Refrigerator and its ultrasonic-assisted processing device

Abstract

The present invention provides a refrigerator and its ultrasonic-assisted processing device, which is used to be arranged in a low-temperature space to cool the food materials in the low-temperature space. The ultrasonic-assisted processing device includes a tray assembly and a temperature buffer device. The tray assembly is arranged in the low-temperature space and configured to carry the food materials. The temperature buffer device is arranged on the tray assembly and configured to absorb the heat of the food materials to buffer the cooling rate of the food materials, so that the temperature change rate of the food materials under a preset refrigeration power is maintained within a preset range. The ultrasonic-assisted processing device of the present invention uses its temperature buffer device to absorb the heat of the food materials, buffers the cooling rate of the food materials, avoids the texture of the food materials from being damaged, has strong practicability and is easy to promote.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of refrigeration and freezing devices, and particularly to a refrigerator and its ultrasonic-assisted processing device. Background Art

[0002] In order to meet the user's rapid freezing demand, there have emerged refrigerators in the prior art that can rapidly freeze. Such refrigerators generally achieve this by significantly reducing the temperature of the freezing compartment. For example, for air-cooled refrigerators, methods such as increasing the air volume directed to the freezing compartment are used. To further accelerate the freezing rate, ultrasonic-assisted technology has also emerged in the prior art to optimize heat exchange to meet the rapid freezing demand.

[0003] However, the above technical solutions only solve the technical problem of how to rapidly freeze, but an overly fast freezing rate may damage the internal structure of food, resulting in the loss of food nutrition.

[0004] Therefore, how to both rapidly freeze and ensure that the freezing rate is within a reasonable range has become a technical problem that those skilled in the art urgently need to solve. Summary of the Invention

[0005] One object of the present invention is to overcome at least one defect in the prior art, and to provide a refrigerator and its ultrasonic-assisted processing device.

[0006] One object of the present invention is to ensure that the internal texture of the frozen object is not damaged, thereby improving the quality of the food ingredients.

[0007] Another further object of the present invention is to stabilize the temperature change rate of the food ingredients when the freezing program is abnormal or interrupted.

[0008] Specifically, the present invention provides an ultrasonic-assisted processing device for being arranged in a low-temperature space to accelerate the freezing rate and / or pickling rate of food ingredients stored in the low-temperature space. The ultrasonic-assisted processing device includes:

[0009] A tray assembly, disposed in the low-temperature space and configured to carry food ingredients; and

[0010] A temperature buffer device, disposed on the tray assembly and configured to absorb the heat of the food ingredients to buffer the cooling rate of the food ingredients, so that the temperature change rate of the food ingredients is maintained within a preset range under a preset refrigeration power.

[0011] Further, the tray assembly includes:

[0012] A tray having a plurality of downwardly concave portions for placing food ingredients.

[0013] Further, the temperature buffer device includes at least one annular liquid storage bag, each annular liquid storage bag is filled with a partition medium, and the annular liquid storage bags are sleeved around the outside of the recessed part one by one.

[0014] Further, the peripheral wall of the recessed part tapers gradually from top to bottom; and

[0015] The ratio of the width of the annular liquid storage bag to the height of the peripheral wall of the recessed part is between 0.5 and 1.

[0016] Further, the tray assembly further includes:

[0017] A base, located below the tray, sealingly buckled or covered on the tray, and a partition cavity is formed between the tray and the base, and the partition cavity is filled with a partition medium.

[0018] Further, the ratio of the volume of the partition medium to the volume of the partition cavity is between 1 / 5 and 4 / 5; and the recessed part is configured such that at least a part of its section is immersed in the partition medium to increase the contact area between the recessed part and the partition medium.

[0019] Further, the freezing temperature of the partition medium is configured to be between -40 and 0 °C; and

[0020] The specific heat capacity of the partition medium is configured to be between 1 and 5 KJ / (kg·K).

[0021] In particular, the present invention also provides a refrigerator, the interior of which defines a storage compartment, and the ultrasonic-assisted treatment device according to any one of the above is provided in the storage compartment.

[0022] Further, the refrigerator further includes:

[0023] An ultrasonic generator, provided in the low-temperature space or on the tray assembly, configured to controllably generate ultrasonic waves, so that at least a part of the ultrasonic waves is applied to the food materials to promote the freezing of the food materials.

[0024] Further, the refrigerator further includes:

[0025] A drawer-type container, which is configured to be operably pulled out or retracted into the low-temperature space, wherein

[0026] The ultrasonic-assisted treatment device is arranged such that its tray assembly serves as the bottom plate of the drawer-type container.

[0027] In the ultrasonic-assisted processing device of the present invention, since the temperature buffer device is provided on the tray assembly, and the specific heat capacity of the temperature buffer device is configured to be greater than that of the food material. That is, when absorbing the same unit of heat (or cold), the change rate of the temperature buffer device is less than the temperature change rate of the food material. Therefore, the temperature buffer device can absorb the heat of the food material, making the change of the temperature field of the food material tend to be stable, thereby ensuring that the food material is cooled evenly and the temperature change rate is stable, thus avoiding the internal texture of the food material being damaged due to too fast or unstable temperature drop, and improving the quality of the food material.

[0028] Furthermore, in the ultrasonic-assisted processing device of the present invention, when the freezing program of the refrigerator is abnormal or interrupted, the temperature of the food material will rise with the temperature of the low-temperature space. The specific heat capacity of the temperature buffer device is relatively large, which enables the temperature buffer device to buffer its cooling rate whether the temperature of the food material is rising or falling, ensuring that the internal texture of the frozen object is not damaged and improving the quality of the food material.

[0029] Through the following detailed description of the specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the drawings, those skilled in the art will become more clear about the above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] By reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, various other advantages and benefits will become clear to those of ordinary skill in the art. The drawings are only for the purpose of showing the preferred embodiments and are not considered to be a limitation of the present invention. Moreover, throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to represent the same components. In the drawings:

[0031] Figure 1 is an exploded view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 is a schematic view of a tray in a refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a tray assembly in a refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 4 is Figure 3 an enlarged view of part A in

[0035] Figure 5 is an exploded view of a tray assembly in a refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a tray assembly in a refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 7Exploded view of a refrigerator according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0038] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure can be more thoroughly understood and the scope of the present disclosure can be fully conveyed to those skilled in the art.

[0039] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 Exploded view of a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The present invention provides a refrigerator 1, which generally may include a cabinet 10. The cabinet 10 may include an outer shell and a storage inner liner. The outer shell wraps the storage inner liner, and the space between the outer shell and the storage inner liner is filled with a heat-insulating material (forming a foamed layer) to reduce the heat dissipation of the storage inner liner to the outside.

[0040] The number of storage inner liners may be multiple. Each storage inner liner may define a storage space 110. The multiple storage spaces 110 may be configured as a refrigerating chamber, a freezing chamber, a variable temperature chamber, etc. The specific number and functions of the storage spaces 110 may be configured according to pre-set requirements.

[0041] In some embodiments, one of the storage spaces 110 may also be specifically configured as a low-temperature space 114. The low-temperature space 114 may be used as a quick-freezing compartment of the refrigerator 1 to meet the user's need for quick-freezing food.

[0042] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4 , Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a tray 202 in the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 Cross-sectional view of a tray assembly 200 in the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is Figure 3 Enlarged view of part A in. In some embodiments, the refrigerator 1 may further include an ultrasonic-assisted processing device 20. The ultrasonic-assisted processing device 20 may be arranged in the low-temperature space 114 to cool the food materials in the low-temperature space 114.

[0043] Specifically, the ultrasonic-assisted processing device 20 may include a tray assembly 200 and a temperature buffering device 210. The tray assembly 200 may be arranged in the low-temperature space 114 for carrying food materials. The temperature buffering device 210 is arranged on the tray assembly 200 for absorbing the heat of the food materials to buffer the cooling rate of the food materials, so that the temperature change rate of the food materials under a preset refrigeration power is maintained within a preset range.

[0044] The tray assembly 200 is disposed within the low-temperature space 114. A user can place food materials (such as meat and other foods) on the tray assembly 200, and then automatically or manually start the freezing program of the refrigerator 1 to begin freezing the food materials. For example, for the air-cooled refrigerator 1, after the user starts the freezing program, the power of the compressor, fan, etc. of the refrigerator 1 increases, and the air volume increases to rapidly cool the food materials. Of course, as is well-known to those skilled in the art, there are other solutions for the freezing technology of the refrigerator 1. In order not to obscure and blur the inventive points of this application, they will not be elaborated here.

[0045] As described in the background art section, the existing freezing solutions only solve the problem of how to freeze quickly. However, if the freezing rate is too fast, it may damage the internal structure of the food, resulting in the loss of food nutrition.

[0046] To overcome the above defects of the prior art, the ultrasonic-assisted processing device 20 in this embodiment adopts a temperature buffer device 210 disposed on the tray assembly 200 to buffer the cooling rate of the food materials.

[0047] Specifically, the specific heat capacity of the temperature buffer device 210 can also be configured to be greater than that of the food materials. That is, when absorbing the same unit of heat (or cold), the change rate of the temperature buffer device 210 is less than the temperature change rate of the food materials. Thus, after the user starts the freezing program, the temperature of the temperature buffer device 210 changes relatively slowly, and its temperature is higher than that of the food materials. Therefore, the temperature buffer device 210 can heat the food materials, making the temperature field change of the food materials tend to be stable, thereby ensuring that the food materials are evenly cooled and the temperature change rate is stable, thus avoiding the internal texture of the food materials being damaged due to too fast or unstable temperature drop, and improving the quality of the food materials.

[0048] In addition, the temperature buffer device 210 can also stabilize the temperature change rate of the food materials when the freezing program is abnormal or interrupted. For example, during the defrosting process of the evaporator of the refrigerator 1, generally, the refrigeration power needs to be reduced. At this time, if the user has already started the freezing program and there is no temperature buffer device 210, the temperature of the food materials will rise with the temperature of the low-temperature space 114. After the defrosting is over and the refrigeration power resumes normal, the temperature of the food materials will decrease again with the recovery of the refrigeration power. Therefore, during the repeated temperature rise and fall process, the degree of texture damage of the food materials is higher, accelerating the loss of its nutrition. And since the storage period of the food materials in the low-temperature space 114 is generally long, the probability of the above situation occurring is relatively high. However, the specific heat capacity of the temperature buffer device 210 in this embodiment is relatively large, which enables the temperature buffer device 210 to buffer the cooling rate whether the temperature of the food materials is rising or falling, ensuring that the internal texture of the frozen object is not damaged and improving the quality of the food materials.

[0049] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4, in some embodiments, the tray assembly 200 may further include a tray 202 having a plurality of downwardly recessed portions 202a for placing food ingredients, so as to facilitate a user to place some smooth-textured foods, such as fish and the like. The number, size, and shape of the plurality of recessed portions 202a may be set according to actual situations. For example Figure 2 as shown, the recessed portions 202a may be set to be circular, elongated, or the like to meet the needs of the user to place food ingredients of different types and sizes. In addition, the formation of the recessed portions 202a can also increase the heat exchange area between the food ingredients and the tray 202, improving the heat exchange efficiency.

[0050] Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the temperature buffer device 210 may further include at least one annular liquid storage bag 212. Each annular liquid storage bag 212 is filled with a partition medium 214, and the annular liquid storage bags 212 are sleeved around the outer sides of the recessed portions 202a one by one, and at least a part of the peripheral wall of the annular liquid storage bag 212 may be in contact with the recessed portion 202a, that is, the annular liquid storage bag 212 is wrapped around the outer sides of the recessed portions 202a, which is more conducive to heat exchange between the partition medium 214 and the food ingredients.

[0051] In this embodiment, the partition medium 214 in the annular liquid storage bag 212 may be a substance with a relatively large specific heat capacity, such as a heat storage gel, etc., preferably a solution or a semi-solid medium, so as to heat the food ingredients by using the partition medium 214.

[0052] In some specific embodiments, the partition medium 214 may also be a cold storage agent whose freezing temperature is between -40 and 0 °C. For example, -40 °C, -20 °C, or 0 °C, etc., and the partition medium 214 may be a cold storage agent with a specific heat capacity between 1 and 5 KJ / (kg·K). For example, 1 KJ / (kg·K), 3 KJ / (kg·K), or 5 KJ / (kg·K), etc. In addition, the selection of the partition medium 214 should also consider its properties such as danger, flammability, non-toxicity, etc. to meet the use environment of the refrigerator 1.

[0053] Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 , in some embodiments, the peripheral wall of the recessed portion 202a may also taper from top to bottom, that is, the recessed portion 202a may be in the shape of being larger at the top and smaller at the bottom, which is convenient for stamping the tray 202 by using a stamping die during the production process and is conducive to mass production.

[0054] Please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4In the following, H represents the height of the peripheral wall of the recessed portion 202a, and h represents the width of the annular liquid storage bag 212. Further, the ratio of the width h of the annular liquid storage bag 212 to the height H of the peripheral wall of the recessed portion 202a can also be set between 0.5 and 1, such as 0.5, 0.8, or 1, etc. This can ensure that the wrapping area of the annular liquid storage bag 212 is larger, and further ensure that the temperature change rate of the food ingredients is maintained within the preset range.

[0055] Please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 , Figure 5 FIG. Figure 5 is an exploded view of the tray assembly 200 in the refrigerator 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6 FIG. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the tray assembly 200 in the refrigerator 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] In some other embodiments, the tray assembly 200 may further include a base 204. The base 204 is located below the tray 202, and the base 204 can be hermetically buckled or covered on the tray 202. A partition cavity 206 is formed between the tray 202 and the base 204, and a partition medium 214 is filled in the partition cavity 206. That is, in this embodiment, the partition medium 214 can also be directly disposed below the tray 202, and the above technical effects can also be achieved.

[0057] Specifically, the base 204 can be recessed inward to form a liquid storage cavity. The base 204 is buckled below the tray 202 to jointly form the partition cavity 206 with the tray 202. To facilitate the user or maintenance personnel to fill the partition medium 214, a liquid replenishment port (not shown in the figure) can be provided on the base 204. After the liquid replenishment is completed, the liquid replenishment port can be sealed with a plug.

[0058] To ensure the sealing performance between the base 204 and the tray 202, direct sealing treatment can also be performed between the base 204 and the tray 202, such as adding a sealing strip, performing a sealing glue treatment, and other related processes.

[0059] Please refer to Figure 6 , in some embodiments, at least a part of the section of the recessed portion 202a is immersed in the partition medium 214 to increase the contact area between the recessed portion 202a and the partition medium 214 and optimize heat transfer.

[0060] Further, the ratio of the volume of the partition medium 214 to the volume of the partition cavity 206 can also be set to be between 1 / 5 and 4 / 5, such as 1 / 5, 2 / 5, or 4 / 5, etc. Through the above limitation, not only can it be ensured that the partition medium 214 will not overflow due to being too full, but it is also beneficial for the recessed portion 202a to be immersed in the partition medium 214, and the stability of heat transfer can be ensured.

[0061] Please refer to Figure 1 andFigure 4 and Figure 5 , in some other embodiments, the refrigerator 1 may further include an ultrasonic generator 30 disposed in the storage compartment or on the tray assembly 200 and configured to controllably generate ultrasonic waves such that at least a portion of the ultrasonic waves is applied to the food materials to promote freezing of the food materials.

[0062] That is, the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment introduces an ultrasonic-assisted freezing technology. The ultrasonic technology can quickly freeze food materials, that is, it can enhance heat transfer during the freezing process of the food materials. The physical effect (cavitation effect) of ultrasonic waves can not only promote the formation of crystal nuclei during the freezing process of the food materials, but also the microbubbles generated due to the cavitation effect can serve as new crystal nuclei, changing the nucleation temperature of the moisture inside the food materials, reducing the supercooling degree of the food materials, and promoting rapid nucleation of ice crystals. Therefore, ultrasonic waves can accelerate the internal heat transfer of the food materials and speed up the cooling rate of the food materials. At the same time, ultrasonic waves can also break large ice crystals, forming small and uniform ice crystals, reducing damage to cells, and ensuring the freshness of the food materials.

[0063] For example, the temperature range of the low-temperature space can be adjusted to be between -40 and 0 °C (the specific temperature range can be adjusted according to needs). The ultrasonic-assisted treatment device is disposed in the low-temperature space. The food materials crystallize under the action of ultrasonic waves. The cavitation effect of ultrasonic waves can not only promote the formation of crystal nuclei, accelerate the internal heat transfer, and increase the cooling rate, but also break large ice crystals, forming small and uniform ice crystals, reducing damage to cells, thereby greatly improving the quality of frozen storage of food. That is, at this time, the ultrasonic-assisted treatment device serves as an auxiliary ultrasonic-assisted treatment device to accelerate the freezing rate of the food materials.

[0064] For another example, the temperature range of the low-temperature space can be adjusted to be above 0 °C for storing fresh fruits, vegetables or food materials stored for a short time. In addition, the inventor also realized that when the temperature of the low-temperature space is set above 0 °C, the ultrasonic generator 30 can also accelerate the pickling rate of the food materials to be pickled (food materials with pickling agents already smeared on the surface or immersed in pickling agents), that is, the ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic generator 30 have a promoting effect on the pickling rate of the food materials to be pickled. That is, at this time, the ultrasonic-assisted treatment device serves as an auxiliary pickling device to accelerate the pickling rate of the food materials.

[0065] It should be noted that the above examples are only for clearly describing the working principle of the ultrasonic generator 30 in this embodiment, and do not separate the freezing process and the pickling process according to the temperature environment where the ultrasonic-assisted treatment device is located. Those skilled in the art should be able to clearly perform the pickling process while freezing the food materials.

[0066] In this embodiment, the ultrasonic generator 30 can be not only disposed in the storage space 110, but also disposed on the tray assembly 200 ( Figure 1 andFigure 4 as shown, to release ultrasonic waves to the food materials to promote their freezing.

[0067] In some specific embodiments, the number of the ultrasonic generators 30 may be multiple, and the multiple ultrasonic generators 30 may be one of ultrasonic vibrators or ultrasonic wafers. The multiple ultrasonic generators 30 may be evenly arranged on the side of the tray assembly 200 facing away from the food materials, and their specific specifications and numbers may be set according to actual situations. The sound intensity of the ultrasonic signals generated by the ultrasonic generators 30 may be set to be between 0.05 W / cm 2 and 2 W / cm 2 For example, 0.05 W / cm 2 , 1 W / cm 2 or 2 W / cm 2 etc., to meet the freezing requirements.

[0068] Please refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 which is an exploded view of the refrigerator 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Further, the refrigerator 1 may further include a drawer-type container 40, the drawer-type container 40 can be operably pulled out or retracted into the low-temperature space 114, and the ultrasonic-assisted processing device 20 may be arranged such that its tray assembly 200 serves as the bottom plate of the drawer-type container 40.

[0069] At this point, those skilled in the art should recognize that although multiple exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein, many other variations or modifications that conform to the principles of the present invention can still be directly determined or derived from the content disclosed in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be understood and determined to cover all these other variations or modifications.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic-assisted processing device, arranged in a low-temperature space to accelerate the freezing rate and / or pickling rate of food stored in the low-temperature space, the ultrasonic-assisted processing device comprising: a tray assembly, disposed in the low-temperature space and configured to carry food; and a temperature buffer device, disposed on the tray assembly, configured to absorb heat from the food to buffer the cooling rate of the food, thereby maintaining the temperature change rate of the food within a preset range under a preset refrigeration power; The temperature buffer device includes at least one annular liquid storage bag, each of which is filled with an interlayer medium. The solidification temperature of the interlayer medium is configured to be between -40 and 0°C, and the specific heat capacity of the interlayer medium is configured to be between 1 and 5 KJ / (kg·K).

2. The ultrasound-assisted treatment device according to claim 1, wherein: The tray assembly includes: The tray has a plurality of recessed portions which are recessed downwards and used for placing the food.

3. The ultrasound-assisted treatment device according to claim 2, wherein The annular liquid storage bags are sleeved around the outer sides of the recessed parts in a one-to-one correspondence.

4. The ultrasound-assisted treatment device according to claim 3, wherein The peripheral wall of the recessed portion gradually shrinks from top to bottom; and The ratio of the width of the annular liquid storage bag to the height of the peripheral wall of the recessed portion is between 0.5 and 1.

5. The ultrasound-assisted treatment device according to claim 2, wherein: The tray assembly further comprises: The base is located below the tray and is sealed or covered on the tray, and an interlayer cavity is formed between the tray and the base, and the interlayer cavity is filled with an interlayer medium.

6. The ultrasound-assisted treatment device according to claim 5, wherein The ratio of the volume of the interlayer medium to the volume of the interlayer cavity is between 1 / 5 and 4 / 5; and The recessed portion is configured such that at least a portion thereof is immersed in the interlayer medium, so as to increase the contact area between the recessed portion and the interlayer medium.

7. A refrigerator, wherein a low-temperature space is defined inside the refrigerator, wherein the ultrasonic-assisted processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is arranged in the low-temperature space.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, further comprising: The ultrasonic generator is disposed in the low-temperature space or on the tray assembly and is configured to generate ultrasonic waves in a controlled manner so that at least a portion of the ultrasonic waves is applied to the food to cause the food to freeze.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 7, further comprising: A drawer-type container configured to be operably pulled out or retracted into the low-temperature space, wherein The ultrasonic-assisted processing device is arranged so that its tray assembly serves as the bottom plate of the drawer-type container.

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