A kitchen utensil sterilizer and sterilization device

Abstract

This invention provides a kitchen utensil sterilizer and disinfection device, comprising at least two disinfection zones and an ultraviolet (UV) lamp assembly. The UV lamp assembly includes at least one UV light source and a lens glass sealed in front of the UV light source. The side of the lens glass closest to the UV light source is planar, while the other side is a non-planar lens, allowing the conical scattered light from the UV light source to irradiate the disinfection zone at a preset transmission angle. This invention can precisely disinfect the surface of kitchen utensils by fully utilizing emitted UV light while maintaining low power consumption. It also allows for the constraint and control of emitted UV light by changing the lens glass, integrating and utilizing ineffective UV light rays, and meeting requirements for changing the angle, irradiation area size, and intensity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of sterilization technology for kitchen utensils, and in particular to a sterilization machine and sterilization device for kitchen utensils. Background Technology

[0002] Cutting board sterilizers (disinfection machines) mainly use ultraviolet light to disinfect bacteria, fungi, and viruses on the surface of objects. Some models also use hot air to assist in improving the killing rate.

[0003] Ultraviolet (UV) light is invisible; it can only travel in straight lines and has weak penetrating power. Its short wavelength also makes it highly susceptible to scattering. As the distance between the appliance being sterilized and the UV lamp increases, the intensity of the UV light weakens exponentially, resulting in poor sterilization. However, in actual product design and use, spatial arrangements necessitate maintaining a certain distance between the UV lamp and the appliance. Common practices include increasing the number of UV lamps or their wattage, which not only directly increases power consumption but also raises the risk of UV leakage. Therefore, the problem of poor sterilization effects caused by varying distances from the UV lamp or differences in spatial positioning urgently requires a better solution. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the problem that existing kitchen appliance sterilizers have poor sterilization effects due to varying distances from the ultraviolet light bulbs or differences in spatial positioning, this invention provides a kitchen appliance sterilizer and sterilization device.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a kitchen utensil sterilizer, comprising at least two sterilization zones and an ultraviolet lamp assembly, wherein the ultraviolet lamp assembly comprises at least one ultraviolet lamp source and a lens glass sealed in front of the ultraviolet lamp source, wherein the side of the lens glass near the ultraviolet lamp source is a plane and the other side is a non-planar lens so that the conical scattered light from the ultraviolet lamp source passes through the lens glass and irradiates the sterilization zone at a preset transmission angle.

[0006] As a further improvement of the present invention: the sterilizer has a first disinfection area located on the rear side of the housing and in the form of a plate-shaped independent space. The top of the first disinfection area is provided with a first ultraviolet lamp group. The first ultraviolet lamp group has a first ultraviolet lamp source and a first lens glass. The side of the first lens glass near the first ultraviolet lamp source is a plane, and the other side is a rectangular convex lens. The rectangular convex lens focuses the light emitted by the first ultraviolet lamp source into a rectangular range, and the rectangular range covers the first disinfection area.

[0007] As a further improvement of the present invention: the cross-section of the rectangular convex lens is triangular, and the horizontal cross-section is rectangular.

[0008] As a further improvement of the present invention: the sterilizer has a second sterilization area located in the hollow part formed by the shell and the door and biased to one side, a third sterilization area located at the front end of the second sterilization area and disposed on the door, and a second ultraviolet lamp group and a third ultraviolet lamp group are provided on the inner wall of the shell located on one side of the second sterilization area.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention: the second ultraviolet lamp group includes a second ultraviolet lamp source and a second lens glass. The side of the second lens glass near the second ultraviolet lamp source is a flat surface, and the other side is a concave lens. The concave lens refracts the light emitted by the second ultraviolet lamp source to expand the transmission angle and cover the second disinfection area.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present invention: the third ultraviolet lamp group includes a third ultraviolet lamp source and a third lens glass. The side of the third lens glass closest to the third ultraviolet lamp source is a plane, and the other side is an oblique convex lens. The central axis of the convex curved surface of the oblique convex lens forms a certain angle with the central axis of the plane, and the central axis of the convex curved surface passes through the center of the third disinfection area so that the oblique convex lens refracts according to the angle and aligns with the third disinfection area.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention: a fourth disinfection area is also provided inside the housing, located on one side of the second disinfection area. The top of the fourth disinfection area is provided with a step corresponding to the outside of the housing, and the step is provided with an insertion port. The fourth disinfection area is connected to the lower middle part of the second disinfection area, so that the light emitted by the fourth ultraviolet lamp group provided on the inner wall of the housing on one side of the second area passes through the connection and irradiates the fourth disinfection area.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention: the fourth ultraviolet lamp group includes a fourth ultraviolet lamp source and a fourth lens glass. The side of the fourth lens glass near the fourth ultraviolet lamp source is a flat surface, and the other side is a convex lens. The convex lens focuses the light emitted by the fourth ultraviolet lamp source and passes through the second disinfection area to irradiate the fourth disinfection area.

[0013] As a further improvement of the present invention: the front end of the housing is provided with a display control panel, and the first ultraviolet lamp group and the second ultraviolet lamp group are electrically connected to the display control panel so that the display control panel controls the independent emission of each ultraviolet lamp source.

[0014] On the other hand, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a sterilization device, including a kitchen utensil sterilizer as described above.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] This invention enables precise disinfection of kitchen utensil surfaces by fully utilizing emitted ultraviolet light while maintaining low power consumption. It constrains and controls the emitted ultraviolet light by altering the angle and shape of the central axis of the lens glass output surface (the plane closest to the ultraviolet light source is the input surface, and the other side farther away is the output surface), integrating and utilizing ineffective ultraviolet light rays to meet requirements for changing the angle, irradiation area size, and intensity. Compared to traditional methods that increase power and add more LEDs to enhance sterilization, this invention significantly reduces energy consumption and prevents ultraviolet leakage by constraining the light beam. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solution, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the sterilizer in the open chamber state as an example.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the sterilization machine in one direction, as shown in the embodiment.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a partial structural diagram of the sterilizer in another direction, as shown in the embodiment.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first lens glass in the embodiment.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second lens glass in the embodiment.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the third lens glass in the embodiment.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the fourth lens glass in the embodiment.

[0025] The markings in the diagram indicate:

[0026] 10: Housing; 20: Door; 30: Step; 31: Socket; 40: Display control panel;

[0027] 100: First disinfection area; 110: Cutting board; 120: First ultraviolet lamp group; 130: First lens glass; 131: Rectangular convex lens;

[0028] 200: Second disinfection area; 210: Second ultraviolet lamp group; 230: Second lens glass; 231: Concave lens;

[0029] 300: Third disinfection area; 330: Third lens glass; 331: Oblique convex lens;

[0030] 400: Fourth disinfection area; 410: Knife; 430: Fourth lens glass; 431: Convex lens. Detailed Implementation

[0031] In order to clearly and completely understand the technical solution, the present invention will be further described in conjunction with the embodiments and accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] It should be understood that, when used in this specification and the appended claims, the terms "comprising" and "including" indicate the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or collections thereof.

[0033] It should also be understood that the terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0034] It should also be further understood that the term "and / or" as used in this specification and the appended claims refers to any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0035] like Figure 1-7 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a kitchen appliance sterilizer, including at least two sterilization zones and an ultraviolet lamp assembly. The ultraviolet lamp assembly includes at least one ultraviolet lamp source and a lens glass sealed in front of the ultraviolet lamp source. The side of the lens glass near the ultraviolet lamp source is a plane, and the other side is a non-planar lens so that the conical scattered light from the ultraviolet lamp source passes through the lens glass and irradiates the sterilization zone at a preset transmission angle.

[0036] In this embodiment, the ultraviolet lamp source is a UV-LED light source, where UV-LED stands for Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diode. Specifically, the UV-LED light source is a UVC-LED light source; UVC is also known as short-wave ultraviolet light or germicidal ultraviolet light, with a wavelength of 200nm to 280nm. Specifically, the UVC-LED light source has a power of 50–100mW, a wavelength of 260–280nm, and a emission angle between 80° and 150°. The lens glass is a sealed quartz glass placed in front of the ultraviolet lamp source. This design ensures an ultraviolet transmittance of over 90% and prevents damage from moisture or dust.

[0037] It should be noted that the disinfection area is configured according to the space of different kitchen utensils. The ultraviolet light source emits light in a ray-like pattern with a certain angle of scattering, resulting in unconcentrated ultraviolet light. When the disinfection area is far from the ultraviolet light source, the intensity of ultraviolet light on the surface is greatly attenuated, leading to a very poor disinfection effect. When the disinfection area is close to the ultraviolet light source, but the utensils to be disinfected, such as spoons and spatulas, have a large surface area, the impact of distance attenuation is smaller. The main issue is that because the irradiated area is small, it cannot achieve comprehensive disinfection within the limited number of light bulbs. Furthermore, when the disinfection area is offset from the position of the ultraviolet light source, the irradiation intensity and the accuracy of the irradiation position also have a significant impact. This is especially true for disinfection areas with narrow and elongated characteristics, such as cutting boards. Since the ultraviolet light source scatters light in a conical shape, ultraviolet light is wasted on both sides of the width, while the ultraviolet light intensity is insufficient in the length direction, resulting in uneven disinfection of the cutting board.

[0038] This embodiment uses non-planar lenses to change the transmission angle of ultraviolet light based on the spatial location and characteristics of different disinfection areas and different kitchen utensils. This allows the ultraviolet light to diffuse, focus, or change its transmission angle, resulting in more concentrated energy and more precise irradiation. By using the lens glass to adjust the ultraviolet beam of the ultraviolet lamp source, all ultraviolet light is irradiated on the surface of the required utensils, greatly improving the utilization rate of ultraviolet light, while also improving the sterilization efficiency and reducing the power consumption of sterilization.

[0039] In an optional embodiment, the sterilizer has a first sterilization area 100 located on the rear side of the housing 10 and forming a plate-shaped independent space. The first sterilization area 100 is mainly used for placing cutting boards 110 and flat, large-area kitchen utensils, and its space is long and narrow. A first ultraviolet lamp group 120 is provided at the top of the first sterilization area 100. The first ultraviolet lamp group 120 has a first ultraviolet lamp source and a first lens glass 130. It should be noted that the first ultraviolet lamp source is conical and diffuses light. Without the first lens glass of this embodiment, ultraviolet light will be wasted on both sides of the width, while the ultraviolet light intensity in the length direction will be insufficient, resulting in uneven sterilization effect on the cutting board.

[0040] Specifically, the first lens glass 130 has a flat side near the first ultraviolet lamp source and a rectangular convex lens 131 on the other side. The rectangular convex lens focuses the light emitted by the first ultraviolet lamp source into a rectangular range, and the rectangular range covers the first disinfection area.

[0041] Specifically, the rectangular convex lens has a triangular cross-section and a rectangular horizontal section. When the ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet lamp source passes through the rectangular convex lens, the ultraviolet light will be concentrated into a rectangular area, which corresponds to the rectangular, flat and wide space where the cutting board is placed. This improves the utilization rate of ultraviolet light, increases the disinfection efficiency, and greatly reduces the risk of ultraviolet leakage.

[0042] In an optional embodiment, the sterilizer has a second sterilization area 200 located in the hollow portion formed by the housing 10 and the door 20 and offset to one side, and a third sterilization area 300 located at the front end of the second sterilization area 200 and disposed on the door 20. A second ultraviolet lamp group 210 and a third ultraviolet lamp group are disposed on the inner wall of the housing on one side of the second sterilization area 200. The second sterilization area 200 is mainly used to place large kitchen utensils such as ladles and spatulas. Its characteristic is that it is close to the second ultraviolet lamp group, requiring a large area to be irradiated, making it difficult to achieve comprehensive sterilization with the limited number of traditional lamp beads. The third sterilization area 300 is mainly used to place kitchen utensils such as chopsticks and knives and forks. The utensils are placed on the door 20, and after the sterilizer closes the door 20, it is located to the side and front of the third ultraviolet lamp group. The third ultraviolet lamp group and the utensils are not directly opposite each other. Under traditional ultraviolet light irradiation conditions, the irradiation intensity and accuracy of the irradiation position are lacking.

[0043] To address the problem that traditional ultraviolet light cannot be effectively utilized in the second and third disinfection areas, this embodiment adopts the following technical solution: The second ultraviolet lamp group 210 includes a second ultraviolet lamp source and a second lens glass 230. The side of the second lens glass 230 closest to the second ultraviolet lamp source is flat, and the other side is a concave lens 231. The concave lens refracts the light emitted by the second ultraviolet lamp source to expand the transmission angle and cover the second disinfection area. The concave lens further expands the angle after the cone-shaped ultraviolet light from the second ultraviolet lamp source passes through, so that all appliances in the second disinfection area can receive the ultraviolet irradiation completely, achieving a comprehensive disinfection effect.

[0044] Furthermore, the third ultraviolet lamp assembly includes a third ultraviolet lamp source and a third lens glass 330. The third lens glass 330 has a flat surface on one side near the third ultraviolet lamp source and a convex lens 331 on the other side. The central axis of the convex surface of the convex lens 331 forms a certain angle β with the central axis of the flat surface, and the central axis of the convex surface passes through the center of the third disinfection area. This allows the convex lens to refract and align with the third disinfection area based on the angle. The angle between the central axis of the convex surface and the central axis of the flat surface refracts and changes the angle of the emitted ultraviolet light, focusing the light and improving the irradiation intensity and accuracy of the irradiation position in the third disinfection area. The central axis of the convex surface passing through the center of the third disinfection area ensures that the ultraviolet light, after passing through the convex lens, not only focuses and increases the intensity, avoiding light source waste, but also uses the refraction generated by the angle to align the light with the target area, improving the sterilization effect and avoiding the impact of the third ultraviolet lamp source not being directly aligned with the third disinfection area.

[0045] In an optional embodiment, a fourth disinfection area 400 is provided inside the housing 10, located on one side of the second disinfection area 200. The top of the fourth disinfection area 400 has a step 30 corresponding to the outside of the housing, and the step 30 has an insertion port 31. The fourth disinfection area 400 communicates with the lower middle part of the second disinfection area 200, so that light emitted from a fourth ultraviolet lamp group located on the inner wall of the housing on one side of the second area 200 passes through the communication and irradiates the fourth disinfection area 400. The fourth disinfection area is mainly used to place a knife 410. The blade of the knife is inserted into the fourth disinfection area through the insertion port, while the handle is located on the step of the housing. The step is formed by a recessed corner of the housing. The rear side is the first disinfection area for placing a cutting board. The arrangement of each disinfection area makes the sterilizer's structure compact and space-efficient.

[0046] Furthermore, the fourth ultraviolet lamp assembly includes a fourth ultraviolet lamp source and a fourth lens glass 430. The fourth lens glass 430 has a flat surface on one side near the fourth ultraviolet lamp source and a convex lens 431 on the other side. The convex lens 431 focuses the light emitted from the fourth ultraviolet lamp source, allowing it to pass through the second disinfection area 200 and irradiate the fourth disinfection area 400. In this embodiment, the fourth disinfection area is far from the fourth ultraviolet lamp source. Since the UV-LED light source emits light in a ray-like pattern with a certain angle of scattering, the emitted ultraviolet light is not concentrated, and the long distance results in a significant attenuation of the ultraviolet intensity reaching the surface, leading to a less than ideal disinfection effect. The convex lens focuses the ultraviolet light from the fourth ultraviolet lamp source, ensuring that more ultraviolet light effectively irradiates the blade, increasing the ultraviolet intensity at the target location and improving the sterilization rate.

[0047] In an optional embodiment, a display control panel 40 is provided at the front end of the housing 10. The first and second ultraviolet lamp groups are electrically connected to the display control panel to allow the control panel to independently control the emission of each ultraviolet lamp. The first disinfection area is located at the rear of the sterilizer. The first ultraviolet lamp group is positioned at the top of the first disinfection area. The second, third, and fourth ultraviolet lamp groups are located in the same location to reduce the complexity of the machine's power supply and wiring. The three ultraviolet lamp groups focus on three different disinfection areas. The specific ultraviolet lamp group can be controlled to operate or to perform disinfection simultaneously via touch buttons on the display control panel. If kitchen utensils in a specific disinfection area are used and cleaned individually, the ultraviolet lamp group irradiating that area can be activated.

[0048] Through the above embodiments or an optional embodiment, the emitted ultraviolet light can be fully utilized to precisely disinfect the surfaces of kitchen utensils while maintaining low power consumption. By changing the angle and shape of the central axis of the lens glass output surface (the plane closest to the ultraviolet light source is the input surface, and the other side farther away is the output surface), the emitted ultraviolet light is constrained and controlled, and ineffective ultraviolet light rays are integrated and utilized to meet the requirements of changing the angle, irradiation area size, and intensity. Compared with traditional solutions that increase power and add more LEDs to enhance sterilization effects, this greatly reduces energy consumption and also avoids ultraviolet leakage by constraining the light rays.

[0049] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely used to illustrate the structure of the kitchen utensil sterilizer of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Without departing from the concept of the present invention, those skilled in the art can adjust the above structure so that the present invention can be applied to more specific application scenarios.

[0050] For example, another embodiment of the present invention provides a sterilization device, including a kitchen utensil sterilizer as described in some of the embodiments above or an optional embodiment.

[0051] The above disclosures are merely one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention, intended to help understand the inventive concept of the technical solution, and are not intended to limit the present invention in any other way. Any other equivalent or conventional substitution schemes made by those skilled in the art based on the features defined by the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A kitchen utensil sterilizer, characterized in that: It includes at least two disinfection zones and at least two ultraviolet lamp groups. Each ultraviolet lamp group includes at least one ultraviolet lamp source and a lens glass sealed in front of the ultraviolet lamp source. The side of the lens glass closest to the ultraviolet lamp source is flat, and the other side is a non-planar lens so that the cone-shaped scattered light from the ultraviolet lamp source passes through the lens glass and irradiates the disinfection zone at a preset transmission angle. Depending on the spatial location and characteristics of different disinfection zones and different kitchen utensils, a non-planar lens is used to change the transmission angle of the ultraviolet light, thereby diffusing or focusing the ultraviolet light or changing the transmission angle.

2. The kitchen utensil sterilizer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sterilizer has a first disinfection area located on the rear side of the housing and forming a plate-shaped independent space. A first ultraviolet lamp group is provided at the top of the first disinfection area. The first ultraviolet lamp group has a first ultraviolet lamp source and a first lens glass. The side of the first lens glass near the first ultraviolet lamp source is a flat surface, and the other side is a rectangular convex lens. The rectangular convex lens focuses the light emitted by the first ultraviolet lamp source into a rectangular range, and the rectangular range covers the first disinfection area.

3. A kitchen utensil sterilizer according to claim 2, characterized in that: The rectangular convex lens has a triangular cross-section and a rectangular horizontal section.

4. A kitchen utensil sterilizer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sterilizer has a second sterilization area located in the hollow part formed by the shell and the door and biased to one side, a third sterilization area located at the front end of the second sterilization area and set on the door, and a second ultraviolet lamp group and a third ultraviolet lamp group are provided on the inner wall of the shell located on one side of the second sterilization area.

5. A kitchen utensil sterilizer according to claim 4, characterized in that: The second ultraviolet lamp assembly includes a second ultraviolet lamp source and a second lens glass. The second lens glass is flat on one side near the second ultraviolet lamp source and concave on the other side. The concave lens refracts the light emitted by the second ultraviolet lamp source to expand the transmission angle and cover the second disinfection area.

6. A kitchen utensil sterilizer according to claim 4, characterized in that: The third ultraviolet lamp group includes a third ultraviolet lamp source and a third lens glass. The third lens glass is flat on one side near the third ultraviolet lamp source and oblique convex lens on the other side. The central axis of the convex curved surface of the oblique convex lens forms a certain angle with the central axis of the flat surface, and the central axis of the convex curved surface passes through the center of the third disinfection area so that the oblique convex lens refracts according to the angle and aligns with the third disinfection area.

7. A kitchen utensil sterilizer according to claim 4, characterized in that: The housing also includes a fourth disinfection area located on one side of the second disinfection area. The top of the fourth disinfection area is provided with a step corresponding to the outside of the housing, and the step is provided with an insertion port. The fourth disinfection area is connected to the lower middle part of the second disinfection area, so that the light emitted by the fourth ultraviolet lamp group on the inner wall of the housing located on one side of the second area passes through the connection and irradiates the fourth disinfection area.

8. A kitchen utensil sterilizer according to claim 7, characterized in that: The fourth ultraviolet lamp group includes a fourth ultraviolet lamp source and a fourth lens glass. The side of the fourth lens glass closest to the fourth ultraviolet lamp source is flat, and the other side is a convex lens. The convex lens focuses the light emitted by the fourth ultraviolet lamp source and passes through the second disinfection area to illuminate the fourth disinfection area.

9. A kitchen utensil sterilizer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front end of the housing is provided with a display control panel, and the first ultraviolet lamp group and the second ultraviolet lamp group are electrically connected to the display control panel so that the display control panel controls the independent emission of each ultraviolet lamp source.

10. A sterilization device, characterized in that: Including a kitchen appliance sterilizer as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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