Refrigeration storage facility

Abstract

To provide a refrigeration storage facility capable of suppressing a temperature rise in a storage space during a defrosting operation to the extent possible by using one cooling air generator.SOLUTION: A control section 6 determines an operating time and an operating time interval of a defrosting operation so as not to raise a temperature in a storage space to a predetermined temperature or higher even when heating air flowing from a cooling air generator 3 into a cooling air passage 7 during the defrosting operation flows into the storage space S through a plurality of through holes 8A, 8B. As a result, even when one cooling air generator is used, a situation where the temperature in the storage space S is unacceptably largely raised during the defrosting operation can be inhibited.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerated storage facility that supplies chilled air to the interior of a storage facility. [Background technology]

[0002] In the invention of Patent Document 1, a plurality of through holes are formed in a partition plate provided under the top plate of a container serving as a storage facility, and cooled air flows through a passage formed between the top plate and the partition plate, and the cooled air is supplied into the storage facility from the plurality of through holes formed in the partition plate. Also, in the invention shown in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 6-28580 (Patent Document 2), cooled air is supplied into the storage facility from the top and bottom.

[0003] Although not described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the cooled air generator that generates cooled air has the functions of a cooling operation that generates cooled air to be supplied to the inside of the storage facility, and a defrosting operation that removes frost by heating the area where frost forms when the cooled air passes through while the cooling operation is stopped. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 2620559 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 6-28580 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] If the heated air flowing from the cooled air generator into the cooled air passage during defrosting operation flows into the storage space, the temperature of the storage space formed between the partition plate and the bottom plate of the storage cabinet will rise in a relatively short time, which may affect the stored items. To solve this problem, in practice, at least two cooled air generators are provided, and when one cooled air generator is performing defrosting operation, the other cooled air generator is performing cooling operation to suppress the temperature rise in the storage space.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerated storage facility that can suppress the temperature rise in the storage space during defrosting operation as much as possible using a single cooled air generator.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide a constant temperature and humidity refrigerated storage facility that can be manufactured inexpensively using general-purpose equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The refrigerated storage facility of the present invention includes a storage compartment having a top plate, a bottom plate, and four side walls located between the top plate and the bottom plate; a cooled air generator that performs a cooling operation to generate cooled air to be supplied to the storage compartment; and a defrosting operation that removes frost by heating areas where frost forms as the cooled air passes through while the cooling operation is stopped. A partition plate is spaced apart from the top plate to form a cooled air passage through which the cooled air is guided. A blower system for directing the cooled air through the cooled air passage is also included. The controller controls the cooled air generator and the blower system. The partition plate has a plurality of through-holes that allow the cooled air to flow into the storage space formed between the partition plate and the bottom plate. In the present invention, the cooled air generator is located at one end of the cooled air passage within the storage compartment. The controller also operates the blower system only during the cooling operation. Of course, a separate blower system may be omitted and the blower built into the cooled air generator may also be used as the blower system.

[0009] In one aspect of the present invention, the operating time and operating time interval of the defrosting operation in the control unit are determined so that when heated air flowing from the cooling air generator into the cooling air passage during defrosting operation flows into the storage space through multiple through holes, the temperature in the storage space does not rise more than the temperature change allowable for the items stored in the storage space.

[0010] With this configuration, heated air generated during defrosting begins to accumulate in the upper region of the cooling air passage and gradually increases toward the partition plate. Ideally, stopping the defrosting operation and restarting the cooling operation before the heated air fills the cooling air passage would prevent heated air from flowing into the storage space through the multiple through-holes formed in the partition plate during defrosting. However, doing so may prevent the defrosting operation from being performed for a sufficient period of time. The temperature rise in the storage space occurs when some of the heated air flows into the storage space through the through-holes. However, this does not pose a practical problem as long as the temperature rise in the storage space does not exceed the temperature change allowable for the stored items. Therefore, to ensure a sufficient defrosting time, the present invention specifies the defrosting operation duration and operation interval so that the temperature rise in the storage space does not exceed the temperature change allowable for the stored items when heated air flowing from the cooling air generator into the cooling air passage during defrosting operation flows into the storage space through the multiple through-holes. This prevents the temperature in the storage space from rising unacceptably high during defrosting operation, ensuring the required defrosting operation time.

[0011] The temperature rise in the storage space may be measured by installing a temperature sensor in the storage space, but if a prior test is conducted to measure the relationship between the defrosting operation time and operation time interval and the temperature rise in the storage space, it is possible to set the defrosting operation time and operation time interval to fixed values ​​without measuring the temperature of the storage space every time. The fact that the defrosting operation time and operation time interval can be set to fixed values ​​is also supported by the fact that when the correlation between the external temperature and the internal temperature of the storage facility was actually measured, it was found that there was no correlation between the external temperature and the internal temperature of the storage facility.

[0012] In a second aspect of the present invention, the volume of the cooling air passage and the operating time and operating time interval of the defrosting operation in the control unit are determined so that the temperature in the storage space does not increase by more than the temperature change allowable for the items stored in the storage space when heated air flowing from the cooling air generator into the cooling air passage flows into the storage space through the multiple through-holes during defrosting operation. The volume of the cooling air passage can be easily changed by adjusting the position of the partition plate, as long as the partition plate is supported so that its position can be adjusted in the vertical direction. Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the temperature increase in the storage space can be controlled by adjusting the volume of the cooling air passage and the operating time and operating time interval of the defrosting operation in the control unit. When the stored items are fresh flowers, the storer's desired allowable temperature change is 2 degrees. In this case, it is preferable that the defrosting operation time when the temperature in the storage space is 1 degree or less be 15 minutes or less, and that the operation time interval be 4 hours or less.

[0013] If the storage facility is further equipped with a humidifier that generates steam to be supplied to the interior of the storage facility, the control unit has a function of controlling the humidifier so that it does not generate steam during defrosting operation, thereby preventing condensation from occurring during defrosting operation and after the defrosting operation has stopped.

[0014] It is preferable that the inner wall portions of at least one pair of opposing side walls among the four side walls are configured to introduce steam-laden cooling air from the cooling air passage into the storage space. This reduces variations in temperature and humidity within the storage space. However, if the arrangement of the opening and closing doors and the arrangement of the equipment permits, side walls other than the pair of side walls may also be configured to introduce steam-laden cooling air from the cooling air passage into the storage space.

[0015] Various structures are conceivable as specific structures of the inner wall portions of at least a pair of opposing side walls. For example, the inner wall portions may be formed with a plurality of vertically extending protrusions and a plurality of vertically extending recesses alternately arranged in a width direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, and the cooling air passages may be connected to the plurality of recesses so that the steam-containing cooling air flows from the cooling air passages into the plurality of recesses. In this way, the steam-containing cooling air can flow from above the plurality of recesses to below the plurality of recesses.

[0016] In addition, the inner wall portion may be configured such that a plurality of vertically extending ridges and a plurality of grooves are alternately formed in the width direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, and the plurality of ridges are provided with a cavity extending in the vertical direction and a plurality of through holes connecting the cavity to the storage space. In this way, the steam-containing cooling air flows out from the through holes formed in the plurality of ridges, so that the steam-containing cooling air can be reliably introduced into the storage space from top to bottom along the side wall.

[0017] When a door is provided on at least one of the four side walls, the partition plate is preferably provided with an outlet for ejecting steam-containing cooling air so as to form an air curtain along the opening covered by the door, thereby suppressing changes in temperature and humidity due to the intrusion of outside air when the door is opened.

[0018] The control unit preferably controls the air blowing equipment so that, in response to the opening of the door, the air blowing volume of the air blowing equipment becomes larger than the steady air blowing volume when the door is closed, and when the door is closed, the large air blowing volume returns to the steady air blowing volume. With the control unit configured in this way, the air curtain can be formed at an appropriate time, further suppressing changes in temperature and humidity caused by the entry of outside air when the door is opened.

[0019] The cooled air generator, humidifier, and air blower may each be configured using general-purpose equipment. In this case, the control unit preferably includes an on / off signal generating unit that generates on / off signals for the cooled air generator, humidifier, and air blower to control the temperature and humidity in the storage space. The on / off signal generating unit preferably not only turns each piece of equipment on and off, but also controls the amount of cooled air generated, the amount of steam, the amount of air blown, etc., in stages. By configuring the control unit in this way, the cooled air generator, humidifier, and air blower can be controlled using inexpensive general-purpose equipment and a simple control unit, without using custom-made equipment.

[0020] The storage may be a container, which allows for easy transport of the refrigerated storage equipment.

[0021] When the stored items are perishable goods, one or more freshness preservation devices may be placed in the storage space of the storehouse to generate an AC electric field in the storage space and apply the AC electric field to the perishable goods to preserve their freshness. For example, the freshness preservation device described in Japanese Patent No. 6366882 can be used as such a freshness preservation device. By using a freshness preservation device in combination, the shelf life of perishable goods stored in a refrigerated storage facility can be further extended compared to conventional methods. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a first embodiment of a refrigerated storage facility of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the inner wall of the storage facility. [Figure 3]FIG. 4 is a diagram showing measurement data of temperature and humidity as an example of an experiment for confirming the effect of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the results of an experiment to confirm whether there is a correlation between the temperature outside the storage facility and the temperature inside the storage facility. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] An example of an embodiment of a refrigerated storage facility of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a first embodiment of a refrigerated storage facility according to the first aspect of the present invention. Refrigerated storage facility 1 of this embodiment includes a storage facility 2, a cooled air generator 3, a humidifier 4, a ventilation system 5, and a control unit 6. The storage facility 2 used in this embodiment is a stationary storage facility used as a cold storage warehouse with an insulated structure having a top plate 2A, a bottom plate 2B, and four side walls 2Ca to 2Cd (2Cd is the side wall opposite 2Cb and is not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) located between the top plate 2A and the bottom plate 2B. Side wall 2Ca is provided with an opening / closing door 11. The top plate 2A of storage facility 2 has a long side length of 4 m, a short side length of 4 m, and the height of side walls 2Ca to 2Cd is 2 m 74 cm.

[0024] The cooled air generator 3 generates cooled air to be supplied to the inside of the storage facility 2, and is composed of a general-purpose low-temperature device including a refrigerator (indoor unit) 3A arranged inside the storage facility 2 and an outdoor unit 3B arranged outside the storage facility 2. In this embodiment, an air intake 3C to the refrigerator 3A is arranged in the bottom area of ​​the storage facility 2. The cooled air generator 3 has the functions of performing a cooling operation to generate cooled air to be supplied to the inside of the storage facility 2, and a defrosting operation to remove frost by heating parts where frost forms when the cooled air passes through while the cooling operation is stopped.

[0025] The humidifying device 4 includes a humidifier 4A that generates steam to be supplied to the inside of the storage room 2, and a water purifier 4B that purifies tap water and supplies pure water to the humidifier 4A. The air blowing equipment 5 in this embodiment is composed of an axial flow fan 5A that is used in addition to the air blowing fan installed inside the refrigerator 3A. The control unit 6 controls the cooled air generator 3, the humidifier 4A, and the air blowing equipment 5. Of course, the air blowing fan installed inside the refrigerator 3A may also be used as the air blowing equipment.

[0026] The storage cabinet 2 also includes a partition plate 8 spaced apart from the top plate 2A and forming a cooling air passage 7 for guiding cooling air and steam-containing cooling air. In this embodiment, the distance between the partition plate 8 and the inner wall surface of the top plate 2A is 20 cm. A vertically extending partition wall 9 with a heat-insulating structure is disposed between one end of the partition plate 8 at the rear and the bottom plate 2B. An inclined partition plate 10 is provided between the upper end of the partition wall 9 and the side wall 2Cc. A storage space S for storing fresh produce is formed between the partition wall 9, the inclined partition plate 10, and the side wall 2Ca. A spare compartment SS, in which an air intake 3C for the refrigerator is located, is also formed between the partition wall 9 and the side wall 2Cc. The spare compartment SS and the storage space S are connected by a vent (not shown) with a small opening area that does not substantially affect the temperature of the storage space S. Therefore, the outside air entering the refrigerator 3A is partially mixed with the air in the storage space S through the intake port 3C, thereby achieving energy conservation in the refrigerator 3A.

[0027] 1, the partition wall 9 is shown quite far away from the side wall 2Cc, but the partition wall 9 is intended to ensure the necessary cool air for the refrigerator intake 3C, and is actually located close to the side wall 2Cc, with most of the inclined partition plate 10 existing above the storage space S. Therefore, the actual volume of the spare room SS is quite small.

[0028] The partition plate 8 is formed with a plurality of through holes 8A that allow steam-containing cooling air to flow into the storage space S formed between the partition plate 8, the bottom plate 2B, the side wall 2Ca, and the partition wall 9. The partition plate 8 also has elongated through holes 8B for generating an air curtain formed in the vicinity of the side wall 2Ca. The partition plate 8 used in this embodiment may be a so-called commercially available punched metal or a resin plate with holes. The circular through holes 8A have a diameter of 2 cm and a width of 1 m. 2 The air curtain has a structure in which 81 through-holes 8B are opened at equal intervals. The long and narrow through-holes 8B for generating the air curtain have a long and narrow shape with a width of 3 cm and a length of 120 cm.

[0029] Ideally, the volume of the cooling air passage 7 and the operation time and operation interval of the defrosting operation are preferably determined so that heated air flowing from the cooling air generator into the cooling air passage 7 during defrosting operation does not substantially flow into the storage space S through the multiple through-holes 8A and 8B. However, it is difficult to control the defrosting operation so that the heated air stops just before the cooling air passage 7 is filled with heated air. The temperature rise in the storage space S occurs when heated air flows into the storage space through the through-holes 8A and 8B, but this is acceptable as long as it is within a certain temperature range acceptable for the stored items. Therefore, in the present invention, the operation time and operation interval of the defrosting operation are determined so that the temperature of the storage space S does not rise above a certain allowable temperature even if heated air flowing from the cooling air generator 3 into the cooling air passage 7 during defrosting operation flows into the storage space S through the multiple through-holes 8A. This prevents the temperature in the storage space S from rising significantly during defrosting operation. When the cooling operation is resumed after the defrosting operation is stopped, the heated air accumulated in the cooled air passage 7 is mixed with the cooled air from the cooled air generator 3 and enters the storage space S. Therefore, fresh produce stored in the storage space S is less likely to be affected by the heated air. As a result, according to the present invention, even when one cooled air generator 3 is used, it is possible to suppress the temperature rise in the storage space during the defrosting operation as much as possible. The settings for the cooling operation and the defrosting operation are executed by the control unit 6.

[0030] In this embodiment, the inner wall portions of at least one pair of opposing side walls 2Cb and 2Cd (side wall 2Cd is the side wall opposite to 2Cb and is not shown in FIG. 1 ) among the four side walls 2Ca to 2Cd of the storage facility 2 are configured to introduce steam-containing cooling air from the cooling air passage 7 into the storage space S. Various specific structures are conceivable for the inner wall portions 2D of at least one pair of opposing side walls 2Cb and 2Cd. For example, as shown in FIG. 2 , the inner wall portion 2D may be formed with multiple vertically extending convex ridges 2Da and multiple vertically extending concave ridges 2Db alternately arranged in a width direction W perpendicular to the vertical direction, and the cooling air passages 7 and the multiple concave ridges 2Db may be connected to each other so that steam-containing cooling air flows from the cooling air passages 7 into the multiple concave ridges 2Db. In this example, the contour shape of the partition plate 8 can be small so that the upper end openings of the multiple concave ridges 2Db are connected to the cooling air passages 7. In this way, steam-containing cooling air can flow from above to below the multiple grooves 2Db along the grooves 2Db. With this structure, even if the stored items are placed in the storage space S so that they come into contact with the multiple protrusions 2Da, cooling air can flow into the storage space S through the multiple grooves 2Db.

[0031] In this embodiment, the plurality of ridge portions 2Da are further configured to have a cavity Cr extending in the vertical direction and a plurality of through holes Th connecting the cavity Cr with the storage space S. In this way, steam-containing cooling air also flows out from the through holes Th formed in the plurality of ridge portions 2Da, so that steam-containing cooling air can be reliably introduced into the storage space from top to bottom along the side wall 2Cb (2Cd, not shown). The plurality of through holes Th have a diameter of 2 cm and are formed at intervals of 10 cm in the vertical direction. Of course, the through holes Th do not have to be formed in the ridge portions 2Da.

[0032] It is preferable that the temperature and humidity distributions created in the storage space S by the steam-containing cooled air flowing into the storage space S from the through holes 8A and 8B provided in the partition plate 8 are as close as possible to the central and bottom regions of the storage space and the surrounding regions therearound. In this embodiment, if the steam-containing cooled air introduced into the storage space S is also introduced into the storage space S from the inner wall portions 2D of at least one pair of side walls 2Cb (2Cd not shown) of the storage cabinet 2, the variation in the temperature and humidity distributions in the storage space S can be reduced. As a result, when fresh flowers, fresh vegetables, and other perishable goods are stored throughout the storage space S, the storage space S can be kept in a good, uniform state.

[0033] In this embodiment, one side wall 2Ca of the four side walls 2Ca to 2Cd is provided with an opening / closing door 11. The partition plate 8 is formed with an outlet formed of a through hole 8B that ejects steam-containing cooling air so as to form an air curtain along the opening blocked by the opening / closing door 11. In this embodiment, this through hole 8B has an elongated shape that extends along the width direction of the opening / closing door 11. This makes it possible to suppress changes in temperature and humidity within the storage space S due to the entry of outside air when the opening / closing door 11 is opened.

[0034] Of course, if the arrangement of the opening and closing door 11 and the arrangement of the equipment allow, the other side walls 2Ca and 2Cc other than the pair of side walls 2Cb (2Cd not shown) may also be configured to introduce steam-containing cooling air from the cooling air passage 7 into the storage space.

[0035] In the first embodiment, the partition plate 8 is fixed and does not move, so the volume of the cooling air passage 7 is constant. However, if the partition plate 8 is supported so that its position can be adjusted in the vertical direction, the volume of the cooling air passage 7 can be changed by changing the position of the partition plate 8 (second embodiment). In this way, in addition to adjusting the operation time and operation time interval of the defrosting operation by the control unit in the first embodiment, the volume of the cooling air passage 7 can be adjusted, so the range of temperature control within the storage space S can be greatly expanded. Note that a known mechanism can be used as the mechanism for supporting the partition plate 8 so that its position can be adjusted in the vertical direction. For example, a known winding-up and winding-down mechanism can be used in which one end of four ropes is fixed to the four corners of the partition plate 8 and the ropes are wound up and down using multiple pulleys to move the ceiling plate up and down.

[0036] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, since the stored items are perishable goods, a pair of side walls 2Cb and 2Cd (side wall 2Cd is the side wall opposite 2Cb and is not shown in Fig. 1) that surround the storage space S of the storehouse are provided with a plurality of freshness preservation devices FP on the inner wall portion thereof. The freshness preservation devices FP generate an AC electric field within the storage space S and apply the AC electric field to the perishable goods to preserve their freshness, as shown in Fig. 1. In this embodiment, the freshness preservation devices FP are those having a configuration described in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 6366882. By using the freshness preservation devices FP in combination, the shelf life of perishable goods stored in refrigerated storage facilities can be further extended compared to conventional methods.

[0037] FIG. 3 shows temperature and humidity measurement data from an example experiment to verify the effectiveness of the first embodiment. In this experiment, two thermo-hygrometers TS1 and TS2 were placed in the cooling air passage 7 and the storage space S, as shown in FIG. 1. When viewed from the opening / closing door 11 side, the two thermo-hygrometers TS1 and TS2 were arranged along the side wall 2Cb with a vertical gap between them. The experiment used a storage facility with a cooling air passage 7 having a volume of approximately 3.2 cubic meters and a storage space S having a volume of approximately 40 cubic meters. The experiment was performed by supplying steam-containing cooling air to the cooling air passage 7 to cool the storage space S to 1°C, then turning off the humidifier 4A and switching the cooling air generator 3 to defrosting operation. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the defrosting operation lasted 15 minutes, with the interval between defrosting operations being 4 hours. In this case, the temperature rose by approximately 5°C in the cooling air passage 7, but only by approximately 2°C in the storage space S. The humidity also changed by only a few percent. This is because the cooled air passage 7 absorbs temperature and humidity changes within the storage space S. When storing fresh produce such as flowers within the storage space S, it has been confirmed that a temperature change of approximately 2 degrees and a humidity change of a few percent will not affect the flowers. This experiment confirmed that even when defrosting is performed using one cooled air generator 3, defrosting can be performed without affecting the fresh produce within the storage space S by appropriately determining the operation time and operation time interval of the defrosting operation in accordance with the volume of the cooled air passage 7.

[0038] Furthermore, an experiment was conducted under the same conditions as above in which the humidifier 4A was stopped and the cooled air generator 3 was switched to defrosting operation after cooling operation, in which steam-containing cooled air was supplied to the cooled air passage 7 to raise the temperature of the storage space S to 5 degrees. While the temperature rose by approximately 7 degrees in the cooled air passage 7, the temperature in the storage space S only rose by approximately 1.5 degrees. The humidity also changed by a few percent. This experiment confirmed that even when defrosting operation is performed using a single cooled air generator 3 when the temperatures of the storage space S are different, defrosting can be performed without affecting the fresh goods in the storage space S by appropriately setting the operating time and operating time interval for the defrosting operation in accordance with the volume of the cooled air passage 7.

[0039] Figure 4 shows the results of an experiment conducted to confirm whether there is a correlation between the temperature outside the storage facility and the temperature inside the storage facility, using a thermo-hygrometer TS3 installed near the opening and closing door 11 as shown in Figure 1, a thermo-hygrometer TS4 installed at the back of the storage space S, and a thermo-hygrometer TS5 installed outside the storage facility. As shown in Figure 4, it was confirmed that there is no correlation between the temperature outside the storage facility (TS5) and the temperatures inside the storage facility (TS2 to TS4). Therefore, it can be seen that the experimental results shown in Figure 3 are not affected by changes in the temperature outside the storage facility.

[0040] In the first embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 6 determines the operation time and operation time interval of the defrosting operation so that the temperature in the storage space S does not rise more than the temperature change allowable for the items stored in the storage space when heated air flowing from the cooling air generator 3 into the cooling air passage 7 flows into the storage space S through the multiple through-holes 8A and 8B during the defrosting operation. The temperature rise in the storage space S may be measured by a temperature sensor installed in the storage space S, and the control unit 6 may output an on / off signal. However, if the relationship between the operation time and operation time interval of the defrosting operation and the temperature rise in the storage space S is measured through a prior test, the operation time and operation time interval of the defrosting operation can be set to fixed values ​​without measuring the temperature of the storage space S every time. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the control unit 6 controls the operation time and operation time interval of the defrosting operation to fixed values. As described above, since there is no correlation between the temperature outside the storage chamber and the temperature inside the storage chamber, it is supported that control of the defrosting operation to fixed values, as in this embodiment, is also possible.

[0041] Furthermore, as in the second embodiment, even when the volume of the cooling air passage 7 and the operation time and operation time interval of the defrosting operation in the control unit are determined so as not to increase the temperature in the storage space S by more than the temperature change allowable for the items stored in the storage space S when heated air flowing from the cooling air generator into the cooling air passage 7 into the storage space S through the plurality of through-holes 8A during the defrosting operation, if the relationship between the volume of the cooling air passage 7, the operation time and operation time interval of the defrosting operation, and the temperature rise in the storage space S is measured in advance through tests, the operation time and operation time interval of the defrosting operation can be set to fixed values ​​for each of the volumes of the cooling air passages 7 without measuring the temperature of the storage space S every time. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the control unit 6 can select and control an appropriate operation time and operation time interval of the defrosting operation for each volume of the cooling air passage 7 set by changing the position of the partition plate 8. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the control unit 6 controls the air blowing equipment 5 so that, in conjunction with the opening of the door 11, the air blowing volume of the air blowing equipment 5 becomes larger than the steady air blowing volume when the door 11 is closed, and when the door 11 is closed, the large air blowing volume returns to the steady air blowing volume. When the control unit 6 is configured in this manner, an air curtain is formed at an appropriate time, making it possible to further suppress changes in temperature and humidity caused by the entry of outside air when the door 11 is opened.

[0042] In this embodiment, the cooled air generator 3, humidifier 4, and blower 5 are each constructed from general-purpose equipment. Therefore, the control unit 6 is equipped with an on / off signal generating unit that outputs on / off signals to the cooled air generator 3, humidifier 4, and blower 5 according to a predetermined program. By using such a control unit 6, it is possible to control the cooled air generator, humidifier, and blower using inexpensive general-purpose equipment and a simple control unit, without using custom-made equipment. Of course, as shown in FIG. 1, thermo-hygrometers (TS1 to TS5) may be used and the control unit 6 may perform control based on their outputs.

[0043] According to this embodiment, the cold air from the cooled air generator does not directly hit the stored goods, so when storing fresh goods such as flowers, vegetables, and fruits, the goods can be prevented from drying out and deterioration of their marketability can be suppressed. Furthermore, by using the humidifier 4A in combination, it is possible to prevent local accumulation of steam even for goods that should be stored at a higher humidity level inside the storage facility, so it is possible to further suppress deterioration of the marketability of the stored goods throughout the storage facility.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the storage facility used in a stationary cold storage warehouse is the subject, but the present invention can of course be applied to a storage facility converted from a movable container. When converting a container, it is preferable to provide opening and closing doors on a pair of side walls 2Cb and 2Cd. [Industrial Applicability]

[0045] According to the present invention, a single cooled air generator can be used to prevent the temperature in the storage space from rising significantly during defrosting operation as much as possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1. Refrigerated storage facilities 2. Storage 3 Cooling Air Generator 4 Humidifier 4A humidifier 5. Ventilation equipment 6 Control Unit 7 Cooling air passage 8 Partition 8A,8B through hole 11 Opening and closing doors

Claims

1. A storage container having a top plate, a bottom plate, and four side walls positioned between the top plate and the bottom plate; a cooling air generator that performs a cooling operation for generating cooling air to be supplied to the inside of the storage facility, and a defrosting operation for removing the frost by heating a portion where frost is generated by the passage of the cooling air while the cooling operation is stopped; a partition plate disposed between the top plate and the partition plate and spaced apart from each other to define a cooling air passage for guiding the cooling air containing the cooling air; a blower for blowing the cooling air through the cooling air passage; A control unit is provided to control the cooling air generator and the air blowing equipment, the cooling air generator is disposed at one end of the cooling air passage in the storage facility; The control unit operates the air blowing equipment only during the cooling operation, The partition plate has a plurality of through holes formed therein for allowing the cooling air to flow into a storage space formed between the partition plate and the bottom plate, A refrigerated storage facility in which the operating time and operating time interval of the defrosting operation in the control unit are determined so that when heated air flowing from the cooling air generator into the cooling air passage during the defrosting operation flows into the storage space through the multiple through holes, the temperature in the storage space does not rise more than the temperature change allowable for the stored items stored in the storage space.

2. A storage container having a top plate, a bottom plate, and four side walls positioned between the top plate and the bottom plate; a cooling air generator that performs a cooling operation for generating cooling air to be supplied to the inside of the storage facility, and a defrosting operation for removing the frost by heating a portion where frost is generated by the passage of the cooling air while the cooling operation is stopped; a partition plate disposed between the top plate and the partition plate and spaced apart from each other to define a cooling air passage for guiding the cooling air containing the cooling air; a blower for blowing the cooling air through the cooling air passage; A control unit is provided to control the cooling air generator and the air blowing equipment, the cooling air generator is disposed at one end of the cooling air passage in the storage facility; The control unit operates the air blowing equipment only during the cooling operation, The partition plate has a plurality of through holes formed therein for allowing the cooling air to flow into a storage space formed between the partition plate and the bottom plate, A refrigerated storage facility in which the volume of the cooling air passage and the operating time and operating time interval of the defrosting operation in the control unit are determined so that when heated air flowing from the cooling air generator into the cooling air passage during the defrosting operation flows into the storage space through the multiple through holes, the temperature in the storage space does not rise more than the temperature change allowable for the stored items stored in the storage space.

3. 3. The refrigerated storage facility according to claim 2, wherein said partition plate is supported so as to be vertically adjustable in position in order to change the volume of said cooling air passage.

4. 3. The refrigerated storage facility according to claim 1, wherein the temperature change is 2 degrees when the stored items are fresh flowers.

5. 5. The refrigerated storage facility according to claim 4, wherein the operation time of the defrosting operation when the temperature in the storage space is 1 degree or less is 15 minutes or less, and the operation time interval is 4 hours or less.

6. Further comprising a humidifier for generating steam to be supplied to the inside of the storage facility; The refrigerated storage facility according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit has a function of controlling the humidifier so as not to generate the steam from the humidifier during the defrosting operation.

7. The refrigerated storage facility according to claim 6, wherein the inner wall portions of at least one pair of opposing side walls among the four side walls are configured to introduce the cooling air containing the steam from the cooling air passage into the storage space.

8. The inner wall portion has a plurality of convex portions and a plurality of concave portions extending in a vertical direction, the convex portions and the concave portions being alternately formed in a width direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, 3. The refrigerated storage facility according to claim 1, wherein the cooling air passages are connected to the plurality of grooves so that the cooling air containing the steam flows from the cooling air passages into the plurality of grooves.

9. The inner wall portion has a plurality of convex portions and a plurality of concave portions extending in a vertical direction, the convex portions and the concave portions being alternately formed in a width direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, 3. The refrigerated storage facility according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of protruding ribs are provided with a cavity extending in the vertical direction and a plurality of through holes connecting the cavity to the storage space.

10. At least one of the four side walls is provided with an opening / closing door, 3. The refrigerated storage facility according to claim 1, wherein the partition plate is formed with an outlet port for blowing out the cooling air so as to form an air curtain along the opening portion blocked by the opening / closing door.

11. The refrigeration storage facility of claim 10, wherein the control unit controls the air blowing equipment so that the air blowing volume of the air blowing equipment becomes larger than the steady air blowing volume when the opening / closing door is closed in conjunction with the opening operation of the opening / closing door, and changes from the large air blowing volume to the steady air blowing volume when the opening / closing door is closed.

12. The cooling air generator, the humidifier, and the air blowing equipment are each configured with general-purpose equipment, The refrigerated storage facility according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit includes an on / off signal generating unit for controlling the temperature and humidity in the storage space for the cooled air generator, the humidifier, and the air blower.

13. The refrigerated storage facility according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the storage facility is a container.

14. The stored item is a fresh product, The refrigerated storage facility of claim 1 or 2, wherein one or more freshness preservation devices are disposed within the storage space of the storehouse, which generate an alternating current electric field within the storage space and apply the formed alternating current electric field to the stored items to preserve the freshness of the perishable goods.

Images