Vacuum refrigerator and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a vacuum refrigerator and a control method thereof. The refrigerator comprises a refrigerator body and a door body. A control switch is arranged between the box body and the door body, and a vacuum pump and a plurality of vacuum box assemblies are arranged in the box body; the vacuum box assembly is provided with a vent hole, the vent hole is connected with a mechanical one-way valve or an electromagnetic valve, the other end of the mechanical one-way valve or the electromagnetic valve is connected with a multi-way pipe, and the multi-way pipe is connected with an air inlet of the vacuum pump. When any one vacuum box assembly is opened, the vacuum pump stops running; all the vacuum box assemblies are closed after being opened, the vacuum pump runs, and the vacuum pump stops running after the pressure sensor detects that all the vacuum box assemblies reach set values; when all the vacuum box assemblies are in the closed state, the pressure sensor detects that the pressure of any vacuum box assembly does not reach the set value, and the vacuum pump operates. The multiple vacuum box assemblies are vacuumized through the vacuum pump and the multi-way pipe, the structure is simple, cost is low, and noise is low.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of household appliance technology, and in particular to a vacuum refrigerator and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the development of technology and the improvement of people's living standards, refrigerators have become a necessity for every family. At present, most refrigerators are air-cooled refrigerators, which use fans to circulate air for cooling. In recent years, people's health awareness has gradually increased, and the demand for food preservation has also increased. As the most commonly used household appliance for food storage, food preservation and storage has become a technical demand that needs to be urgently addressed in the refrigerator field.

[0003] At present, various manufacturers have introduced different preservation technologies for food preservation and storage. For example, vacuum preservation technology, under vacuum state, the conditions for food deterioration have changed. First, in a vacuum environment, microorganisms and various enzymes are difficult to survive, and it takes a long time to meet the requirements for microbial growth; secondly, under a vacuum state, the oxygen in the container is greatly reduced, various chemical reactions cannot be completed, and the food will not be oxidized, which also allows the food to be kept fresh for a long time. In the refrigerator, a vacuum preservation box can be used to preserve and store food. The vacuum preservation box is evacuated by a vacuum device (such as a vacuum joint) to make the pressure in the box reach the pressure required for food preservation and storage. The existing vacuum preservation box usually includes a box body and a vacuum valve. The vacuum valve is arranged on the box body. When vacuuming, the gas in the box body flows out through the gap between the vacuum valve and the box body. After the vacuuming is completed, the vacuum valve contacts and seals with the box body so that the box body continues to maintain a certain pressure.

[0004] Most existing vacuum fresh-keeping refrigerators are equipped with a vacuum box, and the available volume is very limited. The sealing effect of the fresh-keeping box is affected by many factors, such as the contact sealing performance between the vacuum valve and the box body, the structure of the vacuum valve itself, etc. The whole machine is fully vacuum-preserved and equipped with multiple vacuum boxes. One vacuum box is generally evacuated by a vacuum pump. This structural form is not only costly and has a complex control system, but also greatly increases noise, affecting the user experience. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a vacuum refrigerator and a control method thereof, so as to solve the problems of small vacuum chamber volume, high full vacuum preservation cost, complex control and high noise of the vacuum refrigerator.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a vacuum refrigerator, the refrigerator comprising a box body and a door body;

[0007] A control switch is arranged between the box body and the door body, and a vacuum pump and multiple vacuum box assemblies are arranged in the box body; the vacuum box assembly is provided with a vent hole, and a mechanical one-way valve or a solenoid valve is connected to the vent hole, and the other end of the mechanical one-way valve or the solenoid valve is connected to a multi-way pipe, and the multi-way pipe is connected to the air inlet of the vacuum pump.

[0008] In some possible implementations, the number of vacuum boxes is N, the number of multi-way pipes is N+1, one pipe of the multi-way pipe is connected to the air inlet of the vacuum pump, and the remaining pipes are connected to the mechanical one-way valves in the vacuum box assembly.

[0009] In some possible implementations, each of the vacuum box assemblies is provided with a pressure sensor for detecting the internal pressure of the vacuum box.

[0010] In some possible implementations, the vacuum pump box is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet, the air inlet is connected to the vacuum pump, and the air outlet is directly connected to the box body and discharged to the outside of the box through a drain pipe.

[0011] In some possible implementations, the refrigerator further includes a controller, which receives the pressure value sent by the pressure sensor; the refrigerator further includes a radio frequency identification device installed in the box body, which is used to detect the radio frequency identification tag of the vacuum box assembly; the refrigerator further includes a display device, which is used to display various data.

[0012] In a second aspect, the present application further provides a control method for a vacuum refrigerator, wherein the vacuum refrigerator is the vacuum refrigerator described in the first aspect; the control method comprises:

[0013] When the door of the vacuum refrigerator is opened, the vacuum pump stops running;

[0014] When the door is closed and the vacuum pump is running, the vacuum pump stops running after the pressure sensor detects that the vacuum box assembly reaches a set value;

[0015] When the door is closed and the pressure sensor detects that the pressure value of any vacuum box assembly does not reach the set value, the vacuum pump starts operating.

[0016] In some possible implementations, the method further includes:

[0017] When the pressure sensor detects a vacuum box assembly whose pressure value does not reach a set value, determining the number of the vacuum box assemblies;

[0018] When the number of the vacuum box assemblies is less than a first preset number, locating the area corresponding to the vacuum box assemblies as a target area, and performing a vacuuming operation on the vacuum box assemblies contained in the target area;

[0019] When the number of the vacuum box assemblies is equal to or greater than a first preset number, a vacuuming operation is performed on all the vacuum box assemblies.

[0020] In some possible implementations, the method further includes:

[0021] locating a vacuum box assembly whose pressure value does not reach a set value, and controlling the RFID device to identify a target RFID tag of the vacuum box assembly;

[0022] When the target RFID tag is detected by the RFID device, the display device is controlled to display the target food information.

[0023] In some possible implementations, the method further includes:

[0024] In response to receiving an input operation from a user, the radio frequency identification device is controlled to write a first code value into a first data area in the target radio frequency identification tag, and a second code value into a second data area in the target radio frequency identification tag; wherein the first code value is used to indicate the type of the food, and the second code value is used to indicate the time related to the food.

[0025] In some possible implementations, the method further includes:

[0026] In response to the RFID device detecting the target RFID tag in the target area, controlling the RFID device to read a first code value stored in a first data area and a second code value stored in a second data area of ​​the target RFID tag;

[0027] Determine the type of food according to the first coding value, and determine the storage time of the food according to the second coding value;

[0028] Calculate the shelf life of the food according to the type of the food and the storage time of the food;

[0029] The display device is controlled to display the food type and the food shelf life.

[0030] From the above content, it can be seen that the present application provides a vacuum refrigerator and a control method thereof, the refrigerator includes a box body and a door body; a control switch is arranged between the box body and the door body, a vacuum pump and a plurality of vacuum box assemblies are arranged in the box body; the vacuum box assembly is provided with a vent hole, a mechanical one-way valve or a solenoid valve is connected to the vent hole, the other end of the mechanical one-way valve or the solenoid valve is connected to a multi-way pipe, and the multi-way pipe is connected to the air inlet of the vacuum pump. When any vacuum box assembly is opened, the vacuum pump stops running; when the vacuum box assembly is opened and all are closed, the vacuum pump runs, and the pressure sensor detects that all vacuum box assemblies reach the set value and the vacuum pump stops running; when all vacuum box assemblies are in the closed state, the pressure sensor detects that the pressure of any vacuum box assembly does not reach the set value, and the vacuum pump runs. The present application uses a vacuum pump and a multi-way pipe to realize vacuuming of multiple vacuum box assemblies, which has a simple structure, low cost and low noise; each vacuum box assembly uses a pressure sensor to control it separately, the detection is accurate, and the internal pressure of the vacuum box is more stable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments are briefly introduced below. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a vacuum refrigerator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the connection between the vacuum box assembly and the vacuum pump provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a vacuum box assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the connection between the vacuum pump and the multi-way pipe provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0036] Illustration Description:

[0037] 1-box; 11-control switch; 2-door; 3-vacuum box assembly; 31-mechanical one-way valve; 32-pressure sensor; 4-vacuum pump box; 41-air inlet; 42-air outlet; 5-connecting pipe; 6-connecting pipe; 7-vacuum pump. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The following embodiments are described in detail, and examples thereof are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The implementations described in the following embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present application. They are only examples of systems and methods consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the claims.

[0039] With the development of technology and the improvement of people's living standards, refrigerators have become a necessity for every family. At present, most refrigerators are air-cooled refrigerators, which use fans to circulate air for cooling. In recent years, people's health awareness has gradually increased, and the demand for food preservation has also increased. As the most commonly used household appliance for food storage, food preservation and storage has become a technical demand that needs to be urgently addressed in the refrigerator field.

[0040] At present, various manufacturers have introduced different preservation technologies for food preservation and storage. For example, vacuum preservation technology, under vacuum state, the conditions for food deterioration have changed. First, in a vacuum environment, microorganisms and various enzymes are difficult to survive, and it takes a long time to meet the requirements for microbial growth; secondly, under a vacuum state, the oxygen in the container is greatly reduced, various chemical reactions cannot be completed, and the food will not be oxidized, which also allows the food to be kept fresh for a long time. In the refrigerator, a vacuum preservation box can be used to preserve and store food. The vacuum preservation box is evacuated by a vacuum device (such as a vacuum joint) to make the pressure in the box reach the pressure required for food preservation and storage. The existing vacuum preservation box usually includes a box body and a vacuum valve. The vacuum valve is arranged on the box body. When vacuuming, the gas in the box body flows out through the gap between the vacuum valve and the box body. After the vacuuming is completed, the vacuum valve contacts and seals with the box body so that the box body continues to maintain a certain pressure.

[0041] Most existing vacuum fresh-keeping refrigerators are equipped with a vacuum box, and the available volume is very limited. The sealing effect of the fresh-keeping box is affected by many factors, such as the contact sealing performance between the vacuum valve and the box body, the structure of the vacuum valve itself, etc. The whole machine is fully vacuum-preserved and equipped with multiple vacuum boxes. One vacuum box is generally evacuated by a vacuum pump. This structural form is not only costly and has a complex control system, but also greatly increases noise, affecting the user experience.

[0042] Based on this, the present application provides a vacuum refrigerator and a control method thereof. The present application uses a vacuum pump and a multi-way pipe to achieve vacuuming of multiple vacuum box assemblies, with a simple structure, low cost and low noise; each vacuum box assembly is controlled separately by a pressure sensor, with accurate detection and more stable internal pressure of the vacuum box.

[0043] In some embodiments, the present application provides a control method for a vacuum refrigerator, the method comprising:

[0044] When the door of the vacuum refrigerator is opened, the vacuum pump stops running;

[0045] When the door is closed and the vacuum pump is running, the vacuum pump stops running after the pressure sensor detects that the vacuum box assembly reaches a set value;

[0046] When the door is closed and the pressure sensor detects that the pressure value of any vacuum box assembly does not reach the set value, the vacuum pump starts operating.

[0047] When a mechanical one-way valve is connected to the vent hole in a vacuum refrigerator, all vacuum box components need to be evacuated during the vacuum operation; while when a solenoid valve is connected to the vent hole in a vacuum refrigerator, only one or some vacuum box components need to be evacuated during the vacuum operation, which saves time and improves user experience.

[0048] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0049] When the pressure sensor detects a vacuum box assembly whose pressure value does not reach a set value, determining the number of the vacuum box assemblies;

[0050] When the number of the vacuum box assemblies is less than a first preset number, locating the area corresponding to the vacuum box assemblies as a target area, and performing a vacuuming operation on the vacuum box assemblies contained in the target area;

[0051] When the number of the vacuum box assemblies is equal to or greater than a first preset number, a vacuuming operation is performed on all the vacuum box assemblies.

[0052] In the present application, when the pressure value of a vacuum box assembly is less than a set value and the number of the vacuum box assemblies is less than a first preset number, the vacuum box assemblies contained in the partial area corresponding to the vacuum box assembly can be vacuumed only, thereby saving time and improving user experience.

[0053] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0054] locating a vacuum box assembly whose pressure value does not reach a set value, and controlling the RFID device to identify a target RFID tag of the vacuum box assembly;

[0055] When the target RFID tag is detected by the RFID device, the display device is controlled to display the target food information.

[0056] The RFID tags are defined as livestock meat, poultry meat, aquatic products, medicinal materials, wild delicacies, and custom categories. Different categories of tags are represented by different colors. For example, red represents livestock meat, white represents poultry meat, blue represents aquatic products, yellow represents medicinal materials, green represents wild delicacies, and purple represents custom categories. Users can attach the above RFID tags to the vacuum box and make simple ingredient selections based on the label color and ingredient characteristics.

[0057] After the target RFID tag is detected, the target food information corresponding to the target RFID tag can be determined by looking up the corresponding relationship table according to the EPC area code of the target RFID tag. Specifically, the corresponding relationship table may refer to a data set stored in the information management device for recording the corresponding relationship between the RFID tag and the food information.

[0058] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0059] In response to receiving an input operation from a user, the radio frequency identification device is controlled to write a first code value into a first data area in the target radio frequency identification tag, and a second code value into a second data area in the target radio frequency identification tag; wherein the first code value is used to indicate the type of the food, and the second code value is used to indicate the time related to the food.

[0060] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0061] In response to the RFID device detecting the target RFID tag in the target area, controlling the RFID device to read a first code value stored in a first data area and a second code value stored in a second data area of ​​the target RFID tag;

[0062] Determine the type of food according to the first coding value, and determine the storage time of the food according to the second coding value;

[0063] Calculate the shelf life of the food according to the type of the food and the storage time of the food;

[0064] The display device is controlled to display the food type and the food shelf life.

[0065] When the target area in the target RFID tag stores a first code value indicating the type of food, and the second data area stores a code value indicating the storage time of the food. In order to facilitate users to intuitively understand the shelf life of the food, the application can determine the shelf life of the food according to the type of food and the storage time of the food after determining the type of food and the storage time of the food, and then display it to the user, so that the user can promptly confirm whether the insufficient pressure value of the vacuum box is caused by the deterioration of the food. If not, it is determined that there is a problem with the vacuum box, so that the vacuum box can be maintained or replaced.

[0066] In some embodiments, the present application provides a vacuum refrigerator, the refrigerator comprising a box body and a door body;

[0067] The refrigerator also includes a controller, which receives the pressure value sent by the pressure sensor, and the controller is configured with the control method of the vacuum refrigerator described in the above embodiment; the refrigerator also includes a radio frequency identification device installed in the box body, which is used to detect the radio frequency identification tag of the vacuum box assembly; the refrigerator also includes a display device, which is used to display various data.

[0068] A control switch is arranged between the box body and the door body, and a vacuum pump and multiple vacuum box assemblies are arranged in the box body; the vacuum box assembly is provided with a vent hole, and a mechanical one-way valve or a solenoid valve is connected to the vent hole, and the other end of the mechanical one-way valve or the solenoid valve is connected to a multi-way pipe, and the multi-way pipe is connected to the air inlet of the vacuum pump.

[0069] In some embodiments, the number of vacuum boxes is N, the number of multi-way pipes is N+1, one pipe of the multi-way pipe is connected to the air inlet of the vacuum pump, and the remaining pipes are connected to the mechanical one-way valves in the vacuum box assembly.

[0070] In some embodiments, each of the vacuum box assemblies is provided with a pressure sensor for detecting the internal pressure of the vacuum box.

[0071] In some embodiments, the vacuum pump box is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet, the air inlet is connected to the vacuum pump, and the air outlet is directly connected to the box body and discharged to the outside of the box through a drain pipe.

[0072] Example

[0073] See also Figures 1 to 4, a vacuum refrigerator provided in this embodiment includes a box body 1 and a door body 2, the box body 1, a vacuum pump 7 and a plurality of vacuum box assemblies 3 are arranged in the box body 1; wherein a vacuum pump box 4 is arranged outside the vacuum pump 7. The vacuum box assembly 3 is provided with a vent hole, and a mechanical one-way valve 31 is connected to the vent hole, and the other end of the mechanical one-way valve 31 is connected to a multi-way pipe 5. The multi-way pipe 5 is connected to the air inlet 41 of the vacuum pump. The number of the vacuum boxes 3 is N, and the number of the multi-way pipes is N+1. One pipe 6 of the multi-way pipe is connected to the air inlet of the vacuum pump, and the remaining pipes 6 are connected to the mechanical one-way valve 31 in the vacuum box assembly. Each vacuum box assembly is respectively provided with a pressure sensor 32 to detect the internal pressure of the vacuum box, and after the vacuuming is completed, the air is discharged through the air outlet 42. When any vacuum box component is opened, the vacuum pump stops running; when the vacuum box components are opened and then all closed, the vacuum pump runs, and the vacuum pump stops running after the pressure sensor detects that all the vacuum box components have reached the set value; when all the vacuum box components are in the closed state, the pressure sensor detects that the pressure of any vacuum box component has not reached the set value, and the vacuum pump runs.

[0074] It can be seen from the above embodiments that the present application provides a vacuum refrigerator and a control method thereof, the refrigerator comprising a box body and a door body; a control switch is arranged between the box body and the door body, a vacuum pump and a plurality of vacuum box assemblies are arranged in the box body; the vacuum box assembly is provided with a vent hole, a mechanical one-way valve or a solenoid valve is connected to the vent hole, the other end of the mechanical one-way valve or the solenoid valve is connected to a multi-way pipe, and the multi-way pipe is connected to the air inlet of the vacuum pump. When any vacuum box assembly is opened, the vacuum pump stops running; when the vacuum box assembly is opened and all are closed, the vacuum pump runs, and the pressure sensor detects that all vacuum box assemblies reach the set value and then the vacuum pump stops running; when all vacuum box assemblies are in the closed state, the pressure sensor detects that the pressure of any vacuum box assembly does not reach the set value, and then the vacuum pump runs. The present application uses a vacuum pump and a multi-way pipe to realize vacuuming of multiple vacuum box assemblies, which has a simple structure, low cost and low noise; each vacuum box assembly uses a pressure sensor to control it separately, the detection is accurate, and the internal pressure of the vacuum box is more stable.

[0075] Similar parts between the embodiments provided in this application can be referenced to each other. The specific implementation methods provided above are only a few examples under the general concept of this application and do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of this application. For those skilled in the art, any other implementation methods expanded based on the scheme of this application without creative work belong to the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A vacuum refrigerator, characterized in that: The refrigerator comprises a box body and a door body; A control switch is arranged between the box body and the door body, and a vacuum pump and multiple vacuum box assemblies are arranged in the box body; the vacuum box assembly is provided with a vent hole, and a mechanical one-way valve or a solenoid valve is connected to the vent hole, and the other end of the mechanical one-way valve or the solenoid valve is connected to a multi-way pipe, and the multi-way pipe is connected to the air inlet of the vacuum pump.

2. The vacuum refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the vacuum boxes is N, the number of the multi-way pipes is N+1, one pipe of the multi-way pipe is connected to the air inlet of the vacuum pump, and the remaining pipes are connected to the mechanical one-way valve in the vacuum box assembly.

3. The vacuum refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the vacuum box assemblies is provided with a pressure sensor for detecting the internal pressure of the vacuum box.

4. The vacuum refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vacuum pump is arranged in a vacuum pump box, and the vacuum pump box is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet. The air inlet is connected to the vacuum pump, and the air outlet is directly connected to the box body and discharged to the outside of the box through a drain pipe.

5. The vacuum refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that: The refrigerator also includes a controller, which receives the pressure value sent by the pressure sensor; the refrigerator also includes a radio frequency identification device installed in the box body, which is used to detect the radio frequency identification tag of the vacuum box assembly; the refrigerator also includes a display device, which is used to display various data.

6. A control method for a vacuum refrigerator, characterized in that: The vacuum refrigerator is the vacuum refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5; the control method comprises: When the door of the vacuum refrigerator is opened, the vacuum pump stops running; When the door is closed and the vacuum pump is running, the vacuum pump stops running after the pressure sensor detects that the vacuum box assembly reaches a set value; When the door is closed and the pressure sensor detects that the pressure value of any vacuum box assembly does not reach the set value, the vacuum pump starts operating.

7. The control method of the vacuum refrigerator according to claim 6, characterized in that: The method further comprises: When the pressure sensor detects a vacuum box assembly whose pressure value does not reach a set value, determining the number of the vacuum box assemblies; When the number of the vacuum box assemblies is less than a first preset number, locating the area corresponding to the vacuum box assemblies as a target area, and performing a vacuuming operation on the vacuum box assemblies contained in the target area; When the number of the vacuum box assemblies is equal to or greater than a first preset number, a vacuuming operation is performed on all the vacuum box assemblies.

8. The control method of the vacuum refrigerator according to claim 7, characterized in that: The method further comprises: locating a vacuum box assembly whose pressure value does not reach a set value, and controlling the RFID device to identify a target RFID tag of the vacuum box assembly; When the target RFID tag is detected by the RFID device, the display device is controlled to display the target food information.

9. The control method of the vacuum refrigerator according to claim 8, characterized in that: The method further comprises: In response to receiving an input operation from a user, the radio frequency identification device is controlled to write a first code value into a first data area in the target radio frequency identification tag, and a second code value into a second data area in the target radio frequency identification tag; wherein the first code value is used to indicate the type of the food, and the second code value is used to indicate the time related to the food.

10. The control method of the vacuum refrigerator according to claim 9, characterized in that: The method further comprises: In response to the RFID device detecting the target RFID tag in the target area, controlling the RFID device to read a first code value stored in a first data area and a second code value stored in a second data area of ​​the target RFID tag; Determine the type of food according to the first coding value, and determine the storage time of the food according to the second coding value; Calculate the shelf life of the food according to the type of the food and the storage time of the food; The display device is controlled to display the food type and the food shelf life.

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