JP2019115556A - Commodity storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

To shorten work time of maintenance work for removing dust that is deposited on a capacitor filter.SOLUTION: The commodity storage device includes: a capacitor 23 that is installed in a machinery room 10b inside a case body 10 and that constitutes a cooling unit 20 which cools the internal atmosphere of the machinery room 10b and a partitioned storage chamber 11; a kick plate 30 that is detachably arranged in the case body 10 in the aspect of closing the front opening 18 of the machinery room 10b and that has formation of a plurality of ventilation holes 31; an external fan 41 that is installed in the machinery room 10b and that, when driven, sends out to the capacitor 23 the fresh air passing the ventilation holes 31; and a capacitor filter 42 that is arranged in the front region of the capacitor 23 and that suppresses clogging of the capacitor 23. In the commodity storage device which maintains commodities for storing in the storage chamber 11 at a desired temperature condition, the capacitor filter 42 is structured by forming a plurality of passing holes 42b in a metallic thin plate member 42a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a product storage device, and more particularly to a product storage device such as a showcase that holds a stored product in a desired temperature state.

  Conventionally, a so-called showcase is known as a product storage device for holding stored products at a desired temperature state, and such a showcase is provided with a storage case and a machine room inside a case main body.

  The storage case is a room in which a plurality of product placement racks are provided in a plurality of stages along the vertical direction. A product is placed on each of the product placement shelves, whereby the storage is for storing the product.

  The machine room is partitioned from the storage room, and refrigeration equipment such as a condenser that constitutes a cooling unit for cooling the internal atmosphere of the storage is installed. The machine room is closed at the front opening to a kick plate detachably provided in the case body, and provided with an external fan and a filter for a condenser.

  The external fan, when driven, takes in the outside air from the vent holes formed in the kick plate and sends the taken outside air to the condenser, thereby promoting heat exchange in the condenser. The condenser filter is installed in the front area of the condenser, captures dust particles in the outside air passing through the vent holes, and suppresses clogging of the condenser.

  Then, in the showcase, in order to facilitate maintenance work for removing dust attached to the filter for the condenser, the air outside the condenser is driven in the reverse direction so that the air around the condenser is directed forward. What was made to send out is known (for example, refer patent document 1).

Patent No. 5246753

  By the way, in the above showcase, a fibrous filter having a mesh structure is generally used as a filter for a condenser, and an external fan is driven to reverse rotate to remove dust attached to the filter for a condenser. There were the following problems when you

  That is, since a sufficient amount of air is required to remove dust attached to the filter for the condenser, the driving time of the external fan driven in reverse rotation is lengthened, that is, the working time of the maintenance work is lengthened. The Such an increase in the maintenance time means that air will be blown forward from the air vents of the kick plate for a long time, which may cause discomfort to the shop customers in front of the showcase. Is not preferable.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a product storage device capable of shortening the operation time of a maintenance operation for removing dust attached to a condenser filter in view of the above-mentioned situation.

  In order to achieve the above object, the commodity storage apparatus according to the present invention is a condenser which is installed in a machine room inside the apparatus body and which constitutes a cooling unit for cooling the internal atmosphere of a storage compartment partitioned from the machine room And a kick plate which is detachably mounted on the apparatus main body in a mode of closing the front opening of the machine room and in which a plurality of ventilating holes are formed, and which is installed in the machine room and driven The storage compartment includes an extracorporeal fan for sending outside air passing through a hole to the condenser, and a condenser filter disposed in the front area of the condenser and for suppressing clogging of the condenser; In the product storage device for holding the product stored in a desired temperature state, the condenser filter is characterized in that a plurality of passage holes are formed in a thin metal plate member.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the product storage device, the external fan is capable of rotating in forward and reverse directions, and when the forward rotation is driven, outside air passing through the ventilating hole is sent to the condenser while reverse rotation is performed. When driving, it is characterized in that the air around the condenser is sent forward.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the commodity storage device, the passage hole has a polygonal shape.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the product storage device, the passage hole is formed by performing the etching process on the thin plate member.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned product storage device, the number of revolutions of the external fan is reduced when the reverse rotation drive is performed as compared to the case where the forward rotation drive is performed.

  According to the present invention, since the condenser filter is configured by forming a plurality of passage holes in the metal thin plate member, dust and dirt that adheres more easily than the fiber-like one having the conventional network structure. Thus, the time required for the maintenance operation for removing the dust attached to the condenser filter 42 can be shortened.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing a commodity storage apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a characteristic control system of the commodity storage apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view showing the kick plate shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the condenser filter shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the contents of the attached substance removal control process carried out by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the main parts of a modified example of the product storage device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a product storage device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

  1 and 2 schematically show a product storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view, and FIG. 2 is a block showing a characteristic control system FIG. The commodity storage device exemplified here is a showcase installed in a store such as a convenience store or a supermarket, for example, and includes a case main body 10 which is an apparatus main body.

  The case body 10 is a substantially rectangular casing, and has a storage chamber 10a having a heat insulation structure and a machine chamber 10b formed in the lower area of the storage chamber 10a. The storage chamber 10a has an opening (hereinafter, also referred to as a front opening) 10a1 formed on the front surface, a storage case 11 is defined therein, and an air circulation unit 12 is provided.

  The storage case 11 is defined in such a manner as to face the front opening 10a1, and a plurality of product placement racks 13 are arranged in a plurality of stages along the vertical direction.

  The air circulation means 12 is configured to include an air passage 14 and a circulation fan 15. The air passage 14 is a passage of air from the suction port 16 to the blowout port 17. Here, the suction port 16 is an opening for sucking in the air inside the storage case 11, and is extended along the left-right direction of the storage case 11. The suction port 16 is disposed at the lower front edge of the storage case 11, that is, at a lower portion near the front opening 10 a 1 of the case main body 10. The outlet 17 is an opening for blowing air into the inside of the storage case 11. The air outlet 17 extends in the left-right direction of the storage case 11 and is disposed at the upper front edge of the storage case 11, that is, at the upper portion near the front opening 10 a 1 of the case body 10.

  Such an air passage 14 is a lower duct 14a outside the storage case 11 below and below it, a rear duct 14b outside the storage case 11 behind the back side, and outside the storage case 11 It is comprised in the aspect which mutually connected with the upper duct 14c which exists in the upper part.

  The circulation fan 15 is disposed at a predetermined portion of the lower duct 14a. In the present embodiment, the circulation fan 15 is disposed at a predetermined portion of the lower duct 14 a, but in the present invention, the disposition site of the circulation fan 15 is not particularly limited. It may be disposed at any site where it can exert its function. The circulation fan 15 is rotationally driven by driving the circulation fan motor 15a according to a command given from the control unit 50 described later.

  In such an air circulation means 12, when the circulation fan 15 is rotationally driven, the air inside the storage 11 is sucked through the suction port 16, and the sucked air passes through the air passage 14 to the blowout port 17. The air is circulated between the inside and the outside of the storage case 11 by sending out and blowing out the air sent out through the outlet 17 into the inside of the storage case 11.

  The control unit 50 centrally controls the operation of each unit of the showcase in accordance with the program and data stored in the memory 51. The control unit 50 may be realized, for example, by causing a processing device such as a central processing unit (CPU) to execute a program, that is, realized by software, or realized by hardware such as an integrated circuit (IC). It may be realized using software and hardware together.

  An evaporator 21 is provided in the rear duct 14 b of the air passage 14. The evaporator 21 constitutes a cooling unit 20 for cooling the internal atmosphere of the storage case 11 by circulating a refrigerant together with the refrigeration equipment such as the compressor 22 and the condenser 23 disposed in the machine room 10b.

  Here, the compressor 22 compresses a refrigerant, and the condenser 23 condenses the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22. The refrigerant condensed by the condenser 23 is adiabatically expanded by an expansion mechanism (not shown) to a low temperature and low pressure state.

  The evaporator 21 exchanges heat between the air passing through the rear duct 14b from the lower side and the upper side by the rotation of the circulation fan 15 and the refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the expansion mechanism, more specifically, the refrigerant To cool the air passing through the rear duct 14b (air passage 14). The refrigerant evaporated by the evaporator 21 is returned to the compressor 22 again and compressed.

  The machine room 10b is provided separately from the storage room 10a including the storage case 11 in the lower area of the storage room 10a. An opening (hereinafter also referred to as a front opening) 18 is formed on the front surface of the machine room 10 b, and the front opening 18 is closed by a kick plate 30. In the machine room 10b, an external fan 41 and a condenser filter 42 are provided.

  The kick plate 30 is a plate-like member configured by processing, for example, a steel plate or the like, and is provided detachably to the case main body 10. The kick plate 30 closes the front opening 18 of the machine room 10 b when mounted on the case body 10. The kick plate 30 includes vent holes 31 as shown in FIG.

  A plurality of ventilation holes 31 are formed in the ventilation area 32 in the kick plate 30. The ventilation area 32 is an area located on the front side of the condenser 23, and more specifically, an area facing the condenser 23.

  The external fan 41 is provided on the rear side of the condenser 23. The external fan 41 is rotationally driven by driving the external fan motor 41 a according to a command given from the control unit 50.

  In the present embodiment, the external fan 41 is capable of normal and reverse rotation, and a normal rotation drive command is sent from the control unit 50 to the external fan motor 41 a to drive the external fan 41 forward. By doing this, the external fan 41 is driven to rotate forward. On the other hand, when the reverse rotation drive command is sent from the control unit 50 to the external fan motor 41a, the external fan 41 is reversely driven, whereby the external fan 41 is reversely driven.

  The external fan 41 causes the condenser 23 to send outside air passing through the vent 31 to the condenser 23 in the forward rotation drive, and around the condenser 23 in the reverse rotation drive. Air is sent forward.

  The condenser filter 42 has a sufficient size to cover the front surface of the condenser 23 and is provided in the front region of the condenser 23. Here, although the condenser filter 42 is installed, if it is disposed in the front area of the condenser 23, the condenser filter 42 may be supported by a fan case (not shown) that accommodates the external fan 41, or kick It may be supported by a support (not shown) provided on the rear surface of the plate 30.

As shown in FIG. 4, the condenser filter 42 is configured such that a plurality of passage holes 42b are formed in proximity to each other over substantially the entire area of a thin plate member 42a made of metal such as stainless steel. The through holes 42 b are formed in, for example, a polygonal shape such as a hexagon or an octagon, or a round shape, and in the present embodiment, are formed in a regular hexagonal shape. The opening area of the passage hole 42b is, for example, 1 mm ² or less.

  Such a through hole 42 b is not formed by physical processing such as punching but is formed by chemical processing by being subjected to the following etching processing. That is, for example, the thin plate member 42a made of stainless steel or the like is subjected to an anticorrosion treatment by masking on the portion excluding the portion where the passage hole 42b is formed, and the thin plate member 42a subjected to the anticorrosion treatment is Unnecessary portions are removed by immersion in a liquid to form the passage holes 42b. Thereafter, the thin plate member 42a in which the passage holes 42b are formed is washed or the like to form the condenser filter 42.

  Such a showcase is provided with a cleaning button 60 in addition to the above configuration. The cleaning button 60 is provided at a predetermined site on the front of the apparatus body. When the cleaning button 60 is pressed, the built-in switch 60 a is turned on to provide an ON signal to the control unit 50.

  In the showcase having the above-described configuration, the control unit 50 gives a drive command to the compressor 22 to drive it, while giving a drive command to the circulation fan motor 15a to rotationally drive the circulation fan 15, further The air inside the storage case 11 in the air circulation means 12 is made to flow between the storage case 11 and the air passage 14 by giving a normal rotation drive command to the outside fan motor 41a to rotate the outside fan 41. By circulating the air and cooling the air passing through the air passage 14 by the evaporator 21, the internal atmosphere of the storage case 11 is cooled, and the products placed on the respective product placement shelves 13 have a desired temperature. It is cooled and held.

  Then, by the forward rotation of the fan 41 outside, outside air that has entered the machine room 10b from the ventilation holes 31 passes through the passage holes 42b of the filter 42 for the condenser and is sent out toward the rear. In addition, the filter for condenser 42 can promote the clogging of the condenser 23 by causing the dust filter contained in the outside air to adhere to itself.

  FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the contents of the attached substance removal control process performed by the control unit 50 shown in FIG.

  In the attached matter removal control process, the control unit 50 waits for the input of the on signal from the cleaning button 60 (step S101). When an operator such as a store employee inputs the ON signal given by pressing the cleaning button 60 (step S101: Yes), the control unit 50 instructs the external fan motor 41a to perform reverse rotation drive. And a rotation speed reduction command (step S102, step S103), and waits for the passage of a predetermined time (for example, 5 to 30 seconds) determined in advance (step S104).

  That is, the control unit 50 performs reverse rotation drive in a state where the number of rotations is reduced by, for example, 10 to 50%, as compared with the case where the external fan 41 is driven to rotate forward. As a result, the air around the condenser 23 is sent forward, and the air passes from the rear to the front through the passage hole 42b of the condenser filter 42, whereby the dust attached to the passage hole 42b is removed. It can be removed.

  If the predetermined time has passed (step S104: Yes), the control unit 50 sends a reverse rotation drive stop command to the external fan motor 41a (step S105), and then returns the procedure to execute the current process. finish.

  According to this, the dust attached to the condenser filter 42 can be removed only by driving the external fan 41 reversely for a predetermined time. Thereafter, the control unit 50 sends the normal rotation drive command and the rotation speed increase command to the external fan motor 41a again, whereby the operation of cooling the internal atmosphere of the storage case 11 can be continued.

  As described above, according to the showcase of the present embodiment, since the condenser filter 42 is configured by forming the plurality of passage holes 42b in the thin metal plate member 42a, the mesh as in the prior art It is possible to remove the dust attached more easily than the fibrous one having a structure, thereby shortening the time of the maintenance operation for removing the dust attached to the condenser filter 42. .

  Moreover, when the external fan 41 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction, the air around the condenser 23 is sent forward, so that the filter for the condenser can be driven only by rotating the external fan 41 for a predetermined time. The dust adhering to 42 can be removed. Therefore, the amount of air blown out forward from the ventilation holes 31 is also small, and there is no possibility that the customer of the store feels uncomfortable.

  In particular, in the case where the external fan 41 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction as in the case of the attached substance removal control process, the rotational speed of the external fan 41 is reduced compared to that during forward rotation. The wind speed of the blown-out air can be reduced, which also does not cause the store customer to feel uncomfortable.

  According to the above-described showcase, the ventilation holes 31 constituting the condenser filter 42 are formed by performing the etching process, and therefore, it is possible to form the sagging or the like at the opening edge of the ventilation holes 31. It is possible to prevent the attached dust and dirt easily.

  According to the above-mentioned showcase, when the cleaning button 60 is depressed, the external fan 41 is reversely driven for a predetermined time to remove dust attached to the condenser filter 42, so the internal atmosphere of the storage 11 It can be carried out even during the cooling operation to cool the

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made.

  In the embodiment described above, the external fan 41 provided on the rear side of the condenser 23 is reversely driven to remove dust attached to the condenser filter 42, but in the present invention, May be as follows.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the removal fan 70 is installed on the side (for example, the right) of the condenser filter 42, and when removing dust, the external fan 41 'is stopped by driving and removed. By driving the fan 70, dust attached to the condenser filter 42 may be removed. In this case, the external fan 41 'can be driven only in the forward rotation, and moreover, the dust can be prevented from scattering forward through the vent holes 31. Although FIG. 6 illustrates the case where the removal fan 70 is installed on the right side of the condenser filter 42, the removal fan may be installed on the left side of the condenser filter in the present invention, You may install in the upper part.

  In the embodiment described above, when the cleaning button 60 is pressed, the external fan 41 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction to remove dust attached to the condenser filter 42. However, according to the present invention, May be as follows.

  That is, according to a predetermined time schedule, the fan 41 may be driven to rotate in the reverse direction to remove dust and dust, or when performing a defrosting operation for removing the frost adhering to the evaporator 21. The fan 41 may be reversely driven to remove dust. Alternatively, when the internal temperature of the storage case 11 is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, or when the air volume of the external fan 41 driven to rotate forward is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, the external fan 41 is reversely driven. Dust may be removed.

  According to this, it is possible to perform maintenance work for removing dust without installing an input unit such as a cleaning button, and it is possible to suppress an increase in manufacturing cost due to an increase in the number of parts.

  Further, in the present invention, a human sensor is installed in the product storage device, and the external fan is reversely driven at a timing when the human sensor does not detect a person to remove dust attached to the condenser filter. You may

  According to this, when a person is in front of the main body of the apparatus, since the fan outside the storage is not driven to rotate in the reverse direction, it is possible to prevent the customer of the store from feeling unpleasant.

10 Case body (device body)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10a Storage chamber 10b Machine chamber 11 Storage 12 Air circulation means 13 Commodity mounting shelf 14 Air passage 15 Circulation fan 15a Circulation fan motor 16 Suction fan 17 Suction port 18 Front opening 20 Cooling unit 21 Evaporator 22 Compressor 23 Condenser 30 Kick plate 31 air vent 32 air vent area 41 external fan 41 a external fan motor 42 filter for condenser 42 a thin plate member 42 b through hole 50 control unit 60 cleaning button

Claims (5)

A condenser which is installed in a machine room inside the apparatus body and which constitutes a cooling unit for cooling the internal atmosphere of the storage compartment partitioned from the machine room;
A kick plate which is detachably disposed on the apparatus body in a manner to close the front opening of the machine room and in which a plurality of ventilating holes are formed;
An external fan installed in the machine room and sending outside air passing through the vent to the condenser when driven;
And a filter for a condenser disposed in the front area of the condenser and for suppressing clogging of the condenser, wherein the article storage device holds goods stored in the storage at a desired temperature state.
The product filter according to claim 1, wherein the condenser filter is configured by forming a plurality of passage holes in a thin metal plate member.   The external fan is capable of rotating in the forward and reverse directions, and when driving in the forward direction, the outside air passing through the vent is sent to the condenser while in the case of reverse driving, the periphery of the condenser is driven. The product storage device according to claim 1, wherein the air of the above is sent forward.   The product storage device according to claim 1, wherein the passage hole has a polygonal shape.   The product storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the passage hole is formed by performing an etching process on the thin plate member.   The commodity storage device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein when the reverse rotation drive is performed, the rotation speed of the external fan is reduced as compared to the case where the forward rotation drive is performed.

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