Cooling storage

Abstract

To provide a cooling storage capable of suppressing generation / growth of frost in the storage or to stuff stored in the storage by suppressing intrusion of air.SOLUTION: When it is detected that doors 16, 16 are open, a cooling storage stops a circulation fan 27. When a set stop time (first set time) t1 has elapsed after the circulation fan 27 is stopped, the cooling storage executes circulation fan temporary stop control to restart the operation of the circulation fan 27.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a cooling storage facility. [Background technology]

[0002] A refrigerated storage unit generally consists of a cooler that generates cold air, and a circulation fan that circulates the air inside the unit to send the cold air generated by the cooler into the storage room and to send the air inside the storage room back to the cooler. When the door is opened, the circulation fan can easily draw in moisture-laden outside air into the storage unit, which can cause frost to form on the cooler. For example, the refrigerated storage unit described in Patent Document 1 below is equipped with a function to remove frost using a heating element. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6795454 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] However, the cooling storage unit described in Patent Document 1 above cannot remove all frost, for example, when the set temperature inside the unit is low, and the remaining frost tends to accumulate again. Furthermore, this defrosting function has the problem that it is difficult to remove frost that has formed in areas far from the heater or on food stored inside the unit.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and aims to provide a cooling storage unit that can suppress the occurrence and growth of frost inside the unit and on the items stored inside by suppressing the intrusion of outside air. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above problems, the cooling storage unit of the present invention is: A storage facility with a storage room, A door attached to the storage unit body, which allows the storage room to be opened and closed, A cooling device comprising: a cooler that generates cold air; and a circulation fan that sends the cold air generated by the cooler to the storage chamber and circulates the air inside the storage chamber to send the air inside the storage chamber to the cooler; The system comprises a control unit for controlling the cooling device. The control unit, The system is characterized by stopping the circulation fan when it is detected that the door is open, and restarting the operation of the circulation fan after a first set time has elapsed since the circulation fan was stopped.

[0007] In conventional refrigerated storage units, when the door is opened, the circulation fan is in operation, making it easy for outside air to be drawn into the storage unit itself as it is added to the recirculation flow of the fan. Since the recirculation flow from the storage chamber toward the cooler, frost is particularly likely to form on the cooler. In the refrigerated storage unit disclosed in this application, the intake of outside air can be suppressed by temporarily stopping the circulation fan when an open door state is detected. In particular, by eliminating the airflow from the storage chamber toward the cooler, frost formation and frost growth on the cooler can be suppressed, and a decrease in the cooling capacity of the cooler can be prevented. For example, if the circulation fan remains stopped until the door is closed, and the door is left open with the circulation fan stopped, the pressure on the low-pressure side of the cooling system may drop too low, potentially causing problems such as refrigerant backflow. In the refrigerated storage unit disclosed in this application, the circulation fan restarts operation after a first set time has elapsed, thus preventing such problems from occurring.

[0008] Ideally, the first setting time should be adjustable to an appropriate time depending on the user's usage. However, for general use, considering both frost suppression and failure of the cooling system, a setting of 20 to 40 seconds is desirable. The cooling storage unit in this configuration can be either a refrigerator or a freezer, but a freezer is preferable as it allows for easier intake of outside air when the door is open.

[0009] In the above configuration, the control unit may be configured to stop the circulation fan again if the door is open after a second set time has elapsed since the circulation fan was restarted.

[0010] If the circulation fan remains stopped, the pressure on the low-pressure side of the cooling system may drop too low, potentially causing problems such as refrigerant backflow. With this configuration of the cooling storage unit, even if the door is left open for an extended period, the circulation fan alternates between stopping and starting, thus preventing the occurrence of the above-mentioned problems.

[0011] In the above configuration, the control unit may be configured to restart the operation of the circulation fan when it detects that the door is closed while the circulation fan is stopped.

[0012] With this configuration of the cooling storage unit, the circulation fan can be started immediately when the door is closed, reducing the downtime of the circulation fan.

[0013] In the above configuration, the storage unit is equipped with an internal temperature sensor for detecting the temperature inside the storage unit, and the control unit has a door opening / closing determination unit that determines whether to open or close the door based on the internal temperature detected by the internal temperature sensor, and the control unit executes the circulation fan temporary stop control when it determines that the door is in the open state.

[0014] According to the refrigerating storage with this configuration, when the temperature inside the storage starts to rise, the circulation fan temporary stop control is executed. Therefore, when the door is opened and closed in a short time, it is possible to avoid a situation where the circulation fan is stopped only for a short time. In addition, in the refrigerating storage with this configuration, for example, a configuration for determining the opening and closing of the door can be adopted using the detected temperature inside the storage itself, the temperature difference within the set time, the temperature gradient, etc.

[0015] In the above configuration, the door opening / closing determination unit is configured to determine that the door is in the open state when the amount of increase in the temperature inside the storage per unit time is equal to or greater than the first set value. The amount of increase in the temperature inside the storage can be calculated based on the difference between the average temperature from the current time back to the set period and the average temperature from the past time back to the set period.

[0016] By using the average temperature for calculating the amount of increase, the refrigerating storage with this configuration can prevent an incorrect determination from being made due to a detection error or the like in the temperature sensor inside the storage. That is, the refrigerating storage with this configuration can surely determine the open state of the door.

[0017] In the above configuration, when the door is in the open state after the elapse of the second set time from the restart of the operation of the circulation fan, the control unit is configured to stop the circulation fan again. The door opening / closing determination unit determines that the door is in the closed state when the amount of decrease in the temperature inside the storage within the second set time is equal to or greater than the second set value after the elapse of the second set time from the restart of the operation of the circulation fan, and determines that the door is still in the open state when the amount of decrease in the temperature inside the storage is less than the second set value.

[0018] According to the refrigerating storage with this configuration, even after the restart of the operation of the circulation fan, it is possible to surely determine the opening and closing of the door based on the detection result of the temperature sensor inside the storage. In addition, in the refrigerating storage with this configuration, if the amount of decrease is calculated using the average temperature in the same manner as the above-mentioned amount of increase, the determination of the opening and closing of the door after the restart of the operation of the circulation fan can be surely performed.

[0019] It is equipped with a door opening and closing sensor capable of detecting the opening and closing of the door, and the control unit can be configured to switch the stop and operation of the circulation fan based on the detection result of the door opening and closing sensor.

[0020] According to the cooling storage refrigerator with this configuration, since the opening and closing of the door can be directly detected, the circulation fan can be immediately stopped when the door is opened, and frosting can be effectively suppressed.

[0021] In the above configuration, the door opening and closing sensor can be an optical sensor.

[0022] As the "optical sensor" described in this configuration, for example, an infrared sensor that detects the position change of the door with respect to the storage body, a capacitance sensor, or an illuminance sensor that detects the opening and closing of the door based on the illuminance inside the storage in a configuration where lighting that lights up in the open state is provided inside the storage can be adopted. According to the cooling storage refrigerator with this configuration, there is no need to provide a component on the door side like a reed switch, and only the attachment of the optical sensor to the storage body side is required, so the number of parts can be reduced and the degree of freedom of the attachment position can be increased.

Effect of the Invention

[0023] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cooling storage refrigerator capable of suppressing the generation and growth of frost on the inside of the storage and the items stored inside by suppressing the intrusion of outside air.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024] [Figure 1] Front view of the cooling storage refrigerator (freezer) of Embodiment 1 of the present invention [Figure 2] Side cross-sectional view of the cooling storage refrigerator [Figure 3] Flowchart of the in-storage fan temporary stop control program [Figure 4] Flowchart of the in-storage fan restart process subroutine [Figure 5]Flowchart for the subroutine that restarts the internal fan. [Figure 6] A timing chart for an example of when the internal fan is temporarily stopped. [Figure 7] Functional block diagram of the control unit installed in the refrigerated storage unit. [Figure 8] Side cross-sectional view of a cooling storage unit according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention [Figure 9] Timing chart of an example in which the internal fan is temporarily stopped in the cooling storage unit of Embodiment 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0025] <Embodiment 1> The configuration of the cooling storage unit of Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be briefly described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The cooling storage unit in this embodiment is a two-door, vertical freezer 10, as shown in Figure 1. The freezer 10 comprises a storage unit body 12 having a storage chamber 11, and a machine room 14 provided above the storage unit body 12. The front of the storage unit body 12 (the left side in Figure 2) is open, and this opening is partitioned by a partition frame 15 that extends horizontally. As a result, the storage chamber 11 has two openings 11A, 11A arranged in the vertical direction.

[0026] The storage unit body 12 is rotatably fitted with two doors 16, 16 arranged vertically, and the opening 11A can be opened and closed by the doors 16. Shelves 17 are provided horizontally within the storage chamber 11, and stored items placed in the storage chamber 11 can be placed on the shelves 17. As shown in Figure 2, a cooling device 20 is provided in the machine room 14. The cooling device 20 (refrigeration unit) is mounted on a unit stand 23. The cooling device 20 comprises a condenser 21 equipped with a condenser fan 21A and a compressor 22.

[0027] At the top of the storage unit body 12, a drain pan 24, which also serves as a cooling duct, is positioned in a downward sloping manner toward the rear (right side in Figure 2). This forms a cooler chamber 25 between the unit base 23 and the drain pan 24. In the cooler chamber 25, a cooler 26 is positioned, for example, mounted on the underside of the unit base 23. The cooler 26 is circulated and connected to a cooling device 20 by refrigerant pipes (not shown), and the configuration generates cold air when the cooling device 20 is driven. The refrigerant pipes contain a flammable refrigerant that is heavier than air, such as propane or isobutane. A motor-driven internal fan (circulation fan) 27 is provided on the front side of the drain pan 24, and a cold air outlet 28 is formed on the rear side of the drain pan 24.

[0028] During cooling operation, the compressor 22, the internal fan 27, and the condenser fan 21A are driven. When the internal fan 27 is driven, as shown by the arrow in Figure 2, air from the storage chamber 11 is drawn into the cooler chamber 25, and then the cold air generated by heat exchange as it passes through the cooler 26 is blown back into the storage chamber 11 from the outlet 28. This creates a configuration in which air is circulated within the storage unit body 12.

[0029] Furthermore, an internal thermistor 29 (internal temperature sensor) is positioned above the internal fan 27 within the cooling chamber 25. The internal thermistor 29 is capable of detecting the temperature of the air inside the storage chamber 11 (and consequently the temperature inside the storage chamber 11) that is drawn in by the internal fan 27.

[0030] As shown in Figure 1, the machine room 14 houses an electrical box 18 in addition to the cooling device 20 described above. The electrical box 18 houses a control unit 40 (see Figure 7) that controls the freezer 10. The control unit 40 is mainly a computer with a CPU, ROM, and RAM, and is connected to the condenser fan 21A and compressor 22 of the cooling device 20, the internal fan 27, the internal thermistor 29, etc. By executing various programs stored in the ROM, these connected devices are controlled.

[0031] This freezer 10 is equipped with a front panel 14A that covers the front of the machine room 14 and is openable and closable. The front panel 14 is provided with a display unit 41 and an operation unit 42. The display unit 41 is made up of a liquid crystal panel, and the operation unit 42 is made up of pressable buttons. The display unit 41 and the operation unit 42 are located on the back side of the front cover 14A. The operator can view the display unit 41 from the front through a transparent material (such as glass) provided on the front cover 14A. The operator can also operate the operation unit 42 by opening the front cover 14A. By operating the operation unit 42, the operator can operate the freezer 10 and make various settings (such as changing the internal temperature setting).

[0032] The following describes in detail the internal fan suspension control performed by the control device 40. This internal fan suspension control is performed, for example, by executing the internal fan suspension control program shown in the flowchart in Figure 3. The internal fan suspension control will be described below with reference to this flowchart. This internal fan suspension control program is executed repeatedly at relatively short predetermined time intervals Δt. In addition, an internal fan suspension flag FL is used in this internal fan suspension control. Normally, the value of this flag FL is 0, and when the internal fan suspension control is executed, its value is switched from 0 to 1.

[0033] In this program, first, in step 1 (which may be abbreviated as "S1" below; the same applies to other steps), the internal temperature T1 detected by the internal thermistor 29 is acquired, and then in the following S2, the average internal temperature T from the present time to the set time t0 (5.0 sec in this embodiment) prior is acquired. AVGThe following is calculated. Next, in S3, a determination is made based on the flag FL as to whether normal operation is being performed in the freezer 10, in other words, whether or not the internal fan temporary stop control is being executed. If normal operation is being performed (FL=0), the following processes are carried out in S4 and below.

[0034] In S4, the decision of whether or not to perform the temporary suspension control of the internal fan is made by determining whether or not either of the two doors 16, 16 is open. In this embodiment, this determination is made based on the internal temperature T1 detected by the internal thermistor 29, more specifically, the average internal temperature T calculated in S2. AVG The process is carried out based on the following: In S4, the average internal temperature calculated at the present time is subtracted from the average internal temperature calculated before t0, and the temperature difference ΔT is converted to a temperature difference per minute (per unit time). AVG Calculate the temperature difference ΔT AVG However, a determination is made as to whether or not the temperature is below -5.0K (Kelvin). If the internal temperature rises by 5.0K (first set value) or more per minute, the internal fan temporary stop control is executed, and specifically, in S5, the internal fan 27 is stopped. Note that the method for determining whether or not the doors 16, 16 are open based on the internal temperature is not limited to the method described above. As in this embodiment, by using the average internal temperature within a set time, it is possible to prevent incorrect judgments from being made even if the detection result of the internal thermistor 29 includes detection errors, etc.

[0035] In the freezer 10 of this embodiment, as shown in the timing chart in Figure 6, even if either door 16 is opened, the internal fan stop control is not immediately executed. Instead, the internal fan 27 is stopped when it is detected that the temperature inside the freezer has started to rise. In other words, if the door 16 is opened and closed in a short period of time, the internal fan stop control is not executed. If the internal fan 27 is stopped in S5, the flag value of flag FL is set to 1 in S6, and one execution of the program ends.

[0036] On the other hand, if it is determined in S3 that the internal fan pause control is being performed (FL=1), then in S7, the internal fan restart processing subroutine shown in the flowchart in Figure 4 is executed. As shown in Figure 6, the internal fan pause control is performed to prevent the internal fan 27 from remaining stopped for a long period of time, by setting the pause time t of the internal fan 27. S If the set stop time (first set time) t1 or longer is exceeded, a grace period operation is performed in which the internal fan 27 is temporarily operated. The internal fan stop flag FL used in the internal fan temporary stop control program is switched from 1 to 2 when the grace period operation is performed on the internal fan 27. In other words, the flag FL is set to 1 when the internal fan 27 is stopped and to 2 during the grace period operation.

[0037] In the internal fan restart processing subroutine, first, in S11, a determination is made based on the flag FL as to whether the internal fan 27 is stopped or in a grace period. If the internal fan 27 is stopped (FL=1), the following processing is performed in S12. In S12, a determination is made as to whether the two doors 16, 16 are closed or not, similar to the determination of the open state of door 16, based on the average internal temperature T calculated in S2 of the internal fan temporary pause control program. AVG It is designed to be carried out based on the temperature difference ΔT. AVG A determination is made as to whether the temperature is above +2.5K (Kelvin). If the internal temperature drops by 2.5K (first set value) or more per minute, it is determined that the two doors 16, 16 are closed, and the internal fan temporary stop control is terminated. Specifically, in S17, indicators used in this control, such as the flag FL, are reset, and in S18, the internal fan 27 is restarted. In other words, the internal fan 27 returns to normal operation, this subroutine ends, and one execution of the internal fan temporary stop control program is completed.

[0038] On the one hand, in S12, when the temperature difference ΔT AVG is less than +2.5 K (Kelvin) and it is determined that either of the doors 16, 16 is in the open state, in S13, the time during which the indoor fan 27 has stopped (the indoor fan stop time t S ) is calculated. In S14, it is determined whether the indoor fan stop time t S is equal to or greater than the set stop time t1 (for example, 30 sec). Incidentally, in the refrigerator 10 of the present embodiment, the set stop time t1 can be changed according to the user's usage method by operating the operation unit 42, and can be set to, for example, 99 sec or less.

[0039] In S14, when the indoor fan stop time t S has not elapsed the set stop time t1, the processes after S15 are skipped, this subroutine ends, and one execution of the indoor fan temporary stop control program ends. In S14, when the indoor fan stop time t S has elapsed the set stop time t1, the aforementioned grace operation is performed on the indoor fan 27. Specifically, in S15 and below, the flag value of the indoor fan stop flag FL is changed to 2, and the indoor fan stop time t S is reset. In S16, the operation of the indoor fan 27 is restarted. Then, with this process, this subroutine ends, and one execution of the indoor fan temporary stop control program ends.

[0040] Also, during the grace operation of the indoor fan 27, from the determination in S11 of the indoor fan restart process subroutine, the indoor fan restart stop process in S18 is performed. This process is performed by executing the indoor fan restart stop process subroutine whose flowchart is shown in FIG. 5. In this subroutine, first, in S21, the time during which the grace operation is being performed on the indoor fan 27 (the grace operation time t D ) is calculated. In S22, it is determined whether the grace operation time t D is equal to or greater than the set grace operation time (the second set time) t2 (for example, 5.0 sec).

[0041] In S22, the grace period t D If the set grace period t2 has not elapsed, the processes from S23 onwards are skipped, this subroutine terminates, and one execution of the internal fan temporary stop control program ends. In S22, the grace period t D If the set grace period t2 has elapsed, in S23, a determination is made as to whether the doors 16, 16 are in the closed state, based on the average internal temperature T calculated in S2 of the internal fan temporary stop control program. AVG It is designed to be carried out based on the temperature difference ΔT. AVG A determination is made as to whether the temperature is above +0.5K (Kelvin). If the internal temperature drops by 0.5K or more per minute, it is determined that the two doors 16, 16 are closed, and the internal fan temporary stop control is terminated. Incidentally, the threshold used for this determination is set to a size that allows for the determination that the internal temperature will start to drop when the doors 16 are closed while the internal fan 27 is stopped or in a grace period. To explain the process of terminating the internal fan temporary stop control in more detail, in S26, indicators used in this control, such as the flag FL, are reset, and in S27, the operation of the internal fan 27 is resumed. In other words, the internal fan 27 returns to normal operation, this subroutine terminates, and one execution of the internal fan temporary stop control program ends.

[0042] On the other hand, in S23, the temperature difference ΔT AVG If the temperature is less than +0.5K (Kelvin) and it is determined that either door 16 is open, the process of stopping the internal fan 27 again is performed in S24 and S25. In other words, if doors 16 remain open, the internal fan 27 will be stopped for the first set time t1 and then allowed to operate with a grace period for the second set time t2, and this process will be repeated.

[0043] The control device 40 that performs the above-mentioned internal fan temporary suspension control has a functional configuration as shown in the block diagram in Figure 7 and has various functional parts. More specifically, the control device 40 has a door opening / closing determination unit 50 that determines the opening and closing of doors 16, 16 based on the internal temperature detected by the internal thermistor 29, and an internal fan temporary suspension control execution unit 52 that performs internal fan temporary suspension control based on the opening and closing state of doors 16, 16 determined by the door opening / closing determination unit 50. In this embodiment, the door opening / closing determination unit 52 is configured to include parts that execute S1, 2, and 4 in the internal fan temporary suspension control program, S12 in the internal fan restart processing subroutine, and S23 in the internal fan re-stop processing subroutine, and the internal fan temporary suspension control execution unit 54 is configured to include parts that execute the internal fan temporary suspension control program.

[0044] The freezer 10 of this embodiment, configured as described above, comprises a storage unit 12 having a storage compartment 11, doors 16, 16 attached to the storage unit 12 that can open and close the storage compartment 11, a cooler 26 that generates cold air, and an internal fan (circulation fan) 27 that sends the cold air generated by the cooler 26 to the storage compartment 11 and circulates the air inside the storage unit 12 so that the air inside the storage compartment 11 is sent to the cooler 26, and a control device (control unit) 40 that controls the cooling device 20, wherein the control device 40 stops the internal fan 27 when it detects that the doors 16, 16 are open, and restarts the operation of the internal fan 27 after a set stop time (first set time) t1 has elapsed after the internal fan 27 has been stopped, by executing internal fan temporary stop control (circulation fan temporary stop control).

[0045] In conventional refrigerated storage units, when the door is opened, the internal fan is in operation, making it easy for outside air to be drawn into the storage unit by the fan's recirculation. Furthermore, since the recirculation by the internal fan flows from the storage chamber towards the cooler, frost is particularly likely to form on the cooler. In the freezer 10 of this embodiment, when the open state of the doors 16, 16 is detected, the internal fan 27 can be temporarily stopped to suppress the intake of outside air. In particular, by eliminating the airflow from the storage chamber 11 toward the cooler 26, frost formation and frost growth on the cooler 26 can be suppressed, and a decrease in the cooling capacity of the cooler 26 can be prevented. For example, the internal fan 27 may remain stopped until the doors 16, 16 are closed, so if the doors 16, 16 are left open and the internal fan 27 remains stopped, the pressure on the low-pressure side of the cooling device 20 may drop too low, potentially causing problems such as refrigerant backflow. According to the freezer 10 of this embodiment, the internal fan 27 restarts operation after the first set time t1 has elapsed, thus preventing such problems from occurring.

[0046] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the freezer 10 is configured such that if the doors 16, 16 are open after a set grace period (second set time) t2 has elapsed since the restart of the internal fan 27, the control device 40 stops the internal fan again. As a result, even if the doors 16, 16 are left open for a long time, the internal fan 27 will stop and start repeatedly, thus preventing the occurrence of the above-mentioned problems.

[0047] <Embodiment 2> The cooling storage unit of Embodiment 2 of the present invention is a door-type vertical freezer 100, similar to the freezer 10 of Embodiment 1. Since the freezer 100 of this embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the freezer 10 of Embodiment 1, the same reference numerals are used for the same components, and their descriptions are omitted. Unlike the freezer 10 of Embodiment 1, the freezer 100 of this embodiment is equipped with optical door sensors 102 as door opening / closing sensors capable of detecting the open / closed state of the doors 16, 16. The door sensors 102 are provided on the storage unit body 12, corresponding to each of the two doors 16, 16. More specifically, two door sensors 102, 102 are provided on the front of the storage unit body 12, at positions facing each of the doors 16, 16. These optical door sensors 102 are, for example, infrared or capacitive, and can detect the opening and closing of the doors 16, 16 simply by being attached to the storage unit body 12. In other words, by using this optical door sensor 102, it is not necessary to attach a component to the door 16 side, as is the case with a reed switch, and the number of components can be reduced.

[0048] The control device of the freezer 100 in this embodiment is configured, similar to the freezer 10 in Embodiment 1, to stop the internal fan 27 when it is detected that either of the doors 16, 16 is open, and to restart the operation of the internal fan 27 after a first set time has elapsed since the internal fan 27 was stopped. However, in this embodiment, the control device of the freezer 100 performs the internal fan temporary stop control based on the detection results of the door sensors 102, 102, rather than the internal temperature.

[0049] Figure 9 shows a timing chart of an example in which the internal fan temporary suspension control is performed in the freezer 100 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 9, when either of the two doors 16, 16 is opened and the door sensor 102 detects that door 16 is open, the internal fan 27 is stopped. After the internal fan 27 has stopped, the operation of the internal fan 27 is restarted after a set stop time (first set time) t1 set by the user has elapsed.

[0050] Furthermore, the operation of the internal fan 27, which is restarted after the set stop time has elapsed, is a grace period operation, similar to the freezer 10 in Embodiment 1. If either door 16, 16 is open when the set grace period operation time (second set time) t2 has elapsed since the restart of the internal fan 27, the internal fan 27 is stopped again. When both doors 16, 16 are closed, the internal fan 27 returns to normal continuous operation. In other words, the internal fan temporary stop control repeatedly stops the internal fan 27 for the set stop time t1 and performs a grace period operation for the set grace period operation time t2 until both doors 16, 16 are closed.

[0051] In this second embodiment, the freezer 100 can directly detect when the door is opened or closed. Therefore, compared to the freezer 10 of the first embodiment, the internal fan 27 can be stopped at an earlier stage after the door is opened, effectively suppressing frost formation.

[0052] <Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. For example, the following embodiments are also included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0053] (1) In the two embodiments described above, the freezers 10 and 100 were configured to restart the operation of the internal fan 27 when it was detected that the door 16 was closed while the internal fan 27 was stopped. However, this condition is not mandatory, and the system may be configured to restart the operation of the internal fan 27 only after a first set time has elapsed.

[0054] (2) The freezer 10 of the first embodiment described above was configured to determine whether to open or close the door 16 based on the average value of the internal temperature within a predetermined time, but is not limited thereto. For example, it may be configured to determine whether to open or close the door 16 based on the detected internal temperature itself, or it may be configured to calculate the gradient of change in internal temperature and determine whether to open or close the door 16 based on that gradient of change in internal temperature.

[0055] (3) The control of temporarily stopping the internal fan in the freezer 10 of Embodiment 1 was to be performed by a program whose flowchart is shown in Figures 3 to 5, but this program is just an example and various forms can be adopted.

[0056] (4) The cooling storage units of the two embodiments described above were applied to freezers, but they can also be applied to refrigerators. However, the circulation fan pause control performed in the embodiments described above is more suitable for freezers because the lower the temperature inside the storage chamber 11, the easier it is to take in outside air when the door is open. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0057] 10...Freezer (cooled storage unit), 11...Storage room, 11A...Opening, 12...Storage unit body, 16...Door, 20...Cooling device, 26...Cooler, 27...Internal fan (circulation fan), 29...Internal thermistor (internal temperature sensor), 40...Control device (control unit), 50...Door open / close determination unit, 52...Internal fan temporary pause control execution unit, 100...Freezer (cooled storage unit), 102...Door switch (door open / close sensor)

Claims

1. A storage facility with a storage room, A door attached to the storage unit body, which allows the storage room to be opened and closed, A cooling device comprising: a cooler that generates cold air; and a circulation fan that sends the cold air generated by the cooler to the storage chamber and circulates the air inside the storage chamber to send the air inside the storage chamber to the cooler; The system comprises a control unit for controlling the cooling device. The control unit, If it is detected that the door is open, the circulation fan is stopped, and if a first set time has elapsed after the circulation fan has stopped, the circulation fan operation is restarted by executing a circulation fan temporary stop control. The aforementioned circulation fan temporary suspension control is a cooling storage unit that, if the door remains open after a second set time has elapsed since the circulation fan restarted, stops the circulation fan again.

2. The cooling storage unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs a process to restart the operation of the circulation fan when it detects that the door is closed while the circulation fan is stopped.

3. The storage unit is equipped with an internal temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the storage unit body, The cooling storage cabinet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit has a door opening / closing determination unit that determines whether to open or close the door based on the internal temperature detected by the internal temperature sensor, and when the door opening / closing determination unit determines that the door is in an open state, it executes the circulation fan temporary suspension control.

4. The door opening / closing determination unit determines that the door is open when the rate of increase in the internal temperature per unit time exceeds a first set value. The cooling storage unit according to claim 3, characterized in that the amount of rise in the internal temperature is calculated based on the difference between the average temperature from the present time to a point in the set period prior and the average temperature from a past point in time to a point in the set period prior.

5. The control unit is configured to stop the circulation fan again if the door is open after a second set time has elapsed since the circulation fan was restarted. The cooling storage cabinet according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the door opening / closing determination unit determines that the door is closed if, after the second set time has elapsed since the restart of the circulation fan, the amount of temperature drop inside the cabinet during the second set time is equal to or greater than the second set value, and determines that the door is still open if the amount of temperature drop inside the cabinet is less than the second set value.

6. The system includes a door opening / closing sensor capable of detecting the opening and closing of the aforementioned door, The cooling storage unit according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the control unit switches the stopping and operating of the circulation fan based on the detection result of the door opening / closing sensor.

7. The cooling storage unit according to claim 6, wherein the door opening / closing sensor is an optical sensor.

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