Animal monitoring bin with constant-temperature dehumidification function

Abstract

The invention provides an animal monitoring bin with a constant-temperature dehumidification function, which comprises an animal accommodating bin, an air duct assembly, a heating assembly, a refrigeration assembly, a circulating fan, a humidity sensor and a control module, the animal accommodating bin is provided with an accommodating space, and the air duct assembly is communicated with the accommodating space; an evaporator of the refrigerating assembly, the heating assembly and the circulating fan are arranged in the air duct assembly, and the control module is coupled with the humidity sensor, the heating assembly, the refrigerating assembly and the circulating fan and is configured to obtain current humidity collected by the humidity sensor, judge whether the current humidity is larger than preset humidity or not, and control the circulating fan to work if the judgment result is yes. And air in the containing space enters the air duct assembly, is cooled and dehumidified through the refrigeration assembly, is heated through the heating assembly and then returns to the containing space. By means of the mode, the temperature of air entering the air duct assembly from the containing space can be roughly equal to that of air entering the containing space from the air duct assembly, and temperature fluctuation in the dehumidification process is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of monitoring equipment, and in particular to an animal monitoring chamber with a constant temperature and dehumidification function. Background Art

[0002] Animal care chambers can provide animals with an adaptive environment and are widely used in animal postoperative recovery, intensive care, and other scenarios. However, during the dehumidification process, the temperature of animal care chambers fluctuates severely, which may affect the recovery of animals.

[0003] At present, most animal care warehouses usually purchase a complete refrigeration system and heating system separately, set up a cold air duct connected to the refrigeration system to cool the air; and set up a hot air duct connected to the heating system to heat the air. Dehumidification is usually completed by the refrigeration system, because in the process of cooling the air by the refrigeration system, when the air flows through the refrigeration system, its water vapor will condense to form condensed water, which will lead to a decrease in humidity in the air. But this also means that dehumidification must be accompanied by a decrease in temperature. In the existing scheme where the cold air duct and the hot air duct are independent of each other, the outlet temperature of the cold air duct is bound to be lower than the inlet temperature. When the inlet temperature is the user's expected temperature, the outlet temperature will definitely be lower than the expected temperature. After the cold air enters the animal accommodation space, the temperature in the accommodation space will decrease. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the temperature in real time through the heating capacity of the heating system, but due to the uneven temperature distribution and the lag in temperature adjustment, severe temperature fluctuations are often caused. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides an animal monitoring chamber with a constant temperature and dehumidification function, which includes: an animal holding chamber, an air duct assembly, a heating assembly, a refrigeration assembly, a circulating fan, a humidity sensor and a control module. The animal holding chamber has a holding space, the air duct assembly and the holding space are connected, the evaporator, the heating assembly and the circulating fan of the refrigeration assembly are arranged in the air duct assembly, the control module couples the humidity sensor, the heating assembly, the refrigeration assembly and the circulating fan, and is configured to: obtain the current humidity collected by the humidity sensor, determine whether the current humidity is greater than the preset humidity, and if the judgment result is yes, control the circulating fan to work so that the air in the holding space enters the air duct assembly, and returns to the holding space after being cooled and dehumidified by the refrigeration assembly and heated by the heating assembly.

[0005] The present application sets the heating component and the evaporator in the same air duct component. When the air flows through the evaporator, the moisture in the air is cooled to form condensed water, which reduces the humidity in the air. In this process, the temperature of the air flowing through the evaporator will also decrease. The heating component heats the air to compensate for the decrease in the temperature of the air, so that the temperature of the air entering the air duct component from the accommodation space and the air entering the accommodation space from the air duct component can be roughly equal, reducing the temperature fluctuation during the dehumidification process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the modules of the animal care chamber; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an air duct assembly; Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of an air duct assembly; Figure 4 It is a flow chart of the constant temperature dehumidification method; Figure 5 It is a sub-flow chart of step S21; Figure 6 This is a sub-flowchart of step S213.

[0007] Description of reference numerals: Animal care chamber 1, animal accommodation chamber 10, accommodation space 11, Air duct assembly 20, air duct 21, first air outlet 22, second air outlet 23, first section 211, second section 212, third section 213, Heating assembly 30, first temperature sensor 31, second temperature sensor 32, Refrigeration assembly 40, condenser 41, evaporator 42, compressor 43, condensing fan 44, Circulation fan 50, Control module 60, Humidifier 70. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] The present application will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and some embodiments. The following embodiments are mainly used to exemplarily illustrate the technical solution of the present application, and therefore cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present application.

[0009] Unless otherwise defined, the technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as those commonly understood by technicians in the technical field to which this application belongs; the terms used herein are mainly used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application; the terms "include", "have", "comprise" and other synonyms with the same or similar meanings in the specification and claims of this application and the above-mentioned figure descriptions are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0010] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the technical terms "first", "second", etc. are mainly used to distinguish different objects, and should not be understood as explicitly or implicitly indicating the relative importance or implicitly indicating the number, specific order or primary and secondary relationship of the indicated technical features. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is more than two, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0011] In this article, the specific features, structures or characteristics described in any embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application or a combination of at least two embodiments. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments in this article or other embodiments outside this article.

[0012] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, technical terms used to indicate orientation or positional relationships, such as "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., are mainly used to facilitate the description of the embodiments of the present application and simplify the description, and are not considered to mean that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0013] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, technical terms such as "set", "install", "assemble", "connect", "connect", "fix" and the like should be understood in a broad sense. Taking connection as an example, it may include fixed connection, detachable connection or integral molding; it may also include at least one of mechanical connection and electrical connection; it may include direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediate medium. A person of ordinary skill in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application according to the specific circumstances.

[0014] Animal care chambers are commonly used equipment for animal postoperative recovery, intensive care and other scenarios. They generally have temperature control and humidity control functions. Of course, some animal care chambers also have added oxygen concentration control, carbon dioxide concentration control, infrared therapy, ultraviolet sterilization and other functions.

[0015] See also Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3The present application provides an animal care warehouse 1 with a constant temperature dehumidification function, which includes: an animal holding warehouse 10, an air duct assembly 20, a heating assembly 30, a refrigeration assembly 40, a circulation fan 50, a humidity sensor (not shown in the figure) and a control module 60. The animal holding warehouse 10 has a holding space 11. The air duct assembly 20 may have an air duct 21. The air duct assembly 20 (air duct 21) is connected to the holding space 11. The refrigeration assembly 40 may have an evaporator 42, a condenser 41, a compressor 43 and a condensing fan 44. The evaporator 42, the heating assembly 30 and the circulation fan 50 are arranged in the air duct assembly 20. The control module 60 is coupled to the humidity sensor, the heating assembly 30, the refrigeration assembly 40 and the circulation fan 50, and is configured to perform a constant temperature dehumidification method.

[0016] See also Figure 4 , constant temperature dehumidification methods include: Step S10: Acquire the current humidity collected by the humidity sensor.

[0017] Step S20: Determine whether the current humidity is greater than the preset humidity.

[0018] If the judgment result is yes, step S30 is executed: the circulation fan 50 is controlled to work so that the air in the accommodation space 11 enters the air duct assembly 20, and returns to the accommodation space 11 after being cooled and dehumidified by the refrigeration assembly 40 and heated by the heating assembly 30.

[0019] The present application sets the heating component 30 and the evaporator 42 in the same air duct component 20. When the air flows through the evaporator 42, the moisture in the air is cooled to form condensed water, which reduces the humidity in the air. In this process, the temperature of the air will also decrease when it flows through the evaporator 42. The heating component 30 heats the air to compensate for the decrease in the temperature of the air, so that the temperature of the air entering the air duct component 20 from the storage space 11 and the air entering the storage space 11 from the air duct component 20 can be roughly equal, reducing the temperature fluctuation during the dehumidification process.

[0020] See also Figure 4 , the constant temperature dehumidification method further comprises: Step S40: collecting the current humidity after a preset time.

[0021] Step S50: Determine whether the current humidity is greater than the preset humidity.

[0022] If the judgment result is yes, then step S60 is executed: performing an operation of increasing the dehumidification capacity.

[0023] If the judgment result is no, then step S70 is executed: judging whether the current humidity is less than the preset humidity. If the judgment result is yes, then step S80 is further executed: reducing the dehumidification capacity and / or turning on the humidifier 70.

[0024] The preset time can be set by the user or preset at the factory, for example, 5 minutes or 10 minutes. If the current humidity is greater than the preset humidity after the preset time, it means that the current dehumidification capacity is weak, and the current dehumidification capacity is insufficient to reduce the humidity inside the accommodation space 11 to the preset humidity, so the dehumidification capacity needs to be increased. Similarly, if the current humidity is less than the preset humidity, it means that the current dehumidification capacity is strong and the dehumidification capacity needs to be reduced.

[0025] Increasing the dehumidification capacity includes: increasing the rotation speed of the condensing fan 44 of the refrigeration assembly 40, reducing the rotation speed of the circulation fan 50, and increasing the frequency of the compressor 43 of the refrigeration assembly 40. Reducing the dehumidification capacity includes: reducing the rotation speed of the condensing fan 44 of the refrigeration assembly 40, increasing the rotation speed of the circulation fan 50, and reducing the frequency of the compressor 43 of the refrigeration assembly 40.

[0026] Reducing the speed of the circulation fan 50 can increase the contact time between the air and the evaporator 42, so that the water vapor in the air has sufficient time to contact the evaporator 42, increasing the formation of condensed water, thereby increasing the dehumidification capacity. Increasing the speed of the condensation fan 44 and the frequency of the compressor 43 can increase the input of the refrigerant in the refrigeration component 40, thereby increasing the dehumidification capacity. Conversely, increasing the speed of the circulation fan 50 can reduce the dehumidification capacity.

[0027] The air duct assembly 20 may have a first air vent 22 and a second air vent 23 that are in communication with the accommodation space 11. The evaporator 42 is closer to the first air vent 22 than the heating assembly 30, and the heating assembly 30 is closer to the second air vent 23 than the evaporator 42. The circulation fan 50 is used to control the air in the accommodation space 11 to enter the air duct assembly 20 through the first air vent 22 in the constant temperature dehumidification state, and return to the accommodation space 11 through the second air vent 23 after being cooled and dehumidified by the refrigeration assembly 40 and heated by the heating assembly 30.

[0028] A circulation fan 50 may be disposed between the evaporator 42 and the heating assembly 30 .

[0029] The advantage of such a setting is that the temperature of the evaporator 42 of the refrigeration component 40 has a larger adjustable range. Specifically, if the evaporator 42 is close to the second air outlet 23, and the temperature of the second air outlet 23 needs to be roughly the same as the range in the accommodation space 11, this also limits the temperature of the evaporator 42 to be roughly the same as the temperature in the accommodation space 11. For example, if the temperature of the accommodation space 11 is 28 degrees Celsius, the temperature of the evaporator 42 is also roughly around 28 degrees Celsius. The temperature of the evaporator 42 is also related to the dehumidification capacity. If the dehumidification capacity needs to be increased, the temperature of the evaporator 42 needs to be lowered; if the temperature of the evaporator 42 needs to be maintained in a certain range (for example, 28 degrees Celsius), its dehumidification capacity is often limited.

[0030] By arranging the evaporator 42 close to the first air outlet 22, the evaporator 42 has a higher adjustable temperature range. Specifically, the temperature of the evaporator 42 is relatively low, and the cold air flowing through the surface of the evaporator 42 will also be heated by the heating component 30. If the temperature of the accommodating space 11 is 28 degrees Celsius, the temperature of the evaporator 42 can also be controlled between 4 and 5 degrees Celsius. While the adjustable temperature range of the evaporator 42 is increased, the range of humidity control is also increased. For example, when the temperature of the evaporator 42 is 4 to 5 degrees Celsius, its dehumidification capacity will be much greater than its dehumidification capacity at 28 degrees Celsius, so that gas with lower humidity can be output.

[0031] The first air outlet 22 is provided with a first temperature sensor 31. A humidity sensor may be provided at the first air outlet 22.

[0032] In step S30, step S21 may be included: acquiring a first temperature collected by the first temperature sensor 31, and controlling the frequency of the compressor 43 of the refrigeration component 40 and the power of the heating component 30 based on the first temperature.

[0033] Among them, the first temperature is the temperature of the gas entering the air duct assembly 20 from the receiving space 11. When it just enters the air duct assembly 20, its temperature changes little, so the first temperature can be used to characterize the temperature of the receiving space 11, that is, the temperature that needs to be maintained in the receiving space 11 during the dehumidification process. Controlling the frequency of the compressor 43 can be used to control the temperature of the evaporator 42. The heating component 30 includes a positive temperature coefficient thermistor, and the control module 60 controls the duty cycle of the positive temperature coefficient thermistor to adjust its power. In other words, the heating component 30 can be a PTC heater. The duty cycle can be the ratio of the time that the PTC heater is in a heating state to its total working time (including the time in a heating state and the time not in a heating state).

[0034] The frequency of the compressor 43 and the power of the heating assembly 30 are controlled based on the first temperature, so that the power of the heating assembly 30 matches the power of the refrigeration assembly 40, so that the temperature of the gas passing through the evaporator 42 and the heating assembly 30 (i.e., the second temperature, described later) matches the first temperature. The second temperature can be equal to the first temperature, but in more cases it is approximately equal to the first temperature, because the air may be affected by the physiological state of the animal or other factors after entering the containing cavity 11.

[0035] See also Figure 5 In step S21, it may further include: Step S211: acquiring the frequency of the compressor 43 of the refrigeration assembly 40 according to the current humidity, the preset humidity and the first temperature.

[0036] Step S212 : obtaining the power of the heating component 30 according to the frequency of the compressor 43 .

[0037] The condensation of water vapor in the air may be affected by many factors, such as the first temperature (the condensation of water vapor in the air needs to meet a certain temperature difference, and the temperature difference required for the condensation of water vapor in air at different temperatures may be different, that is, the temperature of the evaporator 42 needs to be set according to the first temperature), the humidity difference between the current humidity and the preset humidity (the greater the humidity difference, the lower the temperature of the evaporator 42 needs). The temperature of the evaporator 42 can be controlled by controlling the frequency of the compressor 43. The frequency of the compressor 43 (the temperature of the evaporator 42) can have a corresponding relationship with the current humidity, the preset humidity and the first temperature. The corresponding relationship can be obtained in advance by experiment and stored in the processor of the control module 60 for reading.

[0038] The second air outlet 23 is provided with a second temperature sensor 32. The second temperature sensor 32 can be used to obtain a second temperature. The second temperature is the temperature of the air when the air duct assembly 20 enters the accommodation space 11.

[0039] Generally, after step S212, in theory, the refrigeration assembly 40 and the heating assembly 30 will achieve a balance between cooling and heating, and the temperature in the accommodation space 11 will remain constant. However, in practice, due to various reasons such as fluctuations in current and voltage, changes in the physiological state of the animal, etc., the temperature in the accommodation space 11 often fluctuates. Therefore, step S21 may further include a step of dynamic constant temperature.

[0040] See also Figure 5 After step S212, step S213 may be further included: obtaining a second temperature detected by the second temperature sensor 32, and adjusting the power of the heating component 30 according to the first temperature and the second temperature.

[0041] In this way, the second temperature can match the first temperature. By setting the first temperature sensor 31 and the second temperature sensor 32 to detect the inlet air temperature and the outlet air temperature during the constant temperature dehumidification process, the difference between the inlet air temperature and the outlet air temperature can be detected in real time, and the power of the heating component 30 can be adjusted in time to match the cooling power of the cooling component 40, which can reduce the temperature fluctuation of the accommodation space 11 and maintain the dynamic stability of the temperature.

[0042] See also Figure 6 In step S213, it may include: Step S2131: Acquire the first temperature and the second temperature within a preset time period in the past, and obtain the temperature difference between the second temperature and the first temperature.

[0043] Step S2132: Calculate the theoretical temperature based on the temperature difference and the first temperature.

[0044] Step S2133: determine whether the second temperature is lower than the theoretical temperature.

[0045] If the judgment result is yes, execute step S2134: increase the power of the heating component 30.

[0046] If the judgment result is no, then step S2135 is executed: judging whether the second temperature is greater than the theoretical temperature. If the judgment result is yes, then step S2136 is executed: reducing the power of the heating component 30 .

[0047] The theoretical temperature may represent the temperature that the air entering the air duct assembly 20 into the containing space 11 theoretically needs to reach when the temperature of the air entering the air duct assembly 20 is the first temperature. In other words, when the second temperature is the theoretical temperature, it means that the temperature of the air entering the air duct assembly 20 will reach the first temperature. The theoretical temperature may be calculated by the first temperature and the temperature difference between the first temperature and the second temperature in the past preset time period (which may be the average or mode of the temperature difference).

[0048] In the above manner, the temperature entering the accommodating space 11 can be used as a feedback signal, thereby adjusting the power of the heating component 30 more accurately and instantly.

[0049] Increasing or decreasing the power of the heating component 30 can be achieved by multiple fine-tuning, for example, the adjustment range can be 1% of the maximum power each time, and the first temperature and the second temperature are detected again every minute. Of course, it can also be adjusted by the difference between the first temperature and the second temperature. When the difference between the first temperature and the second temperature is large, it can be adjusted with a larger adjustment range, and when the difference between the first temperature and the second temperature is small, it can be adjusted with a smaller adjustment range. In addition, the adjustment range may also be affected by the first temperature. For example, the difference is also 2 degrees Celsius, but the adjustment range required when the first temperature is 20 degrees Celsius and 40 degrees Celsius respectively may be different. That is, the control module 60 can give the difference between the first temperature and the second temperature and the first temperature, and obtain the corresponding adjustment range to adjust the power of the heating component 30. The corresponding adjustment range can be the user's pre-stored experimental data.

[0050] See also Figure 3 The air duct assembly 20 includes a first section 211, a second section 212 and a third section 213. The first section 211 has a first air outlet 22, the second section 212 has a second air outlet 23, and the third section 213 is connected between the first section 211 and the second section 212. The cross-sectional areas of the first section 211 and the second section 212 are both larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the third section 213, wherein the above cross-sectional areas are perpendicular to the air flow direction. In this way, the larger the cross-sectional area, the lower the air flow speed will be, so that the speed at which air enters the accommodating space 11 into the air duct assembly 20 or enters the accommodating space 11 from the air duct assembly 20 is relatively small, thereby improving the comfort level of the animals in the accommodating space 11.

[0051] Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are mainly used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and should not be understood as limiting the present application; the above embodiments exemplarily illustrate the present application in detail and specifically, and ordinary technicians in this field can modify the technical solutions recorded in the above embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein; and these modifications or replacements cannot make the corresponding technical solutions and the technical solutions of the present application constitute different inventions, and therefore should all be included in the scope of the claims and specification of the present application. In particular, in the absence of structural conflicts or combination obstacles, the various technical features mentioned in each embodiment can be combined in any way, and the technical solutions formed by these combinations should still not be considered to be out of the scope of the technical solutions of the present application in essence.

Claims

1. An animal care chamber with constant temperature and dehumidification function, characterized in that: include: An animal accommodation bin, an air duct assembly, a heating assembly, a refrigeration assembly, a circulation fan, a humidity sensor and a control module, wherein the animal accommodation bin has a accommodating space, the air duct assembly is connected to the accommodating space, the evaporator of the refrigeration assembly, the heating assembly and the circulation fan are arranged in the air duct assembly, The control module is coupled to the humidity sensor, the heating component, the cooling component and the circulation fan, and is configured as follows: Get the current humidity collected by the humidity sensor. Determine whether the current humidity is greater than the preset humidity. If the judgment result is yes, the circulation fan is controlled to work so that the air in the accommodation space enters the air duct component and returns to the accommodation space after being cooled and dehumidified by the refrigeration component and heated by the heating component.

2. The animal care chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control module is also configured as: Collect the current humidity after the preset time. Determine whether the current humidity is greater than a preset humidity, If the judgment result is yes, the dehumidification capacity is increased; If the judgment result is no, it is determined whether the current humidity is less than the preset humidity. If the judgment result is yes, the dehumidification capacity is reduced and / or the humidifier is turned on.

3. The animal care chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air duct assembly has a first air port and a second air port communicating with the accommodation space, the evaporator is closer to the first air port than the heating assembly, and the heating assembly is closer to the second air port than the evaporator. The circulation fan is used to control the air in the accommodation space to enter the air duct component through the first air outlet in a constant temperature dehumidification state, and return to the accommodation space through the second air outlet after being cooled and dehumidified by the refrigeration component and heated by the heating component.

4. The animal care chamber according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first air outlet is provided with a first temperature sensor, The controlling the circulation fan to operate so that the air in the accommodation space enters the air duct assembly and returns to the accommodation space after being cooled and dehumidified by the refrigeration assembly and heated by the heating assembly comprises: A first temperature collected by the first temperature sensor is acquired, and the frequency of the compressor of the refrigeration component and the power of the heating component are controlled based on the first temperature.

5. The animal care chamber according to claim 4, characterized in that: The obtaining of the first temperature collected by the first temperature sensor and controlling the frequency of the compressor of the refrigeration component and the power of the heating component based on the first temperature includes: acquiring the frequency of the compressor of the refrigeration component according to the current humidity, the preset humidity and the first temperature, The power of the heating component is obtained according to the frequency of the compressor.

6. The animal care chamber according to claim 5, characterized in that: The second air outlet is provided with a second temperature sensor, After acquiring the power of the heating component according to the frequency of the compressor, the method further includes: A second temperature detected by the second temperature sensor is acquired, and the power of the heating component is adjusted according to the first temperature and the second temperature.

7. The animal care chamber according to claim 6, characterized in that: The step of adjusting the power of the heating component according to the first temperature and the second temperature comprises: Acquire a first temperature and a second temperature within a preset time period in the past, and obtain a temperature difference between the second temperature and the first temperature; Calculate the theoretical temperature based on the temperature difference and the first temperature, determining whether the second temperature is less than the theoretical temperature, If the judgment result is yes, the power of the heating component is increased. If the judgment result is no, then it is judged whether the second temperature is greater than the theoretical temperature; if the judgment result is yes, then the power of the heating component is reduced.

8. The animal care chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The circulation fan is arranged between the evaporator and the heating assembly.

9. The animal care chamber according to claim 3, characterized in that: The air duct assembly includes a first section, a second section and a third section, the first section has a first air outlet, the second section has a second air outlet, the third section is connected between the first section and the second section, and the cross-sectional areas of the first section and the second section are both larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the third section.

10. The animal care chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating component includes a positive temperature coefficient thermistor, and the control module controls a duty cycle of the positive temperature coefficient thermistor to adjust its power.

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