Closed refrigerated showcase

Abstract

To solve the problem that since cold air is blown out upward through a blowout port, the cold air sometimes does not directly reach the upper side, and to solve the problem with a four-way glass plate that a heat insulation effect is limited.SOLUTION: Cold air is supplied to an air flow pipe 25 in a display chamber 21 by the driving of a micro blower 15, and the cold air is blown out from a blowout hole with force. The blowout hole is arranged near a top surface part in the display chamber 21 as well. Furthermore, the blowout hole does not face the center, but when attention is focused on one air flow pipe 25, the blowout hole in the blowout hole string faces the direction almost parallel to a plate surface of a glass plate. The blowout hole in the blowout hole string faces the direction almost parallel to the plate surface of the glass plate, and by the two adjacent air flow pipes 25 and 25, cold air is blown out so as to traverse the plate surface of one glass plate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a closed-type refrigerated showcase having a display compartment in which food and other items are cooled and displayed so that they can be seen from the outside. [Background technology]

[0002] In a conventional closed-type refrigerated showcase, a display chamber is provided with a window made of a transparent plate such as glass that allows the contents to be seen from the outside, and a machine chamber and a cooling chamber are provided below the display chamber. The display compartment is cooled using a compression refrigeration cycle to keep the items refrigerated. The compressor, condenser, and expansion valve, which are the components of the compression refrigeration cycle, are housed in the machine compartment, and the cooler (= evaporator) is housed in the cooling compartment. The cool air generated by cooling the air in the cooler is blown into the display compartment through an outlet provided between the display compartment and the cooler, and the air in the display compartment is then returned to the cooling compartment through an intake port. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-124237 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Recently, display rooms have become larger and taller, and some are made of transparent glass on all four sides to maximize visibility. With this type, the cold air is blown upward through the outlet, so there are times when the cold air does not reach the upper part of the display room directly. Also, even if an insulating film is applied to the glass surface, if the four sides are made of glass plates in order to prioritize visibility, there is a limit to the insulating effect. On the other hand, if the force of the cold air is increased so that it reaches the upper part of the display room directly, the lower part will be overcooled because it is a closed type.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its object is to provide a new and useful closed-type refrigerated showcase that can cool the inside of the display compartment evenly and as uniformly as possible without impairing visibility from the outside. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention was made with an eye on the above-mentioned conventional problems, and is a closed-type refrigerated showcase that consists of a cooling unit and a display chamber with a transparent window above it, in which air cooled by the cooling unit is blown into the display chamber, and air heated in the display chamber is returned to the cooling unit and cooled again, thereby circulating between the cooling unit side and the display chamber side while cooling the display chamber, and is characterized in that a plurality of air flow pipes extend along the inner side of the display chamber with at least a portion of them inserted inside the display chamber, and the cooled air is blown into the display chamber from a plurality of air flow holes provided at intervals in the vertical direction on the side of each air flow pipe that is exposed inside the display chamber.

[0007] Preferably, the display room has side sections mainly made of transparent plates that close the support pillars at the corners and the spaces between the support pillars so that the refrigerated state can be maintained, and air flow pipes are attached to each of the support pillars at the corners of the display room. Preferably, the display room has side sections mainly made up of support pillars at the corners and transparent plates that close the spaces between the support pillars so that the refrigerated state can be maintained, and the support pillars at the corners of the display room also serve as air flow pipes.

[0008] Preferably, the air flow tube has two rows of blowing holes arranged at different positions in the circumferential direction, and air is blown out in two directions from the blowing holes in each row along both inner side surfaces sandwiching the air flow tube. Preferably, the positions of the groups of blowing holes in the two rows are staggered in the vertical direction. Preferably, the air outlet holes are configured to be usable also as holes for installing a wire shelf.

[0009] Preferably, the display room has side sections mainly made up of support pillars at the corners and transparent plates that close the spaces between the support pillars so that the refrigerated state can be maintained, and when the support pillars at the corners of the display room also serve as air flow pipes, the support pillars are divided vertically into a side facing into the display room and a side facing outside the display room, and cooled air is blown into the display room from an outlet hole formed in the part that extends into the interior of the display room on the side facing inside the display room, while air is also blown out from multiple outlet holes spaced apart in the vertical direction on the side facing outside the display room, thereby also realizing the anti-fogging function of the transparent plate. Preferably, a guide tube for generating a directional air current is protruded from the edge of the blow-out hole on the side facing the inside of the display room, and the air blown out from the guide tube is guided in a swirling direction.

[0010] Preferably, the cooling unit is divided into a cooling chamber and a machine chamber above and below, a cooler constituting a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is housed in the cooling chamber, and air cooled in the cooling chamber is passed through a micro-blower and pressure-fed to each of the plurality of air flow pipes via branch pipes. Preferably, a condenser constituting a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is housed in the machine room, and air heated by the condenser is passed through a micro-blower and pressure-fed to each of a plurality of air flow pipes via branch pipes. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The closed-type refrigerated showcase of the present invention can cool the tall display compartment as evenly as possible without impairing visibility from the outside. It can also be equipped with an anti-fogging mechanism. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1]1 is a perspective view of a closed-type refrigerated showcase according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the closed-type refrigerated showcase of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of the closed-type refrigerated showcase of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an extracted view of the cooling mechanism of the closed-type refrigerated showcase of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the airflow tube of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the airflow tube of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the closed-type refrigerated showcase of FIG. 1. [Figure 8] 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating how to attach a wire rack when the air outlet holes of the air flow pipe in FIG. 5 are used as wire receiving holes. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an extracted view of a cooling mechanism and an anti-fogging mechanism of a closed-type refrigerated showcase according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the closed-type refrigerated showcase of FIG. 9. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a closed-type refrigerated showcase according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an extract view of the cooling mechanism and the anti-fogging mechanism of the closed-type refrigerated showcase of FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the closed-type refrigerated showcase of FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the support column of the closed-type refrigerated showcase of FIG. [Figure 16] 16 is a cross-sectional view of the support column of FIG. 15 along the line AA. [Figure 17] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of another example of the glass door of the closed-type refrigerated showcase of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A closed-type refrigerated showcase 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, this closed-type refrigerated showcase 1 has a housing 3. This housing 3 has the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped box that is long in the vertical direction as a whole. Casters 3a are attached to each of the four corners of the bottom surface, making it movable. In the following description, the up, down, front, back, left and right directions of the closed-type refrigerated showcase 1 are based on FIG.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, a chamber for accommodating the cooling unit is disposed in the lower part 5 of the housing 3. The lower part is a machine chamber 7 and the upper part is a cooling chamber 9, which are separated by a thermal insulation barrier. In the cooling unit, a refrigerant circuit is formed by connecting each element to a closed-loop refrigerant pipe in this order: a compressor, a condenser 11, an expansion valve, and an evaporator 13. The refrigerant pipe is filled with refrigerant. The compressor, condenser 11, and expansion valve are housed in the machine room 7, the evaporator 13 is housed in the cooling room 9, and a refrigerant pipe passes through the partition between the machine room 7 and the cooling room 9.

[0015] The refrigerant circulates through the refrigerant circuit configured as above in the order of compressor → condenser 11 → expansion valve → evaporator 13 → compressor, thereby realizing a vapor compression refrigeration cycle. The evaporator 13 exchanges heat between the refrigerant decompressed by the expansion valve and the surrounding air, causing the refrigerant to absorb heat and evaporate. During this process, the air that has exchanged heat with the refrigerant is cooled. In this embodiment, the evaporator 13 functions as a cooler, and will be referred to as the "evaporator (=cooler) 13" hereinafter. There are various types of evaporators (=coolers) 13, but a plate type that is compact and easy to maintain is recommended. The same applies to the condenser 11.

[0016] In normal use, the evaporator fan blows out the surrounding air cooled by the evaporator (=cooler) 13 and also blows in new air around the evaporator (=cooler) 13, thereby promoting heat exchange in the evaporator (=cooler) 13. However, this embodiment is characterized in that a micro-blower 15 is used instead of the evaporator fan.

[0017] Microblower 15 is a piezoelectric type that discharges air by driving a piezoelectric element to cause a diaphragm to flex and vibrate. Because the driver is formed by attaching a piezoelectric element to the diaphragm, it can be constructed thinly and achieves a large flow rate with low power consumption. This microblower 15 is fixed as if suspended from the ceiling surface of cooling chamber 9, and is adjusted so that the suction port 15a is located downward and the discharge port 15b is located to the side. The lower end opening of the intake port 15a is open, so that air inside the cooling chamber 9 can be taken in.

[0018] Discharge port 15b is connected to four-way branch duct 19 via joint 17. Four-way branch duct 19 is made up of a combination of cylindrical ducts, with one end of branch ducts 19b, 19b, 19b, and 19b connected to the bottom of central duct 19a, whose axis faces up and down, to form an integrated unit. Because joint 17 is curved, four-way branch duct 19 can be installed in the above-mentioned position.

[0019] The branch ducts 19b, 19b, 19b, 19b extend radially on a substantially horizontal plane, and joints 17 are connected to the openings on the other ends of the respective branch ducts. Within the cooling chamber 9, the microblower 15 is fixed at a position slightly offset from the center, so that the central duct 19a of the four-way branch duct 19 is located at the center, and the branch ducts 19b, 19b, 19b, 19b extend radially along diagonal lines toward the four corners of the inner surface of the cooling chamber 9.

[0020] The cooling chamber 9 accommodates a plate-type evaporator (=cooler) 13 placed on the floor, and there is space above it. The four-way branch duct 19 is housed in the free space above this and is not in direct contact with the evaporator (=cooler) 13.

[0021] The upper part of the housing 3 is a display room 21. The display room 21 is approximately three times the size of the lower part 5, and the height of the housing 3 is accordingly increased. The display room 21 is a room installed in a supermarket, convenience store, etc., for displaying refrigerated beverages, food, and other items, and is a closed type with a door that can be opened and closed.

[0022] In the display room 21, the top surface of the lower part 5 is the bottom surface 21a, and support columns 21b, 21b, 21b, 21b rise from the four corners of the bottom surface 21a. The top surface 21c is supported and elevated by the upper ends of these columns. These are joined together to form a single unit, and a rectangular frame consisting of the bottom surface 21a, the top surface 21c, and a pair of laterally adjacent support columns 21b, 21b is formed on the front, back, left, and right sides, and transparent glass plates 21d are fitted into each of the left and right rear frame parts as windows.

[0023] The front side is an opening through which items can be taken out or placed for display. The front side is closed by a glass door 21e, which has a glass plate 21d fitted into a frame. This glass door 21e opens and closes by rotating around a rotation axis provided on one side of the support pillar 21b. Note that the glass plate 21d fitted into the frame of the glass door 21e is slightly smaller than the glass plate 21d fitted directly into the support pillars 21b, 21b, but since they are made of the same material, they are given the same reference numeral. The support pillars 21b, 21b on the front side are set back by the thickness of the glass door 21e, and when the glass door 21e is closed, the glass door 21e fits into the gap between the bottom surface 21a and the top surface 21c. Therefore, when the display compartment 21 is closed with the glass door 21e, the interior of the display compartment 21 is sealed off so that the refrigerated state can be maintained. The display compartment 21, including the bottom surface 21a, has a heat-insulating structure. The display room 21 is constructed as described above and is a refrigerated type with four glass windows that allow the inside to be seen from the outside in any direction.

[0024] The bottom surface portion 21a is provided with ventilation openings 23, 23, 23, 23 that communicate between the cooling chamber 9 and the display chamber 21. The ventilation openings 23, 23, 23, 23 are located midway along each of the four side edges of the bottom surface portion 21a. Additionally, air flow pipes 25, 25, 25, 25 are attached to support columns 21b, 21b, 21b, 21b that rise from the four corners of bottom surface 21a along the inner side of display chamber 21. Air flow pipe 25 is a long, thin cylinder, and rises along support column 21b with its axial direction in the vertical direction, i.e., parallel to the inner side of display chamber 21. The upper end of air flow pipe 25 is closed. Additionally, a plurality of circular blow-out holes 27 are provided on the circumferential surface, i.e., the side surface.

[0025] 5 and 6, the blowout holes 27, 27, ... are spaced at regular intervals in the axial direction, i.e., in the vertical direction, to form blowout hole row 29X. Furthermore, the blowout holes 27, 27, ... are spaced at regular intervals in the axial direction to form another blowout hole row 29Y. The intervals between adjacent blowout holes 27, 27 in the vertical direction of blowout hole row 29X and blowout hole row 29Y are the same, but are staggered in the circumferential direction, with the blowout holes 27 in blowout hole row 29Y being located approximately midway between adjacent blowout holes 27, 27 in the vertical direction of blowout hole row 29X. As shown in FIG. 7, the row of outlet holes 29X and the row of outlet holes 29Y are spaced apart in the circumferential direction by α (angle between rows) of 70 to 90 degrees.

[0026] Reference numeral 31 denotes a bracket, which is made of a long, thin angle bar with an L-shaped cross section. One side 31a of the bracket 31 is welded to the outer periphery of the air flow pipe 25 to form an integrated unit, and the other side 31b is also fixed to the support column 21b to form an integrated unit. Therefore, via the bracket 31, the air flow pipe 25 stands parallel to the support column 21b and occupies the four corners of the display chamber 21. The upper end of the air flow pipe 25 reaches near the inner surface of the top surface 21c of the display chamber 21. One surface 31a of the bracket 31 is fixed at a position on the air flow pipe 25 opposite to the rows of outlet holes 29X and 29Y.

[0027] Bracket 31 is fixed to support column 21b, and air flow tubes 25 are located at the corners of two orthogonal glass plates 21d, 21d. Hole row 29X and hole row 29Y are spaced apart by an angle α, and are located near the inner surfaces of glass plates 21d, 21d. The four air flow tubes 25 are positioned as described above.

[0028] Circular through-holes are formed in the four corners of the bottom surface 21a, and joints 17, 17, 17, 17 connected to branch ducts 19b, 19b, 19b, 19b respectively are inserted into these holes, with the other ends protruding into the display room 21. The joints 17 are curved, with the other ends facing upward. The lower end openings of air flow pipes 25, 25, 25, 25 are connected to the other protruding ends, forming cool air supply paths.

[0029] A mesh shelf 33 is installed in the display room 21 for placing and displaying items. As shown in Figure 8, this mesh shelf 33 has a mesh plate 33a, which serves as the placement surface, with a rod-shaped insertion piece 33b provided near a corner of one edge, and a hook piece 33c provided at the edge opposite the insertion piece 33b with the mesh plate 33a in between. Two pairs of insertion piece 33b and hook piece 33c are provided near both corners of the opposing edges.

[0030] The size of the blow-out hole 27 is set so that the insertion piece 33b can be inserted and can also be rotated up and down while inserted. Additionally, reference numeral 35 denotes a bracket. This bracket 35 has locking claws 35a, 35a with an inverted L-shaped cross section that are aligned with the vertically aligned blowout holes 27, 27, and can be locked by inserting the locking claws 35a, 35a into the blowout holes 27, 27. The bracket 35 has a U-shaped locking recess 35b that protrudes inward.

[0031] The insertion pieces 33b, 33b are inserted into the air outlet holes 27, 27 of the two air flow pipes 25, 25, and the mesh plate 33a is rotated to lift it up, and then the hooking pieces 33c, 33c are lowered and hooked from above into the hooking recesses 35b, 35b, thereby installing the mesh shelf 33. The mesh plate 33a of this mesh shelf 33 separates the display room 21 into upper and lower sections, but the mesh allows for sufficient ventilation. A plurality of wire shelves 33 can be installed. In this way, the air outlet holes 27 can also be used as insertion holes for installing the wire shelves 33, and the size of the air outlet holes 27 and the spacing between the holes are optimally designed taking into consideration the relationship with the wire shelves 33.

[0032] Closed-type refrigerated showcase 1 is configured as described above, and when display compartment 21 is closed and the start switch for operating closed-type refrigerated showcase 1 is turned on to carry out the vapor compression refrigeration cycle and drive micro-blower 15, cold air generated in cooling compartment 9 is sucked in through inlet 15a of micro-blower 15, and is pumped from outlet 15b to four-way branch duct 19, from which branch ducts 19b are supplied to air flow pipes 25, 25, 25, 25 inside display compartment 21. The cold air is then forcefully blown out from outlet holes 27, 27, ... as shown by the arrows in Figures 4 and 7. In addition, the warmed air in the display chamber 21 is returned to the cooling chamber 9 through the ventilation openings 23, 23, 23, 23 as shown by the arrows in Figures 4 and 7, where it becomes cool air and is blown out again into the display chamber 21 as described above. In this way, an air circulation path is formed.

[0033] The air outlets 27, 27, . . . are also arranged near the top surface 21c inside the display room 21. Moreover, the air outlets 27 do not face towards the centre of the display room 21, but when one air flow tube 25 is looked at, the air outlets 27 in the air outlet row 29X face in a direction nearly parallel to the surface of one of the glass plates 21d, and the air outlets 27 in the air outlet row 29Y face in a direction nearly parallel to the surface of the other of the glass plates 21d. As a result, the two adjacent air flow tubes 25, 25 blow cold air across the surface of one of the glass plates 21d, and then natural convection causes the air to flow towards the centre of the display room 21, so that the strong cold air is not blown directly onto the displayed items. By the cooling mechanism having the above-mentioned configuration, the area in the display room 21 where the items are displayed, whether it is the lower or upper level, is cooled evenly and as uniformly as possible. Furthermore, since the air flow tubes 25 are located at the four corners, the installation of the air flow tubes 25 does not impair visibility.

[0034] In the machine room 7, the condenser fan 12 blows out the surrounding air that has been heated by the condenser 11, and also blows new air around the condenser 11, thereby promoting heat exchange in the condenser 11. This warm air flow is used to prevent the glass plate 21d of the display room 21 from fogging up. Ventilation holes 37 are provided on the side of the machine compartment 7, and the warm air heated in the machine compartment 7 escapes upward through these ventilation holes 37. This escaped warm air flows upward along the glass plate 21d, warming the outer surface of the glass plate 21d and preventing condensation. Inside the display compartment 21, cool air is blown out from the air flow pipe 25 in a manner that creeps along the inner surface of the glass plate 21d, so the inside of the glass plate 21d is more likely to be cooled than the item storage space of the display compartment 21, but because the outer surface of the glass plate 21d is efficiently heated as described above, an anti-fogging effect is obtained.

[0035] Next, a closed-type refrigerated showcase 39 according to a second embodiment will be shown. As shown in Fig. 9, in place of the condenser fan 12, a microblower 15 and a four-way branch duct 19 are installed in the machine room 7 via joints 17 in the same manner as in the cooling room 9. In addition, circular through-holes are formed in the four corners of the machine room 7, and the other ends of joints 17, 17, 17, 17 connected to branch ducts 19b, 19b, 19b, 19b pass through the through-holes and extend to the outside. Air flow pipes 25 are also installed via brackets 41 at each of the outer corners of display room 21, and these air flow pipes 25 stand up parallel to the air flow pipes 25 inside display room 21. Bracket 41 is Y-shaped, with opposing surfaces 41a, 41a overlapping and fixed to support column 21b, and air flow pipe 25 being fixed to the remaining protruding surface 41b. The joint 17 connected to the branch duct 19b is curved, with the other end facing upward. The lower end openings of the air flow pipes 25, 25, 25, 25 are connected to the other protruding ends.

[0036] For the sake of distinction, the air flow pipe 25 inside the display chamber 21 is referred to as air flow pipe 25A, and the air flow pipe 25 on the outside is referred to as air flow pipe 25B. Like air flow pipe 25A, air flow pipe 25B also has each of the air outlet holes 27 of air outlet hole rows 29X and 29Y oriented in a direction nearly parallel to the surface of glass plate 21d, allowing the entire outer surface of glass plate 21d to be efficiently heated. Therefore, as shown by the arrows in Figure 10, warm air is blown along the surface of glass plate 21d onto the outer surface and cool air is blown along the inner surface, achieving uniform cooling throughout the display chamber 21 in an anti-fogging state. Furthermore, since the air flow tubes 25B are located at the four corners, the installation of the air flow tubes 25B does not impair visibility. This anti-fogging mechanism provides a better anti-fogging effect than the closed-type refrigerated showcase 1 according to the first embodiment, which allows warm air to escape through the vent holes 37.

[0037] The operation of the micro-blower 15 in the machine room 7 can be stopped from the outside of the closed-type refrigerated showcase 39 using an operating unit (not shown), and the micro-blower 15 can be stopped when defogging is not required. The machine room 7 has an appropriate gap on the bottom side, which allows natural ventilation, preventing the inside of the machine room 7 from overheating more than necessary. In addition, the volume of both cold and warm air can be adjusted, so that the required cooling and anti-fogging effects can be obtained according to the conditions in the display room 21 and the external environment around the closed-type refrigerated showcase 39.

[0038] Next, a closed-type refrigerated showcase 51 according to a third embodiment will be described. As shown in Figures 11 and 12, like the closed-type refrigerated showcase 39 according to the second embodiment, it is provided with both a cooling mechanism and an anti-fogging mechanism. However, the support pillars 53 of the display chamber 21 serve as both the air flow pipes for cold air and the air flow pipes for hot air. The support pillars 53 extend not only into the display chamber 21 but also below it, and serve as support pillars for the four corners of the housing 3. In the second embodiment, the entire air flow pipe 25A is inserted into the display chamber 21, but a portion of the support column 53 that also serves as the air flow pipe is inserted into the display chamber 21. Note that the same components as those in the closed-type refrigerated showcases 1 and 39 according to the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0039] 13 to 16, the support column 53 is cylindrical, and its cross section in the direction perpendicular to its length is made up of a curved surface portion 53a that is approximately a quarter arc and two flat surfaces 53b, 53c, and is vertically divided by a partition plate 53d into two compartments 55, 57. The partition plate 53d makes the two compartments 55, 57 approximately equal, but compartment 55 is larger because it includes the corner between the two flat surfaces 53b, 53c. On the left and right rear sides, glass plates 21d are fitted between the flat surface 53b of one of the adjacent support pillars 53 and the flat surface 53c of the other support pillar 53. The front side is closed by a glass door 21e into which the glass plate 21d is fitted.

[0040] The width of the flat surfaces 53b and 53c of the support column 53 is slightly larger than the thickness of the glass plate 21d and the glass door 21e, and thus protrudes outward on both sides in the thickness direction of the glass plate 21d and the glass door 21e by that amount. Therefore, part of the support column 53 extends into the display room 21. The glass door 21e is rotatably supported by support members 54 attached to the upper and lower ends of the support column 53. The corners of compartment 55 extend into display chamber 21. A plurality of blow-out holes 59, 59, ... are provided at the corners at intervals in the vertical direction, so that compartment 55 faces the interior of the display chamber. Blow-out holes 59 are formed in the same way as blow-out holes 27.

[0041] A short guide tube 61 stands up from the edge of the blow-out hole 59 and communicates with the compartment 55. The axis of this guide tube 61 is inclined toward the side of the display chamber 21. Therefore, when the air that has been pressurized into each of the four corner compartments 55, 55, 55, 55 is blown out from each guide tube 61, it forms a spiral air current. The edges, which are more likely to heat up depending on the external environment, are cooled evenly with priority, and as a result, the displayed items are cooled as evenly as possible. Depending on the type and size of the items to be displayed and the way they are displayed, it may be better to blow air in a spiral shape like this rather than toward the center of the display room 21, and the air blowing angle can be freely adjusted by adjusting the installation angle of the guide tube 61. In the case where the air flow pipe 25 is separate from the display room 21, as in the first embodiment, this can be addressed by adjusting the circumferential position of the blow-out hole 27, but in this embodiment, since the locations where the blow-out hole 59 can be formed are limited, a guide tube 61 is also used.

[0042] On the compartment 57 side, blow-out holes 63, 63, ... are formed at intervals in the vertical direction in the part of the flat surface 53c that protrudes outside the display chamber 21. These blow-out holes 63 are formed in the same way as the blow-out holes 27. A guide tube 61 is also attached. The flat surface 53c is perpendicular to the outer surfaces of the glass plate 21d and the glass door 21e. The axial direction of the guide tube 61 is parallel to the glass plate 21d. Therefore, when the air pressurized and sent to the four corner compartments 57 is blown out from the respective blowing holes 63, it becomes an air current that flows parallel to the outer surface.

[0043] As in the second embodiment, compartment chamber 55 is connected to micro-blower 15 in cooling chamber 9, and compartment chamber 57 is connected to micro-blower 15 in machine chamber 7, and cold air and hot air are supplied to them, respectively. Between adjacent support columns 53, hot air is blown out from outlet holes 63, 63, ... on flat surface 53c of one support column 53, but because the air volume can be adjusted by using micro-blower 15, it is possible for the air to reach the other support column 53. As with the second embodiment, it has the effect of both cooling the interior of the display room 21 and preventing the transparent plate from fogging up, but since the support pillars 53 also serve as air flow tubes, it has a neater appearance.

[0044] There is a type of glass door 21e that is curved so that the center bulges out toward the front as shown in Figure 17. In this case, instead of support pillar 53, support pillar 65 supports the front and rear corners on the left side of the display room 21. The support pillar 65 is positioned opposite to the support pillar 53 when the compartment chambers 55 and 57 are aligned in the left-right direction. The outer surface of the glass door 21e is curved, but by using the support pillars 65 in this way, warm air blows out from both the left and right sides of the outer surface of the glass door 21e of the display room 21, so that the warm air flows over the entire outer surface of the glass door 21e. Since warm air does not flow into the outer surface of the rear glass plate 21d, the anti-fogging effect cannot be obtained, but this does not cause any problems if the glass plate is installed close to the wall.

[0045] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the invention also includes design changes within the scope of the present invention without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the display compartment of a closed-type refrigerated showcase may be a three-sided glass type excluding the back side. Also, the display compartment may be triangular or pentagonal instead of rectangular. Furthermore, the shape, size, material, and even structure of each component part are within the scope of the present invention, even if they are combined with dedicated products, commercially available products, or products to be devised in the future, as long as they can achieve the functions envisioned by the present invention. Alternatively, an air flow pipe may be fitted inside the support column to form a double-cylinder configuration, and the hole that passes through the air flow pipe and the support column may be used as the blow-out hole. Furthermore, the guide tube may not be provided if the generation of airflow in the desired direction can be ensured at the position of the blow-out hole. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1...Closed refrigerated showcase (first embodiment) 3...Case 3a...Caster 5…Lower 7…Machine room 9...Cooling chamber 11...Condenser 12...Condenser fan 13...Evaporator (=cooler) 15...Micro blower 15a...Intake port 15b...Discharge port 17...Joint 19...4-way branch duct 19a...Central duct 19b...Branch duct 21...Display room 21a...Bottom part 21b...Support column 21c...Top surface 21d...Glass plate 21e...Glass door 23...Ventilation hole 25...Air flow pipe 27...Blowout hole 29X, 29Y...Blow-out hole row 31...Bracket 31a, 31b... one side 33... mesh shelf 33a... Mesh plate 33b... Insert piece 33c...Latch piece 35...Bracket 35a...Latching claw 35b...Latching recess 37...Ventilation hole 39... Closed-type refrigerated showcase (second embodiment) 41...Bracket 41a...One side 41b…projection 51...Closed refrigerated showcase (third embodiment) 53...Support column 53a...Curved surface part 53b, 53c...flat portion 53d...partition plate 54...Support member 55, 57...Compartment 59...Blowout hole 61...Guide tube 63...Blowout hole 65...Support column α…Angle between rows

Claims

1. A closed-type refrigerated showcase is comprised of a chamber for accommodating a cooling unit and a display chamber having a transparent window portion above it, wherein air cooled in a cooling chamber in which an evaporator is accommodated in the chamber for accommodating the cooling unit is blown into the display chamber, and air heated in the display chamber is returned to the cooling chamber through a ventilation hole provided in the bottom of the display chamber for connecting the display chamber and the cooling chamber, and is cooled again, thereby circulating air between the cooling chamber side and the display chamber side while cooling the inside of the display chamber, The display room is divided into upper and lower sections by mesh plates of shelves for displaying items, allowing ventilation. The display room is composed of a plurality of support columns provided at each of a plurality of corners and a side portion mainly made of a transparent plate as a window portion that closes the space between the support columns so that the refrigerated state can be maintained, and an air flow tube is attached to each of the plurality of support columns in an upright state, or the support columns are configured to also function as an air flow tube, and at least a portion of each air flow tube is inserted inside the display room and the side surface is exposed inside the display room, A row of blow-out holes is formed by a plurality of blow-out holes provided at intervals in the vertical direction on a side surface of each air flow pipe exposed inside the display room, the plurality of blow-out holes in the blow-out hole row of one air flow tube across one side surface are oriented in a direction nearly parallel to the plate surface of the inner surface of the one side surface, and the plurality of blow-out holes in the blow-out hole row of the other air flow tube are oriented in a direction nearly parallel to the plate surface of the inner surface of another side surface on the opposite side across the one side surface and the other air flow tube; The closed type refrigerated showcase is characterized in that cooled air is blown out into the display room with force only from the blow-out holes, and the blown-out air moves toward the center of the display room by subsequent natural convection.

2. In the closed-type refrigerated showcase according to claim 1, The closed-type refrigerated showcase is characterized in that two rows of blow-out holes are provided in one air flow pipe at different positions in the circumferential direction, the blow-out holes of one row of blow-out holes facing a direction nearly parallel to the plate surface of one of the inner surfaces across the air flow pipe, and the blow-out holes of the other row of blow-out holes facing a direction nearly parallel to the plate surface of the other inner surface across the air flow pipe.

3. In the closed-type refrigerated showcase according to claim 2, This closed type refrigerated showcase is characterized in that the positions of the blow-out holes in one row of two rows of blow-out holes and the positions of the blow-out holes in the other row of blow-out holes are staggered in the vertical direction.

4. In the closed-type refrigerated showcase according to claim 2 or 3, This closed-type refrigerated showcase is characterized in that the air outlet holes are configured so as to be usable also as holes for installing wire shelves.

5. In the closed-type refrigerated showcase according to claim 1, The cooling unit is divided into a cooling chamber and a machine chamber above and below, a cooler that constitutes a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is housed in the cooling chamber, and the air cooled in the cooling chamber is passed through a micro-blower and pressure-fed to each of a plurality of air flow pipes via branch pipes.

6. In the closed-type refrigerated showcase according to claim 1, The air flow pipe, which also serves as a support pillar, is divided vertically into a side facing the inside of the display room and a side facing the outside of the display room, and cooled air is blown into the display room from a blowing hole formed in the part of the side facing the inside of the display room, This closed-type refrigerated showcase is characterized in that air is blown out from a plurality of blow-out holes provided at intervals in the vertical direction on the side facing the outside of the display room, thereby realizing an anti-fogging function for the transparent plate.

7. In the closed-type refrigerated showcase according to claim 6, This closed-type refrigerated showcase is characterized in that a guide tube for generating a directional air current is protruded from the hole edge of the blow-out hole on the side facing the inside of the display room, and the air blown out from the guide tube is guided in a swirling direction.

8. In the closed-type refrigerated showcase according to claim 6 or 7, A closed-type refrigerated showcase characterized in that the cooling unit is divided into a cooling chamber and a machine chamber above and below, a cooler constituting a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is housed in the cooling chamber, air cooled in the cooling chamber is passed through a micro-blower and pressure-fed separately to a plurality of air flow pipes via branch pipes, a condenser constituting the vapor compression refrigeration cycle is housed in the machine chamber, and air heated by the condenser is passed through a micro-blower and pressure-fed separately to a plurality of air flow pipes via branch pipes.

Images