Cool air dryer

Abstract

To provide a cool air dryer capable of simplifying a refrigerant supply part and reducing uneven drying of food.SOLUTION: In a cool air dryer for food, a refrigerant supply part 140 includes: a first flow path FP1 for flowing a refrigerant from a compressor 141 to a condenser 142; a second flow path FP2 for flowing the refrigerant in a liquid state from the condenser 142 to a reheater 132; a third flow path FP3 for flowing the refrigerant from the reheater 132 to a cooler 131 via an expansion valve 147; and a fourth flow path FP4 for flowing the refrigerant from the cooler 131 to the compressor 141. A control part alternately performs, a plurality of times during a predetermined drying period: first control in which a first fan is rotated forward and a second fan 134 is rotated forward; and second control in which the first fan is rotated backward and the second fan 134 is rotated forward. In the first control and the second control, an air flow passing through a food accommodating box is reversed without reversing an air flow passing through a dehumidifying part 130.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cold air dryer for food. [Background technology]

[0002] A known conventional cold air dryer is described, for example, in Patent Document 1. The cold air dryer described in Patent Document 1 includes a refrigerant supply unit that supplies refrigerant to a cooler and a reheater. The refrigerant supply unit is configured such that the reheater and condenser are connected in parallel to the compressor via a reheater valve and a condenser valve, which are refrigerant switching means, and the condenser is connected to the cooler via a receiver tank or the like. However, this configuration complicates and increases the size of the refrigerant supply unit.

[0003] The cold air dryer described in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a blower fan for circulating air in the drying chamber. However, with the cold air dryer described in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the degree of drying may differ between food placed near the blower fan and food placed far from the blower fan. Furthermore, depending on the food, there is a risk that uneven drying may occur between the part closest to the blower fan and the part far from the blower fan. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6104106 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cold air dryer that simplifies the refrigerant supply section and can reduce uneven drying of food. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the cold air dryer according to the present invention comprises: a housing provided with a drying chamber; a food storage box disposed in the drying chamber and storing food; a first fan that circulates air in the drying chamber; a dehumidification unit that includes a cooler, a reheater, a heater, and a second fan and dehumidifies the air; a refrigerant supply unit including a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion valve, and configured to supply a refrigerant to the cooler and the reheater; a control unit that controls the first fan and the second fan; A cold air dryer for food, comprising: The refrigerant supply unit a first flow path for flowing the refrigerant from the compressor to the condenser; a second flow path for flowing the refrigerant in liquid form from the condenser to the reheater; a third flow path for flowing the refrigerant from the reheater through the expansion valve to the cooler; a fourth flow path for flowing the refrigerant from the cooler to the compressor; Equipped with The food storage box has an air flow path formed in the front-rear direction and is configured to be removable from the drying chamber, the first fan is fixed to the drying chamber so as to be positioned behind the food storage box arranged in the drying chamber, and is configured to rotate forward and backward; The second fan is configured to rotate in a forward direction, The control unit a first control for rotating the first fan in the forward direction and the second fan in the forward direction and a second control for rotating the first fan in the reverse direction and the second fan in the forward direction are alternately performed a plurality of times during a predetermined drying time; The present invention is characterized in that, during the first control and the second control, the flow of air passing through the food storage box is reversed without reversing the flow of air passing through the dehumidifying section.

[0007] In the cold air dryer, The housing includes: a bottom plate on which the dehumidifying unit is disposed; a first partition plate provided above the bottom plate, the front and rear ends of which are spaced apart from the front and rear inner wall surfaces of the drying chamber, and the food storage box is placed on an upper surface of the first partition plate; a second partition plate having a lower end fixed to the rear end of the first partition plate, an upper end fixed to the upper surface of the inner wall of the drying chamber, and a left end and a right end spaced apart from the left and right inner wall surfaces of the drying chamber, and having the first fan attached thereto; The drying chamber may be configured to include a third partition plate that is provided between the front end of the first partition plate and the front surface of the inner wall of the drying chamber and is configured in a mesh pattern so that a flow path for the air is formed in the vertical direction.

[0008] In the cold air dryer, a detection unit that detects the distance from the food storage box to the first fan and / or the distance from the rear surface of the food storage box to the center position of the food; The control unit performing a time determination process to determine a first time for performing the first control and a second time for performing the second control according to the detection result of the detection unit; The time determination process may be configured to increase one of the first time and the second time and decrease the other without changing the total time of the first time and the second time.

[0009] In the cold air dryer, The refrigerant supply unit a first solenoid valve provided in the third flow path between the reheater and the expansion valve; a second solenoid valve provided in the second flow path; a fifth flow path having one end connected to the second flow path between the condenser and the second solenoid valve and the other end connected to the third flow path between the reheater and the first solenoid valve; a third solenoid valve provided in the fifth flow path, The control unit The device can be configured to perform drying control, in which the first solenoid valve and the second solenoid valve are turned on and the third solenoid valve is turned off, and refrigeration control, in which the first solenoid valve and the third solenoid valve are turned on and the second solenoid valve is turned off. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cold air dryer that simplifies the refrigerant supply unit and can reduce uneven drying of food. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1A is a front view of a cold air dryer according to the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a right side view showing the inside of a drying chamber. [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are a front view and a plan view, respectively, of the interior of the drying chamber. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a refrigerant supply unit of the present invention. [Figure 4] These figures show the air flow inside the drying chamber, where (A) is a right side view when the first fan is rotated forward, (B) is a plan view when the first fan is rotated forward, (C) is a right side view when the first fan is rotated backward, and (D) is a plan view when the first fan is rotated backward. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modified example of the refrigerant supply unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a cold air dryer according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013] Fig. 1(A) shows a front view of a cold air dryer 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1(B) is a right side view of the cold air dryer 100, showing the interior of a drying chamber R1 (described later) as seen from the right side.

[0014] The cold air dryer 100 is a device for drying food (mainly fish) to produce dried fish. The cold air dryer 100 includes a housing 110, a food storage box 120 provided in the housing 110, a dehumidifying section 130, a refrigerant supplying section 140, an operation setting section 150, and a control section 160.

[0015] The housing 110 includes a drying chamber R1, an upper storage chamber R2, a lower storage chamber R3, and a control chamber R4. The drying chamber R1 is located in the center of the housing 110. The upper storage chamber R2 is located in the upper part of the housing 110, the lower storage chamber R3 is located in the lower part of the housing 110, and the control chamber R4 is located between the drying chamber R1 and the upper storage chamber R2. Note that the position of the control chamber R4 may be changed, and it may be located, for example, on the right or left side of the drying chamber R1.

[0016] Drying chamber R1 mainly contains food storage boxes 120 and a dehumidifying section 130. A door 111 is provided on the front side of drying chamber R1, and a user of cold air dryer 100 can open door 111 to take food storage boxes 120 out of drying chamber R1 or put food storage boxes 120 into drying chamber R1. Drying chamber R1 is also provided with a known ozone generator (not shown).

[0017] The drying chamber R1 has an inner wall consisting of a front surface (the rear surface of the door 111), a rear surface, a left surface, a right surface, a top surface, and a bottom surface. In this embodiment, the temperature inside the inner wall of the drying chamber R1 during drying is maintained at approximately 20°C by the dehumidifying unit 130. Fig. 2(A) shows a front view of the inside of the inner wall of the drying chamber R1, and Fig. 2(B) shows a plan view of the inside of the inner wall of the drying chamber R1.

[0018] The housing 110 includes a bottom plate 112, a first partition plate 113, a second partition plate 114, two first fans 115 (see FIG. 1(B)), a third partition plate 116, and a protrusion 117 in the space within the inner wall.

[0019] The bottom plate 112 is fixed at its left end to the left surface of the inner wall of the drying chamber R1 and at its right end to the right surface of the inner wall of the drying chamber R1 so that the bottom plate 112 is parallel to the lower surface of the inner wall of the drying chamber R1. The front and rear ends of the bottom plate 112 are spaced apart from the front and rear surfaces of the inner wall of the drying chamber R1, respectively. The dehumidifying unit 130 is disposed on the upper surface of the bottom plate 112. In this embodiment, the bottom plate 112 is provided separately from the lower surface of the inner wall of the drying chamber R1, but the lower surface of the inner wall of the drying chamber R1 may also be used as the bottom plate 112.

[0020] The first partition plate 113 is provided above and parallel to the bottom plate 112. The left end of the first partition plate 113 is fixed to the left surface of the inner wall of the drying chamber R1, and the right end is fixed to the right surface of the inner wall of the drying chamber R1. The front and rear ends of the first partition plate 113 are spaced apart from the front and rear surfaces of the inner wall of the drying chamber R1, respectively. A food storage box 120 is placed on the upper surface of the first partition plate 113.

[0021] The second partition plate 114 is disposed perpendicular to the first partition plate 113. The second partition plate 114 has a lower end fixed to the rear end of the first partition plate 113 and an upper end fixed to the upper surface of the inner wall of the drying chamber R1. The left and right ends of the second partition plate 114 are spaced apart from the left and right surfaces of the inner wall of the drying chamber R1, respectively. The second partition plate 114 has two through holes 114a formed side by side in the vertical direction, which penetrate in the front-to-rear direction, and the first fan 115 is disposed in these through holes 114a.

[0022] The first fan 115 is configured to rotate forward and backward while fixed to the second partition plate 114. When rotating forward, the first fan 115 draws in air from the rear side and expels it to the front side (toward the food storage box 120). When rotating reverse, the first fan 115 draws in air from the front side (toward the food storage box 120) and expels it to the rear side. The first fan 115 is fixed to the second partition plate 114 so that its front end does not protrude beyond the second partition plate 114. In this embodiment, a mesh-like protective frame (not shown) is provided on the entire front side of the second partition plate 114. This prevents the food storage box 120 from coming into contact with the first fan 115. The number of first fans 115 can be changed as needed. In this embodiment, two first fans 115 are used; however, if the drying chamber R1 is large, for example, four first fans may be used, with two arranged vertically and two arranged horizontally. If the drying chamber R1 is small, only one first fan 115 may be used.

[0023] Third partition plate 116 is provided in the gap between the front end of first partition plate 113 and the front surface of the inner wall of drying chamber R1. The top surface of third partition plate 116 is at the same height as the top surface of first partition plate 113. Third partition plate 116 is configured in a mesh pattern to allow air to pass through in the vertical direction. Although third partition plate 116 can be omitted, providing third partition plate 116 prevents part of food storage box 120 from falling in between first partition plate 113 and the front surface of the inner wall of drying chamber R1 when food storage box 120 is taken in or out of drying chamber R1.

[0024] Protrusion 117 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the left-right direction, and is arranged at the boundary between first partition plate 113 and third partition plate 116 (in this embodiment, on the upper surface of the front end portion of first partition plate 113). Protrusion 117 can prevent food storage box 120 from shifting and covering at least a portion of third partition plate 116, for example, when storing food in food storage box 120 or removing food from food storage box 120.

[0025] Food storage box 120 comprises a cylindrical frame with a rectangular cross section that is open at the front and rear, and a multi-tiered mesh provided within the frame. Food to be dried is placed on the mesh. Food storage box 120 has a vertical dimension smaller than that of second partition plate 114, and a left-right dimension that is equal to or smaller than the left-right dimension of second partition plate 114 (in this embodiment, approximately the same), but greater than or equal to the left-right dimension of first fan 115. The front-to-rear dimension of food storage box 120 is also smaller than the dimension from the rear surface of protrusion 117 to the front surface of second partition plate 114. A user can place food storage box 120 on top of first partition plate 113 so that the rear surface of food storage box 120 faces the front surface of second partition plate 114.

[0026] The dehumidifying section 130 includes a cooler 131, a reheater 132, a heater 133, and a second fan 134. The cooler 131, the reheater 132, the heater 133, and the second fan 134 are arranged on the upper surface of the bottom plate 112 in this order from the front side.

[0027] The cooler 131 and the reheater 132 are, for example, heat exchangers in which a serpentine refrigerant pipe passes through a plurality of heat dissipation fins. The heater 133 is, for example, an electric heater with a thermostat, and is controlled by the control unit 160. The second fan 134 is at least one fan configured to rotate forward to expel air drawn in through the cooler 131, the reheater 132, and the heater 133 to the rear side.

[0028] Air passing through the dehumidifying section 130 is first cooled by the cooler 131, and then reheated by the reheater 132 and the heater 133, thereby being dehumidified. Note that moisture generated in the cooler 131 during dehumidification flows down into a drain pan (not shown) provided in the lower storage chamber R3 via drain holes (not shown) formed in the lower surface of the inner wall of the drying chamber R1.

[0029] 3 shows a circuit diagram of the refrigerant supply unit 140. The refrigerant supply unit 140 includes a compressor 141, a condenser 142, a high-pressure switch 143, a receiver tank 144, a dry core 145, a solenoid valve 146, and an expansion valve 147. In this embodiment, the expansion valve 147 is disposed in the drying chamber R1, and the components of the refrigerant supply unit 140 other than the expansion valve 147 are disposed in the upper storage chamber R2.

[0030] The refrigerant supply unit 140 also includes a first flow path FP1, a second flow path FP2, a third flow path FP3, and a fourth flow path FP4, which are refrigerant pipes. The refrigerant supply unit 140 differs significantly from conventional refrigerant supply units (for example, the refrigerant supply unit described in Patent Document 1) in that it includes these components (particularly, in that it includes the second flow path FP2 and the third flow path FP3).

[0031] The first flow path FP1 connects the compressor 141 and the condenser 142. A high-pressure switch 143 is provided in the first flow path FP1. The compressor 141 compresses the gaseous refrigerant supplied from the cooler 131 to produce a high-temperature, high-pressure gas. When the refrigerant pressure (discharge side pressure) of the compressor 141 reaches or exceeds a predetermined value, the high-pressure switch 143 operates to stop the operation of the compressor 141. The condenser 142 condenses the gaseous refrigerant compressed by the compressor 141 to produce a liquid refrigerant.

[0032] The second flow path FP2 connects the condenser 142 to the refrigerant piping of the reheater 132 via the receiver tank 144, the dry core 145, and the solenoid valve 146. The liquid refrigerant sent out from the condenser 142 is stored in the receiver tank 144, has moisture removed in the dry core 145, and is supplied to the reheater 132 via the solenoid valve 146. A liquid refrigerant at approximately 60°C is supplied to the reheater 132. As described above, the temperature of the drying chamber R1 is maintained at approximately 20°C, so the liquid refrigerant is cooled in the reheater 132.

[0033] The third flow path FP3 connects the refrigerant pipe of the reheater 132 and the refrigerant pipe of the cooler 131 via an expansion valve 147. The expansion valve 147 reduces the pressure of the liquid refrigerant sent out from the reheater 132 to lower the temperature. The expansion valve 147 may also adjust the flow rate of the refrigerant passing through it depending on the state (for example, temperature) of the gaseous refrigerant sent out from the cooler 131.

[0034] The fourth flow path FP4 connects the refrigerant pipe of the cooler 131 to the compressor 141. The gaseous refrigerant sent out from the cooler 131 is supplied to the compressor 141, where it is compressed again.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 1(A), the operation setting unit 150 is provided on the front surface of the control room R4. The operation setting unit 150 includes, for example, a drying time setting unit that allows the user to set the drying time, a temperature setting unit that allows the user to set the temperature inside the drying chamber R1 (default is 20°C), and various switches configured to be operable by the user. The various switches include, for example, a power switch that supplies power to each unit of the cold air dryer 100, a drying switch that starts drying, an ozone switch that operates the ozone generator, and a light switch that turns on a light (not shown) provided in the drying chamber R1. These setting units and switches are merely examples and can be changed as appropriate depending on the configuration of the cold air dryer 100.

[0036] The control unit 160 is provided inside the control room R4. The control unit 160 controls each part of the cool air dryer 100 in accordance with the user's operation performed on the operation setting unit 150 and pre-stored programs, etc. The control unit 160 is configured with, for example, a digital circuit such as a microcomputer and an analog circuit.

[0037] The control unit 160 alternately performs a first control, in which the two first fans 115 rotate forward and the second fan 134 rotate forward, and a second control, in which the two first fans 115 rotate backward and the second fan 134 rotate forward, multiple times during the drying time set by the operation setting unit 150. For example, if the drying time is set to three hours, the control unit 160 performs one cycle consisting of 30 minutes of the first control and 30 minutes of the second control, and repeats this cycle three times.

[0038] Here, it is preferable that the time for performing the first control (corresponding to the "first time" of the present invention) and the time for performing the second control (corresponding to the "second time" of the present invention) can be arbitrarily set by the user in the operation setting unit 150 (e.g., the drying time setting unit) within a range in which the first control and the second control can be performed multiple times within the drying time.

[0039] Figures 4(A) and (B) show the air flow in the drying chamber R1 during the first control, and Figures 4(C) and (D) show the air flow in the drying chamber R1 during the second control. In Figure 4, (A) and (C) show right side views of the inside of the inner wall of the drying chamber R1, and (B) and (D) show plan views of the cross section of line B-B' in (A) and (C), respectively.

[0040] As shown in Figures 4(A) and (B), during first control, the air flows through food storage box 120 from back to front, the air flows through dehumidifying unit 130 from front to back, and the air flows through side space SS between food storage box 120 and the left and right inner walls of drying chamber R1 from front to back. On the other hand, as shown in Figures 4(C) and (D), during second control, the air flows through food storage box 120 from front to back, the air flows through dehumidifying unit 130 from front to back, and the air flows through side space SS from back to front.

[0041] 4(A) to 4(D), the air flow passing through dehumidifying section 130 is from front to back in both the first control and the second control, while the air flow passing through food storage box 120 is from back to front in the first control and from front to back in the second control. That is, in this embodiment, the air flow passing through food storage box 120 can be reversed between the first control and the second control without reversing the air flow passing through dehumidifying section 130. Therefore, with cool air dryer 100 according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce uneven drying of food while dehumidifying the air in drying chamber R1 in both the first control and the second control.

[0042] Furthermore, in the cold air dryer 100, the refrigerant supply unit 140 includes the second flow path FP2 and the third flow path FP3, so it is possible to eliminate the flow path provided in a conventional refrigerant supply unit, in which a reheater and a condenser are connected in parallel to the compressor via a reheater valve and a condenser valve, which are refrigerant switching means, and the flow path in which the condenser is connected to the cooler via a receiver tank or the like. Therefore, according to the cold air dryer 100 of this embodiment, it is possible to simplify the refrigerant supply unit 140 and reduce its size.

[0043] In the cool air dryer 100 according to this embodiment, a liquid refrigerant is supplied to the reheater 132. Generally, a liquid refrigerant can retain a larger amount of heat than a gaseous refrigerant. Therefore, supplying the liquid refrigerant to the reheater 132 enables efficient heat exchange in the reheater 132 (i.e., efficient reheating of air). Furthermore, in the cool air dryer 100 according to this embodiment, the temperature of the drying chamber R1 is maintained at approximately 20°C, and therefore the liquid refrigerant (refrigerant at approximately 60°C) is cooled in the reheater 132. This makes it easier for the refrigerant to remove heat from the air in the cooler 131 in the next stage. That is, by cooling the refrigerant in the reheater 132, the cooling efficiency and energy conversion efficiency of the refrigerant can be improved.

[0044] Although the embodiment of the cold air dryer according to the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

[0045] [Variation 1] The cold air dryer 100 according to the above embodiment may include a detection unit that detects the distance from the food containing box 120 to the first fan 115. The detection unit is, for example, a sensor that measures the distance D1 from the rear surface of the food containing box 120 to the front surface of the first fan 115. The detection unit outputs the detection result to the control unit 160.

[0046] The control unit 160 performs a time determination process to determine a first time for performing the first control and a second time for performing the second control, based on the detection result (distance D1) of the detection unit. In the time determination process, the control unit 160 preferably increases one of the first time and the second time and decreases the other without changing the total time of the first time and the second time (e.g., the total time set by the user in the operation setting unit 150). For example, when the distance D1 = 0, the control unit 160 may set the first time and the second time as in the above embodiment, and decrease the first time as the distance D1 increases and increase the second time by the amount of the decrease. This allows the ratio between the first time and the second time to be changed without changing the drying time.

[0047] [Variation 2] The cold air dryer 100 according to the above embodiment may include a detection unit that detects the position of food contained in the food storage box 120. The detection unit is composed of, for example, a camera that takes an image of the food contained in the food storage box 120 and generates image data, and a calculation device that calculates the distance D2 from the rear surface of the food storage box 120 to the center position of the food.

[0048] The calculation device may, for example, calculate the center position of each of the multiple foods in the front-to-rear direction based on image data from the camera, calculate the average value of these, and calculate the distance D2 from the rear surface of food containing box 120 to the center position of the food (the above average value). The calculation device may be included in control unit 160.

[0049] The control unit 160 performs a time determination process to determine a first time for performing the first control and a second time for performing the second control, depending on the detection result (distance D2) of the detection unit. In the time determination process, the control unit 160 preferably increases one of the first time and the second time and decreases the other without changing the total time of the first time and the second time (for example, the total time set by the user in the operation setting unit 150). For example, the control unit 160 may decrease the first time as the distance D2 increases and increase the second time by the amount of the decrease. This allows the ratio between the first time and the second time to be changed without changing the drying time.

[0050] [Variation 3] The cold air dryer 100 according to the above embodiment can also employ a combination of the configuration of Modification 1 and the configuration of Modification 2. That is, the control unit 160 can also perform a time determination process to determine the first time for performing the first control and the second time for performing the second control, depending on the detection result of the detection unit (distance D1+distance D2).

[0051] [Variation 4] The cool air dryer 100 according to the above embodiment may include a refrigerant supply unit 140' shown in Fig. 5 instead of the refrigerant supply unit 140. The refrigerant supply unit 140' is obtained by adding a fifth flow path FP5, solenoid valves 146a and 146b, and check valves 148a and 148b to the refrigerant supply unit 140.

[0052] One end of the fifth flow path FP5 is connected to the connection point X1, and the other end is connected to the connection point X2. A solenoid valve 146a and a check valve 148b are provided in the fifth flow path FP5 from the connection point X1 side. The check valve 148b prevents the refrigerant from flowing from the connection point X2 side toward the connection point X1 side. In addition, the third flow path FP3 is provided with a solenoid valve 146b between the expansion valve 147 and the connection point X2, and a check valve 148a between the connection point X2 and the reheater 132. The check valve 148a prevents the refrigerant from flowing from the connection point X2 side toward the reheater 132 side.

[0053] When the solenoid valve 146b is SV1, the solenoid valve 146 is SV2, and the solenoid valve 146a is SV3, the control unit 160 controls the on / off of SV1 to SV3 to cause the drying chamber R1 to function as a drying cabinet as in the above embodiment, or to function as a refrigerator. Specifically, during drying (when functioning as a drying cabinet), the control unit 160 turns on the solenoid valve 146b (SV1) and the solenoid valve 146 (SV2) and turns off the solenoid valve 146a (SV3). During refrigeration (when functioning as a refrigerator), the control unit 160 turns on the solenoid valve 146b (SV1) and the solenoid valve 146a (SV3) and turns off the solenoid valve 146 (SV2). The former control corresponds to the "drying control" of the present invention, and the latter control corresponds to the "refrigeration control" of the present invention.

[0054] [Variation 5] In the cool air dryer 100 according to the above embodiment, the control unit 160 controls the heater 133 on and off so that the temperature of the drying chamber R1 becomes a predetermined temperature (for example, about 20°C), but the heater 133 may be PID controlled. When the heater 133 is PID controlled, the temperature of the drying chamber R1 can be controlled with a smaller temperature fluctuation range (for example, ±0.5°C) than with on / off control.

[0055] In the cool air dryer 100 according to the above embodiment, the condenser 142 includes a condenser body (capacitor), a temperature sensor (thermostat), and a fan that blows air onto the condenser body to control the temperature of the refrigerant. The control unit 160 detects the temperature of the refrigerant using the temperature sensor and performs variable control by varying the fan's rotation speed to adjust the refrigerant temperature. In the above embodiment, the temperature of the drying chamber R1 is maintained at a predetermined temperature (e.g., approximately 20°C) by performing variable control of the fan and on / off control of the heater 133. However, by performing PID control on the heater 133 with a small temperature fluctuation range, the temperature of the drying chamber R1 can be maintained at a predetermined temperature (e.g., approximately 20°C) without performing variable control of the fan (e.g., performing fixed control by only turning the fan on and off while maintaining a constant rotation speed). In other words, the condenser 142 does not need to include a temperature sensor (thermostat). [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 100 Cold air dryer 110 Case 111 Door 112 Bottom plate 113 First partition 114 Second partition 114a Through hole 115 First Fan 116 Third partition 117 Convex 120 Food Storage Box 130 Dehumidification section 131 Cooler 132 Reheater 133 Heater 134 Second Fan 140, 140' refrigerant supply section 141 Compressor 142 Condenser 143 High pressure switch 144 Receiver Tank 145 Dry Core 146, 146a, 146b solenoid valves 147 Expansion valve 148a, 148b check valve 150 Operation setting section 160 control section

Claims

1. a housing provided with a drying chamber; a food storage box disposed in the drying chamber and storing food; a first fan that circulates air in the drying chamber; a dehumidification unit that includes a cooler, a reheater, a heater, and a second fan and dehumidifies the air; a refrigerant supply unit including a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion valve, and configured to supply a refrigerant to the cooler and the reheater; a control unit that controls the first fan and the second fan; A cold air dryer for food, comprising: The refrigerant supply unit a first flow path for flowing the refrigerant from the compressor to the condenser; a second flow path for flowing the liquid refrigerant from the condenser to the reheater; a third flow path for allowing the refrigerant to flow from the reheater through the expansion valve to the cooler; a fourth flow path for flowing the refrigerant from the cooler to the compressor; Equipped with The food storage box has an air flow path formed in the front-rear direction and is configured to be removable from the drying chamber, the first fan is fixed to the drying chamber so as to be located behind the food storage box arranged in the drying chamber, and is configured to rotate forward and backward; The second fan is configured to rotate in a forward direction, The control unit a first control for rotating the first fan in the forward direction and the second fan in the forward direction and a second control for rotating the first fan in the reverse direction and the second fan in the forward direction are alternately performed a plurality of times during a predetermined drying time; During the first control and the second control, the flow of the air passing through the food storage box is reversed without reversing the flow of the air passing through the dehumidifying unit. A cold air dryer characterized by:

2. The housing includes: a bottom plate on which the dehumidifying unit is disposed; a first partition plate provided above the bottom plate, the front and rear ends of which are spaced apart from the front and rear inner wall surfaces of the drying chamber, and the food storage box is placed on an upper surface of the first partition plate; a second partition plate having a lower end fixed to the rear end of the first partition plate, an upper end fixed to the upper surface of the inner wall of the drying chamber, and left and right ends spaced apart from the left and right inner wall surfaces of the drying chamber, and to which the first fan is attached; a third partition plate provided between the front end of the first partition plate and the front surface of the inner wall of the drying chamber, the third partition plate being configured in a mesh shape so as to form a flow path for the air in the vertical direction; The cold air dryer according to claim 1 .

3. a detection unit that detects the distance from the food storage box to the first fan and / or the distance from the rear surface of the food storage box to the center position of the food; The control unit performing a time determination process to determine a first time for performing the first control and a second time for performing the second control according to the detection result of the detection unit; In the time determination process, one of the first time and the second time is increased and the other is decreased without changing the total time of the first time and the second time. The cold air dryer according to claim 1 .

4. The refrigerant supply unit a first solenoid valve provided in the third flow path between the reheater and the expansion valve; a second electromagnetic valve provided in the second flow path; a fifth flow path having one end connected to the second flow path between the condenser and the second solenoid valve and the other end connected to the third flow path between the reheater and the first solenoid valve; a third solenoid valve provided in the fifth flow path, The control unit A drying control is performed by turning on the first solenoid valve and the second solenoid valve and turning off the third solenoid valve, and a refrigeration control is performed by turning on the first solenoid valve and the third solenoid valve and turning off the second solenoid valve. The cold air dryer according to claim 1 .

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