Dynamic Atmosphere Control for CA Room Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing controlled atmosphere rooms (CA rooms) face challenges in maintaining optimal oxygen and carbon dioxide levels for perishable commodities due to variations in commodities over time, which are not accurately addressed by predetermined setpoints, leading to suboptimal storage conditions.
Innovation Solution
A control system that includes an enclosure within the CA room for isolating a representative sample, allowing for dynamic testing of respiratory quotient (RQ) and other metabolic processes to determine optimal atmospheric conditions, enabling dynamic adjustment of oxygen levels to maintain the lowest possible O2 level for normal respiration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If predetermined setpoints are used for oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, then the control system is simple to operate, but the storage conditions become suboptimal due to commodity variations over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system continuously monitors the respiratory quotient (RQ) of commodities and dynamically adjusts oxygen and carbon dioxide setpoints based on measured metabolic responses. This allows the control system to adapt to commodity variations while maintaining optimal storage conditions, resolving the contradiction between operational simplicity and storage reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static predetermined setpoints to dynamic setpoints that change based on real-time commodity metabolic activity. By making the control parameters dynamic and adaptive rather than fixed, the system maintains reliability across varying commodity conditions while preserving ease of operation through automated adjustment.
2Reliability
If dynamic controlled atmosphere is implemented to adapt to commodity variations, then storage conditions improve, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-diagnosis and self-adjustment by automatically measuring the respiratory quotient of commodities and using this information to determine optimal atmospheric conditions. The system serves itself by eliminating the need for external expert intervention or complex manual calibration, thereby improving storage reliability without proportionally increasing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the respiratory quotient (RQ) as an intermediary parameter to bridge commodity metabolic activity and atmospheric control. By measuring RQ as an intermediate step, the system translates complex commodity variations into a single measurable parameter that drives automatic atmospheric adjustment, simplifying the control mechanism while maintaining storage reliability.
3Measurement precision
If testing is performed on the entire CA room atmosphere, then the results represent all commodities, but the testing process becomes complex and risky for the commodities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the CA room into two segments: a test chamber for isolated commodity sampling and the main storage area. By segmenting the testing function from the storage function, the system can perform precise atmospheric measurements on representative samples without exposing all commodities to testing risks or complex testing procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a representative copy or sample of the commodities in a test chamber that replicates the metabolic characteristics of the main storage population. By testing this copy rather than the entire commodity population, the system achieves measurement precision while avoiding the complexity and risk of testing all commodities directly.
4Measurement precision
If the enclosure is continuously isolated for testing, then testing accuracy improves, but the representative sample correlation with CA room commodities deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic isolation of the enclosure for testing rather than continuous isolation. The enclosure is alternately connected to the CA room atmosphere and isolated for measurement periods. This periodic cycling allows the representative sample to remain correlated with CA room conditions while periodically providing accurate isolated measurements for control adjustments.
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
This system effectively extends the postharvest life of commodities by ensuring optimal atmospheric conditions, reducing the risk of damage from environmental changes and improving storage efficiency by isolating the testing process within a manageable enclosure.
Implementation Method 1
Fruit respiration is the natural ripening process that occurs in fruits and vegetable after harvest. Respiration is the uptake of oxygen and the discharge of carbon dioxide just like the human body would do while breathing.
Implementation Method 2
an enclosure (14) of sufficient size to hold a representative sample of the commodities in the CA room (12)
Data Source
AI summary
A control system for a controlled atmosphere room (“CA room”) for storing perishable commodities, such as fruits and vegetables. The control system includes an enclosure that can be placed within the CA room to store a representative sample of the commodities in the CA room. The control system includes an atmosphere valve selectively operable to provide atmospheric communication between the enclosure and the CA room or to isolate the enclosure from the CA room. The control system includes a sampling control system for determining a dynamic control value based on the isolated representative sample. The dynamic control value may be determined by monitoring the respiratory quotient in the enclosure while it is isolated. Once determined, the control system can use the dynamic control value to adjust the atmosphere of the CA room, thereby using tests on a representative sample to control the atmosphere for the full volume of commodities in the CA room. When not testing, the enclosure generally remains in atmospheric communication with the CA room, which improves the correlation of the representative sample with the commodities in the CA room.