Vacuum refrigerator and control method thereof

Abstract

The application provides a vacuum refrigerator and a control method thereof. The refrigerator comprises a cabinet and a door. A control switch is arranged between the cabinet and the door. A vacuum pump and a plurality of vacuum box assemblies are arranged in the cabinet. The vacuum box assemblies are provided with air holes. Mechanical one-way valves or electromagnetic valves are connected to the air holes. The other ends of the mechanical one-way valves or the electromagnetic valves are connected to a multi-way pipe. The multi-way pipe is connected to an air inlet of the vacuum pump. When any one of the vacuum box assemblies is opened, the vacuum pump stops running. When all the vacuum box assemblies are opened and then closed, the vacuum pump runs. When all the vacuum box assemblies are in the closed state and the pressure sensor detects that the pressure of any one of the vacuum box assemblies does not reach the set value, the vacuum pump runs. The application uses one vacuum pump and a multi-way pipe to realize vacuumizing of a plurality of vacuum box assemblies, and has the advantages of simple structure, low cost and low noise.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of household appliances, in particular to a vacuum refrigerator and a control method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of technology and the improvement of people's living standards, the refrigerator has become a necessity for every family. At present, the refrigerator is mostly air-cooled refrigerator, which is a refrigerator that uses a fan to circulate air to achieve cooling. In recent years, people's health consciousness has gradually improved, and the demand for food preservation has also increased. As the most commonly used household appliance for food storage, food preservation and storage have become a technical demand that needs to be solved in the refrigerator field.

[0003] At present, various manufacturers have introduced different preservation technologies to solve the problem of food preservation and storage. For example, vacuum preservation technology, in a vacuum state, the conditions for food spoilage change. First, in a vacuum environment, microorganisms and various enzymes are difficult to survive, and a long time is required to meet the requirements for the growth of microorganisms; second, in a vacuum state, the oxygen in the container is greatly reduced, and various chemical reactions cannot be completed, so the food will not be oxidized, and the food can be preserved for a long time. In the refrigerator, a vacuum preservation box can be used to store food. The vacuum preservation box is vacuumized by a vacuumizing device (such as a vacuumizing connector) to make the pressure in the box meet the pressure requirements 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 vacuumizing, the gas in the box body flows out through the gap between the vacuum valve and the box body, and after the vacuumizing is completed, the vacuum valve is in contact with the box body to seal and cooperate, so that the box body continues to maintain a certain pressure.

[0004] The existing vacuum preservation refrigerator is usually configured with one vacuum box, and the available volume is very limited. The sealing effect of the preservation 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 vacuum preservation of the refrigerator is configured with multiple vacuum boxes, and one vacuum box is usually vacuumized by one vacuum pump. This structure not only has high cost and complex control system, but also greatly increases the noise, affecting the user experience. SUMMARY

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

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a vacuum refrigerator, which comprises a box body and a door body.

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

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

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

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

[0011] In some possible implementation manners, the refrigerator further includes a controller configured to receive the pressure value sent by the pressure sensor, a radio frequency identification device installed in the box body and configured to detect a radio frequency identification tag of the vacuum box assembly, and a display device configured to display various data.

[0012] In a second aspect, the present application further provides a control method of a vacuum refrigerator, the vacuum refrigerator being the vacuum refrigerator of the first aspect; the control method comprising:

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

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

[0015] When the door body is closed, the pressure sensor detects that the pressure value of any one of the vacuum box assemblies does not reach the set value, and the vacuum pump runs.

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

[0017] When the pressure sensor detects the vacuum box assembly whose pressure value does not reach the 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, positioning a region corresponding to the vacuum box assemblies as a target region, and performing a vacuumizing operation on the vacuum box assemblies contained in the target region;

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

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

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

[0022] When the radio frequency identification device detects the target radio frequency identification tag, the display device is controlled to display the target food material information.

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

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

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

[0026] In response to the radio frequency identification device detecting the target radio frequency identification tag in a target area, the radio frequency identification device is controlled to read a first encoding value stored in a first data area in the target radio frequency identification tag and a second encoding value stored in a second data area in the target radio frequency identification tag.

[0027] A food material type is determined according to the first encoding value, and a food material storage time is determined according to the second encoding value.

[0028] A food material shelf life is calculated according to the food material type and the food material storage time.

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

[0030] From the above, the application provides a vacuum refrigerator and a control method thereof. The refrigerator comprises a cabinet and a door body. A control switch is arranged between the cabinet and the door body. A vacuum pump and a plurality of vacuum box assemblies are arranged in the cabinet. The vacuum box assembly is provided with a vent hole, and a mechanical one-way valve or an electromagnetic valve is connected to the vent hole. The other end of the mechanical one-way valve or the electromagnetic valve is connected to a multi-way pipe, and the multi-way pipe is connected to an air inlet of the vacuum pump. When any one of the vacuum box assemblies is opened, the vacuum pump stops running. When all the vacuum box assemblies are closed after being opened, the vacuum pump runs. When all the vacuum box assemblies are in a closed state, and the pressure sensor detects that the pressure of any one of the vacuum box assemblies does not reach a set value, the vacuum pump runs. The application uses one vacuum pump and a multi-way pipe to realize vacuumization of a plurality of vacuum box assemblies, and has the advantages of simple structure, low cost and low noise. One pressure sensor is used for controlling each vacuum box assembly, and the detection is accurate, so that the internal pressure of the vacuum box is more stable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the application, the drawings needed in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained without creative labor on the basis of these drawings.

[0032] Fig. 1 A schematic diagram of a vacuum refrigerator provided by the embodiment of the application is shown in the figure.

[0033] Fig. 2 A schematic diagram of a vacuum box assembly and a vacuum pump provided by the embodiment of the application is shown in the figure.

[0034] Fig. 3 A schematic diagram of a vacuum box assembly provided by the embodiment of the application is shown in the figure.

[0035] Fig. 4 A schematic diagram of a vacuum pump and a multi-way pipe provided by the embodiment of the application is shown in the figure.

[0036] Illustration:

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

[0038] Embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same numbers refer to the same or similar elements throughout the drawings. The embodiments described in the following examples do not represent all the embodiments consistent with the present application. Rather, they are merely 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, the refrigerator has become a necessity for every family. At present, the refrigerator is mostly air-cooled refrigerator, which is a refrigerator that uses a fan to circulate air to achieve cooling. In recent years, people's health awareness has gradually improved, and the demand for food preservation has also increased. As the most commonly used household appliance for food storage, food preservation has become a technical demand that needs to be solved in the refrigerator field.

[0040] At present, various manufacturers have introduced different preservation technologies to solve the problem of food preservation. For example, vacuum preservation technology. In a vacuum state, the conditions for food spoilage change. First, in a vacuum environment, microorganisms and various enzymes are difficult to survive, and a long time is required to meet the requirements for the growth of microorganisms. Second, in a vacuum state, the oxygen in the container is greatly reduced, and various chemical reactions cannot be completed, so the food will not be oxidized, allowing the food to be preserved for a long time. In the refrigerator, a vacuum preservation box can be used to store food. A vacuum preservation box is used to extract vacuum from the vacuum preservation box through a vacuum extraction device (such as a vacuum joint) to maintain the pressure required for food preservation storage in the box. The existing vacuum preservation box usually includes a box body and a vacuum valve. 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 is in contact with the box body to seal and cooperate to maintain the pressure in the box body.

[0041] The existing vacuum preservation refrigerator is usually equipped with one vacuum box, and the available volume is very limited. The sealing effect of the preservation 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 multiple vacuum boxes are configured. One vacuum pump is usually used to extract vacuum for one vacuum box. This structure not only has high cost and complex control system, but also greatly increases the noise, affecting the user experience.

[0042] Therefore, the present application provides a vacuum refrigerator and a control method thereof. One vacuum pump and a multi-way pipe are used to extract vacuum from multiple vacuum box assemblies, which has a simple structure, low cost, and low noise. Each vacuum box assembly uses one pressure sensor for control, which is accurate and stable in detecting the internal pressure of the vacuum box.

[0043] In some embodiments, the present application provides a control method of a vacuum refrigerator, which comprises:

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

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

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

[0047] When the mechanical one-way valve is connected to the air hole in the vacuum refrigerator, all vacuum box assemblies need to be vacuumed during the vacuuming operation; when the electromagnetic valve is connected to the air hole in the vacuum refrigerator, only some or certain vacuum box assemblies need to be vacuumed during the vacuuming operation, saving time and improving 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 the set value, the number of the vacuum box assembly is determined;

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

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

[0052] In this application, when the pressure value of a certain vacuum box assembly is less than the set value, when the number of the vacuum box assemblies is less than the first preset number, only the vacuum box assembly contained in the part of the area corresponding to the vacuum box assembly can be subjected to a vacuuming operation, saving time and improving user experience.

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

[0054] The vacuum box assembly whose pressure value does not reach the set value is positioned, and the radio frequency identification device is controlled to identify the target radio frequency identification tag of the vacuum box assembly;

[0055] When the radio frequency identification device detects the target radio frequency identification tag, the display device is controlled to display the target food material information.

[0056] The radio frequency identification tags are defined as livestock meat, poultry meat, aquatic products, medicinal materials, mountain delicacies and self-defined categories, etc. Different colors represent different categories. For example, red represents livestock meat, white represents poultry meat, blue represents aquatic products, yellow represents medicinal materials, green represents mountain delicacies, and purple represents self-defined categories. Users can attach the above radio frequency identification tags to the vacuum box, and select simple food materials according to the tag color and food material characteristics.

[0057] After detecting the target radio frequency identification tag, the target food material information corresponding to the target radio frequency identification tag can be determined by checking the corresponding relationship table according to the EPC area code of the target radio frequency identification tag. The corresponding relationship table can be a data set stored in the information management device, which is used to record the corresponding relationship between the radio frequency identification tag and the food material information.

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

[0059] In response to receiving the input operation of the 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 food material type, and the second code value is used to indicate the food material related time.

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

[0061] In response to the radio frequency identification device detecting the target radio frequency identification tag in the target area, the radio frequency identification device is controlled to read the first code value stored in the first data area in the target radio frequency identification tag and the second code value stored in the second data area in the target radio frequency identification tag.

[0062] The food material type is determined according to the first code value, and the food material storage time is determined according to the second code value.

[0063] The food material shelf life is calculated according to the food material type and the food material storage time.

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

[0065] When the target area in the target radio frequency identification tag stores a first code value for indicating the type of food material, and the second data area stores a code value for indicating the storage time of the food material, in order to facilitate the user to intuitively understand the shelf life of the food material, the application can determine the shelf life of the food material according to the type of food material and the storage time of food material after determining the type of food material and the storage time of food material, and then display it to the user, so that the user can timely confirm whether the insufficient vacuum box pressure value is caused by the deterioration of the food material, and if not, it is determined that the vacuum box is a problem, so as to maintain or replace the vacuum box.

[0066] In some embodiments, the application provides a vacuum refrigerator, which comprises a cabinet and a door body;

[0067] The refrigerator further comprises a controller configured to receive the pressure value sent by the pressure sensor, and the controller is configured to control the vacuum refrigerator according to the control method of the above embodiments; the refrigerator further comprises a radio frequency identification device installed in the cabinet for detecting the radio frequency identification tag of the vacuum box assembly; the refrigerator further comprises a display device for displaying various data.

[0068] The cabinet and the door body are provided with a control switch, and the cabinet is provided with a vacuum pump and a plurality of vacuum box assemblies; the vacuum box assembly is provided with an air hole, and a mechanical one-way valve or an electromagnetic valve is connected to the air hole; the other end of the mechanical one-way valve or the electromagnetic 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, and 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 assemblies.

[0070] In some embodiments, each vacuum box assembly 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 cabinet and discharged to the outside of the cabinet through a drain pipe.

[0072] Embodiments

[0073] Reference Figs. 1 to 4A vacuum refrigerator provided by the embodiment comprises a cabinet 1 and a door body 2, the cabinet 1 is internally provided with a vacuum pump 7 and a plurality of vacuum box assemblies 3; wherein the vacuum pump 7 is externally provided with a vacuum pump box 4. The vacuum box assembly 3 is provided with a vent hole, the vent hole is connected with a mechanical one-way valve 31, the other end of the mechanical one-way valve 31 is connected with a multi-way pipe 5. The multi-way pipe 5 is connected with a vacuum pump air inlet 41. The number of the vacuum boxes 3 is N, the number of the multi-way pipe channels is N+1, one channel 6 of the multi-way pipe is connected with the vacuum pump air inlet, and the remaining channels 6 are connected with the mechanical one-way valves 31 in the vacuum box assemblies. Each vacuum box assembly is respectively provided with a pressure sensor 32 for detecting the internal pressure of the vacuum box, and air is discharged through an air outlet 42 after vacuumization is completed. When any one of the vacuum box assemblies is opened, the vacuum pump stops running; when 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 the set value; when all the vacuum box assemblies are in the closed state, and the pressure sensor detects that the pressure of any one of the vacuum box assemblies does not reach the set value, the vacuum pump runs.

[0074] As can be known from the above embodiment, the application provides a vacuum refrigerator and a control method thereof, the refrigerator comprises a cabinet and a door body; a control switch is arranged between the cabinet and the door body, the cabinet is internally provided with a vacuum pump and a plurality of vacuum box assemblies; 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 a vacuum pump air inlet. When any one of the vacuum box assemblies is opened, the vacuum pump stops running; when all the vacuum box assemblies are closed after being opened, the vacuum pump runs, and the vacuum pump stops running after a pressure sensor detects that all the vacuum box assemblies reach the set value; when all the vacuum box assemblies are in the closed state, and the pressure sensor detects that the pressure of any one of the vacuum box assemblies does not reach the set value, the vacuum pump runs. The application uses one vacuum pump and a multi-way pipe to realize vacuumization of a plurality of vacuum box assemblies, and has the advantages of simple structure, low cost and low noise; one pressure sensor is used for respectively controlling each vacuum box assembly, the detection is accurate, and the internal pressure of the vacuum box is more stable.

[0075] The similar parts among the embodiments provided by the application can be referred to each other, the specific embodiments provided above are only a few examples under the general concept of the application, and do not limit the protection scope of the application. Any other embodiments extended on the basis of the application scheme without creative labor belong to the protection scope of the application for the person skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A vacuum refrigerator, characterized by, The vacuum refrigerator comprises a cabinet and a door body; A control switch is arranged between the cabinet and the door body, a vacuum pump and a plurality of vacuum box assemblies are arranged in the cabinet; the vacuum box assembly is provided with a vent hole, a mechanical one-way valve or an electromagnetic valve is connected to the vent hole, the other end of the mechanical one-way valve or the electromagnetic valve is connected to a multi-way pipe, and the multi-way pipe is connected to an air inlet of the vacuum pump; wherein, each vacuum box assembly is provided with a pressure sensor for detecting the internal pressure of the vacuum box; The refrigerator further comprises a controller configured to: When the door body of the vacuum refrigerator is opened, the vacuum pump stops running; When the door body is closed, the vacuum pump runs, and the vacuum pump stops running after the pressure sensor detects that the vacuum box assembly reaches a set value; When the door body is closed, the pressure sensor detects that the pressure value of any one of the vacuum box assemblies does not reach the set value, and the vacuum pump runs; When the pressure sensor detects the vacuum box assembly whose pressure value does not reach the set value, the number of the vacuum box assemblies is determined; When the number of the vacuum box assemblies is less than a first preset number, a region corresponding to the vacuum box assembly is positioned as a target region, and the vacuum box assemblies contained in the target region are subjected to vacuumizing operation; When the number of the vacuum box assemblies is equal to or greater than the first preset number, all the vacuum box assemblies are subjected to vacuumizing operation.

2. The vacuum ice chest of claim 1, wherein, The number of the vacuum box assemblies is N, the number of the multi-way pipe 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 assemblies.

3. The vacuum ice chest of claim 1, wherein, The vacuum pump is arranged in a vacuum pump box, the vacuum pump box is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet, the air inlet is connected to the vacuum pump, the air outlet is directly connected to the cabinet, and the air outlet is discharged to the outside of the cabinet through a drain pipe.

4. The vacuum ice chest according to claim 3, characterized in that, The controller receives the pressure value sent by the pressure sensor; the refrigerator further comprises a radio frequency identification device installed in the cabinet for detecting the radio frequency identification tag of the vacuum box assembly; and the refrigerator further comprises a display device for displaying various data.

5. A control method of a vacuum refrigerator, characterized by, The vacuum refrigerator is the vacuum refrigerator according to any one of claims 1-4; and the control method comprises: When the door body of the vacuum refrigerator is opened, the vacuum pump stops running; When the door body is closed, the vacuum pump runs, and the vacuum pump stops running after the pressure sensor detects that the vacuum box assembly reaches a set value; When the door body is closed, the pressure sensor detects that the pressure value of any one of the vacuum box assemblies does not reach the set value, and the vacuum pump runs.

6. The control method of a vacuum refrigerator according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method further comprises: When the pressure sensor detects the vacuum box assembly whose pressure value does not reach the set value, the number of the vacuum box assemblies is determined; When the number of the vacuum box assemblies is less than a first preset number, a region corresponding to the vacuum box assembly is positioned as a target region, and the vacuum box assemblies contained in the target region are subjected to vacuumizing operation; When the number of the vacuum box assemblies is equal to or greater than the first preset number, all the vacuum box assemblies are subjected to vacuumizing operation.

7. The control method of a vacuum refrigerator according to claim 6, characterized in that, The method further comprises: The refrigerator further comprises a radio frequency identification device and a display device; The vacuum box assembly whose positioning pressure value does not reach the set value, and the radio frequency identification device for identifying the target radio frequency identification tag of the vacuum box assembly; When the radio frequency identification device detects the target radio frequency identification tag, the display device displays the target food material information.

8. The control method of a vacuum refrigerator according to claim 7, characterized in that, The method further comprises: In response to receiving the input operation of the user, the radio frequency identification device writes a first encoding value into a first data area in the target radio frequency identification tag and a second encoding value into a second data area in the target radio frequency identification tag; wherein the first encoding value is used to indicate the food material type, and the second encoding value is used to indicate the food material related time.

9. The control method of a vacuum refrigerator according to claim 8, characterized in that, The method further comprises: In response to the radio frequency identification device detecting the target radio frequency identification tag in the target area, the radio frequency identification device reads the first encoding value stored in the first data area and the second encoding value stored in the second data area in the target radio frequency identification tag; According to the first encoding value, the food material type is determined, and according to the second encoding value, the food material storage time is determined; According to the food material type and the food material storage time, the food material shelf life is calculated; The display device displays the food material type and the food material shelf life.

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