Cooling storage

Abstract

To provide a cooling storage capable of operating a blower surely in a situation where dew condensation easily occurs, without an operator operating the blower.SOLUTION: A cooling storage includes: a box body 11 having a storage chamber 12; a cooling device 14 for cooing the storage chamber 12; a blower 25 capable of blowing air along a surface 11B of the box body 11; and a control part 28 for controlling the operation of the blower 25. The control part 28 executes: determination processing for determining whether or not it is a situation where dew condensation easily occurs on the surface 11B; and blower operation processing for operating the blower 25, in the determination processing, in the case where the situation is determined to be the one where dew condensation easily occurs on the surface 11B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technology disclosed herein relates to cooling storage. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a cooling storage cabinet is known as described in the following Patent Document 1. The cooling storage cabinet described in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a blower (blower unit) capable of blowing air along the outer surface of a box (housing) that constitutes a storage chamber. This promotes heat exchange on the outer surface of the box, thereby preventing the temperature of the outer surface from dropping and causing condensation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-133722 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 describes that an operator visually checks whether condensation has occurred on the outer surface of the box body and operates the blower. However, in such a configuration, the operator needs to manually operate the blower, which increases the amount of work. Furthermore, when operating the blower manually, the operator must decide whether to operate the blower. For this reason, there is a concern that in a situation where condensation is likely to occur, the operator may make an incorrect decision and not operate the blower, or in a situation where condensation is unlikely to occur, the operator may operate the blower, resulting in wasting energy.

[0005] The technology disclosed in this specification was developed based on the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a refrigerated storage facility that can reliably operate a blower in situations where condensation is likely to occur, without the need for an operator to operate the blower. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] As a means for solving the above problems, the cooling storage cabinet disclosed in this specification comprises a box body having a storage chamber, a cooling device for cooling the storage chamber, a blower capable of blowing air along the outer surface of the box body, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the blower, and is characterized in that the control unit executes a determination process for determining whether or not a situation exists in which condensation is likely to occur on the outer surface, and a blower operation process for operating the blower when it is determined in the determination process that a situation exists in which condensation is likely to occur on the outer surface.

[0007] The control unit may also be provided with an outer surface temperature sensor capable of measuring the temperature of the outer surface, and an ambient temperature sensor capable of measuring the ambient temperature of the box body, and may be configured to determine in the determination process that a situation exists in which condensation is likely to occur on the outer surface when the difference between the ambient temperature and the temperature of the outer surface becomes greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

[0008] The device may also be provided with a timing unit that measures the current time, and the control unit may be configured to determine in the judgment process that a situation exists in which condensation is likely to occur on the outer surface when the current time reaches a predetermined time.

[0009] In addition, the cooling device may be equipped with a compressor that compresses a refrigerant, and the control unit may determine in the determination process that when the compressor is operating, a situation exists in which condensation is likely to occur on the outer surface.

[0010] The storage unit may also be provided with an internal temperature sensor capable of measuring the temperature inside the storage chamber, and an ambient temperature sensor capable of measuring the ambient temperature of the box body, and the control unit may be configured to determine in the determination process that a situation exists in which condensation is likely to occur on the outer surface when the difference between the ambient temperature and the temperature inside the storage chamber becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0011] The box may also be provided with an outer surface temperature sensor capable of measuring the temperature of the outer surface, and an ambient temperature sensor capable of measuring the ambient temperature of the box, and the control unit may execute a dew point calculation process that calculates a dew point using the Tetens (1930) equation based on the ambient temperature and a predetermined relative humidity, and further, the control unit may be configured to determine in the determination process that a situation exists in which condensation is likely to occur on the outer surface when the temperature of the outer surface falls below the dew point.

[0012] The storage unit may also be provided with an internal temperature sensor capable of measuring the temperature inside the storage chamber, and an ambient temperature sensor capable of measuring the ambient temperature of the box body, and the control unit may execute an external surface temperature calculation process that calculates the temperature of the external surface based on the ambient temperature and the temperature inside the storage chamber, and the control unit may determine in the determination process that a situation exists in which condensation is likely to occur on the external surface when the temperature of the external surface falls below a predetermined value. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, a cooling storage facility can be provided that can reliably operate a blower in conditions where condensation is likely to occur, without an operator having to operate the blower. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cooling storage unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] Front view of the cooling storage unit seen from the heat-insulating door 13 side [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of the cooling storage unit as seen from the side wall portion 11A side (corresponding to a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2). [Figure 4] Block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the cooling storage [Diagram 5] Flowchart showing the process of the control unit [Figure 6] A timing chart showing an example of the operation of the blower according to condition (1). [Figure 7]A timing chart showing an example of the operation of the blower and the compressor according to the condition (3). [Figure 8] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a side wall portion [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a side view showing a cooling storage unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 11 is a timing chart showing an example of an operation of a blower according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] <Embodiment 1> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 7. In this embodiment, a prefabricated cooling storage 10 is exemplified as a cooling storage. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the cooling storage 10 includes a box body 11 having a storage chamber 12, a cooling device 14 for cooling the storage chamber 12, a blower 25 capable of blowing air along the outer surface of the box body 11, a clock unit 26 for clocking the current time, a memory unit 27, a control unit 28 for controlling the operation of the blower, an outer surface temperature sensor 29 capable of measuring the temperature of the outer surface of the box body 11, an ambient temperature sensor 30 capable of measuring the ambient temperature of the box body 11, and an internal temperature sensor 31 capable of measuring the temperature inside the storage chamber 12.

[0016] The box 11 is constructed by assembling a number of insulating panels into a square box shape, and its interior is a storage chamber 12 capable of accommodating stored items. An entrance (not shown) through which stored items can be put in and taken out is formed in the front of the box 11, and a single-leaf insulating door 13 is attached to cover the entrance.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 1, the cooling device 14 includes an indoor unit 15, an outdoor unit 16, and a refrigerant pipe 17. As shown in Fig. 2, the indoor unit 15 is installed on the ceiling 12A of the storage room 12, and includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 18, and a cooler 21 and an internal fan 22 arranged inside the casing 18. As shown in Fig. 1, the outdoor unit 16 is installed outside the box body 11, and includes a compressor 24 and an air-cooled condenser (not shown). The refrigerant pipe 17 is disposed between the indoor unit 15 and the outdoor unit 16, and connects the cooler 21 and the compressor 24 in a circulating manner.

[0018] In the cooling device 14, a refrigeration cycle is formed by circulatingly connecting a compressor 24, a condenser, a capillary tube (not shown), and a cooler 21 in this order through refrigerant piping 17. This makes it possible to generate a cooling effect by compressing the refrigerant in the refrigerant piping 17 in the compressor 24, dissipating heat in the condenser, and evaporating it in the cooler 21.

[0019] The air in the storage chamber 12 is sucked into the casing 18 by the interior fan 22, the air is cooled by heat exchange in the cooler 21, and then blown out into the storage chamber 12, thereby circulating and supplying the cooled interior air to the storage chamber 12. An interior temperature sensor 31 is disposed near the suction port in the casing 18.

[0020] The blower 25 is composed of, for example, a plurality of (for example, two) blower fans, and is housed in a casing 33 installed outside the box 11 as shown in Fig. 3. The casing 33 has an inlet 33A (not shown in Figs. 1 and 2) for taking in air and an outlet 33B for sending out air. The blower 25 is disposed adjacent to a side wall 11A constituting the box 11, and is capable of blowing air along a surface 11B of the side wall 11A (the outer surface of the box 11).

[0021] Control unit 28 is mainly composed of a CPU, for example, and storage unit 27 is composed of a ROM, a RAM, etc. As shown in Fig. 4, storage unit 27, compressor 24, internal fan 22, blower 25, timer unit 26, external surface temperature sensor 29, ambient temperature sensor 30, and internal temperature sensor 31 are electrically connected to control unit 28. Control unit 28 executes a program stored in storage unit 27 to control each device (compressor 24, internal fan 22, blower 25) electrically connected to control unit 28.

[0022] The timekeeping unit 26 is, for example, an all-day timer. The outer surface temperature sensor 29 is provided on the surface 11B of the side wall 11A as shown in Fig. 3, and is capable of measuring the surface temperature of the side wall 11A. The ambient temperature sensor 30 is disposed at a distance from the box 11, and is capable of measuring the ambient temperature of the box 11.

[0023] Next, the processing of the control unit 28 will be described. The control unit 28 executes a determination process (step S12 in FIG. 5) for determining whether or not the surface 11B (outer surface) of the side wall 11A is in a state where condensation is likely to occur, and a blower operation process (step S14 in FIG. 5) for operating the blower 25 when it is determined in the determination process that the surface 11B of the side wall 11A is in a state where condensation is likely to occur ("YES" in step S13 in FIG. 5). In relation to the above determination process, the control unit 28 also executes a dew point calculation process (step S11 in FIG. 5) for calculating a dew point using the Tetens (1930) equation based on the ambient temperature and a preset relative humidity.

[0024] (Determination process and fan operation process) When any of the following conditions (1) to (5) is satisfied in the determination process, the control unit 28 determines that a situation is such that condensation is likely to occur on the surface 11B of the side wall portion 11A, and executes a blower operation process to operate the blower 25. Condition (1): When the difference between the ambient temperature and the surface temperature (outer surface temperature) of the side wall portion 11A becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Condition (2) When the current time becomes a specified time Condition (3) When the compressor is operating Condition (4) When the difference between the ambient temperature and the temperature inside the storage room exceeds a specified value. Condition (5): When the surface temperature of the side wall portion 11A becomes lower than the dew point

[0025] Condition (1) 6, when the difference between the ambient temperature T1 measured by the ambient temperature sensor 30 and the surface temperature T2 of the side wall portion 11A measured by the outer surface temperature sensor 29 becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value t1, the control unit 28 determines that the surface 11B is in a state in which condensation is likely to occur, and operates the blower 25. When the difference between the ambient temperature T1 and the surface temperature T2 becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value t2, the control unit 28 stops the blower 25.

[0026] Condition (2) When the current time measured by timing unit 26 reaches a predetermined time, control unit 28 determines that a situation is favorable for condensation to occur on surface 11B and operates blower 25, and thereafter, when the current time reaches the predetermined time, control unit 28 stops blower 25. In other words, control unit 28 operates blower 25 during a predetermined time period.

[0027] Condition (3) As shown in FIG. 7, when the compressor 24 is operating, the control unit 28 determines that the situation is such that condensation is likely to occur on the surface 11B, and operates the blower 25. Also, when the compressor 24 is stopped, the control unit 28 stops the blower 25. Note that, when the temperature inside the storage chamber 12 (inside temperature T3) measured by the inside temperature sensor 31 becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the control unit 28 operates the compressor 24 and the inside fan 22 to cool the storage chamber 12, and when the inside temperature T3 becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the control unit 28 executes a cooling operation to stop the compressor 24 and the inside fan 22. As a result, the temperature T3 inside the storage chamber 12 is maintained near the set temperature T4. Note that the surface temperature T2 of the side wall portion 11A gradually follows the increase and decrease in the inside temperature T3. For this reason, when the compressor 24 operates, the surface temperature T2 decreases as shown in FIG. 7, and the situation becomes such that condensation is likely to occur on the surface 11B.

[0028] Condition(4) When the difference between the ambient temperature T1 measured by the ambient temperature sensor 30 and the internal temperature T3 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value t3, the control unit 28 determines that the surface 11B is in a state where condensation is likely to occur, and operates the blower 25. When the difference between the ambient temperature T1 and the internal temperature T3 is less than a predetermined value t4, the control unit 28 stops the blower 25. The predetermined value t4 is set to the same value as the predetermined value t3, but may be set to a value smaller than the predetermined value t3.

[0029] Condition (5) When the surface temperature T2 of the side wall 11A measured by the outer surface temperature sensor 29 becomes equal to or lower than the dew point Td, the control unit 28 determines that the surface 11B is in a state where condensation is likely to occur, and operates the blower 25. When the surface temperature T2 becomes higher than the dew point Td, the control unit 28 stops the blower 25.

[0030] (Dew point calculation process) Before the determination process, the control unit 28 executes a dew point calculation process to calculate the dew point Td. The control unit 28 calculates the dew point Td using the formulas (1) to (3) of Tetens (1930). Td = (237.3 × log 10 (6.1078 / e)) / (log 10 (e / 6.1078)-7.5)...Equation (1) e=e s ×RH / 100...Equation (2) e s =6.1078×10 (7.5×T1) / (T1+237.3) ...Equation (3) In the above formulas (1) to (3), e: Water vapor pressure of air at relative humidity RH [hPa] e s : Saturated water vapor pressure [hPa] RH: Pre-set relative humidity (any relative humidity that does not allow condensation) [%] T1: Ambient temperature measured by the ambient temperature sensor 30 [°C] It is.

[0031] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. According to this embodiment, when control unit 28 determines that the situation is such that condensation is likely to occur, blower 25 operates, thereby making it possible to prevent air from stagnating near surface 11B (outer surface) of side wall 11A of box body 11, and to prevent condensation from occurring on surface 11B. This allows blower 25 to be operated reliably in a situation where condensation is likely to occur, without the worker having to operate blower 25.

[0032] Furthermore, in the determination process, when the difference between the ambient temperature T1 and the temperature T2 of the surface 11B is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the control unit 28 determines that the situation is such that condensation is likely to occur on the surface 11B. The greater the difference between the ambient temperature T1 and the temperature T2 of the surface 11B, the more likely condensation is to occur on the surface 11B. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the situation is such that condensation is likely to occur on the surface 11B based on the temperature T2 of the surface 11B and the ambient temperature T1.

[0033] Furthermore, in the determination process, when the current time reaches a predetermined time, control unit 28 determines that the situation is such that condensation is likely to occur on surface 11B. By providing timer unit 26, blower 25 can be operated during a time period when condensation is likely to occur (for example, at night when air conditioning is stopped in the area where cooling storage facility 10 is installed).

[0034] Furthermore, in the determination process, when the compressor 24 is operating, the control unit 28 determines that the situation is such that condensation is likely to occur on the surface 11B. When the cooling device 14 is operating, the temperature of the storage chamber 12 drops, and as a result, the temperature of the surface 11B of the box body 11 is likely to drop. For this reason, it is possible to determine whether the situation is such that condensation is likely to occur on the surface 11B based on the operating status of the compressor 24.

[0035] Furthermore, in the determination process, control unit 28 determines that a situation in which condensation is likely to occur on surface 11B occurs when the difference between ambient temperature T1 and temperature T3 inside storage chamber 12 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The lower the temperature inside storage chamber 12, the lower the temperature of surface 11B. And the greater the difference between ambient temperature T1 and temperature T2 of surface 11B, the more likely condensation occurs on surface 11B. For this reason, it is possible to determine whether or not a situation in which condensation is likely to occur on surface 11B occurs is based on the temperature inside storage chamber 12 and the ambient temperature.

[0036] Furthermore, in the determination process, when the temperature T2 of the surface 11B is equal to or lower than the dew point Td, the control unit 28 determines that the surface 11B is in a state where condensation is likely to occur. By comparing the temperature T2 of the surface 11B with the dew point Td, it is possible to determine whether the surface 11B is in a state where condensation is likely to occur. Furthermore, by calculating the dew point Td using the Tetens (1930) equation, it is possible to calculate the dew point Td without using a humidity sensor.

[0037] <Embodiment 2> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The same parts as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. This embodiment differs from the above embodiment in that it does not include an outer surface temperature sensor 29, and the control unit 28 executes an outer surface temperature calculation process.

[0038] (External surface temperature calculation process) The control unit 28 calculates the temperature T6 (external surface temperature) of the surface 11B based on the ambient temperature T1 and the inside temperature T3 (the temperature inside the storage chamber 12). Specifically, as shown in Fig. 8, when the side wall portion 11A is composed of an outer surface material 41, a heat insulating material 43, and an inner surface material 42, the control unit 28 calculates the temperature T6 using formulas (4) and (8).

[0039] The amount of heat transferred Q1 from the periphery to the outer surface in area A can be expressed by formula (5), and the amount of heat transferred Q2 from the periphery to the interior of area A can be expressed by formula (6). Since Q1=Q2, the following formula (7) can be obtained, and formula (8) can be obtained by modifying formula (7).

number

number

[0040] Then, in the determination process, when the calculated temperature T6 becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined value t7, the control unit 28 determines that the situation is such that condensation is likely to occur on the surface 11B, and executes a blower operation process to operate the blower 25. Also, when the temperature T6 exceeds the predetermined value t7, the blower 25 is stopped. When the temperature of the surface 11B becomes low, condensation is likely to occur. Therefore, when the temperature of the surface 11B becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined value, it can be determined that the situation is such that condensation is likely to occur on the surface 11B. Also, in this embodiment, the temperature T6 of the surface 11B is calculated based on the ambient temperature T1 and the temperature T3 in the storage chamber 12, so that it is not necessary to provide a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the surface 11B, and costs can be reduced.

[0041] In addition, in the judgment process, when the calculated temperature T6 becomes equal to or lower than the dew point Td, the control unit 28 may judge that a situation exists in which condensation is likely to occur on the surface 11B and execute a blower operation process to operate the blower 25, and may stop the blower 25 when the temperature T6 exceeds the dew point Td.

[0042] <Embodiment 3> Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 9 and 10. The same parts as those in the above-mentioned embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. This embodiment is different from the above-mentioned embodiment in that a humidity sensor is provided, and control unit 28 executes processing referring to the measurement value by the humidity sensor.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 10, when humidity W1 near sidewall 11A measured by humidity sensor 210 (see Fig. 9) provided on sidewall 11A becomes equal to or greater than predetermined value t5, control unit 28 determines that the situation is such that condensation is likely to occur on surface 11B, and operates blower 25. When humidity W1 becomes less than predetermined value t6, control unit 28 stops blower 25. The higher humidity W1 near sidewall 11A, the more likely condensation is to occur on surface 11B. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the situation is such that condensation is likely to occur on surface 11B based on humidity W1.

[0044] Further, the control unit 28 calculates the dew point Td1 from the humidity W1 and the ambient temperature T1, determines that the situation is such that condensation is likely to occur on the surface 11B when the temperature T2 of the surface 11B becomes equal to or lower than the dew point Td1, and operates the blower 25. Further, when the temperature T2 exceeds the dew point Td1, the blower 25 is stopped. By comparing the temperature T2 of the surface 11B with the dew point Td1, it is possible to determine whether or not the situation is such that condensation is likely to occur on the surface 11B. Note that the control unit 28 may operate the blower 25 when the surface temperature T2 becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined value t10 (dew point Td1 + predetermined value X1) set based on the dew point Td1, and may stop the blower 25 when the surface temperature T2 exceeds a predetermined value t11 (dew point Td1 + predetermined value X2, provided that t11 < t10) set based on the dew point Td1.

[0045] <Other Embodiments> The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope. (1) In the above embodiment, the prefabricated cooling storage 10 is exemplified as the cooling storage, but it is not limited to the prefabricated type. Note that the prefabricated cooling storage 10 is often installed in a place where it is easily affected by outside air, such as outside a building, and since the ambient temperature easily changes, condensation is likely to occur. For this reason, it is more preferable for the prefabricated cooling storage 10 to have the configuration of the above embodiment. (2) The installation location of the blower 25 may be other than the side wall portion 11A. For example, the blower 25 may be installed on the upper surface of the ceiling or the lower surface of the floor that constitutes the box body 11. (3) In the above embodiment 1, those using the conditions (1) to (5) in the determination process are exemplified, but in order to simplify the determination process, only one of the conditions (1) to (5) may be used, or two or more conditions may be selected and used. For example, only the conditions (2) and (3) may be used. Further, the dew point calculation process is executed when the condition (5) is used in the determination process, and is unnecessary when the condition (5) is not used.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0046] 10... cooling storage, 11... box, 11B... surface (outer surface of box), 12... storage chamber, 14... cooling device, 24... compressor, 25... blower, 26... timing unit, 28... control unit, 29... outer surface temperature sensor, 30... ambient temperature sensor, 31... internal temperature sensor

Claims

1. A box having a storage chamber; A cooling device for cooling the storage chamber; A blower capable of blowing air along an outer surface of the box body; A control unit for controlling the operation of the blower, The control unit is A determination process for determining whether or not a situation is present in which condensation is likely to occur on the outer surface; and executing a blower operation process to operate the blower when it is determined in the determination process that a condition exists in which condensation is likely to occur on the outer surface.

2. An outer surface temperature sensor capable of measuring the temperature of the outer surface; An ambient temperature sensor capable of measuring the ambient temperature of the box body, The cooling storage facility according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines in the determination process that a situation in which condensation is likely to occur on the outer surface occurs when a difference between the ambient temperature and the temperature of the outer surface becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

3. Equipped with a clock unit that keeps track of the current time, The cooling storage facility according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit, in the determination process, determines that a situation in which condensation is likely to occur on the outer surface occurs when the current time reaches a predetermined time.

4. The cooling device includes a compressor that compresses a refrigerant, The cooling storage facility according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit, in the determination process, determines that a situation in which condensation is likely to occur on the outer surface is present when the compressor is operating.

5. An internal temperature sensor capable of measuring a temperature inside the storage chamber; An ambient temperature sensor capable of measuring the ambient temperature of the box body, The cooling storage facility described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the control unit determines in the judgment process that a situation in which condensation is likely to occur on the outer surface exists when the difference between the ambient temperature and the temperature inside the storage chamber becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

6. An outer surface temperature sensor capable of measuring the temperature of the outer surface; An ambient temperature sensor capable of measuring the ambient temperature of the box body, The control unit executes a dew point calculation process to calculate a dew point using the Tetens (1930) equation based on the ambient temperature and a preset relative humidity, The cooling storage facility according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: the control unit determining, in the determination process, that a situation in which condensation is likely to occur on the outer surface occurs when the temperature of the outer surface becomes equal to or lower than the dew point.

7. An internal temperature sensor capable of measuring a temperature inside the storage chamber; An ambient temperature sensor capable of measuring the ambient temperature of the box body, The control unit executes an outer surface temperature calculation process to calculate a temperature of the outer surface based on the ambient temperature and the temperature inside the storage chamber; The cooling storage facility according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit determines that a situation in which condensation is likely to occur on the outer surface is present when the temperature of the outer surface is equal to or lower than a predetermined value in the determination process.

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