JP2006230558A - Refrigerated showcase - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerated showcase capable of securely informing a user of the time to clean an air filter. <P>SOLUTION: The refrigerated showcase comprises a timer 56 for clocking the present time, input keys for inputting a condition for giving a filter cleaning alarm, an alarm condition storage part 55 for storing the inputted condition for giving the alarm, an air filter management part 52 for determining whether the time clocked by the timer 56 satisfies the condition for giving the alarm or not, and an alarm control part 53 for giving the alarm using a filter cleaning sign LED 31 or a buzzer 43 if the condition for giving the alarm is satisfied. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerated showcase in which an air curtain is formed in an opening of a product storage unit that stores frozen products, and more particularly to a technique for improving convenience during operation.

  Conventionally, as this type of refrigerated showcase, a substantially box-shaped and heat-insulating showcase body with an open top surface, an inner box with an open top surface formed inside the showcase body, and a lower side of the showcase body The thing provided with the machine room provided is known (refer patent document 1). The inner box is disposed with a predetermined gap from the showcase body, and the gap serves as an air passage through which cool air passes. An evaporator and a blower that form a refrigeration cycle are arranged in the ventilation path. The cool air cooled by the evaporator flows through the ventilation path by the blower and is discharged from a discharge port formed on one side of the upper part of the showcase body. Further, a suction port communicating with the ventilation path is formed on the other side of the upper part of the showcase body. Thereby, an air curtain is formed on the upper surface of the showcase body. A heater for removing frost adhering to the evaporator is installed in the vicinity of the evaporator.

Cooling devices such as a compressor and a condenser that form a refrigeration cycle, a blower that cools the condenser, a control device, and the like are installed in the machine room. An outside air inlet for sucking outside air is formed on one side wall of the machine room, and a waste heat port is formed on the other side wall. An air filter for filtering dust is detachably installed in the vicinity of the outside air inlet.
JP 200445018 A

  In this type of refrigeration showcase, if the air filter is contaminated with dust, the flow rate of air in the machine room is reduced, thereby reducing the cooling efficiency. For this reason, conventionally, the operation rule is that the store clerk regularly checks and cleans the air filter. However, this maintenance work interval needs to be managed by a store clerk, which is not only troublesome, but also causes a problem that forgetting work tends to occur.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, The place made into the objective is to provide the freezing showcase which can alert | report the cleaning time of an air filter reliably.

  In order to achieve the above object, in claim 1, a product storage for storing frozen products, a blower for sucking outside air, and a removable air filter for filtering dust contained in the outside air flowing in by driving of the blower are installed. In a refrigerated showcase provided with a machine room, a timer for timing the current date and time, an input means for inputting an alarm issuing condition for prompting air filter cleaning, and a timing date and time of the timer are input by the input means There is proposed a control device that includes a control device that issues a warning from a predetermined output device when the emission condition is satisfied.

  According to the present invention, when an alarm issuing condition for prompting cleaning of the air filter is input from the input means, an alarm is issued from a predetermined output device when the current date and time counted by the timer satisfies the issuing condition. Thereby, it is possible to reliably notify the cleaning time of the air filter. Claim 7 proposes information including day-of-week information and time information for issuing a weekly alarm as the issuing condition. Further, in claim 8, it is proposed to include date information and time information for issuing a monthly alert as the issuing condition.

  Further, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the refrigeration showcase according to the first aspect, an alarm stop button for stopping an alarm is provided, and the control device stops the alarm when the pressing of the alarm stop button is detected while the alarm is issued. We propose what

  Further, in claim 3, in the refrigeration showcase according to claim 1 or 2, the refrigeration showcase further comprises air filter attachment detection means for detecting whether or not the air filter is attached, and the control device issues an alarm. It is proposed that the alarm is stopped when the air filter presence / absence detecting means detects that the air filter has been removed.

  According to these inventions, if the alarm stop button is pressed after the alarm is issued or the air filter is removed from the machine room for cleaning the air filter, the alarm is stopped. This is preferable.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the refrigeration showcase according to the third aspect, when the control device detects that the air filter has been removed by the air filter presence / absence detection means, a predetermined time elapses from the predetermined output device. We propose what is characterized by issuing an alarm.

  According to the present invention, when a predetermined time elapses after the air filter is removed, a warning is issued to a predetermined output device, so that the air filter is removed for cleaning or the like, but the user forgets to install the air filter after that. Can be prevented. The warning that the air filter is not attached and the warning that prompts the cleaning may be issued to the same output device, or may be issued to different output devices as proposed in claim 5. .

  Further, in claim 6, in the refrigeration showcase according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the control device causes the blower to turn on the blower when a time and date of the timer satisfies a start time condition input by the input means. We propose what is characterized by reverse rotation.

  According to the present invention, the blower rotates in the reverse direction when the condition for issuing the warning for prompting the filter cleaning is satisfied. As a result, air from the blower is blown onto the air filter, so that at least part of the dust adhering to the air filter can be blown off. Thereby, the cleaning operation | work of the air filter by a store clerk etc. can be made easy.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when an alarm issuing condition for prompting cleaning of the air filter is input from the input means, an alarm is issued from a predetermined output device when the current date and time counted by the timer satisfies the issuing condition. Is issued. Thereby, it is possible to reliably notify the cleaning time of the air filter. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in cooling efficiency due to forgetting to clean the air filter.

  A frozen showcase according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a frozen showcase, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the frozen showcase.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerated showcase 1 includes an outer box 10 having a heat insulating top opening, an inner box 11 disposed inside the outer box 10 at a predetermined interval, And a machine room 20 provided below the box 10. In the frozen showcase 1 according to the present embodiment, the inner side of the inner box 11 serves as a product storage 12 for storing frozen products such as ice cream.

  A gap between the outer box 10 and the inner box 11 forms a ventilation path 13 through which cool air flows. The upper end of the outer box 10 protrudes inward so as to contact the upper end of the inner box 11. A discharge port 14 for discharging cool air from the ventilation path 13 is formed at the upper part of one side wall of the inner box 11, and an intake port 15 for sucking outside air into the ventilation path 13 is formed at the upper part of the other side wall. Has been. An evaporator 16 that forms a refrigeration cycle and an internal fan 17 that blows air cooled by the evaporator 16 are installed in the ventilation path 13. With such a structure, cool air from the evaporator 16 is discharged from the discharge port 14 by the internal fan 17. This cold air is kept cooled in the product storage 12 and is sucked into the ventilation path 13 from the suction port 15. That is, an air curtain is formed on the upper surface of the commodity storage 12. Thereby, the inside of the product storage 12 can be efficiently cooled and maintained. A heater 18 for heating frost attached to the evaporator 16 is installed in the vicinity of the evaporator 16.

  In the machine room 20, devices such as a compressor 21 and a condenser 22 that form a refrigeration cycle, a machine room blower 23 that mainly cools the condenser 22, and a control device 50 described later are installed. One side wall of the machine room 20 is a detachable panel 20a, and an outside air inlet 24 is formed in the panel 20a. A waste heat port 25 is formed in the other side wall of the machine room 20. Further, an air filter 26 for filtering dust contained in the outside air is provided in the vicinity of the outside air inlet 24. When the machine room blower 23 is rotated forward, the outside air introduced from the outside air inlet 24 is filtered by the air filter 26 to cool the condenser 22 and the like. Further, when the machine room blower 23 is rotated in the reverse direction, the air in the machine room 20 is blown to the air filter 26, and dust attached to the air filter 26 is blown off.

  Further, an air filter detection sensor 27 for detecting whether or not the air filter 26 is attached is provided in the machine room 20. Examples of the air filter detection sensor 27 include a sensor using a mechanical switch such as a micro switch and a sensor using an optical sensor.

  On the outer wall of the outer box 10, a display unit 30 for notifying various information to a store clerk is formed. FIG. 3 shows a front view of the display unit 30. As shown in the figure, the display unit 30 has an internal temperature display LED 31 consisting of several digits of 7-segment LEDs for displaying the internal temperature, a filter cleaning sign LED 32 for urging the air filter 26 to be cleaned, a clerk, etc. And a first alarm LED 33 for notifying the occurrence of an abnormality.

  The machine room 20 is provided with an operation unit 40 for a store clerk or a maintenance company to operate the refrigerated showcase 1. The operation unit 40 is provided at a position where it can be operated when the panel 20a is removed. FIG. 4 shows a front view of the operation unit 40. As shown in the figure, the operation unit 40 includes an information display LED 41 composed of several digits of 7-segment LEDs for displaying various information such as an error code and a time until the next defrosting, and an abnormality etc. Input for inputting various setting information such as the setting of the second alarm LED 42 and the buzzer 43 to be notified and the timing of issuing an alarm (hereinafter referred to as “filter cleaning alarm”) for prompting cleaning of the air filter 26 as will be described later. A key 44 and an alarm stop button 45 for stopping the alarm are provided. In the present embodiment, the input key 44 includes a key 44a that is mainly used to increase the value and a key 44b that is mainly used to decrease the value.

  Next, a control system of the refrigerated showcase 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a control block diagram of the freezer showcase.

  The control device 50 includes an internal temperature control unit 51 that controls cooling of the commodity storage 12, an air filter management unit 52 that manages the cleaning time of the air filter 26, detects an abnormal mounting, and the like. An alarm control unit 53 that controls the emission, an abnormality history storage unit 54 that stores a history of the abnormality that has occurred, an emission condition storage unit 55 that stores the conditions for issuing a filter cleaning alarm, and a timer 56 that times the current time. I have.

  The internal temperature control unit 51 is configured so that the fan motor 17a, the compressor 21, and the machine room of the internal fan 17 are arranged so that the temperature detected by the internal temperature sensor 19 provided in the commodity storage 12 is within a predetermined temperature range. The fan motor 23a of the blower 23 is driven and controlled. Further, the internal temperature control unit 51 displays the temperature detected by the internal temperature sensor 19 on the internal temperature display LED 31 of the display unit 30.

  When the filter cleaning alarm issuing condition is input from the input key 44, the air filter management unit 52 stores the issuing condition in the issuing condition storage unit 55. Then, when the current date and time counted by the timer 56 satisfies the issuing condition stored in the issuing condition storage unit 55, the alarm control unit 53 is notified to issue a filter cleaning alarm, and the blower 23 in the machine room 23 The fan motor 23a is controlled to rotate in the reverse direction.

  As a condition for issuing the filter cleaning alarm, for example, “when the current date and time becomes a specific time on a specific day of the week” can be cited. In this case, when day information and time information are input from the input key 44 as an issue condition, a filter cleaning alarm is issued once a week. Another example of the condition for issuing the filter cleaning alarm is “when the current date and time is a specific time on a specific day of each month”. In this case, when date information and time information are input from the input key 44 as an issue condition, a filter cleaning alarm is issued once a month. In the refrigeration showcase 1 according to the present invention, any of the emission conditions may be adopted, and any one of the emission conditions may be selected from the input key 44.

  In addition, the air filter management unit 52 issues an alarm that the air filter 26 is not installed (hereinafter, “filter not installed alarm”) when a predetermined time has elapsed after the air filter detection sensor 27 detects that the air filter 26 has been removed. Is sent to the alarm control unit 53.

  When receiving a request for issuing a filter cleaning alarm from the air filter management unit 52, the alarm control unit 53 turns on the filter cleaning sign LED 32 of the display unit 30 and generates a predetermined warning sound from the buzzer 43 of the operation unit 40. When the alarm stop button 45 is pressed while the filter cleaning alarm is issued, or when the air filter detection sensor 27 detects the removal of the air filter 26, the alarm by the filter cleaning sign LED 32 and the buzzer 43 is stopped.

  When the alarm control unit 53 receives a request for issuing a filter non-installation alarm from the air filter management unit 52, the alarm control unit 53 turns on the first alarm LED 33 of the display unit 30 and the second alarm LED 42 of the operation unit 40, and from the buzzer 43. A predetermined warning sound is generated, and a predetermined error code corresponding to the filter non-installation alarm is displayed on the information display LED 41. At this time, the alarm control unit 53 records the error history in the abnormality history storage unit 54. The alarm control unit 53 stops the alarm by the first alarm LED 33, the second alarm LED 42, the buzzer 43, and the information display LED 41 when the pressing of the alarm stop button 45 is detected while the filter non-installation alarm is issued.

  According to such a refrigeration showcase 1, if a filter cleaning alarm issuing condition is input using the input key 44, the filter cleaning alarm is issued when the issuing condition is satisfied. Forgetting cleaning work can be prevented.

  Further, since the machine room blower 23 rotates in reverse with the occurrence of the filter cleaning alarm and part of the dust is blown off from the air filter 26, the cleaning operation of the air filter 26 is facilitated.

  Further, when the alarm stop button 45 is pressed or the air filter 26 is removed while the filter cleaning alarm is issued, the alarm is stopped, so that the alarm is prevented from being excessively issued, which is preferable in operation.

  Further, since a filter non-installation alarm is issued when the air filter 26 is not installed and a predetermined time elapses, forgetting to install the air filter 26 such as after cleaning the air filter 26 can be prevented. Further, since the alarm is stopped by pressing the alarm stop button 45 while the filter non-installation alarm is issued, excessive alarm is prevented from being issued, which is preferable in operation.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the refrigerated showcase in which the air curtain is formed on the upper surface of the commodity storage has been described in detail, but the showcase in which the air curtain is formed on the front surface may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the filter cleaning sign LED 32 provided on the display unit 30, the first alarm LED 33, the second alarm LED 42 provided on the operation unit 40, and the buzzer 43 are used as means for issuing an alarm. The following means may be used. That is, any means may be used as long as it appeals to the visual perception of the store clerk.

  In the above embodiment, the filter cleaning alarm and the filter non-installation alarm are output to different output devices, but may be output to the same device.

  In the above embodiment, the two keys 44a and 44b are used as the input key 44 for inputting the issuing condition. However, other input means such as a numeric keypad may be used.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the machine room air blower 23 was reversely rotated at the time of filter cleaning alarm issuing, this reverse rotation control is not essential and you may make it perform only alarm issuing control.

External perspective view of a frozen showcase Cross section of frozen showcase Front view of display Front view of the operation unit Control block diagram of refrigerated showcase

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Refrigeration showcase, 10 ... Outer box, 11 ... Inner box, 12 ... Merchandise storage, 13 ... Ventilation path, 14 ... Discharge port, 15 ... Suction port, 16 ... Evaporator, 17 ... Blower in chamber, 17a ... Fan motor, 18 ... heater, 19 ... internal temperature sensor, 20 ... machine room, 21 ... compressor, 22 ... condenser, 23 ... machine room blower, 23a ... fan motor, 24 ... outside air inlet, 25 ... waste heat Mouth, 26 ... Air filter, 27 ... Air filter detection sensor, 30 ... Display unit, 31 ... Inside temperature display LED, 32 ... Filter cleaning sign LED, 33 ... First alarm LED, 40 ... Operation unit, 41 ... Information display LED, 42 ... second alarm LED, 43 ... buzzer, 44 ... input key, 45 ... alarm stop button, 50 ... control device, 51 ... internal temperature control unit, 52 ... air filter management unit, 53 ... alarm control unit, 54 ... Abnormality history Parts, 55 ... issuing condition storage unit, 56 ... timer

Claims (8)

In a refrigeration showcase comprising a product storage for storing frozen products, and a machine room in which a blower for sucking outside air and a removable air filter for filtering dust contained in the outside air flowing in by driving of the blower are installed,
A timer that counts the current date and time,
An input means for inputting an alarm issuing condition for encouraging air filter cleaning;
A refrigeration showcase comprising: a control device that issues a warning from a predetermined output device when the time and date of the timer satisfies the issuing condition input by the input means. It has an alarm stop button to stop the alarm,
The refrigeration showcase according to claim 1, wherein the control device stops the alarm when detecting the pressing of the alarm stop button while issuing the alarm. Air filter mounting detection means for detecting whether or not the air filter is mounted,
3. The refrigeration showcase according to claim 1, wherein the control device stops the alarm when the air filter presence / absence detecting means detects that the air filter has been removed while the alarm is issued. 4. The refrigeration showcase according to claim 3, wherein the control device issues a warning from a predetermined output device when a predetermined time elapses after the air filter presence / absence detecting means detects that the air filter has been removed. . 5. The control device according to claim 4, wherein the warning that a predetermined time has elapsed since the air filter was removed is issued from an output device that is different from an output device that issues a warning prompting air filter cleaning. Frozen showcase. The refrigeration showcase according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control device reversely rotates the blower when a timed date and time of the timer satisfies a departure time condition input by the input means. The refrigeration showcase according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the issuing condition input from the input means includes day information and time information for issuing a weekly alarm. The refrigeration showcase according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the issuing condition input from the input means includes date information and time information for issuing a monthly warning.

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