Cooling storage

Abstract

The present invention provides a cooling storage unit that can accommodate both a method in which the compressor, condenser, and cooler are removed from inside the storage unit body, and a method in which the compressor and condenser are removed from inside the storage unit body. [Solution] The cooling unit 60 comprises a first unit component 61 equipped with a cooler 42, and a second unit component 62 equipped with a compressor 38 and a condenser 40. The configuration allows the second unit component 62 to be removed from the unit housing chamber R4 through the opening 80 while the first unit component 61 remains in the unit housing chamber R4 by releasing the fastening by the screw member 82 while maintaining the fastening by the screw member 81. The configuration also allows the cooling unit 60 to be removed from the unit housing chamber R4 through the opening 80 by releasing the fastening by the screw member 81 while maintaining the fastening by the screw member 82.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a refrigerated storage.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a refrigerated storage, the one described in Patent Document 1 below is known. The refrigerated storage described in this Patent Document 1 includes a storage body having a storage chamber, a machine chamber, and a cooler chamber, a compressor and a condenser housed in the machine chamber, and a cooler housed in the cooler chamber. The compressor, the cooler, and the condenser are connected by a refrigerant pipe to constitute a cooling cycle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003] [[ID=二十三]]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the configuration where each device (compressor, condenser, cooler) is housed inside the storage body (machine chamber and cooler chamber) as described above, there is a desire to take out each device from inside the storage body for maintenance or the like. For example, in order to replace the refrigerant sealed in the refrigerant pipe, it is required to take out the devices (compressor, cooler, and condenser) constituting the cooling cycle together. Also, when performing maintenance on the compressor or the condenser, it is not necessary to take out the cooler. In this case, it is required to take out the compressor and the condenser together while leaving the cooler inside the storage body. Thereby, compared with the case of taking out the compressor, the cooler, and the condenser together, the number of devices to be taken out can be reduced, and the workability can be improved.

[0005] The technology disclosed herein was completed based on the circumstances described above, and aims to provide a refrigerated storage unit that can accommodate both a method in which the compressor, condenser, and cooler are removed together from inside the storage unit body, and a method in which the cooler is left inside the storage unit body while the compressor and condenser are removed together from inside the storage unit body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] As a means to solve the above problems, the cooling storage facility disclosed herein comprises a cooling unit and a box-shaped storage facility body having a unit housing chamber for housing the cooling unit, wherein the cooling unit comprises a first unit component comprising a cooler and a cooler-side bracket to which the cooler is attached, and a second unit component comprising a compressor, a condenser and a condenser-side bracket attached to the condenser, wherein the unit housing chamber has an opening, the cooler-side bracket is detachably fastened to the storage facility body by a first fastening part, the condenser-side bracket is detachably fastened to the cooler-side bracket by a second fastening part, the configuration is such that the second unit component can be removed from the unit housing chamber through the opening while the first unit component remains in the unit housing chamber by releasing the fastening by the second fastening part while maintaining the fastening by the first fastening part, and the configuration is such that the cooling unit can be removed from the unit housing chamber through the opening by releasing the fastening by the first fastening part while maintaining the fastening by the second fastening part.

[0007] Furthermore, the second fastening portion is a screw member that is inserted into a condenser-side through-hole formed in the condenser-side bracket and then screwed into a cooler-side through-hole formed in the cooler-side bracket. The condenser-side through-hole and the cooler-side through-hole are aligned horizontally, and the condenser-side through-hole may have a greater vertical length than the cooler-side through-hole. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerated storage unit that can accommodate both a method in which the compressor, condenser, and cooler are removed together from inside the storage unit body, and a method in which the cooler is left inside the storage unit body while the compressor and condenser are removed together from inside the storage unit body. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Perspective view showing a cooling storage unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Front cross-section of the cooling storage room [Figure 3] Side view showing the interior of the machine room [Figure 4] Plan and cross-sectional view of the area around the condenser chamber [Figure 5] Perspective view of the cooling unit from the front. [Figure 6] Perspective view showing the vicinity of the screw member 82 [Figure 7] Perspective view of the cooling unit from the side. [Figure 8] Front view showing the condenser-side bracket and the cooler-side bracket. [Figure 9] Cross-sectional view showing the condenser-side through-hole on the left side (corresponding to the view cut along line IX-IX in Figure 8) [Figure 10] Cross-sectional view showing the condenser-side through-hole on the central side (corresponding to the view cut along line XX in Figure 8) [Figure 11] Cross-sectional view showing the protruding portion of the cooler-side bracket. [Figure 12] Cross-sectional view showing the screw member 81 and through hole 74B (corresponding to the view cut along line XII-XII in Figure 8) [Figure 13] Perspective view showing the cooling storage unit with the front panel removed. [Figure 14] Perspective view showing the unit housing with the electrical box removed. [Figure 15] Perspective view showing the cooling storage unit with the cooling unit removed. [Figure 16] Perspective view showing the cooling storage unit with the second unit component removed.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 16. In some parts of the drawings, directions are indicated using the symbols F, B, L, R, U, and D, which represent the front side (front), rear side (back), left side, right side, upper side, and lower side, respectively, when the cooling storage 10 is viewed from the front.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the cooling storage 10 of this embodiment is a two-door horizontal refrigerator (under-counter refrigerator), and includes a storage body 12 having a horizontally long box shape, a pair of double-opening type opening / closing doors 14, and a top plate 16 disposed above the storage body 12. The storage body 12 includes a heat-insulating box body 20 that opens forward, and a center pillar 22 that is attached in a state of extending vertically at the center of the front opening of the heat-insulating box body 20. The pair of opening / closing doors 14 are heat-insulating doors filled with a heat-insulating material inside, and open and close the left and right openings of the center pillar 22 in the heat-insulating box body 20.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, the heat-insulating box body 20 is composed of an outer box 20A and an inner box 20B formed by processing a stainless steel plate into a box shape, and a heat-insulating material 20C foam-filled between the outer box 20A and the inner box 20B. Most of the inside of the heat-insulating box body 20 is a storage room R1 for storing items. A partition panel 24 is disposed on the left side inside the heat-insulating box body 20, and a cooler room R2 is partitioned and formed on the left side of the storage room R1. Specifically, the cooler room R2 is surrounded by the partition panel 24, a cooler box 26 which is a box body with openings on the right and lower surfaces, and a mortar-shaped drain pan 28 attached to the lower part of the cooler box 26, and is roughly partitioned by these. The partition panel 24 is provided with a suction port 24A for sucking air in the storage room R1 into the cooler room R2 on the lower end side, and a blowout port 24B for blowing air in the cooler room R2 into the storage room R1 on the upper end side.

[0013] The storage cabinet main body 12 includes a plurality of panels assembled to the left side of the heat insulation box body 20. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the plurality of panels include a side panel 30, a floor panel 31, a front panel 32, and the like.

[0014] The cooling storage cabinet 10 includes a cooling unit 60 for cooling the storage chamber R1. As shown in FIG. 5, the cooling unit 60 includes a compressor 38, a condenser 40, an expansion valve (not shown), a cooler 42 housed in the cooler chamber R2, etc. (details will be described later). The compressor 38, the condenser 40, and the cooler 42 are connected to each other via a refrigerant pipe 44, forming a refrigeration cycle for circulating the refrigerant. Note that the cooling unit 60 may include a capillary tube instead of the expansion valve.

[0015] The storage cabinet main body 12 has a unit accommodation chamber R4 for accommodating the cooling unit 60. As shown in FIG. 4, the unit accommodation chamber R4 includes a cooler chamber R2 for accommodating the cooler 42 and a machine chamber R3 for accommodating the devices other than the cooler 42 among the devices constituting the cooling unit 60. As shown in FIG. 2, the machine chamber R3 is constituted by panels 30, 31, 32, the side wall portion 20D on the left side of the heat insulation box body 20, the top plate 16, and the like.

[0016] Also, as shown in FIG. 4, an electric box 36 (control box) is accommodated in the front portion of the machine chamber R3. Inside the electric box 36, for example, a control unit (not shown) for controlling the operation of each device provided in the cooling storage cabinet 10 is accommodated. Also, as shown in FIG. 13, a cover member 37 is provided below the electric box 36. The cover member 37 is arranged to cover wiring (not shown) extending from the electric box 36 from the front.

[0017] As shown in Figure 4, the machine room R3 has an opening 80 that opens to the front. The machine room R3 constitutes the front part of the unit housing room R4. Therefore, the opening 80 is the opening of the unit housing room R4. The cooler room R2 is located behind the upper part of the machine room R3, as shown in Figure 4. The cooler room R2 has an opening 70 that opens to the front, and is in communication with the machine room R3 through the opening 70.

[0018] The cooler chamber R2 houses a motor-driven circulation fan 46. This circulation fan 46 is positioned between the cooler 42 and the outlet 24B. During cooling operation, the circulation fan 46 drives air from the storage chamber R1 into the cooler chamber R2 through the intake port 24A. The cool air generated by heat exchange as it passes through the cooler 42 is then blown back into the storage chamber R1 through the outlet 24B. This circulates air between the storage chamber R1 and the cooler chamber R2, cooling the storage chamber R1.

[0019] Furthermore, when the opening / closing door 14 is opened or closed, moist air may enter the storage room R1. If this moist air flows into the cooler room R2, frost may form inside the cooler room R2. In particular, frost tends to form on the cooler 42 and the circulation fan 46, and in order to melt the frost that has formed on the cooler 42 and the circulation fan 46, the cooler room R2 is equipped with two defrost heaters 48A and 48B, as shown in Figure 2.

[0020] As shown in Figures 5 and 7, the cooling unit 60 comprises a first unit component 61 forming the upper part, a second unit component 62 forming the lower part, and a refrigerant pipe 44. The first unit component 61 comprises a cooler 42, a cooler-side bracket 71 to which the cooler 42 is attached, a cover 72, and a bracket 73. The cooler 42 is attached to the rear surface of the cooler-side bracket 71 via the cover 72 and the bracket 73. The cooler 42 extends rearward from the cover 72 and is held in a cantilevered position. As shown in Figure 4, the cover 72 is configured to close the opening 70 of the cooler box 26 from the front. This allows the cooler 42 to be pulled forward from the cooler chamber R2 through the opening 70. A portion 44A of the refrigerant pipe 44 (the portion connecting the cooler 42 and the compressor 38) is flexible. One end of portion 44A is connected to the upper part of the cooler 42.

[0021] The second unit component 62 comprises a base panel 63, a compressor 38, a condenser 40, a condenser fan 41, and a condenser-side bracket 64 attached to the condenser 40. The compressor 38, condenser 40, and condenser fan 41 are mounted on the base panel 63. The condenser-side bracket 64 is attached to the top of the condenser 40.

[0022] As shown in Figure 5, the cooler-side bracket 71 is formed by bending a single sheet of metal and comprises a plate-shaped bracket body portion 74 extending in the vertical direction and a pair of side wall portions 75, 76 bent forward from the left and right edges of the bracket body portion 74. As shown in Figure 12, the bracket body portion 74 is detachably fastened to the cooler chamber component portion 20F (part of the storage body 12), which is the part that constitutes the cooler chamber R2 in the insulated box body 20, by a plurality of screw members 81 (first fastening portions). More specifically, the screw members 81 are inserted through holes 74B in the bracket body portion 74 and then screwed into the inner surface of recesses 20E formed on the surface of the cooler chamber component portion 20F.

[0023] As shown in Figure 5, the condenser-side bracket 64 is formed by bending a single sheet of metal and comprises a plate-shaped bracket body portion 65 extending in the left-right direction, a bottom wall portion 66 extending forward from the lower end of the bracket body portion 65, and a side wall portion 67 rising upward from the right end of the bottom wall portion 66. As shown in Figure 8, a shroud 68 (see also Figure 7), which is a cover that covers the upper surface of the condenser 40, is provided between the bottom wall portion 66 and the condenser 40. As shown in Figure 8, the bottom wall portion 66 of the condenser-side bracket 64 is fastened to the upper part of the condenser 40 by a screw member 69, which is inserted through a notch 68A formed in the shroud 68 and then screwed to the condenser 40. The shroud 68 is integrally formed with the cover 41A of the condenser fan 41 (a cover that covers the blades, see Figure 7). As shown in Figure 5, the upper end of the condenser-side bracket 64 is detachably fastened to the lower end of the cooler-side bracket 71 by a plurality of screw members 82 (second fastening parts).

[0024] More specifically, the upper end of the bracket body 65 is positioned in front of the lower end of the bracket body 74. As shown in Figure 8, multiple through holes 74A for the cooler side are formed in the lower end of the bracket body 74. In contrast, multiple through holes 65A for the condenser side are formed in the upper end of the bracket body 65.

[0025] The condenser-side through-hole 65A is positioned so as to overlap the cooler-side through-hole 74A from the front. In other words, the condenser-side through-hole 65A and the cooler-side through-hole 74A are aligned along the front-to-back direction (horizontal direction). Furthermore, the condenser-side through-hole 65A is elongated, and its vertical length is greater than that of the circular cooler-side through-hole 74A. As shown in Figure 9, the threaded member 82 is inserted through the condenser-side through-hole 65A and then screwed into the cooler-side through-hole 74A. In other words, the condenser-side bracket 64 is fastened to the cooler-side bracket 71 from the front by the threaded member 82.

[0026] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, of the three condenser-side through-holes 65A arranged horizontally, the central condenser-side through-hole 65A (denoted as 65B) opens upwards. This allows the shaft portion 82A of the screw member 82 to be inserted into the condenser-side through-hole 65B from above while the screw member 82 is screwed into the cooler-side through-hole 74A, as shown in Figure 10. This makes it easier to fasten the cooler-side bracket 71 to the condenser-side bracket 64 by first temporarily fixing the cooler-side bracket 71 to the condenser-side bracket 64 using the central screw member 82, and then fastening the cooler-side bracket 71 to the condenser-side bracket 64 using the left and right screw members 82.

[0027] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, a stepped notch 65D is formed on the upper left side of the bracket body 65 of the condenser-side bracket 64. The left side wall 75 of the cooler-side bracket 71 is fitted into the notch 65D. Also, the side wall 67 of the condenser-side bracket 64 is positioned close to the lower right side wall 76 of the cooler-side bracket 71. When the cooler-side bracket 71 is temporarily fixed to the condenser-side bracket 64 by the central screw member 82, the cooler-side bracket 71 may rotate around the central screw member 82. However, this rotation can be suppressed by the side wall 75 contacting the inner surface of the notch 65D and the side wall 76 contacting the upper surface of the side wall 67, thereby allowing the cooler-side bracket 71 to be temporarily fixed stably.

[0028] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 14, the screw members 81 and 82 are configured to be exposed to the front through the opening 80 of the machine room R3 (and consequently the unit housing room R4). In other words, the screw members 81 and 82 are positioned so that the fastening can be released through the opening 80.

[0029] As a result, as shown in Figure 15, the cooling unit 60 can be removed from the unit housing chamber R4 through the opening 80 by releasing the fastening by the screw member 81 while maintaining the fastening by the screw member 82. When removing the cooling unit 60, first, as shown in Figure 13, the front panel 32 is removed to expose the electrical box 36. Next, when the electrical box 36 and the cover member 37 located below the electrical box 36 are removed, the screw member 81 is exposed as shown in Figure 14. This allows the fastening by the screw member 81 to be released.

[0030] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 16, by maintaining the fastening by the screw member 81 while releasing the fastening by the screw member 82, the configuration allows the second unit component 62 to be removed from the unit housing chamber R4 through the opening 80 while leaving the first unit component 61 in the unit housing chamber R4. A portion 44A of the refrigerant pipe 44 (the portion connecting the cooler 42 and the compressor 38) is flexible, and its length is sufficiently large compared to the distance between the cooler 42 and the compressor 38. Therefore, the portion 44A of the refrigerant pipe 44 does not interfere with the work of removing the second unit component 62.

[0031] Next, the mounting structure of the electrical box 36 will be described. As shown in Figure 6, the electrical box 36 is positioned to cover the bracket body 74 of the cooler-side bracket 71 from the front. As shown in Figure 11, a protruding piece 77 is formed on the front surface (right side in Figure 11) of the bracket body 74 at the location corresponding to the top of the electrical box 36, protruding forward. The electrical box 36 has an upper wall portion 36A that constitutes the top surface, and the rear end of the upper wall portion 36A is an L-shaped bent locking portion 36B. The tip of the locking portion 36B is inserted through a through hole 77A that penetrates the protruding piece 77 vertically. This configuration allows the locking portion 36B to lock onto the protruding piece 77.

[0032] As shown in Figure 6, one end of an L-shaped bracket 83 is attached to the bottom surface of the electrical box 36. As shown in Figure 12, the bracket body 74 and the other end of the bracket 83 are fastened together to the surface of the insulated box 20 by a screw member 81. As shown in Figure 6, the lower end of the side wall 75 is a protruding portion 75A that projects forward, and the protruding portion 75A is positioned to cover the bottom surface of the electrical box 36 from below. This allows the electrical box 36 to be supported by the protruding portion 75A when it moves up and down due to vibration during transportation, thus preventing deformation of the cooler-side bracket 71.

[0033] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. The cooling storage unit 10 of this embodiment comprises a cooling unit 60 and a box-shaped storage unit body 12 having a unit housing chamber R4 that houses the cooling unit 60. The cooling unit 60 comprises a first unit component 61 having a cooler 42 and a cooler-side bracket 71 to which the cooler 42 is attached, and a second unit component 62 having a compressor 38, a condenser 40 and a condenser-side bracket 64 attached to the condenser 40. The unit housing chamber R4 has an opening 80, and the cooler-side bracket 71 is detachably attached to the storage unit body 12 by a screw member 81 (first fastening part). The condenser-side bracket 64 is fastened to the cooler-side bracket 71 by a screw member 82 (second fastening part) in a manner that allows the second unit component 62 to be removed from the unit housing chamber R4 through the opening 80 while the first unit component 61 remains in the unit housing chamber R4 by releasing the fastening by the screw member 82, while the fastening by the screw member 82 remains in the unit housing chamber R4. The cooling unit 60 is also removed from the unit housing chamber R4 through the opening 80 by releasing the fastening by the screw member 81 while the fastening by the screw member 82 remains in place.

[0034] With the condenser-side bracket 64 and the cooler-side bracket 71 fastened together by the screw member 82, the first unit component 61 and the second unit component 62 are connected. Therefore, by releasing the fastening by the screw member 81 while maintaining the fastening by the screw member 82, the cooling unit 60 can be removed as a whole from the unit housing chamber R4, and maintenance of the cooling unit 60 (for example, replacement of refrigerant) can be performed.

[0035] Furthermore, by releasing the fastening by the screw member 82, the connection between the first unit component 61 and the second unit component 62 can be released. Therefore, by releasing the fastening by the screw member 82 while maintaining the fastening by the screw member 81, the second unit component 62 can be removed from the unit housing chamber R4 while leaving the first unit component 61 (including the cooler 42) in the unit housing chamber R4, and maintenance can be performed on each component of the second unit component 62 (condenser 40, condenser fan 41, and compressor 38). As described above, the above configuration can accommodate both a method in which the compressor 38, condenser 40, and cooler 42 are removed together from the inside of the storage unit body 12 (unit housing chamber R4) (see Figure 15), and a method in which the compressor 38 and condenser 40 are removed together from the inside of the storage unit body 12 while leaving the cooler 42 in place (see Figure 16).

[0036] Furthermore, the screw member 82 is inserted through the condenser-side through hole 65A formed in the condenser-side bracket 64 and then screwed into the cooler-side through hole 74A formed in the cooler-side bracket 71. The condenser-side through hole 65A and the cooler-side through hole 74A are aligned along the front-to-back direction (horizontal direction), and the condenser-side through hole 65A has a greater vertical length than the cooler-side through hole 74A.

[0037] The condenser-side through-hole 65A is designed to have a greater vertical length than the cooler-side through-hole 74A. This allows the cooler-side bracket 71 to move up and down relative to the condenser-side bracket 64 when the threaded member 82 is inserted through both through-holes 65A and 74A. This allows the vertical dimensions of the cooling unit 60 to be adjusted, and it is possible to accommodate manufacturing errors in the vertical dimensions of the unit housing chamber R4. For example, if there is a manufacturing error in the vertical position of the cooler chamber R2, the cooler 42 can be moved up and down to adjust the error, ensuring that the cooler 42 is securely housed in the cooler chamber R2.

[0038] Furthermore, the opening 80 is located on the front side (the same side as the opening direction of the storage chamber R1), and the screw members 81 and 82 are fastened from the front. This allows for easy removal of the components of the cooling unit 60 from the front through the opening 80, even when a wall or the like is installed on the side of the storage chamber body 12.

[0039] <Other Embodiments> The technologies disclosed herein are not limited to the embodiments described above in the description and drawings, but also include, for example, the following embodiments. (1) The present invention is not limited to refrigerators, and can naturally be used in freezers, and can also be used in vertical refrigerator-freezers with removable cooling units. Furthermore, it can be widely used in refrigerated storage facilities with removable cooling units, such as locker-type refrigerator-freezers and refrigerated display cases. (2) In the above embodiment, screw members were used as examples for the first and second fastening parts, but the invention is not limited thereto, and fastening means other than screw members may be used. Also, the number and installation locations of the screw members 81 and 82 are not limited to those exemplified in the above embodiment and can be changed as appropriate. (3) The shapes of the cooler-side bracket and the condenser-side bracket are not limited to those exemplified in the above embodiment and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the lower end of the bracket body portion 74 of the cooler-side bracket 71 may be bent into an L shape and fastened to the upper surface of the shroud 68. In other words, the shroud 68 may be used as the condenser-side bracket instead of the condenser-side bracket 64. (4) In the above embodiment, the condenser-side through-hole 65A and the cooler-side through-hole 74A are shown as being aligned along the front-to-back direction, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The condenser-side through-hole 65A and the cooler-side through-hole 74A may be aligned horizontally. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0040] 10...Cooling storage chamber, 12...Storage chamber body, 38...Compressor, 40...Condenser, 42...Cooler, 60...Cooling unit, 61...First unit component, 62...Second unit component, 64...Condenser side bracket, 65A...Condenser side through hole, 71...Cooler side bracket, 74A...Cooler side through hole, 80...Opening, 81...Screw member (first fastening part), 82...Screw member (second fastening part), R4...Unit housing chamber

Claims

1. Cooling unit and The storage unit comprises a box-shaped storage body having a unit housing chamber for housing the cooling unit, The cooling unit is A first unit component comprising a cooler and a cooler-side bracket to which the cooler is attached, The system comprises a second unit component comprising a compressor, a condenser, and a condenser-side bracket attached to the condenser, The unit housing chamber has an opening, The cooler-side bracket is detachably fastened to the storage unit body by the first fastening portion. The condenser-side bracket is detachably fastened to the cooler-side bracket by a second fastening portion. The configuration allows for the removal of the second unit component from the unit housing chamber through the opening, while the first unit component remains in the unit housing chamber, by releasing the fastening by the second fastening while maintaining the fastening by the first fastening. A cooling storage unit is configured such that the cooling unit can be removed from the unit storage chamber through the opening by releasing the fastening by the first fastening part while maintaining the fastening by the second fastening part.

2. The second fastening portion is a screw member that is inserted into a condenser-side through hole formed in the condenser-side bracket and then screwed into a cooler-side through hole formed in the cooler-side bracket. The condenser-side through-hole and the cooler-side through-hole are aligned horizontally. The cooling storage unit according to claim 1, wherein the condenser-side through-hole has a greater vertical length than the cooler-side through-hole.

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