Monitoring device and method for a freezing process

Abstract

This invention discloses a monitoring device and method for the freezing process, characterized by the following steps: Containers are arranged in series on the frozen item, with adjacent containers separated by expansion joints. A unidirectional piston, under pressure, is placed in the first container, with an ice column inserted between the piston and the expansion joint to hold the piston in place. The ice column melts into water upon heating, reducing its volume, and the piston moves forward. The water is then refreezed, becoming ice again and expanding, opening the expansion joint. The ice column melts again, entering the next container through the gap in the expansion joint, and the piston moves forward again. The process repeats, and the number of times the frozen item has thawed can be determined by observing whether the expansion joints at each stage have ruptured and whether there is ice or water in the container. This method allows for the determination of the previous number of times the product has been thawed, enabling effective judgment of product quality.

Description

[0001] The original application for this divisional application was an invention application, with original application number: 201910264770X, original invention title: a method for monitoring a freezing process, and original application date: April 3, 2019. Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to a method and apparatus for monitoring the thawing process during the storage and transportation of frozen products in the cold chain, and particularly to a method and apparatus for monitoring the freezing process and the number of thawing cycles. Background Technology

[0003] Some frozen products, such as meat, meat products, fish products, and pharmaceuticals, require a certain temperature to be maintained during the cold chain storage and transportation process to ensure the quality of the products received by users. Due to factors such as equipment, environment, and human factors, products often thaw and freeze multiple times during the existing cold chain process, which has a significant impact on product quality. Moreover, users at each stage cannot obtain this data and cannot make an effective judgment when purchasing. This still needs to be further addressed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the above problems, the present invention provides a method for monitoring the freezing process, characterized by comprising the following steps:

[0005] a. Set up containers in series on frozen items, with adjacent containers separated by expansion joints. Set up a one-way piston that applies pressure in the first container, and place an ice column between the piston and the expansion joint to hold the piston in place.

[0006] b. As the ice column melts into water and its volume decreases, the piston moves forward.

[0007] c. When the water is frozen again, it turns into ice and expands in volume, causing the sheets to burst open.

[0008] d. The ice column melts back into water and enters the next container through the gap between the expansion plates, and the piston moves forward.

[0009] e. When the water is frozen again, it turns into ice and expands in volume, causing the next expansion plate to burst open. This cycle repeats. By observing whether each expansion plate bursts and whether there is ice or water in the container, you can determine the number of times the frozen item has thawed.

[0010] An apparatus for monitoring the freezing process described above is characterized by comprising a primary container and a monitoring container, wherein the primary container is connected in series with at least two or more monitoring containers, adjacent series containers are isolated by expansion joints, and a unidirectional piston that applies pressure is disposed inside the primary container, with an ice column inserted between the piston and the expansion joint to hold the piston in place.

[0011] Furthermore, an upper positioning post is provided at the center of the upper end of the ice column, which is inserted into the ice column and abuts against the piston, and a lower positioning post is provided at the center of the lower end of the ice column, which is inserted into the ice column and fixedly connected to the first-stage container.

[0012] Furthermore, the tearing sheet is a hard sheet with intersecting tear grooves on it.

[0013] Furthermore, the expansion joint is a flexible elastic membrane, and one side of the flexible elastic membrane is provided with a sharp object that can pierce it.

[0014] Furthermore, a pressure spring is provided on the side of the piston opposite to the icicle, and the piston is connected to a reverse tooth through a spring plate. The inner wall of the first-stage container is provided with locking positions distributed along the piston's movement direction to cooperate with the reverse tooth.

[0015] Furthermore, the piston is connected to a torsion spring and a piston rod, the piston rod having a thread that mates with the inner wall of the primary container, and the torsion spring can drive the piston to rotate and feed forward.

[0016] Furthermore, the piston is provided with an air vent, and a float sealing plug is provided at the bottom of the air vent.

[0017] Furthermore, the monitoring container is provided with an air vent, and a float sealing plug is provided at the bottom of the air vent.

[0018] Furthermore, a metal partition plate is provided between the adjacent series containers, and the partition plate has through holes.

[0019] Furthermore, at least one of the primary container and the monitoring container is connected to the product via cable ties.

[0020] The method of this invention causes the first-stage expansion sheet to crack each time it is frozen, and after thawing, it flows into the next stage container. Based on this method, the number of times the product has been thawed can be obtained, and the product quality can be effectively judged. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0023] The components labeled in the diagram are: 1. Primary container; 2. Monitoring container; 3. Piston; 5. Upper positioning post; 6. Lower positioning post; 7. Spring; 8. Spring plate; 9. Back teeth; 10. Locking position; 11. Elastic membrane; 12. Sharp object; 13. Vent hole; 14. Float sealing plug; 15. Isolation plate. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Embodiment 1 of the present invention discloses a method for monitoring the freezing process, comprising the following steps:

[0025] a. Set up containers in series on frozen items. The number of series levels can be set according to the maximum number of times the product can be thawed. Adjacent series containers are isolated by expansion joints. A one-way piston that applies pressure is set in the first container. An ice column is placed between the piston and the expansion joint to hold the piston in place.

[0026] b. As the ice column melts into water and its volume decreases, the piston moves forward.

[0027] c. When the water is frozen again, it turns into ice and expands in volume, causing the sheets to burst open.

[0028] d. The ice column melts back into water and enters the next container through the gap between the expansion plates, and the piston moves forward.

[0029] e. When the water is frozen again, it turns into ice and expands in volume, opening up the next expansion plate. This cycle repeats. By observing whether the expansion plates at each stage have burst and whether there is ice or water in the container, the number of times the frozen item has thawed can be determined, allowing for an effective judgment on product quality.

[0030] Embodiment 2 of the present invention discloses an apparatus for implementing a freezing process monitoring method, comprising a primary container 1 and a monitoring container 2. The capacity of the primary container is larger than that of the monitoring container, and the primary container is cylindrical. The primary container has at least two or more monitoring containers connected in series. The number of series connections can be set according to the maximum number of times the product can be thawed. Adjacent series containers are isolated by expansion joints. A unidirectional piston 3 that applies pressure is installed inside the primary container. An ice column, which can be formed by freezing water, is placed between the piston and the expansion joint to hold the piston in place. The ice column has a center position at the upper end of the ice column for inserting the ice column and a piston. The upper positioning post 5 is used to stop the ice column, and the lower positioning post 6 is located at the center of the lower end of the ice column, which is inserted into the ice column and fixedly connected to the first-stage container. The diameter and length of the upper and lower positioning posts can be adjusted to provide different supports at different stages of heating. The heating is insufficient to melt the ice column completely without affecting product quality. If the temperature is exceeded, the ice column support will break and the piston will move forward. To prevent the piston from retracting, a pressure spring 7 is provided on the side of the piston opposite to the ice column in this embodiment. The piston is connected to a reverse tooth 9 through a spring plate 8. The inner wall of the first-stage container has a tooth that cooperates with the reverse tooth and is distributed along the piston's movement direction. Position 10 can only move forward and not backward. The positions in each column can be staggered to improve the stepping accuracy of the feed anti-reverse mechanism. In implementation, a torsion spring connected to the piston, a piston rod connected to the piston, and a threaded connection between the piston rod and the inner wall of the first-stage container can be used. The torsion spring drives the piston to rotate and feed forward, achieving the same purpose. In this embodiment, the expansion flap is a flexible elastic membrane 11. One side of the flexible elastic membrane has a sharp object 12 that can pierce it. The sharp object is needle-shaped, blade-shaped, or tooth-shaped. When the water freezes, the volume expands, squeezing the elastic membrane against the sharp object, causing it to break or crack. The expansion and cracking plate can also be a hard plate, such as plastic or metal, with intersecting tear grooves to achieve the same purpose; the piston is provided with an air vent 13, and a float sealing plug 14 is provided below the air vent to discharge excess air; a metal isolation plate 15 is provided between adjacent series containers, and the isolation plate is provided with through holes, which allow water to pass through when melting and rapid freezing isolation when freezing; in the method of the present invention, each freezing will cause the first-stage expansion and cracking plate to crack, and after thawing, it flows into the next stage container. According to this method, the number of times the product has been thawed can be obtained, and the product quality can be effectively judged.

[0031] During implementation, ventilation holes can be installed on the monitoring container, with a float sealing plug at the bottom of the ventilation hole to achieve exhaust. At least one of the primary container and the monitoring container is connected to the product by cable ties, and each batch of products is tracked to the end by one device. Alternatively, a barcode identical to the traceability code can be affixed to ensure that the same device is used for the same batch of products.

[0032] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but is not limited to the embodiments. More implementation methods can be achieved by recombining the various technical features. All equivalent modifications and additions to the prior art made in accordance with this application without departing from the concept of the present invention shall be considered within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for detecting a freezing process, characterized in that It includes a primary container and monitoring containers. The primary container has at least two monitoring containers connected in series. The primary container and the monitoring containers, as well as adjacent monitoring containers, are isolated by expansion joints. A unidirectional piston that applies pressure is installed inside the primary container. An ice column is placed between the piston and the expansion joint to hold the piston in place. The upper center of the ice column is provided with an upper positioning post for inserting the ice column and abutting against the piston, and the lower center of the ice column is provided with a lower positioning post for inserting the ice column and fixing it to the first-stage container. The tear-resistant sheet is a hard sheet with intersecting tear grooves on it. The piston is connected to a torsion spring and a piston rod. The piston rod has external threads, and the inner wall of the primary container has internal threads that mate with the external threads. The torsion spring can drive the piston and piston rod to rotate, and the piston is driven forward through the threaded engagement. The detection method used by the device for detecting the freezing process includes the following steps: a. Containers are connected in series on frozen items, and adjacent containers are separated by expansion joints. A one-way piston that applies pressure is installed in the first container. An ice column is placed between the piston and the expansion joint to hold the piston in place. The containers connected in series refer to the first container and the monitoring container, as well as the adjacent monitoring containers. b. As the ice column melts into water and its volume decreases, the piston moves forward. c. When the water is frozen again, it turns into ice and expands in volume, causing the sheets to burst open. d. The ice column melts back into water and enters the next container through the gap between the expansion plates, and the piston moves forward. e. When the water is frozen again, it turns into ice and expands in volume, causing the next expansion plate to burst open. This cycle repeats. By observing whether each expansion plate bursts and whether there is ice or water in the container, you can determine the number of times the frozen item has thawed.

2. The device for detecting a freezing process according to claim 1, characterized in that The piston is provided with an air vent, and a float sealing plug is provided at the bottom of the air vent.

3. The apparatus for detecting the freezing process according to claim 2, characterized in that... The monitoring container is equipped with an air vent, and a float sealing plug is installed at the bottom of the air vent.

4. The apparatus for detecting the freezing process according to claim 2, characterized in that... A metal partition plate is provided between the adjacent series containers, and the partition plate has through holes.

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