passage are communicated with the outside of the storage chamber respectively via a second port.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following technical effects: according to the method disclosed by the present invention, the freshness-preserving gas is selectively input into the storage chamber, so that the concentration of the freshness-preserving gas inside the storage chamber can be controlled to be higher than target concentration. As such, the freshness preservation lifetime of food is significantly prolonged; and meanwhile, economical efficiency of the freshness-preserving gas is also improved.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, these embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention, and structures, methods, or functional changes made by one of ordinary skill in the art in accordance with these embodiments are included within the scope of the present invention.

The same or similar structures in the embodiments employ the same reference numerals.

Referring toFIGS. 1 to 4, the present invention provides a crisper drawer100, comprising a drawer main body1, a gas supply mechanism2and a pressure balancing mechanism3. The drawer main body1is provided with a storage chamber10therein for storing food, the storage chamber10being of an openable sealed structure.

In particular, the drawer main body1comprises a cover body11, a box body12and a door body13, wherein the box body12can be moved with respect to the cover body11in a depth direction of a refrigerator to open or close the storage chamber10, and the door body13is provided at the outer side of the refrigerator in the depth direction and used for heat preservation. A sealing structure comprises a sealing ring14provided on the box body12and a press fit mechanism (not shown in drawings) provided on the cover body11. When the storage chamber10is closed, the press fit mechanism presses the sealing ring14to ensure sealing of the storage chamber10.

In this embodiment, the drawer main body1is provided with a gas supply compartment15therein for placement of the gas supply mechanism2, and the air supply compartment15is communicated with the storage chamber10via a gas passage. Of course, in other embodiment of the present invention, in order to ensure the maximized space of the storage chamber10, there may be no gas supply compartment15provided inside the drawer main body1, while the gas supply mechanism2is provided outside the drawer main body1and communicated with the storage chamber10via a pipeline.

The gas supply mechanism2is used for supplying freshness-preserving gas to the storage chamber10, wherein the freshness-preserving gas may be a gas, such as nitrogen for hypnotizing fresh fruits, or oxygen for keeping raw shrimp, fish and other living things alive, which can be selected by a user according to his/her demands.

In particular, the gas supply mechanism2comprises a gas cylinder21for storing the freshness-preserving gas. The gas cylinder21is fixed to a cover plate22. The freshness-preserving gas can be charged into the storage chamber10via the gas passage between the gas supply compartment15and the storage chamber10. In order to eliminate potential safety hazard of too-high pressure inside the gas cylinder21, a pressure relief valve23is also connected to the gas cylinder21.

It will be possible to cause increased gas pressure inside the storage chamber10in the process of charging the freshness-preserving gas into the storage chamber10. In contrast, gas inside the storage component10contracts in coldness following temperature drop in a refrigerating process of a refrigerator, such that negative pressure occurs due to gas pressure drop (seeFIG. 5). Therefore, the present invention provides a pressure balancing mechanism3to balance the gas pressure inside the storage chamber10to prevent a too high or too low gas pressure.

A gas discharge passage (seeFIG. 9) and a gas suction passage (seeFIG. 10) which are unidirectionally opened and have opposite opening directions are provided in the pressure balancing mechanism3.

A gas inlet end of the gas discharge passage is communicated with an inside of the storage chamber10, and a gas outlet end of the gas discharge passage is communicated with an outside of the storage chamber10. When gas pressure inside the storage chamber10is too high, gas inside the storage chamber10is discharged to the outside via the gas discharge passage, such that gas pressure inside the storage chamber10drops.

A gas outlet end of the gas suction passage is communicated with the inside of the storage chamber10, and a gas inlet end of the gas suction passage is communicated with the outside of the storage chamber10. When gas pressure inside the storage chamber10is too low, external gas enters the storage chamber10via the gas suction passage, such that gas pressure inside the storage chamber10rises.

In particular, the pressure balancing mechanism3comprises a base31and check valves32, wherein the base31is used for mounting the check valves32. The check valve32in the gas discharge passage is provided to be opened outwards from the inside of the storage chamber10. The check valve32in the gas suction passage is provided to be opened inwards from the outside of the storage chamber10.

In order to ensure gas tightness of the pressure balancing mechanism3, a mounting gap between the check valve32and the base31is charged with a sealing plug33.

Referring toFIG. 6, the check valve32is provided in a vertical direction and comprises a valve body321and a valve core bead322, wherein an inner wall of the valve body321contracts inwards radially to form an annular stop portion323, and the valve core bead322is laid on the stop portion and is matched with the stop portion to enable opening or closing of the check valve32.

When the gas pressure faces the stop portion from the valve core bead322, the valve core bead322deadly seals a gas pore in the middle of the stop portion323by means of the gas pressure and self weight thereof, such that the check valve32is closed. When the gas pressure faces the valve core bead322from the stop portion and is enough to offset the self weight of the valve core bead322, the valve core bead322is separated from the stop portion323, such that the check valve32is opened, and gas can pass through the gas pore in the middle of the stop portion.

Further, going on referring toFIG. 5, in order to simplify a gas passage structure, the air inlet end of the gas discharge passage and the gas outlet end of the gas suction passage are communicated with the inside of the storage chamber10respectively via a first port34, and the gas outlet end of the gas discharge passage and the gas inlet end of the gas suction passage are communicated with an inside of a refrigerator compartment outside the storage chamber10respectively via a second port35.

When the freshness-preserving gas is a hypnotic gas such as nitrogen, the hypnotic gas is directly discharged into the refrigerator compartment via the second port35and does not adversely affect the food stored in the refrigerator compartment. However, when the freshness-preserving gas is oxygen, it is possible to accelerate the rot of food if the oxygen is directly discharged to the refrigerator compartment.

Further, referring toFIGS. 7 to 8, the second port35is communicated with a ventilation pipeline4. The ventilation pipeline4sequentially comprises a gas connecting pipe41, a gas connecting nozzle42and a ventilation pipe43, wherein the gas connecting nozzle42is clamped on a door lining131of a door body13, the gas connecting pipe41is used for connecting the gas connecting nozzle42with the second port35, and the ventilation pipe43is used for connecting the gas connecting nozzle42with the outside of the refrigerator. Excessive freshness-preserving gas is guided to the outside of the refrigerator via the ventilation pipeline4and then discharged, such that the adverse affects on other foods in the refrigerator compartment can be avoided.

In particular, the gas exchange pipe43is communicated with the outside of the refrigerator via a ventilation hole44in the bottom of the door body13, thereby achieving a function of discharging gas to the outside of the refrigerator while keeping the integrally attractive appearance of the refrigerator. Because the density of most of freshness-preserving gases, such as oxygen is greater than that of air, the height of the ventilation hole44is set to be lower than that of the second port35, such that gas in the storage chamber can be discharged more smoothly.

Referring toFIGS. 9 to 10, arrows inFIG. 9indicate a flowing direction of gas in the gas discharge passage, and arrows inFIG. 10indicate a flowing direction of gas in the gas suction passage. When gas pressure inside the storage chamber is higher than an external gas pressure and the gas pressure is greater than the self weight of the valve core bead322, the valve core bead322of the check valve32(the check valve32at the upper part) in the gas discharge passage is lift by gas, gas flow having relatively high pressure flows away from the peripheral gap of the lift valve core bead322to relieve pressure. Meanwhile, due to the weight and the action of positive pressure inside an area, the valve core bead322of the check valve32(the check valve32at the lower part) in the gas suction passage acts such that the discharged gas cannot open the check valve32in the gas suction passage even if it flows to the gas suction passage. In the same way, when the gas pressure inside the storage chamber is lower than the external gas pressure and the gas pressure is greater than the self weight of the valve core bead322, the valve core bead322of the check valve32(the check valve32at the lower part) in the gas suction passage is lift by gas, gas flow having relatively high pressure flows away from the peripheral gap of the lift valve core bead322to relieve pressure, and meanwhile, due to the weight and the action of positive pressure inside an area, the valve core bead322of the check valve32(the check valve32at the upper part) in the gas discharge passage acts such that the sucked gas cannot open the check valve32in the gas discharge passage even if it is discharged to the gas suction passage.

Referring toFIG. 11, the present invention discloses a method for controlling gas concentration inside a crisper drawer, comprising the following steps: S1: judging whether a storage chamber for storing food is in a closed state; S2: if yes, acquiring the current concentration of freshness-preserving gas inside the storage chamber and comparing the current concentration with a preset threshold; if not, returning to S1; S3: if the current concentration of the freshness-preserving gas inside the storage chamber is less than the preset threshold, charging freshness-preserving gas into the storage chamber; if the current concentration of the freshness-preserving gas inside the storage chamber is greater than or equal to the preset threshold, stopping charging freshness-preserving gas into the storage chamber.

In S1, the current state of the storage chamber is judged according to an electric signal generated by a microswitch (not shown in drawings) provided on a box body.

In S2, the current concentration of the freshness-preserving gas inside the storage chamber is acquired by a gas concentration sensor provided in the storage chamber.

Referring toFIG. 12, the present invention further discloses another method for controlling gas concentration inside a crisper drawer, comprising the following steps: S1: judging whether a storage chamber for storing food is switched from an open state to a closed state; S2: if yes, charging freshness-preserving gas into the storage chamber for a gas supply time t, where the gas supply time t=v1(v2*a), wherein v1 is a volume of the storage chamber, v2 is a flow rate of the charged freshness-preserving gas, and a is the ventilation efficiency; if not, returning to S1.

In S1, the state switching of the storage chamber is judged according to an electric signal generated by a microswitch (not shown in drawings) provided on a box body.

In S2, it is assumed that the volume of the storage chamber is v11, the flow rate of the freshness-preserving gas charged to the gas supply mechanism is v21/min, and the ideal ventilation efficiency is 100%, and then t=v1/v2. However, in fact, owing to the difference in size of the storage chamber, and in sizes and locations of a gas inlet and a gas outlet of the storage chamber, as well as in target concentration of the freshness-preserving gas, the ventilation efficiency of the freshness-preserving gas is also different. The ventilation efficiency a can be obtained by CAE or model test, and then the gas supply time t=v1/(v2*a). The gas supply mechanism supplies gas to the storage chamber during the timing period of the gas supply time until the gas supply time expires.

According to the method disclosed by the present invention, the freshness-preserving gas is selectively input into the storage chamber, so that the concentration of the freshness-preserving gas inside the storage chamber can be controlled to be higher than target concentration. As such, the freshness preservation lifetime of food is significantly prolonged; and meanwhile, economical efficiency of the freshness-preserving gas is also improved.

At last, it should be noted that the above embodiments are merely used to describe the technical solution of the present invention rather than limiting same. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art shall understand that they can still modify the technical solution recorded in the above various embodiments or equivalently replace some technical features. The essence of these modifications or replacements of the corresponding technical solutions does not depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solution in various embodiments of the present invention.