maturation cabinet

Abstract

This invention provides an aging cabinet, comprising: an aging chamber, an air duct, a refrigeration device and a fan assembly disposed within the air duct. The aging chamber has an air outlet at its lower part and a return air inlet at its upper part. The air duct includes a main air duct located behind the aging chamber, a return air duct located above the aging chamber and connected to the upper end of the main air duct, and an air outlet located below the aging chamber and connected to the lower end of the main air duct. The air outlet and return air inlet are respectively connected to the main air duct through the air outlet and return air duct. The refrigeration device provides cooling to the aging chamber. The fan assembly directs cold air from the air outlet upwards through the aging chamber and back to the air duct through the return air inlet. The aging cabinet provided by this invention, by placing the air outlet at the lower part of the aging chamber and the return air inlet at the upper part, and using a fan to blow cold air from the lower part of the aging chamber upwards, can prevent meat products from spoiling due to insufficient cooling at the lower part.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of curing cabinet technology, and more particularly to a curing cabinet. Background Technology

[0002] Meat aging involves air-drying the surface of meat products while allowing microorganisms inside to ferment naturally, resulting in more flavorful and better-tasting meat. However, meat products requiring aging are often large and thick, and aging requires high airflow. Existing aging cabinets are prone to spoilage and deterioration due to insufficient cold airflow over the bottom surface, leading to aging failure and the growth of harmful bacteria that can harm human health. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a aging cabinet with an air outlet located at the bottom of the aging chamber and a return air outlet located at the top of the aging chamber, so that the cold air generated by the refrigeration device blows upwards towards the bottom of the meat products, preventing the meat products from spoiling.

[0004] To achieve one of the aforementioned objectives, one embodiment of the present invention provides a aging cabinet, comprising: an aging chamber having an air outlet at its lower part and a return air outlet at its upper part; an air duct including a main air duct located behind the aging chamber, a return air duct located above the aging chamber and connected to the upper end of the main air duct, and an air outlet located below the aging chamber and connected to the lower end of the main air duct, wherein the air outlet and the return air outlet are respectively connected to the main air duct through the air outlet and the return air duct; a refrigeration device disposed within the air duct for providing cooling to the aging chamber; and a fan assembly disposed within the air duct for causing cold air to flow upward from the air outlet through the aging chamber and return to the air duct from the return air outlet.

[0005] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, it also includes an upper air outlet plate provided with the air outlet, the upper air outlet plate being formed as the upper sidewall of the air outlet duct, and the air outlet including an upper air outlet disposed on the top of the upper air outlet plate.

[0006] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, it also includes a lower air outlet plate formed as the lower sidewall of the air outlet duct, the lower air outlet plate being provided with a protrusion, the protrusion being disposed below the upper air outlet and at an angle to the air outlet direction of the air outlet duct, so as to change the direction of the cold air and allow it to exit from the upper air outlet.

[0007] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the protruding portion is set at a 60° angle to the air outlet direction of the air outlet duct.

[0008] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the upper air outlet plate is provided with an air guide portion, which is located at the front end of the upper air outlet. In the height direction of the curing cabinet, the projection of the top of the protrusion is on the upper air outlet located in the middle.

[0009] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the front end of the upper air outlet plate extends downward to connect with the front end of the lower air outlet plate, and the upper air outlet plate further includes a front air outlet disposed at the front end.

[0010] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the upper end of the front air outlet extends obliquely downward to the outside of the front air outlet to form a first baffle plate, so that the cold air flows to the space below the front air outlet.

[0011] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the aging chamber further includes a rear wall located at the rear side of the aging chamber and a top wall located at the top of the aging chamber; the aging cabinet further includes a surface light source assembly and an air duct cover plate, the surface light source assembly and the top wall forming a return air duct, the air duct cover plate and the rear wall forming a main air duct, the upper end of the air duct cover plate being connected to the surface light source assembly, and the lower end being connected to the upper air outlet plate.

[0012] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the surface light source assembly includes a surface light source body and a frame disposed around the surface light source body; the return air inlet is a front return air inlet, which is disposed at the end of the frame away from the duct cover plate; and a rear return air inlet is disposed at the upper end of the duct cover plate.

[0013] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the front return air vent is composed of several elongated air vents perpendicular to the surface light source body, and the rear return air vent is composed of several horizontally arranged elongated air vents.

[0014] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the upper end of the rear return air inlet extends obliquely downward toward one side of the main air duct to form a second baffle plate, so that the return air flows through the rear return air inlet and blows toward the bottom of the main air duct.

[0015] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the fan assembly includes a fan cover and a fan disposed inside the fan cover. The fan cover is provided with a fan inlet. In the front-rear direction of the curing cabinet, the projection of the fan inlet overlaps with that of the rear return air outlet.

[0016] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the bottom of the duct cover is provided with a plurality of reinforcing columns, which are connected to the lower air outlet plate to support the duct cover.

[0017] One or more technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present invention have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0018] The aging cabinet provided by this invention has the air outlet of the air duct located at the lower part of the aging chamber and the return air vent located at the upper part of the aging chamber. Under the action of the fan in the air duct, cold air is blown upward from the bottom of the aging chamber. In this way, the cold air can flow through the bottom of the meat products to prevent the bottom from rotting and spoiling. Since the cold air has a downward tendency, some of the cold air sinks down and can also make the upper surface of the meat products receive enough cold air to achieve the aging effect without rotting and spoiling. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the aging cabinet in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Front view of the mid-grade finished cabinet.

[0021] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Schematic diagram of cross section along line AA.

[0022] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A structural diagram from a first-person perspective.

[0023] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Enlarged view of section B in the middle.

[0024] Figure 6 yes Figure 4 Enlarged view of point C in the middle.

[0025] Figure 7 yes Figure 3 A structural diagram from a second perspective.

[0026] 10. Cabinet; 20. Door; 1. Outer shell; 2. Inner liner; 21. Top wall; 22. Side wall; 23. Rear wall; 24. Bottom wall; 3. Insulation layer; 4. Curing chamber; 5. Air duct; 51. Main air duct; 511. Air duct cover; 5111. Rear return air vent; 5112. Second baffle plate; 512. Reinforcing column; 52. Air outlet duct; 521. Upper air outlet plate; 5211. Air guide section; 5212. First baffle plate; 522. Lower air outlet plate; 5221 523. Protrusion; 5231. Air outlet; 5232. Upper air outlet; 5233. Front air outlet; 53. Return air duct; 6. Refrigeration unit; 7. Fan assembly; 71. Fan cover; 711. Fan inlet; 712. Fan outlet; 72. Fan; 8. Surface light source assembly; 81. Surface light source body; 82. Frame; 821. Front return air vent; 9. Hook assembly; 91. Slide rail; 911. Sliding groove; 92. Hanging rod; 93. Hook; 94. Fixing component. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, these embodiments do not limit the present invention, and any structural, methodological, or functional modifications made by those skilled in the art based on these embodiments are included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] The terms used herein, such as “above,” “over,” “below,” and “under,” indicating spatial relative position, are for illustrative purposes to describe the relationship of one unit or feature relative to another unit or feature as shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms may be intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation other than those shown in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is flipped, a unit described as being “below” or “under” another unit or feature would be “above” that unit or feature. Therefore, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both above and below orientations. The device may be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or otherwise), and the spatially related descriptive terms used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0029] Furthermore, it should be understood that although the terms "first," "second," etc., may be used herein to describe various elements or structures, the objects being described should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish these objects from one another. For example, a first windshield may be referred to as a second windshield, and similarly, a second windshield may be referred to as a first windshield, without departing from the scope of protection of this application.

[0030] Embodiment 1 of the present invention provides a aging cabinet, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes: a aging chamber 4, an air duct 5, a refrigeration unit 6 and a fan assembly 7 installed in the air duct 5. The aging chamber 4 has an air outlet 523 at the bottom and a return air outlet at the top. The air duct 5 includes a main air duct 51 located at the rear of the aging chamber 4, a return air duct 53 located at the top of the aging chamber 4 and connected to the upper end of the main air duct 51, and an air outlet duct 52 located at the bottom of the aging chamber 4 and connected to the lower end of the main air duct 51. The air outlet 523 and the return air outlet are connected to the main air duct 51 through the air outlet duct 52 and the return air duct 53, respectively. The refrigeration unit 6 is used to provide cooling to the aging chamber 4. The fan assembly 7 causes the cold air to flow upward from the air outlet 523 through the aging chamber 4 and return to the air duct 53 through the return air outlet.

[0031] The aging cabinet provided by the present invention has the air outlet 523 of the air duct 5 located at the lower part of the aging chamber 4 and the return air outlet located at the upper part of the aging chamber 4. Under the action of the fan 72 in the air duct 5, cold air is blown upward from the bottom of the aging chamber 4. In this way, the cold air can flow through the bottom of the meat products to prevent the bottom from rotting and spoiling. Since the cold air has a downward tendency, some of the cold air sinks down and can also make the upper surface of the meat products receive enough cold air to achieve the aging effect without rotting and spoiling.

[0032] Specifically, the curing cabinet includes a body 10 and a door 20. The body 10 includes an outer shell 1, an inner liner 2, and an insulation layer 3 formed between the outer shell 1 and the inner liner 2. The inner liner 2 includes a top wall 21, side walls 22, rear wall 23, and bottom wall 24, which surround to form the aforementioned curing chamber 4. In this embodiment, the rear side of the bottom wall 24 protrudes upward, and the air outlet duct 52 is formed within the area of ​​the upward protrusion of the bottom wall 24.

[0033] The curing cabinet also includes an upper air outlet plate 521 and a lower air outlet plate 522. The upper air outlet plate 521 and the lower air outlet plate 522 form the upper side wall 22 and the lower side wall 22 of the air outlet duct 52, respectively. The lower air outlet plate 522 is fixed to the bottom wall 24. The front end of the upper air outlet plate 521 is bent downward and extends to connect with the front end of the lower air outlet plate 522. The upper air outlet plate 521 is provided with an upper air outlet 5231 at the top and a front air outlet 5232 at the front end. The lower air outlet plate 522 is provided with a protruding part 5221, which is located below the upper air outlet 5231 and is angled to the air outlet direction of the air outlet duct 52. Since the protrusion 5221 is set at an angle to the air outlet direction, it can change the direction of the cold air. The protrusion 5221 is located below the upper air outlet 5231, which can turn the cold air and blow it out from the upper air outlet 5231, so that the cold air is blown to the middle and rear of the aging chamber 4, avoiding the formation of a stratosphere by the cold air only coming out from the front air outlet 5232, which would cause uneven air velocity in the aging chamber 4.

[0034] In this embodiment, three upper air outlets 5231 are provided along the front and rear direction of the curing cabinet. Among them, the front end of the middle upper air outlet 5231 is provided with an air guide 5211, and the protrusion 5221 is set at a 60° angle with the air outlet direction of the air outlet 52. Furthermore, in the height direction of the curing cabinet, the projection of the top of the protrusion 5221 is on the middle upper air outlet 5231.

[0035] When cold air flows through the protrusion 5221 in the air outlet 52, following the slope of the protrusion 5221, some of the cold air is blown out from the upper air outlet 5231 at the front end to the front end of the aging chamber 4, and some of the cold air is blown out from the upper air outlet 5231 in the middle. With the assistance of the air guide 5211, the cold air continues to be guided to the middle of the aging chamber 4, and some of the cold air is blown out from the upper air outlet 5231 at the rear end to the rear end of the aging chamber 4 due to the reflection of the slope of the protrusion 5221. The angle and position of the protrusion 5221 are set so that the cold air from the air outlet 52 blows from the upper air outlet 5231 to different positions in the aging chamber 4, which can make the air velocity in the aging chamber 4 more uniform. In this embodiment, the air guide 5211 is inverted V-shaped and is connected to the rear end of the upper air outlet 5231 located at the front end. Of course, the air guide 5211 of the present invention is not limited to an inverted V shape, and the angle between the protrusion 5221 and the air outlet direction of the air outlet 52 is not limited to 60°. The air guide 5211 can be set according to the specific location of the upper air outlet 5231 and the angle between the protrusion 5221 and the air outlet direction of the air outlet 52.

[0036] Furthermore, the upper end of the front air outlet 5232 extends diagonally downward to the outside of the front air outlet 5232 to form a first baffle plate 5212. Under the obstruction of the first baffle plate 5212, the cold air is blown diagonally downward to the front air outlet 5232, so that the cold air blows into the space below the front end of the front air outlet 5232, avoiding insufficient cold at the bottom of the maturation chamber 4, which would cause the meat products to rot and spoil.

[0037] The aging cabinet also includes an air duct cover 511 spaced apart from the rear wall 23 and a surface light source assembly 8 connected to the air duct cover 511. The air duct cover 511 and the rear wall 23 form a main air duct 51. The fan assembly 7 and the refrigeration device 6 are both located in the main air duct 51. The fan assembly 7 includes a fan cover 71 and a fan 72 located inside the fan cover 71. The fan cover 71 is provided with a fan inlet 711 and a fan outlet 712. The fan assembly 7 is located above the refrigeration device 6. The fan 72 draws the return air from the return air inlet located at the top of the aging chamber 4 into the air duct 5 through the fan inlet 711 into the fan cover 71 and blows it from the fan outlet 712 towards the refrigeration device 6. The return air is cooled by the refrigeration device 6 to generate cold air, which is then blown out of the outlet 523 located at the bottom of the aging chamber 4 to the aging chamber 4.

[0038] Furthermore, the lower end of the duct cover 511 is connected to the upper air outlet plate 521, and the bottom of the duct cover 511 extends downward to form several reinforcing columns 512, which are connected to the lower air outlet plate 522 to support the duct cover 511.

[0039] Furthermore, the surface light source assembly 8 and the top wall 21 form a return air duct 53. The surface light source assembly 8 includes a surface light source body 81 and a frame 82 disposed around the surface light source body 81. The aforementioned return air inlet is a front return air inlet 821, which is disposed at the end of the frame 82 away from the air duct cover plate 511. Cold air flows from the front return air inlet 821 through the surface light source body 81. The front and rear ends of the surface light source body 81 have the same temperature, and the side near the curing chamber 4 and the side near the return air duct 53 have the same temperature. Therefore, condensation will not form on the surface light source body 81. In addition, the arrangement of the surface light source assembly 8 can also save the cover plate of the return air duct 53.

[0040] Furthermore, the aging chamber 4 is also equipped with a rear return air vent 5111, which is located on the upper end of the air duct cover 511. The front return air vent 821 and the rear return air vent 5111 work together to ensure that both the front and rear ends of the aging chamber 4 are covered by cold air. This prevents insufficient cooling at the front or rear ends of the upper part of the aging chamber 4 due to a single return air vent, which could lead to spoilage of meat products placed at the front or rear ends of the upper part of the aging chamber 4. The front return air vent 821 and the rear return air vent 5111, together with the front air outlet 5232 and the upper air outlet 5231, ensure uniform cooling and airflow within the aging chamber 4, eliminating cold dead zones and resulting in better aging of the meat products.

[0041] Furthermore, the upper end of the rear return air inlet 5111 extends obliquely downward toward one side of the main air duct 51 to form a second baffle plate 5112, so that the return air flows through the rear return air inlet 5111 and blows toward the bottom of the main air duct 51, merging with the return air from the return air duct 53. In the front-rear direction of the curing cabinet, the projections of the fan inlet 711 and the rear return air inlet 5111 overlap, so that the return air flowing from the rear return air inlet 5111 to the main air duct 51 can be quickly drawn into the fan shroud 71. In this embodiment, the top of the fan inlet 711 is lower than the top of the rear return air inlet 5111, and under the action of the second baffle plate 5112, the return air can also quickly enter the fan shroud 71.

[0042] Furthermore, both the front return air vent 821 and the rear return air vent 5111 are grille-shaped. Specifically, the front return air vent 821 consists of several elongated air vents perpendicular to the surface light source body 81, and the rear return air vent 5111 consists of several horizontally arranged elongated air vents. Compared to a single square return air vent, the grille-shaped return air vent has a smaller area, resulting in a higher air velocity, which better meets the high air velocity requirements of the curing cabinet. In other words, while meeting the air velocity requirements of the curing cabinet, the required power of the fan 72 is lower, reducing the power consumption of the curing cabinet.

[0043] Furthermore, the curing cabinet also includes a hook assembly 9, which includes a slide rail 91 symmetrically fixed to the upper end of the side wall 22, a hanging rod 92 with both ends slidably connected to the slide rail 91, and a hook 93 disposed on the hanging rod 92. In this embodiment, the front and rear ends of the symmetrically arranged slide rail 91 are connected to fixing members 94 to make the slide rail 91 more stable. Specifically, the slide rail 91 has a sliding groove 911, and both ends of the hanging rod 92 are disposed in the sliding groove 911, which can slide along the front and rear direction of the curing cabinet. The fixing member 94 disposed at the front end is detachably snapped into the front end of the sliding groove 911 so that the hanging rod 92 can be removed or installed as needed by the user; the hook 93 can also be detachably hung on the hanging rod 92.

[0044] It should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This way of describing the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0045] The detailed descriptions listed above are merely specific descriptions of feasible embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All equivalent embodiments or modifications made without departing from the spirit of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A aging cabinet, characterized in that, include: The maturation room has an air outlet at the bottom and a return air outlet at the top; The air duct includes a main air duct located behind the maturing chamber, a return air duct located above the maturing chamber and connected to the upper end of the main air duct, and an air outlet located below the maturing chamber and connected to the lower end of the main air duct. The air outlet and the return air outlet are respectively connected to the main air duct through the air outlet and the return air duct. A refrigeration unit, installed in the air duct, is used to provide cooling to the maturation chamber; A fan assembly is installed inside the air duct, so that cold air flows upward from the air outlet through the maturation chamber and returns to the air duct from the return air outlet; It also includes an upper air outlet plate with the air outlet provided, the upper air outlet plate being formed as the upper sidewall of the air outlet duct, and the air outlet including an upper air outlet disposed on the top of the upper air outlet plate; It also includes a lower air outlet plate forming the lower sidewall of the air outlet duct. The lower air outlet plate is provided with a protrusion. The protrusion is located below the upper air outlet and is set at an angle to the air outlet direction of the air outlet duct, so that the direction of the cold air is changed and the air is discharged from the upper air outlet. There are three upper air outlets along the front and rear direction of the curing cabinet, and the upper air outlet plate is provided with an air guide. The air guide is located at the front end of the upper air outlet. In the height direction of the curing cabinet, the projection of the top of the protrusion is on the upper air outlet located in the middle. The front end of the upper air outlet plate extends downward to connect with the front end of the lower air outlet plate, and the upper air outlet plate also includes a front air outlet disposed at the front end; The upper end of the front air outlet extends obliquely downward to the outside of the front air outlet to form a first wind deflector, so that the cold air flows to the space below the front air outlet.

2. The aging cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that, The protruding part is set at a 60° angle to the air outlet direction of the air outlet duct.

3. The aging cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that, The aging chamber also includes a rear wall located at the rear side of the aging chamber and a top wall located at the top of the aging chamber; The curing cabinet also includes a surface light source assembly and an air duct cover. The surface light source assembly forms a return air duct with the top wall, and the air duct cover forms a main air duct with the rear wall. The upper end of the air duct cover is connected to the surface light source assembly, and the lower end is connected to the upper air outlet plate.

4. The aging cabinet according to claim 3, characterized in that, The surface light source assembly includes a surface light source body and a frame disposed around the surface light source body; the return air vent is a front return air vent, which is disposed at the end of the frame away from the duct cover plate; a rear return air vent is disposed at the upper end of the duct cover plate.

5. The aging cabinet according to claim 4, characterized in that, The front return air vent consists of several elongated air vents perpendicular to the surface light source body, and the rear return air vent consists of several horizontally arranged elongated air vents.

6. The aging cabinet according to claim 4, characterized in that, The upper end of the rear return air inlet extends obliquely downward toward one side of the main air duct to form a second wind deflector, so that the return air flows through the rear return air inlet and then blows toward the bottom of the main air duct.

7. The aging cabinet according to claim 4, characterized in that, The fan assembly includes a fan cover and a fan disposed inside the fan cover. The fan cover is provided with a fan inlet. In the front-back direction of the curing cabinet, the projection of the fan inlet overlaps with that of the rear return air outlet.

8. The aging cabinet according to claim 3, characterized in that, The bottom of the duct cover is provided with several reinforcing columns, which are connected to the lower air outlet plate to support the duct cover.

Images