vault

Abstract

To provide a storage cabinet with a door that can be closed with minimal force. [Solution] A storage cabinet comprising a housing 11 with a storage chamber 12 defined inside which is cooled or heated, doors 16, 17 that can open and close openings 15 formed in the housing 11 that connect the storage chamber 12 to the outside, and packings 25 provided on the back surface of the doors 16, 17 that come into contact with the housing 11 when the doors 16, 17 are closed, wherein the packings 25 positioned on the hinge side that supports the doors 16, 17 to open and close are formed such that the protruding end T that protrudes toward the storage chamber 12 is biased toward the end side that is spaced away from the support shaft 18, and when the doors 16, 17 are closed, the contact surface 32 located on the end side closer to the hinge than the protruding end T of the packings 25 comes into contact with the housing 11 before the protruding end T of the packings 25 comes into contact with the housing 11.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a storage cabinet configured such that a storage chamber capable of storing articles such as tableware can be opened and closed by a door.

Background Art

[0002] Various storage cabinets such as a refrigerator configured to cool or heat a storage chamber defined inside a housing by a cooling device or a heating device and store foods stored in the storage chamber after cooling, and a disinfection storage cabinet configured to store wet tableware etc. after being washed by a dishwasher etc. in the storage chamber, circulate hot air in the cabinet to disinfect and dry the tableware, and then store it, are widely used in hospitals, schools, and other restaurants (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). In such a storage cabinet, an access port (opening) communicating the storage chamber for storing articles with the outside is formed, and the access port can be opened and closed by a door provided on the front surface of the housing, so that the stored articles can be taken out or stored. A square frame-shaped packing is disposed at the peripheral edge on the rear surface side of the door. When the door is closed to close the access port of the housing, the packing is elastically deformed to closely contact the opening edge of the housing, thereby ensuring the airtightness of the storage chamber and preventing the internal atmosphere of the storage chamber such as cold air or steam from leaking to the outside.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in conventional storage facilities, as mentioned above, the airtightness of the storage compartment is enhanced by the elastic deformation of the gasket. However, when closing the door, the repulsive force due to the deformation of the gasket tends to be large, making it difficult to close the door, or in some cases the door may not close completely and may remain half-open.

[0005] Therefore, in view of the aforementioned problems inherent in the prior art, the present invention has been proposed to suitably solve them, and aims to provide a storage cabinet whose door can be closed with little force. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The first means for solving the aforementioned problem is, A storage cabinet comprising: a housing having a storage chamber defined inside which is cooled or heated; a door that can open and close an opening formed in the housing that connects the storage chamber to the outside; and a packing provided on the back of the door that contacts the housing when the door is closed, The packing, which is positioned on the support shaft side that supports the door so that it can be opened and closed, is formed such that the protruding end that protrudes toward the storage compartment side is biased toward the end side that is spaced away from the support shaft. The gist of the configuration is that when closing the door, the contact surface located on the end side closer to the support shaft than the protruding end of the packing comes into contact with the housing before the protruding end of the packing makes contact. In this way, by positioning the protruding end of the packing that extends towards the storage compartment side towards the end that is further away from the support shaft, when closing the door, the contact surface located closer to the support shaft than the protruding end of the packing makes contact with the housing before the protruding end of the packing makes contact. This allows the packing to make contact with the housing from the support shaft side, and the repulsive force of the packing generated when closing the door can be suppressed. In addition, because the packing elastically deforms sequentially from the support shaft side, it can be deformed to compress with a light force, thus reducing the force required to close the door.

[0007] A second means for solving the aforementioned problem is: The gist of the packing is that the first contact surface located on the end side closer to the support shaft than the protruding end is formed such that the angle of inclination of the first contact surface relative to the rear surface of the door is gentler than the angle of inclination of the second contact surface located on the end side further away from the support shaft than the protruding end. In this way, by making the inclination angle of the first contact surface gentle, a force can be applied to the second contact surface as the first contact surface elastically deforms when the door is closed. This suppresses the repulsive force of the packing that occurs when closing the door, allowing the door to be closed with less force.

[0008] A third means for solving the aforementioned problem is: The gist of the packing is that the curvature of the first contact surface is smaller than the curvature of the second contact surface. In this way, by making the curvature of the first contact surface smaller than the curvature of the second contact surface, a force can be applied to the second contact surface as the first contact surface elastically deforms when the door is closed. This suppresses the repulsive force of the packing generated when closing the door, allowing the door to be closed with less force.

[0009] A fourth means for solving the aforementioned problem is: The gist of this invention is that the first contact surface is formed to curve so as it is displaced toward the storage chamber, so as to move away from the support shaft, and the second contact surface is formed to curve so as to bulge toward the side away from the support shaft. In this way, by forming the first and second contact surfaces with different shapes, when closing the door, the first contact surface elastically deforms, allowing force to be applied to the second contact surface. This suppresses the repulsive force of the packing when closing the door, making it possible to close the door with less force.

[0010] A fifth means for solving the aforementioned problem is: A storage cabinet comprising: a housing having a storage chamber defined inside which is cooled or heated; a door formed in the housing that can open and close an opening that connects the storage chamber to the outside; and a packing provided on the back surface of the door that contacts the housing or another member that abuts against the housing when the door is closed, The packing, positioned on the side away from the support shaft that supports the door so that it can be opened and closed, has a bent point that protrudes outward from the door, The gist of this invention is that when the door is closed and the packing comes into contact with the housing or another component, the packing is configured to elastically deform only a portion of it, starting from the bending point. In this way, by providing a bending point in the packing, only a portion of the packing in contact with the housing or another component undergoes elastic deformation starting from the bending point. As a result, the amount of deformation of the packing when closing the door is small, and the repulsive force can be suppressed to a small extent, thus reducing the force required to close the door. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it becomes possible to close the storage cabinet door with minimal force. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a front view showing a disinfection storage cabinet according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view of the main section of the left door. [Figure 3] This is a cross-section of the packing. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram showing the state of closing the door to the enclosure. [Figure 5] These are explanatory diagrams showing a door, where (a) is a schematic representation of the side view of a closed door, and (b) is a schematic diagram showing the door opening and closing due to its own weight. [Figure 6] This is a schematic perspective view showing the latch unit. [Figure 7] This is a schematic plan view showing the locked state of the latch and the receiver. [Figure 8]It is a schematic side sectional view showing the locked state of the latch and the receiver, (a) shows the receiver forming an arc-shaped contact surface, and (b) shows the receiver forming an inclined surface. [Figure 9] It is a rear view of the right door. [Figure 10] It is an explanatory diagram showing an arrangement example of the opening / closing detection means. [Figure 11] It is a schematic sectional view of the main part showing the left and right doors of the first alternative embodiment, (a) shows the state before closing the right door with respect to the closed left door, and (b) shows the state with the right door closed. [Figure 12] It is a schematic sectional view of the main part showing the right door of the second alternative embodiment. [Figure 13] It is a schematic explanatory view of the main part showing the left door of the third alternative embodiment. [Figure 14] It is a schematic sectional view of the main part showing the right door of the fourth alternative embodiment. [Figure 15] It is a schematic plan sectional view showing the hot air circulation means of the disinfection storage.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Next, a preferred embodiment of the storage according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, a disinfection storage for disinfecting and drying articles stored in a storage room will be described as an example of the storage, but other various storages such as a refrigerator for storing articles such as food products at a set temperature may also be used. Further, in the following description, "front", "rear", "left", and "right" refer to the state of viewing the disinfection storage from the front side as shown in FIG. 1 unless otherwise specified.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the disinfection storage cabinet 10 has a rectangular box-shaped casing 11 inside which a storage chamber 12 for storing tableware (items) is defined, and a hot air circulation means 70 for circulating heated air (hot air) in the storage chamber 12 is provided. The hot air circulation means 70 will be described later. At the top of the casing 11, a storage section 14 is arranged which defines a machine room 13, where a fan motor constituting the hot air circulation means 70 and an electrical box (not shown) containing various electronic components are housed. In addition, an opening 15 is provided at the front of the casing 11, which serves as an opening for loading and unloading tableware, connecting the storage chamber 12 to the outside, and doors 16 and 17 are provided to open and close the opening 15. In this embodiment, a pair of left and right doors 16 and 17 are provided at the front of the casing 11 that can be opened and closed in a double-door style.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the pair of left and right doors 16 and 17 are pivotally supported so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction via a pair of hinges (support shafts) 18 that are arranged such that one side in the width direction is vertically separated from the housing 11. Each door 16 and 17 is provided with a handle 19 for opening and closing the door. A restricting portion (separate member) 65 (see Figure 11) is provided on the side of the left door 16 that faces the right door 17, extending to the right. When the left door 16 is in the closed position that closes the opening 15 to the housing 11, and the right door 17 is also in the closed position that closes the opening 15 to the housing 11, the restricting portion 65 is pressed from the front by the right door 17, thereby holding both doors 16 and 17 in the closed position.

[0016] Here, the hinges 18 supporting each of the doors 16 and 17 are arranged so as to be aligned vertically when viewed from the front of the doors 16 and 17 (see Figure 1), while in a side view of the doors 16 and 17, the hinge 18 located lower to the front is positioned more towards the front than the hinge 18 located higher (see Figure 5(a)). Note that Figure 5 exaggerates the front-to-back positions of the upper and lower hinges 18 for ease of understanding. In other words, when the doors 16 and 17 are held in the closed position, the upper part of the doors 16 and 17 is slightly tilted backward. Therefore, when doors 16 and 17 are open, if the center of gravity of doors 16 and 17 is located closer to the opening 15 than the position of the hinge 18 in a front view, doors 16 and 17 can be moved to close by their own weight. Conversely, if the center of gravity of doors 16 and 17 is located further out than the opening 15 than the position of the hinge 18, doors 16 and 17 can be moved to open by their own weight (see Figure 5(b)). In this way, by shifting the positions of the upper and lower hinges 18 forward and backward, doors 16 and 17 can be opened and closed naturally by their own weight without employing a special hinge structure.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2, the doors 16 and 17 comprise a front panel 20 that forms the front of the doors 16 and 17, side panels 21 that form the outer periphery of the doors 16 and 17, and a rear panel 22 that forms the rear of the doors 16 and 17. The front panel 20, side panels 21, and rear panel 22 form a vertically elongated rectangular shape. The front panel 20, side panels 21, and rear panel 22 may be formed from independent metal plates, or they may be constructed by combining bent metal plates. In this embodiment, the peripheral edge of the metal plate forming the front panel 20 is bent to form the side panel 21, and the open end (rear end) of the side panel 21 is bent at approximately a right angle inward (towards the side facing the front panel 20) to form a mounting portion 21a. The rear panel 22, which is formed in a rectangular shape slightly smaller than the front panel 20, is fixed to the mounting portion 21a with fastening means 23 such as screws or rivets to constitute the doors 16 and 17. The space enclosed by the front panel 20, the side panel 21 and the rear panel 22 is filled with thermal insulation material 35.

[0018] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2 and 9, the rear panel 22 of the doors 16 and 17 has a rectangular frame-shaped mounting groove 24 that extends along the outer edge and opens to the rear. A packing 25 is fitted into the mounting groove 24, and when the doors 16 and 17 are in the closed position, the packing 25 abuts against the front surface of the frame portion 11a that forms the opening 15 of the housing 11, thereby ensuring the airtightness of the storage compartment 12. The packing 25 of the right door 17 has a left edge portion (the edge portion that is spaced away from the hinge 18) that extends along the left edge portion of the right door 17 and abuts against the front surface of the regulating portion 65 provided on the left door 16, the upper and lower parts of which abut against the front surface of the frame portion 11a (see Figure 11(b)), thereby ensuring the airtightness of the storage compartment 12 at the joint S side of the left and right doors 16 and 17.

[0019] Here, as shown in Figure 2 or Figure 3, the packing 25 is made of an elastically deformable synthetic rubber such as silicone rubber and comprises a hollow portion 26 and an attachment portion 27 that protrudes forward from the hollow portion 26. The protruding end (front end) of the attachment portion 27 is provided with a locking portion 27a that is wider than the width of the opening 24a in the mounting groove 24 formed in the doors 16 and 17. The packing 25 is attached so as not to fall off the doors 16 and 17 by elastically deforming the locking portion 27a and fitting it into the groove from the opening 24a of the mounting groove 24. Furthermore, the opening width of the mounting groove 24 in the doors 16 and 17 is formed to narrow from the bottom side away from the opening 24a of the mounting groove 24 toward the opening 24a, and the width of the opening 24a is set to be smaller than the width of the locking portion 27a of the attachment portion 27 which is not elastically deformed, so that the locking portion 27a of the packing 25 does not fall out of the mounting groove 24. In addition, the attachment portion 27 has an elongated hole 27b formed along the extending direction of the attachment portion 27 (the direction along the mounting groove 24), so that the rigidity of the attachment portion 27 is reduced. By reducing the rigidity of the attachment portion 27 in this way, it becomes easier to fit the attachment portion 27 into the mounting groove 24, improving the workability of installation, and preventing wrinkles or wavy deformation of the packing 25 due to forcing the attachment portion 27 into place. Furthermore, since the attachment portion 27 can be easily fitted into the mounting groove 24, the packing 25 can be installed in a fixed position (the position where the support portion 30, described later, contacts the rear panel 22), and the protrusion dimension of the packing 25 toward the storage compartment 12 can be kept constant, thereby keeping the force required when closing the doors 16 and 17 constant.

[0020] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the hollow portion 26 of the packing 25 is formed in a hollow tube shape from a support portion 30 provided on the attachment portion 27 and in contact with the rear panel 22 of the doors 16 and 17, and a contact portion 31 provided connected to the end of the support portion 30 and bulging out towards the rear (storage compartment). When the doors 16 and 17 are closed, the contact portion 31 comes into contact with the frame portion 11a and the restricting portion 65 of the housing 11 and undergoes elastic deformation, thereby ensuring the airtightness of the storage compartment 12.

[0021] Here, the packing 25 is formed such that the protruding end T that protrudes toward the storage compartment 12 is positioned biased toward the end side of the cross-section of the hollow portion 26 that is spaced away from the hinge 18. The contact portion 31 of the packing 25 has a first contact surface 32 located on the end side of the support portion 30 that is closer to the hinge 18 than the protruding end T, and a second contact surface 33 located on the end side of the support portion 30 that is spaced further away from the hinge 18 than the protruding end T. When closing the doors 16 and 17, the first contact surface 32 contacts the frame portion 11a of the housing 11, and then the second contact surface 33 contacts it. Furthermore, the packing 25 is formed such that the first contact surface 32 contacts the frame portion 11a of the housing 11 before the protruding end T contacts the frame portion 11a (see Figure 4(a)). In other words, when closing the doors 16 and 17, the contact portion 31 of the packing 25 is formed so that it contacts the frame portion 11a of the housing 11 in the order of the first contact surface 32, the protruding end T, and the second contact surface 33.

[0022] In this way, by positioning the protruding end T of the packing 25 (contact portion 31) that protrudes toward the storage compartment 12 side to the end that is separated from the hinge 18, the first contact surface 32 contacts the frame portion 11a of the housing 11 before the protruding end T of the packing 25 makes contact when closing the doors 16 and 17. This allows the packing 25 to make contact with the housing 11 from the hinge 18 side, thereby suppressing the repulsive force of the packing 25 that occurs when closing the doors 16 and 17. Furthermore, because the packing 25 elastically deforms sequentially from the hinge 18 side, it can be deformed to the point of being crushed with a light force, thus reducing the force required to close the doors 16 and 17.

[0023] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the packing 25 is formed such that the inclination angle θ1 at which the first contact surface 32 inclins relative to the rear panel 22 of the doors 16 and 17 is gentler than the inclination angle θ2 at which the second contact surface 33 inclins relative to the rear panel 22 of the doors 16 and 17. In other words, the front-to-back width of the packing 25 (contact portion 31) is configured such that the side closer to the hinge 18 is lower than the side further away from the hinge 18, so that when the doors 16 and 17 are closed and the packing 25 (first contact surface 32 of the contact portion 31) contacts the frame portion 11a of the housing 11, the force is received on the first contact surface 32 side, and a force F is applied so that the second contact surface 33 undergoes elastic deformation (see Figure 4(a)). In this way, by making the inclination angle θ1 of the first contact surface 32 gentler than the inclination angle θ2 of the second contact surface 33, a force F can be applied to the second contact surface 33 side as the first contact surface 32 elastically deforms when closing the doors 16 and 17. This suppresses the repulsive force of the packing 25 generated when closing the doors 16 and 17, allowing them to be closed with less force.

[0024] Specifically, in this embodiment, the curvature of the first contact surface 32 is formed to be smaller than the curvature of the second contact surface 33. As a result, in the direction of approaching and separating from the hinge 18 (left and right direction when the doors 16 and 17 are closed), the inclination angle θ1 of the tangent line L1 that contacts the intermediate position of the first contact surface 32 is formed at a gentler angle than the inclination angle θ2 of the tangent line L2 that contacts the intermediate position of the second contact surface 33. By making the curvature of the first contact surface 32 smaller than that of the second contact surface 33 in this way, the force associated with the elastic deformation when closing the doors 16 and 17 can be applied to the second contact surface 33, so that the doors 16 and 17 can be closed with less force.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the first contact surface 32 is curved so as it is displaced toward the storage chamber 12, moving away from the hinge 18, and the second contact surface 33 is curved so as it is displaced toward the storage chamber 12, moving away from the hinge 18. This allows the force acting on the second contact surface 33 to be concentrated when the doors 16 and 17 are closed and the first contact surface 32 contacts the frame portion 11a of the housing 11 from the protruding end T, making it easy to elastically deform the second contact surface 33 so that it bulges outward. By forming the packing 25 with such a cross-sectional shape (first contact surface 32 and second contact surface 33) (by making the shapes of the two contact surfaces 32 and 33 different), the repulsive force of the packing 25 generated when closing the doors 16 and 17 can be effectively suppressed, allowing them to be closed with less force.

[0026] Here, the contact portion 31 of the packing 25 may be formed with a uniform thickness throughout, or it may have different thicknesses in parts. In a configuration where the thickness of the first contact surface 32 is formed thinner than the thickness of the second contact surface 33, thereby reducing the rigidity of the first contact surface 32, the packing 25 can be elastically deformed with a small force, starting from the first contact surface 32, which is the first to contact the frame portion 11a of the housing 11 when the doors 16 and 17 are closed. Alternatively, in a configuration where the thickness of the first contact surface 32 is formed thicker than the thickness of the second contact surface 33, thereby increasing the rigidity of the first contact surface 32, the force acting on the first contact surface 32 as it contacts the frame portion 11a of the housing 11 when the doors 16 and 17 are closed can be concentrated on the second contact surface 33, allowing the packing to be elastically deformed with a small force.

[0027] Furthermore, the doors 16 and 17 are configured to be held in the closed position by a pair of upper and lower latch mechanisms (locking means) 40, 40. Each upper and lower latch mechanism 40 comprises a latch unit 41 disposed on the opposite side of the door 16 and 17 from the side where the hinge 18 is located (the right side for the left door 16, and the left side for the right door 17), and a receiving member 45 disposed on the upper and lower parts of the housing 11 corresponding to the latch unit 41, which is used to removably lock the latch 43 of the latch unit 41. In this embodiment, the latch mechanisms 40, 40 of the left and right doors 16 and 17 have a common structure, and the configurations of the upper and lower latch mechanisms 40, 40 in each door 16 and 17 are vertically symmetrical. Therefore, the configuration of the upper latch mechanism 40 will be described in detail, and the same reference numerals will be used for the same components of the lower latch mechanism 40, and detailed descriptions will be omitted. Figure 2 illustrates the latch mechanisms 40, 40 of the right door 17.

[0028] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the latch unit 41 of the upper latch mechanism 40 comprises a unit body 42 disposed on the doors 16 and 17, a latch 43 supported by the unit body 42 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and a biasing means (not shown) such as a coil spring that biases the latch 43 to always protrude from the unit body 42. The unit body 42 is disposed on the lower side of the upper side plate 21 of the doors 16 and 17 (or on the upper side of the lower side plate 21 in the case of the unit body 42 of the lower latch mechanism 40), and the latch 43 is configured to be maintained in a protruding position that protrudes to the outside of the door by a required length through through holes (not shown) provided in each side plate 21 when no external force is applied.

[0029] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the receiving member 45 corresponding to the upper latch mechanism 40 has an engaging receiving portion 47 that extends forward from a fixed portion attached to the upper surface of the housing 11 (or the lower surface in the case of the receiving member 45 corresponding to the lower latch mechanism 40) by screws or the like, and a rectangular hole (hole) 47a is formed in the engaging receiving portion 47 that opens in the vertical direction and can receive the latch 43. Here, the upper and lower latch mechanisms 40, 40 are configured such that when the doors 16, 17 are closed with the latch 43 in the protruding position, the curved surface 43a formed on the rear side of the latch 43 contacts the engaging receiving portion 47. In other words, by rotating the doors 16 and 17, with the latch 43 maintained in the protruding position, from the open position to the closed position of the opening 15, the curved surface 43a of the latch 43 comes into contact with the engaging receiving portion 47 of the receiver 45 from the front, and the latch 43 is displaced against the biasing force of the biasing means so as to retract from the protruding position towards the unit body 42 of the latch unit 41, causing the doors 16 and 17 to rotate toward the closed position, and the latch 43 goes beyond the engaging receiving portion 47 to the square hole 47a, at which point the latch 43, returned to the protruding position by the biasing means, comes into contact with the opening edge of the square hole 47a, and the doors 16 and 17 are held in the closed position.

[0030] In this embodiment, the rear surface of the latch 43 is formed as a curved surface 43a that tapers towards the protruding end. However, when the latch 43 contacts the engagement receiving portion 47 from the front, it can be formed in a shape that displaces the latch 43 so that it retracts towards the unit body 42. For example, the rear surface of the latch 43 can be formed as an inclined surface that slopes backward towards the protruding end.

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the contact portion of the engagement receiving portion 47 where the curved surface 43a of the latch 43 makes contact is processed to improve the sliding properties when the latch 43 makes contact. Specifically, as shown in Figure 8(a), by forming an arc-shaped curved contact surface 47b at the corner of the engagement receiving portion 47 where the curved surface 43a of the latch 43 makes contact, the sliding properties of the contacted latch 43 are improved, allowing the latch 43 to be displaced with less force, and effectively preventing wear of the latch 43. In this embodiment, the receiving member 45 is formed by bending a single metal plate, and this bending process forms an arc-shaped curved contact surface 47b on the engagement receiving portion 47. Since the bending radius of the metal plate increases with increasing thickness, it is preferable to increase the thickness of the metal plate forming the receiving member 45 from the viewpoint of improving the sliding properties of the contacted latch 43. For example, it is preferable to form the contact surface 47b by bending a metal plate with a thickness of 5 mm or more.

[0032] Furthermore, as another example of the contact portion between the latch 43 and the engagement receiving portion 47, as shown in Figure 8(b), an inclined surface 47c may be provided that slopes from the front end of the engagement receiving portion 47 toward the square hole (hole) 47a. By providing an inclined surface 47c on the engagement receiving portion 47 in this way, the sliding properties of the contacting latch 43 can be improved, and wear of the latch 43 can be effectively prevented. In addition, when an inclined surface 47c is formed on the engagement receiving portion 47, the inclined surface 47c can be formed at any angle to match the shape of the latch 43, thus increasing the versatility of the receiving device 45. Also, compared to the case in which the above-described arc-shaped contact surface 47b is formed, the thickness of the metal plate forming the receiving device 45 can be reduced, thus avoiding the problem of increased costs.

[0033] As shown in Figure 2, the latches 43, 43 of the upper and lower latch mechanisms 40, 40 are connected via rods to an operating mechanism that operates in response to the operation of the handle 19. By rotating the handle 19, the upper and lower latches 43, 43 move from a protruding position to a released position that exits the square hole 47a, against the biasing force of the biasing means. In other words, by rotating the handle 19 and releasing the engagement between the upper and lower latches 43, 43 and the receiving member 45, the doors 16, 17 can be opened.

[0034] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9, the lower latch mechanism 40 on doors 16 and 17 is positioned more towards the hinge 18 than the upper latch mechanism 40. When using the disinfection storage cabinet 10 as in this embodiment, users tend to close the doors 16 and 17 by pushing the upper part above the handle 19. When closed in this manner, the upper latch mechanism 40 may be properly engaged while the lower latch mechanism 40 is not properly engaged, and the doors 16 and 17 may be held in the closed position. If this condition is repeated and continues, the lower part of the doors 16 and 17 may deform and bend towards the front, and the problem of the lower latch mechanism 40 becoming increasingly difficult to properly engage has been pointed out. In contrast, as in this embodiment, by positioning the lower latch mechanism 40 more towards the hinge 18, the lower latch mechanism 40 can be made less susceptible to deformation of the doors 16 and 17, and there is an advantage in that the lower latch mechanism 40 does not become difficult to properly engage when the doors 16 and 17 are closed.

[0035] Furthermore, the disinfection storage cabinet 10 in this embodiment is equipped with an open / close detection means 55 that detects the open / closed state of the doors 16 and 17, and the operation of the disinfection storage cabinet 10 is controlled according to the open / closed state of the doors 16 and 17 detected by the open / close detection means 55. In this embodiment, when the open / close detection means 55 detects that the doors 16 and 17 are open, if the disinfection storage cabinet 10 is in operation, it is controlled to temporarily stop operation and not accept any further commands, and if the disinfection storage cabinet 10 is in an stopped state, it is controlled not to accept any commands to start operation. Note that the operation control of the disinfection storage cabinet 10 according to the open / closed state of the doors 16 and 17 is just one example and is not limited thereto.

[0036] Here, the opening / closing detection means 55 consists of a reed switch (magnetic detection means) 56 arranged on the housing 11 side to detect magnetism, and a magnet 57 arranged on the door 16, 17 side, with the reed switch 56 being wired to a control means (not shown). Figure 10(a) shows an example of the arrangement of the opening / closing detection means 55, where the reed switch 56 is arranged in the frame portion 11a (hereinafter specifically referred to as the vertical frame portion 60) of the housing 11 where the hinges 18 of the doors 16, 17 are provided, and the magnet 57 is arranged on the side portion facing the reed switch 56 when the doors 16, 17 are closed. Here, the reed switch 56 is arranged on the back side of the metal plate 60a that forms the surface of the vertical frame portion 60 so as to be located inside the vertical frame portion 60 (see Figure 10(b)). Similarly, the magnet 57 is arranged on the back side of the side plate 21 so as to be located inside the doors 16, 17. In this way, by arranging the reed switch 56 to be embedded inside the vertical frame portion 60 of the housing 11, and arranging the magnet 57 to be embedded inside the doors 16 and 17, hot air and steam during operation of the disinfection storage cabinet 10 do not directly hit the reed switch 56, thus preventing malfunctions such as failure of the opening / closing detection means 55. Furthermore, since the reed switch 56 and magnet 57 are not exposed on the surface, the workability of cleaning the disinfection storage cabinet 10 can be improved, and the appearance of the disinfection storage cabinet 10 can be improved, enhancing its design.

[0037] Furthermore, as another example of the arrangement of the opening / closing detection means 55, as shown in Figure 10(c), the reed switch 56 can be placed in the frame portion that forms the bottom surface of the housing 11 (hereinafter specifically referred to as the lower frame portion 61), and the magnet 57 can be placed on the lower surface that faces the reed switch 56 when the doors 16 and 17 are closed. In this case as well, the reed switch 56 is placed on the back side of the metal plate that forms the surface of the lower frame portion 61 so as to be located inside the lower frame portion 61, and the magnet 57 is placed on the back side of the side plate 21 that forms the bottom surface so as to be located inside the doors 16 and 17. By configuring in this way, the same effects and advantages as the configuration in which the reed switch 56 is placed in the vertical frame portion 60 described above can be obtained. Furthermore, in the configuration where the reed switch 56 is placed on the vertical frame 60, the rotational radius of the magnet 57 that moves as the doors 16 and 17 are opened and closed becomes smaller, which has the drawback of limiting the performance (detection range) of the reed switch 56 that can be used. However, in the configuration where the reed switch 56 is placed on the lower frame 61, the reed switch 56 can be placed at a position away from the rotational center of the doors 16 and 17, so the performance (detection range) of the reed switch 56 is not limited, and there is an advantage in that there is a greater degree of freedom in selecting the reed switch 56.

[0038] Furthermore, as another example of the arrangement of the opening / closing detection means 55, it can also be applied to a single-opening disinfection storage cabinet equipped with one door (the right door 17 in the above embodiment) that opens and closes the opening 15. In such a single-opening disinfection storage cabinet, the reed switch 56 can be placed in the frame portion 11a (hereinafter referred to as the vertical frame portion) on the side of the housing 11 opposite to the hinge 18 of the doors 16 and 17, and the magnet 57 can be placed on the side portion (the open end side of the doors 16 and 17) that faces the reed switch 56 when the doors 16 and 17 are closed. In this case as well, the reed switch 56 is placed on the back side of the metal plate forming the surface of the vertical frame portion so as to be located inside the vertical frame portion, and the magnet 57 is placed on the back side of the side plate 21 so as to be located inside the doors 16 and 17. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to obtain the same effects as described above.

[0039] [Regarding other embodiments] Next, the first to fourth alternative embodiments will be described. Note that for the first to fourth alternative embodiments, only the parts that differ from the embodiments will be described, and components having the same or similar functions as those in the embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions will be omitted.

[0040] (First alternative embodiment) As shown in Figure 11, the right open end of the left door 16 is provided with the restricting portion 65 that extends vertically and closes the joint S of the left and right doors 16 and 17 from the inside (rear side). The restricting portion 65 consists of a first extension portion 65a that extends toward the inside of the storage compartment and a second extension portion 65b that extends to the right (towards the right door 17) from the first extension portion 65a. That is, the joint S is located in front of the second extension portion 65b, and the storage compartment 12 is located behind it. At the left open end of the right door 17, the portion of the packing 25 that is spaced away from the hinge 18 extends vertically. Therefore, when the right door 17 is closed with the left door 16, whose upper and lower parts of the restricting portion 65 abut against the frame portion 11a, the left hollow portion 26 of the packing 25 of the right door 17 comes into contact with the front surface of the second extension portion 65b of the restricting portion 65.

[0041] Here, the front position of the second extension 65b in the restricting portion 65 is located in front of the front of the frame portion 11a of the housing 11 by a thickness M in the front-rear direction of the second extension 65b. When the right door 17 is closed, the amount of deformation of the portion of the second extension 65b that contacts the front of the packing 25 is greater than the amount of deformation of the portion of the packing 25 that contacts the front of the frame portion 11a, and the force required to close the right door 17 becomes greater. Therefore, in the first alternative embodiment, the left end of the hollow portion 26 of the packing 25 is provided with a V-shaped bend 66 consisting of a front inclined portion 66a and a rear inclined portion 66b, as shown in Figure 11(a). The bend point P, which is the connection point between the front inclined portion 66a and the rear inclined portion 66b of the bend 66 and is convex to the left outer side (outer side) of the right door 17, is configured to face the front of the second extension 65b. In this first alternative embodiment, when the right door 17 is closed relative to the closed left door 16, the rearward inclined portion 66b of the bent portion 66 comes into contact with the second extension portion 65b. As shown in Figure 11(b), the bent portion 66, including the rearward inclined portion 66b, undergoes elastic deformation only in a portion of the hollow portion 26, starting from the bending point P. In other words, the amount of deformation of the packing 25 when the hollow portion 26 comes into contact with the second extension portion 65b can be reduced, thereby suppressing the repulsive force due to the deformation of the packing 25 and reducing the force required to close the right door 17 (door closing force). In other words, even if the second extension portion 65b protrudes forward of the frame portion 11a, the amount of deformation in the hollow portion 26 of the packing 25 when it comes into contact with the second extension portion 65b can be reduced, so the right door 17 can be closed with a force weaker than the force required to deform the entire hollow portion 26.

[0042] (Second alternative embodiment) Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the hinge side of the right door 17 in a second alternative embodiment. In the packing 25 having the bent portion 66 in the first alternative embodiment, the protruding end T of the hollow portion 26 extending vertically on the right edge side (left edge side in the left door 16) close to the hinge 18 is positioned biased toward the end side (opening side) that is spaced away from the hinge 18 with respect to the left-right center of the attachment portion 27. Although not shown, the hollow portion 26 on the left edge side close to the hinge 18 of the left door 16 has a similar configuration.

[0043] Here, if a fitting structure between the attachment portion 27 and the mounting groove 24 is adopted as the fixing structure for the packing 25, then, due to the constraint of providing the mounting groove 24 on the doors 16 and 17, the packing 25 will be positioned spaced apart from the hinge side end of the doors 16 and 17 to the other side end. In this case, in order to ensure airtightness by having the packing 25 abut against the frame portion 11a, the width of the opening 15 in the housing 11 in the left-right direction will be reduced. However, as in the second alternative embodiment, by offsetting the hollow portion 26 of the packing 25 towards the side end of the doors 16 and 17 that is close to the hinge 18, the width of the opening 15 in the left-right direction can be increased while adopting a fixing structure for the packing 25 by a fitting structure, making it easier to put dishes in and take them out of the storage compartment 12. Note that in Figure 12, the frame portion 11a when the hollow portion 26 is not offset towards the side end away from the hinge 18 is shown by a dashed line for comparison.

[0044] Figure 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the left door 16 in the open state in the third alternative embodiment, in which the protruding dimension of the protruding end T in the hollow portion 26 of the packing 25 is reduced, and the radius of curvature of the portion of the hollow portion 26 that protrudes toward the storage compartment 12 side is set to be larger. As a result, the protruding dimension of the hollow portion 26 from the rear panel 22 when the doors 16 and 17 are opened is reduced, and contact of dishes with the packing 25 can be suppressed when putting dishes in or taking them out of the storage compartment 12. Note that in Figure 13, the packing 25 of the second alternative embodiment is shown exaggerated with a dashed line for comparison.

[0045] In the third embodiment, the protruding end T of the packing 25 is made lower, which reduces the risk of dishes getting caught on the packing 25 when loading or unloading dishes, and prevents damage to the packing 25. Also, by making the protruding end T of the packing 25 lower, the workspace in front of the opening 15 when the doors 16 and 17 are opened can be widened, improving the ease of loading and unloading dishes. Furthermore, by making the protruding end T of the packing 25 lower, the area of ​​the packing 25 exposed to steam and high temperatures in the storage chamber 12 during operation of the disinfection storage cabinet 10 with the doors 16 and 17 closed is also reduced, improving the durability of the packing 25. In addition, by setting a large radius of curvature on the protruding side of the hollow portion 26 of the packing 25, when a dish hits the hollow portion 26 and force is applied, the hollow portion 26 is easily deformed, allowing the force to dissipate and preventing a large force from being applied to the hollow portion 26, thus preventing damage.

[0046] Figure 14 shows the main part of the right door 17 in the fourth alternative embodiment, and the hollow portion 26 of the packing 25 is provided with an extension portion 68 that extends toward the hinge 18 side. The extension portion 68 covers the fixing means 23 from the rear (inside the compartment) and is configured to prevent the fixing means 23 from being exposed when the doors 16 and 17 are opened, thereby improving the aesthetic appearance. Furthermore, the extension end of the extension portion 68 contacts the mounting portion 21a on the side plate 21 and seals the gap that occurs behind the mounting portion 21a on the outside (right side) of the hollow portion 26, thereby preventing dust and debris from entering and accumulating in the gap. In other words, in the fourth alternative embodiment, the aesthetic appearance can be improved, and hygiene can be improved by preventing dust and debris from entering the gap that occurs on the outside of the packing 25.

[0047] Next, the configurations related to the hot air circulation means 70 that are common to each embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 15. The disinfection storage cabinet 10 has a storage chamber 12 and a circulation path 71 equipped with a hot air circulation means 70 defined inside the housing 11. The circulation path 71 consists of an upper space 71a and side spaces 71b, 71b communicating with it. The upper space 71a is defined on the upper side of the top plate 72 that defines the storage chamber 12, while the side spaces 71b, 71b are defined on the outer sides of the side plates 73, 73 that face each other in the width direction of the storage chamber 12. The central part of the upper space 71a communicates with the storage chamber 12 via an intake port 72a formed in the top plate 72. The side spaces 71b, 71b extend downward from both sides of the upper space 71a and communicate with the storage chamber 12 via a plurality of air outlets formed in the side plates 73, 73.

[0048] As shown in Figure 15, two intake ports 72a, 72a are formed in the upper space 71a of the circulation path 71, spaced apart front to back. Blower fans 74, 74, which constitute the hot air circulation means 70, are arranged corresponding to each intake port 72a, 72a. Two electric heaters 75, 75, which are heating devices, are arranged to sandwich the two blower fans 74, 74 from the left and right. The blower fans 74 draw air from the storage chamber 12 into the upper space 71a through the intake ports 72a and bring the drawn-in air into contact with the electric heaters 75. Consequently, the air drawn from the storage chamber 12 into the upper space 71a by the operation of the blower fans 74, 74 becomes hot air and flows into the side spaces 71b, 71b, where it is blown back into the storage chamber 12 from the outlets of the side plates 73, 73 to heat the tableware (storage items) stored in the storage chamber 12.

[0049] An air guide 76 is positioned between the front and rear blower fans 74, 74, extending diagonally in the left-right direction. The air guide 76 is inclined so that it displaces forward from one end (the left end in the illustrated example) towards the other end in the left-right direction. The air blown out by the operation of the front blower fan 74 flows to the left along the front surface of the air guide 76, is heated by the left electric heater 75, and flows into the left side space 71b. Conversely, the air blown out by the operation of the rear blower fan 74 flows to the right along the rear surface of the air guide 76, is heated by the right electric heater 75, and flows into the right side space 71b. In other words, by positioning the air guide 76 diagonally between the two blower fans 74, 74, the hot air heated by the electric heaters 75, 75 can be efficiently introduced into the left and right side spaces 71b, 71b, and the storage compartment 12 can be heated evenly. Therefore, the dishes stored in the storage compartment 12 can be disinfected and dried uniformly and efficiently, without any difference in the degree of disinfection and drying depending on their storage location.

[0050] [Example of change] This application is not limited to the configurations described in the embodiments above, and other configurations may be adopted as appropriate. Furthermore, various embodiments may be adopted within the scope of the spirit of the present invention, not limited to the following modified examples. (1) A pair of doors are provided on the front of the enclosure, one on the left and one on the right, but there may be only one door that opens and closes the opening. (2) The configuration in which the gasket provided on the door is formed is not limited to forming a rectangular frame shape, but may also be to form a gasket individually for each peripheral edge of the door. (3) The gaskets provided on the upper and lower edges of the door and on the open end can be formed in any shape. (4) In the embodiment and each separate embodiment, the configuration adopted for the left door or the right door can be applied to the opposite door. For example, a configuration can be adopted in which a restricting part is provided on the right door and the packing of the left door is in contact with the front surface of the restricting part. (5) The embodiments and individual embodiments may take various combinations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 11 Enclosure, 12 Storage compartment, 16, 17 Door, 18 Hinge (support shaft) 25 Packing, 32 First contact surface, 33 Second contact surface 65 Regulating section (separate component), P Bending point

Claims

1. A storage cabinet comprising: a housing (11) having a storage chamber (12) defined inside which is cooled or heated; doors (16, 17) formed in the housing (11) that can open and close an opening (15) that communicates the storage chamber (12) with the outside; and a packing (25) provided on the back surface of the doors (16, 17) that contacts the housing (11) when the doors (16, 17) are closed, The packing (25), which is positioned on the support shaft (18) side that supports the doors (16, 17) so that they can be opened and closed, is formed such that the protruding end (T) that protrudes toward the storage chamber (12) side is positioned biased toward the end that is spaced away from the support shaft (18). When closing the doors (16, 17), the contact surface (32) located on the end side of the packing (25) that is closer to the support shaft (18) than the protruding end (T) comes into contact with the housing (11) before the protruding end (T) of the packing (25) comes into contact with it. A storage facility characterized by the following features.

2. The storage cabinet according to claim 1, wherein the packing (25) is formed such that the inclination angle (θ1) of the first contact surface (32) located on the end side closer to the support shaft (18) than the protruding end (T) is a gentler angle than the inclination angle (θ2) of the second contact surface (33) located on the end side further away from the support shaft (18) than the protruding end (T) is a gentler angle than the inclination angle (θ2) of the second contact surface (33) located on the end side further away from the support shaft (18) than the protruding end (T).

3. The storage cabinet according to claim 2, wherein the packing (25) is formed such that the curvature of the first contact surface (32) is smaller than the curvature of the second contact surface (33).

4. The storage cabinet according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the first contact surface (32) is formed to curve so as it is displaced toward the storage chamber (12) that it moves away from the support shaft (18), and the second contact surface (33) is formed to curve so as to bulge toward the side that moves away from the support shaft (18).

5. A storage cabinet comprising: a housing (11) having a storage chamber (12) defined inside which is cooled or heated; doors (16, 17) formed in the housing (11) that can open and close an opening (15) that connects the storage chamber (12) to the outside; and a packing (25) provided on the back surface of the doors (16, 17) that contacts the housing (11) or another member (65) that abuts against the housing (11) when the doors (16, 17) are closed, The packing (25), positioned on the side away from the support shaft (18) that supports the doors (16, 17) so that they can be opened and closed, has a bending point (P) that is convex on the outward side of the doors (16, 17), When the doors (16, 17) are closed and the packing (25) comes into contact with the housing (11) or another component (65), the packing (25) is configured to elastically deform only a portion of it, starting from the bending point (P). A storage facility characterized by the following features.

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