Cooling warehouse

Abstract

To provide a cooler with a thermosiphon using a low-cost, lightweight heat transfer block. [Solution] A cooling chamber 1 comprises a Stirling refrigerator 12 as a cooling unit having a heat-absorbing section 15A at its tip in the direction of the central axis C, a thermosiphon 10 that is thermally connected to the heat-absorbing section 15A via a heat transfer block 20, a container 6 that is thermally in contact with the thermosiphon 10, and an insulating member 7 that covers the outer circumference of the container 6, wherein the thermosiphon 10 has a pipe 24 filled with refrigerant, and the portion of the pipe 24 that is thermally in contact with the heat transfer block 20 becomes a condenser 25. By arranging the Stirling refrigerator 12 at an angle such that the condenser 25 is perpendicular to the central axis C of the Stirling refrigerator 12 and the pipe 24 becomes lower as it moves away from the condenser 25, the structure of the heat transfer block 20 can be simplified and the cooling chamber 1 can be constructed inexpensively.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooler, and particularly to a cooler that transfers cold heat generated by a cooling unit to an object to be cooled via a thermosiphon. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as this type of cooler, there has been known one comprising: a Stirling refrigerator as a cooling unit having a heat absorbing portion; a thermosiphon that serves as a condenser by bringing a part of a pipe filled with refrigerant into heat-transfer contact with a heat transfer block attached to the heat absorbing portion at the distal end of the cylindrical portion of the Stirling refrigerator; and a container in heat-transfer contact with the pipe of the thermosiphon (see, for example, Patent Document 1). As shown in FIG. 6, the heat transfer block includes a base block that is coaxial with the cylindrical portion and is thermally fixed to the heat absorbing portion, a lower block thermally fixed to the base block, and an upper block. A part of the pipe is clamped between the upper block and the lower block. The base block is formed into a cylindrical shape as a whole, and the distal end surface thereof is formed to be inclined with respect to the axial direction. As a result, the opposing surfaces of the upper block and the lower block are each inclined with respect to the axial direction of the Stirling refrigerator. By clamping the pipe between the upper block and the lower block having inclined opposing surfaces in this manner, in an orientation where the axial direction of the Stirling refrigerator is vertical, the condenser, which is the portion of the pipe clamped, is inclined. Due to the inclination of the condenser, the refrigerant condensed in the condenser flows down in the direction of gravity. Therefore, if the pipe is formed to be similarly inclined even in portions other than the clamped portion, the liquefied refrigerant flows down in the pipe, absorbs heat from the container that is in heat-transfer contact with the pipe, and vaporizes. The vaporized refrigerant then rises through the pipe, reaches the condenser, and condenses again. By repeating this process, the inside of the container is cooled. Prior Art Literature Patent Literature

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-190903 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] Incidentally, when a cooling unit such as a Stirling refrigerator is incorporated into a cooling chamber, it is often used in a position where its axial direction is vertical. This is because it is believed that using it in such a position can improve space efficiency. On the other hand, if the opposing surfaces of the upper and lower blocks of the heat transfer block that clamp a part of the piping are inclined with respect to a vertical axis, as in the conventional method, then the heat transfer block, especially the base block, will have a portion parallel to the axis of the Stirling refrigerator, a portion perpendicular to the axis, and an inclined portion. In particular, when the lower block is fixed to the heat transfer block with screws or the like, screw holes will be formed in a direction perpendicular to the inclined surface of the base block that the lower block contacts, that is, in a direction inclined with respect to the axial direction of the base block, which increases processing costs. Furthermore, with a base block having the structure described above, especially if the inclination angle of the inclined surface is large, more raw materials are required to prevent the lower block from interfering with the heat absorption section. As a result, there have been problems such as increased manufacturing costs and increased mass of the base block.

[0005] The present invention aims to solve the above problems and provide a cooler having a thermosiphon using a low-cost and lightweight heat transfer block. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The cooling cabinet according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a cooling unit having a heat-absorbing portion at its tip in the direction of the central axis, a heat transfer block thermally connected to the heat-absorbing portion, a thermosiphon thermally in contact with the heat transfer block, a container thermally in contact with the thermosiphon, and an insulating member covering the outer periphery of the container, wherein the thermosiphon has piping thermally connected to the heat transfer block and containing a refrigerant, and the portion of the piping thermally in contact with the heat transfer block serves as a condenser, wherein the condenser of the piping is perpendicular to the central axis of the cooling unit, and the cooling unit is tilted and arranged such that the piping becomes lower as it moves away from the condenser.

[0007] Furthermore, the cooling cabinet described in claim 2 of the present invention assumes a three-dimensional coordinate system in claim 1 where the two orthogonal horizontal axes are the X-axis and Z-axis, and the height direction is the Y-axis, with the cooling unit and the container aligned in the X-axis direction, and the central axis of the cooling unit being parallel to the YZ plane.

[0008] Furthermore, the cooling chamber according to claim 3 of the present invention has an outer shell in the case of claim 2, an air intake is formed on one side of the Z axis of the outer shell, the heat absorption portion of the cooling unit is tilted so as to be on one side of the Z axis relative to the non-heat absorption portion side, and the air intake and the heat exhaust portion of the cooling unit overlap in a view along the Z axis. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] By configuring the cooling cabinet according to claim 1 of the present invention as described above, the structure of the heat transfer block can be simplified, and the cooling cabinet can be constructed at a low cost.

[0010] Furthermore, assuming a three-dimensional coordinate system with two orthogonal horizontal axes as the X and Z axes and the height direction as the Y axis, by aligning the cooling unit and the container in the X-axis direction and making the central axis of the cooling unit parallel to the YZ plane, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the space efficiency of the cooling unit and prevent the cooling chamber from becoming larger.

[0011] Furthermore, the cooling unit has an outer shell, and an air intake is formed on one side of the Z-axis of this outer shell. The heat-absorbing portion of the cooling unit is tilted so that it is on one side of the Z-axis relative to the non-heat-absorbing portion, and the air intake and the heat-dissipating portion of the cooling unit overlap in a view along the Z-axis. This makes it easier to guide the airflow flowing in from the air intake to the heat-dissipating portion, thus allowing the heat generated by the cooling unit to be efficiently discharged outside the cooling chamber. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is an external view of a cooling cabinet showing one embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a front view and (b) is a top view. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view of the same object. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view of the BB. [Figure 4] This is a side view of a Stirling refrigerator with a thermosiphon installed. [Figure 5] This is a front view of a Stirling refrigerator with a thermosiphon installed. [Figure 6] This is a side view of a Stirling refrigerator with a conventional thermosiphon installed. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 5. Figure 1 is a cooler of the present invention. This cooler 1 is composed of a cooler body 2, a mechanism 3, and a lid 4. The cooler body 2 is composed of a main body outer shell 5, a container 6, and an insulating member 7. The container 6 is composed of a side wall member 8 formed by bending a flat plate of aluminum alloy with high thermal conductivity into a rectangular tube shape, and a bottom member 9 that closes the lower end opening of the side wall member 8. A thermosiphon 10 for transferring cold energy generated by a Stirling refrigerator 12 (described later) to the container 6 is heat-transferably connected to the outer surface of the side wall member 8. The insulating member 7 is provided on the outside of the container 6 and on the inside of the main body outer shell 5. Foamed resin, vacuum insulating material, etc., are used as the insulating member 7. The width direction of the cooler 1 is X, the height direction is Y, and the depth direction is Z.

[0014] The mechanism 3 comprises a mechanism outer shell 11 integrally attached to the main body outer shell 5 of the cooling cabinet body 2, and a Stirling refrigerator 12 as a cooling unit housed inside the mechanism outer shell 11. The mechanism outer shell 11 has an intake port 13 and an exhaust port 14 for discharging heat generated from the Stirling refrigerator 12 to the outside of the mechanism 3. The intake port 13 is located on the front surface of the mechanism outer shell 11 and overlaps with the heat exhaust section 15B of the Stirling refrigerator 12 in a Z-axis view. The thermosiphon 10 is heat-transferably connected to the heat absorption section 15A provided at the tip of the cylindrical section 15 of the Stirling refrigerator 12.

[0015] The lid 4 is pivotally supported on the main body outer shell 5 by a hinge (not shown) so as to be able to open and close the opening of the cooling cabinet body 2. The lid 4 is composed of a lid outer shell 16 and an insulating member 17 provided inside the lid outer shell 16. Foamed resin or vacuum insulating material can be used as the insulating member 17. An annular packing 18 is provided on the outer circumference of the lower surface of the lid 4 so as to be able to abut against the upper end surface 5A of the cooling cabinet body 2 when the lid is closed.

[0016] The Stirling refrigerator 12 and thermosiphon 10 will now be described in detail. As mentioned above, the Stirling refrigerator 12 has the cylindrical portion 15, and the tip of this cylindrical portion 15 is the heat-absorbing portion 15A. The Stirling refrigerator 12 is installed in the mechanism 3 in a position where the central axis C of its cylindrical portion 15 is inclined. The central axis C is parallel to the YZ plane. Therefore, the dimensions of the installation space for the Stirling refrigerator 12 are the same as those of a conventional structure in the width direction (X coordinate direction). The central axis C is inclined such that the heat-absorbing portion 15A side, which is the upper end of the Stirling refrigerator 12, is the front side. Therefore, if there is sufficient space in the depth direction (Z coordinate direction), the Stirling refrigerator 12 in this position can be accommodated in the mechanism 3. Furthermore, the heat exhaust section 15B of the Stirling refrigerator 12, which is housed at an angle such that the heat absorption section 15A is facing forward, overlaps with the air intake port 13 provided on the front surface of the outer shell 11 of the mechanism section when viewed in the Z-axis direction.

[0017] A heat transfer block 20 is fixed to the heat absorption section 15A by thermal contact. This heat transfer block 20 is composed of a base block 21, a lower block 22, and an upper block 23. The base block 21, lower block 22, and upper block 23 are all made of a metal with high thermal conductivity, such as copper or an aluminum alloy. The base block 21 is thermally attached to the heat absorption section 15A of the cylindrical section 15 of the Stirling refrigerator 12. The lower block 22 is thermally attached to the base block 21. The upper block 23 is attached to the lower block 22 by screws or the like (not shown).

[0018] The base block 21 is formed into a short cylindrical shape and is fixed coaxially to the cylindrical portion 15. That is, the central axis C of the base block 21 coincides with the central axis C of the cylindrical portion 15. Meanwhile, the distal end surface 21A of the base block 21 is a flat surface orthogonal to the central axis C. Therefore, reducing the step between the distal end of the heat absorbing portion 15A and the distal end surface 21A allows the volume of the base block 21 to be reduced compared to the conventional structure shown in FIG. 6. That is, when made of the same material as a base block of a conventional structure, the base block 21 of the present invention is lighter than that of the conventional structure, and can reduce material costs.

[0019] The lower block 22 is formed into a rectangular thick plate shape, and the lower surface 22A and the upper surface 22B thereof are parallel to each other. The lower surface 22A of the lower block 22 is a flat surface, and this lower surface 22A is in heat-transfer contact with the distal end surface 21A of the base block 21 and fixed thereto. The lower block 22 is fixed to the base block 21 by a plurality of screws or the like that are not illustrated. A plurality of through holes (not shown) formed in the lower block 22 for inserting the screws or the like are orthogonal to the lower surface 22A. A plurality of screw holes (not shown) formed in the base block 21 for fixing the lower block 22 are also formed orthogonal to the distal end surface 21A, that is, parallel to the central axis C. Accordingly, the base block 21 is formed in a simple shape. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the base block 21 can be reduced compared to a conventional structure.

[0020] The upper surface 22B of the lower block 22 is basically flat, and a groove portion 22C for making surface contact with the pipe 24 of the thermosiphon 10 is formed. The pipe 24 is formed of copper or the like having high thermal conductivity, and is formed to have a circular cross-sectional shape. Accordingly, the groove portion 22C is also formed in a shape that conforms to the outer contour of the pipe 24. The depth of the groove portion 22C is constant. The upper surface 22B serves as a surface facing the upper block 23.

[0021] The upper block 23 is formed into a rectangular thick plate shape, and the lower surface 23A and the upper surface 23B thereof are parallel to each other. The lower surface 23A of the upper block 23 is basically flat, and a groove 23C for surface contact with the pipe 24 of the thermosiphon 10 is formed. Accordingly, the groove 23C is formed in a shape conforming to the outer contour of the pipe 24. The depth of the groove 23C is constant. The lower surface 23A serves as the surface facing the lower block 22. Furthermore, the upper surface 23B of the upper block 23 is a flat surface.

[0022] It should be noted that the upper block 23 is fixed to the lower block 22 by a plurality of screws or the like not shown in the figures. That is, the pipe 24 is clamped between the groove 22C and the groove 23C, and is tightened by a plurality of screws or the like not shown in the figures. Thereby, the upper block 23 is fixed to the lower block 22 in a state of heat-transfer contact. Furthermore, the pipe 24 is in heat-transfer close contact with the groove 22C of the lower block 22 and the groove 23C of the upper block 23. As described above, since the depths of the groove 22C and the groove 23C are constant, the pipe 24 clamped by these grooves 22C and 23C is orthogonal to the central axis C of the base block 21, similarly to the lower block 22 and the upper block 23. The portion of the pipe 24 that is in heat-transfer contact with the lower block 22 and the upper block 23 serves as the condenser 25 of the thermosiphon 10. The pipe 24 slopes downward forward from the condenser 25, and is further bent toward the container 6 at bending portions 26 and 27.

[0023] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. When the Stirling refrigerator 12 is operated, cold energy is generated in the heat absorption section 15A. More specifically, the cold energy generated in the heat absorption section 15A moves from the base block 21 through the lower block 22 and upper block 23 to the condenser 25 in the piping 24. Inside the condenser 25, the refrigerant in the piping 24 is cooled and liquefied. The liquefied refrigerant flows down from the condenser 25 through the piping 24 due to gravity. Since the piping 24 of the thermosiphon 10 is in heat transfer contact with the container 6, the liquefied refrigerant absorbs heat from the container 6 and vaporizes, rising through the piping 24 and reaching the condenser 25 again. Inside the condenser 25, the refrigerant is cooled and liquefied again and flows down through the piping 24. This cycle is repeated, and the inside of the container 6 is cooled.

[0024] Furthermore, since the base block 21 constituting the heat transfer block 20 is formed in a simple short cylindrical shape, and screw holes (not shown) for fixing the lower block 22 are also formed parallel to the axial direction of the base block 21, it is possible to reduce not only the size and weight and material costs compared to conventional structures, but also the manufacturing costs.

[0025] As a secondary effect, by tilting the Stirling refrigerator 12 so that the heat absorption section 15A is at the front, and by aligning the heat exhaust section 15B of the Stirling refrigerator 12 with the air intake 13 in a view along the Z-axis, it becomes easier to guide the airflow flowing in from the air intake 13 to the heat exhaust section 15B, thereby efficiently discharging the heat generated by the Stirling refrigerator 12 to the outside.

[0026] As described above, the present invention provides a cooling chamber 1 comprising a Stirling refrigerator 12 as a cooling unit having a heat-absorbing section 15A at its tip in the direction of the central axis C, a heat transfer block 20 that is thermally connected to the heat-absorbing section 15A, a thermosiphon 10 that is thermally in contact with the heat transfer block 20, a container 6 that is thermally in contact with the thermosiphon 10, and a heat insulating member 7 that covers the outer periphery of the container 6, wherein the thermosiphon 10 has a pipe 24 that is thermally connected to the heat transfer block 20 and has a refrigerant sealed inside, and the portion of the pipe 24 that is thermally in contact with the heat transfer block 20 becomes a condenser 25, wherein the condenser 25 of the pipe 24 is perpendicular to the central axis C of the Stirling refrigerator 12, and the Stirling refrigerator 12 is tilted and arranged such that the pipe 24 becomes lower as it moves away from the condenser 25, thereby simplifying the structure of the heat transfer block 20 and enabling the cooling chamber 1 to be constructed inexpensively.

[0027] Furthermore, the present invention assumes a three-dimensional coordinate system with two orthogonal horizontal axes as the X-axis and Z-axis, and the height direction as the Y-axis. By aligning the Stirling refrigerator 12 and the container 6 in the X-axis direction, and making the central axis C of the Stirling refrigerator 12 parallel to the YZ plane, the deterioration of the space efficiency of the Stirling refrigerator 12 can be suppressed, and the size of the cooling chamber 1 can be kept down.

[0028] Furthermore, the present invention has a mechanical outer shell 11, and an air intake port 13 is formed on the front side of the mechanical outer shell 11, which is one side of the Z axis. The heat absorption section 15A of the Stirling refrigerator 12 is tilted forward, which is one side of the Z axis relative to the side opposite the heat absorption section, and the air intake port 13 and the heat exhaust section 15B of the Stirling refrigerator 12 overlap in a view along the Z axis. This makes it easier to guide the airflow flowing in from the air intake port 13 to the heat exhaust section 15B, so that the heat generated by the Stirling refrigerator 12 can be efficiently discharged to the outside of the cooler 1.

[0029] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the invention. For example, in the above embodiments, the width direction was defined as the X-axis and the depth direction as the Z-axis, but essentially, the X-axis is the direction in which the container 6 and the Stirling refrigerator 12, which is the cooling unit, are aligned. Therefore, depending on how the cooler is used, the X-axis may be the depth direction and the Z-axis may be the width direction. Also, in the above embodiments, a Stirling refrigerator was used as the cooling unit, but other refrigerators may be used. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0030] 1 Refrigerator 2 Refrigerator body 5. Main body outer shell (outer shell) 6 containers 7. Insulation material 10 Thermosiphon 11. Mechanism Outer Shell (Outer Shell) 12. Stirling refrigerator (cooling unit) 13 Air intake 15. Cylindrical part 15A heat absorption part 15B Heat Dissipation Section 20 Heat transfer blocks 21 Base Block 22 Lower Block 23 Upper Block 24 Piping 25 Condenser C center axis X Width direction Y (height direction) Z (depth direction)

Claims

1. A cooling chamber comprising a cooling unit having a heat-absorbing section at its tip in the direction of the central axis, a heat transfer block heat-transferably connected to the heat-absorbing section, a thermosiphon heat-transferably in contact with the heat transfer block, a container heat-transferably in contact with the thermosiphon, and an insulating member covering the outer periphery of the container, wherein the thermosiphon has piping heat-transferably connected to the heat transfer block and containing a refrigerant, and the portion of this piping heat-transferably in contact with the heat transfer block serves as a condenser, A cooling cabinet characterized in that the condenser of the piping is perpendicular to the central axis of the cooling unit, and the cooling unit is tilted and arranged such that the piping becomes lower as it moves away from the condenser.

2. The cooler according to claim 1, characterized in that a three-dimensional coordinate system is assumed in which two orthogonal horizontal axes are the X-axis and Z-axis and the height direction is the Y-axis, the cooling unit and the container are aligned in the X-axis direction, and the central axis of the cooling unit is parallel to the YZ plane.

3. The cooling cabinet according to claim 2, characterized in that it has an outer shell, an air intake is formed on one side of the Z axis of the outer shell, the heat absorption portion of the cooling unit is tilted so as to be on one side of the Z axis relative to the side opposite the heat absorption portion, and the air intake and the heat exhaust portion of the cooling unit overlap in a view along the Z axis.

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