Show case

Abstract

To provide a show case with a front door capable of preventing dew condensation at the front door even in a case where a cold insulation operation is not performed.SOLUTION: A show case 1 having a case body 24 with a front surface opened and having an article display chamber 22 inside, a glass door 21 for opening and closing the opening, and a blower fan 46 making outside air to flow along an outer surface of the glass door 21, comprises a door temperature sensor 11 for detecting a temperature of the vicinity of the glass door 21 or a temperature of the glass door 21, and is configured to control the blower fan 46 in response to the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 and a dew point temperature within a shop where the show case 1 is installed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a showcase with a front door that is installed in stores such as convenience stores and supermarkets. [Background technology]

[0002] One example of a showcase with a front door that is installed in stores such as convenience stores and supermarkets is the showcase described in Patent Document 1. The showcase described in Patent Document 1 is a showcase with a front door in which a condensing unit of a freezer is built-in and installed in the lower machine room of the showcase body, and a reversible fan is used as the external fan of the condensing unit, and the front opening end of the outside air ventilation passage that passes through the machine room opens upward toward the vicinity of the lower edge of the outer surface of the front door, so that if the front door is closed during the cold storage operation of the showcase, the cooling air exhaust of the condensing unit is blown out along the outer surface of the front door through the front opening end of the ventilation passage, preventing condensation on the front door. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 59-36490 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The showcase described in Patent Document 1 prevents condensation on the front door by blowing out the exhaust cooling air of the condensing unit along the outer surface of the front door when the front door is closed during the cold storage operation of the showcase. However, whether condensation occurs on the front door depends on the environmental conditions in the store in which the showcase is installed. Therefore, the front door may condense even when the showcase is not in cold storage operation. However, the showcase described in Patent Document 1 blows out the exhaust cooling air of the condensing unit along the outer surface of the front door when the front door is closed during the cold storage operation of the showcase, so that when the showcase is not in cold storage operation, condensation cannot be prevented even if condensation occurs on the front door.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide a showcase with a front door that can prevent condensation on the front door even when a cooling operation is not being performed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a showcase having a case body with an opening at the front and a product display compartment inside, a front door that opens and closes the opening, and a blower fan that flows outside air along the outer surface of the front door, and is equipped with a door temperature sensor that detects the temperature near the front door or the temperature of the front door, and controls the blower fan in response to the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor and the dew point temperature inside the store in which the showcase is installed. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The present invention can provide a showcase with a front door that can prevent condensation on the front door even when a cooling operation is not being performed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a vertical sectional view of a showcase according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2]FIG. 1 is a layout diagram of a store in which a showcase according to a first embodiment of the present invention is installed. [Diagram 3] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a lower front side of a showcase according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view showing a lower front side of a showcase according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 1 is a perspective view of a lower front side of a showcase according to a first embodiment of the present invention, viewed from above. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a control flow diagram of the showcase according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a time chart showing the ON / OFF state of the blower fan of a showcase according to a first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) shows the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor, (b) shows the open / closed state of the glass door, and (c) shows the ON / OFF state of the blower fan. [Figure 8] 1 is an explanatory view showing outside air flowing along the outer surface of the glass door of a showcase according to a first embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The showcase 1 of the first embodiment is a showcase in which a glass door is provided on the front of a freezer-separate open multi-level showcase (a glass-door type open showcase). In this embodiment, the showcase 1 will be described as a glass-door type open showcase. Hereinafter, the front of the showcase 1 refers to the side on which the glass door is provided. The front side of the showcase 1 refers to the direction of the arrow Fr shown in Figs. 1, 3 to 5, and 8, and the back side refers to the opposite direction to the arrow Fr direction. The top side of the showcase 1 refers to the direction of the arrow U shown in Figs. 1, 3 to 5, and 8, the bottom side refers to the opposite direction to the arrow U direction, the right side refers to the right side when the showcase 1 is viewed from the front, and refers to the direction of the arrow R shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and the left side refers to the opposite direction to the arrow R direction shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of showcase 1 when viewed in a vertical cross section (hereinafter referred to as a longitudinal cross section) perpendicular to the front surface of showcase 1. FIG. 2 is a layout diagram of the inside of store 100 in which showcase 1 is installed. Although details will be described later, showcase 1 is installed in store 100 such as a supermarket or convenience store, and has a product display room 22 in which a plurality of transparent glass doors 21 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction on the front surface. In product display room 22, product shelves 23 for displaying products are arranged in a plurality of levels in the vertical direction. Products can be taken in and out of product display room 22 by opening and closing glass door 21. Glass door 21 is the front door in the present invention.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 2, in the inside of the store 100 in which the showcase 1 is installed, in addition to the open showcase with a glass door, a so-called walk-in type showcase (walk-in showcase 2), a reach-in type showcase (reach-in showcase 3), an ice case 4, and an open showcase 13 are installed. The open showcase 13 is a showcase that does not have a glass door on the front where an opening is formed, and an air curtain is formed at the opening. The walk-in showcase 2 and the reach-in showcase 3 are showcases that have a product display room with an opening on the front, similar to the showcase 1, and a glass door is provided at the opening on the front that can be opened and closed freely. The ice case 4 is a flat showcase in which an air curtain is formed on the upper surface where an opening is formed, and frozen foods and ice cream are displayed. The walk-in showcase 2 is equipped with a back yard 5 on the back side where products are stocked, and a back door (not shown) is provided at the back of the walk-in showcase 2, and the products stocked in the back yard 5 are replenished to the product shelves by opening and closing the back door. The front of the showcase 1 faces the aisle in the store, and products displayed on the product shelves 23 can be removed by opening a glass door 21. The walk-in showcase 2 and reach-in showcase 3 are similar to the showcase 1 in that their front faces the aisle in the store, and products displayed on the shelves can be removed by opening a glass door. The open showcase 13 is similar to the showcase 1 in that their front faces the aisle in the store, and products displayed on the shelves can be removed from the front.

[0012] A condensing unit 10 of a freezer is provided outside the store 100, and a compressor (not shown), an outdoor heat exchanger functioning as a radiator, and an outdoor fan for promoting heat dissipation from the outdoor heat exchanger are provided inside the condensing unit 10. The compressor and outdoor heat exchanger in the condensing unit 10 are connected by piping to the heat exchangers of each of the showcase 1, walk-in showcase 2, reach-in showcase 3, ice case 4, and open showcase 13 installed inside the store 100, and the compressor and outdoor heat exchanger in the condensing unit 10 and the heat exchangers of each of the showcases 1 to 4 form a refrigeration circuit.

[0013] The store 100 also includes a temperature sensor 7 that detects the temperature inside the store 100, a humidity sensor 8 that detects the humidity inside the store 100, and a centralized management device 9 as a control means to which the temperature sensor 7 and the humidity sensor 8 are connected. The temperature sensor 7 and the humidity sensor 8 are disposed, for example, on the right side of the showcase 1, and the centralized management device 9 is disposed on the rear side of a counter 6 disposed inside the store 100. The centralized management device 9 calculates a dew point temperature inside the store 100 from the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 7 and the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 8, for example, and controls the operation of the condensing unit 10 and each of the showcases 1 to 4 based on the calculated dew point temperature.

[0014] Next, the showcase 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The showcase 1 includes a case body 24 having an opening at the front and a product display chamber 22 therein, a plurality of transparent glass doors 21 provided at the opening at the front, a plurality of upper and lower product shelves 23 provided in the case body 24, and a ventilation passage 25 formed along the bottom, back and top sides of the case body 24. The top, back and bottom sides of the case body 24 are formed by a heat insulating wall 26. In addition, both the left and right side sides of the case body 24 are also formed by a heat insulating wall, although not shown in FIG. 1. Inside the case body 24, a top panel 27, a back panel 28 and a bottom panel 29 are provided at the top, back and bottom sides, respectively, at intervals from the inner surface of the heat insulating wall 26, and the product display chamber 22 is formed inside them. The left and right width dimensions of the case body 24 and the left and right width dimensions of the showcase 1 are approximately the same.

[0015] The ventilation passage 25 is formed between the inner surface of the heat insulating wall 26 and the upper plate 27, the back plate 28, and the bottom plate 29. An air intake port 30 is provided at the lower end of the opening of the case body 24, and an air discharge port 31 is provided at the upper end, with the air intake port 30 being the upstream end of the ventilation passage 25 and the air discharge port 31 being the downstream end of the ventilation passage 25. A heat exchanger 32 for cooling the air is provided at the lower part of the ventilation passage 25 on the back side. The heat exchanger 32 is connected by piping to the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger of the condensing unit 10 provided outside the store 100, and functions as an evaporator. An internal fan 33 for circulating air is provided in the ventilation passage 25 on the bottom side.

[0016] The cold storage operation of the showcase 1 for cooling the products displayed in the product display room 22 is performed as follows. When the internal fan 33 is operated, the air (cold air) cooled by the heat exchanger 32 functioning as an evaporator flows from bottom to top in the ventilation passage 25, flows into the product display room 22 from the air outlet 31, cools the products displayed on the product shelf 23, is sucked in through the air inlet 30, and is cooled again by the heat exchanger 32. The internal fan 33 is a fan for performing the cold storage operation of the showcase 1.

[0017] The opening of the case body 24 is closed by four glass doors 21 (see FIG. 4) arranged in the left-right direction so as to be freely opened and closed. Each glass door 21 is pivotally supported on the case body 24 so as to be freely rotatable. Closing the opening of the case body 24 with the glass doors 21 prevents the cold air that has flowed into the product display room 22 from leaking out of the product display room 22. Therefore, the temperature of the product display room 22 can be kept lower than the room temperature inside the store 100 in which the showcase 1 is installed. Therefore, the temperature of the outer surface of the glass doors 21 is also lower than the room temperature inside the store 100.

[0018] The showcase 1 has legs 34 that support the showcase 1 itself when the showcase 1 is installed on the floor surface of the store 100. In the lower part of FIG. 1, the part that the tip of the triangle holds down indicates the floor surface. The legs 34 are provided on both the left and right ends of the outer bottom surface 35 of the case body 24 so as to extend in the front-rear direction. The legs 34 are provided with holes that penetrate in the left-right direction. The rear end side of the lower side of the case body 24 is open between the legs 34 provided on both the left and right ends. The outer bottom surface 35 is the outer side surface of the insulating wall 26 on the lower part of the case body 24, and although the insulating wall 26 is arranged on the bottom side of the case body 24, the temperature of the outer bottom surface 35 is lower than the room temperature inside the store 100 in which the showcase 1 is installed due to the cold air flowing through the ventilation passage 25.

[0019] Next, the configuration of the lower front side of the showcase 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 5. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the lower front side of the showcase 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the lower front side of the showcase 1 viewed from above, in a state where a decorative member 37 described later is not attached. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the lower front side of the showcase 1 viewed from above. As shown in Fig. 3, the showcase 1 has a glass door support member 36 that supports the glass door 21 from below. The glass door support member 36 is disposed at the front end of the case body 24 at the lower end side of the glass door 21, and is provided across the left-right width direction of the case body 24 (see Fig. 4). The showcase 1 also has a decorative member 37 disposed at the lower end side of the case body 24. The decorative member 37 is provided at the front end side of the case body 24 across the left-right width direction. The decorative member 37 is formed by bending a metal thin plate. The vertical cross-sectional shape of the decorative member 37 is box-shaped, and includes an upper end plate 38 located below the lower end of the outer surface of the glass door 21 and extending forward from the rear end, a front plate 39 extending downward from the front end of the upper end plate 38, a lower plate 40 extending rearward from the lower end of the front plate 39, and a rear plate 41 extending downward from the rear end of the lower plate 40. The rear end of the upper end plate 38 is located below and forward of the lower end of the outer surface of the glass door 21. The rear end of the upper end plate 38 is folded downward. The lower end of the rear plate 41 is folded backward. The lower plate 40 has a plurality of slot-shaped suction ports 42 formed in the left-right direction at a predetermined interval (see FIG. 5). The plurality of slot-shaped suction ports 42 may be formed in the rear plate 41 instead of the lower plate 40, or in the lower plate 40 and the rear plate 41.

[0020] Between the upper end plate 38 and the glass door support member 36, a rim member 43 is provided that extends in the left-right width direction of the case body 24. The rim member 43 is formed by bending a thin metal plate. The vertical cross section of the rim member 43 is substantially L-shaped, and has an upper edge portion 44 that is disposed on the upper side and faces upward. The rim member 43 is fixed to the glass door support member 36. A plurality of slot-shaped air outlets 45 are formed in the upper edge portion 44 of the rim member 43 in the left-right direction at predetermined intervals facing upward. The plurality of air outlets 45 are located below and forward of the lower end of the outer surface of the glass door 21, and serve as air outlets from which outside air sucked in from the suction port 42 by the operation of a blower fan 46 described later is blown out. The outside air blown out from the air outlets 45 is arranged to flow upward along the outer surface of the glass door 21.

[0021] A blower fan 46 is provided in a space formed by the front plate 39 and the lower plate 40 of the decorative member 37. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of blower fans 46 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the left-right width direction of the case body 24. Any one of the plurality of blower fans 46 is always arranged so as to correspond to the position of any one of the four glass doors 21 arranged in the left-right width direction. When the blower fan 46 operates, the outside air on the front side of the showcase 1 is sucked in through the intake port 42. In addition, since the space between the legs 34 provided on both the left and right ends is open at the rear end side of the lower side of the case body 24, the outside air on the rear side of the showcase 1 is also sucked in by operating the blower fan 46. The outside air sucked in by the operation of the blower fan 46 is blown out through the outlet port 45 and flows upward along the outer surface of the glass door 21.

[0022] An outside air ventilation passage 47 is provided below the case body 24. The outside air ventilation passage 47 is formed between the outer bottom surface 35 of the case body 24 and the floor surface on which the showcase 1 is installed, and the outer bottom surface 35 faces the outside air ventilation passage 47 (see FIG. 1). The front end of the outside air ventilation passage 47 is an air outlet 45, and the front end of the outside air ventilation passage 47 is the downstream end of the outside air ventilation passage 47. The rear end of the outside air ventilation passage 47 is an open rear end portion (rear end opening 48) between the legs 34 provided on both the left and right ends, and the rear end of the outside air ventilation passage 47 is the upstream end of the outside air ventilation passage 47. A blower fan 46 provided in a space formed by the front panel 39 and the bottom panel 40 is arranged in the outside air ventilation passage 47. When the blower fan 46 operates, as shown by the arrows in Figures 1 and 8, outside air is sucked in from the rear end opening 48 (see Figure 1) and the suction port 42 (see Figure 8) which are the upstream end of the outside air ventilation path 47, the sucked in outside air flows along the outer bottom surface 35, and is blown out from the outlet 45 which is the downstream end of the outside air ventilation path 47, and flows upward along the outer surface of the glass door 21. The blower fan 46 serves as a fan that blows outside air along the outer surface of the glass door 21.

[0023] A door temperature sensor 11 is provided on the upper surface of the left end of the glass door support member 36 provided on the lower end of the glass door 21, preferably directly below the glass door 21. The door temperature sensor 11 detects the temperature near the glass door 21. As shown in FIG. 1, a door detection sensor 12 is provided for each of the four glass doors 21 on the upper edge of the opening of the case body 24 to detect the open / closed state of each of the four glass doors 21. In this embodiment, the door temperature sensor 11 is provided on the upper surface of the left end of the glass door support member 36 provided on the lower end of the glass door 21 to detect the temperature near the glass door 21, but the door temperature sensor 11 may be provided on the glass door 21 itself to directly detect the temperature of the glass door 21. The four sides of the glass door 21 come into contact with a packing (not shown) provided between the glass door 21 and the case body 24, so that the cool air in the product display room 22 does not leak to the outside. Therefore, the door temperature sensor 11 provided on the upper surface of the glass door support member 36 is not affected by the cold air in the product display compartment 22.

[0024] Next, the operation of the blower fan 46 will be described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7. Fig. 6 is a control flow of the blower fan 46, and Fig. 7 is a time chart showing ON / OFF of the blower fan 46, where (a) shows the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11, (b) shows the open / closed state of the glass door 21, and (c) shows the ON / OFF state of the blower fan 46. The showcase 1 has a control device (not shown). The control device controls the cold storage operation of the showcase 1 and the operation of the blower fan 46 and room lighting provided inside the product display room 22 (not shown). The cold storage operation of the showcase 1 is performed by a known technique, so a description thereof will be omitted. After the power supply of the showcase 1 is turned ON, the control device (hereinafter referred to as the control device) of the showcase 1 judges whether the glass door 21 is closed or not based on the door detection sensor 12 (ST1). If it is determined in ST1 that the glass door 21 is not closed (NO in ST1), the blower fan 46 is turned off and does not operate (ST5). If it is determined that the glass door 21 is closed (YES in ST1), the process proceeds to ST2, where it is determined whether the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is equal to or lower than a predetermined value (ST2). The predetermined value is determined by the centralized control device 9 based on the dew point temperature inside the store 100 calculated from the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 7 and the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 8, both of which are disposed inside the store 100. Specifically, the centralized control device 9 adds a dew point correction temperature value obtained through an experiment to the calculated dew point temperature to obtain the predetermined value. This is because the door temperature sensor 11 is disposed near the glass door 21, and therefore the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 differs from the true outside surface temperature of the glass door 21. In addition, the temperature sensor 7 provided inside the store 100 and the door temperature sensor 11 provided on the showcase 1 are located at different positions in the horizontal plane and in the vertical direction, so there may be a difference in the temperatures obtained from the two temperature sensors. If the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is below a predetermined value (YES in ST2), the process moves to ST3, where it is determined whether or not n hours or more have passed since the glass door 21 was closed (ST3). If n hours or more have passed since the glass door 21 was closed (YES in ST3), the process moves to ST4, where the blower fan 46 is turned ON and operated (ST4).If the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is higher than a predetermined value (NO in ST2), the blower fan 46 is turned off and does not operate (ST5). Even if the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is equal to or lower than a predetermined value (YES in ST2), if n hours or more have not passed since the glass door 21 was closed (NO in ST3), the blower fan 46 is turned off and does not operate (ST5). This is because after the glass door 21 is opened or closed, the temperature of the glass surface of the glass door 21 rises and the occurrence of condensation is delayed, so there is no need to immediately operate the blower fan 46. This makes it possible to reduce unnecessary power consumption caused by operating the blower fan 46.

[0025] Next, the relationship between the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11, the open / closed state of the glass door 21, and the ON / OFF state of the blower fan 46 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The horizontal axis shown in (a), (b), and (c) of FIG. 7 is the time axis. Also, the "predetermined value" shown in (a) of FIG. 7 indicates the "predetermined value" of ST2 in the control flow diagram of FIG. 6. As shown in the control flow of FIG. 6, when the glass door 21 is open (in the case of NO in ST1), the control device does not operate the blower fan 46. Therefore, since the glass door 21 is open from time T1 to T2, even if the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is equal to or lower than the predetermined value between time T1 and T2, the blower fan 46 is not operated as shown in (c) of FIG. 7. Also, even if the glass door 21 is closed at time T2, the blower fan 46 is not operated until time T3, which is less than n hours after the glass door 21 is closed. At time T3, n hours after the glass door 21 is closed, the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, so the blower fan 46 is operated. At time T4, the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, but the glass door 21 is open, so the blower fan 46 is stopped. At time T6, n hours after the glass door 21 is closed, the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, so the blower fan 46 is operated. At time T7, the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is higher than the predetermined value, so the blower fan 46 is stopped. At time T8, the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, so the blower fan 46 is operated, and at time T9, the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is higher than the predetermined value, so the blower fan 46 is stopped.

[0026] In the showcase 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in the control flow in FIG. 6, whether or not to operate the blower fan 46 is determined in consideration of the open / closed state of the glass door 21 as shown in ST1 and ST3, but the determinations in ST1 and ST3 are not necessarily required in the control flow shown in FIG. 6. The control flow shown in FIG. 6 may have a control flow including a determination of ST2 only without the determinations in ST1 and ST3. That is, the control flow may have no door detection sensor 12 and operates the blower fan 46 when the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is equal to or lower than a predetermined value based on the dew point temperature, regardless of whether the glass door 21 is open or closed, and stops the blower fan 46 when the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is higher than the predetermined value based on the dew point temperature.

[0027] Furthermore, the showcase 1 of this embodiment has a control flow in which the blower fan 46 is operated when the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is equal to or lower than a predetermined value based on the dew point temperature, and the blower fan 46 is stopped when the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is higher than the predetermined value based on the dew point temperature, but in order to prevent chattering, hysteresis may be provided by making the predetermined temperature value for operating the blower fan 46 different from the predetermined temperature value for stopping the blower fan 46.

[0028] When the outer surface temperature of the glass door 21 is below the dew point temperature inside the store 100, condensation occurs on the outer surface of the glass door 21. However, in the showcase 1 of this embodiment, when the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is below a predetermined value based on the dew point temperature, the blower fan 46 is operated to flow outside air along the outer surface of the glass door 21, thereby preventing condensation from occurring on the outer surface of the glass door 21.

[0029] Furthermore, in the showcase 1 of this embodiment, the blower fan 46 is operated when the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is equal to or lower than a predetermined value based on the dew point temperature, so the blower fan 46 operates regardless of the cold storage operation of the showcase 1. Therefore, even if the showcase 1 is not performing cold storage operation, the blower fan 46 is operated when the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is equal to or lower than a predetermined value based on the dew point temperature, so that it is possible to prevent condensation from occurring on the outer surface of the glass door 21 compared to the conventional technology.

[0030] In addition, in the showcase 1 of this embodiment, the condensing unit 10 of the freezer is installed outside the store 100 in which the showcase 1 is installed, and the showcase 1 is connected to the condensing unit 10 via piping, the outer bottom surface 35 of the case body 24 faces the outside air ventilation passage 47, and the outside air flows along the outer bottom surface 35 by the air blown by the blower fan 46. Although the heat insulating wall 26 is arranged on the bottom side of the case body 24, the temperature of the outer bottom surface 35 is lower than the room temperature in the store 100 in which the showcase 1 is installed by the cold air flowing through the ventilation passage 25, so that when the temperature of the outer bottom surface 35 becomes lower than the dew point temperature in the store 100, condensation may occur on the outer bottom surface 35. However, in the showcase 1 of this embodiment, the outside air, which is the air inside the store 100, flows along the outer bottom surface 35 by the air blown by the blower fan 46, so that condensation on the outer bottom surface 35 can be prevented. In particular, the outside air inside the store 100 is dry air due to the air conditioning in the store, and since this dry outside air flows along the outer bottom surface 35, it is effective in preventing condensation from occurring on the outer bottom surface 35.

[0031] In addition, the showcase 1 of this embodiment does not operate the blower fan 46 when it is detected based on the door detection sensor 12 that the glass door 21 is not closed. When the glass door 21 is not closed (when the glass door 21 is open), the inner and outer surfaces of the glass door 21 are exposed to the outside air in the store 100, which is higher than the temperature of the product display room 22, and the temperature of the outer surface of the glass door 21 rises, making it difficult for condensation to occur. Therefore, when it is detected that the glass door 21 is not closed, the blower fan 46 is not operated, so that unnecessary power consumption caused by operating the blower fan 46 in a situation where condensation is unlikely to occur can be reduced. In addition, even if the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor 11 is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, if n hours or more have not passed since the glass door 21 was closed, the temperature of the glass surface of the glass door 21 rises and the occurrence of condensation is delayed, so the blower fan 46 is not operated. By doing so, unnecessary power consumption caused by operating the blower fan 46 can be reduced.

[0032] The showcase 1 of the present embodiment is configured such that the condensing unit 10 of the freezer is installed outside the store 100 in which the showcase 1 is installed, and the showcase 1 is connected to the condensing unit 10 via piping, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the showcase may be configured such that a machine room is provided below the case body 24, and a compressor, a radiator, and a fan for promoting heat dissipation from the radiator are provided in the machine room. In that case, the machine room may be provided with the blower fan 46 according to the present embodiment in addition to the fan for promoting heat dissipation from the radiator, and an air outlet 45 for letting outside air flow along the outer surface of the glass door 21 is provided facing upward at the front end side of the machine room.

[0033] In addition, the showcase 1 of the present embodiment is configured such that an outside air ventilation passage 47 is provided below the case body 24, an outlet 45 for letting outside air flow along the outer surface of the glass door 21 is provided facing upward at the front end of the outside air ventilation passage 47, and a blower fan 46 is arranged in the outside air ventilation passage 47, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, a configuration may also be adopted in which an outside air ventilation passage 47 is provided on the upper surface of the case body 24, an outlet 45 for letting outside air flow along the outer surface of the glass door 21 is provided facing downward at the front end of the outside air ventilation passage 47, and a blower fan 46 is arranged in the outside air ventilation passage arranged on the upper surface of the case body 24.

[0034] Further, the showcase 1 of the first embodiment described above is configured such that one door temperature sensor 11 is provided on the upper surface of the left end side in the left-right direction of the glass door support member 36 provided on the lower end side of the glass door 21, but the following configuration may be used as the second embodiment. The showcase 1 of the second embodiment includes a plurality of door temperature sensors 11, each of which is arranged in the left-right width direction of the case body 24 corresponding to the position of each of the plurality of ventilation fans 46, and when the temperature detected by any one of the plurality of door temperature sensors 11 is equal to or lower than a predetermined value based on the dew point temperature, the ventilation fan 46 arranged corresponding to the position of the door temperature sensor 11 is operated. The other configurations are the same as those of the showcase 1 of the first embodiment.

[0035] With this configuration, there is no need to operate all of the multiple blower fans 46, and only the blower fan 46 located corresponding to the position of the door temperature sensor 11 where the detected temperature has fallen below a predetermined value based on the dew point temperature is operated, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption caused by operating the blower fans 46 that do not need to be operated.

[0036] Further, in the showcase 1 of the first embodiment described above, the door temperature sensor 11 is provided on the upper surface of the left end side in the left-right direction of the glass door support member 36 provided on the lower end side of the glass door 21 for each showcase 1, but as a third embodiment, the following configuration may also be used. In the third embodiment, a store 100 is provided with a plurality of showcases 1, each of the plurality of showcases 1 is provided with a door temperature sensor 11, and when the temperature detected by any one of the door temperature sensors 11 provided on each of the plurality of showcases 1 is equal to or lower than a predetermined value based on the dew point temperature, the blower fan 46 of the showcase 1 provided with the door temperature sensor 11 is operated.

[0037] With this configuration, there is no need to operate all the ventilation fans 46 of the multiple showcases 1, and only the ventilation fan 46 of the showcase 1 equipped with the door temperature sensor 11 whose detected temperature is equal to or lower than a predetermined value based on the dew point temperature is operated, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption caused by operating the ventilation fans 46 that do not need to be operated. Furthermore, noise and unpleasant wind can be reduced.

[0038] In the showcase 1 of the embodiment described above, the door provided at the opening of the case body 24 is a transparent glass door, but this is not necessarily limited to this. An opaque glass door or a door without glass may also be used. This is because condensation may occur even with an opaque glass door or a door without glass.

[0039] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1. Showcase 2. Walk-in showcase 3. Reach-in Showcase 4 Ice case 5 Backyard 6. Counter 7 Temperature Sensor 8 Humidity Sensor 9 Central control device 10 Condensing Unit 11 Door temperature sensor 12 Door detection sensor 13 Open Showcase 21 Glass Door 22 Product display room 23 Product shelf 24 Case body 25 Ventilation duct 26 Insulated Walls 27 Top plate 28 Back plate 29 Bottom plate 30 Air Intake 31 Air outlet 32 Heat exchanger 33 Interior fan 34 Legs 35 Outer bottom surface 36 Glass door support member 37 Decorative materials 38 Upper end plate 39 Front plate 40 Bottom plate 41 Rear plate 42 Intake port 43 Edge members 44 Upper edge 45 Air outlet 46 Blower fan 47 Outdoor air duct 48 Rear end opening 100 stores

Claims

1. a case body having an opening at the front and a product display compartment therein; a front door for opening and closing the opening; A blower fan that blows outside air along an outer surface of the front door; A showcase having a door temperature sensor for detecting a temperature in the vicinity of the front door or a temperature of the front door; The showcase is characterized in that the blower fan is controlled in accordance with the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor and the dew point temperature in the store in which the showcase is installed.

2. The showcase according to claim 1, characterized in that the blower fan is operated when the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor is equal to or lower than a predetermined value based on a dew point temperature in a store in which the showcase is installed.

3. An outside air ventilation passage is provided below the case body, An air outlet is provided at the front end of the outside air ventilation passage so as to face upward and to allow outside air to flow along the outer surface of the front door, 2. The showcase according to claim 1, wherein the blower fan is disposed in the outside air ventilation duct.

4. A condensing unit of a refrigerator is installed outside the store in which the showcase is installed, and the showcase is connected to the condensing unit via a pipe; The outer bottom surface of the case body faces the outside air ventilation passage, 4. The showcase according to claim 3, wherein the outside air flows along the outer bottom surface by the air blown by the blower fan.

5. Further comprising a door detection sensor for detecting opening and closing of the front door, 3. The showcase according to claim 2, wherein the blower fan is deactivated when the door detection sensor detects that the front door is open.

6. The case body includes a plurality of blower fans, the blower fans being arranged at predetermined intervals in a left-right width direction of the case body, The door temperature sensor is provided in a plurality of types, and each of the door temperature sensors is disposed in a left-right width direction of the case body in correspondence with the positions of each of the blower fans, The showcase described in claim 1, characterized in that when the temperature detected by any of the multiple door temperature sensors is below a predetermined value based on the dew point temperature, the blower fan located corresponding to the position of the door temperature sensor is operated.

7. A plurality of the showcases are provided, A showcase as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that when the temperature detected by the door temperature sensor of any of the multiple showcases is below a predetermined value based on the dew point temperature, the blower fan of the showcase equipped with that door temperature sensor is operated.

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