Fruit and vegetable freezing storage device

Abstract

This utility model discloses a fruit and vegetable freezing and storage device, comprising: a cabinet with a pre-formed storage compartment inside; a top cover that can be opened and closed at the top opening of the cabinet; multiple limiting ports that are through-holes in the top cover; multiple partitions that are inserted into the storage compartments one by one through the multiple limiting ports, dividing the storage compartments into multiple compartments; multiple sealing caps that are detachably installed at one end of the multiple partitions; multiple shelves; a freezing assembly including two sets of quick-freezing main pipes; multiple quick-freezing branch pipes; multiple nozzles; multiple valves; a dehumidifying jacket; a filter layer; a door; and a pressure balancing valve installed on the top cover. The fruit and vegetable freezing and storage device provided by this utility model integrates pre-cooling, quick-freezing, and storage into one unit, eliminating the need for secondary transfer of fruits and vegetables, and allowing for partitioned storage of fruits and vegetables to avoid cross-contamination of odors, ensuring the freshness and safety of fruits and vegetables during long-term low-temperature storage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a fruit and vegetable freezing and storage device. Background Technology

[0002] Quick-freezing of fruits and vegetables involves rapidly lowering the temperature of fresh fruits and vegetables to below their freezing point within a very short time, causing their internal water to freeze quickly. This method effectively preserves the appearance, taste, nutrients, and aroma of fruits and vegetables, reduces cell damage, and thus extends their shelf life. Chinese patent application number 202510239373.2 discloses a low-temperature quick-freezing and preservation device for fruits and vegetables, including a casing, storage mechanism, adjustment mechanism, and washing mechanism. This device uses a combination of the adjustment and washing mechanisms to adjust the cooling position and clean water accumulation at the bottom of the device, ensuring uniform distribution of cold air within the device while reducing the risk of bacterial growth. However, this device only has a single quick-freezing zone and lacks a pre-cooling transition zone. When fresh fruits and vegetables are directly placed into the ultra-low temperature quick-freezing environment, the large temperature difference can easily cause cell rupture, resulting in softened and mushy produce after thawing, loss of juice, and severely affecting taste and nutrient retention. Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a freezing storage device that combines pre-cooling, uniform quick-freezing, and long-term storage functions to address the aforementioned technical deficiencies. Utility Model Content

[0003] One object of this invention is to solve at least the problems described above and to provide at least the advantages that will be explained later.

[0004] Another objective of this invention is to provide a fruit and vegetable freezing and storage device that integrates pre-cooling, quick-freezing, and storage, eliminating the need for secondary transfer of fruits and vegetables. It also allows for zoned storage of fruits and vegetables to prevent cross-contamination of flavors and ensure the freshness and safety of fruits and vegetables during long-term low-temperature storage.

[0005] To achieve these objectives and other advantages according to the present invention, a fruit and vegetable freezing storage device is provided, comprising:

[0006] The cabinet has a pre-formed storage compartment inside; a top cover that can be opened and closed is located at the top opening of the cabinet; multiple limiting ports are opened through the top cover and are evenly spaced and parallel to each other; multiple partitions are inserted into the storage compartments one by one from the multiple limiting ports to divide the storage compartments into multiple compartments; multiple sealing caps are detachably located at one end of the multiple partitions and are detachably embedded in the multiple limiting ports; and multiple shelves are movable in the multiple compartments.

[0007] The refrigeration unit includes two sets of quick-freezing main pipes, which extend into the side walls on both sides of the cabinet and are located near the top cover. The two sets of quick-freezing main pipes extend outward from one end of the cabinet and connect to the refrigeration unit; multiple quick-freezing branch pipes, which are connected to the two sets of quick-freezing main pipes, and at least two quick-freezing branch pipes are symmetrically arranged in any compartment; multiple nozzles, which are evenly spaced on the multiple quick-freezing branch pipes; multiple valves, which are respectively arranged on the multiple quick-freezing branch pipes and located near the two sets of quick-freezing main pipes; a dehumidifying jacket, which is located in the bottom plate of the cabinet and is interconnected with the multiple compartments through multiple vent holes; and a filter layer, which is located in the dehumidifying jacket.

[0008] A door, which can be opened and closed, is located on the side wall at the other end of the cabinet; and

[0009] The pressure balancing valve is located on the top cover and is positioned near the other end of the cabinet.

[0010] Preferably, it includes: multiple guide pipes arranged sequentially below two sets of quick-freezing main pipes, each guide pipe extending onto the side wall of two adjacent compartments, and the two adjacent guide pipes not contacting each other; and multiple air vents evenly spaced on the multiple guide pipes.

[0011] Preferably, it includes: a slide rail disposed on the inner bottom surface of the storage compartment, with the bottoms of multiple shelves slidably disposed on the slide rail via multiple sliders; multiple limiting strips evenly spaced on the inner side wall of the storage compartment, with multiple partitions slidably disposed within multiple limiting frames, and multiple snap-fits below the multiple partitions being detachably fitted onto the slide rail.

[0012] Preferably, the filter layer is detachably inserted into at least one slot in the dehumidification interlayer, the length direction of the filter layer is consistent with the extension direction of the plurality of partitions, and the filter layer includes at least one mesh groove which is detachably inserted into the bottom plate of the cabinet; a plurality of activated carbon balls which are naturally filled in at least one mesh groove; at least one heat-insulating plate handle which is disposed at one end of at least one mesh groove, and at least one heat-insulating plate handle is detachably embedded in the opening of at least one slot.

[0013] Preferably, any one of the multiple shelves includes at least two layers of storage baskets, which are spaced apart from top to bottom; at least one ventilation partition is disposed between the at least two layers of storage baskets, and the height of the at least one ventilation partition is less than the height of any one layer of storage baskets.

[0014] Preferably, it includes: multiple temperature sensors, each disposed in multiple compartments, and the multiple temperature sensors are electrically connected to a control panel outside the cabinet.

[0015] This utility model has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0016] By setting multiple limit ports to provide temporary openings for inserting or removing multiple partitions, the number and size of multiple compartments in the storage compartment can be easily adjusted; multiple sealing caps are used to seal multiple limit ports to ensure the heat preservation effect of the cabinet. Even after some partitions are removed, the cabinet can still be sealed and insulated by removing the sealing caps.

[0017] The storage compartment is divided into multiple independent storage compartments by multiple detachable partitions. With the cooperation of two sets of quick-freezing main pipes and multiple quick-freezing branch pipes, it can meet the different pre-cooling and quick-freezing temperature requirements of different types of vegetables. The detachable partitions make it easy to flexibly adjust the storage space size to adapt to the frozen storage of different batches of vegetables. A dehumidifying jacket is set to guide the cold air, and the filter layer absorbs impurities and odors, which can effectively prevent the fruits and vegetables stored in the multiple compartments from having cross-flavors.

[0018] In summary, the fruit and vegetable freezing storage device provided by this utility model integrates pre-cooling, quick-freezing and storage into one unit, eliminating the need for secondary transfer of fruits and vegetables. It also allows for partitioned storage of fruits and vegetables to prevent cross-contamination of flavors and ensures the freshness and safety of fruits and vegetables during long-term low-temperature storage.

[0019] Other advantages, objectives and features of this invention will be partly apparent from the following description, and partly understood by those skilled in the art through study and practice of this invention. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the fruit and vegetable freezing storage device according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the quick-freezing component in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of any one of the compartments in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the quick-freezing component described in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the fruit and vegetable freezing storage device in another embodiment of the present invention, which further shows the slide rail, multiple sliders and multiple limiting strips;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the filter layer in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7This is a perspective structural diagram of the dehumidification interlayer described in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of any shelf in one embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art can implement it based on the description.

[0029] It should be understood that terms such as “having,” “comprising,” and “including” as used herein do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements or combinations thereof.

[0030] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown in Figures 1 and 3, this utility model provides a fruit and vegetable freezing storage device, comprising: a cabinet 1, which has a pre-formed storage compartment; it can be used for pre-cooling, quick-freezing and storing fruits and vegetables; a top cover 101, which is openable and closable at the top opening of the cabinet; it allows for easy opening of the cabinet and facilitates maintenance; multiple limiting ports 102, which are through-cut on the top cover and are evenly spaced and parallel to each other; multiple partitions 103, which are inserted into the storage compartments one by one from the multiple limiting ports, dividing the storage compartments into multiple compartments; multiple sealing covers 104, which are detachably disposed at one end of the multiple partitions and are detachably embedded in the multiple limiting ports; multiple shelves 2, which are movably disposed in the multiple compartments; and a freezing assembly 3, which includes two sets of freezing main pipes 301, which extend from the cabinet. The cabinet has two sets of main refrigeration pipes located on the side walls on both sides, with the main refrigeration pipes extending outward from one end of the cabinet and connecting to the refrigeration unit. Multiple refrigeration branch pipes 302 are connected to the two sets of main refrigeration pipes, with at least two refrigeration branch pipes symmetrically arranged in any compartment. Multiple nozzles 3021 are evenly spaced on the multiple refrigeration branch pipes. Multiple valves 3022 are installed on the multiple refrigeration branch pipes, located near the two sets of main refrigeration pipes. A dehumidifying interlayer 303 is located inside the bottom plate of the cabinet, and the dehumidifying interlayer is interconnected with multiple compartments through multiple vent holes 3031. A filter layer 304 is located inside the dehumidifying interlayer. A door 105 is openable and closable on the side wall at the other end of the cabinet. A pressure balancing valve 106 is located on the top cover, near the other end of the cabinet.

[0031] In this solution, multiple limit ports are set to provide temporary openings for inserting or removing multiple partitions, which can easily adjust the number and size of multiple compartments in the storage compartment; multiple sealing caps are used to seal multiple limit ports to ensure the heat preservation effect of the cabinet. Even after some partitions are removed, the cabinet can still be sealed and insulated by removing the sealing caps.

[0032] The storage compartment is divided into multiple independent storage compartments by multiple detachable partitions. With the cooperation of two sets of main freezing pipes and multiple freezing branch pipes, it can meet the different pre-cooling and freezing temperature requirements of different types of vegetables. The detachable partitions make it easy to flexibly adjust the storage space size to adapt to the freezing storage of different batches of vegetables. A dehumidifying jacket is set to guide the cold air, and the filter layer absorbs impurities and odors, which can effectively prevent the fruits and vegetables stored in the multiple compartments from having cross-contamination of odors.

[0033] In summary, the fruit and vegetable freezing storage device provided by this utility model integrates pre-cooling, freezing and storage into one unit, eliminating the need for secondary transfer of fruits and vegetables. It also allows for partitioned storage of fruits and vegetables to prevent cross-contamination of flavors and ensures the freshness and safety of fruits and vegetables during long-term low-temperature storage.

[0034] The specific steps for freezing fruits and vegetables using the fruit and vegetable freezing storage device provided by this utility model are as follows:

[0035] 1) Insert a partition that is closest to one end of the cabinet to temporarily divide the cabinet into compartment I for freezing and compartment II for pre-cooling. First, place the multiple shelves containing fruits and vegetables into compartment II in sequence.

[0036] 2) Cold air is only introduced into compartment I, so that after passing through compartment I, the cold air can only gradually diffuse into compartment II through the dehumidification layer, so that the fruits and vegetables in compartment II gradually cool down, avoiding direct contact with the low-temperature cold air. After compartment I reaches the low-temperature freezing temperature and compartment II reaches a certain pre-cooling temperature, the partition is pulled up, the shelf closest to the partition is pushed into compartment I for freezing treatment, and the partition is inserted back. This can effectively improve freezing efficiency while ensuring freezing effect.

[0037] 3) Insert the second partition closest to the cabinet end to divide the original compartment II into compartment I' for freezing and a new compartment II' for pre-cooling. At this time, compartment I' contains pre-cooled fruits and vegetables and shelves. New fruits and vegetables to be pre-cooled and shelves can be pushed into compartment II' through the door. Then, cold air is introduced into compartment I' so that the cold air can only gradually diffuse into compartment II' through the dehumidification layer after passing through compartment I', so that the fruits and vegetables in compartment II' gradually cool down and avoid direct contact with the lower temperature cold air until compartment I' reaches the low-temperature freezing temperature.

[0038] 4) Repeat step 3) until the storage compartments inside the cabinet are gradually filled.

[0039] like Figure 4 As shown, a preferred embodiment includes: multiple guide pipes 305, which are arranged sequentially below two sets of refrigeration main pipes. Each guide pipe extends into the side wall of two adjacent compartments, and the two adjacent guide pipes do not contact each other. In practical applications, multiple guide pipes can be configured as bends to increase flow rate while avoiding contact with adjacent guide pipes, refrigeration branch pipes, or the two sets of refrigeration main pipes; and multiple air vents, which are evenly spaced on the multiple guide pipes. In this embodiment, the multiple guide pipes are used to assist in guiding the cold air, allowing the cold air to pass through multiple compartments sequentially, ensuring that the multiple compartments are cooled sequentially, achieving a gradient cooling effect, and preventing a large amount of cold air from being directly conducted from one end of the compartment to the other through the dehumidification jacket.

[0040] like Figure 5 As shown, a preferred embodiment includes: a slide rail 107, which is disposed on the inner bottom surface of the storage compartment, with the bottoms of multiple shelves slidably mounted on the slide rail via multiple sliders 108; multiple limiting strips 109, which are evenly spaced on the inner sidewall of the storage compartment, with multiple partitions slidably mounted within the multiple limiting frames, and multiple snap-fits below the partitions detachably engaging with the slide rail, ensuring the independence of the multiple compartments and preventing excessive cold air flow from the periphery of the partitions. In this embodiment, the multiple sliders cooperate with the slide rail to facilitate the sliding entry and exit of multiple shelves within the storage compartment, improving movement efficiency; on the other hand, they effectively position the multiple shelves, preventing unnecessary collisions with other structures within the cabinet and extending the equipment's lifespan; the multiple limiting strips restrict and fix the inserted partitions, preventing them from colliding with the multiple shelves. In practical applications, sealing layers are provided at the periphery of the multiple partitions, the periphery of the top cover, the periphery of the multiple sealing covers, and the door to ensure a sealing effect.

[0041] like Figure 6 , 7 As shown, in a preferred embodiment, the filter layer is detachably inserted into at least one slot in the dehumidification interlayer. The length direction of the filter layer is consistent with the extension direction of the plurality of partitions. The filter layer includes at least one mesh groove 3041, which is detachably inserted into the bottom plate of the cabinet; a plurality of activated carbon balls 3042, which are naturally filled in the at least one mesh groove; and at least one heat-insulating plate handle 3043, which is disposed at one end of the at least one mesh groove, and the at least one heat-insulating plate handle is detachably embedded in the opening of the at least one slot. In this embodiment, at least one mesh groove is used to accommodate multiple activated carbon balls, ensuring filtration effect while facilitating replacement and maintaining filtration efficiency.

[0042] like Figure 8As shown, in a preferred embodiment, any one of the multiple shelves includes at least two layers of storage baskets 201, which are spaced apart from top to bottom; at least one ventilation partition 202 is disposed between the at least two layers of storage baskets, and the height of the at least one ventilation partition is less than the height of any one layer of storage basket, thereby improving the airflow between the at least two layers of storage baskets, improving the diffusion efficiency of cold air, and performing uniform and effective pre-cooling or freezing treatment on fruits and vegetables.

[0043] In a preferred embodiment, multiple temperature sensors are installed within multiple compartments, and these sensors are electrically connected to a control panel external to the cabinet. In this embodiment, the outputs of the multiple temperature sensors are electrically connected to the control panel, enabling separate temperature monitoring of the compartments undergoing freezing and the remaining compartments undergoing pre-cooling, thus preventing fruits and vegetables from directly contacting ultra-low temperatures.

[0044] Although the embodiments of this utility model have been disclosed above, they are not limited to the applications listed in the specification and embodiments. They can be applied to various fields suitable for this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other modifications can be easily made. Therefore, without departing from the general concept defined by the claims and their equivalents, this utility model is not limited to the specific details and the illustrations shown and described herein.

Claims

1. A fruit and vegetable freezing and storage device, characterized in that, include: The cabinet contains prefabricated storage compartments. The top cover, which can be opened and closed, is located at the top opening of the cabinet; Multiple limiting ports are opened through the top cover and are evenly spaced and arranged in parallel with each other; multiple partitions are inserted into the storage compartment from the multiple limiting ports to divide the storage compartment into multiple compartments. Multiple sealing caps are detachably mounted on one end of multiple partitions, and each sealing cap is detachably embedded in multiple limiting holes; multiple shelves are movably mounted in multiple compartments. The refrigeration unit includes two sets of quick-freezing main pipes, which extend into the side walls on both sides of the cabinet and are located near the top cover. The two sets of quick-freezing main pipes extend outward from one end of the cabinet and connect to the refrigeration unit; multiple quick-freezing branch pipes, which are connected to the two sets of quick-freezing main pipes, and at least two quick-freezing branch pipes are symmetrically arranged in any compartment; multiple nozzles, which are evenly spaced on the multiple quick-freezing branch pipes; multiple valves, which are respectively arranged on the multiple quick-freezing branch pipes and located near the two sets of quick-freezing main pipes; a dehumidifying jacket, which is located in the bottom plate of the cabinet and is interconnected with the multiple compartments through multiple vent holes; and a filter layer, which is located in the dehumidifying jacket. The door, which can be opened and closed, is located on the side wall at the other end of the cabinet. as well as The pressure balancing valve is located on the top cover and is positioned near the other end of the cabinet.

2. The fruit and vegetable freezing storage device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, include: Multiple guide tubes are arranged sequentially below the two sets of quick-freezing main tubes. Each guide tube extends onto the side wall of two adjacent compartments, and the two adjacent guide tubes do not contact each other. Multiple air vents are evenly spaced on the multiple guide tubes.

3. The fruit and vegetable freezing storage device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, include: The slide rail is set on the inner bottom surface of the storage compartment, and the bottoms of multiple shelves are slidably mounted on the slide rail via multiple sliders; Multiple limiting strips are evenly spaced on the inner wall of the storage compartment. Multiple partitions are slidably installed within multiple limiting frames, and multiple snap-fits below the partitions are detachably fitted onto the slide rails.

4. The fruit and vegetable freezing storage device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The filter layer is detachably inserted into at least one slot in the dehumidification interlayer. The length direction of the filter layer is consistent with the extension direction of the plurality of partitions. The filter layer includes at least one mesh groove that is detachably inserted into the bottom plate of the cabinet; a plurality of activated carbon balls that are naturally filled in at least one mesh groove; and at least one heat-insulating plate handle that is disposed at one end of at least one mesh groove, and at least one heat-insulating plate handle that is detachably embedded in the opening of at least one slot.

5. The fruit and vegetable freezing storage device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Any of the multiple shelves includes at least two layers of storage baskets, which are spaced apart from top to bottom; at least one ventilation partition is disposed between the at least two layers of storage baskets, and the height of the at least one ventilation partition is less than the height of any one layer of storage baskets.

6. The fruit and vegetable freezing storage device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, include: Multiple temperature sensors are installed in multiple compartments, and these sensors are electrically connected to a control panel outside the cabinet.

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