DYNAMIC CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE ROOM
First Claim
1. A control system for use in a gastight storage facility containing perishable commodities comprising:
- an enclosure defining an interior space of sufficient size to hold a representative sample of the commodities;
an atmosphere valve selectively movable between an open position in which said interior space is in atmospheric communication with the gastight storage facility and a closed position in which said interior space is isolated from the gastight storage facility; and
a controller for dynamically controlling the atmosphere in the gastight storage facility, said controller configured to control said atmosphere valve to selectively isolate said interior space from the gastight storage facility, said controller configured to determine a dynamic control value by analyzing atmosphere within said interior space while said enclosure is in isolation from said gastight storage facility, said controller configured to control the atmosphere in the gastight storage facility as a function of said determined dynamic control value.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A control system for a controlled atmosphere room (“CA room”) for storing perishable commodities, such as fruits and vegetables. The control system includes an enclosure that can be placed within the CA room to store a representative sample of the commodities in the CA room. The control system includes an atmosphere valve selectively operable to provide atmospheric communication between the enclosure and the CA room or to isolate the enclosure from the CA room. The control system includes a sampling control system for determining a dynamic control value based on the isolated representative sample. The dynamic control value may be determined by monitoring the respiratory quotient in the enclosure while it is isolated. Once determined, the control system can use the dynamic control value to adjust the atmosphere of the CA room, thereby using tests on a representative sample to control the atmosphere for the full volume of commodities in the CA room. When not testing, the enclosure generally remains in atmospheric communication with the CA room, which improves the correlation of the representative sample with the commodities in the CA room.
38 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A control system for use in a gastight storage facility containing perishable commodities comprising:
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an enclosure defining an interior space of sufficient size to hold a representative sample of the commodities; an atmosphere valve selectively movable between an open position in which said interior space is in atmospheric communication with the gastight storage facility and a closed position in which said interior space is isolated from the gastight storage facility; and a controller for dynamically controlling the atmosphere in the gastight storage facility, said controller configured to control said atmosphere valve to selectively isolate said interior space from the gastight storage facility, said controller configured to determine a dynamic control value by analyzing atmosphere within said interior space while said enclosure is in isolation from said gastight storage facility, said controller configured to control the atmosphere in the gastight storage facility as a function of said determined dynamic control value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A controlled atmosphere storage system comprising:
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a gastight storage facility of sufficient size to store a volume of perishable commodities; an enclosure disposed within said gastight storage facility, said enclosure defining an interior space of sufficient size to hold a representative sample of said commodities; an atmosphere valve selectively movable between an open position in which said interior space is in atmospheric communication with the gastight storage facility and a closed position in which said interior space is isolated from the gastight storage facility; and a control system for controlling the atmosphere in the gastight storage facility, said control system configured to periodically isolate said interior space from the gastight storage facility by operation of said atmosphere valve and to determine a dynamic control value from said representative sample while said representative sample is in isolation from said gastight storage facility, said controller configured to adjust the atmosphere in the gastight storage facility as a function of said determined dynamic control value. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for dynamic control in a gas tight storage space, comprising the steps of:
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providing a gastight storage space for storing a volume of commodities; providing an enclosure with an interior space for storing a representative sample of the commodities; generally maintaining the enclosure in atmospheric communication with the gastight space; periodically and temporarily isolating the atmosphere of the enclosure from the atmosphere in the gastight space; determining a dynamic control value based on the representative sample while the atmosphere of the enclosure is isolated from the atmosphere in the gastight space; adjusting the atmosphere of the gastight storage space as a function of the dynamic control value determined from the isolated sample; and returning the atmosphere in the enclosure to communication with the atmosphere in the gastight space between the periodic and temporary isolation periods, such that the representative sample remains substantially correlated with the commodities in the gastight storage space. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification