A drying temperature control method for a kitchen waste disposer

Abstract

The present invention discloses a drying temperature control method for a kitchen waste disposer. The control unit detects the heating temperature of a heating plate through a first detection element, and detects the relative humidity of the airflow in a manifold or an air duct through a second detection element. The control unit is provided with a relative humidity threshold, and the relative humidity threshold is used as one of the comparison parameters for modifying the current temperature control threshold. The control unit dynamically modifies the current temperature control threshold based on the comparison result between the detected relative humidity value and the relative humidity threshold, and the temperature control threshold before modification is higher than the temperature control threshold after modification. The control unit automatically controls the operating state of the heating plate based on the comparison result between the detected heating temperature of the heating plate and the current temperature control threshold. The present invention shortens drying time, improves drying efficiency, and reduces unit drying energy consumption of drying garbage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of drying control systems for food waste disposers, and in particular to a drying temperature control method for food waste disposers. Background Art

[0002] The food waste disposer has a built-in inner barrel, which is heated by a heating plate installed under the inner barrel. The temperature control method of the food waste disposer is to install a temperature sensor on the heating plate or close to the bottom of the inner barrel, and set a fixed temperature control threshold in the program. When the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor is higher than the threshold, heating is stopped, and when the temperature is lower than the threshold, heating is restarted; there are also two fixed upper and lower temperature limit thresholds. When the temperature is higher than the upper limit, heating is stopped, and after cooling, when the temperature is lower than the lower limit, heating is restarted. The purpose is to directly or indirectly control the temperature in the barrel within a narrow range to meet the food waste disposer's requirements for temperature control in the barrel. The service life is short, the drying time is long, the drying efficiency is low, and the unit drying energy consumption of drying garbage is high. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a drying temperature control method for a kitchen waste disposer, which shortens the drying time, improves the drying efficiency, and reduces the unit drying energy consumption of drying garbage.

[0004] In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a drying temperature control method for a kitchen waste disposer, comprising the following steps:

[0005] The food waste disposer heats the inner barrel through a heating plate installed under the inner barrel to dry the contents inside the barrel.

[0006] The control unit detects the heating temperature of the heating plate through the first detection element, and the control unit is provided with a temperature control threshold for controlling the working state of the heating plate.

[0007] The control unit detects the relative humidity of the airflow in the manifold or the air duct through the second detection element. The control unit is provided with a relative humidity threshold and uses the relative humidity threshold as one of the comparison parameters for modifying the current temperature control threshold.

[0008] The control unit dynamically modifies the temperature control threshold or switches to use the second temperature control threshold as the current temperature control threshold based on the comparison result of the relative humidity value obtained by the detection and the relative humidity threshold, and the temperature control threshold before modification is higher than the temperature control threshold modified or switched to later.

[0009] The control unit automatically controls the working state of the heating disk according to a comparison result between the detected heating temperature of the heating disk and the current temperature control threshold.

[0010] In a further technical solution, the relative humidity threshold is set to 70-90%;

[0011] When the detected current heating temperature is higher than the current temperature control threshold, the control unit controls the heating plate to stop heating.

[0012] When the detected current heating temperature is lower than the current temperature control threshold, the control unit controls the heating plate to keep heating.

[0013] In a further technical solution, a temperature and humidity detection point is set in the manifold or the air duct for exhausting air flow, and the current relative humidity of the temperature and humidity detection point is obtained by real-time detection by the second detection element set at the temperature and humidity detection point.

[0014] In a further technical solution, the current temperature and relative humidity of the temperature and humidity detection point are detected in real time by the second detection element. When the second detection element detects a sudden increase in temperature in real time, the control unit determines that the food waste disposer has entered the drying stage.

[0015] In a further technical solution, the heating temperature is the surface temperature of the heating plate detected in real time by a temperature detection element installed on the surface of the heating plate.

[0016] In a further technical solution, when the relative humidity value is higher than the relative humidity threshold, the control unit uses the first temperature control threshold as the current temperature control threshold.

[0017] When the relative humidity value is lower than the set relative humidity threshold, the control unit uses the second temperature control threshold as the current temperature control threshold, and the first temperature control threshold is higher than the modified second temperature control threshold.

[0018] In a further technical solution, the relative humidity threshold is 80%.

[0019] In a further technical solution, the drying process of the contents includes an initial heating stage, an evaporation stage and a drying stage.

[0020] In the initial heating stage, the temperature of the inner barrel bottom begins to rise from room temperature, and water is precipitated from the contents until the temperature of the liquid at the bottom of the inner barrel reaches the highest or is in the boiling process.

[0021] During the evaporation stage, the liquid at the bottom of the inner barrel is stable at the highest temperature or in a boiling state.

[0022] During the drying stage, the bottom of the inner barrel is in a state of no liquid.

[0023] The control unit adopts a two-stage temperature control drying temperature control method.

[0024] The control unit uses the first temperature control threshold with the same value in the initial heating stage and the evaporation stage.

[0025] The control unit uses the modified second temperature control threshold in the drying stage, and the first temperature control threshold is 10-30°C higher than the second temperature control threshold.

[0026] In a further technical solution, after the control unit uses the second temperature control threshold, the second temperature control threshold is kept as the current temperature control threshold until the drying stage ends.

[0027] In a further technical solution, the temperature threshold of the first temperature control threshold is 160-180°C, and the temperature threshold of the second temperature control threshold is 140-160°C.

[0028] The advantages of the present invention compared with the prior art are:

[0029] 1. The present invention adopts a two-stage temperature control method. The temperature control thresholds set in the heating stage and the evaporation stage are high, which can significantly accelerate the evaporation and drying process of the garbage in the barrel, thereby effectively shortening the garbage disposal time. Because liquid water is present in the evaporation stage, the temperature at the bottom of the barrel can only reach the boiling point of the liquid in the barrel at most, and will not cause sintering or carbonization of the contents.

[0030] 2. During the drying stage, the liquid water has been evaporated. Lowering the temperature control threshold during this stage can effectively prevent the contents from burning or carbonizing, and keep the bottom temperature of the barrel within a reasonable range.

[0031] 3. From the perspective of energy conservation, two-stage temperature control only increases the average heating power of the product in the evaporation stage because the heat exchange efficiency is higher and the heating plate is disconnected for a shorter time. However, because the total drying time is shortened, the product working time is greatly shortened, which indirectly improves the reliability of other components and the product life is relatively longer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] A drying and temperature control method for a kitchen waste disposer comprises the following steps:

[0033] The food waste disposer heats the inner barrel through a heating plate installed under the inner barrel to dry the contents placed in the inner barrel.

[0034] The control unit detects the heating temperature of the heating plate through the first detection element. The heating temperature is the surface temperature of the heating plate detected in real time by the temperature detection element installed on the surface of the heating plate. The control unit is provided with a temperature control threshold for controlling the working state of the heating plate. For example, two different temperature control thresholds are set, the temperature threshold of the first temperature control threshold is 160-180°C, and the temperature threshold of the second temperature control threshold is 140-160°C. After the food waste disposer starts the drying work, the control unit uses the first temperature control threshold with a temperature threshold of 160-180°C as the currently used temperature control threshold.

[0035] The food waste disposer is provided with a temperature and humidity detection point in its manifold or air duct. The airflow discharged from the inner barrel during the drying process is discharged through the manifold or air duct. The current relative humidity of the temperature and humidity detection point is obtained in real time through a second detection element provided at the temperature and humidity detection point.

[0036] The control unit detects the relative humidity of the airflow in the manifold or air duct through the second detection element. The control unit is provided with a relative humidity threshold and uses the relative humidity threshold as one of the comparison parameters for modifying the current temperature control threshold. The relative humidity threshold is 70-90%.

[0037] The control unit dynamically modifies the temperature control threshold value according to the comparison result of the relative humidity value obtained by the detection and the relative humidity threshold value, and uses the modified temperature control threshold value as the current temperature control threshold value, and the temperature control threshold value before the modification is higher than the modified temperature control threshold value; or, the control unit switches to use a second temperature control threshold value as the current temperature control threshold value according to the comparison result of the relative humidity value obtained by the detection and the relative humidity threshold value, and the temperature control threshold value before the modification is higher than the temperature control threshold value switched to later;

[0038] When the relative humidity value is higher than the relative humidity threshold, the control unit uses the first temperature control threshold as the current temperature control threshold. When the relative humidity value is lower than the set relative humidity threshold, the control unit uses the second temperature control threshold as the current temperature control threshold.

[0039] During the entire drying process, the control unit automatically controls the working state of the heating plate according to the comparison result of the detected heating temperature of the heating plate and the current temperature control threshold; that is, when the detected current heating temperature is higher than the currently used temperature control threshold, the control unit controls the heating plate to stop heating; when the detected current heating temperature is lower than the current temperature control threshold, the control unit controls the heating plate to keep heating.

[0040] The control unit uses a two-stage drying temperature control method. During the initial warm-up and evaporation stages, the control unit uses the same first temperature control threshold. During the drying stage, the control unit uses a modified second temperature control threshold that is 10-30°C higher than the second. After the control unit modifies and switches to the second temperature control threshold, the second temperature control threshold remains the current temperature control threshold until the drying stage ends.

[0041] The drying process of the contents of the food waste disposer includes the initial heating stage, evaporation stage and drying stage.

[0042] In the initial heating stage, the temperature of the inner barrel bottom begins to rise from room temperature, and water is precipitated from the contents until the temperature of the liquid at the bottom of the inner barrel reaches the highest or is in the boiling process.

[0043] During the evaporation stage, the liquid at the bottom of the inner barrel is stable at the highest temperature or in a boiling state.

[0044] During the drying stage, the bottom of the inner barrel is in a state of no liquid.

[0045] More than 80% of the time a food waste disposer processes garbage is in the evaporation and drying stage, and the vast majority of the time is in the evaporation stage. By minimizing the time the heating plate is shut down due to temperature control without increasing the power of the heating plate, the evaporation and drying time can be significantly reduced.

[0046] From the initial heating stage to the end of the evaporation stage, the highest temperature in the barrel can only reach the boiling point. However, there is no heat absorption protection of liquid water in the drying stage. Under the same temperature control and heating conditions, that is, a single temperature control threshold, the temperature at the bottom of the barrel in the drying stage is usually more than 30° higher.

[0047] To maintain an appropriate drum temperature during the drying phase—generally between 105-135°C—the surface temperature of the contact heating plate must be controlled above 160°C, depending on the plate's structure. If the temperature is too high, the garbage and other contents in the drum can easily overheat and carbonize or sinter during the drying phase. However, this temperature slows down the evaporation process during the heating and evaporation phases, resulting in a longer duration for the first two phases, especially if the drum contains a high amount of water.

[0048] The present invention employs a two-stage temperature control system: a relatively high temperature threshold is set during the initial heating and evaporation stages, and a relatively low temperature threshold is used during the later drying stages. This results in a faster temperature rise in the barrel before the drying stage, faster water release from the waste, and faster reaching the highest temperature point, even boiling, Furthermore, because the heating plate's surface temperature is higher, heat exchange with the contents of the barrel is faster, accelerating vaporization and significantly shortening the waste processing time.

[0049] The present invention relatively increases the temperature control thresholds in the initial heating stage and the evaporation stage by utilizing the characteristic that the temperature at the bottom of the barrel can be stabilized below the boiling point, thereby achieving the purpose of faster evaporation of water and accelerating the gasification and dehydration drying process; switching to a relatively low temperature control threshold in the drying stage is to ensure that the temperature at the bottom of the barrel is within a reasonable range to prevent sintering and carbonization of the contents.

[0050] The switchover point between the two different temperature control thresholds can be selected at an appropriate relative humidity or temperature. This is because the relative humidity measured during the evaporation phase will remain stable at a higher value for a longer period of time, depending on the structure and exhaust system design. Once the liquid water at the bottom of the barrel evaporates, the relative humidity at the detection point will gradually decrease, while the temperature will gradually increase. A relative humidity value that is significantly different from that during the evaporation phase can be selected. For example, set the relative humidity threshold to 80%. When the current relative humidity drops to 80%, change the temperature control threshold to a lower value and enter the drying temperature control phase.

[0051] The main drying process of the food waste disposer is as follows.

[0052] 1. The food waste disposer operates under standard mode conditions;

[0053] 2. The heating plate of the food waste disposer begins heating. During the initial heating phase, assuming the temperature sensor is located on the heating plate, the temperature rises and the evaporation phase begins. During this phase, the relative humidity measured is generally above 90%. The temperature control threshold of the heating plate is set to 170°C. This temperature control threshold has a certain correspondence with the surface temperature of the heating plate. However, different heating plates or different temperature sensor locations will affect the selection of the temperature control threshold. This process continues until the heating and evaporation phases are complete and the liquid water at the bottom of the barrel has evaporated.

[0054] 3. As the food waste disposer continues to heat and dry, when the thermometer and hygrometer detects that the relative humidity is lower than 80%, it indicates that the food waste disposer has entered the drying stage. At this time, the control unit will modify and switch the temperature control threshold to 155°C, and use this temperature control threshold of 155°C to control the heating of the heating plate until the drying stage ends.

[0055] To determine whether the food waste disposer has entered the drying stage, the control unit can use the second detection element set at the temperature and humidity detection point to detect the temperature in real time for auxiliary judgment. When the second detection element at the temperature and humidity detection point detects a sudden increase in temperature in real time, the control unit determines that the food waste disposer has entered the drying stage.

[0056] For example, when the second detection element at the temperature and humidity detection point detects in real time that the temperature suddenly rises by more than 5°C, it is determined that the food waste disposer has entered the drying stage.

Claims

1. A drying and temperature control method for a food waste disposer, characterized in that: The following steps are included: The food waste disposer heats the inner barrel through a heating plate installed under the inner barrel to dry the contents inside the barrel. The control unit detects the heating temperature of the heating plate through the first detection element, and the control unit is provided with a temperature control threshold for controlling the working state of the heating plate. The control unit detects the relative humidity of the airflow in the manifold or the air duct through the second detection element. The control unit is provided with a relative humidity threshold and uses the relative humidity threshold as one of the comparison parameters for modifying the current temperature control threshold. The control unit dynamically modifies the temperature control threshold or switches to use the second temperature control threshold as the current temperature control threshold based on the comparison result of the relative humidity value obtained by the detection and the relative humidity threshold, and the temperature control threshold before modification is higher than the temperature control threshold modified or switched to later. The control unit automatically controls the working state of the heating plate according to the comparison result of the heating temperature of the heating plate detected and the current temperature control threshold; The drying process of the contents includes the initial heating stage, evaporation stage and drying stage. In the initial heating stage, the temperature of the inner barrel bottom begins to rise from room temperature, and water is precipitated from the contents until the temperature of the liquid at the bottom of the inner barrel reaches the highest or is in the boiling process. During the evaporation stage, the liquid at the bottom of the inner barrel is stable at the highest temperature or in a boiling state. During the drying stage, the bottom of the inner barrel is in a state of no liquid. The control unit adopts a two-stage temperature control drying temperature control method. The control unit uses the same first temperature control threshold value in the initial heating stage and the evaporation stage. The control unit uses the modified second temperature control threshold during the drying phase, and the first temperature control threshold is 10-30°C higher than the second temperature control threshold.

2. The drying and temperature control method for a food waste disposer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The relative humidity threshold is set to 70-90%; When the detected current heating temperature is higher than the current temperature control threshold, the control unit controls the heating plate to stop heating. When the detected current heating temperature is lower than the current temperature control threshold, the control unit controls the heating plate to keep heating.

3. The drying and temperature control method for a food waste disposer according to claim 1, characterized in that: A temperature and humidity detection point is set in the manifold or the air duct for exhausting air flow, and the second detection element set at the temperature and humidity detection point detects in real time to obtain the current relative humidity of the temperature and humidity detection point.

4. The drying and temperature control method for a food waste disposer according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second detection element detects in real time the current temperature and relative humidity of the temperature and humidity detection point. When the second detection element detects in real time that the temperature suddenly rises, the control unit determines that the food waste disposer has entered the drying stage.

5. The drying and temperature control method for a food waste disposer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating temperature is the surface temperature of the heating plate detected in real time by a temperature detection element installed on the surface of the heating plate.

6. A drying and temperature control method for a food waste disposer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: When the relative humidity value is higher than the relative humidity threshold, the control unit uses the first temperature control threshold as the current temperature control threshold. When the relative humidity value is lower than the set relative humidity threshold, the control unit uses the second temperature control threshold as the current temperature control threshold, and the first temperature control threshold is higher than the modified second temperature control threshold.

7. The drying and temperature control method for a food waste disposer according to claim 5, characterized in that: The relative humidity threshold is 80%.

8. The drying and temperature control method for a food waste disposer according to claim 5, characterized in that: After the control unit uses the second temperature control threshold, the second temperature control threshold is maintained as the current temperature control threshold until the drying stage ends.

9. The drying and temperature control method for a food waste disposer according to claim 5, characterized in that: The temperature threshold of the first temperature control threshold is 160-180°C, and the temperature threshold of the second temperature control threshold is 140-160°C.