The present application is a 35 U.S.C. ยง 371 National Phase conversion of International (PCT) Patent Application No. PCT/CN2016/095267, filed on Aug. 15, 2016, which further claims benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 201511023130.8, filed on Dec. 29, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. The PCT International Patent Application was filed and published in Chinese.
The present invention relates to the technical field of freshness preservation of a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a fresh drawer capable of realizing food freshness preservation by regulating internal gas components, and a refrigerator using the fresh drawer.
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 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 be possible to cause an increased gas pressure inside a storage chamber in the process of charging fresh-keeping 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.
Objects of the present invention are to provide a fresh drawer capable of realizing food freshness preservation by regulating internal gas components, and a refrigerator using the fresh drawer.
To achieve one of the objects of the present invention, the invention adopts the following technical solutions: a fresh drawer comprises a drawer body which is provided with a storage chamber therein for storing food, the storage chamber being of an openable sealed structure; a gas supplier for supplying fresh-keeping gas to the storage chamber; and a pressure balancer for balancing the gas pressure inside the storage chamber.
As an improved technical solution of the present invention, the drawer body comprises a cover body, a box body and a door body, wherein the box body is movable with respect to the cover body in a depth direction of a refrigerator to open or close the storage chamber, and the door body is provided at the outer side of the refrigerator in the depth direction and used for heat preservation.
As a further improved technical solution of the present application, the drawer body is provided with a gas supply compartment therein for placement of the air supply mechanism, and the air supply compartment is communicated with the storage chamber via a gas passage.
As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, the air supply mechanism comprises a gas cylinder for storing fresh-keeping gas, and a pressure relief valve is also connected to the gas cylinder.
As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, a gas discharge passage and a gas suction passage which are unidirectionally opened and have opposite opening directions are provided in the pressure balancer; 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 balancer comprises a base and check valves, wherein, the base is used for mounting the check valves; 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 gas 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 inside of a refrigerator compartment outside the storage chamber respectively via a second port.
As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, the second port is communicated with a ventilation pipeline, and the ventilation pipeline is communicated with an outside of the refrigerator.
To achieve another object, the invention adopts the following technical solutions: a refrigerator comprises a fresh drawer, wherein the fresh drawer comprises a drawer body which is provided with a storage chamber therein for storing food, the storage chamber being of an openable sealed structure; a gas supplier for supplying fresh-keeping gas to the storage chamber; a pressure balancer for balancing the gas pressure inside the storage chamber.
As an improved technical solution of the present invention, the drawer body comprises a cover body, a box body and a door body, wherein the box body is movable with respect to the cover body in a depth direction of the refrigerator to open or close the storage chamber, and the door body is provided at the outer side of the refrigerator in the depth direction and used for heat preservation.
As a further improved technical solution of the present application, the drawer body is provided with a gas supply compartment therein for placement of the gas supplier, and the gas supply compartment is communicated with the storage chamber via a gas passage.
As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, the gas supplier comprises a gas cylinder for storing fresh-keeping gas, and a pressure relief valve is also connected to the gas cylinder.
As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, a gas discharge passage and a gas suction passage which are unidirectionally opened and have opposite opening directions are provided in the pressure balancer; 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 balancer comprises a base and check valves, wherein, the base is used for mounting the check valves; 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 gas 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 an inside of a refrigerator compartment outside the storage chamber respectively via a second port.
As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, the second port is communicated with a ventilation pipeline, and the ventilation pipeline is communicated with an outside of the refrigerator.
Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following technical effects: according to the fresh drawer and the refrigerator using the fresh drawer, air in the storage chamber is replaced with nitrogen, oxygen and other fresh-keeping gas, such that the controlled atmosphere of a food storage space is changed, and thus the freshness preservation lifetime of food can be significantly prolonged.
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 to
In particular, the drawer body 1 comprises a cover body 11, a box body 12 and a door body 13, wherein the box body 12 is movable with respect to the cover body 11 in a depth direction of a refrigerator to open or close the storage chamber 10, and the door body 13 is provided at the outer side of the refrigerator in the depth direction and used for heat preservation. A sealing structure comprises a sealing ring 14 provided on the box body 12 and a press fit mechanism (not shown in drawings) provided on the cover body 11. When the storage chamber 10 is closed, the press fit mechanism presses the sealing ring 14 to ensure sealing of the storage chamber 10.
In this embodiment, the drawer body 1 is also provided with a gas supply compartment 15 therein for placement of the gas supplier 2, and the air supply compartment 15 is communicated with the storage chamber 10 via a gas passage. Of course, in other embodiment of the present invention, in order to ensure the maximized space of the storage chamber 10, there may be no gas supply compartment 15 provided inside the drawer body 1, while the gas supplier 2 is provided outside the drawer body 1 and communicated with the storage chamber 10 via a pipeline.
The gas supplier 2 is used for supplying fresh-keeping gas to the storage chamber 10, wherein the fresh-keeping 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 supplier 2 comprises a gas cylinder 21 for storing the fresh-keeping gas. The gas cylinder 21 is fixed to a cover plate 22. The fresh-keeping gas can be charged into the storage chamber 10 via the gas passage between the gas supply compartment 15 and the storage chamber 10. In order to eliminate potential safety hazard of too-high pressure inside the gas cylinder 21, a pressure relief valve 23 is connected to the gas cylinder 21.
It will be possible to cause an increased gas pressure inside the storage chamber 10 in the process of charging the fresh-keeping gas into the storage chamber 10. In contrast, gas inside the storage component 10 contracts in coldness following temperature drop in a refrigerating process of a refrigerator, such that negative pressure occurs due to gas pressure drop (see
A gas discharge passage (see
A gas inlet end of the gas discharge passage is communicated with an inside of the storage chamber 10, and a gas outlet end of the gas discharge passage is communicated with an outside of the storage chamber 10. When gas pressure inside the storage chamber 10 is too high, gas inside the storage chamber 10 is discharged to the outside via the gas discharge passage, such that gas pressure inside the storage chamber 10 drops.
A gas outlet end of the gas suction passage is communicated with the inside of the storage chamber 10, and a gas inlet end of the gas suction passage is communicated with the outside of the storage chamber 10. When gas pressure inside the storage chamber 10 is too low, external gas enters the storage chamber 10 via the gas suction passage, such that gas pressure inside the storage chamber 10 rises.
In particular, the pressure balancer 3 comprises a base 31 and check valves 32, wherein the base 31 is used for mounting the check valves 32. The check valve 32 in the gas discharge passage is provided to be opened outwards from the inside of the storage chamber 10. The check valve 32 in the gas suction passage is provided to be opened inwards from the outside of the storage chamber 10.
In order to ensure gas tightness of the pressure balancer 3, a mounting gap between the check valve 32 and the base 31 is charged with a sealing plug 33.
In order to ensure gas tightness of the pressure balancing mechanism 3, a mounting gap between the check valve 32 and the base 31 is charged with a sealing plug 33.
Referring to
When the gas pressure faces the stop portion from the valve core bead 322, the valve core bead 322 deadly seals a gas pore in the middle of the stop portion 323 by means of the gas pressure and self weight thereof, such that the check valve 32 is closed. When the gas pressure faces the valve core bead 322 from the stop portion and is enough to offset the self weight of the valve core bead 322, the valve core bead 322 is separated from the stop portion 323, such that the check valve 32 is opened, and gas can pass through the gas pore in the middle of the stop portion.
Further, going on referring to
When the fresh-keeping gas is a hypnotic gas such as nitrogen, the hypnotic gas is directly discharged into the refrigerator compartment via the second port 35 and does not adversely affect food stored in the refrigerator compartment. However, when the fresh-keeping gas is oxygen, it is possible to accelerate the rot of food if the oxygen is directly discharged to the refrigerator compartment.
Further, referring to
In particular, the ventilation pipe 43 is communicated with the outside of the refrigerator via a ventilation hole 44 in the bottom of the door body 13, 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 fresh-keeping gases, such as oxygen is greater than that of air, the height of the ventilation hole 44 is set to be lower than that of the second port 35, such that gas in the storage chamber can be discharged more smoothly.
Referring to
Referring to
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 fresh-keeping gas inside the storage chamber is acquired by a gas concentration sensor provided in the storage chamber.
Referring to
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 fresh-keeping gas charged to the gas supplier 2 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 fresh-keeping gas, the ventilation efficiency of the fresh-keeping 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 supplier 2 supplies gas to the storage chamber during the timing period of the gas supply time until the gas supply time expires.
The present invention discloses a refrigerator. The refrigerator comprises the above-mentioned fresh drawer. The description regarding the fresh drawer refers to the above and will not be repeated here.
According to the fresh drawer and the refrigerator using the fresh drawer, air in the storage chamber is replaced with nitrogen, oxygen and other fresh-keeping gas, such that the controlled atmosphere of a food storage space is changed, and thus the freshness preservation lifetime of food can be significantly prolonged.
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.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2015 1 1023130 | Dec 2015 | CN | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/CN2016/095267 | 8/15/2016 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2017/113809 | 7/6/2017 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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5046332 | Herrmann | Sep 1991 | A |
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20140166671 | Downie | Jun 2014 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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102288005 | Dec 2011 | CN |
102288005 | Dec 2011 | CN |
103575050 | Feb 2014 | CN |
104101158 | Oct 2014 | CN |
105674676 | Jun 2016 | CN |
102013205867 | Oct 2014 | DE |
2007020585 | Feb 2007 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20180209720 A1 | Jul 2018 | US |