Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cooling device with a sterilization system and an operation method thereof.

Background of the Invention

The majority of microorganisms (m/o) such as bacteria, viruses, yeast or molds exist on food products, which reproduce in the presence of appropriate moisture-temperature balance. Cooling devices, such as refrigerators, for storing/placing food items comprise at least one body comprising at least one inner compartment; at least one door for accessing into the inner compartment; at least one compressor located in the body; and at least one fan which provides air circulation in the inner compartment. The cooling devices pose a high risk for the growth of microorganisms, since they have a closed internal volume in the body and therefore in the inner compartment.

In the state of the art, there are cooling devices with sterilization systems for cleaning and sterilizing the air in the internal volume of the cooling device. The sterilization systems of the cooling devices generally comprise an ultraviolet light source, wherein the air in the internal volume is exposed to the rays emitted from said light source. In this way, microorganisms in the internal volume are removed from the internal volume. However, the operation of the sterilization system in the cooling devices is not adjusted according to the air flow rate in the internal volume of the cooling device and the effect of the food items, which are placed in the inner compartment of the cooling device, on the internal volume air. This is insufficient for removing microorganisms from the air in the cooling device. In the state of the art, the cooling devices comprise deodorizers to remove microorganisms, such as yeast and mold, that cause bad odor in the inner compartment. However, unless these deodorizers are supported by a sterilization element such as an ultraviolet light source, the air in the inner compartment cannot be sufficiently purified from microorganisms. In addition, the sterilization systems in the cooling devices generally operate continuously regardless of the amount of microbial load. This causes more energy consumption than necessary.

Brief Description of the Invention

The cooling device according to the present invention comprises at least one body with at least one inner compartment; at least one compressor provided in the body; at least one sterilization system for cleaning the air in the inner compartment, which comprises: at least one chamber located in the inner compartment so as to surround at least one fan providing air circulation, wherein the chamber comprises at least one inlet opening at least partially corresponding to said fan for drawing air from the inner compartment into the chamber by means of the fan, and at least one outlet opening for moving the air in the chamber to the inner compartment, at least one filter located on one side of the chamber and having a structure allowing the passage of air therethrough, at least one deodorizer in connection with said filter for removing bad odor from the air drawn into the chamber by the fan, at least one light source located in the chamber to emit ultraviolet light on the filter and deodorizer, which reduces the effect of microorganisms on the air, filter and/or deodorizer, at least a first sensor that detects microorganisms contained in the air in the inner compartment and measures the airborne concentration of microorganisms, at least a second sensor measuring a temperature of the air in the inner compartment so as to control the growth rate and reproduction phases of the detected microorganisms, wherein the second sensor is located in the inner compartment for an accurate measurement; and at least one control unit connected with the compressor, fan and sterilization system, which controls operation of the compressor, fan and sterilization system, identifies microorganisms by receiving detection and measurement data from the first sensor and second sensor, monitors the reproduction phases of microorganisms including growth phase, stationary phase and death phase based on the measurement data received from the second sensor, and controls the operation of the fan with a pulse width modulation signal when the reproduction phase is in the growth and stationary phase and/or according to the increase and decrease in the microorganism concentration based on the data received from the first sensor.

The operation method of the cooling device comprises the steps of: detecting the microorganisms contained in the air in the inner compartment by the first sensor during the operation of the compressor and the fan and transmitting the data obtained by measuring the concentration of the detected microorganisms to the control unit; measuring a temperature of the air in the inner compartment by means of the second sensor during and/or after the measurement of the first sensor and transmitting the measurement data to the control unit; identifying the microorganism by the control unit according to the microorganism detection data and determining the reproduction phase of the microorganism, which may be a growth phase, stationary phase, death phase, based on the temperature data; sending a PWM signal by the control unit to the fan to control the operation of said fan according to the detected reproduction phase of the microorganism and/or the concentration data of the related microorganism; operating the fan so that the air transferred to the chamber is passed through the filter and the deodorizer exposed to ultraviolet rays emitted by the light source, thereby purifying the air from microorganisms; transferring the air purified from microorganisms to the inner compartment through the outlet opening in the chamber.

Thanks to the cooling device and the operation method according to the present invention, microorganisms contained in the air in the inner compartment are identified and the growth phases of the microorganism are monitored. In this way, active operation of the sterilization system is ensured, especially when the microorganism is active. In addition, the operation of the fan is controlled according to the microorganism concentration data. Therefore, the air in the inner compartment of the cooling device is effectively cleaned. Moreover, the cooling device according to the invention provides energy savings.

Object of the Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a cooling device with a sterilization system and an operation method thereof. Another object of the present invention is to identify the microorganisms contained in the air in the inner compartment so as to obtain a cooling device that monitors the growth phases of the microorganisms, and an operation method thereof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a cooling device that controls the operation of a fan depending on the microorganism growth rate, and an operation method thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an energy-saving and reliable cooling device and an operation method thereof.

Exemplary embodiments of the cooling device according to the present invention are illustrated in the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the cooling device according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the body and the sterilization system of the cooling device according to the invention, in a disassembled state.

Figure 3 is a top perspective view of the sterilization system of the cooling device according to the invention.

All the parts illustrated in figures are individually assigned a reference numeral and the corresponding terms of these numbers are listed below:

Cooling device (R)

Body (G)

Inner compartment (G1)

Compressor (C)

Fan (F)

Sterilization system (S)

Chamber (1)

Filter (2)

Deodorizer (3) Light source (4) of the Invention

Cooling devices for storing/p lacing food items comprise at least one body comprising at least one inner compartment; at least one door for accessing into the inner compartment; at least one compressor located in the body; and at least one fan which provides air circulation in the inner compartment. Cooling devices pose a high risk for the reproduction of microorganisms, since they have a closed internal volume in the body and therefore in the inner compartment. Cooling devices with sterilization systems, which are in the state of the art, generally comprise an ultraviolet light source, wherein the air in the internal volume is exposed to the rays emitted by this light source. However, the operation of the sterilization system is not adjusted according to the air flow rate in the internal volume of the cooling device and the effect of the food items, which are placed in the inner compartment of the cooling device, on the internal volume air. In addition, said cooling devices comprise deodorizers to remove microorganisms, such as yeast and mold, which cause bad odor in the inner compartment. However, unless these deodorizers are supported by a sterilization element such as an ultraviolet light source, the air in the inner compartment cannot be sufficiently purified from microorganisms. In this context, the present invention provides a cooling device with a sterilization system, and an operation method thereof in order to solve said problems.

The cooling device (R) according to the present invention, which is illustrated in figures 1- 3, comprises at least one body (G) with at least one inner compartment (G1); and at least one compressor (C) provided in the body (G). The cooling device (R) also comprises at least one sterilization system (S) for cleaning the air in the inner compartment (G1), which comprises: at least one chamber (1) located in the inner compartment (G1) so as to surround at least one fan (F) providing air circulation, wherein the chamber (1) comprises at least one inlet opening at least partially corresponding to said fan (F) for drawing air from the inner compartment (G1) into the chamber by means of the fan (F), and at least one outlet opening for moving the air in the chamber (1) to the inner compartment (G1), at least one filter (2), preferably a fabric, located on one side of the chamber (1) and having a structure allowing the passage of air therethrough, at least one deodorizer (3) in connection with said filter (2) for removing bad odor from the air drawn into the chamber (1) by the fan (F), wherein the deodorizer (3) is preferably located between the filter (2) and the fan (F), at least one light source (4) located in the chamber (1) to emit ultraviolet light on the filter (2) and deodorizer (3), which reduces the effect of microorganisms on the air, filter (2) and/or deodorizer (3), wherein the light source (4) preferably comprises UVC LED and/or UV LED, at least a first sensor (not illustrated in the drawings), preferably a biosensor, which detects microorganisms contained in the air in the inner compartment (G1) (i.e. the air drawn from the inner compartment (G1) to the chamber (1)) and measures the airborne concentration of these microorganisms, wherein the first sensor is preferably located in the chamber (1) so as to be exposed to the air moved from the fan (F) to the chamber (1), at least a second sensor (not illustrated in the drawings), preferably a temperature sensor, which measures a temperature of the air in the inner compartment (G1) so as to control the growth rate and reproduction phases of the detected microorganisms, wherein the second sensor is located in the inner compartment (G1) for an accurate measurement, preferably on a side of the chamber (1) facing the inner compartment (G1); and at least one control unit connected with the compressor (C), fan (F) and sterilization system (S), which controls operation of the compressor (C), fan (F) and sterilization system (S), identifies microorganisms by receiving detection and measurement data from the first sensor and second sensor (this identification process may be a determination of the microorganism itself and/or its species), monitors the reproduction phases of microorganisms including growth phase, stationary phase and death phase based on the measurement data received from the second sensor, and controls the operation of the fan (F) with a pulse width modulation signal when the reproduction phase is in the growth and stationary phase and/or according to the increase and decrease in the microorganism concentration based on the data received from the first sensor, wherein the control unit is preferably located in the body (G). Said fan (F) may be a fan already located in the cooling device (R), or a fan included in the sterilization system (S) that is different from a fan included in the cooling device (R). In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control unit comprises a threshold value for the microorganism concentration. In this way, the control unit evaluates the microorganism concentration detected by the first sensor and sends a PWM signal to the fan (F) to operate at high speed when the microorganism concentration is above this threshold value.

The operation method of the cooling device (R) according to the present invention comprises the steps of: detecting the microorganisms contained in the air in the inner compartment (G1) (i.e. the air drawn from the inner compartment (G1) to the chamber (1)) by the first sensor during the operation of the compressor (C) and the fan (F) (i.e. when the cooling device (R) is in operation) and transmitting the data obtained by measuring the concentration of the detected microorganisms to the control unit; measuring a temperature of the air in the inner compartment (G1) by means of the second sensor during and/or after the measurement of the first sensor and transmitting the measurement data to the control unit; identifying the microorganism by the control unit according to the microorganism detection data and determining the reproduction phase of the microorganism, which may be a growth phase, a stationary phase or a death phase, based on the temperature data; sending a PWM signal by the control unit to the fan (F) to control the operation of said fan (F) according to the detected reproduction phase of the microorganism and/or the concentration data of the related microorganism; operating the fan (F) so that the air transferred to the chamber (1) is passed through the filter (2) and the deodorizer (3) exposed to ultraviolet rays emitted by the light source (4), thereby purifying the air from microorganisms; transferring the air purified from microorganisms to the inner compartment (G1) through the outlet opening in the chamber (1).

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the operation method comprises the steps of: sending a PWM signal to the fan (F) by the control unit and operating the fan (F) at a high speed, if the control unit detects that the microorganism is in the growth phase and/or stationary phase. Therefore, it is ensured that the sterilization system (S) operates during the most effective periods of the microorganism. Since the sterilization system (S) does not operate when the microorganism is in the death phase, the cooling device consumes less energy, which provides energy savings. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the operation method comprises the steps of: comparing, by the control unit, the microorganism concentration detected by the first sensor with a threshold value; and if the microorganism concentration exceeds the threshold value, sending a PWM signal by the control unit to the fan (F) to operate at a high speed.

Thanks to the cooling device (R) and the operation method according to the present invention, microorganisms contained in the air in the inner compartment (G1) are identified and the growth phases of the microorganism are monitored. In this way, active operation of the sterilization system (S) is ensured, especially when the microorganism is active. In addition, the operation of the fan (F) is controlled according to the microorganism concentration data. Therefore, the air in the inner compartment (G1) of the cooling device (R) is effectively cleaned. Moreover, the cooling device (R) according to the invention provides energy savings.