Inside Air Control with Multi-Mode Low-Oxygen Supply Switching

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing storage systems struggle to precisely adjust oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations in a storage box for plants, leading to inadequate preservation of freshness due to fluctuations in gas composition during operation mode switches.

Innovation Solution

An inside air control system that includes a gas supply device capable of producing low oxygen concentration air and a controller to manage operations among multiple supply modes, ensuring the oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations are maintained at set values by switching between different supply operations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the storage system uses only three operation modes (modified air supply, outside air supply, and standby), then the system operation is simple, but the system cannot precisely adjust both oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations to set values

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperation simplicityVSAvoidgas concentration control precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces a new operation mode (third supply operation) that supplies air with intermediate characteristics between modified air and outside air. This additional parameter option enables precise adjustment of both oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations to set values while maintaining operational simplicity through automated controller management

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 system effectively adjusts and maintains the desired gas concentrations, reducing the degradation of stored plants by performing more operation modes than traditional systems, thereby enhancing freshness preservation.

Implementation Method 1

a gas supply device (30) configured to produce low oxygen concentration air having a lower oxygen concentration than outside air as a result of removal of oxygen from the outside air

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure swing adsorption: Pressure Swing Adsorption

Data Source

PatentEP3753395B1Inside air control system
Publication Date: 2022.03.30 DAIKIN INDUSTRIES LTD
  • EP3753395B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3753395B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3753395B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

While an inside air control system is performing an air composition maintenance action, a controller instructs a gas supply device to operate while switching among a first supply operation, a second supply operation, an outside air supply operation, and a standby operation. In the first supply operation, first low oxygen concentration air is supplied into a container. In the second supply operation, second low oxygen concentration air having a lower oxygen concentration than the first low oxygen concentration air is supplied into the container. In the outside air supply operation, outside air is supplied into the container. In the standby operation, supply of the low oxygen concentration air and the outside air into the container is stopped.