Crisper Humidity Control Membrane to Reduce Condensation Buildup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional crisper designs for storing fruits and vegetables in high humidity environments can lead to condensation buildup, promoting physical or microbiological damage due to excess moisture, which existing solutions fail to adequately address.
Innovation Solution
A crisper with a humidity control unit featuring a membrane that allows controlled release of humid air, maintaining optimal humidity levels within the sealed environment by utilizing a Tyvek membrane, which is robust and easy to handle, and accessible for maintenance, thereby minimizing condensation risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the crisper is sealed to maintain high humidity, then humidity control is improved, but condensation buildup occurs promoting decay
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a humidity control membrane with specific porosity characteristics that allows water vapor to pass through while restricting liquid water. This porous structure enables the membrane to selectively transmit humidity levels, preventing condensation buildup while maintaining the high humidity environment necessary for food preservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The humidity control membrane acts as an intermediary element between the sealed crisper environment and the external atmosphere. It mediates the humidity exchange by allowing controlled vapor transmission while blocking liquid water, thus preventing condensation on the food surfaces while maintaining optimal humidity levels inside the crisper.
2Reliability
If the crisper is completely sealed, then humidity is maintained, but excess moisture cannot be released
Solution Approach 1:
The sealed crisper incorporates a porous humidity control membrane that permits selective passage of water vapor molecules while blocking liquid water. This enables the system to maintain sealing integrity for humidity retention while simultaneously allowing excess moisture vapor to escape through the porous structure, preventing over-humidification and condensation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the phase change parameter difference between water vapor and liquid water. The membrane is designed to be permeable to water vapor (gas phase) while impermeable to liquid water, allowing the system to release excess moisture in vapor form while maintaining liquid water containment, thus balancing humidity maintenance with excess moisture removal.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a non-sealed crisper is used to prevent condensation, then moisture control is improved, but humidity levels drop reducing preservation quality
Solution Approach 1:
By incorporating a porous humidity control membrane into the sealed crisper design, the system achieves condensation prevention through controlled vapor transmission while simultaneously maintaining high humidity levels. The porous structure allows selective vapor passage that prevents liquid condensation buildup while retaining sufficient humidity for optimal food preservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The humidity control membrane serves as an intermediary that reconciles the conflicting requirements of condensation prevention and humidity maintenance. It enables the sealed crisper to achieve both goals by mediating the moisture exchange through selective permeability to water vapor while blocking liquid water transmission.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively maintains optimal humidity levels within the crisper, reducing condensation and ensuring better preservation of fruits and vegetables by automatically regulating humidity without external intervention, thus enhancing food storage quality.
Implementation Method 1
The refrigerator cavity (outside of crisper) has very low relative humidity, while the sealed crisper filled with fruits/vegetables has high relative humidity. This creates vapor pressure gradient across the membrane 26.
Implementation Method 2
The provision of the membrane 26 is advantageous because completely sealing a crisper, especially when it is fully filled with fruits/vegetables, results in higher risk of condensation formation. To reduce this risk, the membrane 26 is introduced as automatic humidity controller.
Implementation Method 3
One membrane that can be used is a Tyvek membrane. Such a material is difficult to tear thereby improving the robustness of the membrane
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a crisper for preservation of food. The crisper (10) comprises a box (12) and a top (14)- When the crisper (10) is in a closed position the box (12) is air tight sealed to the top (14). A humidity control unit (16) is provided and adapted to allow humid air to exit the crisper via a 5 humidity control membrane (26) located in the humidity control unit (16).