CN115505471A

CN115505471A - Refrigerator and wine brewing device thereof

Info

Publication number: CN115505471A
Application number: CN202110686615.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘龙; 王铭; 张军; 王昊
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Chongqing Haier Refrigeration Electric Appliance Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Chongqing Haier Refrigeration Electric Appliance Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-06-21
Filing date: 2021-06-21
Publication date: 2022-12-23
Anticipated expiration: 2041-06-21
Also published as: CN115505471B

Abstract

The invention provides a refrigerator and a wine brewing device thereof. The brewing device is arranged in a refrigerating chamber of the refrigerator and comprises a shell, a storage space and a control device, wherein the shell is limited with the storage space; the fermentation tank is arranged in the shell and is used for fermenting the brewing raw materials; and an oxygen concentration reducing device disposed within the enclosure and configured to controllably reduce the oxygen concentration within the enclosure. The invention enriches the functions of the refrigerator and improves the user experience.

Description

Refrigerator and wine brewing device thereof

Technical Field

The invention relates to a refrigerating and freezing device, in particular to a refrigerator and a wine brewing device thereof.

Background

Along with the development of society, the living standard of people is increasingly improved, and people have more and more functional requirements on household electrical appliance products. For example, as for a refrigerator, the partitions of the refrigerating space in the refrigerator are more detailed, the temperature control is more detailed, and the diversified functional partitions of refrigeration, freezing, thawing and the like are divided, so that great convenience is brought to users.

However, due to the thinking of research and development personnel, the research and development directions of various manufacturers for refrigerators are limited to better change the temperature of food materials, and the processing of other aspects of the food materials is rarely related, so that the functions of the refrigerator products are relatively single.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to solve the defects in the prior art, and provides the refrigerator capable of brewing wine and the corresponding wine brewing device, so that the functions of the refrigerator are enriched, and the user experience is improved.

The invention further aims to improve the refining degree of wine brewing by the wine brewing device and ensure that the wine quality is better.

In one aspect, the present invention provides a brewing apparatus for a refrigerator, configured to be disposed in a refrigerating compartment of the refrigerator, the brewing apparatus comprising:

a housing defining a receiving space;

the fermentation tank is arranged in the shell and is used for fermenting wine-making raw materials; and

an oxygen concentration reduction device disposed within the enclosure configured to controllably reduce the oxygen concentration within the enclosure.

Optionally, the brewing apparatus further comprises:

the inlet end of the isolating valve is connected with the outlet of the fermentation tank;

and the alcohol concentration detection device is connected with the outlet end of the isolation valve through a connecting pipe so as to receive the wine flowing out of the outlet of the fermentation tank and detect the alcohol concentration of the wine when the isolation valve is opened.

Optionally, the alcohol concentration detection means has a discharge port to discharge the wine therein; and the wine brewing device also comprises a wine outlet valve which is arranged at the discharge port.

Optionally, a wine storage tank is arranged in the shell to receive brewed wine flowing out of the fermentation tank when the isolation valve and the wine outlet valve are both opened.

Optionally, the wine storage tank is positioned below the fermentation tank, and the oxygen concentration reduction device is positioned above the fermentation tank;

the outlet of the fermentation tank is positioned on the bottom wall of the fermentation tank, and the alcohol concentration detection device is positioned at the upper opening of the wine storage tank;

and the shell is provided with a water injection pipe so as to inject water into the fermentation tank from the outside of the shell.

Optionally, an outlet end of the wine outlet valve is connected with a wine outlet pipe, and an outlet position of the wine outlet pipe is higher than the wine outlet valve.

Optionally, the connecting tube extends along a "U" shape with the opening facing upwards.

Optionally, the alcohol concentration detection device includes:

a can defining a receiving cavity; and

a pressure sensor disposed within the tank body configured to obtain alcohol concentration by sensing pressure of the wine within the tank body.

In another aspect, the invention also provides a refrigerator which comprises a refrigerating chamber and at least one wine brewing device according to any one of the above parts, wherein the refrigerator is arranged in the refrigerating chamber.

Optionally, a temperature sensor is arranged in the housing to monitor the temperature inside the housing in real time;

the refrigerator is configured to regulate the supply of cooling capacity to the cooling compartment according to the temperature inside the casing, thereby maintaining the temperature inside the casing within a preset range.

According to the invention, the brewing device 50 is arranged in the refrigerating chamber of the refrigerator, so that the good low-temperature closed environment of the refrigerator can be utilized for fermenting and brewing, the self-brewing requirements of users are met, and the user experience is greatly improved. Because the temperature control of the refrigerating chamber of the refrigerator is very fine, the temperature is conveniently adjusted to the optimal temperature range required by fermentation, so that the fermentation efficiency is higher, and the taste of the finished wine is better.

Further, in the refrigerator and the wine brewing device thereof, the isolating valve and the alcohol concentration detection device are connected in series at the outlet of the fermentation tank, so that the alcohol concentration is detected in the wine brewing process, and alcohol is separated out when the alcohol concentration is higher than a standard value, thereby being beneficial to the fermentation of yeast. And, owing to set up the isolating valve, open the isolating valve before the detection in order to allow the wine that awaits measuring of fermentation vat to get into alcohol concentration detection device. And in the detection process, the isolation valve can be closed to avoid the influence of the pressure fluctuation of the wine in the fermentation tank on the detection of the alcohol concentration. The brewing device of the invention utilizes the oxygen concentration reducing device to reduce the oxygen concentration in the shell, provides an anaerobic environment for anaerobic bacteria such as saccharomycetes and the like, and improves the brewing efficiency and the brewing quality.

Further, in the refrigerator and the wine brewing device thereof, the wine outlet valve is arranged at the discharge port of the alcohol concentration detection device, and after the wine brewing is finished, the isolation valve and the wine outlet valve are simultaneously opened to discharge the wine into the wine storage pool, so that a user can conveniently take and use the wine. The design that the isolating valve, the alcohol concentration detection device and the wine outlet valve are connected in series enables the whole structure of the wine brewing device to be more compact and smaller, so that the wine brewing device is more suitable for being placed in a refrigerating chamber of a refrigerator.

Furthermore, in the refrigerator and the wine brewing device thereof, the outlet of the wine outlet pipe is higher than the wine outlet valve, and the connecting pipe extends along the U shape with the upward opening, so that a part of wine is stored at the bottoms of the wine outlet pipe and the connecting pipe to form a liquid seal, thereby avoiding external air from entering the shell of the wine brewing device to influence the wine brewing process, and the refrigerator and the wine brewing device thereof have simple structure and obvious effect.

The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of specific embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Some specific embodiments of the invention will be described in detail hereinafter, by way of illustration and not limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in the drawings identify the same or similar elements or components. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the drawings:

fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a brewing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is an enlarged view of fig. 2 at a.

Detailed Description

A refrigerator and a brewing apparatus thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 3. Where the orientations or positional relationships indicated by the terms "front," "back," "upper," "lower," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "lateral," and the like are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, the description is for convenience only and to simplify the description, and no indication or suggestion is made that the device or element so indicated must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and is therefore not to be construed as limiting the invention.

The terms "first", "second", and the like are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or to implicitly indicate the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined as "first", "second", etc. may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the feature, i.e. one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means at least two, e.g., two, three, etc., unless specifically limited otherwise. When a feature "comprises or comprises" a or some of its intended features, this indicates that other features are not excluded and that other features may be further included, unless expressly stated otherwise.

Unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," and "coupled" and the like are to be construed broadly and can, for example, be fixedly connected or detachably connected or integral to one another; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be directly connected or indirectly connected through intervening media, or they may be interconnected within two elements or in a relationship where two elements interact with each other unless otherwise specifically limited. Those skilled in the art should understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention according to specific situations.

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of brewing apparatus 50 according to one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 3 is an enlarged view of fig. 2 at a.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator. The refrigerator comprises a refrigerator body 10 and

door bodies

20 and 30. The cabinet 10 defines one or more refrigerated compartments for refrigerating the items therein. Each refrigerating compartment is matched with one or

more door bodies

20 and 30, and the

door bodies

20 and 30 are used for opening and closing the corresponding refrigerating compartments. The embodiment of the present invention does not limit the layout of the cooling compartment and the

door bodies

20 and 30.

The refrigerator as a whole can be refrigerated by a vapor compression refrigeration cycle system, which defines a cooling chamber in which an evaporator is disposed for cooling air. And cold air is transmitted to each refrigerating chamber by using the air duct so as to refrigerate each refrigerating chamber.

According to different refrigerating temperatures, each refrigerating chamber in the refrigerator can be divided into different chambers such as a refrigerating chamber, a freezing chamber and a temperature changing chamber. For example, the temperature in the refrigerated compartment is generally controlled between 2 ℃ and 10 ℃, preferably between 4 ℃ and 7 ℃. The temperature range in the freezer compartment is typically controlled between-22 ℃ and-14 ℃. The temperature-changing chamber can be adjusted between-18 ℃ and 8 ℃ to realize the temperature-changing effect. The optimum storage temperatures for different types of articles are not the same, nor are the refrigeration compartments suitable for storage. For example, fruit and vegetable foods are suitably stored in the refrigerating compartment, while meat foods are suitably stored in the freezing compartment.

The refrigerator also comprises at least one wine brewing device 50, and the wine brewing device 50 is arranged in the refrigerating chamber, so that the good low-temperature closed environment of the refrigerator is utilized for fermenting and brewing wine, the self-brewing requirement of a user is met, and the user experience is greatly improved. Because the temperature control of the refrigerating chamber of the refrigerator is very fine, the temperature is conveniently adjusted to the optimal temperature range required by fermentation, so that the fermentation efficiency is higher, and the taste of the finished wine is better.

Preferably, the brewing device 50 can be arranged in the temperature-changing chamber 11 of the refrigerator, on one hand, the temperature-changing chamber 11 has a larger temperature regulation range, so that the temperature can be conveniently regulated to the optimal temperature range required by brewing, and on the other hand, the function of the temperature-changing chamber is fully exerted. The utilization rate of the temperature changing chamber of the existing refrigerator is not high, and the existing refrigerator is mostly in an idle state.

The brewing device 50 may be mounted directly to the housing 10 as shown in fig. 1. In alternative embodiments, it may also be mounted to the door body. The door body is used for closing the refrigerating chamber, and when the door body is closed, the wine brewing device positioned on the inner side of the door body is also positioned in the refrigerating chamber. Therefore, the solution of installing the brewing device inside the door body is also included in the scope of "placing the brewing device 50 in the refrigeration compartment".

The structure and operation of the brewing device 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to fig. 2 and 3.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the embodiment of the present invention provides a brewing apparatus 50 for a refrigerator, which is configured to be disposed in a cooling compartment of the refrigerator. The brewing apparatus 50 may generally include a housing 100, a fermentation tank 200, and an oxygen concentration reducing apparatus 300.

Wherein the housing 100 defines a receiving space for receiving other components for mounting the brewing device 50. The housing 100 may be made of a metal material having a good heat conduction property, so that the internal temperature of the housing 100 may be kept consistent with the temperature of the cooling compartment, thereby facilitating indirect adjustment of the internal temperature of the housing 100 by adjusting the temperature of the cooling compartment. A fermenting tank 200 is provided in the housing 100 for fermenting wine raw materials (e.g., grapes) therein. The oxygen concentration reducing device 300 is disposed in the housing 100 and configured to controllably reduce the oxygen concentration in the housing 100 to provide an anaerobic environment for anaerobic bacteria such as yeast, reduce aerobic respiration as much as possible, and improve brewing efficiency and brewing quality. The oxygen concentration reducing device 300 can be an electrochemical oxygen absorption device, which is common in the prior art and is not described herein again.

A temperature sensor 700 may be disposed within the housing 100 to monitor the temperature inside the housing 100 in real time. The refrigerator is configured to regulate the supply of cooling capacity to the refrigerating compartment according to the internal temperature of the casing 100, thereby maintaining the internal temperature of the casing 100 within a preset range, i.e., an optimal temperature range required for brewing wine.

The fermentation tank 200 may be opened at the top to communicate with the inner space of the casing 100 so that oxygen generated therefrom can be sufficiently absorbed by the oxygen concentration reducing device 300. In the brewing process, the casing 100 is in a closed state to create a fermentation environment isolated from the outside, so that the internal space of the casing 100 is kept in an oxygen-free state. The fermenter 200 and the casing 100 may be provided as separate parts, and assembled at a later stage. It is also possible to make the fermenter 200 as an integral body with the casing 100.

In the brewing process, when the alcohol concentration is high to a certain degree, the yeast can be killed, so that the brewing process can not be continued. In order to brew more wine, the alcohol concentration needs to be known so as to precipitate the excessive alcohol in time, and the yeast can ferment for multiple times until the optimal alcohol concentration is not reached, thereby completing the brewing process. Based on this, in some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2, the brewing device 50 further comprises an isolation valve 400 and an alcohol concentration detection device 500. The inlet end of the isolation valve 400 is connected to the outlet 210 of the fermenter 200. The alcohol concentration detecting means 500 is connected to the outlet end of the isolating valve 400 through a connection pipe 520 to receive the wine flowing out of the outlet 210 of the fermenting tank 200 and detect the alcohol concentration thereof when the isolating valve 400 is opened. When the alcohol concentration exceeds a set value, part of the alcohol may be precipitated to decrease the concentration. During brewing, it is preferable to have the isolation valve 400 in a normally open state and periodically (e.g., once a day) check the alcohol concentration. The alcohol concentration detection device 500 may be integrated with an alcohol precipitation function, and the specific structure is very common in the prior art, and the principle and structure thereof will not be described herein.

The outlet 210 of the fermentation tank 200 may be provided with a filtering membrane 211 to filter the wine flowing out to prevent impurities from flowing out.

Since the isolation valve 400 is provided in the above embodiment, the isolation valve 400 is opened before the test to allow the wine to be tested in the fermentation tank 200 to enter the alcohol concentration test device 500. During the detection process, the isolation valve 400 can be closed to prevent the pressure fluctuation of the wine in the fermentation tank 200 from affecting the alcohol concentration detection (the brewing process will generate a large amount of gas, resulting in unstable pressure).

Further, the connection pipe 520 may be extended in a "U" shape with an upward opening, that is, the middle portion of the connection pipe 520 may be bent downward compared to both ends. In this way, a part of wine is stored at the bottom of the connecting pipe 520 to form a liquid seal, so as to prevent external air from entering the casing 100 of the wine brewing device 50 to affect the wine brewing process, and the structure is simple and the effect is very obvious.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3, the alcohol concentration detecting apparatus 500 includes a tank 510 and a pressure sensor 530. The can 510 defines a receiving chamber for receiving wine. The pressure sensor 530 is disposed inside the tank 510 and configured to acquire alcohol concentration by sensing the pressure of the wine inside the tank 510. The principle is as follows: under the premise that the tank 510 is filled with wine, the wine has the same height, the same temperature and different alcohol concentrations, which inevitably results in different pressures acting on the pressure sensor 530. Pressure sensor 530 senses the pressure signal and converts it to a voltage signal, which is then converted by the controller to a specific alcohol concentration value.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2, the alcohol concentration detecting device 500 may have a discharge outlet 511 to discharge the wine therein, and the wine brewing device 50 further includes a wine outlet valve 600 disposed at the discharge outlet 511. Therefore, after brewing, the isolating valve 400 and the wine outlet valve 600 can be selectively opened simultaneously to discharge wine for subsequent drinking.

Further, a wine outlet pipe 610 may be connected to an outlet end of the wine outlet valve 600 to better guide the wine out. The outlet position (point a) of the wine outlet pipe 610 may be higher than the wine outlet valve 600. In this way, a part of wine is stored at the bottom of the wine outlet pipe 610 to form a liquid seal, so as to prevent external air from entering the casing 100 of the wine brewing device 50 to affect the wine brewing process, and the structure is simple and the effect is very obvious.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2, a wine storage tank 600 may be provided in the casing 100 to receive brewed wine flowing out of the fermentation tank 200 when the isolation valve 400 and the wine outlet valve 600 are both opened, so that the wine is temporarily stored in the wine storage tank 600 and is taken out from the wine storage tank 600 when needed by a user. The design of connecting the isolation valve 400, the alcohol concentration detecting device 500 and the wine outlet valve 600 in series makes the entire structure of the wine brewing device 50 more compact and smaller, so as to be more suitable for being placed in a refrigerating chamber of a refrigerator.

Certainly, in some alternative embodiments, the wine storage tank 600 may not be provided, and after brewing is completed, the wine can be directly taken from the wine outlet pipe 610 or the wine outlet valve 600 or directly from the opening at the bottom of the fermentation tank 200, and the description of such alternative structure is omitted here.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2, the wine storage tank 600 may be disposed below the fermentation tank 200 and the oxygen concentration reduction device 300 may be disposed above the fermentation tank 200 so as to absorb oxygen generated from the fermentation tank 200. The outlet 210 of the fermentation tank 200 is located in the bottom wall of the fermentation tank 200 to facilitate the gravity flow of the wine. The bottom wall of the fermentation tank 200 may be inclined, and the outlet 210 may be opened at the lowest position of the bottom wall of the fermentation tank 200, so as to facilitate the wine to flow toward the outlet 210 by gravity. The alcohol concentration detecting means 500 is located at the upper opening of the alcohol storage tank 600 so as not to occupy more space in the vertical direction. The layout mode is very reasonable and compact.

A water injection pipe 110 may be formed on the case 100 to inject water into the fermenter 200 outside the case 100. After brewing is finished, wine with proper concentration is discharged, and then water is injected again, so that secondary fermentation can be realized, the utilization rate of the vinasse is higher, and more wine can be brewed by using the same materials. The water injection pipe 110 may be installed on a sidewall of the case 100 with its internal port positioned above the fermenting tank 200 to allow water to directly drop down into the fermenting tank 200.

The isolation valve 400, the wine outlet valve 600, the oxygen concentration reducing device 300 and the alcohol concentration detecting device 500 of the wine brewing device 50 are electrically connected to the controller of the refrigerator to receive the control of the controller. A human-computer interaction control panel can be arranged on the refrigerator body 10, the door body or the outer shell 100, so that a user can perform corresponding operation control.

The brewing method of the refrigerator to which the embodiment of the invention is applied is described in detail below. The wine brewing method provided by the embodiment of the invention comprises the following steps:

(1) Receiving a brewing starting instruction;

(2) Prompting the user to invest in brewing material, such as grapes;

(3) After receiving the brewing materials and confirming that the shell 100 is closed, monitoring and detecting the internal temperature of the shell 100 in real time, and controlling the cold quantity supply of the refrigerating chamber according to the internal temperature of the shell 100 to adjust to the optimal temperature range;

(4) The oxygen concentration in the housing 100 is monitored in real time, and when the oxygen concentration is higher than a preset oxygen concentration range, the oxygen concentration reduction device 300 is started to absorb oxygen, and after the oxygen concentration is within the preset oxygen concentration range, the oxygen concentration reduction device 300 is closed.

(5) And detecting the alcohol concentration regularly, and separating out alcohol until the concentration reaches the preset alcohol concentration range when the alcohol concentration is larger than the preset alcohol concentration range.

(6) When the brewing time reaches a preset value and the alcohol concentration cannot reach the preset concentration, the isolation valve 400 and the wine outlet valve 600 are opened, wine is introduced into the wine storage tank 600, and a user is prompted to replenish water.

Thus, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while various exemplary embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail herein, many other variations or modifications which are consistent with the principles of this invention may be determined or derived directly from the disclosure of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be understood and interpreted to cover all such other variations or modifications.

Claims

1. A brewing apparatus for a refrigerator, for being disposed in a refrigerating compartment of the refrigerator, characterized in that the brewing apparatus comprises:

a housing defining a receiving space;

2. The brewing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

the inlet end of the isolation valve is connected with the outlet of the fermentation tank; and

3. The brewing apparatus of claim 2,

the alcohol concentration detection device is provided with a discharge port for discharging wine therein; and is provided with

The wine brewing device also comprises a wine outlet valve which is arranged at the discharge port.

4. The brewing apparatus of claim 3,

the shell is internally provided with a wine storage tank for receiving brewed wine flowing out of the fermentation tank when the isolation valve and the wine outlet valve are both opened.

5. The brewing apparatus of claim 4,

the wine storage tank is positioned below the fermentation tank, and the oxygen concentration reduction device is positioned above the fermentation tank;

6. The brewing apparatus of claim 3,

the outlet end of the wine outlet valve is connected with a wine outlet pipe, and the outlet position of the wine outlet pipe is higher than the wine outlet valve.

7. The brewing apparatus of claim 2,

the connecting pipe extends along a U shape with an upward opening.

8. The brewing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the alcohol concentration detecting means comprises:

a tank defining a receiving cavity; and

a pressure sensor disposed within the canister body configured to obtain the alcohol concentration by sensing a pressure of the wine within the canister body.

9. A refrigerator characterized by comprising:

a refrigeration compartment; and

at least one brewing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, disposed within said refrigerated compartment.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 9,

a temperature sensor is arranged in the shell to monitor the temperature in the shell in real time;