Closed-type refrigerating showcase

Abstract

Cold air is blown upward through a blowout port, and thus, in some circumstances, is not able to directly reach the upper side. Additionally, four-way glass plates have a limited heat insulation effect.　In the present invention, cold air is supplied to air flow pipes 25 in a display chamber 21 through the driving of a micro blower 15. The cold air is then forcefully blown out through blowout holes 27. The blowout holes 27 are arranged near a top-surface part 21c within the display chamber 21. Moreover, the blowout holes 27 are not oriented toward the center. With focus on one air flow pipe 25, the blowout holes 27 in a blowout hole row 29X are oriented in a direction close to parallel to the plate surface of the a glass plate 21d(1), and the blowout holes 27 in a blowout hole row 29Y are oriented in a direction close to parallel to the plate surface of a glass plate 21d(2). The cold air is blown out through two adjacent air flow pipes 25, 25 so as to cross on the plate surface of one glass plate 21d. As a result, articles are thoroughly cooled as uniformly as possible at a location where the articles are displayed. Additionally, the air flow pipes 25 do not impair visibility.

Description

Closed refrigerated showcase

[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.

[0002] In a conventional closed-type refrigerated showcase, the display compartment is provided with a window made of a transparent plate such as glass that can be seen from the outside, and a machine compartment and a cooling compartment are provided below the display compartment.The display compartment is cooled using a compression refrigeration cycle to keep items refrigerated, and the machine compartment houses the compressor, condenser, and expansion valve, which are the components of the compression refrigeration cycle, and the cooling compartment houses a cooler (= evaporator).Air is cooled in the cooler and the generated cold air is blown into the display compartment through an outlet provided between the display compartment and the display compartment, and the air in the display compartment is returned to the cooling compartment through an inlet.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-124237

[0004] Recently, display rooms have become larger and taller, and some are constructed with transparent glass panels on all four sides to maximize visibility. In this type, the cold air is blown upward through an 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, there is a limit to the insulating effect if the four sides are made of glass panels in order to prioritize visibility. On the other hand, if the force of the cold air blown is increased to reach the upper part of the display room directly, the lower part will be overcooled due to the 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.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and is a closed-type refrigerated showcase which is composed of a cooling unit and a display chamber having a transparent window portion above it, and 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, so that the air circulates between the cooling unit side and the display chamber side while cooling the display chamber, and the display chamber is composed of a plurality of support columns provided at each of a plurality of corners and side portions mainly made of transparent plates as windows that close the spaces between the support columns so that a refrigerated state can be maintained, and an air flow pipe is attached to each of the plurality of support columns in an upright state, or the support columns are configured to also function as air flow pipes, and at least a portion of each air flow pipe extends inside the display chamber, and the side surfaces are exposed inside the display chamber, This is a closed-type refrigerated showcase characterized in that a row of blow-out holes is formed by a plurality of blow-out holes spaced apart in the vertical direction on the side surface of each air flow tube exposed inside the display room, and the plurality of blow-out holes in the row of blow-out holes of one air flow tube, sandwiched between one side portion, are oriented in a direction nearly parallel to the plate surface of the inner surface of the one side portion, and the plurality of blow-out holes in the row of blow-out holes of the other air flow tube are oriented in a direction nearly parallel to the plate surface of the inner surface of another side portion on the opposite side, sandwiched between the one side portion and the other air flow tube, and cooled air is blown out into the display room from the blow-out holes.

[0007] Preferably, two rows of blow-out holes are provided in one air flow tube at different positions in the circumferential direction, with the blow-out holes in one row facing nearly parallel to the plate surface of one of the inner sides of the air flow tube, and the blow-out holes in the other row facing nearly parallel to the plate surface of the other inner side of the air flow tube. Preferably, the blow-out holes in one row of blow-out holes and the blow-out holes in the other row of blow-out holes are staggered in the vertical position. Preferably, the blow-out holes are configured to be able to double as holes for installing a wire shelf.

[0008] 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.

[0009] Preferably, the air flow pipes, which also serve as support columns, are divided vertically into a side facing the inside of the display chamber and a side facing the outside of the display chamber, and cooled air is blown into the display chamber from a blow-out hole formed in the part of the side facing the inside of the display chamber, while 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 chamber, thereby realizing an anti-fogging function for the transparent plate. Preferably, a guide tube that generates a directional airflow is protruded from the edge of the blow-out hole on the side facing the inside of the display chamber, 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, 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 in the condenser is passed through a micro-blower and pressure-fed separately to a plurality of air flow pipes via branch pipes.

[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.

[0012] 15 is a perspective view of a closed-type refrigerated showcase according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a front view of the closed-type refrigerated showcase of FIG. 1. FIG. 17 is a side view of the closed-type refrigerated showcase of FIG. 1. FIG. 18 is an extracted view of the cooling mechanism of the closed-type refrigerated showcase of FIG. 1. FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the air flow pipe of FIG. 1. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the closed-type refrigerated showcase of FIG. 2. FIG. 21 is an explanatory view illustrating how to attach a wire shelf when the air flow pipe outlet holes of FIG. 5 are used as wire receiving holes. FIG. 22 is an extracted view of the cooling mechanism and anti-fogging mechanism of a closed-type refrigerated showcase according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the closed-type refrigerated showcase of FIG. 25. FIG. 26 is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 27. FIG. 28 is a perspective view of a support column of the closed-type refrigerated showcase of FIG. 11. FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view of the support column taken along line A-A of FIG. 30. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of another example of the glass door of the closed-type refrigerated showcase of FIG. 11.

[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 Figs. 1 to 3, this closed-type refrigerated showcase 1 includes a housing 3. This housing 3 has the overall shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, vertically elongated box. Casters 3a are attached to the four corners of the bottom surface, allowing it to be moved. In the following description, the up-down, front-rear, left-right directions of the closed-type refrigerated showcase 1 are based on Fig. 1.

[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 in an adiabatic manner. 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. A refrigerant is sealed in the refrigerant pipe. The compressor, the condenser 11, and the expansion valve are housed in the machine chamber 7, and the evaporator 13 is housed in the cooling chamber 9, with the refrigerant pipe passing through the partition between the machine chamber 7 and the cooling chamber 9.

[0015] The refrigerant circulates through the refrigerant circuit configured as described above in the order of compressor → condenser 11 → expansion valve → evaporator 13 → compressor, thereby achieving 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 hereinafter as the "evaporator (=cooler) 13." While there are various types of evaporators (=coolers) 13, a plate-type evaporator is recommended because it is compact and easy to maintain. 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 new air around the evaporator (=cooler) 13, thereby promoting heat exchange in the evaporator (=cooler) 13. However, this embodiment is characterized by the use of a micro-blower 15 instead of the evaporator fan.

[0017] The microblower 15 is a piezoelectric type that discharges air by driving a piezoelectric element to cause a diaphragm to flexurally 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. The microblower 15 is fixed so as to be suspended from the ceiling surface of the 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 suction port 15a is open, so 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 composed 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] These branch ducts 19b, 19b, 19b, 19b extend radially on an approximately horizontal plane, and the opening on the other end of each is also connected to a joint 17. 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, with space above it. The four-way branch duct 19 is housed in this space above, and is not in direct contact with the evaporator (cooler) 13.

[0021] The upper part of the housing 3 is a display room 21. This display room 21 is approximately three times the size of the lower part 5, and the height of the housing 3 is accordingly higher. The display room 21 is a room installed in supermarkets, convenience stores, etc. to display refrigerated items such as beverages and food, 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 rear left and right frames as windows.

[0023] The front side is an opening through which items can be removed 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 rotates around a rotation axis provided on one support column 21b side to open and close. 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 columns 21b, 21b, but is made of the same material and is therefore designated by the same reference numeral. The front support columns 21b, 21b, are recessed rearward by the thickness of the glass door 21e. When the glass door 21e is closed, this recession allows the glass door 21e to fit into the gap between the bottom surface 21a and the top surface 21c. Therefore, when the display compartment 21 is closed by the glass door 21e, the interior of the display compartment 21 is sealed off to maintain a refrigerated state. The display compartment 21, including the bottom surface 21a, is also insulated. The display room 21 is constructed as described above, and is a four-sided glass refrigerated type that allows the inside to be seen from the outside in any direction.

[0024] The bottom surface 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 edges of the bottom surface 21a. Air flow pipes 25, 25, 25, 25 are attached to support columns 21b, 21b, 21b, 21b that rise from the four corners of the bottom surface 21a along the inner surface of the display chamber 21. Each air flow pipe 25 has an elongated cylindrical shape and extends vertically along the support columns 21b, i.e., parallel to the inner surface of the display chamber 21. The upper end of each air flow pipe 25 is closed. A plurality of circular air outlet holes 27 are provided on the periphery, i.e., the side surface.

[0025] As shown in Figures 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 a blowout hole row 29X. Furthermore, the blowout holes 27, 27, ... are spaced at regular intervals in the circumferential direction to form another blowout hole row 29Y. The intervals between adjacent blowout holes 27, 27 in the vertical direction of the blowout hole row 29X and the blowout hole row 29Y are the same, but are staggered in the circumferential direction, so that the blowout holes 27 in the blowout hole row 29Y are located approximately midway between adjacent blowout holes 27, 27 in the vertical direction of the blowout hole row 29X. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, the blowout hole rows 29X and the blowout hole rows 29Y are spaced apart in the circumferential direction by a distance α (inter-row angle) 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 tube 25 to form an integrated unit, and the other side 31b is fixed to the support column 21b to form an integrated unit. Therefore, via the bracket 31, the air flow tube 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 tube 25 reaches near the inner surface of the top surface 21c of the display chamber 21. One side 31a of the bracket 31 is fixed in a position opposite the air flow tube 25 from the rows of outlet holes 29X and 29Y.

[0027] Brackets 31 are fixed to support columns 21b, and air flow tubes 25 are located at corners on the extensions of two orthogonal glass plates 21d, 21d. Rows 29X and 29Y of outlet holes 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 at 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 chamber 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 for placing and displaying items is installed in the display room 21. As shown in Figure 8, this mesh shelf 33 has a mesh plate 33a, which serves as a display surface, with a rod-shaped insertion piece 33b provided near a corner of one edge, and a hook piece 33c provided at an edge opposite the insertion piece 33b and the mesh plate 33a, with two pairs of insertion piece 33b and hook piece 33c provided near both corners of each 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 also rotated up and down while inserted. Also, reference numeral 35 denotes a bracket. The bracket 35 has locking claws 35a, 35a with an inverted L-shaped cross section that are aligned with the blow-out holes 27, 27 arranged in the vertical direction, so that the locking claws 35a, 35a can be inserted into and locked into the blow-out 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 respective blow-out holes 27, 27 of the two air flow pipes 25, 25, and the mesh plate 33a is rotated to lift, after which 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. Multiple mesh shelves 33 can be installed. In this way, the blow-out holes 27 can also be used as insertion holes for installing the mesh shelves 33, and the size and spacing of the blow-out holes 27 are optimally designed taking into account the relationship with the mesh shelves 33.

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

[0033] The air outlets 27, 27, ... are also arranged near the ceiling 21c of the display chamber 21. Moreover, the air outlets 27 do not face the center of the display chamber 21. Focusing on one air flow tube 25, the air outlets 27 of the air outlet row 29X face in a direction nearly parallel to the surface of one glass plate 21d, while the air outlets 27 of the air outlet row 29Y face in a direction nearly parallel to the surface of the other glass plate 21d. As a result, cool air is blown across the surface of the glass plate 21d by the two adjacent air flow tubes 25, 25, and then directed toward the center of the display chamber 21 by natural convection. Therefore, the strong cool air is not blown directly onto the displayed items. The cooling mechanism configured as described above cools the display areas of the display chamber 21, both the upper and lower levels, as 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 compartment 7, the condenser fan 12 blows out the surrounding air heated by the condenser 11 and also blows new air around the condenser 11, promoting heat exchange in the condenser 11. This warm air flow is used to prevent fogging of the glass plate 21d of the display compartment 21. Vents 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 vents 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 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. However, the outer surface of the glass plate 21d is efficiently heated as described above, thereby achieving an anti-fogging effect.

[0035] Next, a closed-type refrigerated showcase 39 according to a second embodiment is shown. As shown in FIG. 9 , instead of the condenser fan 12, a microblower 15 and a four-way branch duct 19 are installed in the machine compartment 7 via joints 17, similar to those in the cooling compartment 9. Circular through-holes are formed at the four corners of the machine compartment 7, and the other ends of the joints 17, 17, 17, 17 connected to the branch ducts 19b, 19b, 19b, 19b extend through the through-holes to the outside. Airflow pipes 25 are also installed at the outer corners of the display compartment 21 via brackets 41, and these airflow pipes 25 extend parallel to the airflow pipes 25 inside the display compartment 21. The brackets 41 are Y-shaped, with opposing surfaces 41a, 41a overlapping and fixed to the support columns 21b, and the airflow pipes 25 are 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 airflow tubes 25 inside the display chamber 21 are referred to as airflow tubes 25A, and the airflow tubes 25 outside are referred to as airflow tubes 25B. Like airflow tube 25A, airflow tube 25B also has the airflow holes 27 of the airflow hole rows 29X and 29Y oriented nearly parallel to the surface of the glass plate 21d, allowing for efficient heating of the entire outer surface of the glass plate 21d. Therefore, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 10 , warm air is blown onto the outer surface of the glass plate 21d and cool air is blown onto the inner surface along the surface of the glass plate 21d, achieving uniform cooling throughout the display chamber 21 in a defogging state. Furthermore, because airflow tubes 25B are located at the four corners, their installation does not impair visibility. This defogging mechanism provides a better defogging effect than the closed-type refrigerated showcase 1 according to the first embodiment, which allows warm air to escape through the vents 37.

[0037] The operation of the micro-blower 15 in the machine chamber 7 can be stopped from outside the closed-type refrigerated showcase 39 using an operating unit (not shown), so that the micro-blower 15 can be stopped when defogging is not required. The machine chamber 7 has an appropriate gap on the bottom side, which allows natural ventilation, preventing the interior of the machine chamber 7 from overheating more than necessary. In addition, the air volume of both cold and warm air can be adjusted, so the required cooling and defogging effects can be obtained according to the conditions inside the display chamber 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 is shown. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 , like the closed-type refrigerated showcase 39 according to the second embodiment, it is equipped with both a cooling mechanism and an anti-fogging mechanism. However, the support columns 53 of the display compartment 21 serve as both an airflow pipe for cold air and an airflow pipe for hot air. The support columns 53 extend not only into the display compartment 21 but also below it, serving as support columns at the four corners of the housing 3. In the second embodiment, the airflow pipe 25A extends entirely within the display compartment 21, but the support columns 53 also functioning as airflow pipes extend partially within the display compartment 21. Note that components similar to those of the closed-type refrigerated showcases 1 and 39 according to the first and second embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

[0039] The support column 53 is cylindrical, and as shown in Figures 13 to 16, its cross section perpendicular to its longitudinal direction is composed of a curved surface portion 53a that is approximately a quarter-circle arc and two flat surfaces 53b and 53c. It is vertically divided by a partition plate 53d into two compartments 55 and 57. The partition plate 53d makes the two compartments 55 and 57 approximately equal in size, but compartment 55 is larger due to the corner between the two flat surfaces 53b and 53c. Between the flat surfaces 53b and 53c of adjacent support columns 53, 53, glass plates 21d are fitted on the left and right rear sides. 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 extends outward on both sides of the glass plate 21d and the glass door 21e in the thickness direction. Therefore, a portion of the support column 53 extends into the display chamber 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 the compartment 55 extend into the display chamber 21. A plurality of blow-out holes 59, 59, ... are provided at the corners at intervals in the vertical direction, so that the compartment 55 faces the interior of the display chamber. The blow-out holes 59 are formed in the same manner as the blow-out holes 27.

[0041] Short guide tubes 61 extend from the edges of the outlet holes 59 and communicate with the compartments 55. The axial direction of these guide tubes 61 is inclined toward the side of the display chamber 21. Therefore, when the air pressurized into each of the four corner compartments 55, 55, 55, 55 is blown out from each guide tube 61, it forms a spiral airflow. The edges, which are more likely to heat up depending on the external environment, are cooled evenly and preferentially, resulting in the most uniform cooling of the displayed items. Depending on the type and size of the displayed items and the display method, this spiral airflow may be better than blowing toward the center of the display chamber 21. The air blowing angle can be freely adjusted by adjusting the installation angle of the guide tubes 61. In the case where the air flow pipe 25 is separate from the display chamber 21, as in the first embodiment, this can be addressed by adjusting the circumferential position of the blow-out holes 27, but in this embodiment, the locations where the blow-out holes 59 can be formed are limited, so 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 portion of the flat surface 53c that protrudes outside the display chamber 21. These blow-out holes 63 are formed in the same manner 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 each of the four corner compartments 57, 57, 57, 57 is blown out from the respective blow-out holes 63, it becomes an airflow that flows parallel to the outer surface.

[0043] As in the second embodiment, compartment 55 is connected to the micro-blower 15 of cooling compartment 9, and compartment 57 is connected to the micro-blower 15 of machine compartment 7, supplying cool air and warm air, respectively. Between adjacent support columns 53, warm air is blown out from the outlet holes 63, 63, ... on the flat surface 53c of one of the support columns 53, and because the air volume can be adjusted using the micro-blower 15, it is possible for the air to reach the other support column 53. As in the second embodiment, the effects of both cooling the interior of display chamber 21 and preventing the transparent plate from fogging can be obtained, but because the support columns 53 also function as airflow pipes, the appearance is neater.

[0044] As shown in Figure 17, the glass door 21e can be curved so that the center bulges toward the front. In this case, support columns 65, instead of support columns 53, support the front and rear corners of the left side of the display room 21. These support columns 65 are opposite to support columns 53 when compartments 55 and 57 are aligned in the left-right direction. Although the outer surface of the glass door 21e is curved, the use of support columns 65 in this way allows warm air to blow out from both the left and right sides of the glass door 21e of the display room 21, allowing warm air to flow across the entire outer surface of the glass door 21e. Since warm air does not flow onto the outer surface of the rear glass panel 21d, no anti-fogging effect is achieved, but this does not pose a problem if the door is installed close to a 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 design changes within the scope of the present invention are also included. For example, the display compartment of a closed-type refrigerated showcase may be a three-sided glass type excluding the rear side. Furthermore, the display compartment may be triangular or pentagonal instead of rectangular. Furthermore, the shape, size, material, and structure of each component may be combined with dedicated products, commercially available products, or future products as long as they can achieve the functions envisioned by the present invention and are within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, an airflow tube may be embedded within a support column to form a double-cylinder configuration, with holes penetrating the airflow tube and support column serving as air outlets. Furthermore, the guide tube may not be provided if the position of the air outlet ensures the generation of airflow in the desired direction.

[0046] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Closed type refrigerated showcase (first embodiment) 3...Housing 3a...Caster 5...Lower section 7...Machine room 9...Cooling room 11...Condenser 12...Condenser fan 13...Evaporator (=cooler) 15...Microblower 15a...Intake port 15b...Discharge port 17...Joint 19...Four-way branch duct 19a...Central duct 19b...Branch duct 21...Display room 21a...Bottom surface 21b...Support column 21c...Top surface 21d...Glass plate 21e...Glass door 23...Ventilation opening 25...Air flow pipe 27...Blowout hole 29X, 29Y...Blowout hole row 31...Brackets 31a, 31b...Single surface 33...Wire shelf 33a...Wire-like plate 33b...Insertion piece 33c...Hooking piece 35...Bracket 35a...Engaging claw 35b...Engaging recess 37...Ventilation hole 39...Closed type refrigerated showcase (second embodiment) 41...Bracket 41a...One side 41b...Projected surface 51...Closed type refrigerated showcase (third embodiment) 53...Support pillar 53a...Curved surface portion 53b, 53c...Flat surface portion 53d...Partition plate 54...Support member 55, 57...Compartment 59...Blowout hole 61...Guide tube 63...Blowout hole 65...Support pillar α...Inter-row angle

Claims

1. A closed-type refrigerated showcase comprising a cooling unit and a display room having a transparent window above it, in which air cooled by the cooling unit is blown into the display room, and air heated within the display room is returned to the cooling unit and cooled again, thereby circulating between the cooling unit side and the display room side while cooling the display room; the display room is comprised of a number of support columns provided at each of a number of corners and a side portion mainly made of a transparent plate as a window portion that closes the spaces between the support columns so as to maintain a refrigerated state; air flow tubes are attached to each of the support columns in an upright position, or the support columns are configured to double as air flow tubes, at least a portion of each air flow tube extends into the display room and the side surface of each air flow tube is exposed within the display room; and a row of air outlet holes is formed on the side surface of each air flow tube exposed within the display room by a number of air outlet holes provided at intervals in the vertical direction; A closed-type refrigerated showcase characterized in that the multiple blow-out holes in the row of blow-out holes of one air flow tube, sandwiched between one side portion, are oriented in a direction nearly parallel to the plate surface of the inner surface of the one side portion, and the multiple blow-out holes in the row of blow-out holes of the other air flow tube are oriented in a direction nearly parallel to the plate surface of the inner surface of another side portion on the opposite side, sandwiched between the one side portion and the other air flow tube, and cooled air is blown out from the blow-out holes into the display chamber.

2. A closed-type refrigerated showcase as described in claim 1, 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 in one row of blow-out holes facing in a direction nearly parallel to the plate surface of one of the inside faces across the air flow pipe, and the blow-out holes in the other row of blow-out holes facing in a direction nearly parallel to the plate surface of the other inside face across the air flow pipe.

3. A closed type refrigerated showcase as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the positions of the holes in one row of the two rows of holes are staggered in the vertical direction from those in the other row of holes.

4. A closed type refrigerated showcase according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the air outlet holes are configured so as to be usable also as holes for installing a wire shelf.

5. A closed type refrigerated showcase as claimed in claim 1, 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, and 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.

6. A closed-type refrigerated showcase as described in claim 1, characterized in that an air flow pipe also serving as a support pillar is divided vertically into a side facing into the display chamber and a side facing outside the display chamber, and cooled air is blown into the display chamber from an outlet hole formed in the part of the side facing into the display chamber that extends into the interior of the display chamber, while air is also blown out from a plurality of outlet holes spaced apart in the vertical direction on the side facing outside the display chamber, thereby achieving an anti-fogging function for the transparent plate.

7. A closed type refrigerated showcase as described in claim 6, characterized in that a guide tube for generating a directional air current is protruded from the edge of the air outlet 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. A closed type refrigerated showcase as claimed in claim 6 or 7, 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 in the condenser is passed through a micro-blower and pressure-fed separately to a plurality of air flow pipes via branch pipes.

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