Refrigerator vegetable room with variable pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators maintain a uniform pressure in the vegetable room, which fails to optimize freshness for vegetables and fruits with different respiration rates, leading to suboptimal storage conditions.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator with a vegetable room that includes a controller and vacuum pump system capable of selectively adjusting pressure according to different modes: vegetable, fruit, and mixture modes, maintaining optimal pressures of 0.85 atm, 0.95 atm, and 0.90 atm respectively to enhance the freshness of stored items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If uniform pressure is maintained in the vegetable room, then the storage system is simple to operate, but freshness optimization for different storage items is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic pressure control by allowing the vegetable room pressure to be adjusted according to different modes (vegetable mode, fruit mode, mixture mode). The controller dynamically changes the pressure setpoint based on the selected mode, enabling the system to adapt to different storage requirements without requiring manual intervention for each item type.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the pressure parameter to optimize storage conditions for different items. By maintaining different pressure levels (0.85 atm for vegetables, 0.95 atm for fruits, 0.90 atm for mixtures), the system addresses the different respiration rates of various storage items, thereby improving freshness maintenance while keeping the operation simple through automated mode selection.
2Reliability
If different pressures are applied for vegetables and fruits, then freshness optimization is improved, but the pressure control system becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the single vacuum pump system multi-functional by enabling it to operate in different modes (vegetable mode, fruit mode, mixture mode) with different pressure setpoints. This allows one pump to serve multiple storage purposes, avoiding the need for separate pumps for each item type while still providing optimized pressure control for different respiration rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback control where the controller continuously monitors the actual pressure in the vegetable room and compares it with the target pressure for the selected mode. Based on this feedback, the controller adjusts the vacuum pump operation to maintain the desired pressure level, ensuring reliable freshness optimization without requiring complex manual intervention.
3Reliability
If a vacuum pump is used to maintain pressure, then storage conditions are improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic action by operating the vacuum pump only when pressure adjustment is needed, rather than running continuously. The controller activates the pump based on the selected mode and pressure requirements, allowing the pump to remain idle during periods when the desired pressure is already maintained, thereby reducing overall energy consumption while still achieving optimized storage conditions.
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 maintains optimal freshness for vegetables and fruits by differentiating pressures based on their specific respiration rates, ensuring better storage conditions within the vegetable room.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum pump configured to draw in air within the airtight storage chamber
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to pressure control in a vegetable room of a refrigerator, and particularly, to a vegetable room of a refrigerator in which pressure is controlled according to vegetable, fruit, and mixture modes. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a vegetable room of a refrigerator in which different pressures are applied according to vegetable, fruit, and mixture modes such that each pressure corresponds to storage conditions of storage items such as vegetable and fruit stored in an airtight state therein, whereby each storage item is maintained with optimal freshness. The vegetable room (100) for keeping vegetables in storage in a refrigerator (1), includes: a storage chamber (135) configured to keep food items in storage therein; a controller (300) configured to adjust pressure within the storage chamber (135); and a vacuum pump (200) configured to draw in air within the airtight storage chamber (135), wherein the controller (300) may selectively adjust pressure according to a storage item kept in storage within the storage chamber (135), whereby the vegetable room (100) of the refrigerator (1) may have a plurality of operation modes.