Refrigerated storage

Abstract

To provide a refrigerated storage capable of prompting a user to take appropriate action based on a cause of an abnormality.SOLUTION: A control section 41 executes refrigeration operation to control an operation of a cooling device 20 so that a measured temperature TX in a storage chamber 17 measured by an in-chamber temperature sensor 62 reaches a target set temperature TM. The control section 41 also executes, while the refrigeration operation is in execution: a first notification process that activates a speaker 93 to provide an alert when a measured temperature TX1, after the lapse of first predetermined time t1 from the moment the measured temperature TX exceeds or equal to a first predetermined temperature T1 which is higher than the target set temperature TM, remains at or above the first predetermined temperature T1; and a second notification process that activates the speaker 93 to provide an alert when a measured temperature TX2, after the lapse of second predetermined time t2 from the execution of the first notification process, remains at or above the measured temperature TX1 at the time of the first notification process.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed herein relates to a refrigerated storage facility. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional refrigerated storage cabinet is described in Patent Document 1 below. The refrigerated storage cabinet described in Patent Document 1 includes an insulated box having a storage compartment that is open at the front, a door that covers the opening of the storage compartment, a cooling device that can cool the storage compartment, and a control unit. The control unit controls the operation of the cooling device to perform a cooling operation that cools the storage compartment. Furthermore, if the temperature inside the storage compartment does not decrease at a predetermined rate during the cooling operation, the control unit determines that some kind of abnormality has occurred and issues a warning using an alarm unit such as an alarm buzzer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-192151 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the cooling device of Patent Document 1, the temperature inside the storage compartment does not drop during cooling operation and an alarm is issued due to possible reasons such as outside air entering the storage compartment because the door was left open, or an abnormality in the cooling device. If the temperature inside the storage compartment does not drop because the door was left open, the problem can be solved by the user of the refrigerated storage cabinet closing the door. However, if the problem is due to an abnormality in the cooling device, it is difficult for the user to solve the problem themselves and they will need to contact a service technician who performs maintenance on the refrigerated storage cabinet. For this reason, it is necessary to encourage the user to take appropriate action depending on the cause of the abnormality.

[0005] The technology disclosed in this specification was developed based on the above circumstances, and aims to provide a refrigerated storage facility that can prompt users to take appropriate action depending on the cause of the abnormality. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] As a means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the present specification discloses a refrigerated storage cabinet comprising: a storage cabinet body which is a box-shaped body constituting a storage chamber having an opening that opens upward; a door which covers the opening; a cooling device capable of cooling the storage chamber; an internal temperature sensor which is arranged in the storage chamber and is capable of measuring the temperature of the storage chamber; an alarm unit which is capable of issuing an alarm; and a control unit, wherein the cooling device comprises a cooling pipe provided on an outer surface of a wall part constituting the storage chamber, and the cooling pipe is configured to generate natural convection in the storage chamber by cooling the wall part constituting the storage chamber, and the control unit controls the storage chamber temperature measured by the internal temperature sensor. The cooling operation is performed to control the operation of the cooling device so that the measured temperature of the storage compartment becomes a predetermined target set temperature, and the control unit is further configured to perform a first notification process to activate the notification unit to issue a warning if the measured temperature is equal to or higher than a first predetermined temperature that is higher than the target set temperature when a first predetermined time has elapsed since the measured temperature became equal to or higher than a first predetermined temperature that is higher than the target set temperature during the cooling operation, and a second notification process to activate the notification unit to issue a warning if the measured temperature is equal to or higher than the first predetermined temperature when a second predetermined time has elapsed since the first notification process was executed.

[0007] The warning notified in the second notification process may be a warning different from the warning notified in the first notification process.

[0008] The internal temperature sensor may be provided on a back wall portion of the wall portion constituting the storage chamber, the back wall portion being disposed on the opposite side to the opening direction of the opening portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerated storage facility that can prompt a user to take appropriate action depending on the cause of the abnormality. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a deep freezer according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the front side; [Figure 2] A perspective view of the Deep Freezer from the rear [Figure 3] A perspective view of the deep freezer from the front with the door removed [Figure 4] Cross-sectional view of the storage body from above (corresponding to the cut along line IV-IV in Figure 1) [Figure 5] Schematic diagram of the cooling system [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an internal temperature sensor disposed in the storage compartment; [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a cover member that covers an internal temperature sensor; [Figure 8] A cross-sectional view showing the bottom wall of the storage chamber (corresponding to the view cut along line XII-XII in Figure 6). [Figure 9] Block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the deep freezer [Figure 10] Graph showing an example of the time course of the measured temperature TX when the first notification process is executed due to the door being opened. [Figure 11] 10 is a graph showing an example of a time transition of a measured temperature when a first notification process and a second notification process are executed due to an abnormality in a cooling device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 11. In this embodiment, a deep freezer 10 is exemplified as a refrigerated storage. As shown in Fig. 1, the deep freezer 10 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape overall, and stores items in a cooled state in an ultra-low temperature range (for example, a temperature range of -40°C or lower, which is a temperature range lower than the cooling temperature of a general refrigerated storage).

[0012] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the deep freezer 10 comprises a storage body 11 which is a box-shaped body constituting a storage chamber 17 having an opening 16 (see Figure 3) that opens upward, a heat-insulating door 50 that covers the opening 16 from above, a hinge member 70 that rotatably attaches the door 50 to the storage body 11 around a horizontal axis as a rotation axis R1, a locking mechanism 80 for locking the door 50, a machine room 15 arranged below the storage body 11, and a cooling device 20 (see Figure 5) that can cool the inside of the storage body 11.

[0013] As shown in Figure 4, the storage body 11 is an insulated box having a structure in which a thermal insulating material 14 made of foamed resin (urethane foam, melamine foam, etc.) is filled between an outer box 12 and an inner box 13. The outer box 12 and the inner box 13 are constructed by assembling metal plates such as stainless steel into a box shape. The internal space of the inner box 13 forms a storage chamber 17 in which stored items are stored.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the machine room 15 is a space surrounded by panels 18A, 18B, 18C, and 18D, each having a ventilation hole 18E. The machine room 15 houses a compressor 24, an air-cooling fan 25, an electrical box 40, and the like, which constitute the cooling device 20 (see Figure 5, described in detail later). Note that in Figures 1 and 2, the panels 18A and 18D are shown by two-dot chain lines. The electrical box 40 houses circuits that constitute a control unit 41 (see Figure 9) that controls the operation of the deep freezer 10, a circuit (not shown) for supplying power, and the like.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 5, the cooling device 20 includes a cooling pipe 21, a chamber wall refrigerant pipe 22, a wire tube condenser 23, a compressor 24, an air-cooling fan 25, a dryer 26, a heat exchanger 27, and a capillary tube 28. These are connected by refrigerant pipes 30 (e.g., hollow copper pipes) through which the refrigerant circulates, forming a refrigeration circuit (refrigeration cycle). To increase the cooling capacity and lower the cooling temperature to approximately -50°C or below, a mixed refrigerant (e.g., a mixed refrigerant of butane and ethylene) is used. A temperature sensor 35 (thermistor) is provided downstream (outlet side, discharge side) of the compressor 24 in the refrigerant flow direction to detect abnormal high pressure of the refrigerant.

[0016] Compressor 24 uses a motor as a power source to draw in and compress refrigerant gas, and discharges the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas. Air-cooling fan 25 draws in outside air and blows it toward compressor 24 to cool and protect compressor 24. Furthermore, when the temperature detected by temperature sensor 35 reaches a predetermined condition (for example, 150°C or higher is detected continuously for 10 minutes), control unit 41 stops compressor 24 to protect it. The refrigerant gas compressed by compressor 24 flows into wire-tube condenser 23.

[0017] 5, wire-tube condenser 23 includes condenser tube 23A and wire 23B. Condenser tube 23A is a long, serpentine refrigerant tube having a straight section extending in the left-right direction and a folded-back section (U-bend section). High-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas from compressor 24 flows into condenser tube 23A, and the refrigerant gas from compressor 24 is cooled and liquefied by contact with outside air as it passes through condenser tube 23A.

[0018] Wire 23B is a wire-like heat transfer member that extends in a direction intersecting the straight portion of condenser tube 23A and is arranged in a row at predetermined intervals. Wire 23B is welded to the surface of condenser tube 23A. As shown in FIG. 2, wire tube condenser 23 is provided on the back surface of storage body 11. By providing wire 23B, even when wire tube condenser 23 is arranged so as to be exposed to the outside, deformation due to contact can be suppressed compared to fins, which are more general heat transfer members, while the heat transfer area can be increased and condensation capacity can be improved.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 4, the chamber wall refrigerant pipe 22 is provided along the inner surface of the outer box 12. As shown in Fig. 5, the chamber wall refrigerant pipe 22 is provided downstream (outlet side) of the wire tube condenser 23 in the refrigerant flow direction, and suppresses condensation on the outer surface of the outer box 12 of the storage cabinet main body 11. The dryer 26 is provided downstream (outlet side) of the chamber wall refrigerant pipe 22 in the refrigerant flow direction, and removes moisture mixed in the refrigerant liquid. A capillary tube 28 is provided downstream (outlet side) of the dryer 26 in the refrigerant flow direction, via a heat exchanger 27.

[0020] The capillary tube 28 is a thin tube with a narrow flow path, and the pressure of the refrigerant drops (throttles and expands) as it passes through the capillary tube 28. A cooling pipe 21 is provided on the downstream side (outlet side) of the capillary tube 28 in the refrigerant flow direction. As shown in FIG. 4 , the cooling pipe 21 is provided along the outer surface of the side wall 13A (wall that forms the storage chamber 17) that constitutes the inner box 13. The cooling pipe 21 vaporizes the refrigerant liquid decompressed by the capillary tube 28, and cools the side wall 13A by the heat of vaporization. As a result, the cooling pipe 21 cools the side wall 13A, causing natural convection in the storage chamber 17, thereby cooling the storage chamber 17. The refrigerant gas flowing out of the cooling pipe 21 passes through the heat exchanger 27 and is returned to the compressor 24.

[0021] 5, the heat exchanger 27 is provided to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing from the cooling pipe 21 to the compressor 24 (which is relatively low temperature because it has flowed out from the cooling pipe 21) and the refrigerant flowing from the dryer 26 to the capillary tube 28 (which is relatively high temperature because it has flowed out from the wire-tube condenser 23 side). The capillary tube 28 is also configured to exchange heat with the refrigerant flowing from the cooling pipe 21 to the compressor 24.

[0022] Door 50 includes an exterior panel 51 (see FIG. 1) made by bending a metal plate such as stainless steel, and an interior panel (not shown) made of synthetic resin that mainly forms the surface facing storage body 11. The internal space surrounded by exterior panel 51 and the interior panel is filled with a heat insulating material (not shown) made of foamed resin (urethane foam, melamine foam, etc.).

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, a square-frame-shaped packing 53 is provided on the peripheral edge of the surface of the door 50 facing the storage cabinet main body 11. When the door 50 is closed, the packing 53 is interposed between the door 50 and the opening edge 16A (see FIG. 3) of the opening 16 in the storage cabinet main body 11. This seals the storage chamber 17. As shown in FIG. 3, the opening 16 has a square shape in plan view, and the opening edge 16A has a square frame shape. Therefore, the packing 53 has a square frame shape that follows the shape of the opening edge 16A and is configured to abut against the entire periphery of the opening edge 16A. The packing 53 is formed of an elastically deformable material, for example, but not limited to, a soft resin such as polyvinyl chloride or polyester, or rubber.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, two hinge members 70 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. The hinge member 70 connects the side end of the door 50 on the hinge member 70 side to the upper end of the back surface of the storage cabinet main body 11. This allows the door 50 to rotate about a rotation axis R1 of the hinge member 70. As shown in FIG. 1, a door handle 56 is provided on the surface of the door 50 opposite the hinge member 70. The locking mechanism 80 for locking the door 50 includes a door-side locking mechanism 81 attached to the door 50 and a main body-side locking mechanism 82 attached to the storage cabinet main body 11. The door-side locking mechanism 81 is provided on the surface of the exterior panel 51 opposite the hinge member 70 (the surface on which the door handle 56 is provided). The door 50 is locked by the door-side locking mechanism 81 and the main body-side locking mechanism 82 engaging with each other.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 6, an internal temperature sensor 62 capable of measuring the temperature of the storage compartment 17 is disposed inside the storage compartment 17. The control unit 41 controls the operation of the compressor 24 and the air-cooling fan 25 based on the temperature measured by the internal temperature sensor 62. The internal temperature sensor 62 is disposed near the bottom surface of the storage compartment 17, near a corner formed by two adjacent side walls 13A of the side walls 13A that constitute the inner box 13. The internal temperature sensor 62 is attached to one of the side walls 13A via a bracket 63. As a result, the internal temperature sensor 62 and wiring 64 (described below) are disposed at a distance from the bottom wall 13E and the side wall 13A, which are the inner surfaces of the inner box 13.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 7, the internal temperature sensor 62 is protected by being covered with a cover member 65 (not shown in FIG. 6). The cover member 65 includes a side wall 65A that covers the internal temperature sensor 62 from the side, a triangular upper wall 65B that covers the internal temperature sensor 62 from above, and flanges 65D, 65E provided at each end of the side wall 65A. A downwardly opening notch 68 is formed in the lower part of each of the flanges 65D, 65E, and both flanges 65D, 65E are fixed to the corresponding side wall 13A by screws 67 inserted through the notches 68. The internal temperature sensor 62 is disposed so as to rise upward from the bottom wall 13E. For this reason, it can be said that the internal temperature sensor 62 is disposed on the bottom wall 13E (the inner wall of the wall constituting the storage chamber that is disposed on the opposite side from the opening direction of the opening).

[0027] Additionally, a plurality of elongated ventilation holes 65F are formed in the side wall portion 65A of the cover member 65. Air in the space disposed outside the cover member 65 in the storage chamber 17 is taken into the internal space of the cover member 65 (the space around the internal temperature sensor 62) through the ventilation holes 65F.

[0028] The internal temperature sensor 62 is electrically connected to the control unit 41 by a wire 64. As shown in FIG. 8, the wire 64 is inserted through a through hole 13B formed in the bottom wall 13E. The through hole 13B is formed by burring the bottom wall 13E. As a result, an upwardly rising flange 13D is formed on the edge of the through hole 13B. By providing such a flange 13D, when water accumulates on the bottom surface of the storage chamber 17, it is possible to prevent the water from entering the through hole 13B.

[0029] Furthermore, the portion of the wiring 64 inserted into the through-hole 13B and the surrounding area are covered with a covering member 69 that has heat-insulating, insulating, and waterproofing properties. A sealant 66 is provided to cover the outer peripheral surfaces of the flange 13D and the covering member 69. This prevents water from passing between the covering member 69 and the inner surface of the through-hole 13B and dropping below the bottom wall 13E. The internal temperature sensor 62 (and thus the cover member 65) is disposed in a corner of the storage chamber 17 on the electrical box 40 side, as shown in FIG. 4. This allows the internal temperature sensor 62 to be disposed closer to the electrical box 40, thereby shortening the wiring 64.

[0030] Next, we will explain the electrical configuration of the deep freezer 10. As shown in Fig. 9, the control unit 41 is electrically connected to a memory unit 90, compressor 24, air-cooling fan 25, first timer 91, second timer 92, internal temperature sensor 62, speaker 93, display unit 94, operation unit 95, and temperature sensor 35.

[0031] The control unit 41 is mainly composed of, for example, a CPU, and the storage unit 90 is composed of, for example, a ROM, a RAM, etc. The control unit 41 executes a program stored in the storage unit 90 to control the operation of each device electrically connected to the control unit 41 (the compressor 24, the air-cooling fan 25, the first timer 91, the second timer 92, the speaker 93, and the display unit 94).

[0032] The display unit 94 is configured, for example, by a segmented liquid crystal panel or LEDs, and is capable of displaying images (numbers, alphabets, etc.). The operation unit 95 accepts input operations by the user (operator), and is configured by buttons that can be pressed. The speaker 93 and display unit 94 are examples of an alarm unit that can issue a warning.

[0033] The memory unit 90, the first timer 91, the second timer 92, and the speaker 93 are housed inside the electrical box 40, and the display unit 94 and the operation unit 95 are provided, for example, on the front of the operation box 42 (see Figure 1) located in front of the electrical box 40, but the installation location of each device can be changed as appropriate.

[0034] Next, the processing of the control unit 41 will be described. In this embodiment, the control unit 41 executes a cooling operation to control the operation of the cooling device 20 so that the measured temperature TX of the storage compartment 17 measured by the internal temperature sensor 62 becomes equal to a preset target temperature TM. Specifically, in the cooling operation, when the measured temperature TX becomes higher than the target temperature TM by a predetermined value Y1 (see FIG. 10), the control unit 41 operates the compressor 24 and the air-cooling fan 25, thereby cooling the storage compartment 17. Furthermore, in the cooling operation, when the measured temperature TX becomes lower than the target temperature TM by a predetermined value Y2 (see FIG. 10), the control unit 41 stops the compressor 24 and the air-cooling fan 25. This maintains the measured temperature TX near the target temperature TM.

[0035] Furthermore, the control unit 41 executes processes (first notification process and second notification process) for issuing a warning to the user while the cooling operation is being performed. Fig. 10 shows an example of the time progression of the measured temperature TX when the first notification process is executed due to the door 50 being opened. Fig. 11 shows an example of the time progression of the measured temperature TX when the first notification process and the second notification process are executed due to an abnormality in the cooling device 20.

[0036] 10 , in the first notification process, if the measured temperature TX1 is equal to or higher than the first predetermined temperature T1 after the first predetermined time t1 has elapsed since the measured temperature TX became equal to or higher than the first predetermined temperature T1, which is higher than the target set temperature TM by a predetermined value, the control unit 41 activates the speaker 93 and the display unit 94 to issue a warning. Specifically, in the first notification process, the control unit 41 activates the speaker 93 to output an alarm sound and causes the display unit 94 to display a predetermined error number (e.g., an error number indicating that a door has been left open). The first predetermined temperature T1 is set to a value greater than the target set temperature TM plus a predetermined value Y1. The above conditions for executing the first notification process also include a case in which the measured temperature TX remains equal to or higher than the first predetermined temperature T1 for the first predetermined time t1.

[0037] 11, in the second notification process, if the measured temperature TX2 at the time when a second predetermined time t2 has elapsed since the first notification process was executed is equal to or higher than the measured temperature TX1 at the time when the first notification process was executed, the speaker 93 and the display unit 94 are operated to issue a warning different from the warning issued in the first notification process. Specifically, in the second notification process, the control unit 41 operates the speaker 93 to output an alarm sound that is louder than the first notification process, and causes the display unit 94 to display a predetermined error number (for example, an error number indicating an abnormality in the refrigeration circuit, which is different from the error number displayed in the first notification process). This allows the user to contact a serviceman who will perform maintenance on the deep freezer 10 and request that a serviceman be dispatched.

[0038] In the second notification process, the control unit 41 may cause the display unit 94 to display a message urging the user to contact a service technician (a message requesting a service call). The threshold for executing the second notification process may be set slightly higher than the measured temperature TX1. For example, the control unit 41 may execute the second notification process when the measured temperature TX2 is equal to or higher than the measured temperature TX1 plus a predetermined value (e.g., 1°C). In the second notification process, the control unit 41 may communicate with an external information terminal via a communication network to directly notify the service technician who owns the information terminal of the occurrence of an error and to request the dispatch of a service technician. In the first notification process, the control unit 41 may cause the display unit 94 to display a message urging the user to be careful not to forget to close the door. In the first notification process, the control unit 41 may communicate with the external information terminal via a communication network to directly notify the user who owns the information terminal that the door has been left closed.

[0039] Furthermore, after executing the first notification process, the control unit 41 continues to perform the first notification process if the measured temperature TX2 is lower than the measured temperature TX1, as shown in Fig. 10. Thereafter, the control unit 41 stops the warning when the measured temperature TX becomes lower than the target setting temperature TM. Note that the control unit 41 may also stop the warning when the measured temperature TX becomes lower than "the target setting temperature TM + predetermined value Y1."

[0040] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, when the measured temperature is still equal to or higher than the first predetermined temperature T1 after the first predetermined time t1 has elapsed since the measured temperature became equal to or higher than the first predetermined temperature T1 during the cooling operation, the control unit 41 activates the speaker 93 and the display unit 94 to issue a warning (first notification process). This makes it possible to notify the user of the deep freezer 10 that the temperature in the storage chamber 17 is higher than the first predetermined temperature T1.

[0041] Here, possible causes for the first notification process to be executed include outside air entering storage chamber 17 due to door 50 being open, or an abnormality occurring in cooling device 20. If an abnormality occurs in cooling device 20, storage chamber 17 is not cooled, and the heat of the outside air is transferred little by little to storage chamber 17 via storage cabinet main body 11 and door 50, causing the temperature of storage chamber 17 to rise.

[0042] If the first notification process is executed due to the door 50 being open, the user who receives the warning will close the door 50. After the door 50 is closed, the temperature of the storage compartment 17 gradually decreases due to the cooling operation. As a result, the measured temperature TX2 at the time when the second predetermined time t2 has elapsed since the first notification process was executed will be lower than the measured temperature TX1 at the time when the first notification process was executed, and the second notification process will not be executed (see FIG. 10).

[0043] In contrast, if the first notification process is executed due to an abnormality in the cooling device 20, the temperature in the storage chamber 17 does not decrease even after the first notification process is executed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the measured temperature TX2 at the time when the second predetermined time t2 has elapsed since the first notification process was executed will be equal to or higher than the measured temperature TX1 at the time when the first notification process was executed. In this case, the control unit 41 activates the speaker 93 and the display unit 94 to issue a warning (second notification process). This allows the user who receives the warning from the second notification process to take appropriate measures, such as contacting a service technician who performs maintenance on the deep freezer 10. In this way, the above configuration can prompt the user to take appropriate measures depending on the cause of the abnormality.

[0044] In addition, the internal temperature sensor 62 is provided on the bottom wall portion 13E, which is one of the walls constituting the storage chamber 17 and is arranged on the opposite side of the opening direction of the opening 16, and the cooling device 20 is provided on the outer surface of the side wall portion 13A constituting the storage chamber 17 and includes a cooling pipe 21 that cools the side wall portion 13A.

[0045] According to this embodiment, the storage chamber 17 can be cooled by cooling the side wall portion 13A with the cooling pipe 21. With this configuration, compared to a cooling device configured to send cool air into the storage chamber 17 with a cooling fan, air flow within the storage chamber 17 is less likely to occur, and the temperature change within the storage chamber 17 when the door 50 is opened is smaller. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the opening 16 is opened upward, so that outside air (relatively high temperature air) is less likely to enter the storage chamber 17, which is located below the opening 16, when the door 50 is opened. This also reduces the temperature change within the storage chamber 17 when the door 50 is opened. Furthermore, the internal temperature sensor 62 is provided on the bottom wall portion 13E, which is far from the opening 16. Therefore, the internal temperature sensor 62 is less likely to come into contact with the outside air that enters the storage chamber 17 when the door 50 is opened. From the above, opening the door 50 for a short time when putting stored items in and out of the storage room 17 can prevent the temperature measured by the internal temperature sensor 62 from rising, and can prevent the cooling device 20 from operating excessively.

[0046] In a refrigerated storage cabinet such as the deep freezer 10, when an abnormality occurs in the cooling device, the heat of the outside air is gradually transferred into the storage compartment through the storage cabinet body and the door. In contrast, when the door is opened, outside air directly enters the storage compartment. For this reason, in a typical refrigerated storage cabinet, the temperature rise in the storage compartment when the door is opened is thought to be greater than the temperature rise in the storage compartment when an abnormality occurs in the cooling device. For this reason, if the rate of increase in temperature over time measured by the internal temperature sensor is relatively high, it is determined that the cause of the abnormality is due to the opening of the door, and if it is relatively low, it is determined that the cause of the abnormality is due to an abnormality in the cooling device, and different warnings can be issued for each.

[0047] However, in this embodiment, the rate of increase in the measured temperature when the door 50 is opened is small, so it is difficult to distinguish between this rate and the rate of increase in the measured temperature when an abnormality occurs in the cooling device 20. This makes it difficult to determine the cause of the abnormality based on the rate of increase in the measured temperature. In this regard, this embodiment is advantageous because it can issue different warnings depending on the cause of the abnormality without using the rate of increase in the temperature measured by the internal temperature sensor 62 (for example, the amount of increase in the measured temperature per unit time).

[0048] Although it is possible to detect abnormalities in the cooling device 20 by providing sensors (such as temperature sensors) for detecting abnormalities in each device (such as the wire tube condenser 23 and the cooling pipe 21) that constitute the cooling device 20, such a configuration increases the number of sensors to be installed, which increases manufacturing costs. In the above configuration, the use of the internal temperature sensor 62 allows different warnings to be issued depending on the cause of the abnormality, resulting in a simpler configuration.

[0049] Note that the cooling storage cabinet may be configured to send cold air generated by a cooler using a cooling fan into the storage compartment (forced convection type), or may have an opening facing forward. However, in such a configuration, the impact of outside air entering the storage compartment when the door is opened is significant, making it easy for the temperature of the storage compartment to rise. For this reason, a situation where the measured temperature TX2 is lower than the measured temperature TX1 (see FIG. 10), as in this embodiment, is unlikely to occur.

[0050] In contrast, the deep freezer 10 of this embodiment has the above-mentioned configurations (the internal temperature sensor 62 is disposed within the storage compartment 17, the cooling pipe 21 cools the side wall portion 13A without using a cooling fan, thereby generating natural convection in the storage compartment 17, and the opening 16 is open upward), so the temperature in the storage compartment 17 is more likely to drop with less influence from outside air entering when the door 50 is opened. In other words, it is more likely that the measured temperature TX2 will be lower than the measured temperature TX1. For these reasons, the configuration related to the control unit 41 of this embodiment (the configuration in which the control unit 41 compares the measured temperature TX2 with the measured temperature TX1 to determine whether or not to execute the second notification process) is more suitably applied to the deep freezer 10.

[0051] Furthermore, the warning issued in the second notification process is different from the warning issued in the first notification process. By issuing a different warning in the second notification process from the warning issued in the first notification process, it is possible to more clearly communicate to the user that an abnormality has occurred that is not caused by the door 50 being open.

[0052] <Other embodiments> The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, and the following embodiments, for example, are also included in the technical scope. (1) In the above embodiment, the deep freezer 10 is used as an example of a refrigerated storage cabinet, but this is not limited thereto, and the technology disclosed in this specification can also be applied to refrigerated storage cabinets other than the deep freezer 10. (2) The warnings issued by the notification unit are not limited to those exemplified in the above embodiment and can be changed as appropriate. For example, different warning sounds may be output by the speaker 93 in the first notification process and the second notification process. Furthermore, the same warning may be issued in the first notification process and the second notification process. When the same warning is issued, the user can recognize that an abnormality has occurred due to a cause other than forgetting to close the door, because the same warning is issued in the second notification process even though the user closed the door in response to the warning in the first notification process. (3) In the above embodiment, a configuration in which the internal temperature sensor 62 is provided on the bottom wall portion 13E is exemplified. However, the internal temperature sensor 62 may be provided in any location within the storage chamber 17, and the installation location can be changed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 10... Deep freezer (cooling storage), 11... Storage body, 13E... Bottom wall portion (rear wall portion), 13A... Side wall portion (wall portion constituting the storage chamber), 16... Opening, 17... Storage chamber, 20... Cooling device, 21... Cooling pipe, 41... Control unit, 50... Door, 62... In-storage temperature sensor, 94... Display unit (alarm unit), 93... Speaker (alarm unit)

Claims

1. A storage body that is a box that constitutes a storage chamber having an opening that opens upward; a door covering the opening; a cooling device capable of cooling the storage chamber; an internal temperature sensor disposed in the storage chamber and capable of measuring the temperature of the storage chamber; a notification unit capable of issuing a warning; a control unit, the cooling device includes a cooling pipe provided on an outer surface of a wall portion that constitutes the storage chamber, the cooling pipe is configured to generate natural convection in the storage chamber by cooling a wall portion that constitutes the storage chamber, The control unit executes a cooling operation to control the operation of the cooling device so that the measured temperature of the storage compartment measured by the internal temperature sensor becomes a predetermined target set temperature, Furthermore, the control unit performs a first notification process to operate the notification unit to issue a warning when the measured temperature is equal to or higher than a first predetermined temperature that is higher than the target set temperature when a first predetermined time has elapsed since the measured temperature became equal to or higher than a first predetermined temperature that is higher than the target set temperature during the cooling operation; A refrigerated storage facility that executes a second notification process to operate the notification unit to issue a warning if the measured temperature at a second predetermined time after the first notification process is executed is higher than the measured temperature at the time the first notification process was executed.

2. The refrigerated storage facility according to claim 1 , wherein the warning issued in the second notification process is a warning different from the warning issued in the first notification process.

3. 3. The refrigerated storage cabinet according to claim 1, wherein the internal temperature sensor is provided in a rear wall portion of the wall portion constituting the storage chamber, the rear wall portion being disposed on the opposite side to the opening direction of the opening.

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