An ai-controlled pre-chilling system and method for a micro-frozen line
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202611100949.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-07-23
- Publication Date
- 2026-10-23
AI Technical Summary
[0006]本发明的目的在于克服现有技术中微冻流水线前端预冷系统存在的温度控制不精准、温差过大、智能化程度低、能耗高、食材易损伤等缺陷,提供一种微冻流水线的AI控制预冷系统及方法,通过AI智能控制实现食材梯度预冷,精准控制预冷温度,缩小与微冻介质的温差,提升微冻效果与食材品质,同时实现预冷介质循环利用,降低能耗与资源浪费,适配工业化连续生产需求
(1)实现精准梯度预冷,促使细胞休眠并形成无尖刺冰晶,保持全价营养:采用"一级风冷+二级气液混合预冷+三级低温液冷"的多级预冷结构,逐步降低食材温度,避免温度骤降导致的食材裂纹、破损及细胞损伤;通过AI智能控制单元与温度监测单元的闭环控制,精准控制食材温度在0℃~2℃,将与微冻介质的温差控制在5℃~8℃,使食材细胞处于低温休眠状态,细胞内形成的冰晶呈圆润无尖刺形态,避免刺破细胞壁,确保解冻时无可溶性蛋白质渗出,保持食材全价营养与新鲜品质,解决了现有预冷系统温差过大、预冷不均、细胞结构破坏严重的问题。
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Figure CN122961140A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of food micro-freezing processing technology, and in particular to an AI-controlled pre-cooling system and method for a micro-freezing production line. Background Technology
[0002] In the food processing industry, micro-freezing production lines are the core equipment for preserving and processing fresh ingredients such as raw materials, poultry, seafood, and prepared dishes. They use food-grade low-temperature media to rapidly lower the temperature of ingredients to near the freezing point, ensuring that the taste and nutrition of the ingredients are not lost while extending their shelf life. However, existing micro-freezing production lines generally suffer from a key problem: the initial temperature differences of the ingredients to be micro-frozen are significant (usually between 15℃ and 25℃), and the surface and internal temperatures of the ingredients are uneven. Directly entering the micro-freezing stage results in an excessive temperature difference between the ingredients and the micro-freezing medium, leading to the following drawbacks: First, the surface of the ingredients freezes rapidly, preventing timely dissipation of internal heat, creating a "frozen outside, warm inside" phenomenon, affecting the uniformity of micro-freezing and causing a decline in taste and nutrient loss after thawing. Second, excessive temperature differences can generate thermal stress, causing cracks and damage to the surface of the ingredients, reducing quality and increasing losses. Third, excessive temperature differences require the micro-freezing system to consume more energy to lower the temperature of the ingredients, increasing processing costs. Fourth, some ingredients contain moisture, and excessive temperature differences can cause rapid condensation of this moisture, affecting the purity of the micro-freezing medium and the micro-freezing effect.
[0003] More importantly, existing micro-freezing and pre-cooling technologies do not adequately address the mechanisms by which ice crystal morphology damages cell structures. Under conditions of rapid cooling or excessive temperature differences, the ice crystals formed within food cells often exhibit sharp, dendritic structures. The tips of these ice crystals can easily pierce cell walls and membranes, leading to irreversible damage to cell structures. During thawing, intracellular nutrients are lost along with water, and soluble proteins leak out, severely compromising the freshness and nutritional value of the food, thus failing to achieve true cell dormancy preservation.
[0004] Currently, the industry's methods for pre-cooling food before micro-freezing are relatively simple, mostly using single air cooling or water cooling, lacking intelligent control methods: some companies use manual adjustment of pre-cooling parameters, which is inefficient and prone to errors, and cannot be dynamically adjusted according to the type of food, initial temperature and conveying speed, resulting in uneven pre-cooling temperature; some pre-cooling systems do not have a gradient pre-cooling structure, and the food temperature drops sharply, which will also damage the food quality; at the same time, the pre-cooling medium is mostly for single use, resulting in serious waste of water and energy resources, which does not meet the needs of energy-saving and environmentally friendly industrial development.
[0005] Furthermore, existing precooling systems rely on limited monitoring methods, only monitoring the surface temperature of food and failing to accurately determine its internal temperature, resulting in inconsistent precooling effectiveness. Moreover, the various precooling stages operate independently, lacking coordinated control and failing to seamlessly integrate with the main microfreezing production line, thus impacting overall operational efficiency. Therefore, developing a precooling system for the front end of a microfreezing production line that achieves precise temperature control, gradient precooling, keeps food cells in a dormant state, and is energy-efficient, highly intelligent is crucial to solving these problems. Summary of the Invention
[0006] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of existing pre-cooling systems in micro-freezing production lines, such as inaccurate temperature control, excessive temperature difference, low level of intelligence, high energy consumption, and easy damage to food. This invention provides an AI-controlled pre-cooling system and method for micro-freezing production lines. Through AI intelligent control, it achieves gradient pre-cooling of food, accurately controls the pre-cooling temperature, reduces the temperature difference with the micro-freezing medium, improves the micro-freezing effect and food quality, and realizes the recycling of the pre-cooling medium, reducing energy consumption and resource waste, thus adapting to the needs of continuous industrial production.
[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an AI-controlled precooling system for a micro-freezing production line, which is installed at the front end of the micro-freezing production line and is used to perform gradient precooling on food to put the food cells into a dormant state and reduce the temperature difference between the food and the micro-freezing medium. The system includes a food conveying unit, a multi-stage precooling unit, an AI intelligent control unit, a temperature monitoring unit, an energy-saving circulation unit, and an auxiliary protection unit. The food conveying unit is used to receive and pre-cool the food and convey it at a constant speed to the multi-stage pre-cooling unit. After pre-cooling, it is conveyed to the main body of the micro-freezing production line. The multi-stage precooling unit includes a primary precooling chamber, a secondary precooling chamber, and a tertiary precooling chamber connected in series. It is used to perform gradient precooling on the food to gradually reduce the temperature of the food and avoid damage to the food cells caused by a sudden drop in temperature. The temperature monitoring unit is used to collect the surface temperature, internal temperature, pre-cooling medium temperature and ambient temperature of the food in real time, and transmit the monitoring data to the AI intelligent control unit. The AI intelligent control unit is electrically connected to the food delivery unit, multi-stage precooling unit, temperature monitoring unit, and energy-saving circulation unit. It is used to receive monitoring data, analyze and calculate through preset AI algorithms, and automatically adjust the operating parameters of each unit to achieve precise control of food temperature. The energy-saving circulation unit is used to recover, filter, and cool the precooling medium before recycling it. The auxiliary protection unit is used to ensure the safe operation of the system and prevent food damage and equipment failure.
[0008] Preferably, the food conveying unit includes a food-grade conveyor belt, a geared motor, a guiding mechanism, and a roller support; the conveyor belt is made of 304 stainless steel, the mesh size is customized according to the size of the food, the width is consistent with the main body of the micro-freezing production line, the conveying speed is adjustable and synchronized with the conveying speed of the main body of the micro-freezing production line; the geared motor has overload protection function, the operating noise is ≤55dB, and it is suitable for low temperature conditions; the guiding mechanism is made of food-grade silicone, the spacing is adjustable, and it prevents the food from shifting or falling during the conveying process.
[0009] Preferably, in the multi-stage precooling unit, each precooling chamber is connected by a sealed transition channel to prevent cross-flow of the precooling medium and temperature loss; the first-stage precooling chamber uses air-cooling precooling to initially reduce the surface temperature of the food, with the precooling temperature controlled at 10℃~15℃; the second-stage precooling chamber uses gas-liquid mixing precooling to reduce the internal temperature of the food, with the precooling temperature controlled at 3℃~8℃; the third-stage precooling chamber uses low-temperature liquid cooling precooling to precisely control the temperature of the food at 0℃~2℃, keeping the temperature difference between the food and the micro-freezing medium controlled at 5℃~8℃; each precooling chamber is equipped with a precooling medium injection mechanism and a stirring mechanism to ensure uniform precooling.
[0010] Preferably, the precooling medium is food-grade low-temperature brine or food-grade ethylene glycol solution, with the medium temperature in the first-stage precooling chamber being 10℃~15℃, the medium temperature in the second-stage precooling chamber being 3℃~8℃, and the medium temperature in the third-stage precooling chamber being 0℃~2℃; the spraying mechanism uses rotatable food-grade spray heads with uniform spacing and adjustable spray angle and flow rate; the stirring mechanism uses food-grade stainless steel stirring paddles with adjustable speed to avoid uneven local temperature distribution of the precooling medium.
[0011] Preferably, the AI intelligent control unit includes an industrial-grade AI controller, a touch operation panel, control software, and a data storage module; the AI controller has self-learning capabilities, a computing speed of ≥1GHz, is adaptable to low-temperature and humid conditions, and supports real-time acquisition and analysis of multiple parameters; the control software is equipped with a preset AI algorithm, which can automatically optimize pre-cooling parameters according to the type of food, initial temperature, conveying speed, and ambient temperature to achieve precise control of gradient pre-cooling; the touch operation panel is waterproof and corrosion-resistant, can display real-time operating parameters and fault alarm information, and supports manual / automatic mode switching and manual parameter fine-tuning.
[0012] Preferably, the temperature monitoring unit includes a surface temperature sensor, an internal temperature sensor, a medium temperature sensor, and an ambient temperature sensor. The surface temperature sensor is installed at the inlet, outlet, and inside each precooling chamber to collect the surface temperature of the food, with an accuracy of ±0.1℃. The internal temperature sensor adopts an insertion design and can be inserted into the food to collect the core temperature, with an accuracy of ±0.2℃. The medium temperature sensor is installed in the medium storage box of each precooling chamber to collect the temperature of the precooling medium, with an accuracy of ±0.1℃. The ambient temperature sensor is installed outside the system to collect the ambient temperature, providing data support for the AI control algorithm. All sensors are designed to be waterproof and corrosion-resistant.
[0013] Preferably, the energy-saving circulation unit includes a media storage tank, a circulating water pump, a three-stage filtration device, a cooler, and a flow regulating valve. The media storage tank is divided into three independent chambers, each corresponding to the pre-cooling medium in one of the three pre-cooling chambers, to prevent mixing of media at different temperatures. The circulating water pump is a food-grade stainless steel centrifugal pump with anti-dry-burning and overload protection functions. The three-stage filtration device is used to filter food debris and impurities in the pre-cooling medium, with filtration accuracies of 100μm, 10μm, and 1μm respectively. The cooler is a high-efficiency plate cooler used to cool the recovered pre-cooling medium to the preset temperature of the corresponding pre-cooling chamber. The flow regulating valve is electrically connected to the AI intelligent control unit and automatically adjusts the media flow rate according to the pre-cooling requirements.
[0014] Preferably, the auxiliary protection unit includes a sealed protective shell, safety protection devices, a damage prevention mechanism, and a backup power supply. The sealed protective shell is made of 304 stainless steel, with an overall sealed design and an observation window to prevent leakage of the pre-cooling medium and the entry of external impurities. The safety protection devices include overload protection, leakage protection, fault alarm, and emergency shutdown functions. The damage prevention mechanism includes flexible conveyor rollers and buffer guide plates to prevent damage to the food during pre-cooling and conveying. The backup power supply is a 12V / 5Ah lithium battery that automatically starts in the event of a sudden power outage to ensure the operation of core components.
[0015] Preferably, the preset AI algorithm includes a data acquisition module, a data analysis module, a parameter adjustment module, and a fault diagnosis module. The data acquisition module is used to receive monitoring data from various sensors and perform noise reduction and filtering processing. The data analysis module is used to analyze the correlation between the initial temperature of the food, the real-time temperature, the conveying speed, and the precooling effect, and optimize the precooling parameters. The parameter adjustment module is used to automatically adjust the medium temperature, jet flow rate, stirring speed, and conveying speed of each precooling chamber according to the analysis results. The fault diagnosis module is used to monitor the operating status of each unit, identify sensor faults, water pump faults, and cooler faults, issue alarms, and display fault codes.
[0016] Preferably, an AI-controlled precooling method for a micro-freezing production line is characterized by comprising the following steps: S1. Preliminary preparation: Check the integrity of each unit component of the system, inject food-grade precooling medium of the corresponding temperature into each precooling chamber, start the AI intelligent control unit, and set the food type, preset precooling temperature and conveying speed parameters. S2. Food conveying: Food to be pre-cooled enters the primary pre-cooling chamber through the food conveying unit, and the conveying speed is synchronized with the main body of the micro-freezing production line. S3. Gradient Precooling: The AI intelligent control unit automatically adjusts the air-cooling parameters of the first-stage precooling chamber based on the initial temperature of the food and the ambient temperature collected by the temperature monitoring unit to precool the food. After the food enters the second-stage precooling chamber, the gas-liquid mixing precooling parameters are adjusted to reduce the internal temperature of the food. After the food enters the third-stage precooling chamber, the low-temperature liquid cooling parameters are adjusted to precisely control the food temperature between 0℃ and 2℃, keeping the temperature difference between the food and the micro-freezing medium between 5℃ and 8℃. This prevents sudden temperature drops from damaging the food cells and keeps the food cells in a dormant state. S4. Temperature closed-loop control: The temperature monitoring unit collects the surface and internal temperature of the food and the temperature of the precooling medium in real time and transmits it to the AI intelligent control unit. The AI controller analyzes the data through algorithms and dynamically fine-tunes each precooling parameter to ensure uniform precooling temperature. S5, Energy-saving circulation: After the pre-cooled medium is used, it is filtered and cooled by the energy-saving circulation unit and recycled to the corresponding medium storage tank for reuse; S6. Conveying to the micro-freezing production line: The pre-cooled food is conveyed to the main body of the micro-freezing production line through the conveying unit to complete the pre-cooling operation; S7. Fault Handling: If a fault occurs during system operation, the fault diagnosis module will issue an alarm. Staff will troubleshoot and handle the fault according to the fault code. In the event of a sudden power outage, the backup power supply will be activated to prevent food from piling up.
[0017] The advantages and beneficial effects of this invention compared to the prior art are: (1) Achieve precise gradient precooling, promote cell dormancy and form spike-free ice crystals, and maintain complete nutrition: The multi-stage precooling structure of "first-stage air cooling + second-stage gas-liquid mixing precooling + third-stage low-temperature liquid cooling" is adopted to gradually reduce the temperature of the food and avoid cracks, damage and cell damage caused by sudden temperature drop; Through the closed-loop control of AI intelligent control unit and temperature monitoring unit, the temperature of the food is precisely controlled at 0℃~2℃, and the temperature difference with the micro-freezing medium is controlled at 5℃~8℃, so that the food cells are in a low-temperature dormant state, and the ice crystals formed in the cells are round and spike-free, avoiding piercing the cell wall, ensuring that no soluble protein seeps out during thawing, maintaining the complete nutrition and fresh quality of the food, and solving the problems of excessive temperature difference, uneven precooling and serious damage to cell structure in the existing precooling system.
[0018] (2) High level of intelligence and reduced labor costs: The AI intelligent control unit has the ability to learn independently and can automatically optimize the pre-cooling parameters according to the type of food, initial temperature, conveying speed and ambient temperature, so as to realize the unattended operation of the pre-cooling process without manual adjustment, greatly improve the efficiency of operation, and reduce the error and labor cost caused by manual intervention; at the same time, the system has automatic fault diagnosis and alarm functions, which makes it easy for staff to quickly troubleshoot and handle faults and improve the efficiency of system operation and maintenance.
[0019] (3) Energy-saving and efficient, reducing operation and maintenance costs: The energy-saving circulation unit recycles, filters and cools the precooling medium and then recycles it. The water resource utilization rate is ≥85%, which greatly reduces the consumption of the precooling medium and reduces water resources and energy costs. The three-stage filtration device ensures the purity of the circulating medium, avoids the clogging of the spray mechanism, and reduces equipment maintenance costs. The application of high-efficiency plate coolers further reduces energy consumption and meets the needs of energy-saving and environmentally friendly industrial development.
[0020] (4) Strong adaptability to meet the needs of continuous industrial production: The conveying speed of the food conveying unit is adjustable and synchronized with the main body of the micro-freezing production line, realizing seamless connection between pre-cooling and micro-freezing processes without affecting the overall operation rhythm; the conveyor belt and guiding mechanism can be flexibly customized according to the size and type of food, adapting to various types of food such as block, slice, and granules; the system adopts a modular design, and the components can be disassembled and replaced individually, making troubleshooting convenient, with a service life of ≥5 years, adapting to the high-intensity needs of continuous industrial production.
[0021] (5) Safe and hygienic, in line with food processing standards: All parts in contact with food are made of food-grade 304 stainless steel, food-grade silicone and other materials, with no odor and no release of harmful substances. The pre-cooling medium is food-grade low-temperature brine and ethylene glycol solution, which prevents food contamination. The system has sealing protection and anti-cross-contamination functions, and is easy to clean. It meets the hygiene standards of the food processing industry and can help enterprises avoid hygiene and safety risks.
[0022] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Attached Figure Description
[0023] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of an AI-controlled precooling system for a micro-freezing production line according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a flowchart of an AI-controlled precooling method for a micro-freezing production line according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0024] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "upper," "lower," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the product is in use. They are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention. In the description of this invention, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "set," "install," and "connect" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.
[0025] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides an AI-controlled pre-cooling system for a micro-freezing production line, which is installed at the front end of the micro-freezing production line. The core structure includes a food conveying unit, a multi-stage pre-cooling unit, an AI intelligent control unit, a temperature monitoring unit, an energy-saving circulation unit, and an auxiliary protection unit. Each unit works together to achieve intelligent, precise, and energy-saving food pre-cooling.
[0027] Food delivery unit: The food conveying unit serves as the connecting carrier between the pre-cooling system and the micro-freezing production line. It is mainly used to receive the pre-cooled food and transport it to the multi-stage pre-cooling unit at a uniform speed and smoothly. After pre-cooling, it is accurately transported to the main body of the micro-freezing production line, ensuring a seamless connection between the pre-cooling process and the micro-freezing process without affecting the overall operation rhythm.
[0028] Specifically, the food conveying unit includes a food-grade conveyor belt, a geared motor, a guiding mechanism, and idler roller supports. The conveyor belt is made of 304 stainless steel, which is odorless and releases no harmful substances, meeting food processing hygiene standards. The mesh size can be customized according to the size of the food (blocks, flakes, granules), and the width is consistent with the main body of the micro-freezing production line to prevent food from falling during the conveying process. The conveying speed of the conveyor belt is adjustable, ranging from 0.5 to 2 m / min, and can be synchronized with the conveying speed of the main body of the micro-freezing production line through an AI intelligent control unit to ensure consistent food conveying rhythm. The geared motor is a special model suitable for low temperature and humid conditions, with a power of 0.75~1.5kW. It has overload protection, stable operation, and noise ≤55dB, avoiding noise pollution to the production environment. The guide mechanism is made of food-grade silicone and is installed on both sides of the conveyor belt. The spacing can be flexibly adjusted according to the size of the ingredients to prevent the ingredients from shifting or stacking during the conveying process, ensuring that the ingredients enter each pre-cooling chamber evenly and guaranteeing the uniformity of pre-cooling. The idler roller bracket is made of 304 stainless steel with anti-corrosion treatment. The idler roller spacing is uniform, supporting the smooth operation of the conveyor belt without shaking or jamming.
[0029] Multi-stage precooling unit: The multi-stage precooling unit is the core actuator for achieving gradient precooling of food. It adopts a series structure of "first-stage air cooling + second-stage gas-liquid mixing precooling + third-stage low-temperature liquid cooling". By gradually reducing the temperature of the food, it avoids damage caused by sudden temperature drops, while ensuring uniform temperature on the surface and inside of the food, and reducing the temperature difference with the micro-freezing medium (controlled at 5~8℃), laying the foundation for the subsequent micro-freezing process.
[0030] Each precooling chamber is connected by a sealed transition channel. The transition channel adopts a flexible sealing structure to prevent cross-flow of precooling media at different temperatures, while reducing temperature loss and improving precooling efficiency. Each precooling chamber is equipped with a precooling media injection mechanism and a stirring mechanism to ensure uniform precooling media temperature and consistent food precooling effect.
[0031] The primary precooling chamber uses air-cooled precooling, which is mainly used to initially reduce the surface temperature of the food from the initial 15~25℃ to 10~15℃, reducing the condensation of moisture on the food surface and preparing for subsequent liquid-cooled precooling. The air-cooling mechanism uses food-grade stainless steel air knives, which are installed on the upper and lower sides of the precooling chamber. The air speed and direction can be adjusted to ensure that the airflow evenly covers the surface of the food. The air speed range is 3~8m / s, and the air temperature is controlled at 10~15℃ to avoid high-speed airflow damaging the food.
[0032] The secondary precooling chamber employs a gas-liquid mixing precooling method, primarily used to reduce the internal temperature of the food from 10~15℃ to 3~8℃, achieving a preliminary balance between the surface and internal temperatures of the food. The precooling medium uses food-grade low-temperature brine (concentration of 5%~10%), which is sprayed to form a mist that mixes with the air-cooled airflow and acts evenly on the surface of the food, accelerating the dissipation of internal heat. The spraying mechanism uses rotatable food-grade spray heads with a spacing of 5~10cm, allowing for adjustment of the spray angle and flow rate to ensure uniform coverage of the food. The stirring mechanism uses a food-grade stainless steel stirring paddle with an adjustable speed (50~100r / min) to prevent uneven local temperatures in the precooling medium.
[0033] The three-stage precooling chamber employs a low-temperature liquid cooling precooling method, primarily used to precisely control the temperature of the food ingredients at 0~2℃, and maintain the temperature difference between the food and the micro-freezing medium (typically -5~0℃) at 5~8℃, ensuring uniform micro-freezing results. The precooling medium uses a food-grade ethylene glycol solution (concentration 20%~30%), possessing excellent low-temperature fluidity and heat exchange efficiency, with the medium temperature precisely controlled at 0~2℃. The spray mechanism adopts a high-pressure spray design, with adjustable spray pressure (0.1~0.2MPa), ensuring full contact between the medium and the food ingredients and accelerating heat exchange. Simultaneously, the three-stage precooling chamber is equipped with an insulation layer to reduce temperature loss and improve energy efficiency.
[0034] AI Intelligent Control Unit: The AI intelligent control unit is the core command center of the entire system. It is responsible for receiving monitoring data from each unit, analyzing and calculating it through preset AI algorithms, and automatically adjusting the operating parameters of each unit to achieve intelligent and precise control of the precooling process without human intervention, thereby improving operational efficiency.
[0035] The AI intelligent control unit includes an industrial-grade AI controller, a touch operation panel, control software, and a data storage module. The industrial-grade AI controller is a dedicated model adapted for low-temperature and humid conditions, with a processing speed ≥1GHz. It supports real-time acquisition and analysis of multiple parameters, possesses self-learning capabilities, and can optimize the pre-cooling algorithm based on long-term operating data to adapt to the pre-cooling needs of different types of food. The controller supports an RS485 communication interface, allowing it to link with the control system of the micro-freezing production line to achieve coordinated operation of the pre-cooling and micro-freezing processes. The touch operation panel uses a waterproof and corrosion-resistant industrial-grade panel, installed in an easily accessible location. It can display system operating parameters (food temperature, pre-cooling medium temperature, conveying speed, medium flow rate, etc.) and fault alarm information in real time, supporting manual / automatic mode switching. In manual mode, various pre-cooling parameters can be manually fine-tuned to meet emergency operation needs. The control software is equipped with a preset AI algorithm, with core components including a data acquisition module, a data analysis module, and parameter adjustment. The system includes modules for precooling and fault diagnosis. Specifically: a data acquisition module receives monitoring data from various sensors such as temperature monitoring units, flow sensors, and speed sensors, performing noise reduction and filtering to ensure data accuracy; a data analysis module analyzes the correlation between initial food temperature, real-time temperature, conveying speed, ambient temperature, and precooling effect, optimizing the precooling scheme based on preset parameters for different food types; a parameter adjustment module automatically adjusts the medium temperature, jet flow rate, stirring speed, and conveying speed of each precooling chamber based on the analysis results, achieving precise control of gradient precooling; a fault diagnosis module monitors the real-time operating status of each unit, identifies abnormalities such as sensor malfunctions, water pump malfunctions, cooler malfunctions, and medium leaks, promptly issuing audible and visual alarms and displaying fault codes for quick troubleshooting; and a data storage module can store more than one year's worth of system operating data, including precooling parameters, food temperature changes, and fault records, facilitating subsequent operation and maintenance management and algorithm optimization.
[0036] Temperature monitoring unit: The temperature monitoring unit is used to collect various temperature data in real time during the precooling process, providing accurate data support for the AI intelligent control unit, ensuring the accuracy and uniformity of precooling temperature control, and avoiding excessive temperature differences that could affect the precooling effect.
[0037] The temperature monitoring unit includes surface temperature sensors, internal temperature sensors, medium temperature sensors, and ambient temperature sensors. All sensors are waterproof and corrosion-resistant, adaptable to the low-temperature and humid conditions of the pre-cooling system, and their accuracy meets preset requirements. Surface temperature sensors are installed at the inlet, outlet, and inside each pre-cooling chamber, spaced 10cm apart, to collect the surface temperature of the food, with an accuracy of ±0.1℃, monitoring surface temperature changes in real time. Internal temperature sensors use an insertion design, with adjustable insertion depth according to food size, inserting into the core of the food to collect internal temperature, with an accuracy of ±0.2℃, ensuring accurate monitoring of the internal temperature and preventing "external cold, internal warm" conditions. Medium temperature sensors are installed in the medium storage tank of each pre-cooling chamber to collect the real-time temperature of the pre-cooling medium, with an accuracy of ±0.1℃, ensuring the medium temperature meets pre-cooling requirements. Ambient temperature sensors are installed externally to collect the ambient temperature, providing environmental parameter support for the AI control algorithm, facilitating dynamic adjustment of pre-cooling parameters based on ambient temperature, and improving pre-cooling efficiency. All sensors are electrically connected to the AI intelligent control unit, transmitting monitoring data to the controller in real time to achieve closed-loop temperature control.
[0038] Energy-saving recycling unit: The energy-saving recycling unit is used to recycle, filter, and cool the precooling medium for reuse, reducing water and energy consumption, meeting the needs of energy-saving and environmentally friendly industrial development, and reducing precooling costs.
[0039] The energy-saving circulation unit includes a media storage tank, a circulating water pump, a three-stage filtration system, a cooler, and a flow control valve. The media storage tank is made of food-grade 304 stainless steel and is divided into three independent chambers, corresponding to the pre-cooling media in the primary, secondary, and tertiary pre-cooling chambers respectively, preventing the mixing of media of different temperatures and types and ensuring the pre-cooling effect. The circulating water pump is a food-grade stainless steel centrifugal pump with a power of 0.75~1.1kW, equipped with anti-dry-burning and overload protection functions, ensuring stable operation. It delivers the filtered and cooled pre-cooling media to the spray mechanism of each pre-cooling chamber to achieve media circulation. The three-stage filtration system filters out food debris, impurities, and microorganisms mixed in the pre-cooling media, with filtration precision of 100μm (initial filter). The system employs three filtration stages: 1-stage filtration (removing large particles), 10μm (medium-stage filtration, removing fine particles), and 1μm (high-stage filtration, removing microorganisms and suspended solids). This ensures the purity of the circulating medium, prevents clogging of the spray mechanism, and avoids affecting the pre-cooling effect. The filters are also removable, washable, and reusable, reducing consumable costs. The cooler utilizes a high-efficiency plate cooler with high heat exchange efficiency, used to cool the recovered pre-cooling medium to the preset temperature of the corresponding pre-cooling chamber, reducing energy consumption. The cooler's cooling parameters are automatically adjusted by the AI intelligent control unit based on the medium temperature. The flow regulating valve is electrically connected to the AI intelligent control unit, automatically adjusting the medium circulation flow rate according to pre-cooling requirements and changes in food temperature, ensuring uniform pre-cooling while avoiding energy waste.
[0040] Auxiliary protection unit: The auxiliary protection unit is used to ensure the safe operation of the system, avoid food damage and equipment failure, improve the stability and service life of the system, and adapt to the needs of continuous industrial production.
[0041] The auxiliary protection unit includes a sealed protective shell, safety protection devices, damage prevention mechanisms, and a backup power supply. The sealed protective shell is made of 304 stainless steel with an overall sealed design to prevent leakage of the pre-cooling medium and airflow, while also preventing external dust and impurities from entering the system and contaminating food and equipment. The shell has a transparent observation window, allowing staff to monitor the pre-cooling process and system operation status in real time without opening the shell. The safety protection devices include overload protection, leakage protection, fault alarms, and emergency shutdown functions. When components such as the motor, water pump, and cooler are overloaded, the power supply is automatically cut off to prevent damage. In the event of a leakage, the leakage protector immediately activates to ensure operator safety. Fault alarms are triggered when the system experiences sensor malfunctions, medium leakage, or abnormal water levels. The device emits audible and visual alarms and displays fault codes on the touch control panel to remind staff to handle the situation promptly. Emergency stop buttons are located on both sides of the system, allowing staff to quickly press the buttons in case of an emergency to stop the system and prevent the accident from escalating. The damage prevention mechanism includes flexible conveyor rollers and buffer guide plates. The flexible rollers are made of food-grade silicone to prevent damage to the surface of the food during transport. The buffer guide plates are installed at the entrance of each pre-cooling chamber to slow down the speed at which food enters the pre-cooling chamber and prevent damage from collisions. The backup power supply is a 12V / 5Ah lithium battery connected to the system's main power supply. When the production line experiences a sudden power outage, the backup power supply automatically starts to ensure the continuous operation of the AI intelligent control unit, temperature monitoring unit, and emergency lighting, preventing food from accumulating and spoiling within the system and reducing food loss.
[0042] like Figure 2 As shown, the working method of the AI-controlled precooling system of this micro-freezing production line specifically includes the following steps: S1. Preliminary Preparation: Staff check the integrity of each unit component of the system, including the conveyor belt and geared motor of the food conveying unit, the spray mechanism and stirring mechanism of the multi-stage precooling unit, various sensors of the temperature monitoring unit, the water pump and filter device of the energy-saving circulation unit, and the safety protection devices of the auxiliary protection unit, to ensure that there are no problems such as damage, leakage, or loosening; inject the corresponding type and concentration of food-grade precooling medium into the medium storage tank of each precooling chamber, start the AI intelligent control unit, and set the food type, preset precooling temperature (0~2℃) and conveying speed parameters through the touch operation panel, and the system enters standby mode.
[0043] S2. Food conveying: The food to be pre-cooled is conveyed to the conveyor belt of the food conveying unit through the feeding mechanism at the front end of the micro-freezing production line. The geared motor starts and drives the conveyor belt to run at a uniform speed, and the conveying speed is synchronized with the main body of the micro-freezing production line. The guiding mechanism is adjusted to the appropriate spacing to match the size of the food to prevent the food from shifting or stacking and to ensure that the food enters the primary pre-cooling chamber evenly.
[0044] S3. Gradient Precooling: After the food enters the primary precooling chamber, the AI intelligent control unit automatically adjusts the air speed and temperature of the air-cooling mechanism based on the initial temperature of the food and the ambient temperature collected by the temperature monitoring unit to perform preliminary precooling of the food, reducing the surface temperature of the food to 10~15℃. After precooling, the food enters the secondary precooling chamber through a sealed transition channel. The AI controller adjusts the gas-liquid mixing precooling parameters and controls the spray flow rate and stirring speed of the precooling medium to reduce the food temperature to 3~8℃, achieving a preliminary balance between the surface and internal temperature of the food. Subsequently, the food enters the tertiary precooling chamber. The AI controller adjusts the low-temperature liquid cooling parameters and controls the temperature and spray pressure of the precooling medium to precisely control the food temperature at 0~2℃, ensuring that the temperature difference with the micro-freezing medium is controlled at 5~8℃.
[0045] S4. Temperature Closed-Loop Control: During the precooling process, the surface temperature sensor, internal temperature sensor, and medium temperature sensor of the temperature monitoring unit collect various temperature data in real time and transmit them to the AI intelligent control unit. The AI controller analyzes the data through a preset algorithm to determine whether the food temperature meets the preset requirements. If the food temperature is too high or too low, it dynamically fine-tunes the medium temperature, jet flow rate, stirring speed, and conveying speed of each precooling chamber to ensure uniform precooling of the food and precise temperature control within the preset range, avoiding excessive temperature differences.
[0046] S5, Energy-saving circulation: After use, the precooling medium in each precooling chamber flows into the energy-saving circulation unit through the return pipe. It first passes through a three-stage filtration device to remove large particles, fine impurities, and microorganisms in sequence. The filtered medium enters the cooler, which cools the medium to the preset temperature of the corresponding precooling chamber according to the instructions of the AI controller. Then, it is transported to the medium storage tank of each precooling chamber by a circulating water pump to realize the recycling of the precooling medium. At the same time, the water quality sensor monitors the purity of the circulating medium in real time. When the purity of the medium does not meet the standard, the AI controller triggers a sewage discharge command to discharge the unqualified medium and replenish the new precooling medium.
[0047] S6. Conveying to the micro-freezing production line: The pre-cooled food (temperature controlled at 0~2℃, with uniform surface and internal temperature) is conveyed to the main body of the micro-freezing production line through the food conveying unit to enter the subsequent micro-freezing stage and complete the pre-cooling operation; the staff can observe the pre-cooling effect of the food in real time through the observation window. If any abnormality is found, the parameters can be manually adjusted by touching the operation panel.
[0048] S7. Fault Handling: During system operation, if abnormalities such as sensor failure, water pump failure, cooler failure, or media leakage occur, the fault diagnosis module of the AI intelligent control unit will immediately identify the fault type, issue an audible and visual alarm, and display the fault code on the touch operation panel; staff can then troubleshoot and handle the problem promptly based on the fault code; in the event of a sudden power outage, the backup power supply will automatically start to ensure the operation of core components and prevent food from accumulating and spoiling within the system; after the fault is handled, the system will be restarted to resume normal operation.
[0049] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments, so that those skilled in the art can understand it.
[0050] Example 1: An AI-controlled pre-cooling system for a micro-freezing production line is installed at the front end of the aquatic micro-freezing production line for pre-cooling fish ingredients.
[0051] Food conveying unit: The conveyor belt is made of 304 stainless steel with a mesh size of 2mm and a width of 100cm. The conveying speed is adjustable from 0.8 to 1.5m / min, synchronized with the main conveying speed of the aquatic micro-freezing production line. The geared motor has a power of 1.1kW, an operating noise of ≤55dB, and overload protection. The guide mechanism is made of food-grade silicone with an adjustable spacing of 5 to 15cm, suitable for fish ingredients of different sizes.
[0052] Multi-stage precooling unit: The first-stage precooling chamber is 2m long and uses air-cooled precooling, with the air knife speed adjustable from 4 to 6 m / s and the air temperature controlled at 12 to 15℃; the second-stage precooling chamber is 2.5m long and uses gas-liquid mixing precooling, with the precooling medium being 8% food-grade low-temperature brine, the medium temperature controlled at 5 to 7℃, the spray head spacing being 8cm, and the stirring paddle speed being 70 r / min; the third-stage precooling chamber is 3m long and uses low-temperature liquid cooling, with the precooling medium being 25% food-grade ethylene glycol solution, the medium temperature controlled at 0 to 1℃, and the spray pressure being 0.15 MPa; the precooling chambers are connected by flexible sealed transition channels and equipped with insulation layers to reduce temperature loss.
[0053] AI Intelligent Control Unit: The industrial-grade AI controller has a computing speed of 1.2GHz, supports real-time acquisition and analysis of multiple parameters, and has self-learning capabilities; the touch operation panel is a waterproof and corrosion-resistant industrial-grade panel that can display parameters such as food temperature, medium temperature, and conveying speed, and supports manual / automatic mode switching; the control software is equipped with a preset AI algorithm, which can automatically optimize pre-cooling parameters based on the initial temperature of the fish food (usually 18~22℃) to achieve gradient pre-cooling.
[0054] Temperature monitoring unit: Surface temperature sensors with an accuracy of ±0.1℃ are installed at 10cm intervals at the inlet, outlet, and inside each precooling chamber; internal temperature sensors with an accuracy of ±0.2℃ are inserted into the core of the fish food to collect internal temperature data; media temperature sensors with an accuracy of ±0.1℃ are installed in each media storage box; ambient temperature sensors are installed outside the system to collect the production environment temperature, providing support for AI algorithms.
[0055] Energy-saving circulation unit: The media storage tank is made of 304 stainless steel, and the three independent chambers each have a volume of 800L; the circulating water pump has a power of 0.9kW and is equipped with anti-dry burning and overload protection functions; the three-stage filtration device has filtration accuracies of 100μm, 10μm and 1μm respectively, and the filters are removable and washable; the cooler adopts a high-efficiency plate cooler with a heat exchange efficiency of ≥90%; the flow regulating valve can automatically adjust the media flow according to the pre-cooling requirements.
[0056] Auxiliary protection unit: The sealed protective shell is made of 304 stainless steel and has a transparent observation window; the safety protection devices include overload protection, leakage protection, fault alarm and emergency shutdown functions; the damage prevention mechanism uses flexible silicone rollers and buffer guide plates to avoid damage to fish; the backup power supply is a 12V / 5Ah lithium battery, which automatically starts in the event of a sudden power failure.
[0057] The working process of this embodiment is as follows: After the initial preparation is completed, the fish ingredients to be pre-cooled enter the primary pre-cooling chamber through a conveyor belt. The AI controller adjusts the air-cooling parameters according to the initial temperature (around 20°C) collected by the temperature monitoring unit and the ambient temperature, reducing the surface temperature of the fish to 12~15°C. Then, it enters the secondary pre-cooling chamber, where the temperature is reduced to 5~7°C through gas-liquid mixing pre-cooling. Then, it enters the tertiary pre-cooling chamber, where the temperature is precisely controlled at 0~1°C through low-temperature liquid cooling pre-cooling, and the temperature difference with the micro-freezing medium (-4~-2°C) is controlled at 5~6°C. During the pre-cooling process, the temperature monitoring unit collects temperature data in real time, and the AI controller dynamically fine-tunes the parameters to ensure uniform pre-cooling. The pre-cooling medium is recycled, filtered, cooled, and reused after being recovered by the energy-saving circulation unit. The pre-cooled fish ingredients that pass the pre-cooling process are transported to the main body of the micro-freezing production line to complete the pre-cooling operation.
[0058] Tests have shown that the precooling system in this embodiment achieves a fish precooling qualification rate of ≥99%, a temperature difference between the surface and interior of the precooled food of ≤0.5℃, a temperature difference between the precooled food and the micro-freezing medium of 5~6℃, a subsequent micro-freezing uniformity improvement of more than 30%, a reduction of more than 15% in food loss, a water resource utilization rate of ≥85%, and a reduction of more than 20% in energy consumption, fully meeting the precooling requirements of the aquatic micro-freezing production line.
[0059] Example 2: An AI-controlled pre-cooling system for a micro-freezing production line is installed at the front end of the pre-cooked food micro-freezing production line for the pre-cooling of block-shaped pre-cooked dishes (such as braised pork chunks and spare rib chunks).
[0060] The difference from Example 1 is as follows: the mesh size of the food conveying unit is 5mm, and the spacing of the guide mechanism is adjustable from 10 to 20cm, which is suitable for block-shaped pre-cooked dishes; in the multi-stage pre-cooling unit, the temperature of the first-stage pre-cooling air is controlled at 10 to 12℃, the temperature of the second-stage pre-cooling medium is controlled at 3 to 5℃, and the temperature of the third-stage pre-cooling medium is controlled at 1 to 2℃; the algorithm of the AI intelligent control unit is optimized for the thermal conductivity of block-shaped pre-cooked dishes, extending the second-stage pre-cooling time to ensure uniform internal temperature of the food; the internal temperature sensor of the temperature monitoring unit is inserted deeper to adapt to the size of block-shaped food.
[0061] Tests showed that the pre-cooling system of this embodiment achieved a pre-cooling qualification rate of ≥99.5% for block-shaped pre-cooked dishes, a temperature difference of ≤0.3℃ between the surface and interior of the food after pre-cooling, and a temperature difference of 6~8℃ with the micro-freezing medium. The subsequent micro-freezing effect was good, the taste of the pre-cooked dishes did not change significantly after thawing, the loss of nutrients was minimal, and the energy-saving effect was significant, fully meeting the pre-cooling requirements of the pre-cooked dish micro-freezing production line.
[0062] The above embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention is determined by the claims.
[0063] In this application, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. In case of any inconsistency, the meaning set forth in this specification or derived from the content described herein shall prevail. Furthermore, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments of this application only and is not intended to limit the scope of this application.
[0064] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and not to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can still be made to the technical solutions of the present invention, and these modifications or equivalent substitutions cannot cause the modified technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.
Claims
1. An AI-controlled precooling system for a micro-freezing production line, installed at the front end of the micro-freezing production line, used for gradient precooling of food to induce dormancy in food cells and reduce the temperature difference between the food and the micro-freezing medium, characterized in that, It includes a food delivery unit, a multi-stage pre-cooling unit, an AI intelligent control unit, a temperature monitoring unit, an energy-saving circulation unit, and an auxiliary protection unit; The food conveying unit is used to receive and pre-cool the food and convey it at a uniform speed to the multi-stage pre-cooling unit. After pre-cooling, it is conveyed to the main body of the micro-freezing production line. The multi-stage precooling unit includes a primary precooling chamber, a secondary precooling chamber, and a tertiary precooling chamber connected in series, which are used to perform gradient precooling on the food to gradually reduce the temperature of the food and avoid damage to the food cells caused by a sudden drop in temperature. The temperature monitoring unit is used to collect the surface temperature, internal temperature, precooling medium temperature and ambient temperature of the food in real time, and transmit the monitoring data to the AI intelligent control unit. The AI intelligent control unit is electrically connected to the food delivery unit, the multi-stage precooling unit, the temperature monitoring unit, and the energy-saving circulation unit. It is used to receive monitoring data, analyze and calculate through preset AI algorithms, and automatically adjust the operating parameters of each unit to achieve precise control of food temperature. The energy-saving circulation unit is used to recover, filter, and cool the precooling medium before recycling it. The auxiliary protection unit is used to ensure the safe operation of the system and to prevent food damage and equipment failure.
2. The AI-controlled precooling system for a micro-freezing production line according to claim 1, characterized in that, The food conveying unit includes a food-grade conveyor belt, a geared motor, a guiding mechanism, and idler roller supports. The conveyor belt is made of 304 stainless steel, with mesh sizes customized according to the food dimensions. Its width is consistent with the main body of the micro-freezing production line, and its conveying speed is adjustable and synchronized with the main body of the micro-freezing production line. The geared motor has overload protection, operating noise ≤55dB, and is suitable for low-temperature conditions. The guiding mechanism is made of food-grade silicone, with adjustable spacing to prevent food from shifting or falling during conveying.
3. The AI-controlled precooling system for a micro-freezing production line according to claim 2, characterized in that, In the multi-stage precooling unit, each precooling chamber is connected by a sealed transition channel to prevent cross-flow of the precooling medium and temperature loss. The first-stage precooling chamber uses air-cooling to initially reduce the surface temperature of the food, with the precooling temperature controlled at 10℃~15℃. The second-stage precooling chamber uses gas-liquid mixing to reduce the internal temperature of the food, with the precooling temperature controlled at 3℃~8℃. The third-stage precooling chamber uses low-temperature liquid cooling to precisely control the temperature of the food at 0℃~2℃, keeping the temperature difference between the food and the micro-freezing medium controlled at 5℃~8℃. Each precooling chamber is equipped with a precooling medium injection mechanism and a stirring mechanism to ensure uniform precooling.
4. The AI-controlled precooling system for a micro-freezing production line according to claim 3, characterized in that, The precooling medium is food-grade low-temperature brine or food-grade ethylene glycol solution. The medium temperature in the first-stage precooling chamber is 10℃~15℃, the medium temperature in the second-stage precooling chamber is 3℃~8℃, and the medium temperature in the third-stage precooling chamber is 0℃~2℃. The spraying mechanism uses rotatable food-grade spray heads with uniform spacing and adjustable spray angle and flow rate. The stirring mechanism uses a food-grade stainless steel stirring paddle with adjustable speed to avoid uneven local temperature distribution of the precooling medium.
5. The AI-controlled precooling system for a micro-freezing production line according to claim 4, characterized in that, The AI intelligent control unit includes an industrial-grade AI controller, a touch operation panel, control software, and a data storage module. The AI controller has self-learning capabilities, a computing speed of ≥1GHz, and is adaptable to low-temperature and humid conditions, supporting real-time acquisition and analysis of multiple parameters. The control software is equipped with a preset AI algorithm, which can automatically optimize pre-cooling parameters based on the type of food, initial temperature, conveying speed, and ambient temperature, achieving precise control of gradient pre-cooling. The touch operation panel is waterproof and corrosion-resistant, can display real-time operating parameters and fault alarm information, and supports manual / automatic mode switching and manual parameter fine-tuning.
6. The AI-controlled precooling system for a micro-freezing production line according to claim 5, characterized in that, The temperature monitoring unit includes a surface temperature sensor, an internal temperature sensor, a medium temperature sensor, and an ambient temperature sensor. The surface temperature sensor is installed at the inlet, outlet, and inside each precooling chamber to collect the surface temperature of the food, with an accuracy of ±0.1℃. The internal temperature sensor adopts an insertion design and can be inserted into the food to collect the core temperature, with an accuracy of ±0.2℃. The medium temperature sensor is installed in the medium storage box of each precooling chamber to collect the temperature of the precooling medium, with an accuracy of ±0.1℃. The ambient temperature sensor is installed outside the system to collect the ambient temperature, providing data support for the AI control algorithm. All sensors are designed to be waterproof and corrosion-resistant.
7. The AI-controlled precooling system for a micro-freezing production line according to claim 6, characterized in that, The energy-saving circulation unit includes a media storage tank, a circulating water pump, a three-stage filtration device, a cooler, and a flow regulating valve. The media storage tank is divided into three independent chambers, each corresponding to the pre-cooling medium in one of the three pre-cooling chambers, preventing the mixing of media at different temperatures. The circulating water pump is a food-grade stainless steel centrifugal pump with anti-dry-burning and overload protection functions. The three-stage filtration device is used to filter food debris and impurities in the pre-cooling medium, with filtration accuracies of 100μm, 10μm, and 1μm respectively. The cooler is a high-efficiency plate cooler used to cool the recovered pre-cooling medium to the preset temperature of the corresponding pre-cooling chamber. The flow regulating valve is electrically connected to the AI intelligent control unit and automatically adjusts the media flow rate according to the pre-cooling requirements.
8. The AI-controlled precooling system for a micro-freezing production line according to claim 7, characterized in that, The auxiliary protection unit includes a sealed protective shell, safety protection devices, a damage prevention mechanism, and a backup power supply. The sealed protective shell is made of 304 stainless steel, with an overall sealed design and an observation window to prevent leakage of the pre-cooling medium and the entry of external impurities. The safety protection devices include overload protection, leakage protection, fault alarm, and emergency shutdown functions. The damage prevention mechanism includes flexible conveyor rollers and buffer guide plates to prevent damage to the food during pre-cooling and conveying. The backup power supply is a 12V / 5Ah lithium battery that automatically starts in the event of a sudden power outage to ensure the operation of core components.
9. The AI-controlled precooling system for a micro-freezing production line according to claim 1, characterized in that, The preset AI algorithm includes a data acquisition module, a data analysis module, a parameter adjustment module, and a fault diagnosis module. The data acquisition module receives monitoring data from various sensors and performs noise reduction and filtering. The data analysis module analyzes the correlation between the initial temperature, real-time temperature, conveying speed, and pre-cooling effect of the ingredients, and optimizes the pre-cooling parameters. The parameter adjustment module automatically adjusts the medium temperature, jet flow rate, stirring speed, and conveying speed of each pre-cooling chamber based on the analysis results. The fault diagnosis module monitors the operating status of each unit, identifies sensor faults, water pump faults, and cooler faults, issues alarms, and displays fault codes.
10. An AI-controlled precooling method for a micro-freezing production line, using the system described in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Preliminary preparation: Check the integrity of each unit component of the system, inject food-grade precooling medium of the corresponding temperature into each precooling chamber, start the AI intelligent control unit, and set the food type, preset precooling temperature and conveying speed parameters. S2. Food conveying: Food to be pre-cooled enters the primary pre-cooling chamber through the food conveying unit, and the conveying speed is synchronized with the main body of the micro-freezing production line. S3, Gradient Precooling: The AI intelligent control unit automatically adjusts the air cooling parameters of the first-stage precooling chamber based on the initial temperature of the food and the ambient temperature collected by the temperature monitoring unit to precool the food; after the food enters the second-stage precooling chamber, the gas-liquid mixing precooling parameters are adjusted to reduce the internal temperature of the food. After the ingredients enter the three-stage pre-cooling chamber, the low-temperature liquid cooling parameters are adjusted to precisely control the temperature of the ingredients at 0℃~2℃, so that the temperature difference between the ingredients and the micro-freezing medium is controlled at 5℃~8℃, avoiding sudden temperature drops that could damage the ingredients' cells and keeping the ingredients' cells in a dormant state. S4. Temperature closed-loop control: The temperature monitoring unit collects the surface and internal temperature of the food and the temperature of the precooling medium in real time and transmits it to the AI intelligent control unit. The AI controller analyzes the data through algorithms and dynamically fine-tunes each precooling parameter to ensure uniform precooling temperature. S5, Energy-saving circulation: After the pre-cooled medium is used, it is filtered and cooled by the energy-saving circulation unit and then recycled to the corresponding medium storage tank for reuse; S6. Conveying to the micro-freezing production line: The pre-cooled food is conveyed to the main body of the micro-freezing production line through the conveying unit to complete the pre-cooling operation; S7. Fault Handling: If a fault occurs during system operation, the fault diagnosis module will issue an alarm. Staff will troubleshoot and handle the fault according to the fault code. In the event of a sudden power outage, the backup power supply will be activated to prevent food from piling up.