JPH09172954A - Apparatus for retaining freshness - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the subject apparatus capable of efficiently suppressing bacteria or microorganisms in a cabinet due to its ability to regulate the amount of released ozone and retain the ozone concentration in the cabinet at a value suitable for fresh plants by installing a controller for controlling a bypass damper. SOLUTION: This apparatus for retaining the freshness is obtained by installing an ozonizing means 6, an ozone decomposing means 7, a bypass passage 8 for bypassing the ozone decomposing means 7, a bypass damper 9 for opening and closing the bypass passage 8 and a fan 3 in a unit body 1 equipped with an air suction port 5 and an air blowoff port 2, enabling the changeover from an ethylene removing mode to an ozonizing mode by opening and closing the bypass damper 9 and further installing a controller 20 capable of controlling the bypass damper 9 and controlling the amount of the released ozone. The opening and closing of the bypass damper 9 are preferably regulated by duty control or pulse width control(PWC) with the controller 20. The opening of the bypass damper 9 can preferably be regulated with the controller 20.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a preserving device for maintaining the freshness of fresh plants such as fruits, vegetables and flowers stored in refrigerators, storages and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When fresh plants are stored in a refrigerator for a long time,
Since fresh vegetative plants promote the aging and aging effects due to ethylene discharged by respiration, and their freshness is impaired, a preserving device is used to decompose and remove the ethylene.

As shown in FIG. 5, a conventional preserving device is a mercury lamp or ultraviolet lamp for irradiating ultraviolet rays having peaks at wavelengths of 184.9 nm and 253.7 nm in a unit body 1 having an air inlet 5 and an air outlet 2. Etc., ozone generating means 6, such as activated carbon, metal catalyst such as manganese, manganese, iron, cobalt, palladium or the like or ozone decomposing means 7 consisting of these metal oxidation catalysts, bypass path 8 bypassing this ozone decomposing means 7, bypass path 8 A bypass damper 9 for opening and closing the fan and a blower 3 are provided.

In the ethylene removal mode, the bypass damper 9 is closed. Then, the inside air containing ethylene in the refrigerator 4 is sucked into the unit main body 1 through the suction port 5 and reaches a wavelength of 184.9 nm emitted from the ozone generating means 6 in the process of flowing around the ozone generating means 6. Oxygen in the air in the refrigerator is converted to ozone by the ultraviolet rays having a peak. This ozone kills microorganisms, bacteria, etc. floating in the air in the refrigerator, decomposes offensive odor components, and at the same time oxidizes ethylene contained in the air in the refrigerator to convert it into ethylene compounds such as ethylene oxide and acetaldehyde.

The surplus ozone is decomposed into oxygen and nascent oxygen by the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ozone generating means 6 and having a peak at a wavelength of 253.7 nm. Oxygen in this nascent stage oxidizes the ethylene remaining in the air in the refrigerator and converts it into an ethylene compound.

Next, the ozone remaining in the process of passing through this ozone decomposing means 7 is decomposed into oxygen, and the ethylene compound is adsorbed and removed. Thereafter, this air is urged by the blower 3 and blown out from the air outlet 2 into the refrigerator 4.

In the ozone generation mode, the bypass damper 9 is opened. Ozone generated by the irradiation of ultraviolet rays from the ozone generating means 6 is blown out from the air outlet 2 into the refrigerator 4 through the bypass path 9 without flowing through the ozone decomposing means 7 and is stored in the refrigerator 4. It inactivates or kills bacteria and microorganisms, decomposes offensive odor components, and at the same time decomposes ethylene to convert it into ethylene compounds.

[0008]

In the above-mentioned conventional device, the amount of ozone released into the refrigerator 4 cannot be controlled in the ozone generation mode, and therefore the ozone concentration in the refrigerator 4 cannot be controlled. Therefore, there are problems that the bacteria and microorganisms in the refrigerator 4 cannot be efficiently killed and that the fresh plants and the refrigerator 4 are adversely affected.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been invented to solve the above problems, and its gist is to generate ozone in a unit body having an air inlet and an air outlet. Means, ozone decomposing means, a bypass path for bypassing this ozone decomposing means, a bypass damper for opening and closing this bypass path, and a blower were provided, and it was possible to switch between the ethylene removal mode and the ozone generation mode by opening and closing the bypass damper. A freshness preservation device is provided with a controller for controlling the bypass damper to control the amount of ozone released.

Therefore, the amount of ozone released is controlled by controlling the bypass damper by the controller.

The controller can perform duty control or PWC control of opening / closing of the bypass damper.

The controller can adjust the opening degree of the bypass damper.

[0013]

1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention.
Is shown in As shown in FIG. 1, the bypass damper 9
A motor 10 for driving the motor is duty-controlled by a command from a controller 20 including a timer, a microcomputer, 1C and the like.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the time t ₁ when the bypass damper 9 is open and the time when the bypass damper 9 is closed within the period t ₀ .
The ratio t ₁ / t ₂ is made to change by the controller 20 with t _2, ozone emission amount emitted percentage of time t ₁ the bypass damper 9 higher the duty ratio becomes large is opened becomes large in the refrigerator 4 Will increase.

As shown in FIG. 3, if the duty ratio t ₁ / t _{2 as} well as the cycle t ₀ is changed to t ₀ 'by PWC control (pulse width control), the ozone release amount can be controlled more finely. it can.

As shown in FIG. 4, the motor 10 is composed of a stepping motor, a servomotor, a combination of a motor and a potentiometer, etc., and the controller 20 controls the rotation angle of the bypass damper 9. Can be controlled. By doing so, it is possible to arbitrarily change the ozone emission amount and prevent the fluctuation thereof, so that the fluctuation of the ozone concentration in the refrigerator 4 can be prevented.

[0017]

According to the present invention, since the amount of ozone released can be controlled by controlling the bypass damper by the controller, the ozone concentration in the air in the refrigerator can be maintained at a value suitable for the fresh plants stored in the refrigerator. Therefore, the bacteria and microorganisms in the storage can be efficiently suppressed.

If the controller controls the opening and closing of the bypass damper by duty control or PWC control, the ozone emission amount can be controlled finely.

By adjusting the opening degree of the bypass damper by the controller, it is possible to prevent the fluctuation of ozone concentration in the refrigerator.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a time chart of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a time chart according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a time chart of the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic system diagram of a conventional preserving device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 unit body 5 air inlet 2 air outlet 6 ozone generating means 7 ozone decomposing means 8 bypass path 9 bypass damper 3 blower 20 controller

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An ozone generating means, an ozone decomposing means, a bypass path that bypasses the ozone decomposing means, a bypass damper that opens and closes the bypass path, and a blower are provided in a unit body having an air inlet and an air outlet. A preserving device capable of switching between an ethylene removal mode and an ozone generation mode by opening and closing the bypass damper, comprising a controller for controlling the bypass damper to control an ozone emission amount. 2. The preserving device according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the opening and closing of the bypass damper by duty control or PWC control. 3. The freshness preservation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller adjusts the opening degree of the bypass damper.