Control Method for a Refrigerator and Its Ultrasonic Treatment Device

Abstract

The present invention provides a refrigerator and a control method for an ultrasonic processing device thereof. The ultrasonic processing device includes a container for holding food and ultrasonic transducers disposed outside multiple sets of opposing walls of the container. The ultrasonic transducers are divided into two groups, with any two ultrasonic transducers in each group located on non-opposing walls of the container. The control method includes setting an activation duration for each set of ultrasonic transducers and an activation interval between the two sets of ultrasonic transducers; and alternately activating the two sets of ultrasonic transducers according to the activation duration and activation interval. The present invention has the advantage of significantly improving the pickling speed and quality of food.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of refrigeration and freezing, and in particular to a refrigerator and a control method of an ultrasonic processing device thereof. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the changes in people's dietary structure, pickling has become a key link in the meat processing process. The existing ultrasonic pickling method usually only arranges a single or multiple transducers at the bottom of the container, and controls the start and stop of multiple transducers at the same time during operation. This method has two defects: First, the transducer is only set at the bottom of the container, so that the ultrasonic action direction generated by the transducer acts on the food from only one direction, resulting in poor pickling speed and pickling effect of the food. Second, when multiple ultrasonic transducers are started and stopped at the same time, the temperature is difficult to control, which easily causes the surface of the food to be cooked, and the shutdown cooling time is long, which seriously affects the pickling efficiency of the food. Summary of the Invention

[0003] One purpose of the first aspect of the present invention is to improve the pickling speed and pickling effect of food.

[0004] A further object of the first aspect of the present invention is to timely control the ultrasonic transducer to stop and cool down to prevent the surface of the food from being cooked.

[0005] A second aspect of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator.

[0006] In particular, according to a first aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a control method for an ultrasonic processing device, the ultrasonic processing device comprising a container for holding food and ultrasonic transducers disposed on the outside of a plurality of opposing walls of the container, wherein all ultrasonic transducers are divided into two groups, and any two ultrasonic transducers in each group are located on non-opposing walls of the container, the control method comprising:

[0007] Set the activation duration of each set of ultrasonic transducers and the activation interval between two sets of ultrasonic transducers;

[0008] The two groups of ultrasonic transducers are started alternately according to the start-up maintenance time and the start-up interval time.

[0009] Optionally, the step of alternately starting the two groups of ultrasonic transducers according to the start-up maintenance time and the start-up interval time further includes:

[0010] Get the surface temperature of the food;

[0011] Determining whether the surface temperature is less than or equal to a first temperature threshold;

[0012] If so, continue to alternately start the two groups of ultrasonic transducers according to the start-up maintenance time and the start-up interval time.

[0013] Optionally, after the step of determining whether the surface temperature of the food is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold, the method further includes:

[0014] If the surface temperature of the food is greater than the first temperature threshold, determining whether the surface temperature of the food is less than or equal to a second temperature threshold, wherein the second temperature threshold is greater than the first temperature threshold;

[0015] If yes, continue to alternately start the two groups of ultrasonic transducers according to the start-up maintenance time and the start-up interval time;

[0016] If not, the two groups of ultrasonic transducers are controlled to stop and cool down until the surface temperature of the food is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold.

[0017] Optionally, the first temperature threshold is 1°C to 30°C;

[0018] The second temperature threshold is 15°C to 35°C; and

[0019] The difference between the second temperature threshold and the first temperature threshold is ≥4°C.

[0020] Optionally, the startup duration is 5s to 20s;

[0021] The startup interval is 5s to 10s.

[0022] Optionally, the container includes a container body and a container cover, and the container cover is removably placed in the container body.

[0023] Optionally, the plurality of sets of opposing walls include a front side wall and a rear side wall, and a left side wall and a right side wall of the container body.

[0024] Optionally, the multiple groups of opposing walls further include a bottom wall of the container body and a top wall of the container cover.

[0025] Optionally, a temperature detection device is provided in the container, and the step of obtaining the surface temperature of the food includes:

[0026] Obtain the detection value of the temperature detection device and use the detection value as the surface temperature of the food.

[0027] According to a second aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a refrigerator comprising:

[0028] a box body defining a storage compartment therein;

[0029] an ultrasonic treatment device, disposed in the storage room; and

[0030] The controller includes a memory and a processor. The memory stores a control program, and the control program is used to implement any one of the above control methods when executed by the processor.

[0031] The control method for an ultrasonic processing device of the present invention first sets the activation duration of each set of ultrasonic transducers and the activation interval between the two sets of ultrasonic transducers. The two sets of ultrasonic transducers are then activated alternately according to the activation duration and activation interval. Because any two ultrasonic transducers in each set are located on non-opposing walls of the container, during the alternating activation of the two sets of ultrasonic transducers, the ultrasonic transducers in each set can simultaneously apply ultrasonic energy to the food from different directions, significantly improving the pickling speed and quality of the food.

[0032] Furthermore, the control method of the ultrasonic processing device of the present invention obtains the surface temperature of the food in the process of alternately starting the two groups of ultrasonic transducers according to the start-up maintenance time and the start-up interval time, and then determines whether the surface temperature is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold. If the surface temperature is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold, it means that the current temperature of the food is low and the surface of the food will not be cooked. The two groups of ultrasonic transducers can continue to be alternately started according to the start-up maintenance time and the start-up interval time, thereby ensuring the smooth progress of the pickling work.

[0033] Based on the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will become more aware of the above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiment below. The accompanying drawings are for illustration purposes only and are not to be considered as limiting the present invention. The same reference symbols are used throughout the drawings to represent the same components. In the drawings:

[0035] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an ultrasonic processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 3 is a structural block diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a control method for an ultrasonic processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a method for controlling an ultrasonic processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying 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. Rather, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0041] The present invention first provides a refrigerator 10, Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figure 1 The refrigerator 10 generally includes a housing 100, and one or more storage compartments 110 are formed in the housing 100. The storage compartments 110 can be configured as a refrigerated storage compartment 110, a frozen storage compartment 110, and a variable temperature storage compartment 110 according to the refrigeration temperature. Specifically, the number, function, layout, etc. of the storage compartments 110 can be configured according to actual needs.

[0042] An ultrasonic processing device 200 is provided in the storage compartment 110. The ultrasonic processing device 200 is mainly used for auxiliary pickling of food ingredients to improve the pickling speed and pickling effect of the food ingredients. The storage compartment 110 in which the ultrasonic processing device 200 is located can be the refrigerated storage compartment 110 of the refrigerator 10. The temperature of the refrigerated storage compartment 110 is configured to be 0°C to 10°C, providing a low-temperature environment for pickling food ingredients, thereby inhibiting the growth and reproduction of bacteria and preventing the food ingredients from spoiling during the pickling process.

[0043] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an ultrasonic processing device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figure 2 The ultrasonic processing device 200 may include a container 210 for holding food and ultrasonic transducers 220 disposed on the outside of multiple groups of opposing walls of the container 210. The ultrasonic transducers 220 are divided into two groups, with any two ultrasonic transducers 220 in each group located on non-opposing walls of the container 210. During the process of marinating food, the two groups of ultrasonic transducers 220 can be controlled to activate alternately, allowing each group of ultrasonic transducers 220 to apply ultrasonic energy to the food from different directions, thereby improving the marinating speed and quality of the food. Since any two ultrasonic transducers 220 in each group are located on non-opposing walls of the container 210, the ultrasonic energy generated by the two transducers will not be transmitted in opposite directions, thereby avoiding the problem of significantly reduced working efficiency due to the ultrasonic energy of the two ultrasonic transducers 220 transmitting in opposite directions.

[0044] In this embodiment, the container 210 can be rectangular and includes a container body 211 and a container cover 212. The container cover 212 is removably placed within the container body 211. During use, the container cover 212 is first removed, then the pickling liquid and the ingredients to be pickled are placed within the container body 211. Finally, the container cover 212 is placed within the container body 211 and pressed against the surface of the ingredients. During the alternating activation of the two sets of ultrasonic transducers 220, the container cover 212 is continuously vibrated by the ultrasonic waves, pressing and colliding with the surface of the ingredients, which further accelerates the diffusion and penetration of the pickling liquid into the ingredients.

[0045] Specifically, the plurality of groups of opposing walls may include the front and rear side walls, and the left and right side walls of the container body 211, and the outer sides of the front, rear, left, and right side walls are each provided with ultrasonic transducers 220. The ultrasonic transducers 220 on the front and left side walls may be grouped together, and the ultrasonic transducers 220 on the rear and right side walls may be grouped together.

[0046] Furthermore, the multiple groups of opposing walls can also include the bottom wall of the container body 211 and the top wall of the container cover 212, with ultrasonic transducers 220 also disposed on the bottom wall of the container body 211 and the top wall of the container cover 212. In this way, the ultrasonic transducers 220 on the front and left side walls of the container body 211 and the top wall of the container cover 212 can be grouped together, while the ultrasonic transducers 220 on the rear and right side walls and the bottom wall of the container body 211 can be grouped together. By controlling the alternating activation of the two groups of ultrasonic transducers 220, the ultrasonic transducers 220 in each group can simultaneously apply ultrasonic energy to the food from three different directions, significantly improving the pickling speed and quality of the food.

[0047] Figure 3 is a block diagram of a refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figure 3 The refrigerator 10 having the ultrasonic processing device 200 may also be provided with a controller 300 and a temperature detection device 400 .

[0048] The controller 300 may include a memory 320 and a processor 310. The memory 320 stores a control program 321. When the control program 321 is executed by the processor 310, it is used to implement the control method of the ultrasonic processing device 200 of this embodiment. The controller 300 is connected to each ultrasonic transducer 220 by signal and is used to control the start and stop of each ultrasonic transducer 220. The controller 300 can be integrated into the main control board of the refrigerator 10 or can be separately provided near the ultrasonic transducer 220. The controller 300 can further be connected to the main control device by signal, provide the main control device with the operating status of the ultrasonic transducer 220, and receive control instructions from the main control device.

[0049] The controller 300 may be implemented by various devices with certain data processing capabilities. In a typical configuration, the controller 300 may include a processor 310 , a memory 320 , an input / output interface, and the like.

[0050] The temperature detection device 400 can be a temperature sensor disposed within the container body 211 and used to detect the surface temperature of the food. Since the simultaneous operation of multiple ultrasonic transducers 220 generates a significant amount of heat, the temperature detection device 400 can be used to promptly detect the surface temperature of the food and transmit a temperature signal to the controller 300. When the surface temperature is high, the controller 300 can control each ultrasonic transducer 220 to shut down and cool the food. This prevents the food's surface from being cooked due to excessively high surface temperatures, effectively ensuring smooth pickling.

[0051] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a control method of an ultrasonic processing device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figure 4 , the control method at least includes the following steps S102 to S104.

[0052] Step S102 : setting the activation duration of each group of ultrasonic transducers 220 and the activation interval duration between two groups of ultrasonic transducers 220 .

[0053] Step S104 , alternately starting the two groups of ultrasonic transducers 220 according to the start-up maintenance time and the start-up interval time.

[0054] The control method for the ultrasonic processing device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention first sets the activation duration of each set of ultrasonic transducers 220 and the activation interval between the two sets of ultrasonic transducers 220. The two sets of ultrasonic transducers 220 are then activated alternately according to the activation duration and activation interval. Because any two ultrasonic transducers 220 in each set are located on non-opposite walls of the container 210, during the alternating activation of the two sets of ultrasonic transducers 220, the ultrasonic transducers 220 in each set can simultaneously apply ultrasonic energy to the food from different directions, significantly improving the pickling speed and quality of the food.

[0055] In an optional embodiment, in the process of alternately starting the two groups of ultrasonic transducers 220 according to the start-up maintenance time and the start-up interval time, the surface temperature of the food can also be obtained, and then it is determined whether the surface temperature is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold. If the surface temperature is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold, it means that the current temperature of the food is low and the surface of the food will not be cooked. The two groups of ultrasonic transducers 220 can continue to be alternately started according to the start-up maintenance time and the start-up interval time.

[0056] Furthermore, if the surface temperature of the food is greater than the first temperature threshold, it can be determined whether the surface temperature of the food is less than or equal to a second temperature threshold, where the second temperature threshold is greater than the first temperature threshold. If the surface temperature of the food is less than or equal to the second temperature threshold, it indicates that the current temperature of the food is still low and the surface of the food will not be cooked. The two sets of ultrasonic transducers 220 can still be activated alternately according to the activation maintenance time and the activation interval time. If the surface temperature of the food is greater than the second temperature threshold, it indicates that the current temperature of the food is relatively good and there is a risk of cooking. In this case, it is necessary to control the two sets of ultrasonic transducers 220 to shut down and cool until the surface temperature of the food is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold.

[0057] In this embodiment, the first temperature threshold can be 1°C to 30°C, for example, 5°C, 10°C, 20°C, 28°C, etc. The second temperature threshold is 15°C to 35°C, for example, 16°C, 20°C, 30°C, 32°C, etc. It should be noted that the difference between the second temperature threshold and the first temperature threshold should be ≥ 4°C. In a typical embodiment, the first temperature threshold is 28°C and the second temperature threshold is 32°C.

[0058] In this embodiment, the start-up maintenance time may be 5s to 20s, such as 10s, 15s, etc. The start-up interval time may be 5s to 10s, such as 5s, 10s, etc.

[0059] Since the temperature detection device 400 is provided in the container 210 , the step of obtaining the surface temperature of the food may be to obtain the detection value of the temperature detection device 400 and use the detection value as the surface temperature of the food.

[0060] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a control method of an ultrasonic processing device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figure 5 For the case where ultrasonic transducers 220 are provided only on the left side wall, right side wall, bottom wall and top wall of the container cover 212 of the container body 211, the ultrasonic transducer 220 on the left side wall of the container body 211 can be defined as a left ultrasonic transducer 220, the ultrasonic transducer 220 on the right side wall can be defined as a right ultrasonic transducer 220, the ultrasonic transducer 220 on the bottom wall can be defined as a bottom ultrasonic transducer 220, and the ultrasonic transducer 220 on the top wall of the container cover 212 can be defined as a top ultrasonic transducer 220. The bottom ultrasonic transducer 220 and the left ultrasonic transducer 220 can be divided into one group, and the top ultrasonic transducer 220 and the right ultrasonic transducer 220 can be divided into another group. Therefore, the control method includes at least the following steps S202 to S222.

[0061] Step S202 , starting the bottom ultrasonic transducer 220 and the left ultrasonic transducer 220 .

[0062] Step S204 , determining whether the bottom ultrasonic transducer 220 and the left ultrasonic transducer 220 have reached the start-up maintenance time, and if so, executing step S206 .

[0063] Step S206 , turning off the bottom ultrasonic transducer 220 and the left ultrasonic transducer 220 .

[0064] Step S208 , determining whether the activation interval has expired after the bottom ultrasonic transducer 220 and the left ultrasonic transducer 220 have been turned off. If so, executing step S210 .

[0065] Step S210 , starting the top ultrasonic transducer 220 and the right ultrasonic transducer 220 .

[0066] Step S212, determining whether the top ultrasonic transducer 220 and the right ultrasonic transducer 220 have reached the start-up maintenance time, if so, executing step S214.

[0067] Step S214 , turning off the top ultrasonic transducer 220 and the right ultrasonic transducer 220 .

[0068] Step S216 , obtaining the surface temperature of the food in the container 210 .

[0069] Step S218, determining whether the surface temperature is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold, if so, returning to step S202, if not, executing step S220.

[0070] Step S220 , determining whether the surface temperature is less than or equal to a second temperature threshold; if so, returning to step S202 ; if not, executing step S222 .

[0071] Step S222: Control each ultrasonic transducer 220 to stop and cool down until the surface temperature of the food is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold, and then return to step S216.

[0072] According to any one of the above optional embodiments or a combination of multiple optional embodiments, the embodiments of the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0073] The control method of the ultrasonic processing device 200 of the present invention first sets the activation duration of each set of ultrasonic transducers 220 and the activation interval between the two sets of ultrasonic transducers 220. The two sets of ultrasonic transducers 220 are then activated alternately according to the activation duration and activation interval. Because any two ultrasonic transducers 220 in each set are located on non-opposing walls of the container 210, during the alternating activation of the two sets of ultrasonic transducers 220, the ultrasonic transducers 220 in each set can simultaneously apply ultrasonic energy to the food from different directions, significantly improving the pickling speed and quality of the food.

[0074] Furthermore, the control method of the ultrasonic processing device 200 of the present invention obtains the surface temperature of the food in the process of alternately starting the two groups of ultrasonic transducers 220 according to the start-up maintenance time and the start-up interval time, and then determines whether the surface temperature is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold. If the surface temperature is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold, it means that the current temperature of the food is low and the surface of the food will not be cooked. The two groups of ultrasonic transducers 220 can continue to be alternately started according to the start-up maintenance time and the start-up interval time, thereby ensuring the smooth progress of the pickling work.

[0075] At this point, those skilled in the art will recognize that, although a number of exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein, many other variations or modifications consistent with the principles of the present invention may be directly determined or derived from the disclosure of 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 deemed to cover all such other variations or modifications.

Claims

1. A control method for an ultrasonic processing device, the ultrasonic processing device comprising a container for holding food and ultrasonic transducers disposed on the outside of multiple groups of opposing walls of the container, wherein all ultrasonic transducers are divided into two groups, and any two ultrasonic transducers in each group are located on non-opposing walls of the container, the control method comprising: Set the activation duration of each set of ultrasonic transducers and the activation interval between two sets of ultrasonic transducers; The two groups of ultrasonic transducers are alternately started according to the start-up maintenance time and the start-up interval time.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of alternately starting the two groups of ultrasonic transducers according to the start-up maintenance time and the start-up interval time also includes: Get the surface temperature of the food; Determining whether the surface temperature is less than or equal to a first temperature threshold; If so, continue to alternately activate the two groups of ultrasonic transducers according to the activation maintenance time and the activation interval time.

3. The control method according to claim 2, wherein: After the step of determining whether the surface temperature of the food is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold, the method further includes: If the surface temperature of the food is greater than the first temperature threshold, determining whether the surface temperature of the food is less than or equal to a second temperature threshold, wherein the second temperature threshold is greater than the first temperature threshold; If yes, continue to alternately activate the two groups of ultrasonic transducers according to the activation maintenance time and the activation interval time; If not, the two groups of ultrasonic transducers are controlled to stop and cool down until the surface temperature of the food is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold.

4. The control method according to claim 3, wherein The first temperature threshold is 1°C to 30°C; The second temperature threshold is 15°C to 35°C; and The difference between the second temperature threshold and the first temperature threshold is ≥4°C.

5. The control method according to claim 1, wherein The startup maintenance time is 5s to 20s; The startup interval is 5s to 10s.

6. The control method according to claim 1, wherein The container comprises a container body and a container upper cover, and the container upper cover is placed in the container body in a removable manner.

7. The control method according to claim 6, wherein The plurality of opposite walls include a front side wall, a rear side wall, a left side wall, and a right side wall of the container body.

8. The control method according to claim 7, wherein The plurality of groups of opposite walls further include a bottom wall of the container body and a top wall of the container cover.

9. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: A temperature detection device is provided in the container, and the step of obtaining the surface temperature of the food includes: The detection value of the temperature detection device is obtained, and the detection value is used as the surface temperature of the food.

10. A refrigerator comprising: a box body defining a storage compartment therein; An ultrasonic processing device is arranged in the storage room; as well as A controller comprising a memory and a processor, wherein a control program is stored in the memory, and when the control program is executed by the processor, it is used to implement the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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