Showcase controller and control method

Abstract

To allow a carrier frequency in a refrigerator to be controlled more appropriately than before.SOLUTION: A showcase controller comprises: a state information acquisition unit 1081 for acquiring information indicating the state of a device provided in a showcase 1, and whose state is switched depending on a time zone; a state determination unit 1082 for determining the state of the device on the basis of the information acquired by the state information acquisition unit 1081; and a carrier frequency control unit 1083 for switching a carrier frequency in a refrigerator 2 connected to the showcase 1 on the basis of a determination result from the state determination unit 1082.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a showcase controller and a control method for controlling a carrier frequency in a refrigerator. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a showcase equipped with a refrigerator is known. The operation of this refrigerator is controlled by controlling the carrier frequency. However, in such a refrigerator, there is a demand for reducing noise caused by the carrier frequency.

[0003] It is possible to reduce the noise by increasing the carrier frequency of the refrigerator, but this increases the switching loss of the inverter installed in the refrigerator, reducing the operating efficiency of the refrigerator. It is also possible to reduce the noise by adding soundproofing material to the refrigerator, for example, but in this case, the soundproofing material must be prepared separately, which increases costs.

[0004] On the other hand, with regard to reducing noise caused by carrier sounds resulting from carrier frequencies, for example, a technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the carrier frequency is controlled in accordance with the rotation speed of the motor. More specifically, this technology detects the rotation speed of a motor and determines whether the rotation speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined rotation speed. This technology applies variable carrier frequency control to lower the carrier frequency when the motor's rotation speed is high, i.e., equal to or greater than the predetermined rotation speed, and applies fixed carrier frequency control when the motor's rotation speed is low, i.e., less than the predetermined rotation speed. This technology thus lowers the carrier frequency only when the motor is rotating at high speed, thereby reducing switching loss and preventing unnoticeable noise caused by lowering the carrier frequency compared to when the carrier frequency is constant throughout the entire control cycle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-23350 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, even if the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 is applied to a refrigerator, the timing at which noise from the refrigerator becomes a problem does not necessarily coincide with the timing at which the rotation speed of the motor in the refrigerator decreases, and therefore, it cannot be said to be appropriate control.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a showcase controller that can control the carrier frequency of a refrigerator more appropriately than conventional ones. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The showcase controller according to the present disclosure includes a status information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a status of a device that is provided in a showcase and whose status changes depending on a time period, and a status determination unit that determines a status of the device based on the information acquired by the status information acquisition unit; a numerical information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the operation rate of cash registers installed in the facility where the showcase is installed; and a threshold determination unit that determines whether the operation rate of the cash registers is equal to or greater than a threshold based on the information acquired by the numerical information acquisition unit; Judgment result by the status judgment unit and the judgment result by the threshold judgment unit a carrier frequency control unit that switches the carrier frequency in the refrigerator connected to the showcase based on the and the carrier frequency control unit switches the carrier frequency of the freezer by setting the carrier frequency of the freezer to a state lower than a reference value when the state determination unit determines that the state of the equipment is a state corresponding to outside business hours of the facility in which the showcase is installed, or when the threshold determination unit determines that the operation rate of the cash register is equal to or higher than a threshold, and sets the carrier frequency of the freezer to a state higher than the reference value when the state determination unit determines that the state of the equipment is a state corresponding to within business hours of the facility in which the showcase is installed and when the threshold determination unit determines that the operation rate of the cash register is less than a threshold. The present invention is characterized by the fact that it is a [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, the above-described configuration makes it possible to control the carrier frequency in the refrigerator more appropriately than in the past. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a showcase according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a showcase controller according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] 5 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the showcase controller according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a showcase controller according to a second embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the showcase controller according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a showcase controller according to a third embodiment. [Figure 7] 11 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the showcase controller according to the third embodiment. [Figure 8] 8A and 8B are diagrams illustrating examples of the hardware configuration of the showcase controller according to the first to third embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a showcase 1 according to the first embodiment. The showcase 1 is a facility for refrigerating or freezing displayed products. In Fig. 1, an open-type showcase is shown as the showcase 1. The open-type showcase is a showcase that forms an air curtain to isolate the display shelves 101 on which products are displayed from the outside air.

[0012] The showcase 1 is not limited to an open-type showcase as shown in Fig. 1, but may be any other showcase. For example, the showcase 1 may be a closed-type showcase having a door.

[0013] The showcase 1 shown in Fig. 1 has ventilation passages 102 formed along the bottom, back, and top surfaces. An air outlet 103 is formed at one end of the ventilation passage 102, and an air inlet 104 is formed at the other end of the ventilation passage 102. In the showcase 1 shown in Fig. 1, an air curtain is formed by flowing cool air between the air outlet 103 and the air inlet 104.

[0014] 1, a refrigerator 2 is connected to a cooler 105 (described later) via a refrigerant. Although FIG. 1 shows a case where the showcase 1 and the refrigerator 2 are configured separately, a showcase 1 with a built-in refrigerator 2 may also be used.

[0015] The showcase 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a cooler 105, an air circulation fan 106, an interior light 107, and a showcase controller 108.

[0016] The cooler 105 is provided in the ventilation path 102 and cools the air in the ventilation path 102. The cooler 105 has an evaporator (not shown) and absorbs heat by vaporizing the refrigerant from the refrigerator 2 using the evaporator.

[0017] The air circulation fan 106 is provided in the ventilation passage 102 and blows air so as to circulate the air cooled by the cooler 105 .

[0018] The interior light 107 illuminates the interior of the showcase 1. In FIG. 1, the interior light 107 is provided near the air outlet 103. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the interior light 107 may be provided in any location that can illuminate the interior of the showcase 1.

[0019] The showcase controller 108 controls the refrigerator 2 to perform cooling control on the showcase 1. Of the functions of the showcase controller 108, only the function relating to control of the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2 will be described below. The showcase controller 108 will be described in detail later.

[0020] The refrigerator 2 circulates the refrigerant between itself and the cooler 105 . As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 2 includes a compressor 201, a fan 202, a compressor inverter 203, and a fan inverter 204.

[0021] The compressor 201 compresses the refrigerant vaporized by the cooler 105 . The fan 202 blows air against the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 201 . The refrigerant is then liquefied by dissipating heat in a condenser (not shown), and is then decompressed by an expansion valve (not shown) before being sent to the cooler 105.

[0022] The compressor inverter 203 controls the output of the compressor 201. The compressor inverter 203 controls the output of the compressor 201 based on the control of the carrier frequency by the showcase controller . The fan inverter 204 controls the output of the fan 202. The fan inverter 204 controls the output of the fan 202 based on the control of the carrier frequency by the showcase controller .

[0023] In the above description, the operation of both the compressor 201 and the fan 202 provided in the refrigerator 2 is controlled by controlling the carrier frequency. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any configuration may be used as long as the operation of at least one of the compressor 201 and the fan 202 provided in the refrigerator 2 is controlled by controlling the carrier frequency.

[0024] Next, a configuration example of the showcase controller 108 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The showcase controller 108 according to the first embodiment includes a state information acquisition unit 1081, a state determination unit 1082, and a carrier frequency control unit 1083, as shown in FIG.

[0025] The status information acquisition unit 1081 acquires information indicating the status of the device. The device is installed in the showcase 1, and the status changes depending on the time of day. The device is assumed to be a device that is generally installed in the showcase 1. An example of the device is the interior light 107. The interior light 107 is assumed to be turned off outside the business hours of the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed, and turned on during the business hours of the facility.

[0026] For example, if the device is the interior light 107, the state information acquisition unit 1081 acquires information indicating the state of the interior light 107. The state of the interior light 107 includes an off state and an on state.

[0027] The state determination unit 1082 determines the state of the device based on the information acquired by the state information acquisition unit 1081 .

[0028] For example, when the device is the interior light 107, the state determination unit 1082 determines the state of the interior light 107 based on the information acquired by the state information acquisition unit 1081. That is, in this case, the state determination unit 1082 determines whether the state of the interior light 107 is off or on.

[0029] The carrier frequency control unit 1083 switches the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2 connected to the showcase 1 based on the determination result by the state determination unit 1082. Here, when the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of the equipment corresponds to outside business hours of the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed, the carrier frequency control unit 1083 sets the carrier frequency of the refrigerator 2 to a state lower than the reference value. At this time, the carrier frequency control unit 1083 only needs to set the carrier frequency to a state low enough to allow emphasis on the operating efficiency of the refrigerator 2, and the value of the carrier frequency is set appropriately. On the other hand, when the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of the equipment corresponds to the business hours of the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed, the carrier frequency control unit 1083 sets the carrier frequency of the refrigerator 2 to a state higher than the reference value. At this time, the carrier frequency control unit 1083 only needs to set the carrier frequency to a high level that allows prioritizing noise control measures for the refrigerator 2, and the value of the carrier frequency is set appropriately.

[0030] For example, if the device is the interior light 107, the carrier frequency control unit 1083 sets the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2 to a state lower than the reference value when the state determination unit 1082 determines that the interior light 107 is in an off state. On the other hand, for example, if the device is interior light 107, and the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of interior light 107 is on, the carrier frequency control unit 1083 sets the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2 to a state higher than the reference value.

[0031] Next, an example of the control operation of the carrier frequency by the showcase controller 108 according to the first embodiment shown in Fig. 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. In the following, an example in which the device is the interior light 107 will be described. In the example of the control operation of the carrier frequency by the showcase controller 108 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, first, as shown in FIG. 3, the state information acquisition unit 1081 acquires information indicating the state of the interior light 107 (step ST301).

[0032] Next, the state determination unit 1082 determines whether or not the interior light 107 is in the off state based on the information acquired by the state information acquisition unit 1081 (step ST302).

[0033] In step ST302, if the state determination unit 1082 determines that the interior light 107 is in an off state, the carrier frequency control unit 1083 sets the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 to a state lower than the reference value (step ST303). That is, if the interior light 107 of the showcase 1 is in an off state, it is considered that the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed is outside of business hours, and therefore the showcase controller 108 controls the carrier frequency so as to emphasize the operating efficiency of the freezer 2.

[0034] On the other hand, in step ST302, if the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of the interior light 107 is not in the off state, that is, if the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of the interior light 107 is in the on state, the carrier frequency control unit 1083 sets the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 to a state higher than the reference value (step ST304). In other words, if the interior light 107 of the showcase 1 is in the on state, it is considered that the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed is within business hours, and therefore the showcase controller 108 controls the carrier frequency so as to place importance on noise control measures for the freezer 2.

[0035] In this way, the showcase controller 108 according to the first embodiment switches the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2 depending on the state of the above-mentioned devices (for example, the interior light 107) mounted in the showcase 1. For example, in general, the interior light 107 of the showcase 1 is turned off outside the business hours of the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed, such as at night, and is turned on during the business hours of the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed. Therefore, in the showcase controller 108 according to the first embodiment, by setting the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 to a state lower than a reference value when the interior light 107 is turned off, it becomes possible to prioritize the operating efficiency of the freezer 2 outside the business hours of the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed. On the other hand, in the showcase controller 108 according to the first embodiment, by setting the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 to a state higher than the reference value when the interior light 107 is turned on, it becomes possible to prioritize noise reduction measures for the freezer 2 during the business hours of the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed. In this way, in the showcase controller 108 according to embodiment 1, by switching the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 according to the time of day, it becomes possible to switch which of the operating efficiency of the freezer 2 and noise control measures is given more importance according to the time of day.

[0036] In the above description, the case where the interior light 107 is used as the device provided in the showcase 1 and whose state changes depending on the time of day is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the device may be a device other than the interior light 107.

[0037] For example, if a temperature sensor capable of measuring the outside air temperature is provided in the showcase 1, this temperature sensor may be used as the device. It is assumed that, for example, in summer, this temperature sensor will measure a low temperature during business hours of the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed because the air conditioning in the facility is operating, and will measure a high temperature outside business hours because the air conditioning in the facility is turned off.

[0038] Furthermore, for example, if the showcase 1 is provided with a shutter or curtain and a sensor capable of detecting the opening and closing of the shutter or curtain, the sensor may be used as the device. Note that it is assumed that the sensor detects that the shutter or curtain is closed outside the business hours of the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed, and detects that the shutter or curtain is open during the business hours of the facility.

[0039] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the showcase controller 108 includes the status information acquisition unit 1081 that acquires information indicating the status of devices provided in the showcase 1 and whose status changes depending on the time of day, the status determination unit 1082 that determines the status of the devices based on the information acquired by the status information acquisition unit 1081, and the carrier frequency control unit 1083 that switches the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 connected to the showcase 1 based on the determination result by the status determination unit 1082. This enables the showcase controller 108 according to the first embodiment to control the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 more appropriately than conventionally. That is, the showcase controller 108 according to the first embodiment can reduce noise by increasing the carrier frequency during business hours of the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed, and can increase operating efficiency by decreasing the carrier frequency outside business hours of the facility.

[0040] Embodiment 2 The showcase controller 108 according to the first embodiment has been described as switching the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 in accordance with the transition of the state of the devices mounted in the showcase 1. In contrast, the showcase controller 108 according to the second embodiment will be described as switching the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 in accordance with the operation rate of a cash register installed in the same facility as the showcase 1, in addition to the above operations.

[0041] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a showcase controller 108 according to embodiment 2. In the showcase controller 108 according to embodiment 2 shown in Fig. 4, a numerical information acquisition unit 1084 and a threshold determination unit 1085 are added to the showcase controller 108 according to embodiment 1 shown in Fig. 2, and the carrier frequency control unit 1083 is changed to a carrier frequency control unit 1083b. Other configuration examples of the showcase controller 108 according to embodiment 2 shown in Fig. 4 are the same as the configuration example of the showcase controller 108 according to embodiment 1 shown in Fig. 2, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0042] The numerical information acquiring unit 1084 acquires information indicating the operating rate of the cash register. Note that the cash register is installed in the same facility as the showcase 1.

[0043] The threshold determination unit 1085 determines whether the operation rate of the cash register is equal to or greater than a threshold based on the information acquired by the numerical information acquisition unit 1084. The threshold value used by the threshold value determination unit 1085 is appropriately set to a value that can determine whether the operating rate of the cash register is high or low.

[0044] The carrier frequency control unit 1083b switches the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2 based on the determination result by the state determination unit 1082 and the determination result by the threshold determination unit 1085. Here, when the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of the equipment corresponds to outside business hours of the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed, the carrier frequency control unit 1083b sets the carrier frequency of the refrigerator 2 to a state lower than a reference value. At this time, the carrier frequency control unit 1083b only needs to set the carrier frequency to a state low enough to allow emphasis on the operating efficiency of the refrigerator 2, and the value of the carrier frequency is set appropriately. Furthermore, when the threshold determination unit 1085 determines that the operating rate of the register is equal to or higher than the threshold, the carrier frequency control unit 1083b sets the carrier frequency of the refrigerator 2 to a state lower than the reference value. At this time, the carrier frequency control unit 1083b only needs to set the carrier frequency to a state low enough to allow emphasis on the operating efficiency of the refrigerator 2, and the value of the carrier frequency is set appropriately. On the other hand, when the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of the equipment corresponds to the business hours of the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed and the threshold determination unit 1085 determines that the operating rate of the cash register is below the threshold, the carrier frequency control unit 1083b sets the carrier frequency of the freezer 2 to a state higher than the reference value. Note that at this time, the carrier frequency control unit 1083b only needs to set the carrier frequency to a level high enough to allow emphasis on noise control measures for the freezer 2, and the value of the carrier frequency is set appropriately.

[0045] For example, if the device is the interior light 107, the carrier frequency control unit 1083b sets the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2 to a value lower than the reference value when the state determination unit 1082 determines that the interior light 107 is in an off state. Furthermore, for example, if the device is the interior light 107, the carrier frequency control unit 1083b sets the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 to a state lower than the reference value when the threshold determination unit 1085 determines that the operating rate of the cash register is equal to or higher than the threshold. On the other hand, for example, when the device is interior light 107, if the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of interior light 107 is on and the threshold determination unit 1085 determines that the operating rate of the cash register is less than the threshold, the carrier frequency control unit 1083b sets the carrier frequency in freezer 2 to a state higher than the reference value.

[0046] Next, an example of the control operation of the carrier frequency by the showcase controller 108 according to the second embodiment shown in Fig. 4 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. In the following, an example in which the device is the interior light 107 will be described. In the example of the control operation of the carrier frequency by the showcase controller 108 according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4, first, as shown in FIG. 5, the state information acquisition unit 1081 acquires information indicating the state of the interior light 107 (step ST501).

[0047] Next, the state determination unit 1082 determines whether or not the interior light 107 is in the off state based on the information acquired by the state information acquisition unit 1081 (step ST502).

[0048] In step ST502, if the state determination unit 1082 determines that the interior light 107 is in an off state, the carrier frequency control unit 1083b sets the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 to a state lower than the reference value (step ST503). That is, if the interior light 107 of the showcase 1 is in an off state, it is considered that the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed is outside of business hours, and therefore the showcase controller 108 controls the carrier frequency so as to emphasize the operating efficiency of the freezer 2.

[0049] On the other hand, in step ST502, if the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of the interior light 107 is not in the off state, that is, if the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of the interior light 107 is in the on state, the numerical information acquisition unit 1084 acquires information indicating the operating rate of the cash register (step ST504).

[0050] Next, the threshold value determining unit 1085 determines whether the operating rate of the cash register is equal to or greater than the threshold value (step ST505).

[0051] In step ST505, if the threshold value determination unit 1085 determines that the operating rate of the register is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the carrier frequency control unit 1083b sets the carrier frequency of the freezer 2 to a state lower than the reference value (step ST506). That is, even if the interior light 107 of the showcase 1 is on, if the operating rate of the cash register installed in the same facility as the showcase 1 is high, it is considered that there are many customers visiting the facility and the surrounding environmental sounds will not bother the customers, so the showcase controller 108 controls the carrier frequency so as to emphasize the operating efficiency of the freezer 2.

[0052] On the other hand, in step ST505, if the threshold determination unit 1085 determines that the operation rate of the cash register is not equal to or higher than the threshold, that is, if the operation rate of the cash register is determined to be less than the threshold, the carrier frequency control unit 1083b sets the carrier frequency of the freezer 2 to a state higher than the reference value (step ST507). That is, if the interior light 107 of the showcase 1 is on and the operation rate of the cash register installed in the same facility as the showcase 1 is low, it is considered that there are few customers visiting the facility and noise would be a concern, so the showcase controller 108 controls the carrier frequency so as to prioritize noise countermeasures for the freezer 2.

[0053] In the above description, the showcase controller 108 lowers the carrier frequency of the freezer 2 during times when there are many customers to improve operational efficiency, and raises the carrier frequency of the freezer 2 during times when there are few customers to take measures against noise. On the other hand, the showcase controller 108 may be configured to lower the carrier frequency of the freezer 2 during times when there are few customers to improve operational efficiency, and raise the carrier frequency of the freezer 2 during times when there are many customers to take measures against noise.

[0054] Also, in the above description, the numerical information acquisition unit 1084 acquires information indicating the operation rate of the cash register, and the threshold determination unit 1085 determines whether or not the operation rate of the cash register is equal to or greater than a threshold based on the information acquired by the numerical information acquisition unit 1084. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is sufficient that the numerical information acquisition unit 1084 acquires information indicating a numerical value related to the number of people in the facility where the showcase 1 is installed, and the threshold determination unit 1085 is configured to determine whether or not the numerical value indicated by the information acquired by the numerical information acquisition unit 1084 is equal to or greater than a threshold based on the information acquired by the numerical information acquisition unit 1084.

[0055] For example, the numerical information acquiring unit 1084 may acquire information indicating the number of detections or the detection rate by a human presence sensor that is installed in the facility where the showcase 1 is installed and is capable of detecting people. Examples of this human presence sensor include a human presence sensor installed at the entrance of the facility, or a human presence sensor installed in equipment such as an air conditioner. Furthermore, for example, the numerical information acquiring unit 1084 may be provided in the facility where the showcase 1 is installed, and may acquire information indicating the number of detections or the detection rate by a sensor capable of detecting the opening and closing of the door. Furthermore, for example, the numerical information acquiring unit 1084 may acquire information indicating the congestion state (congestion rate) within the facility where the showcase 1 is installed.

[0056] In the above, an example has been described in which the showcase controller 108 switches the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 in accordance with the transition of the state of the interior light 107 mounted on the showcase 1. On the other hand, the same applies to the case in which the above-mentioned device is a device other than the interior light 107, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0057] As described above, the showcase controller 108 according to the second embodiment includes a numerical information acquisition unit 1084 that acquires information indicating a numerical value related to the number of people in the facility where the showcase 1 is installed, and a threshold determination unit 1085 that determines whether or not the numerical value indicated by the information acquired by the numerical information acquisition unit 1084 is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and the carrier frequency control unit 1083b switches the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 based on the determination results by the state determination unit 1082 and the threshold determination unit 1085. As a result, the showcase controller 108 according to the second embodiment can control the carrier frequency more flexibly than the showcase controller 108 according to the first embodiment.

[0058] Embodiment 3 In the showcase controller 108 according to the first embodiment, the carrier frequency control unit 1083 sets the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 to a state lower than the reference value when the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of the equipment corresponds to outside business hours of the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed, and sets the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 to a state higher than the reference value when the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of the equipment corresponds to within business hours of the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed. However, without being limited to this, the user may be able to arbitrarily set the content of the carrier frequency switching.

[0059] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a showcase controller 108 according to embodiment 3. In the showcase controller 108 according to embodiment 3 shown in Fig. 6, a switching content setting unit 1086 is added to the showcase controller 108 according to embodiment 1 shown in Fig. 2, and the carrier frequency control unit 1083 is changed to a carrier frequency control unit 1083c. Other configuration examples of the showcase controller 108 according to embodiment 3 shown in Fig. 6 are the same as the configuration example of the showcase controller 108 according to embodiment 1 shown in Fig. 2, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0060] The switching content setting unit 1086 sets the switching content of the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2. That is, the switching content setting unit 1086 sets the control content of the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2 when the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of the equipment is a state that corresponds to outside business hours of the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed, and sets the control content of the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2 when the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of the equipment is a state that corresponds to within business hours of the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed. The switching content setting unit 1086 sets the switching content in response to an operation by the user.

[0061] The carrier frequency control unit 1083c switches the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2 based on the determination result by the state determination unit 1082 and the setting by the switching content setting unit 1086. Here, when the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of the equipment is outside the business hours of the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed, the carrier frequency control unit 1083c sets the carrier frequency of the refrigerator 2 to the switching content set for that state by the switching content setting unit 1086. On the other hand, when the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of the equipment corresponds to the business hours of the facility in which the showcase 1 is installed, the carrier frequency control unit 1083c sets the carrier frequency of the freezer 2 to the switching content set for that state by the switching content setting unit 1086.

[0062] For example, when the device is the interior light 107, if the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of the interior light 107 is off, the carrier frequency control unit 1083c sets the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2 to the switching content set for that state by the switching content setting unit 1086. On the other hand, for example, when the device is the interior light 107, if the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of the interior light 107 is on, the carrier frequency control unit 1083c sets the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2 to the switching content set for that state by the switching content setting unit 1086.

[0063] Next, an example of the control operation of the carrier frequency by the showcase controller 108 according to the third embodiment shown in Fig. 6 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. In the following, an example in which the device is the interior light 107 will be described. In the example of the control operation of the carrier frequency by the showcase controller 108 according to the third embodiment shown in Fig. 6, first, as shown in Fig. 7, the switching content setting unit 1086 sets the switching content of the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 (step ST701). That is, the switching content setting unit 1086 sets the control content of the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 when the state determination unit 1082 determines that the interior light 107 is on, and sets the control content of the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 when the state determination unit 1082 determines that the interior light 107 is off. Here, for example, the switching content setting unit 1086 sets the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2 to a state lower than the reference value when the state determination unit 1082 determines that the interior light 107 is on, and sets the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2 to a state higher than the reference value when the state determination unit 1082 determines that the interior light 107 is off.

[0064] Next, the state information acquisition unit 1081 acquires information indicating the state of the interior light 107 (step ST702).

[0065] Next, the state determination unit 1082 determines whether or not the interior light 107 is in the off state based on the information acquired by the state information acquisition unit 1081 (step ST703).

[0066] In this step ST703, if the state determination unit 1082 determines that the interior light 107 is in the off state, the carrier frequency control unit 1083c sets the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2 to a state higher than the reference value based on the setting by the switching content setting unit 1086 (step ST704).

[0067] On the other hand, in step ST703, if the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of the interior light 107 is not the off state, that is, if the state determination unit 1082 determines that the state of the interior light 107 is the on state, the carrier frequency control unit 1083c sets the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2 to a state lower than the reference value based on the setting by the switching content setting unit 1086 (step ST705).

[0068] In this way, the showcase controller 108 according to the third embodiment allows the user to arbitrarily set the carrier frequency switching content, thereby enabling more flexible control of the carrier frequency than the controller of the showcase 1 according to the first embodiment. For example, the showcase controller 108 according to the third embodiment allows highly flexible control according to the season, such as when the environmental sound in the facility always exceeds the carrier sound, by lowering the carrier frequency and increasing the frequency of efficiency improvements.

[0069] In the above, an example has been described in which the showcase controller 108 switches the carrier frequency in the freezer 2 depending on the state of the interior light 107 mounted on the showcase 1. On the other hand, the same applies to the case in which the above-mentioned device is a device other than the interior light 107, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0070] Moreover, in the above description, a case has been shown in which a switching content setting unit 1086 is added to the showcase controller 108 according to the first embodiment shown in Fig. 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a switching content setting unit 1086 may be added to the showcase controller 108 according to the second embodiment shown in Fig. 4, and the same effect as above can be obtained.

[0071] In this case, the switching content setting unit 1086 may set the control content of the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2 when the threshold determination unit 1085 determines that the numerical value is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and may set the control content of the carrier frequency in the refrigerator 2 when the threshold determination unit 1085 determines that the numerical value is less than the threshold value.

[0072] Finally, an example of the hardware configuration of the showcase controller 108 according to the first to third embodiments will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Although an example of the hardware configuration of the showcase controller 108 according to the first embodiment will be described below, the same applies to the example of the hardware configuration of the showcase controller 108 according to the second and third embodiments. The functions of the state information acquisition unit 1081, the state determination unit 1082, and the carrier frequency control unit 1083 in the showcase controller 108 are realized by a processing circuit 51. The processing circuit 51 may be dedicated hardware as shown in Fig. 8A, or may be a CPU (also referred to as a Central Processing Unit, central processing unit, processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, processor, or DSP (Digital Signal Processor)) 52 that executes a program stored in a memory 53 as shown in Fig. 8B.

[0073] When the processing circuit 51 is dedicated hardware, the processing circuit 51 corresponds to, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. The functions of each of the state information acquisition unit 1081, the state determination unit 1082, and the carrier frequency control unit 1083 may be realized by the processing circuit 51 individually, or the functions of each unit may be realized by the processing circuit 51 collectively.

[0074] When the processing circuit 51 is a CPU 52, the functions of the state information acquisition unit 1081, the state determination unit 1082, and the carrier frequency control unit 1083 are realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software and firmware are written as programs and stored in the memory 53. The processing circuit 51 realizes the functions of each unit by reading and executing the programs stored in the memory 53. That is, the showcase controller 108 includes the memory 53 for storing programs that, when executed by the processing circuit 51, result in the execution of, for example, each step shown in FIG. 3. It can also be said that these programs cause a computer to execute the procedures and methods of the state information acquisition unit 1081, the state determination unit 1082, and the carrier frequency control unit 1083. Here, examples of memory 53 include non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically EPROM), magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, mini disk, or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

[0075] It is also possible to realize some of the functions of the state information acquisition unit 1081, the state determination unit 1082, and the carrier frequency control unit 1083 with dedicated hardware and some with software or firmware. For example, the function of the state information acquisition unit 1081 can be realized by the processing circuit 51 as dedicated hardware, and the functions of the state determination unit 1082 and the carrier frequency control unit 1083 can be realized by the processing circuit 51 reading and executing a program stored in the memory 53.

[0076] In this way, the processing circuitry 51 can realize each of the above-described functions by hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0077] It should be noted that the embodiments may be freely combined, or any of the components in each embodiment may be modified, or any of the components in each embodiment may be omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1 showcase, 2 freezer, 51 processing circuit, 52 CPU, 53 memory, 101 display shelf, 102 ventilation duct, 103 outlet, 104 intake, 105 cooler, 106 air circulation fan, 107 interior light, 108 showcase controller, 201 compressor, 202 fan, 203 compressor inverter, 204 fan inverter, 1081 status information acquisition unit, 1082 status determination unit, 1083, 1083b, 1083c carrier frequency control unit, 1084 numerical information acquisition unit, 1085 threshold determination unit, 1086 switching content setting unit.

Claims

1. a status information acquiring unit that acquires information indicating a status of a device provided in a showcase, the status of which changes depending on a time period; a state determination unit that determines a state of the device based on the information acquired by the state information acquisition unit; a numerical information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating an operation rate of a cash register installed in a facility where the showcase is installed; a threshold determination unit that determines whether the operation rate of the cash register is equal to or greater than a threshold based on the information acquired by the numerical information acquisition unit; a carrier frequency control unit that switches a carrier frequency in a refrigerator connected to the showcase based on a determination result by the state determination unit and a determination result by the threshold determination unit, The carrier frequency control unit switches the carrier frequency of the freezer by setting the carrier frequency of the freezer to a state lower than a reference value when the state determination unit determines that the state of the device is a state corresponding to outside business hours of the facility in which the showcase is installed, or when the threshold determination unit determines that the operation rate of the cash register is equal to or higher than a threshold, and sets the carrier frequency of the freezer to a state higher than the reference value when the state determination unit determines that the state of the device is a state corresponding to within business hours of the facility in which the showcase is installed and when the threshold determination unit determines that the operation rate of the cash register is less than a threshold. A showcase controller characterized by:

2. The device is an interior light provided in the showcase.

2. The showcase controller according to claim 1.

3. A showcase controller as described in claim 2, wherein when the state determination unit determines that the state of the equipment is a state corresponding to outside business hours of the facility in which the showcase is installed, it is determined that the state of the interior light is off, and when the state determination unit determines that the state of the equipment is a state corresponding to during business hours of the facility in which the showcase is installed, it is determined that the state of the interior light is on.

4. a switching content setting unit that sets switching content of the carrier frequency in the refrigerator; The carrier frequency control unit switches the carrier frequency of the refrigerator based on the determination result by the state determination unit, the determination result by the threshold determination unit, and the setting by the switching content setting unit.

2. The showcase controller according to claim 1.

5. a state information acquiring unit acquiring information indicating a state of a device provided in the showcase, the state of which changes depending on a time period; a state determination unit determining a state of the device based on the information acquired by the state information acquisition unit; a step in which a numerical information acquisition unit acquires information indicating an operation rate of a cash register installed in the facility in which the showcase is installed; a threshold determination unit determining whether the operation rate of the cash register is equal to or greater than a threshold based on the information acquired by the numerical information acquisition unit; A step in which a carrier frequency control unit switches a carrier frequency in a refrigerator connected to the showcase based on a determination result by the state determination unit, a step of setting the carrier frequency of the freezer to a state lower than a reference value when the state determination unit determines that the state of the equipment is a state corresponding to outside business hours of the facility in which the showcase is installed, or when the threshold determination unit determines that the operating rate of the cash register is equal to or higher than a threshold, and setting the carrier frequency of the freezer to a state higher than the reference value when the state determination unit determines that the state of the equipment is a state corresponding to within business hours of the facility in which the showcase is installed and when the threshold determination unit determines that the operating rate of the cash register is less than a threshold; A control method comprising:

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