WO2022205886A1

WO2022205886A1 - Ultrasound-assisted marination device and refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2022205886A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/127647
Authority: WO
Inventors: 王丽燕; 姜波; 刘茴茴; 刘浩泉; 辛若武
Original assignee: 青岛海尔电冰箱有限公司; 海尔智家股份有限公司
Priority date: 2021-03-31
Filing date: 2021-10-29
Publication date: 2022-10-06
Also published as: CN115143709A

Abstract

An ultrasound-assisted marination device and a refrigerator. The ultrasound-assisted marination device comprises: an ultrasound base, the upper surface of the ultrasound base being provided with a continuous horizontal surface; and a container, the lower surface of the container being provided with at least one protrusion protruding downwards, and the lower surfaces of the protrusions all being continuous surfaces that are flush with each other. The container is configured to be operably placed on the ultrasound base, so that the lower surfaces of the protrusions all abut against the upper surface of the ultrasound base; the ultrasound base is configured to controllably generate an ultrasonic wave, so that the ultrasonic wave is transmitted to the container via the protrusions. The present invention has the advantage of achieving a good marination effect within a short time at a low salt concentration.

Description

Ultrasonic-assisted pickling device and refrigerator

technical field

The invention relates to the field of refrigeration and freezing equipment, in particular to an ultrasonic-assisted pickling device and a refrigerator.

Background technique

At present, the evaluation of the storage performance of refrigerators is not simply extending the storage time, and some users also put forward requirements for the realization of certain auxiliary functions (such as pickling).

The traditional marinating method first promotes the full contact between the marinade and the meat through manual rubbing, and then puts it in the freezer of the refrigerator to stand, so as to ensure that the quality of the ingredients does not change during the marinating process at low temperature.

However, the low temperature environment of the refrigerator will cause the marinating speed to be slow. Long-term marinating will increase the waiting time of users, and will also affect the freshness of the ingredients themselves. In addition, the salt concentration of the pickling liquid is high, which is not good for health.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One object of the first aspect of the present invention is to overcome at least one defect in the prior art, and to provide an ultrasonic-assisted curing device, which can achieve a higher salt concentration and faster time at a lower salt concentration. Good pickling effect.

A further object of the first aspect of the present invention is to prevent the heat generated by the ultrasonic generator from affecting the marinating of the food.

The object of the second aspect of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides an ultrasonic-assisted pickling device, comprising:

an ultrasonic base having a continuous horizontal surface on its upper surface; and

A container, the lower surface of the container has at least one protrusion that protrudes downward, and the lower surfaces of each protrusion are continuous surfaces that are flush with each other;

the container is configured to rest operably on the ultrasonic base, so that the lower surfaces of the protrusions abut against the upper surface of the ultrasonic base;

The ultrasonic base is configured to controllably generate ultrasonic waves such that the ultrasonic waves are transmitted to the container through each protrusion.

Further, the ultrasonic base includes:

a base body, the interior of which defines an interlayer cavity, and the interlayer cavity is filled with an interlayer medium for conducting ultrasonic waves; and

At least one ultrasonic generator is fixed to the lower surface of the base body.

Further, a plurality of ultrasonic generators are provided, and a protrusion is correspondingly provided on the lower surface of the container directly above each ultrasonic generator.

Further, the upper surface of the base body is formed with a plurality of grooves that are recessed downward, and the shape of the grooves is adapted to the shape of the protrusions for positioning the protrusions; and

The groove bottoms of each groove are continuous surfaces that are flush with each other, and are configured such that when the protrusions are correspondingly inserted into the grooves, the lower surfaces of the protrusions and the groove bottoms of the grooves abut each other.

Further, the bottom of the base body is recessed upward to form an installation groove, and each ultrasonic generator is fixed into the installation groove.

Further, both the container and the base body are made of stainless steel.

Further, the specific heat capacity of the interlayer medium is configured to be between 1KJ/(kg·K)˜5KJ/(kg·K).

Further, the sound intensity of the ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic base transmitted to the upper surface of the ultrasonic base is 0.2W/cm ² -0.8W/cm ² .

Further, the container contains a pickling liquid for pickling the food, and the sound intensity of the ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic base transmitted to the upper surface of the pickling liquid is 0.05W/cm ² -0.5W/cm ² .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a refrigerator having a storage compartment defined therein, wherein

Any one of the above-mentioned ultrasonic-assisted pickling devices is arranged in the storage room.

The ultrasonic-assisted salting device of the present invention includes an ultrasonic base and a container, and the container is operably rested on the ultrasonic base. During the marinating process, the ingredients to be marinated are first placed in the container, and then the ultrasonic base is used to generate ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic waves can be transmitted to the container and act on the ingredients through the protrusions in a concentrated manner, causing the ingredients to vibrate slightly, and During the continuous vibration process, the marinating liquid can be fully and quickly immersed into the ingredients, so that the ingredients taste evenly, and the marinating effect is better. In addition, since the action of ultrasonic waves can significantly improve the immersion ability of the pickling liquid, the concentration of the pickling liquid does not need to be high, which reduces the cost of preparing the pickling liquid.

Further, the ultrasonic base of the present invention includes a base body and an ultrasonic generator, and the ultrasonic generator is installed on the lower surface of the base. Because the interior of the base body has an interlayer cavity, the interlayer cavity is filled with interlayer medium, and the ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic sounder pass through the interlayer medium and act on the food in the container. The heat can dissipate heat from the ultrasonic generator, prevent the heat from being transferred to the ingredients, and avoid affecting the marinating of the ingredients.

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

Description of drawings

Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. The drawings are for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments only and are not to be considered limiting of the invention. Also, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings. In the attached image:

1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is an exploded view of an ultrasonic-assisted pickling device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a cross-sectional view of an ultrasonic-assisted salting device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a cross-sectional view of an ultrasonic-assisted salting device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 4 .

Detailed ways

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be more thoroughly understood, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

It should be understood that in the description of this embodiment, the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inside", The orientation or positional relationship indicated by "outside" is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the indicated device or element must have a specific orientation, It is constructed and operated in a particular orientation and is therefore not to be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention; with reference to FIG. 1 , the refrigerator may include a box body 100 , and one or more storage compartments 200 are defined inside the box body 100 . The refrigerated temperature may be configured to form a frozen storage space, a refrigerated storage space, a variable temperature storage space, and the like. The specific quantity, function, and layout of the storage compartments 200 can be configured according to requirements.

The ultrasonic-assisted marinating device 300 of the present invention can be installed in a refrigerated storage space (or a temperature-variable storage space with a target temperature set above freezing point), and can also be installed in a frozen storage space. The temperature in the refrigerated storage space is generally configured to be above 0°C, which is used to store fresh fruits and vegetables or short-term storage of ingredients. In this embodiment, the refrigerated storage space can be used to place the ingredients to be marinated (that is, the ingredients that have been coated with marinade on the surface or immersed in the marinating liquid), and the marinating speed is accelerated by the ultrasonic-assisted marinating device 300 to improve the Pickling effect. The ultrasonic-assisted marinating device 300 will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 to 5 , the ultrasonic-assisted salting device 300 includes an ultrasonic base 310 and a container 320 . The upper surface of the ultrasonic base 310 is a continuous horizontal plane. The lower surface of the container 320 has at least one protrusion 321 protruding downward, and the lower surfaces of each protrusion 321 are continuous surfaces that are flush with each other. The container 320 is configured to operably rest on the ultrasonic base 310 such that the lower surface of each protrusion 321 abuts against the upper surface of the ultrasonic base 310 . The ultrasonic base 310 is configured to controllably generate ultrasonic waves such that the ultrasonic waves are transmitted to the container 320 through the respective protrusions 321 .

In the ultrasonic-assisted marinating device 300 of the present invention, in the actual marinating process, the ingredients to be marinated are first placed in the container 320, and then the ultrasonic base 310 is used to generate ultrasonic waves, and the ultrasonic waves can be transmitted to the The container 320 also acts on the ingredients, causing the ingredients to vibrate slightly, and during the continuous vibration process, the pickling liquid can be immersed into the ingredients more fully and quickly, so that the ingredients taste evenly, and the marinating effect is better. Since the action of ultrasonic waves can significantly improve the immersion ability of the pickling liquid, the concentration of the pickling liquid does not need to be high, which reduces the cost of preparing the pickling liquid. In addition, the container 320 is directly placed on the ultrasonic base 310. When the container 320 needs to be cleaned, the container 320 can be directly removed from the ultrasonic base 310, and the operation is simple and convenient.

In some alternative embodiments, the lower surface of the container 320 may not be provided with the protrusions 321 , but may be directly placed on the ultrasonic base 310 . However, this design method will make the ultrasonic waves transmitted to the lower surface of the container 320 more divergent, and the effect on the ingredients is not good. It is necessary to increase the power of the ultrasonic generator 312, which is not conducive to saving energy. A large amount of heat will be generated under state operation, and the heat transfer to the container 320 will also affect the marinating of the ingredients.

In a preferred embodiment, the ultrasonic base 310 includes a base body 311 and at least one ultrasonic generator 312 . The interior of the base body 311 defines an interlayer cavity, the interlayer cavity is filled with an interlayer medium 313 for conducting ultrasonic waves, and the interlayer medium 313 fills the interlayer cavity. Each of the ultrasonic generators 312 is fixed to the lower surface of the base body 311 . In this way, when the ultrasonic generator 312 is working, the ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic generator 312 can act on the food materials in the container 320 through the interlayer medium 313 , and the interlayer medium 313 can absorb the heat generated by the ultrasonic generator 312 in time and dissipate the heat from the ultrasonic generator 312 , to prevent the transfer of heat to the ingredients and avoid affecting the marinating of the ingredients.

In an optional embodiment, the specific heat capacity of the interlayer medium 313 may be configured to be between 1KJ/(kg·K)˜5KJ/(kg·K). The interlayer medium 313 can be a specific mixed solution, which is not dangerous, non-flammable, safe, non-toxic and harmless, and complies with the relevant additive law and FDA (Food and Drug Administration) standard requirements.

Further, a plurality of ultrasonic generators 312 may be provided, and a protrusion 321 is correspondingly provided on the lower surface of the container 320 directly above each ultrasonic generator 312 . The protrusions 321 are arranged just above the ultrasonic generator 312, so that when the ultrasonic generator 312 generates ultrasonic waves, most of the ultrasonic waves can be transmitted to the container 320 through the protrusions 321, and only a small part radiates to the surroundings, which improves the ultrasonic wave. utilization rate and reduce energy consumption. In addition, the simultaneous action of multiple ultrasonic generators 312 can speed up the immersion speed of the pickling liquid, shorten the pickling time, and ensure the freshness of the ingredients.

Preferably, a plurality of ultrasonic generators 312 may be arranged in a matrix on the lower surface of the base body 311, so that the ultrasonic waves can be uniformly transmitted to the food materials, and the uniformity of the food materials can be improved.

Considering that after the container 320 is placed on the base body 311, it is necessary to adjust the position of the container 320 to ensure that the protrusion 321 at the bottom of the container 320 is located directly above the ultrasonic generator 312, and the ultrasonic generator 312 is arranged on the base body 311. The lower part is not easy to observe directly, therefore, it is difficult to ensure that the container 320 is quickly adjusted to a proper position.

In order to solve this problem, the upper surface of the base body 311 of this embodiment is formed with a plurality of grooves 314 that are recessed downward, and each groove 314 is located directly above the ultrasonic generator 312. It is used to position the protrusions 321. When the user places the container 320 on the base body 311, the protrusions 321 are inserted into the grooves 314 correspondingly, so as to ensure that the protrusions 321 at the bottom of the container 320 are inserted into the grooves 314. Located just above the ultrasonic generator 312, the operation is simple and convenient. Moreover, the groove bottoms of each groove 314 are continuous surfaces that are flush with each other. When the protrusions 321 are inserted into the grooves 314 correspondingly, the lower surfaces of the protrusions 321 and the groove bottoms of the grooves 314 can abut each other. ,Close contact. If there is a gap between the two, the ultrasonic transmission to the gap will be greatly attenuated, which will affect its effect.

Since the ultrasonic generator 312 is arranged at the bottom of the base body 311, during the pickling process, the weight of the base, the weight of the container 320, the weight of the pickling liquid and the weight of the ingredients are all applied to the ultrasonic generator 312, which is easy to generate ultrasonic waves. damage to device 312. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, in this embodiment, the bottom of the base body 311 is recessed upward to form an installation groove 315 , and the ultrasonic generator 312 can be fixed into the installation groove 315 .

In some preferred embodiments, the container 320 and the base body 311 can be made of stainless steel or aluminum-magnesium alloy, and the wall thicknesses of the container 320 and the base body 311 can be 0.6mm-0.8mm, so as to save materials while , to ensure that the container 320 and the base body 311 have sufficient structural strength.

In a specific embodiment, the sound intensity of the ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic base 310 transmitted to the upper surface of the ultrasonic base 310 is 0.2W/cm ² to 0.8W/cm ² . The inventor found that the sound intensity of this segment was determined by experiments. It can achieve better pickling effect under the premise of lower energy consumption.

In this embodiment, the container 320 contains a pickling liquid for pickling the ingredients. Since the ultrasonic wave will be attenuated to a certain extent when transmitted in the pickling liquid, in order to ensure that the upper and lower parts of the ingredients taste evenly, the ultrasonic wave generated by the base 310 should be controlled. The sound intensity of the ultrasonic wave transmitted to the upper surface of the pickling solution is 0.05W/cm ² to 0.5W/cm ² .

According to any optional embodiment of the present invention or a combination of multiple optional embodiments, the embodiments of the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects:

The ultrasonic-assisted salting device 300 of the present invention includes an ultrasonic base 310 and a container 320 , and the container 320 is operably rested on the ultrasonic base 310 . In the marinating process, the ingredients to be marinated are first placed in the container 320, and then the ultrasonic base 310 is used to generate ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic waves can be transmitted to the container 320 through the protrusions 321 in a relatively concentrated manner and act on the ingredients, so that the ingredients are generated. Small vibration, and during the continuous vibration process, the marinating liquid can be fully and quickly immersed into the ingredients, so that the ingredients taste evenly, and the marinating effect is better. In addition, since the action of ultrasonic waves can significantly improve the immersion ability of the pickling liquid, the concentration of the pickling liquid does not need to be high, which reduces the cost of preparing the pickling liquid.

Further, the ultrasonic base 310 of the present invention includes a base body 311 and an ultrasonic generator 312, and the ultrasonic generator 312 is installed on the lower surface of the base. Since the interior of the base body 311 has an interlayer cavity, the interlayer cavity contains the interlayer medium 313, and the ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic generator pass through the interlayer medium 313 and then act on the food in the container 320, so that the interlayer medium 313 can absorb the ultrasonic generator. The heat generated by the 312 during the working process plays a role in dissipating the heat of the ultrasonic generator 312, preventing the heat from being transferred to the ingredients, and avoiding the influence on the marinating of the ingredients.

By now, those skilled in the art will recognize that, although various exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described in detail herein, the present invention may still be implemented in accordance with the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The content directly determines or derives many other variations or modifications consistent with the principles of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be understood and deemed to cover all such other variations or modifications.

Claims

An ultrasonic-assisted pickling device, comprising:

an ultrasonic base having a continuous horizontal surface on its upper surface; and

A container, the lower surface of the container has at least one protrusion that protrudes downward, and the lower surfaces of each protrusion are continuous surfaces that are flush with each other;

the container is configured to rest operably on the ultrasonic base such that the lower surface of each protrusion abuts the upper surface of the ultrasonic base;

The ultrasonic base is configured to controllably generate ultrasonic waves such that the ultrasonic waves are transmitted to the container through each of the protrusions.
The ultrasonic-assisted marinating device according to claim 1, wherein,

The ultrasonic base includes:

a base body, the interior of which defines an interlayer cavity, and the interlayer cavity is filled with an interlayer medium for conducting the ultrasonic wave; and

At least one ultrasonic generator is fixed to the lower surface of the base body.
The ultrasonic-assisted marinating device according to claim 2, wherein,

There are a plurality of the ultrasonic generators, and the lower surface of the container is correspondingly provided with one of the protrusions directly above each of the ultrasonic generators.
The ultrasonic-assisted marinating device according to claim 3, wherein,

The upper surface of the base body is formed with a plurality of grooves that are recessed downward, and the shape of the grooves is adapted to the shape of the protrusions for positioning the protrusions; and

The groove bottoms of each of the grooves are continuous surfaces that are flush with each other, and are configured such that when the protrusions are correspondingly inserted into the grooves, the lower surfaces of the protrusions are aligned with the grooves of the grooves. The bottoms touch each other.
The ultrasonic-assisted marinating device according to claim 2, wherein,

The bottom of the base body is upwardly recessed to form an installation groove, and each of the ultrasonic generators is fixed into the installation groove.
The ultrasonic-assisted marinating device according to claim 2, wherein,

Both the container and the base body are made of stainless steel.
The ultrasonic-assisted marinating device according to claim 2, wherein,

The specific heat capacity of the interlayer medium is configured to be between 1KJ/(kg·K)˜5KJ/(kg·K).
The ultrasonic-assisted marinating device according to claim 1, wherein,

The sound intensity of the ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic base transmitted to the upper surface of the ultrasonic base is 0.2W/cm 2 -0.8W/cm 2 .
The ultrasonic-assisted marinating device according to claim 1, wherein,

The container contains the pickling liquid for pickling the food, and the sound intensity of the ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic base transmitted to the upper surface of the pickling liquid is 0.05W/cm 2 -0.5W/cm 2 .
A refrigerator having a storage compartment defined therein, wherein

The storage compartment is provided with the ultrasonic-assisted pickling device according to any one of claims 1-9.