JPH01199887A - Container apparatus for article preservation - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent rottenness or degradation of articles such as perishable foods, processed foods, clothing items, etc., by removing oxygen gas from a container by the activation of a detection signal generated by an oxygen gas sensor provided in the container with a lid capable of freely opening and closing its entrance for storing the articles. CONSTITUTION:A container 1 is provided at the top plate 1a with an article entrance 1b which is closed with a lid 4 capable of freely opening and closing the entrance and also an oxygen gas sensor 5 attached to the inner surface of the top plate 1b. The oxygen gas concentration within the container 1 is normally detected by this oxygen gas sensor 5, which generates a detection signal when the oxygen gas concentration exceeds a predetermined value to activate an oxygen gas removal device 2 to continue its function until the oxygen gas within the container 1 falls below the predetermined concentration, thereby preventing the deterioration of perishable foods, processed foods, clothing items and the other articles accommodated in the container 1 resulting from oxidization, rottenness and insect damage and permitting the preservation thereof for an extended period of time without spoiling the taste and colors.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article storage container device used for storing food and other articles in general households, retail stores, and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventionally, when preserving perishable foods in households or retail stores, low-temperature preservation methods, ie, refrigerators, have been widely used as a means to prevent aging and spoilage and maintain freshness. In addition, as a method of excellent storage performance,
There is a freezing method for preserving food as follows, which is considered effective for long-term preservation and is widely used.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Among the conventional methods of preserving fresh foods, such as those mentioned above, the low-temperature preservation method using a refrigerator keeps the storage temperature at around 0°C, reducing the rate of oxidation of the food by air and the decomposition activity of bacteria to a certain extent. It only delays the process and does not sufficiently prevent oxidation and spoilage. In addition, the frozen preservation method requires time and effort to thaw frozen items before consumption, and quality changes occur during the freezing-thawing process, making it not necessarily a suitable method for preserving general foods other than frozen confections. No, no.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems in conventional methods of preserving fresh foods by refrigeration and freezing, and prevents spoilage and deterioration of fresh foods, processed foods, clothing, etc. over a long period of time. The object of the present invention is to provide a compact article storage container device that can be used in general households and can preserve taste and color, thereby improving the quality of life.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the article storage container device of the present invention includes: a container for storing articles having a lid that can be opened and closed; an oxygen gas detector installed in the container; and an oxygen gas removal device that is activated by a detection signal from the oxygen gas detector to remove oxygen gas from within the container.

Effect: With the above configuration, oxygen gas that enters the container when items are put in or taken out of the container for storing items is removed.
The oxygen gas concentration in the container is detected by an oxygen gas detector that constantly detects the concentration, and the oxygen gas removal device is activated based on the detection signal to remove the oxygen gas in the container from oxidation, deterioration, etc. of stored items. It is possible to store stored items for a long period of time without oxidation, putrefaction, deterioration, etc.

Example Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view showing a container device for storing articles according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, an airtight article storage container 1 and an adjacent oxygen gas removal device 2 are shown.
are connected by a gas exhaust pipe 3a and a gas introduction pipe 3b. The container 1 has a top plate 1a provided with an article entry/exit opening 1b, and is sealed with a lid 4 that can be opened and closed, and an oxygen gas detector 5 is installed on the top plate 1a inside. This oxygen gas detector 5 constantly detects the oxygen gas concentration inside the container 1, and when the oxygen gas concentration exceeds a predetermined value, the oxygen gas removal device 2 is activated by the detection signal to activate the oxygen gas removal device 2 inside the container 1. of oxygen gas can be removed until the concentration falls below a predetermined concentration. 6 is the stored article.

As the oxygen gas removal apparatus 2, an apparatus for producing nitrogen-enriched gas from air by a pressure swing adsorption method using molecular sieve carbon, as shown in FIG. 2, was used. That is, the two adsorption towers 21A and 2 filled with the molecular sieve carbon
1B are arranged in parallel, and these two adsorption towers 21A and 21B
A gas discharge pipe of the container 1 is provided on the gas inlet side and a gas outlet side of the container 1 so as to be freely switchable via three-way switching valves 22 and 23, respectively. 8
Connected to 8-way valve 24.a. Compressor25. A pipeline equipped with a pressure gauge 26 is provided, and is connected to the gas introduction pipe 8b of the container 1 on the downstream side of the three-way switching valve 28 on the gas outlet side, and is connected to the gas storage tank 27. A conduit in which a pressure control valve 28 is disposed is provided, and an eight-way valve 29 for pressure relief is further disposed between the adsorption towers 21A, 21B and the three-way switching valve 22 in the conduit on the gas inlet side. In this oxygen gas removal device 2, the gas exhaust pipe 3 of the container 1 is
The air inside the container 1 from a is compressed by the compressor 25 to a predetermined pressure swing operating pressure (for example, 4 kg /
d) and introduced into one adsorption tower 2LA through a three-way switching valve 22, and while passing through this adsorption tower 21A, only oxygen gas is adsorbed on molecular sieve carbon to become a nitrogen-enriched gas,
- After first being stored in the gas storage tank 27, the gas is brought to atmospheric pressure by the pressure control valve 28 and sent into the container 1 through the gas introduction pipe 8b. The adsorption towers 21A and 21B are switched at intervals of 1 to 2 minutes using 8-way switching valves 22 and 28 provided on the gas inlet and gas outlet sides, and the adsorbent (molecular sieve carbon) whose adsorption capacity has decreased is used for pressure relief. Continuous operation can be performed by operating the three-way valve 29 to open to the atmosphere for deaeration and regeneration.

The oxygen gas detector 5 is a galvanic pond type oxygen gas sensor Go-25CI that detects the oxygen gas concentration based on the electromotive force value generated by an electrochemical reaction.
(manufactured by Gastic Co., Ltd.), and the oxygen gas removal device 2 is set to operate in response to voltage.

Next, the results of an example when the apparatus of the above embodiment is specifically used will be explained. In other words, the internal volume of container 1 is 20
1, and the adsorption towers 21A and 21B have an inner diameter of 51 and a length of 40 cm.
With M, the pressure swing working pressure is 4 kq/Cd,
The time required for the oxygen gas concentration to decrease from the standard air composition (oxygen gas 21% by volume) to a constant oxygen gas concentration was measured. The results are shown in Table 1. The rate of decrease in oxygen gas concentration was 19 minutes at the final concentration of 1%, and the storage time of food, etc.
period).

Furthermore, in order to investigate the food preservation effect, the degree of oxidation and deterioration after long-term storage was investigated using frozen tofu (containing approximately 25% soybean oil and fat) as a representative food that is easily susceptible to oxidation in the air. As indicators of fat and oil oxidation, acid value and peroxide value were measured after 90 days of storage. Storage was performed at 25° C., and the oxygen gas concentration reached was 2% by volume. As a comparative example, storage in a refrigerator and indoor storage at 25°C were also carried out. The results are shown in Table 2.

Table 2 However, the measurement method is as follows.

Acid value: q number of KOH required to neutralize free fatty acids contained in sample 1f. (Measure by titration using 3f of ethyl ether extracted oil.) Peroxide value: The number of m equivalents of iodine liberated when KI is added to 1 kg of sample.

(Take 8 grams of ethyl ether extracted oil, add KI, and measure the liberated iodine by titrating with sodium thiosulfate.)
As shown in Table 2, this example has an extremely large effect of suppressing lipid oxidation.

In the above example, the oxygen gas removal device 2 was the device shown in Fig. 2 that uses a pressure swing adsorption method using molecular sieve carbon, but there are other devices that use polymer membranes, solid electrolytes, etc., which are compact and compact. Any type of device may be used as long as it has excellent performance. In addition, a Galpania battery-type oxygen gas sensor was used as the oxygen gas detector 5, but any other commercially available type oxygen gas detector, such as a limiting current type oxygen gas detector that detects the oxygen concentration from the oxygen diffusion-limited current value, may also be used. May be used.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the article storage container device of the present invention can reduce the oxygen gas concentration in the article storage container to a range where the stored articles do not deteriorate due to oxidation, putrefaction, etc. during storage. Oxygen gas that increases due to the intrusion of outside air due to loading and unloading is constantly detected by the oxygen gas detector, and the oxygen gas removal device operates based on the detection signal to reduce the oxygen gas concentration in the container to a predetermined value within a short time. It prevents deterioration due to oxidation, putrefaction, insect damage, etc. of fresh foods, processed foods, clothing, and other items stored in containers, and allows for long-term storage without change in flavor, including six colors. Moreover, it can be formed into a small and compact refrigerator, and has special effects such as being able to be used not only by distributors who use large-sized refrigerators, but also by ordinary households as easily as conventional refrigerators.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view showing an article storage container device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an oxygen gas removal device used in the article storage container device. 1... Container, 2... Oxygen gas removal device, 4... Lid, 5... Oxygen gas detector. Figure 1 Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A container for storing articles having a lid that can be opened and closed, an oxygen gas detector installed in the container, and an oxygen gas that is activated by a detection signal from the oxygen gas detector to remove oxygen gas in the container. An article storage container device consisting of a removal device.