Storage device

Abstract

To provide a storage device capable of removing adhering frost even at a portion, which is other than an area near a cooling mechanism, in a refrigerating / freezing device.SOLUTION: A storage device 1 of the disclosure includes: a cooling mechanism 101 which generates cooling air for cooling a storage chamber S; a frost removing heater 102 which generates heat for removing frost; a blower fan 108 which sends air cooled by the cooling mechanism 101 or air heated by the frost removing heater 102 to the storage room S; and a control unit 200 which controls the frost removing heater 102 to operate and the blower fan 108 to send heated air to the storage room S in a state that generation of cooling air by the cooling mechanism 101 is stopped.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a storage device capable of cooling the inside of a storage compartment. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, storage devices that are installed in stores, outdoors, etc. and used for delivering stored items such as food products are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The storage device of Patent Document 1 has a plurality of insulated boxes to form storage chambers. The storage device of Patent Document 1 also has a cooler and a fan for the cooler to cool the storage chambers to a predetermined temperature, and cools each storage chamber by sending cold air into the storage chambers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-97120 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the storage device of Patent Document 1, when storing an object in the storage chamber, the outer door and the inner door are opened. At this time, humid outside air flows into the storage chamber, so frost is likely to grow inside the storage chamber and around the ventilation holes that send cool air into the storage chamber.

[0006] In addition, in a general refrigeration / freezing device, frost is likely to grow near the cooling mechanism including the cooler. For this reason, a defrosting operation mode is often provided in a general refrigeration / freezing device. The defrosting operation mode is an operation mode for removing frost near the cooling mechanism by operating a defrosting heater or the like provided near the cooling mechanism. However, in a general defrosting operation mode, it is difficult to remove frost that has adhered to places inside the refrigeration / freezing device other than near the cooling mechanism, such as the inside of the storage chamber or the ventilation holes.

[0007] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a storage device that can remove frost that has formed inside a refrigeration / freezing device, even in locations other than near the cooling mechanism. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The storage device of the present disclosure includes a cooling mechanism that generates cold air for cooling a storage chamber, a defrost heater that generates heat for removing frost, a blower that sends the air cooled by the cooling mechanism or the air warmed by the defrost heater to the storage chamber, a fan case heater that is provided to the blower and prevents the blower from freezing, and a control unit that operates the defrost heater and controls the blower to send the warmed air to the storage chamber when the generation of the cold air by the cooling mechanism is stopped, and a drain pan heater that prevents the formation of frost in a drain pan that stores drain water produced when the frost is melted by the defrost heater, and the control unit stops the generation of cold air by the cooling mechanism in response to a predetermined trigger, and performs the control after operating the drain pan heater for a predetermined first hour, and operates the drain pan heater for the first hour after performing the control for a predetermined second hour. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, frost formed inside a refrigeration / freezing device can be removed even in locations other than near the cooling mechanism. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the appearance of a storage device; [Figure 1B] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the appearance of a storage device; [Diagram 2] Cross-sectional view of the storage device taken along the front-rear direction [Diagram 3] Cross-sectional view of the storage device taken along the left-right direction [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a cooling unit and a control unit provided inside a machine room; [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the control of each component of the cooling unit by the control unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an on / off operation diagram for explaining the control of each component of the storage device by the control unit. [Figure 7] State transition diagram of storage device by control unit DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, more detailed explanation than necessary, for example, detailed explanation of already well-known matters and duplicate explanation of substantially the same configuration, may be omitted.

[0012] It should be noted that the following description and the referenced drawings are provided to enable those skilled in the art to understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims of the present disclosure.

[0013] <Storage device 1> 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining the external appearance of the storage device 1. The storage device 1 includes a housing 11, an outer door 12, an inner door 13, and a machine room 14. In the following, when explaining the directions of the storage device 1 and each component included in the storage device 1, the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions shown in Figs. 1A and 1B are used. That is, with the storage device 1 itself as a reference, the direction toward the front side of the storage device 1 (in other words, the side of the outer door 12 and inner door 13 described later) is the front direction, the opposite direction is the rear direction, the right direction is the right direction, the left direction is the left direction, the upper direction is the up direction, and the lower direction is the down direction.

[0014] The storage device 1 has a plurality of storage chambers S, and an outer door 12 and an inner door 13 are provided for each storage chamber S. When the outer door 12 and the inner door 13 are closed, the storage chamber S is sealed. Cold air is supplied to the inside of the storage chamber S from a cooling unit 100 (details will be described later) provided in the machine room 14. Therefore, when the outer door 12 and the inner door 13 are closed, the inside of the storage chamber S is cooled. The temperature inside the storage chamber S can be set by a control unit 200 (details will be described later) provided in the machine room 14. In this way, the storage device 1 is configured as a refrigerated or frozen storage device capable of storing objects to be stored (items that need to be refrigerated or frozen).

[0015] The housing 11 is constructed with a heat-insulating structure in which, for example, a heat-insulating material is sandwiched between an outer plate and an inner plate. The outer door 12 and the inner door 13 are also constructed with the above-mentioned heat-insulating structure, like the housing 11. Note that only the outer door 12 or the inner door 13 may be constructed with the above-mentioned heat-insulating structure. The outer door 12 and the inner door 13 are each connected to the housing 11 so as to be rotatable about a hinge mechanism (not shown) as a fulcrum.

[0016] The storage room S is an internal space of a box body configured by arranging plate members on each of the upper, lower, left, right, and rear sides, excluding the faces that are opened when the outer door 12 and the inner door 13 are opened. In the storage room S, a user of the storage device 1 can store objects to be stored with the outer door 12 and the inner door 13 open.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view along the front-rear direction of the storage device 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view along the left-right direction of the storage device 1. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the rear part of the storage room S is provided with a plurality of rear slits 21 for sending the cool air generated by the cooling unit 100 into the storage room S. The left and right side parts of the storage room S are provided with a plurality of side slits 22 for discharging the air inside the storage room S to the outside.

[0018] 2 and 3, the housing 11 is formed in a box shape having openings on the front part thereof equal to the number of the storage chambers S. In the example shown in Figs. 1 to 3, five storage chambers S are arranged vertically inside the housing 11.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 2, a rear flow path F1 is provided between the rear part of the housing 11 and the rear parts of the multiple storage chambers S. In addition, as shown in Fig. 3, a side flow path F2 is provided between each of the left and right side parts of the housing 11 and each of the left and right side parts of the storage chambers S. An outlet 23 through which cool air is sent out from the cooling unit 100 is disposed above the topmost storage chamber S in the housing 11. The outlet 23 is disposed so as to be exposed from an opening in the top surface part of the housing 11.

[0020] The cold air discharged from the air outlet 23 flows through the rear flow path F1 as shown by the arrow Y1, flows into the inside of the storage chamber S from the rear slit 21, and cools the inside of the storage chamber S. The air that has undergone heat exchange inside the storage chamber S flows out from the side slit 22 as shown by the arrow Y2, flows through the side flow path F2, and flows into the cooling unit 100 from an inlet (not shown). The air that flows in from the inlet is cooled by the cooling unit 100 and is discharged as cold air to the rear flow path F1. In other words, the inside of the storage chamber S is cooled by the circulation of cold air inside the housing 11.

[0021] 2 and 3, a bottom drain heater 110 is provided on the bottom surface of the storage device 1, in other words, on the inner surface of the housing 11 of the storage device 1 that is the farthest from the air outlet 23. The bottom drain heater 110 will be described in detail later.

[0022] Next, a description will be given of the cooling unit 100 and the control unit 200 provided inside the machine room 14. The control unit 200 is an example of the control unit of the present disclosure. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram for describing the cooling unit 100 and the control unit 200 provided inside the machine room 14.

[0023] The cooling unit 100 is a vapor compression type cooling device equipped with a cooling mechanism 101 having a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve (capillary), an evaporator, etc. The configuration of the cooling mechanism 101 may be appropriately adapted from known technology. Note that in the present disclosure, the cooling method of the cooling mechanism 101 is not limited to the vapor compression type, and other methods may be adopted.

[0024] Frost is likely to form on the devices constituting the cooling mechanism 101, particularly near the evaporator, during operation. To remove this frost, a defrost heater 102 is provided near the cooling mechanism 101. Also, a defrost temperature sensor 103 for detecting the temperature near the cooling mechanism 101 is provided near the cooling mechanism 101. A drain pan 104 for storing moisture (drain water) generated when the frost is removed by the defrost heater 102 is provided below the cooling mechanism 101.

[0025] Furthermore, drain pan 104 has a drain pan heater 105 that warms drain pan 104 so that the drain water stored in drain pan 104 does not freeze. The drain water stored in drain pan 104 is discharged to the outside through drain pipe 106. Drain pipe 106 has a drain pipe heater 107 so that the drain water in drain pipe 106 does not freeze.

[0026] The cooling unit 100 also includes a blower fan 108 for blowing out the generated cold air from the outlet 23 (see FIG. 2). The blower fan 108 is an example of a blower of the present disclosure. When the cooling unit 100 stops generating cold air and the defrost heater 102 is operating, the blower fan 108 blows out the warm air heated by the defrost heater 102 from the outlet 23.

[0027] In order to prevent the blower fan 108 from becoming frosted and not rotating, a fan case heater 109 is provided on the case of the blower fan 108.

[0028] The operation of the cooling unit 100 and each component included in the cooling unit 100 is controlled by a control unit 200. Fig. 5 is a block diagram for explaining the control of each component of the cooling unit 100 by the control unit 200.

[0029] 5, the left side of the figure is the input side of the control unit 200, and the right side is the output side of the control unit 200. The input side is connected to the defrost temperature sensor 103, the operation input unit 201, and the storage room temperature sensor 202. The storage room temperature sensor 202 is an example of a temperature sensor of the present disclosure. The output side is connected to the cooling mechanism 101, the blower fan 108, the drain pan heater 105, the drain pipe heater 107, the fan case heater 109, and the bottom drain heater 110.

[0030] The operation input unit 201 is provided on a part of the exterior of the storage equipment 1, and accepts operations on the control unit 200 by an administrator or user of the storage equipment 1. The operation input unit 201 is composed of, for example, a touch panel or buttons. The operation input unit 201 may include a display screen (such as a liquid crystal display) for presenting information to the administrator or user. In this embodiment, the administrator is a person who manages the operation of the storage equipment 1. The user is a person who uses the storage equipment 1 to store or remove storage objects in the storage room S. When the administrator or user performs some operation on the operation input unit 201, the operation input unit 201 accepts the operation and transmits information indicating the input content to the control unit 200.

[0031] The storage room internal temperature sensor 202 is a temperature sensor provided inside each storage room S.

[0032] The bottom drain heater 110 is a heater arranged in a planar shape on the bottom surface of the storage device 1, in other words, on the inner surface of the housing 11 of the storage device 1 that is the farthest from the outlet 23. The bottom drain heater 110 is an example of a planar heater of the present disclosure. Specifically, the bottom drain heater 110 is an electric heating wire arranged to be contained within one plane by meandering. The bottom drain heater 110 can heat the bottom surface of the housing 11 of the storage device 1.

[0033] <Control of control unit 200> Next, a description will be given of the control of the control unit 200. Fig. 6 is an on / off operation diagram for explaining the control of each component of the storage device 1 by the control unit 200.

[0034] In the normal operation state of the control unit 200, the control unit 200 cools the inside of each storage room S of the storage device 1. As shown in Fig. 6, in the normal operation state, the control unit 200 operates the cooling mechanism 101 and the blower fan 108. As a result, the cool air generated by the cooling mechanism 101 is sent into the inside of each storage room S by the blower fan 108, and the inside of each storage room S is cooled.

[0035] In the normal operating state of the storage device 1, frost forms near the cooling mechanism 101 of the cooling unit 100. Frost also easily forms on the back flow path F1 (see FIG. 2) through which the cold air from the cooling mechanism 101 passes, inside the storage room S, and the side flow path F2 (see FIG. 3) through which the air in the storage room S passes when returning to the cooling mechanism.

[0036] The control unit 200 transitions from a normal operation state to an internal defrosting operation state in response to a predetermined operation by an administrator in order to remove frost inside the storage equipment 1. In FIG. 6, it is assumed that a predetermined operation is performed at time T1.

[0037] The internal defrost operating state includes three different operating states: a first operating state, a second operating state, and a third operating state.

[0038] The first operating state is an operating state immediately after the operation state is shifted from the normal operating state to the internal defrosting operating state. As shown in FIG. 6, at the start of the first operating state, the control unit 200 stops the cooling mechanism 101 and the blower fan 108. At the same time, the control unit 200 operates the drain pan heater 105, the fan case heater 109, and the bottom drain heater 110, which were not operating in the normal operating state. As a result, the discharge of cold air through the back flow path F1 (see FIG. 2) and the side flow path F2 (see FIG. 3) is stopped, and the vicinity of the cooling mechanism 101, the vicinity of the drain pan 104, the vicinity of the blower fan 108, and the vicinity of the bottom part inside the housing 11 are heated by each heater. As a result, the frost generated near the cooling mechanism 101 is removed, and the drain water is prevented from freezing in the drain pan 104. In addition, a situation in which the blower fan 108 cannot rotate due to the adhesion of frost to the blower fan 108 is avoided. Furthermore, the bottom drain heater 110 prevents water from accumulating at the bottom of the storage device 1 and freezing.

[0039] It should be noted that the control unit 200 always operates the drain pipe heater 107 for preventing the drain pipe 106, which discharges drain water from the drain pan 104, from freezing, regardless of the operating state.

[0040] When a predetermined first time, for example, 30 minutes, has elapsed since the start of the first operating state, the control unit 200 transitions the storage device 1 to the second operating state. As shown in FIG. 6, at the start of the second operating state, the control unit 200 operates the defrost heater 102 and the blower fan 108. As a result, the warm air heated by the defrost heater 102 passes through the rear flow path F1 (see FIG. 2), each storage chamber S, and the side flow path F2 (see FIG. 3) in order by the blower fan 108. As a result, the inside of the rear flow path F1, the inside of each storage chamber S, and the inside of the side flow path F2 are heated, and the frost that has adhered thereto is removed. The drain water generated by melting the frost that has adhered to the inside of the rear flow path F1, the inside of each storage chamber S, and the inside of the side flow path F2 flows down the storage device 1 according to gravity, and is discharged from an outlet (not shown) provided on the bottom surface of the storage device 1, for example.

[0041] In the second operating state, the cooling mechanism 101 is stopped and the entire inside of the storage device 1 is heated, so there is a low possibility of frost forming on the drain pan 104 and the blower fan 108. Therefore, the control unit 200 stops the operation of the drain pan heater 105 and the fan case heater 109 at the start of the second operating state.

[0042] Furthermore, even when the second operating state starts, the control unit 200 continues to operate the bottom drain heater 110 from the first operating state. The reason is as follows. As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom drain heater 110 is provided on the bottom surface of the inner surface of the housing 11 of the storage device 1, which is the furthest from the outlet 23 from which the warm air is sent out. For this reason, the warm air sent out from the outlet 23 may not reach the vicinity of the bottom surface while still warm. By operating the bottom drain heater 110, even if the warm air sent out from the outlet 23 does not reach the bottom surface while still warm, the frost adhering to the vicinity of the bottom surface can be suitably removed and the drain water can be prevented from freezing.

[0043] When a predetermined second time, for example 30 minutes, has elapsed since the start of the second operating state, the control unit 200 transitions the storage device 1 back to the first operating state. That is, the defrost heater 102 and the blower fan 108 are stopped, and the drain pan heater 105 and the fan case heater 109 are operated.

[0044] In this embodiment, the first and second times have been described as both 30 minutes, but this is merely an example, and the first and second times may be set to different times, for example, the first time being 20 minutes and the second time being 40 minutes.

[0045] Furthermore, while the defrost heater 102 is operating in the second operating state, when the defrost temperature sensor 103 detects that the temperature in the vicinity of the cooling mechanism 101 has reached or exceeded a predetermined first temperature, the control unit 200 stops the operation of the defrost heater 102. This makes it possible to prevent the temperature inside the storage device 1 from rising excessively. The predetermined first temperature is, for example, 15°C.

[0046] The control unit 200 may determine whether or not to operate the defrost heater 102 based on the temperature inside the storage room S when the second operating state starts.

[0047] Specifically, the control unit 200 may acquire the temperature inside the storage room S at the start of the second operating state, and if the temperature is less than the first temperature (e.g., 15°C), operate the defrost heater 102, and if the temperature is equal to or greater than the first temperature, not operate the defrost heater 102.

[0048] Thereafter, even if the temperature inside the storage room S drops below the first temperature during the second operating state, the control unit 200 does not operate the defrost heater 102 until the second operating state ends. Then, when the second operating state and the next first operating state end and the next second operating state starts, the control unit 200 again determines whether the temperature inside the storage room S is below the first temperature. This control makes it possible to prevent the temperature inside the storage device 1 from rising excessively.

[0049] However, in the first and second operating states of the storage device 1, the cooling mechanism 101 is not operating, so the temperature inside the storage device 1 gradually rises. If the temperature inside the storage room S becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined second temperature while the control unit 200 is alternately transitioning the operating state of the storage device 1 between the first and second operating states described above, the control unit 200 immediately transitions the operating state to the third operating state, regardless of the operating state at that time. The control unit 200 detects the temperature inside the storage room S by the storage room temperature sensor 202. The predetermined second temperature is, for example, 35°C.

[0050] The third operating state is an operating state for cooling the elevated temperature inside the storage room S. At the start of the third operating state, the control unit 200 operates the cooling mechanism 101, and operates the blower fan 108 if the blower fan 108 is stopped. At the start of the third operating state, the control unit 200 stops the operation of the defrost heater 102 if the defrost heater 102 is operating, and stops the operation of the drain pan heater 105 and the fan case heater 109 if the drain pan heater 105 and the fan case heater 109 are operating. This causes the temperature inside the storage device 1, and therefore inside the storage room S, to gradually decrease.

[0051] In the third operating state, when the temperature inside the storage room S becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined third temperature that is lower than the predetermined second temperature, the control unit 200 transitions the operating state of the storage device 1 from the third operating state to the first operating state. The predetermined third temperature is, for example, 25°C.

[0052] As described above, the control unit 200 alternately switches the operating state of the storage device 1 between a first operating state for a first predetermined time and a second operating state for a second predetermined time in response to a predetermined operation of the operation input unit 201 by the administrator. In the first operating state, the drain pan heater 105 and the fan case heater 109 operate while the cooling mechanism 101 is stopped, thereby preventing frost from adhering to the drain pan 104 and the blower fan 108 and causing them to freeze. In the second operating state, the defrost heater 102 and the blower fan 108 operate while the cooling mechanism 101 is stopped, thereby enabling defrosting near the cooling mechanism 101 and defrosting the rear flow path F1, each storage chamber S, side flow path F2, etc., inside the housing 11 of the storage device 1 to be suitably performed.

[0053] Moreover, when the temperature inside the storage room S becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined second temperature, the control unit 200 transitions the operating state of the storage device 1 to a third operating state for lowering the temperature inside the storage room S. This makes it possible to prevent the temperature inside the storage room S from rising excessively.

[0054] Then, when the temperature inside the storage room S becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined third temperature in the third operating state, the control unit 200 transitions the operating state of the storage device 1 back to the first operating state. That is, in this embodiment, the trigger for transitioning to the first operating state (the predetermined trigger in this disclosure) is either a predetermined operation by an administrator in the normal operating state of the storage device 1, or a transition of the temperature inside the storage room S to equal to or lower than the third temperature in the third operating state.

[0055] Furthermore, when the following termination conditions are met, for example, the control unit 200 terminates the internal defrosting operation state and transitions to a normal operation state. One example of the termination condition is that the administrator performs a predetermined operation on the operation input unit 201. This predetermined operation may be the same as the operation that transitions the storage device 1 to the internal defrosting operation, or it may be a different operation.

[0056] Another example of the termination condition is that a predetermined third time has elapsed since the start of the internal defrosting operation state. The predetermined third time is preferably significantly longer than the predetermined first and second times, for example, six hours. Still another example of the termination condition is that an abnormality has occurred in each part of the storage device 1. The abnormality in each part is a high temperature abnormality in the condenser of the cooling mechanism 101, an abnormality in the storage room temperature sensor 202, an abnormality in the defrosting temperature sensor 103, etc.

[0057] The above-described transition of the operating state of the storage equipment 1 by the control unit 200 can be summarized as shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a state transition diagram of the storage equipment 1 by the control unit 200.

[0058] In a normal operating state in which the inside of the storage device 1 is cooled by the cooling mechanism 101, the control unit 200 transitions the operating state of the storage device 1 to an internal defrosting operating state in response to a predetermined operation by an administrator on the operation input unit 201.

[0059] In the internal defrosting operation state, the control unit 200 alternately transitions the operation state of the storage device 1 between a first operation state and a second operation state as time passes. Specifically, when a first time (e.g., 30 minutes) has passed since the start of the first operation state, the control unit 200 transitions the operation state of the storage device 1 to the second operation state. Also, when a second time (e.g., 30 minutes) has passed since the start of the second operation state, the control unit 200 transitions the operation state of the storage device 1 to the first operation state. The first operation state is an operation state that mainly prevents the drain pan 104 and the blower fan 108 from freezing, and the second operation state is an operation state that mainly heats the entire inside of the housing 11 of the storage device 1, including the rear flow path F1, the inside of the storage room S, and the side flow path F2.

[0060] When the storage device is in the first or second operating state, if the temperature inside the storage room S becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined second temperature (e.g., 35°C), the control unit 200 transitions the operating state of the storage device 1 to a third operating state. The third operating state is an operating state in which the inside of the housing 11 of the storage device 1 is entirely cooled.

[0061] In the third operating state, when the temperature inside the storage room S becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined third temperature (e.g., 25°C), the control unit 200 transitions the operating state of the storage device 1 to the first operating state. Thereafter, the transition between the first operating state and the second operating state is repeated over time until the temperature inside the storage room S becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined second temperature.

[0062] In the internal defrosting operation states including the first operation state, the second operation state, and the third operation state, when a predetermined termination condition is met, such as six hours having passed since the start of the internal defrosting operation state, the control unit 200 terminates the internal defrosting operation state and transitions the operation state of the storage device 1 to the normal operation state. The internal defrosting operation state is terminated immediately when the termination condition is met, regardless of whether the operation state of the storage device 1 is the first operation state, the second operation state, or the third operation state.

[0063] <Action and effect> The storage device 1 of the present disclosure has been described above. In the storage device 1 of the present disclosure, the following effects are obtained by the control of the control unit 200. That is, in the first operating state of the internal defrosting operation state, the drain pan heater 105 and the fan case heater 109 operate with the cooling mechanism 101 stopped, so that the drain pan 104 and the blower fan 108 are suitably prevented from freezing.

[0064] In the second operating state, the cooling mechanism 101 is stopped while the defrost heater 102 and the blower fan 108 are operating, so that defrosting can be preferably performed near the cooling mechanism 101, and also in the rear flow path F1, each storage chamber S, side flow path F2, etc., inside the housing 11 of the storage device 1.

[0065] In addition, in known cooling devices such as refrigerators and freezers, a defrosting operation is generally performed in which the cooling mechanism is stopped and a defrosting heater is operated. However, in known cooling devices, the defrosting operation is mainly for removing frost near the cooling mechanism (evaporator), and therefore the blower fan (cooling fan) is not operated. In the internal defrosting operation in the storage device 1 of the present disclosure, the blower fan 108 is operated to circulate warm air inside the storage device 1, so that frost adhering not only near the cooling mechanism 101 but also in the ventilation holes of the back flow path F1 and side flow path F2, and inside each storage room S can be suitably removed.

[0066] Moreover, when the temperature inside the storage room S becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined second temperature, the control unit 200 transitions the operating state of the storage device 1 to a third operating state for lowering the temperature inside the storage room S. This makes it possible to prevent the temperature inside the storage room S from rising excessively.

[0067] The internal defrosting operation state continues until a predetermined termination condition is met, so that it is possible to reliably remove frost adhering to each part inside the storage device 1. Furthermore, since the state transitions to a normal operation state when the termination condition is met, for example, after an administrator has transitioned the storage device 1 to the internal defrosting operation by operating the operation input unit 201, the internal defrosting operation state automatically ends without any operation by the administrator. Therefore, it is not necessary for the administrator to perform an operation to terminate the internal defrosting operation state, which is highly convenient.

[0068] <Modification> The above describes an embodiment of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0069] (Variation 1) In the internal defrosting operation state, the temperature inside the storage room S may rise to a relatively high temperature (e.g., 35°C or higher), so it is undesirable for an object to be stored inside the storage room S. For this reason, the control unit 200 may detect the presence or absence of an object to be stored inside each storage room S, and if an object to be stored is stored therein, may not transition to the internal defrosting operation state even if a predetermined operation by the manager is received.

[0070] Examples of methods for detecting the presence or absence of storage objects inside the storage room S include the following.

[0071] As one example, the control unit 200 monitors user operations on the operation input unit 201, and transitions to internal defrosting operation in response to operations by an administrator only when it is confirmed that baggage removal operations and locking of the outer doors 12 have been performed in all storage rooms S.

[0072] As another example, an item sensor is placed on the bottom surface or the like of each storage chamber S, and only when the item sensors in all storage chambers are not detecting any items, the control unit 200 transitions to the internal defrosting operation state in response to an operation by an administrator.

[0073] This operation makes it possible to prevent items that need to be refrigerated or frozen stored inside the storage room S from being damaged due to the temperature rise caused by the internal defrosting operation.

[0074] (Variation 2) In the embodiment described above, the control unit 200 transitions the operation state of the storage device 1 from the normal operation state to the internal defrost operation state in response to the operation of the administrator. However, the control unit 200 may automatically transition from the normal operation state to the internal defrost operation state, for example, at a predetermined time. As another example, the control unit 200 may be connected to a management server (not shown) via a network, and the transition from the normal operation state to the internal defrost operation state may be performed under the control of the management server.

[0075] The management server is communicably connected to the control units 200 of the multiple storage devices 1 via a network, for example, and is configured to be able to control or manage the operations of the multiple storage devices 1. The management server can transition any one or more of the multiple storage devices 1 connected to it to an internal defrosting operation state.

[0076] Furthermore, the management server may divide the storage devices 1 into regions where they are installed, and switch to the internal defrosting operation state at different times for each region. Specifically, the management server switches the storage devices 1 installed in a certain region to the internal defrosting operation state during a certain time period, making them unavailable as storage devices 1, while preventing them from switching to the internal defrosting operation state in other neighboring regions. This type of control makes it possible to avoid a situation where none of the neighboring storage devices 1 can be stored due to the internal defrosting operation.

[0077] Alternatively, if the management server knows in advance that a storage device 1 installed in a certain area will be used (items to be stored) during a certain time period, it may prohibit the storage device 1 from switching to the internal defrosting operation state during that time period in that area.

[0078] Furthermore, the management server may switch some of the storage devices 1 installed in a certain area to the internal defrosting operation state during the same time period, while not switching the remaining storage devices 1 to the internal defrosting operation state. This type of control makes it possible to avoid a situation in which none of the storage devices 1 in a certain area can be stored due to the internal defrosting operation.

[0079] (Variation 3) In the embodiment described above, the control unit 200 starts the internal defrosting operation state from the first operation state. However, the control unit 200 may start the internal defrosting operation state from the second operation state, for example, when the normal operation state is shifted to the internal defrosting operation state. In this case, the control unit 200 stops the operation of the cooling mechanism 101, and operates the blower fan 108, the defrosting heater 102, and the bottom drain heater 110, but does not operate the drain pan heater 105 and the fan case heater 109. [Industrial Applicability]

[0080] The present disclosure can be applied to a storage device that stores items that need to be refrigerated or frozen. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1 Storage device 11. Cabinet 12 Outer door 13 Inner door 14 Machine room 21 Back slit 22 Side slit 23 Outlet 100 Cooling Unit 101 Cooling mechanism 102 Defrost heater 103 Defrost temperature sensor 104 Drain pan 105 Drain pan heater 106 Drain pipe 107 Drain pipe heater 108 Blower Fan 109 Fan case heater 110 Bottom drain heater 200 Control Unit 201 Operation input section 202 Storage room temperature sensor F1 Rear flow passage F2 Side channel S Storage Room

Claims

1. A cooling mechanism for generating cold air to cool the storage chamber; A defrosting heater that generates heat to remove frost; a blower that sends the air cooled by the cooling mechanism or the air heated by the defrosting heater to the storage chamber; a fan case heater provided in the blower to prevent the blower from freezing; a control unit that operates the defrost heater while the generation of the cold air by the cooling mechanism is stopped, and controls the blower to send the warmed air to the storage room; a drain pan heater that prevents frost from being generated in a drain pan that stores drain water generated when the frost is melted by the defrosting heater; Equipped with The control unit stops the generation of the cold air by the cooling mechanism in response to a predetermined trigger, and operates the drain pan heater for a predetermined first time period, and then performs the control, and operates the drain pan heater for the first time period after performing the control for a predetermined second time period. Storage device.

2. A defrosting temperature sensor is further provided to detect a temperature near the cooling mechanism. The control unit stops the defrost heater when the temperature of the cooling mechanism becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined first temperature even if the second time has not elapsed since the start of the control. The storage device according to claim 1 .

3. Further comprising a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature inside the storage chamber, When the temperature inside the storage chamber becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined second temperature while the drain pan heater is operating or while the control is being performed, the control unit terminates the operation of the drain pan heater or terminates the control even if the first time or the second time has not elapsed, and causes the cooling mechanism to generate the cold air and causes the blower to send the cold air to the storage chamber.

3. The storage device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The control unit determines that the predetermined trigger is when the temperature inside the storage chamber becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined third temperature that is lower than the second temperature. The storage device according to claim 3.

5. Further comprising an operation unit for receiving an operation input, The control unit determines that a predetermined operation on the operation unit is the predetermined trigger. A storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. A housing containing the storage chamber; a surface heater provided on an inner surface of the housing that is farthest from the blower; Further equipped with The control unit operates the planar heater in response to the predetermined trigger. A storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The control unit stops the operation of the surface heater when the temperature inside the storage chamber becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined second temperature.

7. The storage device according to claim 6.

8. The control unit does not operate the drain pan heater or does not perform the control when a storage object is stored in the storage chamber. A storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A cooling mechanism for generating cold air to cool the storage chamber; A defrosting heater that generates heat to remove frost; a blower that sends the air cooled by the cooling mechanism or the air heated by the defrosting heater to the storage chamber; a drain pan heater that prevents frost from being generated in a drain pan that stores drain water generated when the frost is melted by the defrosting heater; a control unit that, in response to a predetermined trigger, stops the generation of cold air by the cooling mechanism and operates the drain pan heater for a predetermined first time, and then operates the defrost heater while the generation of cold air by the cooling mechanism is stopped, and controls the blower to send the warmed air to the storage chamber, and after performing this control for a predetermined second time, operates the drain pan heater for the first time; A storage device comprising:

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