A refrigerator with fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function

Abstract

This invention provides a refrigerator with a fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function. The refrigerator includes a freeze-drying zone, a vacuum device, a controller, and a display. The freeze-drying zone includes a storage compartment and a door, which are connected to the storage compartment via hinges. An air inlet, an air return inlet, and an exhaust port are located on the rear inner wall of the storage compartment, with the exhaust port connected to the vacuum device. A heating element is located at the bottom of the storage compartment. A temperature sensor is located at the top of the storage compartment. A rotating mesh shelf is located inside the storage compartment. Opposite stepper motors, drive racks, and drive gears are located on the left and right inner walls of the storage compartment. The stepper motors and drive racks, as well as the drive racks and drive gears, are meshed together. The left and right ends of the rotating mesh shelf are fixedly connected to the drive gears. The refrigerator provided in this application features a freeze-drying zone, achieving the fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function through vacuum freeze-drying. Compared with traditional drying methods, this method can better preserve the flavor, texture, and nutritional components of fruits and vegetables.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of refrigerators, and in particular to a refrigerator with fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function. BACKGROUND

[0002] In daily life, fruits and vegetables are an important part of people's dietary structure, but they are generally characterized by high water content, easy spoilage and short shelf life. Even if they are stored in a refrigerator, they still face many problems, such as difficulty in long-term preservation, and with the increase of storage time, the nutrients in fruits and vegetables are also prone to loss, which cannot meet people's demand for long-term preservation and nutrient retention of fruits and vegetables. Freeze-dried fruit and vegetable technology removes water from fruits and vegetables in a low-temperature state to achieve low-temperature dehydration drying, which can effectively prolong the storage time of fruits and vegetables, and also better retain their color, aroma and flavor, which has a positive significance for solving the problem of fruit and vegetable storage, but the application of ordinary families in this regard is limited.

[0003] Current refrigerator products on the market focus on conventional refrigeration and freezing. The refrigeration function aims to slow down the deterioration of food such as fruits and vegetables through a suitable low-temperature environment, and the freezing function uses lower temperature to freeze food, slows down the growth and reproduction of microorganisms and some chemical reactions, and thus prolongs the shelf life of food. However, these refrigerator products do not have the function of freeze-drying fruits and vegetables, that is, they cannot provide users with a function option that can dehydrate and dry fruits and vegetables in a low-temperature state to better prolong the storage time of fruits and vegetables and retain their nutrients and quality.

[0004] The existing refrigerator products are limited to conventional refrigeration and freezing, and lack the function of freeze-drying fruits and vegetables, which makes it impossible for users to carry out freeze-drying treatment of fruits and vegetables at home. In this way, when faced with the problems of easy spoilage, short shelf life and easy nutrient loss of fruits and vegetables during refrigeration, users lack effective means to cope with them, making it difficult to conveniently achieve long-term preservation of fruits and vegetables at home, and also unable to ensure that the nutrients, color, aroma and flavor of fruits and vegetables can be well retained, which cannot meet people's comprehensive expectations for fruit and vegetable preservation, nutrient retention and flexible processing of fruits and vegetables at home, and brings inconvenience to users' daily life. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a refrigerator with fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function to solve the problem that in the prior art, when faced with the problems of easy spoilage, short shelf life and easy nutrient loss of fruits and vegetables during refrigeration, users lack effective means to cope with them, making it difficult to meet consumers' comprehensive demand for food health, nutrition and convenience, and bringing inconvenience to users.

[0006] The refrigerator with fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function provided by the present application comprises:

[0007] The refrigerator comprises a freeze-drying special area, a vacuumizing device, a controller and a display;

[0008] The freeze-drying special area comprises a storage chamber and a door body, and the door body is connected with the storage chamber through a hinge;

[0009] An air inlet and an air return are arranged on the inner wall of the rear side of the storage chamber, and the air inlet and the air return are controlled by an electric valve to open and close the air inlet and the air return, and the air outlet is communicated with the vacuumizing device;

[0010] A heating pipe is arranged at the bottom of the storage chamber, a temperature sensor is arranged at the top of the storage chamber, a rotating grid shelf is arranged in the storage chamber, and a stepping motor and a driving rack and gear are arranged on the inner walls of the left and right sides of the storage chamber;

[0011] The stepping motor is meshed with the driving rack and the driving rack is meshed with the driving gear, and the left and right ends of the rotating grid shelf are fixedly connected with the driving gear; and the controller is electrically connected with the heating pipe, the temperature sensor, the stepping motor, the vacuumizing device and the display.

[0012] In some possible implementation manners, the rotating grid shelf is composed of an upper grid shelf and a lower grid shelf.

[0013] In some possible implementation manners, the upper grid shelf and the lower grid shelf of the rotating grid shelf are fixed by a movable buckle, the lower grid shelf is used for storing fruits and vegetables to be freeze-dried, and the upper grid shelf is fixed on the lower grid shelf to fix the food materials.

[0014] In some possible implementation manners, when the stepping motor works, the driving rack is driven to rotate and further drives the driving gear to rotate by 180 degrees.

[0015] In some possible implementation manners, the door body is made of double-layer glass material.

[0016] In some possible implementation manners, the controller is configured to:

[0017] When a freeze-drying instruction of fruits and vegetables input by a user is acquired, it is detected whether there are fruits and vegetables to be freeze-dried in the freeze-drying special area;

[0018] When the fruits and vegetables to be freeze-dried are detected, the air inlet and the air return are controlled to be opened, the storage chamber is subjected to refrigeration operation, and freeze-drying time is recorded;

[0019] When the freeze-drying time reaches a preset length of time, the execution of the freeze-drying instruction of fruits and vegetables on the storage chamber is stopped.

[0020] In some possible implementation manners, the freeze-drying special area is subjected to refrigeration operation, and the freeze-drying time recording further includes:

[0021] When the temperature in the storage compartment of the freeze-drying special area is lower than a first temperature threshold, the air inlet and the air return are closed, the vacuum device and the heating pipe are started, and the storage compartment is subjected to vacuumization and heating operation;

[0022] When the temperature in the storage compartment of the freeze-drying special area is greater than a second temperature threshold, the vacuum device and the heating pipe are closed, and the storage compartment is subjected to refrigeration operation;

[0023] The refrigeration operation and the vacuumization and heating operation are alternately performed until the freeze-drying time reaches a preset duration.

[0024] In some possible implementation manners, the first temperature threshold is less than the second temperature threshold, the first temperature threshold ranges from -20 to -30 DEG C, and the second temperature threshold ranges from -5 to -10 DEG C.

[0025] In some possible implementation manners, after the freeze-drying special area starts the freeze-drying function, the controller controls the rotating grid shelf to rotate every 30 to 60 minutes.

[0026] In some possible implementation manners, the controller is further configured to:

[0027] When the storage compartment door is in an open state, the opened door is timed, and whether a user is near the door is continuously detected by the human body sensor during the timing;

[0028] When the user does not appear near the door within a continuous preset duration after the door is opened, the door is controlled to be closed.

[0029] As can be seen from the above, this application provides a refrigerator with a fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function. The refrigerator includes: a freeze-drying zone, a vacuum device, a controller, and a display; the freeze-drying zone includes a storage compartment and a door, the door being connected to the storage compartment via hinges; the inner rear wall of the storage compartment is provided with an air inlet, an air return outlet, and an exhaust outlet, the air inlet and air return outlet being controlled by electric valves to open and close, and the exhaust outlet being connected to the vacuum device; a heating element is provided at the bottom of the storage compartment; a temperature sensor is provided at the top of the storage compartment; a rotating grid shelf is provided inside the storage compartment; stepper motors, drive racks, and drive gears are provided on the inner walls of the left and right sides of the storage compartment; the stepper motors and drive racks, and the drive racks and drive gears are all meshed together, and the left and right ends of the rotating grid shelf are fixedly connected to the drive gears; the controller is electrically connected to the heating element, temperature sensor, stepper motor, vacuum device, and display. The refrigerator provided in this application features a freeze-drying zone that uses vacuum freeze-drying to freeze-dry fruits and vegetables. Compared to traditional drying methods, this method better preserves the flavor, texture, and nutrients of the fruits and vegetables. The freeze-drying zone is equipped with a rotating mesh shelf, which improves the uniformity of freeze-drying on both sides of the fruits and vegetables and increases the freeze-drying efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0030] To more clearly illustrate the technical solution of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0031] Fig. 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a refrigerator with fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Fig. 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the freeze-drying zone provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Fig. 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the freeze-drying zone provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0034] Diagram description: 1-Freeze-drying area, 11-Storage room, 12-Door, 111-Air inlet, 112-Air return outlet, 113-Exhaust port, 114-Heating element, 115-Temperature sensor, 116-Rotating grid shelf, 117-Stepper motor, 118-Drive rack, 119-Drive gear, 2-Vacuum device, 3-Controller, 4-Display. Detailed Implementation

[0035] Embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following embodiments are not meant to represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of systems and methods consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure as detailed in the claims.

[0036] In daily life, fruits and vegetables are an important part of people's dietary structure, but fruits and vegetables generally have the characteristics of high water content, easy spoilage and short shelf life. Even if they are placed in a refrigerator for storage, they still face many problems, such as difficulty in long-term storage, and with the increase of storage time, the nutritional ingredients in fruits and vegetables are also prone to loss, which cannot meet people's demand for long-term preservation and nutrition retention of fruits and vegetables. The freeze-drying technology of fruits and vegetables can effectively prolong the storage time of fruits and vegetables by removing the water in fruits and vegetables at low temperature, and can also better retain their color, aroma and flavor, which has a positive significance for solving the storage problem of fruits and vegetables, but the application of ordinary families in this respect is limited.

[0037] The current refrigerator products on the market focus on the main functions of conventional refrigeration and freezing. The refrigeration function aims to slow down the deterioration of food such as fruits and vegetables through a suitable low-temperature environment; the freezing function is to freeze food at a lower temperature to slow down the growth and reproduction of microorganisms and some chemical reactions, thereby prolonging the shelf life of food. But these refrigerator products have not yet been equipped with fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function, that is, they cannot provide users with a function option that can dehydrate and dry fruits and vegetables at low temperature to better prolong the storage time of fruits and vegetables and retain their nutrition and quality.

[0038] The existing refrigerator products are limited to conventional refrigeration and freezing, lacking the short board of fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function, which makes users unable to carry out freeze-drying treatment of fruits and vegetables at home. In this way, in the face of the problems of easy spoilage, short shelf life and easy loss of nutrients of fruits and vegetables during refrigeration, users lack effective means to cope with them, making it difficult to conveniently achieve long-term storage of fruits and vegetables at home, and also unable to ensure that the nutritional ingredients, color, aroma and flavor of fruits and vegetables can be better retained, which cannot meet people's comprehensive expectations for fruit and vegetable preservation, nutrition retention and flexible processing of fruits and vegetables at home, bringing inconvenience to users' daily life.

[0039] Based on this, the refrigerator with the fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function is provided, through which the freeze-drying function of fruits and vegetables can be realized, so as to effectively prolong the storage time of fruits and vegetables, and better retain the nutritional ingredients and taste of fruits and vegetables, so as to meet the needs of consumers for self-made freeze-dried fruits and vegetables. The freeze-drying area in the refrigerator provided by the application is provided with a rotating grid shelf, which can improve the uniformity of freeze-drying of the front and back surfaces of fruits and vegetables, and improve the freeze-drying efficiency of fruits and vegetables.

[0040] In some embodiments, the application provides a refrigerator with fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function, as shown in the accompanying drawings, the refrigerator comprises: Figs. 1 to 3

[0041] The refrigerator comprises a freeze-drying area 1, a vacuumizing device 2, a controller 3 and a display 4;

[0042] The freeze-drying area 1 comprises a storage chamber 11 and a door body 12, the door body 12 is connected with the storage chamber 11 through a hinge;

[0043] The rear inner wall of the storage chamber 11 is provided with an air inlet 111, an air return 112 and an air outlet 113, the air inlet 111 and the air return 112 control the opening and closing state of the air inlet through an electric valve, and the air outlet 113 is communicated with the vacuumizing device 2;

[0044] The bottom of the storage chamber 11 is provided with a heating pipe 114, the top of the storage chamber 11 is provided with a temperature sensor 115, the storage chamber 11 is provided with a rotating grid shelf 116, and the left and right inner walls of the storage chamber 11 are provided with opposite stepping motors 117, drive racks 118 and drive gears 119;

[0045] The stepping motor 117, the drive rack 118 and the drive gear 119 are all meshed and connected, and the left and right ends of the rotating grid shelf 116 are fixedly connected with the drive gear 119; the controller 3 is electrically connected with the heating pipe 114, the temperature sensor 115, the stepping motor 117, the vacuumizing device 2 and the display 4.

[0046] In some embodiments, the rotating grid shelf 116 is composed of an upper grid shelf and a lower grid shelf, the upper grid shelf and the lower grid shelf of the rotating grid shelf 116 are fixed through a movable buckle, the lower grid shelf is used for storing fruits and vegetables to be freeze-dried, and the upper grid shelf is fixed on the lower grid shelf to play a role of fixing food materials.

[0047] ​In the design of the storage compartment 11, reasonable fruit and vegetable placement racks and drawer structures can be adopted to facilitate the user to place the fruits and vegetables to be freeze-dried and take them out after freeze-drying is completed. For example, a multi-layer metal mesh basket that can be pulled out is adopted, which is conducive to heat transfer and air circulation and facilitates the user to take fruits and vegetables of different sizes. Moreover, the drawer has a smooth track to ensure smooth pulling and convenient use.

[0048] The present application reasonably plans a separate space as a freeze-drying area 1 in the refrigerator, which is equipped with a special refrigeration system (fan, electric valve, air inlet 111, air return 112), a vacuum system (vacuum pump 2) and a heating system (heating pipe 114). The refrigeration system is used to quickly cool the fruits and vegetables to a suitable low temperature state to make the water in them freeze; the vacuum system then evacuates the freeze-drying area to a vacuum environment to lower the boiling point of water; then the heating system heats the frozen fruits and vegetables at a low temperature to make the ice sublimate into water vapor and discharge, thereby realizing the freeze-drying effect. At the same time, in order to ensure the sealing and stability of the freeze-drying area, high-quality sealing materials and reliable connection structures are used to prevent external air from entering and affecting the freeze-drying process.

[0049] Among them, for some refrigerators with limited space that are not convenient to set up independent cabins, key components required for freeze-drying, such as small vacuum pumps and heating plates, can be integrated into part of the refrigeration or freezing chamber. For example, a heating plate is installed at the bottom of a certain layer of the freezing chamber, and a vacuum pump interface is provided on the side. When the user selects the freeze-drying function, the fruits and vegetables are first frozen by the original refrigeration function of the freezing chamber, then the vacuum pump is started to evacuate, and then the heating plate works to promote sublimation of water, thereby realizing the freeze-drying function. When the freeze-drying function is not used, these components will not interfere with the original freezing function of the refrigerator.

[0050] The heating pipe 114 provided in the present application can make the fruits and vegetables heat more evenly during freeze-drying, avoid the situation that local overheating leads to damage of nutritional ingredients of the fruits and vegetables or local water is not fully sublimed to affect the freeze-drying effect, quickly penetrate the fruits and vegetables, make the ice crystals sublimate uniformly, and improve the quality of freeze-dried fruits and vegetables.

[0051] In some embodiments, when the stepper motor 117 works, it drives the driving rack 118 to operate and further drives the driving gear 119 to rotate 180 degrees.

[0052] When the stepper motor 117 works, it drives the driving rack 118 to operate and further drives the driving gear 119 to rotate 180 degrees, which aims to improve the uniformity of freeze-drying of the front and back surfaces of the fruits and vegetables.

[0053] In some embodiments, the door body 12 is made of double-layer glass material.

[0054] The door body 12 is made of double-layer glass material, which is convenient for users to observe the freeze-drying state of fruits and vegetables. A visible window is arranged in the freeze-drying area of the refrigerator, which is convenient for users to observe the progress and state of freeze-drying of fruits and vegetables at any time. At the same time, a simple and easy-to-understand operation panel, i.e., a display 4, is arranged outside the refrigerator, and users can easily perform operations such as function selection, parameter setting, starting and pausing, etc., to improve the use experience.

[0055] A transparent visible window is arranged in the freeze-drying area 1 of the refrigerator, which is convenient for users to intuitively observe the progress and state of freeze-drying of fruits and vegetables, and understand the change of the appearance of fruits and vegetables. At the same time, a state indicating lamp is arranged outside the refrigerator corresponding to the position of the freeze-drying area 1, and different colors or flashing frequencies of the indicating lamp can represent different stages of the freeze-drying process, such as freezing, vacuumizing, heating and sublimating, freeze-drying completion, etc., so that users can understand at a glance.

[0056] A simple and easy-to-understand operation panel, i.e., a display 4, is arranged on the front or side of the refrigerator, and the start, pause, stop buttons of the freeze-drying function and the fruit and vegetable type selection button, etc. are clearly marked on the display 4. In addition, the operation panel also has a prompting function, which can display corresponding operation guide and prompt information when the user uses the freeze-drying function for the first time or makes a mistake in operation, guiding the user to use the function correctly and improving the user's use experience.

[0057] For users who need more autonomous control of the operation, such as users who like to adjust the freeze-drying parameters according to the actual situation of different fruits and vegetables, a more comprehensive operation area is arranged on the side or inside of the refrigerator, which can not only select the preset program of common fruits and vegetables, but also manually adjust the detailed parameters such as temperature, vacuum degree and freeze-drying time, and a visual window is arranged near the freeze-drying area, which is convenient for them to observe the freeze-drying state at any time and make operation adjustment according to the actual situation.

[0058] In some embodiments, a special independent air duct is designed for the freeze-drying area 1 in the independent cabin on the side of the refrigerator. The inlet of the air duct can be arranged at the bottom or lower side of the cabin, so that the cold air can naturally sink in; the outlet can be arranged at the top or higher side, and the hot air will naturally rise and be discharged from the outlet due to its smaller density, forming a natural air convection circulation to promote air circulation. A small fan is installed in the air duct to forcibly circulate the air by the operation of the fan. The fan can adjust different rotating speeds and operating times according to different stages of the freeze-drying process, such as pre-freezing, sublimation and desorption drying, to ensure that appropriate air flow speed and flow are provided in each stage. In the sublimation stage, the fan speed can be appropriately increased to quickly remove the water vapor sublimated from the fruits and vegetables; and in the desorption drying stage, the speed can be appropriately reduced to reduce heat loss and the influence on the fruits and vegetables.

[0059] Considering the principle of natural air convection, the freeze-drying zone 1 is positioned at a suitable height. For example, in a vertical refrigerator, the freeze-drying zone 1 is placed at the bottom. Since hot air naturally rises and cold air naturally sinks, the hot air generated during sublimation can naturally flow upwards and be expelled during the freeze-drying process, while the relatively cool surrounding air can easily replenish it. This reduces the need for forced convection equipment such as fans to regulate temperature and air circulation, thereby reducing energy consumption.

[0060] In the design of the freeze-drying zone 1, high-performance thermal insulation materials, such as high-quality polyurethane foam and vacuum insulation panels, are selected. These materials are applied to the wall panels and door panels of the zone, effectively reducing the transfer of external heat and the loss of internal cold. This means that the refrigeration system does not need to operate frequently to maintain the low-temperature environment during the freeze-drying process, thus reducing energy consumption. Especially for independent freeze-drying chambers, the excellent insulation ensures a stable internal freeze-drying environment while significantly saving energy.

[0061] The refrigeration pipes, heating pipes, and other components related to the freeze-drying function, such as the connecting pipes of the vacuum pump in the vacuum device 2, are insulated. For example, glass wool and rubber-plastic insulation materials are used to wrap the refrigeration pipes to prevent excessive loss of cold energy during transmission, ensuring that the cold energy can efficiently act on the fruits and vegetables in the freeze-drying zone 1, improving the energy utilization efficiency of the entire freeze-drying system, and achieving energy-saving effects.

[0062] Select a suitable high-speed vacuum pump and position it in a location closely connected to freeze-drying zone 1 with a short pipe connection to reduce pumping resistance and ensure rapid extraction of air from the chamber, creating a stable vacuum environment. For example, install the vacuum pump on the side or bottom of freeze-drying zone 1 and connect it via a short, thick pipe. This allows the air pressure within freeze-drying zone 1 to rapidly decrease to meet the requirements for ice crystal sublimation, accelerating the start-up speed of freeze-drying and laying the foundation for subsequent efficient freeze-drying.

[0063] This design incorporates a multi-channel air extraction system, with extraction ports positioned at different locations within the freeze-drying zone 1. This ensures that air is extracted promptly and evenly from all areas of the chamber, guaranteeing a uniform vacuum throughout. Consequently, the sublimation conditions of water in the fruits and vegetables are consistent throughout the freeze-drying process, preventing uneven sublimation due to varying vacuum levels. This improves freeze-drying efficiency, ensures quality, and shortens the freeze-drying time.

[0064] In some embodiments, the controller 3 is configured to:

[0065] When receiving the user's input instruction for freeze-drying fruits and vegetables, check whether there are fruits and vegetables to be freeze-dried in the freeze-drying area;

[0066] When the fruit and vegetable to be freeze-dried is detected, the air inlet and air return are opened, the refrigeration operation is performed on the storage compartment, and the freeze-drying time is recorded;

[0067] When the freeze-drying time reaches the preset duration, the fruit and vegetable freeze-drying instruction performed on the storage compartment is stopped.

[0068] The refrigeration operation performed on the freeze-drying area and the recording of the freeze-drying time further include:

[0069] When the temperature in the storage compartment of the freeze-drying area is lower than the first temperature threshold, the air inlet and air return are closed, the vacuum device and the heating pipe are started, and the vacuumization and heating operation are performed on the storage compartment;

[0070] When the temperature in the storage compartment of the freeze-drying area is greater than the second temperature threshold, the vacuum device and the heating pipe are closed, and the refrigeration operation is performed on the storage compartment;

[0071] The refrigeration operation and the vacuumization and heating operation are alternately performed until the freeze-drying time reaches the preset duration.

[0072] When the user uses the freeze-drying area 1 to freeze-dry the fruit and vegetable, the air inlet 111 and the air return 112 are opened through the display 4, and the refrigeration is performed on the freeze-drying area 1. When the temperature in the storage compartment 11 is lower than the first temperature threshold, the air inlet 111 and the air return 112 are closed, the vacuum device 2 and the heating pipe 114 are started, and the vacuumization and heating operation are performed on the storage compartment 11. When the temperature in the storage compartment 11 is greater than the second temperature threshold, the vacuum device 2 and the heating pipe 114 are closed, and the air inlet 111 and the air return 112 are opened, and the refrigeration is continued on the freeze-drying area 1. The freeze-drying area 1 is periodically operated according to the above control rules.

[0073] In some embodiments, the first temperature threshold is less than the second temperature threshold, the first temperature threshold ranges from -20 to -30℃, and the second temperature threshold ranges from -5 to -10℃.

[0074] The controller in the present application is configured with freeze-drying programs for different fruit and vegetable types. Because the water content and texture of different fruit and vegetable are different, for example, the water content of strawberries is higher and the texture is softer, while the water content of carrots is relatively low and the texture is harder, different combinations of freeze-drying time, temperature, and vacuum degree are required. By presetting multiple freeze-drying programs corresponding to different fruit and vegetable in the control system of the refrigerator, the user only needs to select the corresponding fruit and vegetable type, and the refrigerator can automatically perform freeze-drying operation according to the optimal parameters, thereby improving the freeze-drying effect and efficiency.

[0075] In some embodiments, a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor and other monitoring devices are installed inside the refrigerator to monitor the environmental parameters of the freeze-drying compartment or the area where freeze-drying operation is performed in real time. When an abnormal situation is detected during freeze-drying, such as a decrease in humidity that is too slow to affect the freeze-drying progress, a deviation of temperature from the set value, etc., a prompt message is pushed to the user's mobile phone, and the freeze-drying parameters can also be automatically adjusted according to the real-time data to ensure the smooth progress of freeze-drying.

[0076] In some embodiments, the controller controls the rotating grid shelf to rotate every 30-60 minutes after the freeze-drying zone is turned on.

[0077] In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to:

[0078] When the state of the storage compartment door is open, the opened door is timed, and during the timing, the human body sensor continuously detects whether the user is near the door.

[0079] When the user does not appear near the door within a continuous preset time period after the door is opened, the door is controlled to close.

[0080] When the door is detected to be opened, the timing operation is performed; when the timing duration reaches the preset duration, an interface prompt is displayed in the user interface, and a voice prompt is played, the interface prompt and the voice prompt being used to prompt the user to close all opened doors. If the user does not appear near the refrigerator (door) within a continuous second preset time period after the door is opened, the door is automatically controlled to close. In this way, when the user forgets to close the door or the door is virtually closed, or the door cannot be closed, the door can be timely and automatically closed to ensure normal operation of the refrigerator and save energy.

[0081] The freeze-drying process first requires rapid freezing of fruits and vegetables to a suitable low temperature, and the suitable freezing temperature of different fruits and vegetables is different. It is not easy to accurately control the refrigeration temperature and time. And in the vacuum stage, maintaining a stable and appropriate vacuum degree is crucial for water sublimation. Too high or too low vacuum degree may cause problems, such as too high vacuum degree may cause damage to the structure of fruits and vegetables, and too low vacuum degree may slow down or even fail to effectively sublimate water. There are technical challenges to achieve such precise vacuum control.

[0082] Therefore, in some embodiments, multiple high-precision temperature sensors are reasonably distributed at different positions of the freeze-drying zone 1, such as near the shelves, four walls, and air outlets, to accurately monitor the temperature changes during freeze-drying in real time. The controller 3 automatically adjusts the power and operation time of the refrigeration system according to the data feedback from the sensors to ensure that the temperature of the freeze-drying zone is always stable within the optimal range, avoiding the influence of temperature fluctuations on the freeze-drying effect and the quality of fruits and vegetables.

[0083] A humidity sensor is installed to monitor the humidity of the freeze-drying area 1 in real time. In the early stage of freeze-drying, when a large amount of water in fruits and vegetables evaporates, the sensor detects the increase in humidity in time, and the control system speeds up the operation of the dehumidification system to quickly reduce the humidity. In the later stage of freeze-drying, the system automatically adjusts the dehumidification power after the humidity decreases, achieving energy saving and ensuring the freeze-drying effect.

[0084] An odor sensor is installed in the freeze-drying area 1 and other key areas of the refrigerator to detect changes in the odor of each area in real time. When it detects a risk of odor mixing or excessive odor, it can automatically send an alarm and start the corresponding odor mixing prevention measures, such as increasing air filtration, temporarily closing related air flow channels, etc., to ensure a good odor environment in the entire refrigerator.

[0085] A vacuum degree sensor is provided to accurately measure the vacuum degree in the freeze-drying cabin. The controller 3 automatically controls the working state of the vacuum pump according to the data of the vacuum degree sensor, ensuring that the vacuum degree in the cabin remains at an appropriate level, creating a good low-pressure environment for fruit and vegetable freeze-drying, and promoting water sublimation.

[0086] The controller 3 is equipped with an image recognition system or a near-field induction device. After the user puts in fruits and vegetables, the system automatically identifies the types of fruits and vegetables. Then, according to the preset optimal freeze-drying parameters of different fruits and vegetables, the freeze-drying program is automatically adjusted, including temperature, vacuum degree, freeze-drying time, etc., without the need for manual setting, realizing one-key intelligent freeze-drying.

[0087] Using temperature sensors, humidity sensors, pressure sensors, etc. installed in the freeze-drying area 1, the system monitors various environmental parameters during the freeze-drying process. When the temperature deviates from the set value, the humidity does not drop as expected, or the vacuum degree changes abnormally, the system can automatically adjust the working state of related components, such as adjusting the heating power, controlling the air pumping frequency of the vacuum pump, etc. to ensure that the freeze-drying process is stable and efficient. At the same time, it can also feedback the abnormal situation to the user in time, and send a notification to remind the user to check through the refrigerator display screen or mobile phone APP.

[0088] The controller 3 in this application is equipped with a wireless communication module such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, connecting the refrigerator with the user's smartphone or other smart devices. The user can remotely start, pause or adjust the fruit and vegetable freeze-drying program through the mobile phone APP when they are away, and can also view the freeze-drying progress, temperature, humidity, vacuum degree, etc. in real time, as well as receive a reminder notification when the freeze-drying is completed.

[0089] According to the characteristics of common fruits and vegetables, such as apples, strawberries, broccoli, etc., different freeze-drying programs are built into the controller 3 of the refrigerator. Each program sets the optimal freezing temperature, vacuum degree, heating temperature, freeze-drying time, etc. for specific fruits and vegetables. Users only need to select the corresponding fruit and vegetable category on the operation panel, and the refrigerator can automatically perform freeze-drying operations according to the corresponding program, without the need for users to adjust complex parameters themselves, greatly improving the convenience of operation and the success rate of freeze-drying.

[0090] For users who are used to remotely controlling smart devices, when designing the layout of the freeze-drying function of the refrigerator, a smart module is built in to realize interconnection and intercommunication with the mobile phone APP. Through the APP, users can start the fruit and vegetable freeze-drying program in advance when they are out, or check the freeze-drying progress at any time, receive freeze-drying completion reminders, etc. In addition, a smart voice interaction module can be set on the refrigerator to facilitate users to control the freeze-drying function through voice commands, such as voice start, pause, query status, etc., to meet the personalized needs of such users for intelligent operation.

[0091] Some users pay more attention to freeze-drying speed and hope to complete fruit and vegetable freeze-drying in a short time. For such users, more efficient refrigeration, heating and vacuum systems can be used in the layout, and their layout positions can be reasonably arranged to make the systems work more efficiently. For example, high-power refrigeration and heating equipment can be compactly arranged to reduce the time of heat transfer and cold loss, and the air duct design can be optimized to speed up air circulation to remove water vapor, achieving rapid freeze-drying.

[0092] Some users pay more attention to the quality and nutrient retention of freeze-drying and are not too concerned about the time. When laying out, more stable and gentle freeze-drying environments can be created by carefully considering the layout of different zones, slowly and accurately controlling the temperature, vacuum degree, etc. in each stage to ensure that the nutritional ingredients and quality of fruits and vegetables are retained to the greatest extent during the freeze-drying process.

[0093] Embodiment

[0094] After the user washes and cuts the fruits and vegetables that need to be freeze-dried, they are placed on the rotating grid shelf 116 in the storage compartment 11, the door 12 is closed, and the freeze-drying function of the freeze-drying zone 1 is turned on. After turning on the freeze-drying function, the controller 3 controls the opening of the air inlet 111 and the air return 112 to cool the freeze-drying zone 1; when the temperature in the storage compartment 11 is lower than the first temperature threshold, the air inlet 111 and the air return 112 are closed, the vacuum pump 2 and the heating pipe 114 are started, and the storage compartment 11 is subjected to vacuumization and heating operation; when the temperature in the storage compartment 11 is greater than the second temperature threshold, the vacuum pump 2 and the heating pipe 114 are turned off, and the air inlet 111 and the air return 112 are controlled to be turned on to continue cooling the freeze-drying zone 1.

[0095] The freeze-drying special area 1 is periodically operated according to the above control rules; after the freeze-drying function is turned on, the rotating grid shelf 116 rotates every 30 minutes; and finally the function of freeze-drying fruits and vegetables is realized.

[0096] During the freeze-drying process of fruits and vegetables, the user can observe the freeze-drying state of the fruits and vegetables through the door body 12; when the freeze-drying effect of the fruits and vegetables reaches the requirement, the freeze-drying function is turned off through the function button on the display 4, and then the freeze-dried fruits and vegetables are taken out by opening the door body 12.

[0097] The present application can realize the function of freeze-drying fruits and vegetables, thereby effectively prolonging the storage time of fruits and vegetables, and better preserving the nutritional ingredients and taste of fruits and vegetables, so as to meet the needs of consumers for self-preparing freeze-dried fruits and vegetables at home.

[0098] As can be seen from the above embodiments, the present application provides a refrigerator with a freeze-drying function of fruits and vegetables, which comprises: the refrigerator comprises a freeze-drying special area, a vacuumizing device, a controller and a display; the freeze-drying special area comprises a storage chamber and a door body, the door body is connected with the storage chamber through a hinge; an air inlet, an air return and an air outlet are arranged on the inner wall of the rear side of the storage chamber, the air inlet and the air return control the opening and closing state of the air inlet through an electric valve, the air outlet is communicated with the vacuumizing device; a heating pipe is arranged at the bottom of the storage chamber; a temperature sensor is arranged at the top of the storage chamber; a rotating grid shelf is arranged in the storage chamber; a step motor, a drive rack and a drive gear are arranged on the inner walls of the left and right sides of the storage chamber and are opposite to each other; the step motor and the drive rack, and the drive rack and the drive gear are in meshing connection, and the left and right ends of the rotating grid shelf are fixedly connected with the drive gear; the controller is electrically connected with the heating pipe, the temperature sensor, the step motor, the vacuumizing device and the display. The refrigerator provided by the present application is provided with a freeze-drying special area, and realizes the function of freeze-drying fruits and vegetables through the vacuum freeze-drying mode, which can better preserve the flavor, taste and nutritional ingredients of fruits and vegetables compared with the traditional drying mode. The freeze-drying special area is provided with a rotating grid shelf, which can improve the uniformity of freeze-drying of the front and back surfaces of fruits and vegetables, and improve the freeze-drying efficiency of fruits and vegetables.

[0099] The similar parts among the embodiments provided by the present application can be referred to each other, the specific embodiments provided above are only a few examples under the general concept of the present application, and do not constitute the limitation of the protection scope of the present application. For those skilled in the art, any other embodiments extended according to the present application scheme without creative labor are within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A refrigerator with a fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function, characterized in that, The refrigerator comprises: The refrigerator comprises a freeze-drying special area (1), a vacuumizing device (2), a controller (3) and a display (4); The freeze-drying special area (1) comprises a storage chamber (11) and a door body (12), and the door body (12) is connected with the storage chamber (11) through a hinge; An air inlet (111), an air return (112) and an air outlet (113) are arranged on the inner wall of the rear side of the storage chamber (11), the air inlet (111) and the air return (112) are controlled by electric valves to open and close, and the air outlet (113) is communicated with the vacuumizing device (2); A heating pipe (114) is arranged at the bottom of the storage chamber (11), a temperature sensor (115) is arranged at the top of the storage chamber (11), a rotating grid shelf (116) is arranged in the storage chamber (11), and a stepping motor (117), a driving rack (118) and a driving gear (119) are arranged on the inner walls of the left and right sides of the storage chamber (11); The stepping motor (117) and the driving rack (118) are in meshing connection, the driving rack (118) and the driving gear (119) are in meshing connection, and the left and right ends of the rotating grid shelf (116) are fixedly connected with the driving gear (119); and the controller (3) is electrically connected with the heating pipe (114), the temperature sensor (115), the stepping motor (117), the vacuumizing device (2) and the display (4); The controller (3) is configured to: when a freeze-drying instruction of fruits and vegetables input by a user is acquired, it is detected whether there are fruits and vegetables to be freeze-dried in the freeze-drying special area; when the fruits and vegetables to be freeze-dried are detected, the air inlet and the air return are opened, when the temperature in the storage chamber of the freeze-drying special area is lower than a first temperature threshold, the air inlet and the air return are closed, the vacuumizing device and the heating pipe are started to perform vacuumizing and heating operations on the storage chamber; when the temperature in the storage chamber of the freeze-drying special area is greater than a second temperature threshold, the vacuumizing device and the heating pipe are closed to perform refrigeration operation on the storage chamber; alternately performing the refrigeration operation and the vacuumizing and heating operation until the freeze-drying time reaches a preset length of time; when the freeze-drying time reaches the preset length of time, the freeze-drying instruction of the fruits and vegetables is stopped to be performed on the storage chamber.

2. The refrigerator having a fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating grid shelf (116) is composed of an upper grid shelf and a lower grid shelf.

3. The refrigerator having a fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function according to claim 2, characterized in that, The upper grid shelf and the lower grid shelf of the rotating grid shelf (116) are fixed through movable buckles, the lower grid shelf is used for storing the fruits and vegetables to be freeze-dried, and the upper grid shelf is fixed on the lower grid shelf to fix the food materials.

4. The refrigerator having a fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the stepping motor (117) works, the driving rack (118) is driven to rotate and the driving gear (119) is driven to rotate by 180 degrees.

5. The refrigerator having a fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function according to claim 1, wherein, The door body (12) is made of double-layer glass material.

6. The refrigerator having a fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function according to claim 1, wherein The first temperature threshold is less than the second temperature threshold, the first temperature threshold ranges from -20 to -30℃, and the second temperature threshold ranges from -5 to -10℃.

7. The refrigerator having a fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function according to claim 1, wherein The freeze-drying special area is opened, and the controller controls the rotating grid storage rack to rotate once every 30-60 minutes.

8. The refrigerator having a fruit and vegetable freeze-drying function according to claim 1, wherein, The controller (3) is further configured to: When the state of the cabinet door of the storage compartment (11) is an open state, timing is performed for the opened cabinet door, and during the timing, the human body sensor continuously detects whether a user is near the cabinet door; When the user does not appear near the cabinet door within a continuous preset time period after the cabinet door is opened, the cabinet door is controlled to be closed.

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