Disinfection cabinets have become essential electrical appliances in modern kitchens and public health areas, responsible for sterilizing tableware, medical supplies, and other items. At the heart of every disinfection cabinet’s stable operation and intelligent control lies the control board—a compact but highly integrated circuit module that coordinates all functional parts. This article will break down the core components of a disinfection cabinet control board and explain its working principles in detail.

I. Core Components of a Disinfection Cabinet Control Board

The control board is a centralized control hub, composed of multiple functional components that work together to realize signal reception, data processing, and instruction execution. The key components include the following:

1. Main Control Chip (MCU)

The main control chip, usually a microcontroller unit (MCU), is the "brain" of the entire control board. It is pre-programmed with control logic, responsible for receiving input signals from the operation panel, processing data, and sending out corresponding control commands to the disinfection cabinet’s execution components.

Function: It manages timing of disinfection cycles, temperature monitoring, mode switching (e.g., ultraviolet disinfection, high-temperature sterilization, ozone disinfection), and fault self-diagnosis.

Common Types: Low-power MCUs suitable for household appliances, such as those from STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments, or domestic semiconductor brands.

2. Power Supply Module

The power supply module converts the alternating current (AC) from the mains into stable direct current (DC) to power the main control chip, sensors, and other low-voltage components.

Key Parts: Includes rectifier bridges, filter capacitors, voltage regulators (e.g., linear regulators or switching power supply chips).

Function: Ensures stable voltage output, prevents voltage fluctuations from damaging the control board, and improves the device’s anti-interference ability.

3. Input Interface Module (Operation Panel Connection)

This module connects the control board to the disinfection cabinet’s external operation panel, receiving user input signals such as power on/off, mode selection, time setting, and child lock activation.

Common Forms: Buttons, touch panels, or infrared remote control receivers.

Working Principle: When the user operates the panel, the module converts mechanical or touch signals into electrical signals and transmits them to the main control chip for processing.

4. Output Drive Module

The main control chip sends out weak control signals, which need to be amplified by the output drive module to drive high-power execution components of the disinfection cabinet.

Driven Components: High-temperature heating tubes, ultraviolet lamps, ozone generators, cooling fans, and door lock solenoids.

Core Components: Relays, triacs (TRIACs), or MOSFETs. These components act as "switches"—when triggered by the control chip, they connect the power supply of the execution components to start working.

5. Sensor Module

Sensors collect real-time data inside the disinfection cabinet and feed it back to the main control chip, realizing closed-loop control and ensuring disinfection effect and safety.

Common Sensors:

Temperature Sensor: Monitors the internal temperature of the cabinet, especially critical for high-temperature disinfection mode to prevent overheating or insufficient temperature.

Door Switch Sensor: Detects whether the cabinet door is closed tightly; if not, it will cut off the power supply of ultraviolet lamps and ozone generators to avoid radiation or gas leakage.

Humidity Sensor: Monitors internal humidity, and triggers the fan to work when humidity is too high to dry the items.

6. Communication and Display Module

Display Module: Connects to digital tubes, LCD screens, or LED indicator lights to display the current working mode, time, temperature, and fault codes, allowing users to intuitively grasp the device status.

Communication Module (for intelligent models): Some high-end disinfection cabinet control boards are equipped with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth modules, enabling connection to mobile phones or smart home systems for remote control and status monitoring.

7. Protection Circuit

To ensure the safe operation of the control board and the entire disinfection cabinet, protection circuits are set up to deal with abnormal conditions:

Overvoltage/Undervoltage Protection: Cuts off the power supply when the mains voltage is abnormal.

Overcurrent Protection: Prevents damage to components caused by excessive current in the circuit.

Short-Circuit Protection: Quickly disconnects the circuit when a short circuit occurs to avoid fire risks.

II. Working Principles of a Disinfection Cabinet Control Board

The operation of the control board follows a "signal input → data processing → instruction output → feedback adjustment" cycle, and its specific working process is as follows:

1. Power-On Initialization

When the disinfection cabinet is connected to the mains, the power supply module starts working, converting AC into stable DC and supplying power to the main control chip and other components. The main control chip immediately enters the initialization state, self-checking all circuits and components (e.g., sensors, execution modules). If any fault is detected, it will send a signal to the display module to show the corresponding fault code; if everything is normal, it will enter the standby state, waiting for user operation.

2. Receiving User Input Signals

When the user operates the external panel (e.g., selects high-temperature disinfection mode and sets a 30-minute cycle), the input interface module converts this operation signal into an electrical signal and transmits it to the main control chip. The main control chip reads and decodes the signal according to the pre-stored program, confirming the user’s demand.

3. Sending Control Instructions to Execution Components

After processing the user’s instruction, the main control chip sends corresponding control signals to the output drive module. For example, in high-temperature disinfection mode:

The drive module triggers the relay to connect the circuit of the heating tube, and the heating tube starts to heat up the cabinet interior.

The temperature sensor collects real-time temperature data and feeds it back to the main control chip continuously.

When the temperature reaches the preset value (usually 120°C for household disinfection cabinets), the main control chip adjusts the output signal to keep the temperature stable within the set range.

At the same time, the display module shows the current temperature and remaining time.

4. Safety Monitoring and Feedback Adjustment

During the entire disinfection process, the control board continuously monitors the device status through various sensors:

If the door switch sensor detects that the cabinet door is opened accidentally, the main control chip will immediately cut off the power supply of the heating tube, ultraviolet lamp, or ozone generator to ensure user safety, and pause the disinfection cycle.

If the temperature sensor detects that the internal temperature exceeds the safe threshold, the over-temperature protection circuit will be activated, and the heating tube will stop working to avoid damage to the cabinet and items inside.

5. End of Work and Standby

When the set disinfection time is up, the main control chip sends a signal to turn off all execution components, and the display module prompts that the work is completed. Some models will automatically start the fan to cool down the cabinet interior. After the cooling is completed, the control board returns to the standby state, waiting for the next operation.

III. Summary

The disinfection cabinet control board is a highly integrated control system that integrates signal processing, power management, safety monitoring, and human-computer interaction. Its core components work in coordination, ensuring that the disinfection cabinet can complete various sterilization tasks stably, safely, and efficiently. With the development of intelligent home technology, the future disinfection cabinet control board will also be more intelligent, energy-saving, and user-friendly, bringing more convenient and reliable disinfection solutions to people’s lives.