Cooling device

Abstract

To provide a cooling device capable of making a user recognize that abnormality occurs in any cooling chamber when the cooling device includes a plurality of cooling chambers.SOLUTION: The cooling device 100 includes the buzzer 40 in the first cooling compartment 11, the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via the inter-cooling-compartment communication line 50, and the first control unit 3 acquires abnormal state information about whether an abnormality has occurred in the first cooling compartment 11 and the second cooling compartment 21 from the second control unit 4 via the inter-cooling-compartment communication line 50. When an abnormality occurs in any of first cooling compartment 11 and second cooling compartment 21, buzzer 40 is activated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling device, and more particularly to a cooling device having a plurality of cooling chambers. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, cooling devices equipped with a plurality of cooling chambers are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses a showcase in which a partition wall is provided in the center of a cooling case with an open top, thereby dividing the cooling chamber into two. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 60-079678 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the showcase (cooling device) described in Patent Document 1, if an abnormality occurs in one of the two (multiple) cooling compartments, the user cannot recognize that the abnormality has occurred, which may delay the user's response to the cooling compartment in which the abnormality has occurred, resulting in damage to the cooled object. Therefore, when multiple cooling compartments are provided, there is a demand for a cooling device that can make the user recognize that an abnormality has occurred in one of the cooling compartments.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one object of the present invention is to provide a cooling device that, when equipped with multiple cooling compartments, is capable of making the user aware that an abnormality has occurred in one of the cooling compartments. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a cooling device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a plurality of cooling chambers for placing objects to be cooled therein and cooling them, a plurality of control units for individually controlling the operation of each of the plurality of cooling chambers, and an alarm unit provided in some of the plurality of cooling chambers and notifying the user that an abnormality has occurred in one of the plurality of cooling chambers, wherein the plurality of control units are configured to be able to communicate with each other via inter-cooling chamber communication, which is communication between the cooling chambers, and the alarm side control unit, which controls the operation of one of the plurality of control units in which an alarm unit is provided, obtains abnormality status information regarding whether an abnormality has occurred in one of the plurality of cooling chambers via inter-cooling chamber communication from a non-alarm side control unit, which controls the operation of one of the plurality of control units in which an alarm unit is not provided, and is configured to operate the alarm unit if an abnormality occurs in any of the plurality of cooling chambers.

[0008] In this cooling device according to one aspect, as described above, some of the cooling chambers include an alarm unit that notifies a user of an abnormality in one of the cooling chambers. The multiple control units are configured to communicate with each other via inter-cooling chamber communication, which is communication between the cooling chambers. The alarm control unit, which controls the operation of one of the multiple control units and that has the alarm unit, is configured to obtain abnormality status information regarding whether an abnormality has occurred in the cooling chamber from a non-alarm control unit, which controls the operation of one of the multiple control units and that does not have the alarm unit, via the inter-cooling chamber communication. If an abnormality occurs in any of the multiple cooling chambers, the alarm unit can be activated. This allows the alarm unit to notify the user of an abnormality in any of the cooling chambers, making it possible, in a cooling device with multiple cooling chambers, to recognize that an abnormality has occurred in one of the cooling chambers. Furthermore, by having the alarm control unit obtain the abnormality status information from the non-alarm control unit via the inter-cooling chamber communication, the alarm control unit can be activated if an abnormality occurs in any of the cooling chambers, even if not all of the multiple cooling chambers are provided with an alarm unit. As a result, the number of alarm units can be reduced to less than the number of cooling chambers, so the cooling device can be constructed with a simpler structure than when an alarm unit is provided in all of the cooling chambers.

[0009] In the cooling device according to the above aspect, the notification unit preferably includes a buzzer that emits a sound to notify the user that an abnormality has occurred in one of the cooling compartments. With this configuration, even a user who is located far from the cooling device can recognize by the sound that an abnormality has occurred in one of the cooling compartments.

[0010] In this case, the notification control unit is preferably configured to operate the buzzer as the notification unit in a different manner for each cooling chamber in which an abnormality has occurred, so that the user can identify the cooling chamber in which an abnormality has occurred among the multiple cooling chambers. With this configuration, even if not all of the multiple cooling chambers are provided with notification units, the user can identify the cooling chamber in which an abnormality has occurred by the manner in which the buzzer sounds, and therefore can quickly take action on the cooling chamber in which an abnormality has occurred.

[0011] The cooling device, in which the alarm unit includes a buzzer, preferably further includes a display unit provided in each of the plurality of cooling compartments, separate from the alarm unit, for displaying the temperature inside the cooling compartment, and the display unit is configured to display abnormality information relating to the abnormality occurring in the corresponding cooling compartment when an abnormality occurs in the corresponding cooling compartment. With this configuration, the user can not only auditorily recognize the occurrence of an abnormality in one of the cooling compartments by the sound of the buzzer as the alarm unit, but also visually identify the cooling compartment in which the abnormality has occurred by the display unit. As a result, treatment for the cooling compartment in which the abnormality has occurred can be performed more quickly.

[0012] In the cooling device according to the above aspect, preferably, each of the plurality of control units is configured to be able to communicate with a separately provided upper-level control unit via upper-level communication between each of the plurality of control units and the upper-level control unit, and the notification-side control unit is configured to acquire abnormality status information from the non-notification-side control unit via upper-level communication when inter-cooling chamber communication is unavailable. With this configuration, the notification-side control unit can activate the notification unit when an abnormality occurs in one of the cooling chambers, even when inter-cooling chamber communication is unavailable. As a result, the user can be more reliably made aware of the occurrence of an abnormality in one of the cooling chambers.

[0013] In the cooling device in which the notification unit includes a buzzer, the cooling device preferably further includes a buzzer sound stop unit that stops the operation of the buzzer as the notification unit, and the number of buzzer sound stop units is the same as the number of buzzers. With this configuration, the number of buzzers as notification units can be reduced to less than the number of the plurality of cooling chambers, and the number of buzzer sound stop units can also be reduced to less than the number of the plurality of cooling chambers, thereby making it possible to configure the cooling device with a simpler structure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] As described above, when the cooling device of the present invention includes a plurality of cooling compartments, it is possible to make the user aware that an abnormality has occurred in any of the cooling compartments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 5 is a timing chart for explaining the operating state of the common compressor based on the temperature adjustment request control of the first control unit and the second control unit of the cooling device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a timing chart for explaining the operating status of a common compressor based on the temperature adjustment request control of the first control unit and the second control unit when an electrical problem occurs in the second control unit of a cooling device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 3 is a diagram illustrating a connection state of a communication line between a cooling device and a host server according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a timing chart for explaining the operating status of a common compressor based on the temperature adjustment request control of the first control unit and the second control unit when the communication line between the cooling chambers is interrupted in a cooling device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of a cooling device according to a modified example of the present invention. [Figure 8]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a connection state of a communication line between a cooling device and a host server according to a modified example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] [Embodiment] (Cooling device configuration) The overall configuration of a cooling device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the cooling device 100 is a showcase installed in, for example, a supermarket or convenience store for cooling products. In FIG. 1, to facilitate explanation of the structure of the cooling device 100, the wall at the front of the drawing is made transparent, and the internal structure is indicated by dashed lines. In this embodiment, the cooling device 100 is a single showcase equipped with two adjacent cooling compartments, a first cooling compartment 11 and a second cooling compartment 21. The first cooling compartment 11 and the second cooling compartment 21 each include a first cooling compartment 10 and a second cooling compartment 20 for placing and cooling objects (products) to be cooled (not shown), and four doors 110 for inserting and removing the objects. The detailed configurations of the first cooling compartment 11 and the second cooling compartment 21 will be described later. As shown in FIG. 1, the direction in which the first cooling compartment 11 and the second cooling compartment 21 are aligned in the cooling device 100 (one direction in a horizontal plane) is defined as the X direction. The up-down direction (vertical direction) of the cooling device 100 is defined as the Z direction. Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to the X and Z directions of the cooling device 100 (the other direction in the horizontal plane) is defined as the Y direction. In the following description, one side of the X direction will be defined as the X1 direction, and the other side as the X2 direction. In addition, one side of the Y direction will be defined as the Y1 direction, and the other side as the Y2 direction. In addition, in the Z direction, the upward direction will be defined as the Z1 direction, and the downward direction will be defined as the Z2 direction. In this embodiment, the cooling device 100 has, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The first cooling chamber 11 and the second cooling chamber 21 are examples of "multiple cooling chambers" in the claims.

[0019] 1 and 2, the cooling device 100 includes a first control unit 3, a second control unit 4, a first cooling compartment 10, a first display unit 15, a common unit 16, a second cooling compartment 20, a second display unit 25, a buzzer 40, a buzzer stop switch 41, an inter-cooling compartment communication line 50, and a cooling circuit C1. The cooling device 100 is configured to cool the interiors of the first cooling compartment 10 and the second cooling compartment 20 with a refrigerant circulated by the cooling circuit C1. The first cooling compartment 10 and the second cooling compartment 20 are connected in parallel to each other in the cooling circuit C1.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 1, the first cooling compartment 10 and the second cooling compartment 20 are each independently partitioned and arranged adjacent to each other. In addition, objects to be cooled (products) (not shown) are placed in the first cooling compartment 10 and the second cooling compartment 20, and the objects to be cooled are taken in and out by users or customers through the door 110. As a result, the doors 110 of the first cooling compartment 10 and the second cooling compartment 20 may be open for different periods of time, and therefore the amount of heat leak (the amount of heat leaking to the outside) of the first cooling compartment 10 and the amount of heat leak of the second cooling compartment 20 may differ from each other.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the common section 16 includes a common compressor 1 and a condenser 2. The common compressor 1 is configured to compress a refrigerant. The common compressor 1 is controlled by an inverter (not shown). This allows the common compressor 1 to adjust the flow rate of the refrigerant discharged from the common compressor 1. The refrigerant is, for example, R410A, R404A, R32, or carbon dioxide (CO2). The common compressor 1 is provided in common to the first evaporator 13 provided in the first cooling chamber 10 and the second evaporator 23 provided in the second cooling chamber 20.

[0022] The condenser 2 is a so-called external heat exchanger. The condenser 2 is configured to condense the refrigerant discharged from the common compressor 1. The condenser 2 is provided with a blower 2a. The blower 2a is configured to send air to the condenser 2. Heat is transferred from the refrigerant in the condenser 2 to the air sent by the blower 2a, and the heat of the refrigerant is removed.

[0023] The first refrigerator 10 includes a first expansion valve 12, a first evaporator 13, and a first internal temperature sensor 14. The second refrigerator 20 includes a second expansion valve 22, a second evaporator 23, and a second internal temperature sensor 24.

[0024] The first expansion valve 12 and the second expansion valve 22 are configured to expand the refrigerant condensed by the condenser 2. In this embodiment, the first expansion valve 12 and the second expansion valve 22 are electronic expansion valves operated by stepping motors (not shown). The opening degrees of the first expansion valve 12 and the second expansion valve 22 are adjusted to adjust the amount of refrigerant supplied to the first evaporator 13 and the second evaporator 23 provided downstream of the cooling circuit C1. The opening degrees of the first expansion valve 12 and the second expansion valve 22 are adjusted by the stepping motors that receive control commands output from a first control unit 3 and a second control unit 4 (described later).

[0025] Here, if the supply of power to the first expansion valve 12 and the second expansion valve 22 is stopped due to, for example, a power outage, the first expansion valve 12 and the second expansion valve 22 are configured to maintain the opening degree at the time when power was last supplied. Furthermore, when power is restored, the first expansion valve 12 and the second expansion valve 22 are operated by a stepping motor in the origin direction (the direction in which the valve closes) to reset the origin position for opening and closing the valve.

[0026] The first evaporator 13 and the second evaporator 23 are configured to evaporate the refrigerant expanded by the first expansion valve 12 and the second expansion valve 22, respectively. The first evaporator 13 and the second evaporator 23 are provided in parallel with each other. The first evaporator 13 and the second evaporator 23 each include a first internal fan 13a and a second internal fan 23a. The refrigerant flowing through the first evaporator 13 evaporates by removing heat from the air sent from the first internal fan 13a, thereby cooling the air sent from the first internal fan 13a. The refrigerant flowing through the second evaporator 23 evaporates by removing heat from the air sent from the second internal fan 23a, thereby cooling the air sent from the second internal fan 23a.

[0027] The first internal temperature sensor 14 measures the internal temperature of the first refrigerator 10. The second internal temperature sensor 24 measures the internal temperature of the second refrigerator 20.

[0028] The first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 have arithmetic units (not shown) such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) as processors. In this embodiment, the first control unit 3 is configured to control the common compressor 1, the blower 2a (condenser 2), the first expansion valve 12, the first internal fan 13a (first evaporator 13), the first display unit 15, and the buzzer 40. The first control unit 3 is also configured to input outputs from the first internal temperature sensor 14 and the buzzer stop switch 41.

[0029] The second control unit 4 is configured to control the second expansion valve 22, the second internal fan 23a (the second evaporator 23), and the second display unit 25, but not the common compressor 1 and the blower 2a (the condenser 2). As described above, the components related to the control of each of the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 are enclosed by dashed lines in FIG. 2 , connecting to each of the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4. In other words, in this embodiment, the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 individually control the operation of each of the multiple cooling compartments (the first cooling compartment 11 and the second cooling compartment 21). The first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 are an example of the "multiple control units" in the claims. The first control unit 3 is also an example of the "notification-side control unit" in the claims. The second control unit 4 is also an example of the "non-notification-side control unit" in the claims.

[0030] 2, the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via an inter-cooling chamber communication line 50. That is, in this embodiment, the multiple control units (first control unit 3 and second control unit 4) are configured to be able to communicate with each other via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50, which is communication between the cooling chambers. The inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 is, for example, a serial communication line such as RS-232C or an Ethernet communication line.

[0031] The first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 are configured to exchange control information with each other via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50. Specifically, the first control unit 3 acquires control information related to the operating status (open / closed state) of the second expansion valve 22 controlled by the second control unit 4 via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50, and the second control unit 4 acquires control information related to the operating status (open / closed state) of the first expansion valve 12 controlled by the first control unit 3 and the operating status of the common compressor 1 via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50. The first control unit 3 also acquires abnormal state information about the second cooling chamber 21 from the second control unit 4 via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50. The abnormal state information about the second cooling chamber 21 is information related to whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the second cooling chamber 21. An abnormality in the second cooling chamber 21 includes, for example, a state in which a component related to control with the second control unit 4 has failed and a state in which a sensor provided in the second cooling chamber 21, including the second in-compartment temperature sensor 24, has detected an abnormal value. The abnormal state information is notified by periodic communication between the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4. The periodic communication interval is, for example, 20 seconds. The inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 is an example of "inter-cooling chamber communication" in the claims.

[0032] The first display unit 15 not only displays the temperature in the first refrigerator compartment 10 and the operating status of the common compressor 1, but also displays error information including a different error code for each abnormal state and a method for resolving the abnormal state when an abnormality occurs in the first refrigerator compartment 11. The second display unit 25 not only displays the temperature in the second refrigerator compartment 20, but also displays error information including a different error code for each abnormal state and a method for resolving the abnormal state when an abnormality occurs in the second refrigerator compartment 21. Based on the error information, the user takes action to address the abnormality occurring in the first refrigerator compartment 10 and the second refrigerator compartment 21. In other words, in this embodiment, the first display unit 15 and the second display unit 25 are configured to display abnormality information (error information) related to the abnormality occurring in the corresponding refrigerator compartment when an abnormality occurs in the corresponding refrigerator compartment. The first display unit 15 and the second display unit 25 are examples of "displays" in the claims. The error information is an example of "abnormal information" in the claims.

[0033] The buzzer 40 is configured to ring (emit a sound) when an abnormality occurs in the first cooling compartment 11, and when the first control unit 3 receives abnormal condition information from the second control unit 4 via the inter-cooling compartment communication line 50 that an abnormality has occurred in the second cooling compartment 21. That is, in this embodiment, the buzzer 40 notifies the user that an abnormality has occurred in multiple cooling compartments (the first cooling compartment 11 and the second cooling compartment 21) by emitting a sound. The user can then recognize whether the abnormality has occurred in the first cooling compartment 11 or the second cooling compartment 21, based on whether error information is displayed on the first display unit 15 and the second display unit 25. That is, in this embodiment, the first control unit 3, which controls the operation of the first cooling compartment 11, which is one of the multiple control units (first control unit 3 and second control unit 4), and is provided with a buzzer 40, acquires abnormality state information regarding whether an abnormality has occurred in the multiple cooling compartments (first cooling compartment 11 and second cooling compartment 21), via the inter-cooling compartment communication line 50 from the second control unit 4, which controls the operation of the second cooling compartment 21, which is one of the multiple control units (first control unit 3 and second control unit 4), and is not provided with a buzzer 40, and is configured to operate the buzzer 40 when an abnormality has occurred in one of the multiple cooling compartments (first cooling compartment 11 and second cooling compartment 21). The buzzer 40 is an example of an "alarm unit" in the claims.

[0034] However, if the first control unit 3 receives abnormality information from the second control unit 4 within one minute after the buzzer 40 is stopped, the first control unit 3 does not immediately sound the buzzer 40, but sounds the buzzer 40 one minute after the buzzer 40 is stopped. In other words, the abnormality information from the second control unit 4 is held in a pending state until one minute after the buzzer 40 is stopped, and is notified to the first control unit 3 one minute after the buzzer 40 is stopped. This is a measure to prevent, for example, a situation in which the buzzer 40 sounds based on an abnormality in the second cooling compartment 21 immediately after the user presses the buzzer stop switch 41 to stop the buzzer 40 based on an abnormality in the first cooling compartment 11, and the user mistakenly thinks that the buzzer 40 did not stop sounding, and immediately presses the buzzer stop switch 41, thereby overlooking the abnormality in the second cooling compartment 21. The time period for which the abnormal state information from the second control unit 4 is suspended is not limited to one minute.

[0035] Furthermore, the buzzer 40 is configured to emit a sound in a different manner for each cooling compartment in which an abnormality has occurred. That is, the first control unit 3 is configured to cause the buzzer 40 to emit a different sound depending on whether an abnormality has occurred in the first cooling compartment 11 or the second cooling compartment 21. In this embodiment, the first control unit 3 is configured to operate the buzzer 40 so that the manner in which the buzzer 40 emits a sound differs for each cooling compartment in which an abnormality has occurred, so that the user can identify the cooling compartment in which an abnormality has occurred among the multiple cooling compartments (the first cooling compartment 11 and the second cooling compartment 21). The factors that cause the buzzer 40 to emit a different sound include at least one of the duration of the sound in the case of an intermittent sound, the interval between successive sounds in the case of an intermittent sound, the pitch of the sound, and the volume of the sound. This allows the user to recognize whether an abnormality has occurred in the first cooling compartment 11 or the second cooling compartment 21, without having to check whether error information is displayed on the first display unit 15 and the second display unit 25.

[0036] The buzzer stop switch 41 is a switch for stopping the sounding state of the buzzer 40. In this embodiment, the same number of buzzer stop switches 41 as the number of buzzers 40 are provided, and are configured to stop the operation of the corresponding buzzer 40. In this embodiment, for example, one buzzer 40 and one buzzer stop switch 41 are provided. Specifically, the first control unit 3 is configured to stop the sounding state of the buzzer 40 based on the buzzer stop switch 41 being pressed while the buzzer 40 is sounding. In other words, the buzzer stop switch 41 is a switch for stopping the buzzer sound of the buzzer 40. The buzzer stop switch 41 is an example of a "buzzer sound stopping unit" in the claims.

[0037] The conditions for stopping the buzzer 40 sounding differ depending on the cooling compartment in which the abnormality occurred. If the buzzer 40 is sounding due to an abnormality in the first cooling compartment 11, the buzzer 40 stops sounding when the first control unit 3 does not receive abnormality status information from the second control unit 4 and the cause of the abnormality in the first cooling compartment 11 is removed, or when the buzzer stop switch 41 is pressed. Here, the cause of the abnormality is, for example, a foreign object in front of the air intake, which causes the temperature inside the cooling compartment to rise and trigger an alarm. The reason why the first control unit 3 must not receive abnormality status information from the second control unit 4 as a condition for stopping the buzzer 40 sounding due to the second cooling compartment 21 being unintentionally stopped due to the removal of the cause of the abnormality in the first cooling compartment 11 is to prevent the buzzer 40 sounding due to the second cooling compartment 21 being unintentionally stopped.

[0038] If an abnormality occurs in the second cooling compartment 21, the buzzer 40 stops ringing when either the cause of the abnormal condition in the second cooling compartment 21 is removed, or the condition for stopping the buzzer 40 when an abnormality occurs in the first cooling compartment 11 described above is met (the buzzer stop switch 41 is pressed) one minute after the abnormality occurs (the abnormality information is notified). Note that, until one minute has passed since the abnormality occurred (the abnormality information was notified), the second control unit 4 continues to notify the abnormality information and the buzzer 40 sounds again, even if the buzzer stop switch 41 is pressed. Here, the one-minute condition is set in consideration of the 20-second interval between periodic communications between the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 and the time it takes the user to deal with the abnormality. The period for which the abnormality information is notified after the abnormality occurs is not limited to one minute.

[0039] 1 and 2, the first cooling compartment 11 includes the first cooling compartment 10, a wall and a door 110 that partition the first cooling compartment 10, a common compressor 1 and a condenser 2 that are components that are controllably related to a first control unit 3 included in the common unit 16, and a portion of the housing that forms the common unit 16 on the first cooling compartment 10 side (X1 side).The second cooling compartment 21 includes the second cooling compartment 20, a wall and a door 110 that partition the second cooling compartment 20, and a portion of the housing that forms the common unit 16 on the second cooling compartment 20 side (X2 side).

[0040] 1, first display unit 15, buzzer 40, and buzzer stop switch 41 are provided on the first cooling compartment 10 side (X1 side) of the housing forming common unit 16. First display unit 15, buzzer 40, and buzzer stop switch 41 are provided on the lower side (Z2 side) of first cooling compartment 11 where they can be seen and touched by the user.

[0041] 1, second display unit 25 is provided on the second cooling compartment 20 side (X2 side) of the housing forming common unit 16. Second display unit 25 is provided on the lower side (Z2 side) of second cooling compartment 21 where it can be seen and touched by the user. That is, in this embodiment, buzzer 40 is provided in some cooling compartments (first cooling compartment 11) of the multiple cooling compartments (first cooling compartment 11 and second cooling compartment 21) and notifies the user that an abnormality has occurred in the multiple cooling compartments (first cooling compartment 11 and second cooling compartment 21).

[0042] The first control unit 3 performs temperature control (temperature adjustment request) to adjust the opening degree of the first expansion valve 12 based on the indoor temperature of the first cooling compartment 10. Specifically, the first control unit 3 performs control to adjust the opening degree of the first expansion valve 12 so as to adjust the temperature of the first cooling compartment 10 in accordance with the "degree of superheat" based on the temperatures of the supply side and discharge side of the first evaporator 13 installed in the first cooling compartment 10. Similarly, the second control unit 4 performs temperature control (temperature adjustment request) to adjust the opening degree of the second expansion valve 22 based on the indoor temperature of the second cooling compartment 20.

[0043] Furthermore, the first control unit 3 acquires the temperature inside the second cooling compartment 20 by communicating with the second control unit 4 via the inter-cooling compartment communication line 50. The first control unit 3 determines the rotation speed of the common compressor 1 based on the priority compartment temperature, which is the higher temperature between the temperature of the first cooling compartment 10 and the temperature of the second cooling compartment 20, and outputs a control command to the inverter to control the common compressor 1. For example, if the temperature of the second cooling compartment 20 is higher than the temperature of the first cooling compartment 10, the first control unit 3 determines the rotation speed of the common compressor 1 so that the temperature of the first cooling compartment 10 approaches the temperature of the second cooling compartment 20.

[0044] (Temperature control method) Next, a temperature control method for the cooling device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0045] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the first control unit 3 generates control information that indicates, for example, “1” when the common compressor 1 is operating and “0” when the common compressor 1 is stopped. The first control unit 3 generates control information that indicates “1” when a temperature control request is made using the first expansion valve 12 and the first expansion valve 12 is open regardless of the opening degree, and generates control information that indicates “0” when a temperature control request is not made and the first expansion valve 12 is closed. The second control unit 4 generates control information that indicates “1” when a temperature control request is made using the second expansion valve 22 and the second expansion valve 22 is open regardless of the opening degree, and generates control information that indicates “0” when a temperature control request is not made and the second expansion valve 22 is closed. As shown in FIG. 3 , at times before time t1, the common compressor 1 is operating, and the first expansion valve 12 and the second expansion valve 22 are being controlled based on the temperature control request.

[0046] At this time, the first control unit 3 performs control based on a temperature adjustment request by issuing a control signal to adjust the opening of the first expansion valve 12 based on the temperature (degree of superheat) of the first cooling chamber 10. Similarly, the second control unit 4 performs control based on a temperature adjustment request by issuing a control signal to adjust the opening of the second expansion valve 22 based on the temperature (degree of superheat) of the second cooling chamber 20.

[0047] Here, a case will be described in which, at time t1, the first control unit 3 stops the temperature adjustment request and closes the first expansion valve 12 for defrosting. The first control unit 3 communicates with the second control unit 4 via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50, and thereby acquires, at time t1, control information "1" generated by the second control unit 4, which indicates that a temperature adjustment request is being made using the second expansion valve 22. As a result, even when the first control unit 3 issues control information "0" to close the first expansion valve 12 at time t1, the first control unit 3 controls the common compressor 1 so that the common compressor 1 continues to operate.

[0048] Then, at time t2, it is assumed that the second control unit 4 closes the second expansion valve 22 for defrosting. At this time, the first control unit 3 communicates with the second control unit 4 via the inter-cooling-chamber communication line 50 and acquires control information “0” generated by the second control unit 4 at time t2, indicating that a temperature adjustment request has not been made using the second expansion valve 22. As a result, the first control unit 3 detects that both the first expansion valve 12 and the second expansion valve 22 are closed and that neither the first control unit 3 nor the second control unit 4 has made a temperature adjustment request, and therefore controls the common compressor 1 to stop operation at time t3. Note that the time between time t2, when it is detected that both the first expansion valve 12 and the second expansion valve 22 are closed and that neither the first control unit 3 nor the second control unit 4 has made a temperature adjustment request, and time t3, when the common compressor 1 is stopped, can be set arbitrarily.

[0049] Next, as shown in Figure 4, we will explain the case where, at a time before time t11, the common compressor 1 is not operating, the first expansion valve 12 and the second expansion valve 22 are closed, and no temperature control request is made, and then the second control unit 4 opens the second expansion valve 22 and starts a temperature control request.

[0050] First, at time t11, the second control unit 4 opens the second expansion valve 22 upon completion of defrosting and initiates a temperature adjustment request. At this time, the first control unit 3 communicates with the second control unit 4 via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50, and acquires control information "1" generated by the second control unit 4 at time t11, indicating that a temperature adjustment request is being made using the second expansion valve 22. As a result, the first control unit 3 controls the common compressor 1 to start operation of the common compressor 1, and at time t12, operation of the common compressor 1 begins. Thereafter, between time t12 and time t13, the first control unit 3 continues to acquire "1" generated by the second control unit 4, indicating that a temperature adjustment request is being made using the second expansion valve 22, and therefore continues to operate the common compressor 1.

[0051] Here, we will explain a case where, at time t13, the first control unit 3 opens the first expansion valve 12 and initiates a temperature adjustment request as defrosting ends, and an electrical trouble occurs in the second control unit 4, making it unable to send control information to the first control unit 3 and cutting off power supply to the second expansion valve 22. At this time, the power supply to the second expansion valve 22 is cut off, but the second expansion valve 22 maintains the opening degree at time t13, when power was last supplied, so it continues to remain open even after time t13. Although the second control unit 4 cannot send control information to the first control unit 3 due to the electrical trouble, the first control unit 3 is performing control in response to the temperature adjustment request, so operation control of the common compressor 1 continues.

[0052] Subsequently, at time t14, the first control unit 3 again stops the temperature adjustment request, and the second control unit 4 recovers from the abnormal state. When power is supplied to the second expansion valve 22 at time t14, the second expansion valve 22 operates to close the valve at time t14 to reset the opening to the origin. At this time, the first control unit 3 communicates with the second control unit 4 via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 to acquire control information "0" generated by the second control unit 4 at time t14, indicating that a temperature adjustment request is not being made using the second expansion valve 22. As a result, the first control unit 3 detects that both the first expansion valve 12 and the second expansion valve 22 are closed and no temperature adjustment request is being made. Therefore, the first control unit 3 controls the common compressor 1 to stop operation at time t14. Subsequently, the common compressor 1 stops operation at time t15.

[0053] Next, at time t16, the second control unit 4 opens the second expansion valve 22 again and resumes the temperature adjustment request for the second cooling chamber 20. At this time, the first control unit 3 communicates with the second control unit 4 via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50, and acquires control information "1" generated by the second control unit 4 at time t16, which indicates that the temperature adjustment request is being made using the second expansion valve 22. As a result, the first control unit 3 is able to detect that the second expansion valve 22 is open and making a temperature adjustment request, and therefore controls the common compressor 1 to start operation at time t16. Thereafter, at time t17, the common compressor 1 starts operation.

[0054] By using the control method of the cooling device 100 as described above, the first control unit 3 communicates with the second control unit 4 and obtains control information from the second control unit 4 regarding whether a temperature control request is being made using the second expansion valve 22, so that the common compressor 1 can be operated as necessary even when the first expansion valve 12 is closed.

[0055] (Communication with upper server) Next, communication between the cooling device 100 according to this embodiment and a host server will be described with reference to FIG.

[0056] 5, the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 are each connected to an upper server 60 provided separately from the cooling device 100 via an upper communication line 51, and are configured to be able to communicate with each other. The upper communication line 51 is, for example, a serial communication line such as RS-232C or an Ethernet communication line. The upper server 60 is configured to acquire control information for each of the first cooling chamber 11 and the second cooling chamber 21 from the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 via the upper communication line 51. Furthermore, the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 are configured to communicate with each other via the upper communication line 51 when communication via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 is not possible for some reason, that is, when communication via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 is not established.

[0057] Specifically, when the host server 60 receives information from at least one of the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 that communication via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 is not possible, the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 receive control information from each other via the host communication line 51. Furthermore, when communication via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 is not established, the first control unit 3 receives abnormal state information for the second cooling chamber from the second control unit 4 via the host communication line 51 and activates the buzzer 40. In other words, in this embodiment, each of the multiple control units (the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4) is configured to be able to communicate with the separately provided host server 60 via the host communication line 51, which is a communication line between each of the multiple control units (the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4) and the host server 60. When communication via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 is not possible, the first control unit 3 receives abnormal state information from the second control unit 4 via the host communication line 51. The host server 60 is an example of a "host control unit" in the claims. The upper communication line 51 is an example of the "upper communication" in the claims.

[0058] Next, a case will be described in which communication via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 becomes impossible due to an abnormality occurring in the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 when the first control unit 3 has closed the first expansion valve 12 and is not making a temperature adjustment request, while the second control unit 4 is making a temperature adjustment request using the second expansion valve 22. As shown in FIG. 6 , even when communication via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 is impossible between times t21 and t22, the first control unit 3 can obtain, via the upper communication line 51, control information “1” generated by the second control unit 4, indicating that a temperature adjustment request is being made using the second expansion valve 22. This allows the first control unit 3 to continue operating the common compressor 1 even between times t21 and t22 when communication via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 becomes impossible.

[0059] (Effects of this embodiment) Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0060] In this embodiment, as described above, the first cooling chamber 11, which is one of the first cooling chambers 11 and the second cooling chamber 21, is provided with a buzzer 40 that notifies the user that an abnormality has occurred in the first cooling chamber 11 or the second cooling chamber 21, and the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via an inter-cooling chamber communication line 50, and the first control unit 3, which controls the operation of the first cooling chamber 11 of the first cooling chamber 11 and the second cooling chamber 21 in which the buzzer 40 is provided, obtains abnormality status information regarding whether an abnormality has occurred in the first cooling chamber 11 or the second cooling chamber 21 via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 from the second control unit 4, which controls the operation of the second cooling chamber 21 of the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 in which the buzzer 40 is not provided, and is configured to activate the buzzer 40 when an abnormality occurs in either the first cooling chamber 11 or the second cooling chamber 21. As a result, the buzzer 40 can notify the user that an abnormality has occurred in one of the cooling compartments, so that in a system equipped with multiple cooling compartments, the user can be made aware that an abnormality has occurred in one of the cooling compartments. Furthermore, by having the first control unit 3 acquire abnormality state information from the second control unit 4 via the inter-cooling compartment communication line 50, the buzzer 40 can be activated when an abnormality has occurred in one of the cooling compartments, even if buzzers 40 are not provided in all of the first cooling compartments 11 and the second cooling compartments 21. As a result, the number of buzzers 40 can be reduced to less than the number of cooling compartments, so the cooling device 100 can be configured with a simpler structure than in a system equipped with buzzers 40 in all of the first cooling compartments 11 and the second cooling compartments 21.

[0061] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, a buzzer is used as the notification unit, which emits a sound to notify the user that an abnormality has occurred in the first cooling compartment 11 and the second cooling compartment 21. This allows a user who is located far away from the cooling device 100 to recognize from the sound that an abnormality has occurred in one of the cooling compartments.

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the first control unit 3 is configured to operate the buzzer 40 so that the manner in which it emits sound differs for each cooling compartment in which an abnormality has occurred, so that the user can identify which cooling compartment has an abnormality between the first cooling compartment 11 and the second cooling compartment 21. As a result, even if the buzzer 40 is not provided in all of the first cooling compartment 11 and the second cooling compartment 21, the user can identify which cooling compartment has an abnormality by the manner in which the buzzer 40 emits sound, and therefore, can quickly take measures for the cooling compartment in which an abnormality has occurred.

[0063] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the first and second cooling compartments 11 and 21 are provided with first and second display units 15 and 25, respectively, separate from the buzzer 40, for displaying the temperatures inside the cooling compartments. When an abnormality occurs in the corresponding cooling compartment, the first and second display units 15 and 25 are configured to display error information including an error code that is set to be different for each abnormal condition related to the abnormality occurring in the corresponding cooling compartment, and a method for resolving the abnormal condition. This allows the user to not only audibly recognize the occurrence of an abnormality in one of the cooling compartments through the sound generated by the buzzer 40, but also visually identify the cooling compartment in which the abnormality has occurred through the first and second display units 15 and 25. As a result, the user can more quickly take measures to address the cooling compartment in which the abnormality has occurred.

[0064] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, each of the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 is configured to be able to communicate with a separately provided upper server 60 via an upper communication line 51 through which each of the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 communicates with the upper server 60, and the first control unit 3 is configured to acquire abnormality state information from the second control unit 4 via the upper communication line 51 when communication via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 is not possible. As a result, the first control unit 3 can activate the buzzer 40 when an abnormality occurs in any of the cooling chambers even when communication via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 is not possible. As a result, the user can be more reliably made aware that an abnormality has occurred in any of the cooling chambers.

[0065] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the cooling device 100 is further provided with a buzzer stop switch 41 that stops the operation of the buzzer 40, and the number of buzzer stop switches 41 provided is the same as the number of buzzers 40. This not only reduces the number of buzzers 40 to less than the number of first cooling chambers 11 and second cooling chambers 21, but also reduces the number of buzzer stop switches 41 to less than the number of first cooling chambers 11 and second cooling chambers 21, so that the cooling device 100 can be configured with a simpler structure.

[0066] [Variations] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims rather than the above description of the embodiments, and further includes all modifications (variations) within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0067] For example, in the present embodiment, the first control unit 3 controls the common compressor 1 and the blower 2a (condenser 2), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the second control unit 4 may control the common compressor 1 and the blower 2a (condenser 2).

[0068] In addition, in the present embodiment, an example has been shown in which the buzzer 40 and the buzzer stop switch 41 are provided in the first cooling chamber 11, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the buzzer 40 and the buzzer stop switch 41 may be provided in the second cooling chamber 21.

[0069] In addition, in the present embodiment, the error information displayed on the first display unit 15 and the second display unit 25 includes an error code that is set to differ from one another for each abnormal state and a method for resolving the abnormal state, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the error information displayed on the first display unit 15 and the second display unit 25 may further include information for identifying the cooling compartment in which the abnormality has occurred.

[0070] In addition, in the present embodiment, an example has been shown in which the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 communicate via the wired inter-cooling chamber communication line 50, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 may communicate via wireless communication or via a public communication line.

[0071] In addition, in the present embodiment, an example has been shown in which the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 communicate with the upper server 60 via the wired upper communication line 51, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 may communicate with the upper server 60 via wireless communication, or may communicate via a public communication line.

[0072] In addition, in the present embodiment, the cooling device 100 has two cooling compartments (cooling compartments), namely, the first cooling compartment 10 (first cooling compartment 11) and the second cooling compartment 20 (second cooling compartment 21), but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, as in the cooling device 200 shown in FIG. 7, a third cooling compartment 30 may be further provided, resulting in three cooling compartments (cooling compartments). In this case, the third cooling compartment 30 includes a third expansion valve 32, a third evaporator 33 including a third internal fan 33a, and a third internal temperature sensor 34. The cooling device 200 further includes a third control unit 5 that controls the third expansion valve 32 and the third internal fan 33a (third evaporator 33), and a third display unit 35 that displays the internal temperature of the third cooling compartment 30 and error information for the third cooling compartment (not shown) including the third cooling compartment 30. In addition, the common compressor 1 is provided in common to the first evaporator 13, the second evaporator 23, and the third evaporator 33, and its operation is controlled based on the priority internal temperature, which is the highest temperature among the internal temperatures of the first cooling cabinet 10, the second cooling cabinet 20, and the third cooling cabinet 30.

[0073] 8, the third control unit 5 is connected to the second control unit 4 via an inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 and is configured to be able to communicate with the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50. The third control unit 5 is also connected to a host server 60 via an upper communication line 51 and is configured to be able to communicate with the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 via the upper communication line 51. In this case, communication between the respective control units via the upper communication line 51 may be performed only between control units that are not yet in communication via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50, or may be performed between all control units including those that are not yet in communication via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50. Furthermore, communication between the respective control units via the upper communication line 51 may be performed between control units that have been preset, or may be configured to be performed between control units that have been set by the user.

[0074] In addition, although the present embodiment illustrates an example in which the buzzer 40 that emits sound is used as the notification unit, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a light that emits light may be used as the notification unit. In this case, the light may emit light in a different manner for each cooling compartment in which an abnormality has occurred, so as to include at least one of the duration of the light if the light is intermittent, the interval between successive lights if the light is intermittent, the color of the light, and the intensity of the light.

[0075] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an example has been shown in which first control unit 3 is configured to cause buzzer 40 to emit a sound in a different manner depending on whether an abnormality has occurred in first cooling compartment 11 or second cooling compartment 21, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, first control unit 3 does not need to cause buzzer 40 to emit a sound in a different manner depending on whether an abnormality has occurred in first cooling compartment 11 or second cooling compartment 21. In this case, the user only needs to recognize whether an abnormality has occurred in first cooling compartment 11 or second cooling compartment 21 based on whether error information is displayed on first display unit 15 and second display unit 25.

[0076] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an example has been shown in which the first display unit 15 and the second display unit 25 are provided in the first cooling compartment 11 and the second cooling compartment 21, respectively, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a display unit may be provided in the first cooling compartment 11, while no display unit may be provided in the second cooling compartment 21. In that case, the first control unit 3 may acquire information regarding the temperature of the second cooling compartment 21 and error information via communication, and display them on the display unit provided in the first cooling compartment 11. In other words, the display unit may be applied as the "notification unit" in the claims.

[0077] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an example has been shown in which the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 are configured to communicate via the upper communication line 51 when communication via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 is not possible for some reason, that is, when communication via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 is not established, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 do not have to communicate via the upper communication line 51 even when communication via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 is not established. Furthermore, the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 may communicate via the upper communication line 51 even when communication via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 is possible.

[0078] In addition, in the present embodiment, an example has been shown in which the same number of buzzer stop switches 41 as the number of buzzers 40 are provided, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a buzzer stop switch 41 may be provided in each of the first cooling chamber 11 and the second cooling chamber 21. Also, a configuration may be adopted in which the buzzer stop switch 41 is not provided, and the buzzer 40 stops sounding after a certain time has elapsed.

[0079] In addition, in the present embodiment, the control information is a digital signal such as "0" or "1", but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control information may be an analog signal such as a voltage value or a current value.

[0080] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an example has been shown in which the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 acquire each other's control information via the upper communication line 51 based on the upper server 60 acquiring information from at least one of the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 that communication via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 is not possible, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when communication via the inter-cooling chamber communication line 50 is not possible, the first control unit 3 or the second control unit 4 may output a signal to the upper server 60 requesting that the first control unit 3 and the second control unit 4 communicate with each other via the upper communication line 51. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 3, 4, 5: First control unit, second control unit, third control unit (multiple control units) 11, 21 First cooling chamber, second cooling chamber (multiple cooling chambers) 15, 25, 35 1st display section, 2nd display section, 3rd display section (display section) 40 Buzzer (alarm unit) 41 Buzzer stop switch (buzzer sound stop part) 50 Inter-cooling chamber communication line (inter-cooling chamber communication) 51 Upper communication line (upper communication) 60 Upper server (upper control unit) 100, 200 cooling device

Claims

1. a plurality of cooling chambers for placing and cooling objects to be cooled; a plurality of control units that individually control the operation of each of the plurality of cooling chambers; a notification unit provided in some of the cooling chambers and configured to notify a user that an abnormality has occurred in the cooling chambers, the plurality of control units are configured to be able to communicate with each other via inter-cooling chamber communication, which is communication between the cooling chambers; A cooling device in which an alarm side control unit, which controls the operation of the cooling chamber in which the alarm unit is installed among the plurality of control units, obtains abnormality state information regarding whether an abnormality has occurred in the plurality of cooling chambers from a non-alarm side control unit, which controls the operation of the cooling chamber in which the alarm unit is not installed among the plurality of control units, via the inter-cooling chamber communication, and is configured to operate the alarm unit when an abnormality occurs in any of the plurality of cooling chambers.

2. The cooling device according to claim 1 , wherein the notification unit includes a buzzer that emits a sound to notify a user that an abnormality has occurred in one of the plurality of cooling compartments.

3. 3. The cooling device according to claim 2, wherein the notification control unit is configured to operate the buzzer as the notification unit in a different manner to emit a sound for each cooling chamber in which an abnormality has occurred, so that a user can identify the cooling chamber in which an abnormality has occurred among the plurality of cooling chambers.

4. a display unit provided in each of the plurality of cooling chambers separately from the notification unit, the display unit displaying the temperature inside the cooling chamber; The cooling device according to claim 2 , wherein the display unit is configured to display, when an abnormality occurs in the corresponding cooling compartment, abnormality information relating to the abnormality that has occurred in the corresponding cooling compartment.

5. each of the plurality of control units is configured to be able to communicate with a separately provided upper-level control unit via upper-level communication, which is communication between each of the plurality of control units and the upper-level control unit; The cooling device according to claim 1 , wherein the notification-side control unit is configured to acquire the abnormal state information from the non-notification-side control unit via the upper communication when the inter-cooling chamber communication is not possible.

6. a buzzer sound stop unit that stops the operation of the buzzer serving as the notification unit, The cooling device according to claim 2 , wherein the number of the buzzer sound stopping units provided is the same as the number of the buzzers.

Images