JP2019132461A - Refrigerator control unit and refrigerator system - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator control unit that can reduce the cost of parts compared to the past, quickly cool the inside of a refrigerator to a set temperature, and extend the life of a Peltier refrigerator. A cooling signal detection section 4C of the present invention sends a sending signal to a power supply section 4B that controls energization to a Peltier element 31. The cooling signal detection unit 4C detects the presence or absence of a cooling signal, and when the cooling signal is detected, sends a temperature signal from the temperature detection unit 4A to the power supply unit 4B so that the inside of the cooling chamber 19 is cooled to a set temperature. Even when the cooling signal is not detected, the power supply section 4B is configured to send out a sending signal for energizing the Peltier element 31 to the power supply section 4B. [Selection diagram] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator control unit that controls a Peltier refrigerator provided with a Peltier element, and a refrigerator system incorporating the refrigerator control unit.

  For example, in a hospital, as a refrigerator system that enables a patient-oriented refrigerator to be used with electronic money, the applicant of the present application is a chargeable television or refrigerator, a power supply control unit, a billing device, and a remote control for remotely operating the television. Providing a remote control electronic money billing system that makes it possible to pay for TVs and refrigerators using electronic money transferred from the remote control to a billing device by adding a wallet function that delivers electronic money to the remote control. (For example, see Patent Document 1). In this system, when the refrigerator is charged for use, when a cooling signal is transmitted from the billing device to the power supply control unit, power is supplied from the power supply control unit to the refrigerator to cool the object to be refrigerated. It has become.

  In addition, Peltier refrigerators, which are refrigerators equipped with Peltier elements, are used in many hospitals and hotels because they have a quieter operating sound during cooling than reciprocating refrigerators equipped with a compressor. As this type of Peltier refrigerator, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a refrigerator including a Peltier element that absorbs heat in a cabinet formed by a heat insulating box and a door and dissipates heat outside the heat insulating box and the door. In order to reduce noise, the voltage applied to the Peltier element is set in two stages, high voltage and low voltage. When the ambient temperature is high and the internal temperature is higher than the set temperature, high voltage operation is performed. When the temperature is close to the preset temperature, only low voltage operation is disclosed.

JP 2016-211901 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-173727

  The Peltier refrigerator as in the invention of Patent Document 2 has a weaker cooling capacity than a reciprocating refrigerator, and takes time to cool to a preset appropriate temperature. A Peltier element that serves as a cooling element for a Peltier refrigerator is a semiconductor element that utilizes the Peltier effect that heat is transferred from one metal to the other when a current is passed through a joint between two types of metal.

  On the other hand, as in the invention of the cited document 1, the refrigerator system that enables the paid use of the refrigerator is configured such that the refrigerator can be used only for a predetermined period according to the usage fee from the electronic money transferred to the charging device. The power supply control unit supplies power to the refrigerator for a predetermined period of time, and otherwise stops supplying power to the refrigerator, so to speak, the main power supply is turned on and off.

  A conventional refrigerator system in which a Peltier refrigerator as in the invention of Patent Document 2 is incorporated in the refrigerator system of the cited document 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In this figure, this refrigerator system includes a charging device 201 and a refrigerator 200 as control means as main components. Reference numeral 231 denotes a Peltier element in which one electrode is attached to the cooling surface 232 of the cooling chamber 219 and the other electrode is attached to a radiator 233 disposed outside the cooling chamber 219. Reference numeral 234 denotes a thermistor as an internal temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature in the cooling chamber 219. As shown in FIG. 5, the thermistor 34 is disposed on the back surface of the heat insulating box 217 that forms the cooling surface 232 of the cooling chamber 219, and the radiator 33 is disposed outside the back surface of the heat insulating box 17. . In addition to this, the refrigerator 200 includes a power supply control unit 204 serving as a control unit of the refrigerator 200.

  The power supply control unit 204 converts the AC power supplied from the charging device 201 into DC power and the temperature detection unit 204A that receives a detection signal from the thermistor 234 that detects the internal temperature of the refrigerator 200, and the temperature detection unit 204A. A power source unit 204B serving as a Peltier power source unit that variably adjusts and outputs DC power supplied to the Peltier element 231 in response to a temperature signal sent from the Peltier device 231 is combined.

  Since the power generation unit 204B is fed from the billing device 201, the billing device 201 requires a power relay and timer for turning on and off the AC power for feeding the power control unit 204, which increases the cost of parts. It was. Further, when the power generation unit 204B receives AC power from the charging device 201 and starts energization by flowing current through the Peltier element 231, the electrode on the heat absorbing surface 232 side of the Peltier element 231 is at least 0 ° C. or less. Whereas the maximum of the electrode on the 233 side is 70 to 80 ° C., the AC power from the charging device 201 is interrupted and the energization to the Peltier element 231 is stopped, the heat dissipation from the electrode on the heat absorption surface 232 side of the Peltier element 231 Both electrodes on the vessel 233 side are at room temperature. However, along with the use of the refrigerator 200, a large heat shock is applied to the Peltier element 231 in which two kinds of metals having different expansion and contraction rates are joined, and the Peltier element 231 is eventually destroyed. This was a cause of reducing the life of the Peltier refrigerator 200. In particular, the destruction of the Peltier element 231 is an essential problem as a refrigerator system. Therefore, when a Peltier refrigerator is used for a fee in a hospital or a hotel, it is necessary to take immediate measures.

  Therefore, in view of the above problems, the present invention provides a refrigerator control unit that can reduce the cost of parts compared to the prior art, can quickly cool the interior to a set temperature, and can extend the life of a Peltier refrigerator. This is the first purpose.

  It is a second object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator system that enables pay use of a Peltier refrigerator.

  The refrigerator control unit according to claim 1 of the present invention detects the presence / absence of a cooling signal and, when detecting the cooling signal, sends a sending signal to the power supply unit so that the inside of the refrigerator is cooled to a set temperature. On the other hand, even when the cooling signal is not detected, the power supply unit is configured to send a transmission signal that energizes the Peltier element to the power supply unit.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator system comprising the refrigerator control unit and a charging device for charging control of the refrigerator, and the charging device is provided for the predetermined period according to a usage fee. Further, the cooling signal is output.

  Moreover, when the refrigerator control unit or the refrigerator system according to claim 3 of the present invention receives the delivery signal when the cooling signal is not detected, the power supply unit has an internal temperature of the refrigerator of 5 to 7 ° C from room temperature. The power supply to the Peltier element is controlled so as to be low.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the power supply unit is configured to energize the Peltier element even when the cooling signal is not detected, the commercial power supply can be directly input to the power supply unit, and the AC power for the power supply unit can be obtained. Power supply relays and timers for turning on and off are not required in the billing apparatus, and the component cost can be reduced. Even when the cooling signal is not output, the power supply unit is controlled to supply, for example, the lowest voltage power to the Peltier element, and the pre-cooling operation for cooling the refrigerator interior to a temperature lower than room temperature is performed. Then, when the cooling signal is output and the cooling operation in which the power supply unit variably controls the power supply to the Peltier element is performed, the interior can be cooled to the set temperature more quickly than in the past. In addition, when switching the refrigerator from the pre-cooling operation to the cooling operation, the temperature difference between the temperature at which the cooling operation in the warehouse starts and the set temperature is conventionally reduced in order to cool the interior from the pre-cooled temperature to the set temperature. On the other hand, even when the refrigerator is switched from the cooling operation to the pre-cooling operation, the temperature difference between the set temperature during the cooling operation in the refrigerator and the temperature during the pre-cooling operation is smaller than before, so both The heat shock of the Peltier element mounted on the refrigerator can be alleviated and the life of the Peltier refrigerator can be extended.

  According to the invention of claim 2, since the cooling signal is output from the charging device to the refrigerator control unit for a predetermined period according to the usage fee of the refrigerator, the charge of the Peltier refrigerator is extended while extending the life of the Peltier refrigerator. A refrigerator system that can be used can be provided.

  According to the invention of claim 3, during the pre-cooling operation, the interior feels “cooled” from room temperature. Usually, the refrigerator is installed indoors, and the ambient temperature of the refrigerator is a room temperature where people can easily spend. For this reason, even if the object to be cooled is put in the pre-cooled state, the object to be cooled is not cooled to a preferable temperature, and the refrigerator is not used without charging. On the other hand, since the heat shock of the Peltier element can be alleviated by the power supply unit, the life of the Peltier refrigerator can be effectively extended while minimizing the power consumption during the pre-cooling operation.

1 shows an external configuration of a remote-control electronic money billing system for a hospital equipped with a refrigerator system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of a refrigerator same as the above, and the side view of the refrigerator of the state which pulled out the door. The main electrical configuration of the refrigerator system is illustrated. It is the schematic which shows the structure of a Peltier device same as the above. The main electrical structure of the conventional refrigerator system is illustrated.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a refrigerator control unit and a refrigerator system including the refrigerator control unit according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, in particular, an example of a remote control electronic money billing system for billing a refrigerator installed in a hospital will be described in detail.

  FIG. 1 shows an external configuration of a remote control electronic money billing system for hospitals equipped with the refrigerator system S of the present invention. In the figure, a refrigerator system S includes a billing device 2 and a refrigerator 100 as control means respectively installed in a plurality of hospital rooms A. The refrigerator 100 includes a refrigerator body 1 and the refrigerator body 1. And a power supply control unit 4 provided therein. In addition to these, the remote control electronic money billing system includes a remote control R having a dedicated IR transmitter / receiver function as a remote control device, a remote control depositing machine I and a remote control settlement machine C installed outside the hospital room B. A plurality of remote control depositing machines I are preferably prepared, and installed on each floor of a hospital, for example. For example, only one remote control settlement machine C is installed at the entrance of a hospital in order to centrally manage data for each hospital room.

  In addition to the refrigerator 100, a television T whose operation is controlled by the charging device 2 is installed in the hospital room A. Then, in a state where the charging device 2 is integrally attached to the lower part of the television T, the charging device 2, the television T, and the refrigerator 100 are movable floor heads (not shown) installed for each hospital bed in the hospital room A. ). The charging device 2 and the television T are directly connected by wireless or wired communication means.

  The power control unit 4 is supplied with power from a temperature detection unit 4A that receives a detection signal from a thermistor 34 (see FIG. 3) that detects the internal temperature of the refrigerator 100, and a power outlet (not shown) installed in the hospital. In addition to the power supply unit 4B as the Peltier power supply unit that converts the AC power to be converted into DC power and variably adjusts and outputs the DC power supplied to the refrigerator body 1, a cooling signal that is a control signal from the charging device 2 A cooling signal detection unit 4C as a control unit of the refrigerator 100 that detects and sends a transmission signal to the power supply unit 4B is combined.

  The charging device 2 includes an IR transmission / reception unit 6 that enables two-way communication with the remote controller R and the television T, and as a display unit, a day indicator 7 that displays the usable period of the refrigerator 1 in days, A balance indicator 8 for displaying a period during which the television T can be viewed as a balance of electronic money is provided. In the present embodiment, various types of data are transmitted and received by an infrared signal between the charging apparatus 2 and the remote controller R. The remote controller R performs infrared communication not only with the television T but also with the charging apparatus 2. It has become a dedicated remote control that enables.

  The remote control depositing machine I is a device that is used when a patient who is a user of the charging system S uses the remote control R to exchange cash for electronic money. The remote control settlement machine C is a device used when the electronic money charged in the remote control R is settled and exchanged for cash when the patient is discharged from the hospital. The remote control depositing machine I and the remote control settlement machine C shown in FIG. 1 are provided as separate switches, but they may be integrated.

  The charging device 2 of the present embodiment controls charging so that the electronic money charged in the remote controller R is transferred and deposited through infrared communication so that the refrigerator 100 and the television T to be charged can be used for a fee. Here, the refrigerator 100 is reserved by operating the remote controller R to transfer money to the charging device 2, and at this time, the charging device 2 uses the usage fee (for example, 200 yen) for a predetermined period (for example, one day) of the refrigerator 100. Is subtracted from the remote control R, a predetermined period corresponding to the usage fee is displayed on the day display 7, and a predetermined period (for example, one day or more) is displayed on the day display 7. The charging device 2 is configured to transmit a cooling signal to the power supply control unit 4 of the refrigerator 100. Note that the billing control of the television T is described in the above-mentioned cited document 1, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  Next, the overall configuration of the refrigerator body 1 will be described based on FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b). 11 is a cabinet as a member covering the outer shell of the refrigerator body 1, and 12 is provided on the front surface of the refrigerator body 1. It is a door that can be pulled out in the front-rear direction. At the upper part of the door 12, there is provided a handle 13 for opening / closing operation that is applied when the door 12 is opened and closed in the front-rear direction. Further, leg portions 14 are provided at the four corners below the bottom surface of the refrigerator main body 1, and the refrigerator main body 1 can be reliably installed on the floor by these leg portions 14.

  The cabinet 11 that forms the left and right side surfaces, the top surface, the bottom surface, and the back surface of the refrigerator main body 1 is provided so as to cover a heat insulating box 17 (see FIG. 3) that includes the left and right side surfaces, the top surface, the bottom surface, and the back surface. . At this time, in order to improve heat dissipation from the radiator 33 (see FIG. 3), the back surface of the cabinet 11 may be formed in a wire mesh shape. Further, a heat insulating material 18 is also provided inside the door 12, and when the door 12 is closed, a cooling chamber 19 (see FIG. 5) for placing an object to be cooled by the heat insulating box 17 and the heat insulating material 18. 3) is formed as the inside of the refrigerator 100. A frame (not shown) that holds a case 21 on which an object to be cooled is placed is attached to the door 12, and a drawer function is configured with a rail 22 attached to the heat insulation box 17.

  FIG. 3 illustrates the main electrical configuration of the refrigerator system S of the present embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 31 denotes a flat Peltier element in which one electrode is attached to the cooling surface 32 of the cooling chamber 19 and the other electrode is attached to a radiator 33 disposed outside the cooling chamber 19. Here, the Peltier element 31 absorbs heat with the electrode 31A on the cooling surface 32 side (see FIG. 4) and supplies heat with the electrode 31B on the radiator 33 side (see FIG. 4) when power is supplied from the power conversion unit 4B. Composed. Reference numeral 34 denotes a thermistor as an internal temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature in the cooling chamber 19. The thermistor 34 of the present embodiment has a negative characteristic, and the resistance varies between 30 kΩ and 5 kΩ depending on the temperature of the thermistor 34. . In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a thermistor 34 is disposed on the back surface of the heat insulation box 17 that forms the cooling surface 32 of the cooling chamber 19, and the radiator 33 is disposed outside the back surface of the heat insulation box 17. However, if it is a place that does not interfere with the case 21 or the rail 22 when the door 12 is closed, another place of the heat insulating box 17 or the heat insulating material 18 may be used as the cooling surface 32 of the cooling chamber 19, Moreover, you may provide the heat radiator 33 and the thermistor 34 in a place different from this embodiment.

  The thermistor 34 is input to the temperature detection unit 4A of the power supply control unit 4, the charging device 2 and the temperature detection unit 4A are input to the input of the cooling signal detection unit 4C, and the cooling signal is detected to the input unit of the power supply unit 4B. The units 4C are electrically connected to each other, and AC 100V from the power outlet is input to the power unit 4B and the charging apparatus 2. The Peltier element 31 is electrically connected to the output part of the power supply part 4B. As described above, the power supply unit 4 </ b> B directly inputs AC 100 V commercial power from an outlet, converts it to DC 4 V to 12 V, and applies it to the Peltier element 31. Therefore, the power supply relay and timer for turning on and off the commercial power supply, which are required in the conventional refrigerator system and incorporated in the billing apparatus 2, are not required, and the parts cost can be reduced.

  The power supply unit 4B according to the present embodiment is 4 W at 4V DC so that the cooling chamber 19 is cooled to a temperature set based on the transmission signal from the cooling signal detection unit 4C or the cooling chamber 19 is pre-cooled. Is variably controlled so as to be supplied as power for driving the Peltier element 31 from the lowest voltage power to the maximum voltage power of 80 W at 12 VDC. Further, the cooling signal detection unit 4C of the present embodiment detects the presence or absence of the cooling signal from the charging device 2, and when detecting the cooling signal, the temperature signal from the temperature detection unit 4A is sent to the power supply unit 4B as a transmission signal. The cooling chamber 19 is cooled so as to be cooled to a set temperature. On the other hand, even when the cooling signal is not detected, the power supply unit 4B sends a sending signal that supplies power to the Peltier element 31. Configured. The sending signal when the cooling signal is not detected is, for example, the value of the temperature signal that assumes that the minimum value of the temperature signal, that is, the thermistor 34 has the maximum resistance value, and the temperature in the cooling chamber 19 has the minimum value. Sent to 4B.

  Next, the operation of the Peltier element 31 will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the Peltier element 31 absorbs heat by the electrode 31A on the cooling surface 32 side as a cooling part and energizes by the electrode 31B on the radiator 33 side as a heat dissipation part when energized, but depending on the voltage applied to the Peltier element 31 The temperatures of the electrodes 31A and 31B are changing. Specifically, the power supply unit 4B supplies 4 W of power at 4 V DC at the time of the lowest voltage power and 80 W of power at 12 V DC at the time of the highest voltage power. The normal temperature Peltier element 31 that is the temperature of the inside of the hospital room A when the electrodes 31A and 31B are not energized is such that the electrode 31A is 8-10 ° C. lower than the normal temperature and the electrode 31B is 10-15 ° C. higher than the normal temperature at the lowest voltage power. The electrode 31A is configured to be approximately 0 to 4 ° C. and the electrode 31B is configured to be 70 to 80 ° C. at the time of the highest voltage power.

  Next, the effect | action is demonstrated about the refrigerator system S of the said structure. First, the power plug (not shown) of the charging device 2 is inserted into an outlet, and the AC 100V is input to the charging device 2, and the power plug (not shown) of the power control unit 4 is connected while the charging device 2 is operating. When plugged into an outlet, commercial power of AC 100V is input from the outlet to the power supply unit 4B. Here, while there is no cooling signal from the charging device 2, the cooling signal detection unit 4C sends a sending signal such that the power supply unit 4B is supplied with power to the Peltier element 31, and in this embodiment, from the temperature detection unit 4A. The lowest value of the temperature signal is sent to the power supply unit 4B. Therefore, the power supply unit 4B always supplies the lowest voltage power to the Peltier element 31 on the assumption that the detected temperature from the thermistor 34 is the lowest temperature. Therefore, the refrigerator 100 shifts to a precooling state in which the cooling surface 32 is lowered by 8 to 10 ° C. from the normal temperature and the temperature of the cooling chamber 19 is lowered by 5 to 7 ° C. from the normal temperature. With this configuration, the inside of the cooling room 19 feels “cooled” from room temperature. Usually, the refrigerator 100 is installed in a room such as a hospital room A, and the temperature around the refrigerator 100 is not controlled by a person. Since the room temperature is easy to spend, the object to be cooled is not cooled to a preferable temperature even if the object to be cooled is put into the cooling chamber 19 of the refrigerator 100 in the pre-cooled state, and the refrigerator 100 is used without charging the usage fee. There is no. On the other hand, as will be described later, it is possible to reduce the temperature difference between the set temperature, which is the temperature during cooling of the cooling chamber 19, and the temperature during precooling.

  Next, when the refrigerator 100 is reserved for the charging device 2 by operating the remote controller R, the charging device 2 subtracts an amount corresponding to the usage fee for the predetermined period of the refrigerator 100 from the remote control R, and according to the usage fee. A predetermined period is displayed on the day display 7. Note that the rental of the remote controller R, the operation procedure for depositing money to the remote controller R, the authentication between the remote controller R and the charging device 2 are described in the above cited reference 1, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  When the predetermined period is displayed on the day indicator 7, the billing apparatus 2 transmits a cooling signal to the cooling signal detection unit 4C of the power supply control unit 4. In the present embodiment, an operation pulse that is a rectangular wave of 100 Hz is adopted as a cooling signal to the cooling signal detection unit 4C. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be appropriately changed to a pulse with a different frequency or a direct current. It is. When the cooling signal detection unit 4C receives the cooling signal, the cooling signal detection unit 4C sends the temperature signal from the temperature detection unit 4A to the power supply unit 4B so that the cooling chamber 19 is cooled to the set temperature. Based on this delivery signal, the Peltier element 31 is driven from the lowest voltage power of 4 W at DC 4 V to the highest voltage power of 80 W at DC 12 V so that the cooling chamber 19 is cooled to the set temperature based on this delivery signal. The refrigerator 100 shifts to a cooling state that is variably controlled so as to be supplied as electric power. Since the resistance value of the thermistor 34 as a temperature signal from the temperature detection unit 4A increases as the thermistor 34 is cooled, the power supply unit 4B cools by receiving the temperature signal from the temperature detection unit 4A as a sending signal. The temperature in the chamber 19 can be detected.

  When the power supply unit 4B detects that the temperature in the cooling chamber 19 is higher than a preset temperature, which is a preset temperature, by a predetermined temperature (for example, 2 ° C.) or more by the sending signal, the power supply unit 4B is higher than the Peltier element 31. Control is performed so as to supply voltage power, and the temperature of the electrode 31A on the cooling surface 32 side of the Peltier element 31 is about 0 to 4 ° C. at the lowest temperature. The cooling surface 32 to which the electrode 31A is attached cools the cooling chamber 19 until the temperature of the cooling chamber 19 detected by the thermistor 34 reaches the set temperature. By comprising in this way, since the cooling chamber 19 can be cooled from the precooled temperature, the cooling chamber 19 can be cooled to preset temperature more rapidly than the conventional refrigerator system. Further, since the cooling chamber 19 is cooled from the precooled temperature, the temperature difference between the temperature at the start of cooling of the cooling chamber 19 and the set temperature can be reduced, and the heat shock of the Peltier element 31 can be alleviated. The component life of the Peltier element 31 can be extended as compared with the refrigerator system.

  When the thermistor 34 is cooled by cooling the cooling chamber 19, the resistance value of the thermistor 34 increases, and the power supply unit 4 </ b> B detects that the temperature in the cooling chamber 19 has reached the set temperature by the sending signal. The power supply unit 4B controls the Peltier element 31 to supply low voltage power. Further, when the power supply unit 4B detects that the temperature in the cooling chamber 19 has increased by a predetermined temperature from the set temperature, the power supply unit 4B controls the Peltier element 31 to supply high voltage power again. In this way, when the refrigerator 1 is in the cooling state, the power supply unit 4B controls to supply driving power to the Peltier element 31 based on the transmission signal from the cooling signal detection unit 4C, and the inside of the cooling chamber 19 The temperature of saturates to the set temperature.

  And when the predetermined period according to a usage charge passes and the number of days displayed on the day indicator 7 becomes 0 days, for example, the billing apparatus 2 stops transmission of the cooling signal to the cooling signal detector 4C. Since there is no cooling signal from the charging device 2, the cooling signal detection unit 4C sends a sending signal such that the power supply unit 4B supplies power to the Peltier element 31, and in this embodiment, the temperature signal from the temperature detection unit 4A The lowest value of the signal is sent to the power supply unit 4B. Therefore, the power supply unit 4B assumes that the detected temperature from the thermistor 34 is the lowest temperature, and the refrigerator 100 shifts to a pre-cooling state in which the lowest voltage power is always supplied to the Peltier element 31. By configuring in this way, the temperature difference between the set temperature that is the temperature during cooling of the cooling chamber 19 and the temperature during pre-cooling can be reduced, and the heat shock of the Peltier element 31 can also be alleviated. The component life of the Peltier element 31 can be extended as compared with the refrigerator system.

  As described above, the cooling signal detection unit 4 </ b> C as the refrigerator control unit of the present embodiment sends a transmission signal to the power supply unit 4 </ b> B that controls energization to the Peltier element 31. The cooling signal detection unit 4C detects the presence or absence of the cooling signal, and when the cooling signal is detected, the cooling signal detection unit 4C serves as a sending signal that is cooled to a set temperature that is a temperature set in the cooling chamber 19 as the inside of the refrigerator 100. While the temperature signal from the temperature detection unit 4A is sent to the power supply unit 4B, for example, from the temperature detection unit 4A as a transmission signal that causes the power supply unit 4B to energize the Peltier element 31 even when the cooling signal is not detected. The minimum value of the temperature signal is configured to be sent to the power supply unit 4B.

  In this case, since the power supply unit 4B energizes the Peltier element 31 even when no cooling signal is detected, the power supply control unit 4, that is, the power supply unit 4B, can be configured to directly input AC100V commercial power. The power supply relay and timer for turning on / off the AC power for 4 become unnecessary in the charging apparatus 2, and the component cost can be reduced. Even when the cooling signal is not output, the power supply unit 4B performs control so that power is supplied to the Peltier element 31, and a pre-cooling operation is performed in which the cooling chamber 19 of the refrigerator 100 is cooled to a temperature lower than normal temperature. Since the pre-cooling state is entered, the cooling chamber 19 is set more quickly than before when the cooling signal is output and the power supply unit 4B performs the cooling operation in which the power supply to the Peltier element 31 is variably controlled. Can be cooled to temperature. When the refrigerator 100 is switched from the pre-cooled state to the cooled state, the cooling chamber 19 is cooled to the set temperature from the pre-cooled temperature, and therefore, the temperature between the temperature at which the cooling operation of the cooling chamber 19 starts and the set temperature. On the other hand, even when the refrigerator 100 is switched from the cooling state to the pre-cooling state, the temperature difference between the set temperature during the cooling operation of the cooling chamber 19 and the temperature during the pre-cooling operation is smaller than before. Therefore, both can alleviate the heat shock of the Peltier element 31 mounted on the refrigerator 100 and extend the lifetime of the refrigerator 100.

  Further, the refrigerator system S of the present embodiment includes a cooling signal detection unit 4C and a charging device 2 that controls charging of the refrigerator 100, and the charging device 2 only has a power supply control unit 4 for a predetermined period according to the usage fee. In this configuration, a cooling signal is output. Therefore, since the cooling signal is output from the charging device 2 to the cooling signal detection unit 4C for a predetermined period according to the usage fee of the refrigerator 100, the usage of the refrigerator 100 can be paid while extending the life of the refrigerator 100. The refrigerator system S can be provided.

  In the present embodiment, for example, when a signal for sending the minimum value of the temperature signal from the temperature detection unit 4A is received, the energization to the Peltier element 31 is performed so that the temperature in the cooling chamber 19 is lowered by 5 to 7 ° C. from the normal temperature. In the pre-cooling operation, the inside of the cooling chamber 19 feels “cooled” from the normal temperature. Usually, the refrigerator 100 is installed indoors, and the ambient temperature of the refrigerator 100 is a normal temperature at which people can easily spend. Therefore, even if the object to be cooled is put in the precooled cooling chamber 19, the object to be cooled is not cooled to a preferable temperature, and the refrigerator is not used without charging. On the other hand, since the power converter 4B can mitigate the heat shock of the Peltier element 31, it is possible to effectively extend the life of the refrigerator 1 while minimizing the power consumption during the pre-cooling operation.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, the said embodiment is only one illustration to the last, and various omission, substitution, and a change are possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary of invention. For example, the refrigerator system S described above can be applied to clinics and various facilities other than hospitals. Further, the configuration and shape of each part of the present embodiment are not limited to those illustrated, and can be changed as appropriate.

100 Refrigerator 2 Billing device 4B Power supply unit 4C Cooling signal detection unit (refrigerator control unit)
19 Cooling chamber 31 Peltier element S Refrigerator system

Claims (3)

In the refrigerator control unit that sends out a sending signal to the power supply unit that controls the energization to the Peltier element,
Detects the presence or absence of a cooling signal,
While the cooling signal is detected, a sending signal is sent to the power supply unit so that the inside of the refrigerator is cooled to a set temperature. On the other hand, when the cooling signal is not detected, the power supply unit is connected to the Peltier element. A refrigerator control unit configured to send a sending signal for energizing to the power supply unit. The refrigerator control unit according to claim 1, and a charging device that controls charging of the refrigerator.
The refrigerator system is configured to output the cooling signal to the refrigerator control unit for a predetermined period according to a usage fee. When receiving the sending signal when the cooling signal is not detected, the power supply unit controls energization to the Peltier element so that the temperature inside the refrigerator is 5 to 7 ° C. lower than normal temperature. The refrigerator control unit according to claim 1 or the refrigerator system according to claim 2.